Undergraduate Business Management 2014-2015

The aim of this course is to introduce students to the fundamentals of management, the internal structure and processes of organisations. Students will understand the main functions of management, what management is, what managers do and the factors that influence behaviour and performance of managers and other employees within an organisation.

The course will introduce a range of theories, research and real-life illustrations of a diverse range of management practices and organisational behaviour.  The course will cover areas of: Staffing, Groups and Teams, Leadership and Management, Human Resource Management, Organisational Structure, Culture and Change, Communication, Marketing, Branding and Organisational Processes.

In The Context of Business, you will be introduced to the external context in which businesses operate. The course is designed to explore the political, economic, sociocultural, technological, ethical and market influences on business. It examines the role and place of business in an increasingly globalized world by looking at the ways in which businesses respond to their environment through innovation, strategy, operations and marketing.  The aim of the course is to give an overview of issues that are relevant to the modern business environment and to prepare you for further study by stressing learning skills relevant across disciplines.

This course provides students with an overview of the underpinning concepts of marketing, and the requirements for the development of a market oriented organisation. Specifically introduces the basic concepts of buyer behaviour, market research, the marketing mix and the strategic context of marketing. The linkages between marketing and other key functional areas of management, notably operations and human resource management are highlighted by this course, encouraging the adoption of a systems perspective.

Operations is the part of management that considers processes rather than people and focuses on the  organisation rather than its environment.

We study processes and process types: when we produce goods or provide services through projects, jobs, batches or by mass production or mass services. We study layout–how facilities are arranged–, capacity and inventory–how much we can make and when to store–, supply chains, project management, quality and improvement.

The course considers theories such as lean and just-in-time but also practice. You will need a calculator besides the ability to write reports.

This course explores the different dimensions of business development that an organisation may pursue including strategies for growing markets, entering new markets, reducing cost and expanding products and services. The different theories and models that underpin the subject are reviewed by looking at businesses operating in today’s economy.  This is done via a case teaching approach and group project work. The course will also introduce you to the main elements of a business development plan and tools such as options appraisal, disruptive thinking and scenario planning.

This course is based upon the analysis of Globalization from a comparative business and economic development perspective. Lectures are thematic so that students  learn about eg. the role of large and small businesses;  entrepreneurial environments; transition and new EU states;  privatization; supra-national organizations; cultural dimensions of international businesses and small firms; international trade; ethnic minority business and finance; the role of social capital; internationalisation and small business development; new venture capital; micro-finance. To support the lecture themes, the tutorials have students presenting an assessed case study, and write an assignment focusing upon the internationalization of a business.

In every organisation there is a group of persons who are charged with getting new products on to the market. They must deal with the total task – strategy, organisation, concept generation, evaluation, technical development, marketing and so on. This course blends the perspectives of marketing, design and manufacturing into a single approach to product development. It provides students with an appreciation for the realities of industrial practice and for the essential roles played by the various members of product development teams. This course introduces a set of product development methods that can be put into immediate practice on development projects.

In an increasingly interdependent global business environment the issues of business ethics and corporate social responsibility are coming to the fore. The business world now realizes that how it acts and how it is perceived to act is vital to its continued existence and profitability. Corporations around the globe produce elaborate CSR policies designed not only to be read by their employees but also by the wider society. This course will engage with why these issues have become important and why businesses are increasingly aware of the need for an ethically informed workforce. 

This theoretically informed and practical course aims to explore the key concepts and theories of consumer behaviour. Students will explore: the consumer as an individual (understanding motivations, psychographics, demographics and cognitive processes) and social and group aspects of consumer behaviour (the role of friends, family and reference groups). The course uses interactive lecture sessions and tutorial activities to encourage students to reflect both on theory and their own experiences as consumers. The course will be very useful for those interested in marketing and market research careers. 

This course is for anyone who knows basic statistics and wants to learn how to produce practical spreadsheet and simulation models.

You learn about spreadsheet models for business issues like seasonal forecasting, scheduling and assignment, project appraisal, project management and stock control: how to build practical, adaptable models, how to check and format them. For simulation, you build animated models of business issues, analyse input and output and learn about cost, confidence and value.

Students of management, accounting, real-estate, economics and engineering have performed very well on similar courses provided they were comfortable with computers and report-writing

This course introduces students to what is involved in undertaking research into business phenomena. It introduces philosophical issues in the theory of knowledge, ethical issues in research conduct, and considers quantitative and qualitative methods in turn, addressing issues in sampling and design, details of specific approaches, and considerations in data analysis. The course is taught through weekly lectures and an extended two hour tutorial every fortnight, with two pieces of coursework and a two hour written exam. The emphasis throughout is on understanding the conceptual underpinning of different methods, and their strengths and limitations in research.

This course provides an in-depth examination of key theories and concepts in Human Resource Management (HRM) and demonstrates how these concepts can be applied in practice, using relevant case studies. Key themes to be covered include important HRM issues like the link between strategy and HRM, organizational design, team and organizational performance, employee relations, the strategic aspect of compensation and other emerging trends in HRM (life-work balance; virtual organizations and teleworking)

This course is concerned with managing and understanding organisational behaviour. Organisational behaviour is one of the most complex and perhaps least understood academic elements of modern general management but since it concerns the behaviour of people within organisations it is also one of the most central. This course designed to prepare students for what lies within organisations, thus avoiding the 'reality shock'. The emphasis will be on real-life rather than theoretical examples although wherever appropriate theory will be grounded in practical examples.

This course is about business strategy and covers a broad range of topics that come under the general heading of “Business Strategy” or “Strategic Management”. The course has been designed to help you gain an understanding of the key areas of strategic management including an understanding of: what strategic management is and why it is important; the different types of strategic analysis tools available; the difference between corporate, business and functional strategy;  the complex issues associated with the implementation of strategy;  the concept of strategic fit; and the role for strategic leadership in shaping and implementing strategy. 

Students in this course conduct independent research under the guidance of a supervisor. They can select their own dissertation topic or choose one of a range of topics offered by staff within Management Studies. Students undertake a qualitative and/or quantitative piece of empirical research and produce a dissertation at the end of the process. This course provides them with an opportunity to develop a range of generic and research-specific skills including critical thinking, argumentation, writing, time management, review of literature, research design, and data analysis.