Business Management

BA (Hons)

Full-Time

This course is available in Clearing, call us on 0845 271 3333 for more information

Vinny Rawley

BA Hons Business Management
3rd year student

“The course offered a diverse mix of modules in HR, Finance and Marketing which would allow me the opportunity to build knowledge of all three subject areas which would then help me in my future career.”

Course overview

As with many of our business degrees, the aim of our course is to equip you with a solid foundation in business and management theory. You will also have the opportunity to develop a range of practical skills and analytical techniques currently used within a number of business areas.

The wide range of course options enable you to focus on areas of particular interest, or to prepare for specific professional requirements. Close ties with international industry and business ensure that course content is aligned with contemporary business practice.

When you graduate you will be able to:
  • display a real understanding of contemporary issues such as globalisation, sustainability and social and demographic change
  • demonstrate a sound appreciation of management practice, including human resources, marketing, accounting and finance and information management
  • critically analyse strategic commercial behaviour.

On a more practical level, you will be able to:
  • use appropriate IT business applications to support analysis and enhance reporting
  • utilise appropriate qualitative and quantitative techniques to analyse a range of issues
  • plan and execute research projects
  • effectively communicate results at whatever level is appropriate to the audience.

Our course is about preparing you for the world of business, which means not just giving you the skills that are in use today, but developing you intellectually so that you can continue to learn and grow after you graduate, and keep up with the fast-changing commercial environment.

Additional course information

  • The course gives a broad grounding in business and management that opens up a wide range of careers.
  • The course develops the skills and confidence to establish and successfully run your own business.
  • The core of the course ensures the broad based grounding in business whilst allowing students' particular interests to be pursued through optional modules.
  • Should you wish to, it is possible to switch to a specialist course such as Marketing, Accounting and Finance or Business Economics after the first year.
  • The course allows you to take advantage of placement and careers guidance from our dedicated employability and careers advisors.
  • The course offers the opportunity to study abroad for a semester at partner institutions around the world.
Year one core modules
  • Analysis of Business

    The module begins by reviewing various techniques for collecting and presenting data. Some important measures and techniques for making sense of raw data are then introduced which are widely used by businesses when analysing both their internal and external environments. This module builds on the introduction to spreadsheet packages previously encountered within the core Learning and Skills Development in Business module or its equivalent.

  • Economics for Business and Management

    The first part of this module focuses mainly on the internal environment of the individual business and the ways in which this can influence its operations. The business and economic principles which underpin the determination of price and output, of size and location of business activity and other business decisions are outlined in this module. Wherever possible business examples and up-to-date case study materials will be used to illustrate the application of these principles to real-world business decision making.

  • Introduction to Accounting and Finance

    The module firstly aims to give students a sound grasp of the basics of financial reporting (context, purposes, regulatory framework). It introduces the principal concepts of financial accounting. The preparation of principal financial statements will also be explored. This module is also designed to introduce students to key management accounting skills necessary to support decision-making. It will emphasise the acquisition and application of skills and knowledge necessary to inform managers responsible for planning, decision-making and control and will provide the underpinning skills and knowledge required for more advanced study.

  • Introduction to People, Organisations and Management

    The organisational context: This module allows students to explore the organisational context and will furnish students with tools to analyse the organisational environment and the degree of dynamism and complexity in which organisations operate. Students will be encouraged to examine organisational responses to environmental turbulence. The development and impact of organisational culture will also be assessed.

  • Marketing Essentials

    It is important that students in the First Year gain knowledge of the integrated nature of business, and of how the various parts fit together to build a sound business knowledge, before they specialize in Years Two and Three. Students should understand that Marketing is a key functional area of business and management which, together with Human Resource Management, Accounting and Finance, and other activities involving resource allocation, can determine the success or failure of an organisation.

  • Personal Development and Careers

    This module aims to equip the student to function effectively as an independent self-learner within the higher education learning environment, with specific reference to the area of business and management. Students will be introduced to the learning context and the responsibilities of the individual learner. They will be encouraged to develop practical skills identified as being central to undergraduate business degree programmes.

Year two core modules
  • Effective Team and Performance Management

    This module introduces students to the important role of teams in organisations and their impact upon individual, team and organisational performance. Through experiential learning activities students will develop an understanding of group dynamics and how they as individuals can manage their own personal influence as a member of a team and how they can impact the contribution and behaviour of others in a group or team context. This module is designed to help students understand the value of building strong inter-personal and relationship skills, working with others one-to-one and in group and team environments.

  • Enterprise and Entrepreneurial Management

    This module will provide an introduction to the behaviours, skills and knowledge surrounding entrepreneurship. The core to this module will involve developing an understanding of the key elements of designing and running the entrepreneurial organisation, such as managing people and other stakeholders, raising finance and managing money, creating profile and generating awareness, selling, and taking either products or services to market.

  • International Business

    The module introduces students to the important area of international business. It begins by identifying some important patterns and trends in international business activity. The factors influencing the firm's decision as to the degree of internationalisation and the methods adopted are considered, as is the theoretical and institutional framework within which international business must operate.

