Business Administration BA (Hons)

Modules

The modules you'll study combine theoretical perspectives with current industry practice to enable you to develop an understanding of the relevant knowledge and skills necessary for future employment.

The modules are assessed by a mix of coursework assignments, presentations and exam.

• Fundamentals of accounting
  This module introduces the basics of financial accounting, and assumes no prior knowledge of the subject. It is directed at the understanding of accounting statements and the mechanics of their preparation. It also provides the foundation for later accounting units.
• Quantitative literacy
  This module examines a range of ways of handling, analysing and presenting numerical information. The underlying theme is to look at numerical data in a variety of forms, to determine the 'story' that this data is telling and to tell that 'story' to others.
• Professional practice and organisational behaviour
  This module introduces you to core theoretical concepts central to understanding the basic functions of management. You'll also gain an appreciation of the complexities of understanding people and behaviour within organisations. Throughout the module, there is a focus on both the similarities and diversity of individuals and groups in organizations, as well as their development in terms of Professional Practice.
• Business communication
  This module is for students who are both first and second language speakers of English. It aims to develop communication skills as they relate to business studies and is designed to develop more effective reading, speaking, listening and writing skills.
• Introduction to marketing
  The module introduces you to the theories and practices of marketing providing you with an underpinning in the subject of marketing for further studies at levels 5 and 6. It acts as an introduction to the basic principles of marketing from which other units can develop. These principles include the marketing environment, the marketing mix, marketing research and buying behaviour.
• Business systems an introductory managerial perspective
  The module covers interrelated areas concerning information systems and technology and their importance in the business world.
• Business Environment
  The module examines the business environment, emphasising the economic aspects. It is designed to enable you to understand the microeconomic forces operating on business decision makers, and some of the techniques and theories available to them.

Plus one of the following modules

• Language and business environment
  This is a required unit for students planning to spend a semester in one of our European partner universities in Semester One of Year Two. The module requires students to further develop their knowledge and understanding of the business environment and to apply this to specific European countries and the European Union. You'll also study a language (currently French or Spanish) at an appropriate level.
• English for accounting and law
  This module aims to enhance your awareness and competence in the use of English language in the study and practice of accountancy and law, mainly in the UK context.
• Introduction to business law
  This module provides the opportunity to study the general principles of Business Law that have a major impact in the business environment. It aims to provide you with an understanding of the basic business law rules so that you can study the unit in context and introduces analytical approaches to legal problem solving and the skills of argument.

• Business skills
  This module is concerned with developing the critical, interpersonal and organisational skills needed by a manager or aspiring manager, to function effectively in the internal and external organisational environment. You'll reflect on the experiences from facilitated workshops and consider how to develop your skills in order to prepare for the move into the workplace. The central themes of the module are growth and success in the ever changing world of work, increasingly about individuals taking responsibility for their personal development.
• Research methods for business and management
  Students studying business and management studies are required to undertake a research project in their final year. This module serves as an introduction to the research process, and imparts the necessary knowledge and skills required to undertake a small scale business research project. The research topic selected must have a business or management focus and may serve as preliminary exploration for the Level 6 dissertation. The module also serves as a vehicle for personal development and support.

Plus three pathway modules from:

• Introduction to financial management
  The module deals with the theory and techniques of financial decision making in key areas such as the capital investment decision, the financing decision, the cost of capital, and working capital management. It aims to provide a foundation in finance for students aspiring to be accountants or finance professionals, and are therefore seeking a sound technical understanding of financial management and decision making techniques.
• Information systems in business
  The module covers some interrelated areas concerning the way that information is organised, stored and processed by modern business systems, the role of databases in Internet search engines Google / Yahoo and websites such as eBAY and Amazon. The process and development of a business database including entity modelling, entity relationships, normalisation and use of MS Access databases An Introductory coverage of structured systems analysis and design, data flow diagrams & decision tables, Data warehousing and data mining.
• Marketing management and strategy
  Building on the foundations of Year One Introduction to Marketing this module is intended to provide and demonstrate the tools and techniques needed to compete successfully in a business environment. It consolidates and builds analytical ability and disciplined strategic thinking within the marketing framework, through lectures, seminars, and the use of case studies and current issues.
• The macroeconomic environment of business
  This module is designed to enable you to understand the macroeconomic forces that operate in the economy. It provides you with theories and techniques to analyse the way in which these forces affect business. The course is a keystone for subsequent study of economics and other related business disciplines.
• Managerial accounting
  This module consists of a study of limited company financial statements, cost behaviour, flexible budgets, inventory, labour, overheads, marginal and absorption costing, cost volume profit analysis, further aspects of budgeting, variance analysis.
• Introduction to management science
• Principles of human resource management
  This module is an introduction to the context, theory and practice of HRM. It serves to provide the theoretical and empirical foundation for those students intending to specialise in the area of HRM. It also introduces students, who do not intend to specialise in the area of HRM, to the important managerial area of managing people.
• Business Contracts
  This module enables you to appreciate the legal rules relating to the formation of business contracts, and the consequences that flow from it.
• Introduction to management science
  The module examines some of the techniques of Management Science and uses them to solve a range of problems typically needing to be solved by managers who need to make decisions. The techniques used include linear programming, the use of appropriate probability models and a variety of decision making criterion. Problems will be approached using both paper based methods and by way of the use of appropriate software.

Plus one elective from a selection of business-related modules.

• Strategic management
  The broad aim of the module is to provide a final year integrative course in strategic management and business policy. It is structured in relation to the three components of strategic management; firstly internal and external strategic analysis, secondly business and corporate level strategy formulation, thirdly issues in the implementation of strategy. As well as providing a generic final year course in strategic management; it examines strategy in not for profit organisations, merger and acquisition strategy, international strategy, and the management of strategic change in organisations. As befits an integrative strategy module; its learning, teaching and assessment strategy is organised around the use of management case studies.
• Final year project
  The project is a 30 credit module and forms a vital part in determining the final degree classification. The project must be undertaken either in the chosen Subject Pathway or based on a Year 3 work internship.

This specialism can be added to your degree title on your certificate.

• Accounting
• Business and information systems
• Finance
• Human resource management
• International business economics
• Law
• Management science
• Marketing
• Plus two electives