Understanding People in Organisations

This module introduces Organisational Behaviour (OB) theory and research to help students gain an understanding of the range of individual, group and organisational factors which can influence the way that employees behave in the workplace. Students will practice applying the theory to case study organisations to explore how it can be used as an analytical tool to gain a clearer understanding of the complex causes of workplace behaviour to develop effective management interventions.

Business Economics

Economics is all around us, present in almost every aspect of our lives. Knowledge of economics will therefore provide you with an essential insight into how markets work and how firms and consumers make decisions in market economies. Knowledge of economics is important to businesses as it helps them identify opportunities and potential threats, they may face in the environment they operate. Therefore, this module aims to develop your understanding of the core principles of micro and macro-economics. You will use economic models, theories and ideas to investigate current economic issues. The module will help you develop your understanding of economic information and will enable you to develop your ability and confidence to create your own independent thoughts around current economic issues.

Developing the Enterprising Mindset

Being able to apply an enterprising mindset is highly desirable in today’s fast moving business environment were reacting to gaps in the market or competitor actions, dealing with uncertainty, being able to make decisions and take action will all extend your commercial awareness and business acumen. Therefore, this module is all about developing your enterprising mindset and then applying it in a real-life situation. Building on and integrating the other first year business function modules, this module will overlay elements such as funnelling your creative energy, recognising the difference between a business idea and a business opportunity, deciding which approach is most beneficial, and then designing and implementing an appropriate plan of action.

The aim of the module to help you understand the relevance and interaction of these elements within a business context, and to give you transferable skills you can apply in any organisational situation. Moreover, strong emphasis will be placed upon you to demonstrate these skills and to reflect upon your progress.

Finance and Business Performance

This module will assume no prior accounting knowledge. You will learn how to prepare accounts for small businesses and then apply that knowledge to larger organisations. Numbers by themselves can be misleading and you will progress to examining accounting statements to assess just how well a business is performing. Managers cannot improve the performance of a business unless they make correct interpretations of situations and learn how to diagnose problems.

Business costs will be identified and analysed to aid decision making relating to the control and viability of projects. Sources of finance will be identified and discussed.
This basic financial knowledge is essential to anyone wishing to pursue a career in business, whether on a self-employed basis or in a larger corporation.

Marketing Fundamentals

This introduction to the “fundamentals of marketing” module will provide you with a basic understanding of the current and emerging marketing principles and techniques within the business environment. It seeks to establish that sustainable market success within a highly competitive environment can only be achieved by developing products or services based upon an understanding of the external environment and customers’ needs and wants.During the module you will not only consider how to add value for customers and other stakeholders but also learn to assess the impact that marketing activities have on consumers’ lives.

Your assessment is coursework-based, designed to enable you to demonstrate your ability to approach a business challenge as a marketer and business manager. The assessment methods used on this module will also help you develop key skills desired by employers, for example digital and visual communication and presentation skills, and business report writing. This module also contributes to achieving your Chartered Management Institute (CMI) level 5 Diploma under the dual accreditation arrangement. Enhanced employability is just one widely recognised outcome of membership of the CMI.

Operations, Supply Chain & IT

The module provides a framework, to understand the crucial role of operations, supply chain and IT to business success. This module will provide an understanding of the systems and processes whereby, people, capital, materials, equipment, knowledge, technology, information, and time are combined to produce goods and services. It provides an overview of the key areas of operations management, supply chain management and information technology particularly in maintaining and improving the quality of goods and services and making sure that this is also reflected in the organisation’s performance. The modern organisation cannot stand still, business operations need to be constantly evaluated and improved, against the standards expected in a changing marketplace.

Academic Skills

In this year-through module students will learn how to develop essential academic skills in order to succeed with coursework, navigate online platforms, deliver oral presentations, use Microsoft tools and other ICT, excel in academic writing, referencing and research.

English I

Students will develop their general English skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking, and be provided with an introduction to academic English. Students will develop their grammatical, phonological and general and Business and Shipping specific lexical awareness. By the end of the module students’ language for academic study should be at a mid B2 on the CEFR equivalent to IELTS 5.5.

Quantitative Skills for Business

This module develops key skills for your future employment in business - the ability to use spread sheets for quantitative analysis, and the skills to interpret and communicate the results of data analysis. These are key skills required by the Chartered Management Institute. The skill base developed gives you the confidence and experience to prepare an analysis of real data to inform a business decision or underpin a business strategy. These skills also prepare you for evidenced based analysis required in other modules within your programme including finance, marketing and strategy.

Sustainability and Responsible Management

This module aims to provide you with knowledge of the responsible management including exploring concepts of ethics, leadership, global social responsibility, and creation of sustainable social, environmental and economic value for organisations and corporations utilising the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The module will also encourage you to consider the importance of these issues from both the organisation’s and other stakeholder perspectives. You will also reflect on the relevance of responsible management and leadership as a basis for sustainable competitive advantage. The module aims to equip you with the knowledge and understanding of the complex ethical issues that are encountered by organisations on a frequent basis when trying to achieve these goals.

Applied Operations Management

The modern business environment is highly volatile and intensely competitive, and is likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. The role of the operations function; how the organisation actually sources, produces and delivers goods and services to demanding customers, becomes a key contributor to superior performance and customer satisfaction.

The module provides a framework, to understand the crucial role of operations to business success. This module will provide an understanding of the systems and processes whereby, people, capital, materials, equipment, knowledge, technology, information and time are combined to produce goods and services. This module will also provide students with opportunities to experience real workplace operations scenarios where their skills and knowledge can be applied in a practical way with real organisations or in valid case study situations.

It provides an overview of the key areas of operations management, particularly in maintaining and improving the quality of goods and services and making sure that this is also reflected in the organisations performance. The modern organisation cannot stand still, performance needs to be constantly evaluated and improved, against the standards expected in a changing marketplace.