  • Systems and Operations Management

    The module will give students the opportunity to understand the role of systems and operations management and its integration into efficient and effective running of business. It takes a practical approach which will give the students a good understanding of good business practice within the global organisation. The soft systems approach of SSM to systems development will be used to analyse and define business requirements. People and management issues will be reviewed with emphasis on communication, teamwork and effective leadership.

Year three core modules
  • Strategic Management Analysis

    The module is designed to provide students with a holistic view of organisation's strategic position and thus the ability to appreciate the importance of strategic decisions at all levels of the business organisation. Its primary aim is to provide a vehicle for considering issues which cut across the functional boundaries of business organisations and which require multi-disciplinary skills in the solution.

  • Undergraduate Major Project

    The Major Project module allows students to engage in a substantial piece of individual research and/or product development work on a selected topic within the broad business and management field, as appropriate to their interests and background. The project topic will be assessed for suitability to ensure sufficient academic challenge and satisfactory supervision by an academic member of staff.

  • Sustainable Management Futures

    This module is a core module on all of AIBS Pathways. It is a capstone module that takes a futures perspective on management, organisations and the changing nature of business and enterprise models. It is both a forward looking and integrative module that aims to bring together our students understanding of the evolving context of sustainable management. The module takes a dimensions based view of the notion of sustainable management futures by introducing the 'people, planet and profit lenses' for understanding sustainable management. Our aim is to introduce students to the idea and value of developing a 'futures mindset' from a number of perspectives including ethical and entrepreneurial; tolerant and innovative; and responsible and responsive.

  • Organisational Change Management

    This module provides the opportunity for students to engage with the leadership and organisational challenges of major transformational change in organisations, communities and societies. This is presented through case examples to illustrate the nature of the attitude, values and behavioural change issues required for successful employee engagement in an organisation's change agenda.

Assessment

Assessment is via a mix of examination, coursework, essays and other written assignments. Coursework includes problem-solving activities, consultancy projects, presentations, business simulations and individual and group reports.

Facilities

Our striking, award-winning business school in Chelmsford, as well as our brand new building in Cambridge, offer the most advanced state-of-the-art learning environments.

In Year 1 our aim is to give you a grounding in core subjects in Business Management. So for the modules you will study are Economics for Business & Management, Marketing Essentials, Introduction to Accounting & Finance, Analysis of Business and Personal Development and Career Development. In Year 2 our aim is to broaden and deepen you knowledge within the core framework of Year 1 and at the same time introduce some fundamental and important modern concepts within organisations. For example, International Business is a deeper and wider version of International Business in Focus and Systems & Operations Management looks at the role of processes, planning and IT in modern organisations. In Year 3 the outlook becomes more strategic with your studies incorporating strategy, organisational transformation and sustainability in the future.

Our teaching strategy is typically to give you guidance and point out key theories and concepts in lectures and then seek to deepen that knowledge and appreciation of how that knowledge affects and is affected by practice within smaller group seminars. In seminars you will be expected to work in groups on small projects that may take a week or two to complete and then you present your output. The assessment methods used on the course are a mixture of examinations, assignments and presentations, and you will be encouraged to practice these assessments through the semester.

The teaching team will comprise a mixture of marketers, economists, accountants, consultants and international business specialists all of whom are also academics. As the employment market in the UK and within Europe becomes ever more competitive, ever more global and ever more complex, we hope that our mixture of academic and practice based backgrounds from the UK and from the rest of the world will prepare you as a student to understand this era of rapid change and become eminently employable.

Links with industry and professional recognition

Depending on course options taken, graduates may be exempt from certain examinations for some professional bodies. Our course brings you into close contact with practitioners and specialists from a wide range of functional areas of business and management within the global economy.

Associated careers

Our degree provides an excellent foundation for a career in financial services, marketing, consultancy or general business management.
UCAS Tariff points: 200 - 240
Additional Requirements: GCSE(s) Required: 3 GCSEs at grade C or above including English and Mathematics
IELTS score of 6 or above;

200 points from two subjects at GCE/VCE A level or VCE double award or equivalent;

Equivalent qualifications considered;

Applications from mature students and those offering qualifications other than GCE/VCE A levels are welcomed and considered on an individual basis.
Entry requirements listed are for September 2013 entry. Entry requirements for other intakes may differ.

Please note all tariff points must come from A levels. Points from AS levels cannot be counted towards the total tariff points required for entry to this course.

An Association of Business Executives (AEB) certificate in Business Management, Financial Management, Human Resource Management or Marketing will be accepted for entry to this course.

Our published entry requirements are a guide only and our decision will be based on your overall suitability for the course as well as whether you meet the minimum entry requirements.

We welcome applications from International and EU students. Please select one of the links below for English language and country-specific entry requirement information.

How to apply

UCAS code

N124

Locations

Duration

3 years

Available starts

September, January

Student finance

Open Day

Saturday 22 June
Undergraduate Open Day

Faculty

Lord Ashcroft International Business School

Department

Economics, Strategy, Marketing and Enterprise

Contact us

UK and EU applicants:International applicants:
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