Business Management

Course Content (including module information)

Stage 1

Students take six compulsory introductory modules, which set the context and foundation for the remainder of the degree. The focus will be on organisations, their structures, behaviours and the changing external environment within which they operate.

Modules will cover accounting, economics, the history and philosophy of management, marketing principles, organisational behaviour and how business, government and society interact.

Stage 2

Students take six compulsory modules covering issues such as, leadership, decision-making through effective data analysis and interpretation, internationalisation, the digital business, statistics, managing human resources, and operations management.

Stage 3

The final year of the programme will see students taking modules that cover business ethics and strategic management. Students will also be afforded a choice of modules where they can focus on innovation management, consumer behaviour, supply chain management or public sector management. Students will also be afforded the opportunity to conduct a consultancy or business start-up project.

Assessment (general): The way in which students are assessed will vary according to the learning objectives of each module. Details of how each module is assessed are shown in the Student Handbook which is provided to all students during their first year induction. Business Management modules are typically assessed by a combination of continuous assessment and a final written unseen examination. Continuous assessment consists of: Accounting class tests, computer generated practical experiments where students have to manipulate and interpret management-related data, case study research and analysis of a particular organisation and its business issue, academic essays exploring specific current issues such as innovation, consumer behaviour, managing change etc. and small group project and presentations whereby groups of three/four students work on a particular business-related task.

Feedback (general): As students progress through their course at Queen’s they will receive general and specific feedback about their work from a variety of sources including lecturers, module co-ordinators, placement supervisors, personal tutors, advisers of study and peers. University students are expected to engage with reflective practice and to use this approach to improve the quality of their work. Feedback may be provided in a variety of forms including:

• Feedback provided via formal written comments and marks relating to work that you, as an individual or as part of a group, have submitted.
• Face to face comment. This may include occasions when you make use of the lecturers’ advertised “office hours” to help you to address a specific query.
• Placement employer comments or references.
• Online or emailed comment.
• General comments or question and answer opportunities at the end of a lecture, seminar or tutorial.
• Pre-submission advice regarding the standards you should aim for and common pitfalls to avoid. In some instances, this may be provided in the form of model answers or exemplars which you can review in your own time.
• Feedback and outcomes from practical classes.
• Comment and guidance provided by staff from specialist support services such as, Careers, Employability and Skills or the Learning Development Service.

Once you have reviewed your feedback, you will be encouraged to identify and implement further improvements to the quality of your work.

Queen’s University Management School is one of the largest Schools in the University with more than 1300 full-time undergraduate students and 300 plus postgraduate students. The School has been delivering high quality programmes for more than 40 years and was one of the first schools in the UK to introduce undergraduate management education. Since then, QUMS has been developing and enhancing its teaching portfolio for both local and international students and boasts students from more than 20 different nationalities.

In recent years, the School has benefited from significant investment resulting in many new academic appointments and state-of-the-art facilities including computer teaching labs with specilaised software and a Trading Room in Riddel Hall. In addition, the new McClay library houses an excellent selection of Management and related texts and there are extensive IT facilities throughout the campus.

At Queen’s, we aim to deliver a high quality learning environment that embeds intellectual curiosity, innovation and best practice in learning, teaching and student support to enable student to achieve their full academic potential. In line with this, one of QUMS’ primary objectives is to deliver innovative learning and teaching programmes that provide students with the competences and skills to make a positive contribution to business, economic and civic life.

On the BSc Business Management programme we achieve these goals by providing a range of learning environments which enable our students to engage with subject experts both academic staff and industry guest speakers, develop skills and attributes and perspectives that will equip them for life and work in a global society and make use of innovative technologies and a world-class library that enhances their development as independent, lifelong learners. Examples of the opportunities provided for learning on this degree programme are:

• Lectures: these introduce foundation information about new topics as a starting point for further self-directed private study/reading. As the module progresses this information becomes more complex. Lectures, which are normally delivered in large groups to all year-group peers, also provide opportunities to ask questions and seek clarification on key issues as well as gain feedback and advice on assessments. Additional lectures are also delivered by employer representatives and staff from a number of organisations are involved in the delivery of Business Management workshops and problem solving sessions. In addition to the academic content of the lectures and workshops, this enables employers to impart their valuable experience to QUMS Business Management students, introduces important local employers to our students and allows our Business students to meet and engage with potential future employers.
• Seminars/tutorials: a significant amount of teaching is carried out in small groups (typically 15-20 students). These sessions are designed to explore, in more depth, the information that has been presented in the lectures. This provides students with the opportunity to engage closely with academic staff who have specialist knowledge of the topic, to ask questions of them and to assess their own progress and understanding with the support of their peers. During these classes, students will be expected to present their work to academic staff and their peers.
• Computer-Based Practicals: these provide students with the opportunity to develop technical skills and apply theoretical principles to real-life or practical contexts. For example, one of the compulsory Level 2 modules, MGT2009 Business Research Methods, incorporates SPSS software practicals (a commercially used software package).
• Site Visits: to demonstrate the practical relevance of management theory site visits to local organisations are an integral feature of this programme.
• E-Learning technologies:information associated with lectures and assignments is often communicated via a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) called Queen’s Online. A range of e-learning experiences are also embedded in the degree programme through the use of, for example, interactive support materials, podcasts and web-based learning activities.
• Self-directed study: this is an essential part of life as a Queen’s student when important private reading, engagement with e-learning resources, reflection on feedback to date and assignment research and preparation work is carried out.
• Work placements: The BSc Business Management programme does not have a compulsory placement year. However, the School actively supports any student who wishes to avail of an optional placement year, normally between the second and final year of the degree programme. The School has a dedicated Placement Office which facilitates students in sourcing and securing appropriate placements which will augment their classroom-based learning experience. In addition, the School encourages students to seek other work-based and/or educational related experiences, whether that is through the summer placement programme (a 3-4 month internship in a local organisation working on a very specific project), Erasmus programmes with other European Universities, or studying abroad in universities with which the School and/or University has an existing relationship.
• Student Support Systems: QUMS has an active and co-ordinated student support system to assist students in making the transition from school to university. This includes:
• assigning each student an Adviser of Studies to assist with the choice of modules at the beginning of each academic year;
• assigning each student a Personal Tutor (an academic member of staff) when they begin the degree programme. The Personal Tutoring System includes individual scheduled appointments with personal tutors, small group tutor meetings (4-5 students) and e-mail contact to discuss academic matters, academic performance, skills development, careers and/or prospective placements and issues related to University policies and practices. Students meet their Personal Tutor at induction and during the first and second year of study they are expected to meet with their Personal Tutor at least once per semester.
• A Peer Mentoring Scheme whereby students in second and third year of their degree programme volunteer to mentor Level 1 students. Developing the programme themselves, with support from academic staff in QUMS, the mentors organise informal meetings, regular contact and a series of events ranging from ice-breaker type events to employer-led sessions with the Level 1 students.
• a formalised induction for all undergraduate students. For Level 1 students, this includes several half-day sessions the week before the programme begins to allow students to familiarise themselves with the campus and the degree programme. During Level 1 there are a number of follow-up sessions throughout the year. Topics such as academic writing, referencing, plagiarism, communication skills, examination preparation and managing time effectively are all covered in these practical sessions.
• Personal Development Planning to encourage students to engage in independent learning.