BSc (Hons) - International Business Management (Integrated Foundation Year)

Year one

• Essential University Skills 1
  Develop the academic and professional skills required for effective learning and successful progression through your chosen course.
• Contemporary Issues and the Media
  Explore a range of contemporary issues through the lens of the media that relates to your subject area.
• Business Innovation
  Develop your own business idea and explore the interaction between different business disciplines to ensure success in profit and non-profit making organisations.
• Essential University Skills 2
  Further develop the skills acquired in Essential University Skills 1.
• Leading and Managing Individuals and Organisations
  An introduction to key concepts in leadership and management.
• Individual Case Study
  Undertake an individual given case study using a problem based approach.

Year two

At level 4 all our students are taught together and study 4 x 30 credit modules. Level 4 provides an excellent foundation for you to develop a broad understand of business theory, academic and study skills, and an appreciation of some of the debates and challenges facing contemporary business.

• Operate
  Aim of this module is to introduce students to key areas of organisations’ internal operating environments including policy & strategy, digital operations, innovation & enterprise development. Students will also see how these operations are set within the broader context of market forces and government regulation. It explores the world of finance and economics and the complexities of data in organisations.
• Lead
  The aim of this module is to lay the foundation for successful formal and informal learning experiences throughout your degree studies. The module will provide opportunities for you to learn about and practice the skills that are used for assessment within the university, within the recruitment process and within the workplace. In addition to our work on personal development and study skills, we will begin to look at the theories and models that inform the practices of business and management, including an overview of the essential functions, structures and types of organisations. We will also begin to consider the importance of values, ethics, and diversity and how they contribute to well-being and sustainability.
• Communicate
  This module aims to introduce students to the importance of effective internal and external communications skills in building sustainable relationships and delivering customer value. It examines the role of marketing and its significance in the modern world in maximising the effectiveness of business performance. The module will explore the key concepts in marketing including the marketing environment and digital marketing. It will provide insights into the marketing mix and marketing research. In addition, the module looks at the importance of a business communication strategy and the role that digital communication plays within this.
• Collaborate
  This module will introduce students to the nature and structure of organisations and the changing environments in which organisations operate, including economic, geographical, nature of the business and competition. It focuses on developing team working skills, how organisations learn, culture in organisations and how digital platforms can enable team working, collaboration and collaborative behaviour.

Year three

As you move into levels 5 and 6, your knowledge and skills will be built on through the modules you will study and the opportunities you will be given to apply your knowledge. We have a varied approach to learning and like to bring realistic contexts to learning through case studies, problem solving exercises, business simulations and games. The programme integrates theory and practice by providing inputs to the student learning from guest speakers, lectures, practicing managers and through supporting assessment. Students will have opportunities to give and receive peer review on formative assessment and will be guided throughout in developing their skills in this vocational aspect of their personal development.

• Simulate
  This module examines Business Simulation and the work that supports implementing business development or starting a business. This module brings teams of students together to operate a simulated start-up business. It provides an opportunity for students to apply their learning from modules across the programme in a group-based business project.
• Projects
  This module will provide you with a broad understanding of the principles of project management which will enable you to make a positive contribution to project work in an organisational setting. The aim is that students will develop a critical understanding of the concepts used in project management at strategic, systems and operational levels, and an appreciation of the knowledge and skills required for successful project management in organisations.
• International Markets
  The aim of this module is to equip you with a comprehensive understanding of international marketing and the skills and knowledge necessary to compete effectively in the international marketplace. It appreciates the complexity and diversity of entering and operating across increasingly global markets to achieve sustainable growth.
• International People
  This module explores people in domestic and international business contexts. The course aims to understand how the globalised, changing world of work impacts people in organisations. In this course, you will learn how to apply psychological, OB, and HRM theories and principles to organisations and individuals at work. Moreover, the course will look at the impact of AI-enabled intelligence technologies on employee and organisational outcomes in global business. By the end of this module, students should be able to skilfully assess their own and others' personal biases and perceptions and demonstrate an understanding of how these factors can impact behaviour within organisational contexts. Through tutorial exercises, lectures and discussions, the unit ensures that you will understand contemporary people issues in the workplace.

Year four

In level 6 there will be an opportunity for you to undertake an independent piece of work such as a research or client project or to develop the start-up plans for a business or other form of organisation business plan. This gives you the opportunity to focus on your chosen specialism and draw together the knowledge and skills you have gathered over the course of your degree. It will also be an excellent opportunity for you to demonstrate your independent study and research skills.

• Innovate
  This module opens up the concepts of entrepreneurship, intrapreneurship and the strategic planning process needed to move from an idea to a value-generating product or service. It provides an in-depth understanding of contemporary business and management and the strategic planning process. It explores different ways of looking at and understanding technological advancements and innovations from a variety of perspectives to move from an idea to a value-generating product or service.
• Transform
  This undergraduate module is designed to provide students with a deep understanding of organisations strategic management process, change management, and systems transformation. It explores the theoretical foundations, practical approaches, and case studies related to leading and navigating organisational change effectively.
• Consult
  The aim of this module is to develop a sound and critical understanding of a range of business and management research methodologies and their relevance to a wide array of fundamental and applied research contexts. The module provides students with the opportunity to initiate, plan, develop and undertake a research project, using a systematic approach to research based on individual initiative and pathway of study. Projects may be either a traditional undergraduate dissertation, or an applied business project.