Business Management (Human Resource Management) BA Honours

Course content

What will you study on the BA Business Management (Human Resource Management)?

You will develop essential skills and knowledge in business management and expand your knowledge of the behaviour of people in organisations, and the wider business environment. At the end of Year 2 you can take a year's placement before returning to complete your degree. In your final year you will focus on strategic management and leadership, and management development.

What will you gain?

You will develop key business skills, knowledge and experience in order to excel in a management career. Companies and organisations require graduates who have expert business knowledge, who can also demonstrate analytical and problem solving skills, with the professional acumen to deal with challenges in a fast-paced corporate world.

You will learn to work effectively in teams, and be able to present and communicate business management ideas with confidence. We also ensure you develop specialist knowledge in:

• Stakeholders: their expectations and behaviour
• The environment of business and its impact on strategy
• Design, production and distribution of products and services
• Business resources: acquisition, application and control
• Business process: planning, improvement and control

Modules

The aim of this module is to provide an introduction to the use of computer software to collect, analyse and present business data. Students will learn to solve business and management problems using Excel or other appropriate software with an emphasis on the application of methods to solve problems, and the interpretation and communication of results. The main aim is to enable the student to become a discerning user of quantitative methods and computers in business analysis, which can be built upon in further study.

This module aims to develop the financial understanding and knowledge of students within business organisations so as to enable them to make effective decisions and to assess the cost, economic and financial implications of these decisions. It aims to provide an understanding of the fundamental roles of accounting and finance for business students who do not need to develop specialist knowledge as well as to provide an understanding of key economic principles that inform business thought and practice.

The aim of this module is to develop students understanding of the management of organisations. It will introduce management concepts such as the business functions,organisational structure, work design, entrepreneurship, and business ethics. Students will develop the ability to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of various management theories and their application in the management of organisations.

This module is designed to provide you with an overview of key marketing concepts and techniques, as they apply in a variety of organisations and in both conventional and online environments. You will develop knowledge and understanding of the core role of marketing in determining the growth potential of an enterprise, including the value of the marketing mix in ensuring successful marketing implementation and the significance of external and internal operating environments for marketing practice.

The aim of this module is to develop students understanding of how people in organisations interact. It will introduce various people management concepts and human resource processes and practices. Students will develop the ability to compare and contrast a variety of organisational psychology and sociological theories and their application in the management of people.

The aim of this module is to enable you to develop a critical understanding of the multifaceted social processes that are imperative to organisational life, and through which organisations may exert influence on ourselves as much as on society at large in order to pursue their objectives. The module will cover a wide array of theories pertaining to organisational behaviour, organisation theory, sociology, psychology and economic issues as far as they are relevant for the understanding of these social processes. You will develop your own abilities to analyse these theories critically, build up your own views on how to think and feel about these emergent issues as well as empower themselves with the capacity to argue and support these views in an academically rigorous manner.

In this module, you will begin to acquire the knowledge and skills typically required for more advanced study of businesses and in managerial decision-making. You will learn to analyse business environments and handle information using techniques, models and frameworks that will also start to build higher level employability skills.

This module aims to broaden and expand your knowledge of the concepts and techniques required for the design, operation and control of business processes. Cases and practical exercises are relevant to a variety of commercial, manufacturing and service organisations. The module builds on the IT and quantitative skills developed in the first year.

This module aims to provide students with the ability to apply key skills in information systems to the business management domain. The module also aims to enable students to obtain important aptitudes towards using information technology solutions such as business intelligence (e.g. data analytics), digital technology solutions (e.g. smart environments) and modern forms of communication (e.g. social networks) to improve business processes.

The module enables students to acquire knowledge in a number of topics aligned to the following key areas:

(i) information systems and business intelligence (in particular the development, management, application and implementation of information systems and the impact upon organisations,
(ii) communications (in particular the comprehension and use of relevant communications for application in business and management, including the use of digital tools) and
(iii) digital business (in particular the development of strategic priorities to deliver business at speed in an environment where digital technology has reshaped traditional revenue and business models).

The cross-discipline nature of the module ensures that students will gain experience in using information systems, while engaging in strategic management activities and following a pattern of work resembling project management practices in controlled environments.

The aim is to introduce non-HR specialist students to the key areas of HRM and to build on relevant knowledge and skills developed in introductory organisational behaviour modules. By the end of the module you will be familiar with a wide range of generalist HR policies and practices within the five key areas of the discipline - employee resourcing, employee reward, performance management employee relations, and employee training and development.

This module provides students with an introduction to innovation and entrepreneurship. It examines different forms of innovative and entrepreneurial practice including commercial and social enterprise. This includes an introduction into management issues faced by entrepreneurs and small business owners. The module will also introduce students to such concepts as opportunity recognition and the ability to act upon opportunities and problem-solving.

