BA (Honours) Business Management and Entrepreneurship

All Business Management students study the same core module in their first year. This module introduces you to key business topics in the context of a real organisation.

Core module – Principles of Business

Our unique 60 credit module Principles of Business, consists of four interlinked parts which are designed to give you a holistic introduction to key business topics in the context of a real organisation, including finance, marketing, people, law, organisational behaviour and technology.

• Part 1 of the module focuses on the overall purpose of business, including the set-up and infancy of organisations.
• Part 2 gives a technical introduction to the pillars of business: finance, law, management, marketing and innovation.
• Part 3 consists of simulated placements where students are given the opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills by replicating tasks performed in the workplace by industry professionals.
• Part 4 brings together each of the pillars of business in the context of strategy, governance, ethics, and leadership before concluding with the end of an organisation’s life-cycle.
  

Principles of Business is assessed in four parts over the course of two terms.

Electives

You can then choose 60 credits from the list of first year modules, so you can explore business and management broadly in your first year. Modules on offer include:

• Agile App Design for Business (15 credits)
• Business Mathematics (15 credits)
• Industry Studies 1 (15 credits)
• International Business Regions 1 (15 credits)
• Introduction to Business Economics (15 credits)
• Introduction to Research (15 or 30 credits)
• Principles of Management Reporting and Decision Making (15 credits)
• Professional Attitudes and Customer Management (15 credits)
• Self-managed learning (15 or 30 credits)  

The self-managed learning modules gives you the opportunity to demonstrate the use of your initiative and level of autonomy by applying your skills and knowledge to a specialist area which is of particular interest to you. As an example, you could draft a report in an area of interest not covered in the main syllabus, study a module at another institution (e.g. a language at another university), create a practical project by applying a topic in depth, write a report on work based learning on an internship, or complete a professional qualification. You can design some of your own learning, incorporate learning from other sources, or incorporate work- based or entrepreneurial activities. This will help to ensure that you have the confidence to take your learning and personal development further into new areas and emerging sectors, and will allow you to pursue your own unique interests.

Your second year (level 5)

Once students have had exposure to the different areas of business in their first year then they can either choose or switch their specialism before the second year begins. We aim to have more industry involvement than any other Higher Education institution and you’ll really start to focus on building connections and gaining experience. There are lots of exciting industry projects from internships to trips abroad that you can be involved in.

Core Modules

All Business Management students study these core modules in order to build an understanding of the central functions within an organisation.

• Strategic Marketing (15 credits)
• People Management and Leadership (15 credits)
• Operations & Project Management (15 credits)
• Introduction to Contract Law (15 credits)
  

Specialist modules

• Consultancy Entrepreneurship Project (30 credits)
• Self-Managed Learning (30 credits)

In the Consultancy Project you will prepare a business plan for the start of a new business and will advise, as a consultant, on the business proposals of other students.  In the Self-Managed Learning module you will start a new business in consultation with your supervisor and mentor, incorporating the learning from the Consultancy Project module.

Your third year (level 6)

By your final year you will have developed a thorough understanding of the principles of business and will have had lots of exposure to real organisations, industry case studies and working practitioners. This final year is focused on bringing everything you have learnt together to solve real business problems.

Core modules

In your final year, all business management students study three core modules:

• Strategic Management (15 credits)
• Strategic Innovation Management (15 credits)

Final Project (30 credits)

Specialist modules

• Entrepreneurship Research & Reports (30 credits)
• Self-Managed Learning (30 credits)

Within the Entrepreneurship Research and Reports and the Self-Managed Learning (SML) module, you’ll continue setting up and running your business. In the Entrepreneurship and Reports module you will write reports and consider the next steps, for example, you may choose to close the business down, or to continue to run in post-graduation (in which case you will graduate with a degree and your own micro business), or to seek further investment or other input.

Final year electives

You will study 120 credits in total over your final year. The remaining credits can be completed by choosing from the range of modules listed below:

• Advanced Financial Management (15 credits)
• Brand Building and Management (15 credits)
• Consultancy Project (30 credits)
• European Union Law (15 credits)
• Industry Studies 3 (15 credits)
• Innovative Marketing Strategies (15 credits)
• Intellectual Property Law (15 credits)
• International Business Regions 3 (15 credits)
• Predictive Analytics and Big Data (15 credits)
• Self-managed learning (15 or 30 credits)
• Sustainability (15 credits)
• Transnational Economics and Financial Markets (15 credits)
  

How will your work be assessed?
Throughout your degree we use a range of methods, designed to reflect the kind of activities you may be asked to do in the workplace, either individually or as part of a team. For example, report writing, data analysis, preparing strategies and presentations. You’ll also submit different types of coursework and sit written exams as part of the assessment for some modules.

We’ll challenge you academically, with inspiring, up-to-the-minute course content developed to give you the competencies that employers value. Best of all, we work with a wide range of professional bodies to make sure our degrees are aligned to their qualifications. So, as you study, you’ll gain exemptions from various professional business, management and finance examinations and have the opportunity to take professional qualifications.

Our students have also chosen to set up a number of companies themselves including Reel Time Art an initiative whereby artists attend a wedding and paint a scene of the special occasion in real time, Once Upon a Doug, a social enterprise project whereby our students have been helping cotton farmers in India to earn supplemental income which in turn has helped a whole community, and Yaantu - take a look at the video below to find out more about what Yaantu's all about!

Designed by industry

All of our degrees are designed through our unique approach which brings together leading figures from business and academic communities to design degrees that are relevant to employers. Our programmes have been developed with input from industry partners, including Unilever, Lotus F1, IBM, WPP - a world leader in marketing communications, Lloyds of London and leading law firm Gowling WLG.

Employers get involved in the actual delivery of modules too, so there’s a wide range of industry activities and projects that you can be part of. You’ll visit the HQ of some of the biggest companies in London, be taught by professionals through industry workshops, attend a yearly conference and have the opportunity to work with a mentor with an industry background.

That means you’ll get direct exposure to hugely successful real-world businesses and business leaders, through regular industry workshops, termly industry conferences and a yearly residential event. Previous workshops and conferences have been hosted or run by Unilever, Savills, Merrill Lynch, Direct Line Group, Holiday Extras, Atos and PA Consulting.  

You’ll get the chance to compete in national and international business challenges too, like the L’Oreal Brandstorm competition. Three of our Business and Enterprise students won the UK final in 2013, so you’ll be following in impressive footsteps.