Managing Performance through People

This module analyses the range of human resource management (HRM) activities undertaken within organisations to manage the performance of its employees working alone and in teams and explores the devolution of many of these roles and responsibilities to line managers. It provides an introduction to the knowledge and skills required to undertake these activities professionally and effectively in the workplace. By the end of the module students will be able to conduct an effective performance review and link the outcomes from this into appropriate performance objectives and support frameworks and plans. They will analyse their own HRM skills and construct a plan to manage their continual professional development in relation to these beyond the module.

Convergent Media

For companies to compete in today’s increasingly competitive marketplace communicating effectively with consumers and stakeholders is essential for survival. Marketing Communications plays a central role in this increasingly dynamic environment where all elements of the marketing mix and the communication of brand values combine to establish competitive advantage. Through this module you will explore why an integrated approach to marketing communications is essential if such communications is to be both efficient and effective.

While the module focuses primarily on integration of the promotional mix to generate effective communications, an appreciation of the integration of communications with the broader marketing mix elements and particularly branding is an important goal.

Creative thinking and action are championed, especially when supported by appropriate communications and buyer behaviour models.

Digital and Social Media

The Digital and Social Media module examines the potential marketing applications of the Internet and related digital technologies and their implications to marketing strategy, research and tactics. The fundamental aim of marketing is to create value to the consumer, thereby creating satisfaction and loyalty. This fundamental principle applies whether you are marketing online or offline. Digital marketing and social media, however, poses a new array of opportunities and challenges to marketers who need to understand these new concepts, tools, technologies and business models.

The aim of this module is to provide you with knowledge of practical frameworks and tools that can be applied in the real world and to understand how different types of business employ these digital and social media mix effectively to improve performance / achieve competitive advantage. The module is contemporary and will explore examples of best practice from organisations in the private sector (corporate to small / medium size business and from the public / not for profit sector. The module is informed by external practitioners / consultants and supported by a series of guest lectures, who advise and support the teaching ream on the content of the module and best practice examples.

English II

The module builds on English I and further develops students’ general and academic English skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking. Students will be exposed to more advanced forms of academic English. Students will further develop their grammatical, phonological and general and Business and Shipping specific lexical awareness. By the end of the module students’ language for academic study should be at a B2/B2+ on the CEFR equivalent to IELTS 6.0 or above.

The Business Consultancy Project

Improvements to processes, services, products, people, and systems are core to the strategy of organisations. Improvements bridge the gap between current and required performance to add value and achieve and sustain a competitive advantage in the long-term.

Effective consultation and project management using appropriate business improvement and research methodologies is key to the successful implementation of change. In this module students will explore how to plan, organise, motivate, and control resources to achieve defined goals, on time and to agreed cost and quality criteria.

Using a consultative approach, students will be challenged to make decisions based on their own research to provide practical advice and solutions to real-life scenarios taking into consideration the organisations constraints. They will liaise with employers, establish agreed objectives and present their findings in a clear, business focused report and presentation.

Global Business and Strategy

This module studies the global business using a combined strategic and economic approach. As part of this module, you will explore the recent major global economic shifts and analyse current international business events. You will study the key theoretical underpinnings, trends and challenges of international trade and foreign direct investment. You will analyse the importance of government and institutions in controlling/regulating international business behaviour. This will allow you to consider the long-term sustainability of businesses in the ever-changing, and often hostile, global business environment and help you understand the critical role played by strategic management. You will learn how to weigh up a range of complex issues like culture, leadership, corporate governance and others when developing a strategy for an international business.

Throughout this module, you will develop critical practical skills valued by employers and professional accreditation bodies. These include selecting and interpreting data, problem-solving and decision-making, positioning analysis, and developing and evaluating strategic options. Such skills are vital for successful careers in a variety of international and domestic organisations.

Developing Leadership and Management

This module is about the concepts of Leadership and Management. It explores the similarities and differences in the roles and responsibilities of leaders and managers in the workplace and the development of leadership theoretical approaches as well as the practical application of these within organisations. Students will analyse the skills and competencies of effective organisational leaders and examine alternative methods of leadership development to enhance these.

Marketing Strategy

Developing Marketing Strategies that focus on customers are often stated as priorities for modern day businesses. However, in practice this is difficult to achieve and may require business leaders to significantly change their mindsets to deliver effective and sustainable change, which engages both employees and customers. In this module you will be able to examine the marketing strategies of those organisations that are thriving and successful and those that are failing.

The module will go beyond the traditional models of market analysis and planning. We will be seeking to look at strategy from a creative point of view (and not just as an analytical approach taken by some). We will look at how organisations develop unique positions and brands by identifying and developing value propositions which appeal to customers. We will particularly seek out contemporary issues in marketing and see how strategy may need to be adapted to accommodate trends.

The focus of the module will be to seek out winning and losing strategies in the modern marketplace and seek to assess the underlying reasons for success or failure. Particular attention will be paid to breaking news; organisations being featured in news and current events.

The design of the module has been informed after consulting with the Chartered Institute of Marketing and other business professionals to ensure that it is up to date and relevant for meeting the needs of the professional institute and potential employers.

Content, Copywriting and Creativity

This module concentrates on the creative copy needed in promotional campaigns and you are encouraged to try things out and use language alongside images to convey meanings and ideas to target audiences.

Not everyone is creative in an artistic sense. The creativity needed for this module is in thinking and trying out ideas. While you may not feel you are ‘creative’, you may have many creative ideas that other colleagues can realise for you once you have written the brief. Understanding the basics of creativity and how to work with creative people is very important in marketing and this module will give you an insight into the work that goes into coming up with and realising creative ideas.