Management - BSc (Hons)

Topics the module will cover include:

• Orientation to studying at university, time management and learning styles.

• Research and cognitive development (writing essays and reports in higher education, research and referencing, plagiarism, how to make a reasoned argument, literature searches and introduction to critical and analytical thinking).

• The theories underlying personal skill development needed to achieve success at university and in the workplace (i.e. effective communication; working in groups, teamwork, problem solving, creative thinking, conflict management and negotiation).

• Personal Development Planning for Employability (including career search, CV writing, and making sense of employer skills requirements).

The module introduces students to theories of management beginning with classical management perspectives through to contemporary management concepts. It will illustrate the continuities and transformations in management thinking throughout the 20th and 21st century. The main topics of study include: Scientific Management; Human Relations Approach; Bureaucracy and Post-Bureaucracy; The Contingency Approach; Culture Management; Leadership; Aesthetic Labour; Extreme Management.

So much of the world of business is based on quantitative information—sales, stock control, investments, loans, production levels, staffing numbers, share prices, interest rates, quality control, etc. etc. In almost any organisation where you work you must expect to deal with numbers. This module introduces you to the way you can make use of quantitative information through statistical analysis.

Topics may include:

The nature and use of numerical information

• Summarising data

• Graphical representation of data: histograms, pie charts, cumulative frequency curves

• Measures of location and dispersion

• Probability, distributions and expected values

• Sampling and its uses

• The ?2 distribution, questionnaire analysis and contingency tables

• Correlation

The module will cover various aspects of the changing global environment. An indicative list of topics is given below:

Part A: Framing the Business Environment

1. Introduction: Business Enterprise, globalisation, and institutions

2. The economic environment

3. The political environment

4. The legal environment

5. The cultural environment

Part B: Shaping International Business Activities

6. International trade

7. Global finance

8. Technology and Innovation

Part C: Emerging Issues

9. Social responsibility and ecological environment

10. Geopolitical context and international risk

An indicative set of topics to be covered within the module are outlined below.

• Basic Spreadsheet Functionalities: Introduction to common spreadsheet features: workbooks, worksheets, menus, cells, rows, columns, data types, relative and absolute cell addressing, copying, basic formulae, naming cells, formatting, charts and graphs, printing.

• Data Management Facilities: sorting, filtering, data forms, pivot tables.

• What-If Analysis: scenario manager, goal seek, data tables.

• Basic Financial Analysis: Introduction to basic financial analysis and how to carry this out using spreadsheets: compound interest, discounting, NPV, IRR, loans and mortgages.

• Advanced Spreadsheet Functionalities: automating tasks and solving simple optimisation business problems.

The module will begin with an introduction to the link between business and accounting in order to show the value to the students of their having some knowledge of accounting. The module is designed to teach students how to prepare, read and interpret financial information with a view to their being future business managers rather than accountants.

The module will continue with a brief demonstration of double-entry bookkeeping. Students will not be examined on this, it is merely to put bookkeeping and accounting in context. Following on from this, students will be shown how to prepare financial statements from a trial balance and make adjustments to the figures given by acting on information given in a short scenario.

The regulatory framework of financial reporting will be considered as will the annual reports and accounts of a variety of organisations. The module will finish will an analysis of financial statements with students shown how to interpret data and make sensible recommendations

A synopsis of the curriculum

The module introduces to students the importance of marketing in competitive and dynamic environments.

The key topics of the module are:

• The marketing concept

• The marketing environment

• Market segmentation & targeting

• Brand development and management

• Management of the marketing mix

o Product; including new product development and the marketing of services

o Pricing

o Promotion; including digital media, advertising, sales promotion, publicity, PR, personal sales et al.

o Place

o Extended marketing mix; including people, physical evidence and process

• Ethical issues in marketing

This module is designed for students who have not studied Microeconomics for Business before or who have not previously completed a comprehensive introductory course in economics. However, the content is such that it is also appropriate for students with A-level Economics or equivalent, as it focuses on the analysis, tools and knowledge of microeconomics for business.

The module applies economics to business issues and each topic is introduced assuming no previous knowledge of the subject. The lectures and related seminar programme explain the economic principles underlying the analysis of each topic and relate the theory to the real world and business examples. In particular, many examples are taken from the real world to show how economic analysis and models can be used to understand the different parts of business and how policy has been used to intervene in the working of the economy. Workshops are included in the module to apply economic analysis and techniques to business situations.

