BA (Hons) Business Management

Students who wish to study this programme may come from a wide variety of subject backgrounds, including, but not necessarily business management. This programme suits those who prefer to learn a broad repertoire of business skills, rather than focusing on one specialism.

This involves learning core business skills relating to, for example, marketing, human resources, information systems/e-Business, accounting and finance. Students would undertake a range of tasks associated with business organisations and would enjoy developing sophisticated solutions to business problems and opportunities.

Given the broad range of skills learned, graduates would have many career opportunities in a diverse range of business roles (e.g. marketing, HR, project management, etc.) in a wide range of sectors. This programme is also suitable as a stepping stone for those who wish to develop a specialism after a general business education, for those who wish to become business teachers or as a route to self-employment.

This course is available to apply as a weekday or weekend study option.

Those who successfully complete this programme are welcome to continue to study with us on one of our MBA Pathways.

This programme is available to Home and International applicants.

Only Level 3 qualifications meeting the 45-credit minimum will be considered for standard entry.

Please note: GCSEs are no longer accepted, Level 2 qualifications are no longer accepted

Application Routes

Students can apply through one of two routes:

1. Standard / Qualification Route

2. Non-Standard/ Work Experience Route

Standard / Qualification Route - Students should be minimum 18 years old. Candidates under 21 years old can only apply with Level 3 diploma.

Required Documents:

1. Passport/National ID/full UK driving licence/ UK birth certificate (should be valid for minimum 6 months from course start date)

2. Visa Status (Share code starting with 'S') and & First UK Entry Date (DD/MM/YYYY)

3. Proof of Address (It can be any utility bill,  bank statement which is issued within the past 3 months and no older than that)

4. Personal Statement (300-500 words)

5. Diploma + Transcripts (All pages of the original certificates)

6. CV

7. PUAPI Consent Form (digitally signed by the student; required for application processing).

Non Standard/ Work Experience Route

Only for applicants above 21 years

1. Passport/National ID/full UK driving licence/ UK birth certificate (should be valid for minimum 6 months from course start date)

2. Visa Status (Share code starting with 'S') and & First UK Entry Date (DD/MM/YYYY)

3. Proof of Address (It can be any utility bill,  bank statement which is issued within the past 3 months and no older than that)

4. Personal Statement (300-500 words)

5. CV (Minimum 1 year of work experience. There should be no gaps in the CV. If any gaps between different employment, mention what was the student doing at the time) *For FdA courses: 2 years of relevant work experience is required

6. Work Reference- Provide referee details (Name, Designation and official email address) in the CV.

• Note: For self-employed students, they need an accountant's letter confirming how many years of self-employment the student has, or employment history from HRMC.

7. PUAPI Consent Form(digitally signed by the student; required for application processing).

The programme boasts a high employability rate for graduating students who are in work within six months of completing the degree. A significant number of graduates also progress to postgraduate studies at this and other universities. Graduates will apply their knowledge and skills in the following fields:

• Human Resources
• Marketing and Sales
• Financial Services
• Public, private or third sector management
• Business Consultancy
• Postgraduate study/research

Course Modules

Level 4

• Academic Skills (20 credits; compulsory)

Upon the successful completion of this module, the student should be able to:

• produce a fully referenced written work in a relevant topic which is well organised and makes use of appropriate academic writing style;
• produce written work which is well-organised, relevant and makes use of appropriate terminology and academic style;
• demonstrate good communication skills in written and oral form;
• demonstrate effective use of Information Technology (IT) as required, including but not limited to MS Word, MS Power Point, MS Teams, the internet;
• interpret and analyse a range of information beyond mere description in a critical way;
• work as a member of a team by cooperating with others, negotiating, listening to others in the group, sharing responsibilities/tasks and meeting deadlines.
• Accounting Fundamentals (20 credits; compulsory)

Upon the successful completion of this module, the student should be able to:

• explain the nature, behaviour, and purpose of cost accounting, and apply cost accounting concepts, techniques, and methods to business transactions;
• review the basic principles of accounting, including the use of appropriate software;
• prepare financial statements from initial data, dealing with both routine and non- routine transactions, and analyse financial statements with confidence.
• Introducing the Modern Workplace  (20 credits; compulsory)

Upon the successful completion of this module, the student should be able to:

• coherently analyse the relationship between structure, culture, people, and organisational performance;
• identify the essential nature of managerial work (in terms of both functions and processes), communicate the role of leadership, and furthermore, explain the variables that determine effective management and leadership;
• evaluate the behavioural approach to management, through understanding the factors that affect differences in individual behaviour.
• Community Engagement (20 credits; compulsory)

Upon the successful completion of this module, the student should be able to:

• understand and evaluate the concept of transferable skills, and how to adapt them to the requirements of an organisational setting (Organisational analysis and Reflective evaluation);
• evaluate concepts of community and of personal development, and ways of reviewing and extending interpersonal skills (reflective evaluation) applying theoretical concepts and creative problem solving to real situations (Praxis - theory to practice).
• Marketing Fundamentals (20 credits; compulsory)

Upon the successful completion of this module, the student should be able to:

• assess the development of marketing in creating value for customers;
• identify relevant stakeholders and assess their impact on the marketing activities of the organisation;
• understand the processes and stages of marketing, including the role of the marketing environment, marketing research and the marketing mix.
• The Global Business Environment (20 credits; compulsory)

Upon the successful completion of this module, the student should be able to:

• recognise the major forces shaping the global business environment, and gain an understanding of the changing global business environment;
• apply relevant business models (Porter’s Diamond, Value Network, Five Forces, etc.) within the context of an international environmental analysis (PESTEL);
• identify, and critically evaluate, the reasons why organisations engage in international trade;
• assess markets in action, understanding their micro-economic and macro-economic foundations, different market structures and their influence on firm strategy, long-run and short-run changes, and major features of the current international economy.