This module aims to provide grounding in the core competencies related to management and leadership in organisations, enabling you to apply theory to practice in management and leadership development. Alongside this, it will provide opportunities to develop personal skills through workshops in leadership and team building. This module is aligned to CIPD intermediate unit narratives.

This module aims to present a broad and integrated view of strategic management in organisations and outline a range of critical perspectives on key concepts of strategy. It will introduce generic strategies at the corporate, business and functional levels and provide a range of analytical models and concepts that can be applied in assessing the strategic capability of an organisation and the environment in which it operates.

The aim of this module is to promote greater awareness and understanding of the importance of diversity issues from both a national and international perspective. This module also provides insight to the implications of diversity from a societal, organisational, and employee standpoint. A range of diversity debates, concepts and practices regarding equality, fairness and inclusion are also explored. This is used as a means for endorsing the significance of diversity management to careers and business sustainability and success. A variety of topics are covered including cross-cultural management, gender disparity, age perception, disability awareness, effective multicultural teamworking, and diversity legislation.

This module provides an excellent opportunity for you to demonstrate high quality employability skills such as the ability to design and deliver a small research project, learn independently and through supervision, and undertake an extended, methodical piece of work. A well-executed research project will give you something to distinguish yourself from your peers as well as the opportunity to show why you might be a superior candidate for graduate employment.

This module introduces students to organisation consulting. It builds on learning from prior modules and provides students with a theoretical introduction to consulting and the idea of the learning organisation. Students are required to undertake a live team-consulting project to identify solutions to real business issues. This module also provides students with the opportunity to apply theory to practice and to develop employability skills. These include team-building, communication,interpersonal, and reflective skills that can boost employment outcomes.

The primary aim of the internship module is to provide you with the opportunity to undertake a period of work experience for a minimum of 30 days. This will facilitate you to gain an insight into the world of work and appropriate conduct at work, and the process of becoming and staying employable through assertiveness, continuing development and reflection on both your development and the link between theory and practice. You will also develop an understanding of the organisation, sector and the environment in which it operates.

Modules

The aim of this module is to enable you to develop a critical understanding of the multifaceted social processes that are imperative to organisational life, and through which organisations may exert influence on ourselves as much as on society at large in order to pursue their objectives. The module will cover a wide array of theories pertaining to organisational behaviour, organisation theory, sociology, psychology and economic issues as far as they are relevant for the understanding of these social processes. You will develop your own abilities to analyse these theories critically, build up your own views on how to think and feel about these emergent issues as well as empower themselves with the capacity to argue and support these views in an academically rigorous manner.

In this module, you will begin to acquire the knowledge and skills typically required for more advanced study of businesses and in managerial decision-making. You will learn to analyse business environments and handle information using techniques, models and frameworks that will also start to build higher level employability skills.

This module aims to broaden and expand your knowledge of the concepts and techniques required for the design, operation and control of business processes. Cases and practical exercises are relevant to a variety of commercial, manufacturing and service organisations. The module builds on the IT and quantitative skills developed in the first year.

This module builds upon knowledge gained in Year 1 about the business environment and about the general management functions operating within organisations and develops an understanding of the international context of dealing with people issues in organisations.

The aim is to introduce non-HR specialist students to the key areas of HRM and to build on relevant knowledge and skills developed in introductory organisational behaviour modules. By the end of the module you will be familiar with a wide range of generalist HR policies and practices within the five key areas of the discipline - employee resourcing, employee reward, performance management employee relations, and employee training and development.

This module aims to provide grounding in the core competencies related to management and leadership in organisations, enabling you to apply theory to practice in management and leadership development. Alongside this, it will provide opportunities to develop personal skills through workshops in leadership and team building. This module is aligned to CIPD intermediate unit narratives.

This module aims to present a broad and integrated view of strategic management in organisations and outline a range of critical perspectives on key concepts of strategy. It will introduce generic strategies at the corporate, business and functional levels and provide a range of analytical models and concepts that can be applied in assessing the strategic capability of an organisation and the environment in which it operates.

The aim of this module is to promote greater awareness and understanding of the importance of diversity issues from both a national and international perspective. This module also provides insight to the implications of diversity from a societal, organisational, and employee standpoint. A range of diversity debates, concepts and practices regarding equality, fairness and inclusion are also explored. This is used as a means for endorsing the significance of diversity management to careers and business sustainability and success. A variety of topics are covered including cross-cultural management, gender disparity, age perception, disability awareness, effective multicultural teamworking, and diversity legislation.

This module aims to explore ways of developing creativity and innovation at work, from an individual, team and organisational level. The focus will be on recognising and unleashing your latent creative potential, becoming more creative, facilitating teams to uncover more of their creative potential, and develop skills in building work environments which will release your creative energy and the energy of those whom you work with. This module will introduce the knowledge and skills needed to facilitate creativity in workplace. It draws upon the literature and the experiences of creative practitioners to examine the wide range of principles and practices which can be utilised in fostering a creative attitude at work