The module is carefully designed to tell you what topics are covered under each major subject area, to give readings for these subjects, and to provide a list of different types of questions to test and extend your understanding of the material.

Project Management aims to provide an understanding of the key concepts and practices within the context of the organisational setting and the wider business and technological environment.

This module aims to develop a critical understanding of project management to enable students to recognise the importance of the discipline in a variety of organisational and functional contexts. Students should develop a critical understanding of the concepts employed in project management at strategic, systems and operational levels, and an appreciation of the knowledge and skills required for successful project management in organisations.

The key topics of the module are:

1. Project life cycles and alternative development paths

2. Project planning and control techniques, including CPM and PERT

3. Learning and innovation in projects

4. Resource planning

5. Team management and motivation

6. Contracts and incentives

7. Evaluation and returns

8. Stakeholder management

The module provides a broad, basic understanding of strategy and strategic management, on which further strategic analysis and exploration of strategic issues can be built. It introduces students to the key vocabulary, concepts and frameworks of strategic management and establishes criteria for assessing whether or not a strategy can be successful. It introduces students to frameworks for analysing the external and internal environments and to different theories of how these relate and of their impact on strategy formulation and implementation.

Students will learn how to identify strategic issues, develop strategic options to address them and decide which option(s) to recommend. Through theoretical readings and case studies, students will develop an appreciation of strategy in different contexts and from different perspectives and of the complexity of strategic decision-making. Students will enhance their ability to read business articles from a strategic perspective and to present strategic arguments in a structured manner

The module aims to provide a critical understanding of the challenges of managing creativity and innovation within contemporary organisations. The experience of work and employment, management practices are affected by rapid technological change, intensifying global competition and changing demographic profiles and values of the work force. Contemporary organisations are pressurised to tackle these developments through creativity, innovation and new organisational forms. This module examines the nature, antecedents, processes and consequences of creativity and innovation and their complex links with organisation, while also exploring major social and technological changes relating these to organisational creativity and innovation. Students will be introduced to the main concepts and theories on creativity, innovation and organisation through readings and discussions of the main themes and debates in the field. Case studies will be used to illustrate how these concepts are connected together and how they could impact upon management decision making within contemporary organisations. Students will be encouraged to explore some of the most notable historical and contemporary shifts in media and technology and discover how new organisational forms and methods have been devised to exploit them. They will develop awareness for the cross-fertilisation between disciplines in analyzing the dynamics of creativity, innovation and organisation and their complex relationships.

Indicative topics are:

• Conceptual foundations of creativity, innovation and organisation

• Personality and individual creativity

• Organisational creativity and innovation

• Cognition, knowledge and creativity

• Models and processes of innovation

• Organisational culture and systems for supporting creativity and innovation

• Leadership and entrepreneurship

• Creative organisations across fields/ industries

• Socio-technological change and new forms of organisation.

Information Systems (IS) are at the heart of every business and pervade almost every aspect of our lives (work, rest and play). Information Systems are treated in this module within the context of the social sciences, offering students a management and organisational perspective on the role of IS in business and how they are managed. This module is not technically orientated but designed to show how information systems are conceived, designed, implemented and managed in contemporary organisations.

The aim of this module is to provide students with the methods and approaches used by managers to exploit new digital opportunities and position their organisations to realise enhanced business value. By the end of this module, students will be equipped with the necessary tools to deal with current business issues including digital transformation through information systems and emerging business models via technological innovations.

This module introduces students to the nature of research and the business consultancy processes involved in carrying out research and consultancy in an area of management, technology and enterprise. The module prepares students for their respective independent research work in an organisational or industry context; and for undertaking management interventions in the workplace.

Indicative topics may include:

• Nature of research - what is it and who cares?

• Research approaches, Philosophy of thinking and claims; and key methodologies of research.

• Research and consultancy project designs and methodologies (case study, survey, etc):

• Data collection and analysis

• Formulating research & consultancy aim(s) and objectives;

• Nature of consultancy and consultancy approaches/interventions;

• Role of management consultancy;

• Research proposal and tender writing, research ethics and project planning.

• The management consulting process;

• Strategy problem solving skills;

• Client engagement;

This module will introduce students to the key concepts of managing people involving and examination of organisational, management and human resource management theory and practice. This will be achieved through relating relevant theory to practical people and organisational management issues.