Level 5

• Data Handling & Business Intelligence (20 credits; compulsory)

Upon the successful completion of this module, the student should be able to:

• identify and critically evaluate the current trends in data warehousing, business intelligence, and data mining;
• demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge and systematic understanding of essential concepts and principles, by using predictive analytic software.
• Entrepreneurship (20 credits; compulsory)

Upon the successful completion of this module, the student should be able to:

• evaluate the theoretical knowledge of entrepreneurship;
• apply the methods and techniques that they have learned, to review, consolidate, extend, and apply their knowledge and understanding, to initiate and carry out a Business Plan.
• Management Accounting (20 credits; compulsory)

Upon the successful completion of this module, the student should be able to:

• analyse and evaluate the informational requirements of management, particularly in relation to decisions involving revenues and costs, and other financial criteria;
• select, and apply, appropriate cost and management accounting methods and techniques;
• demonstrate an ability to produce functional and master budgets for a variety of business scenarios and be able to monitor and evaluate performance based on the targets and standards therein.
• Management Economics (20 credits; compulsory)

Upon the successful completion of this module, the student should be able to:

• critically evaluate economic data as a guide to policy making, within an international, national and organisational context;
• apply a number of different economic concepts (supply and demand, price elasticity, cost analysis) with respect to managerial decision-making in organisations;
• analyse the impact of government policy on markets, and its effect on managerial decisions.
• Managing People (20 credits; compulsory)

Upon the successful completion of this module, the student should be able to:

• demonstrate a critical understanding of the business environment within which personnel professionals work, and analyse how the management of resourcing an organisation is influenced by internal and external factors;
• evaluate theoretical and real life approaches used by organisations to attract, engage, deploy, and retain people, in a manner which encourages high performance from individuals, in pursuit of organisation objectives and sustainable competitive advantage.
• Project Management (20 credits; compulsory)

Upon the successful completion of this module, the student should be able to:

• identify, and critically evaluate, the appropriateness and limitations of the main project management methodologies;
• apply concepts and principles of project management to a real-world scenario and, in so doing, be able to make a successful contribution to any project environment.

Level 6

• Dissertation (40 credits; compulsory)

Upon the successful completion of this module, the student should be able to:

• develop a suitable and appropriate research proposal;
• critically appraise the literature pertaining to a problem domain;
• evaluate, select and apply relevant research techniques in both primary and secondary fields;
• rigorously analyse the evidence gathered;
• generate and justify appropriate conclusions based on the previous analyses, demonstrating awareness of the limitations of the research;
• produce an organised and structured document that adheres to academic convention.
• International Business Communications (20 credits; compulsory)

Upon the successful completion of this module, the student should be able to:

• critically understand intercultural communication theories;
• evaluate and interpret divergent international cultures within business;
• analyse business communication situations.
• International Financial Management (20 credits; compulsory)

Upon the successful completion of this module, the student should be able to:

• apply and critically evaluate the relevant theoretical framework and models of international financial management;
• evaluate, apply and critically discuss various methods and techniques relating to the financing of an international business;
• apply and critically appraise various theoretical models of corporate value, international cost of capital, and financial structure.
• Leadership and Management Theory and Practice (20 credits; compulsory)

Upon the successful completion of this module, the student should be able to:

• recognise and evaluate the complexities involved in leading and managing people in organisations, and the practical application of Leadership and Management theory and principles;
• critically evaluate the design and implementation of strategies, which are focused on enhancing the effectiveness of Leaders and Managers, in order to meet current and future organisational needs.
• Strategic Management & Sustainability (20 credits; compulsory)

Upon the successful completion of this module, the student should be able to:

• examine the relationship between the external context of an organisation and its internal context, and how these impact on its strategies;
• critically evaluate the competitive and development strategies of an organisation in the context of contemporary strategic management issues;
• analyse the factors that must be considered by an organisation in the implementation of a strategy.

Tuition fee: £9,525 per year

Study Mode: Fulltime

Study method: On Campus

Duration: 36 months, 12 semesters, 2 days a week, 8 hours a week

Intake: January, May, September

Campuses:

Birmingham Crossways: Crossways, 8th floor, 156 Great Charles Street Queensway, B3 3HN

Manchester: 2 Hardman Street, Manchester, M3 3HF

Leeds: 7 Park Square, Park Square East, L21 2LW

London Holborn: Buchanan House, 4th floor, 30 Holborn, EC1N 2LX

London Ealing: Santon House, 53-55 Uxbridge Road W5 5SA

London Stratford: 3 Westfield Ave, Stratford Cross, London E20 1HZ

Nottingham: Castle Meadow Rd, Nottingham NG2 1AB

Newcastle: The Spark, Draymans Way, Newcastle Helix, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 5DE