The key topics of the module are:

• The nature of human resource management

• Motivation in the workplace

• Work organisation, job design and flexible working

• Groups and team working

• Diversity in the workplace

• Recruitment & selection

• Learning and development

• Employee Involvement and participation

• Employee performance and reward

• Ethical HRM

Students will be expected to develop the ability to use appropriate techniques of analysis and enquiry within Operations Management and to learn how to evaluate alternatives and make recommendations. Topics are likely to include:

• Strategic role of operations and operations strategy

• Design of processes and the implications for layout and flow

• Design and management of supply networks

• Resource planning and management

• Lean systems

This module is designed to provide students across the university with access to knowledge, skill development and training in the field of entrepreneurship with a special emphasis on developing a business plan in order to exploit identified opportunities. Hence, the module will be of value for students who aspire to establishing their own business and/or introducing innovation through new product, service, process, project or business development in an established organisation. The module complements students' final year projects in Computing, Law, Biosciences, Electronics, Multimedia, and Drama etc.

The curriculum is based on the business model canvas and lean start up principles (Osterwalder and Pigneur 2010) on designing a business plan for starting a new venture or introducing innovation in an established organisation.

10. A synopsis of the curriculum

This module facilitates the development of an entrepreneurial mind-set, and equips students with necessary cutting-edge knowledge and skills vital for generating value in a knowledge based economy. The curriculum will include the following areas of study:

• Broader application of entrepreneurship

• Co-creation as a new form of generating value in an innovation ecosystem.

• Managing innovation entrepreneurially

• Entrepreneurial opportunity

• Entrepreneurial Motivation

• Entrepreneurial Marketing

• Entrepreneurial Finance – Finance fuels entrepreneurship.

This module will extend students' knowledge and understanding of strategic management and strategic issues. It will introduce a range of contemporary issues associated with the formulation and implementation of corporate and business strategies with an emphasis on identifying and implementing strategic change within the organisation, building dynamic capabilities and developing coherent strategies. Issues might include strategies for a recession, global strategies, knowledge-based strategies, firms and industries, strategies where profit is of secondary (or no) importance. The module will also extend students’ theoretical knowledge by presenting contemporary debates and issues in strategic thinking. The module will use a project in which students identify and suggest possible strategic solutions to a strategic issue in a real organisation to develop students’ ability to link theory and practice in real-life situations.

This module offers a comprehensive introduction to the area of cross-cultural management research. Based on a critical analysis of the assumptions underlying various approaches to studying national cultures, frameworks are applied to understand cross-cultural issues managers in international organisations may face.

• Different approaches to cross-cultural management

• Traditional approaches to studying cross-cultural management

• Different Levels of culture

• Cultural-frameworks

• Applications of cultural frameworks to managerial problems

• Critical evaluation of traditional approaches to studying cross-cultural management

• Emic vs. Etic approaches to cross cultural management

• Interpretive approaches to cross-cultural management

• Critical approaches to cross-cultural management

This module will explore more advanced management and organizational theory to facilitate students’ examination of contemporary management challenges. As well as considering these challenges from a mainstream managerial perspective, the module will also draw on the perspective of critical management studies as a means of providing an alternative viewpoint on contemporary management issues. Indicative topic areas may include:

Globalization and anti-globalization

The character of ownership – foreign versus national ownership

Social and environmental sustainability

Corporate social responsibility and corporate criminality

Corporate governance

Organizational misbehaviour and resistance

Organizational identity and identity work

Masculinisation and Feminisation of Management

New forms of work such as emotional labour and aesthetic labour

New organizational forms

This module presents an overview of what work psychology is and its relevance and usefulness in improving our understanding and management of people (including ourselves) at work. Many work places operate sophisticated and expensive systems for assessing the costs and benefits of various workplace elements but often do not extend this to the management of employees. This module aims to demonstrate the benefits of having a comprehensive understanding of the role psychology can play in the management of people in contemporary organizations. Indicative content includes:

• Work psychology

• Individual differences and psychometrics

• Best practice personnel selection

• Stress and well-being

• Motivation

• Stereotypes and group behaviour

• Leadership and diversity

• The dark side of personality

• Political behaviour in the workplace

• The psychology of entrepreneurs

• Using work psychology to enhance employability

This module will introduce students to the key concepts of managing people, involving an examination of organisational, human resource management and industrial relations theory. This will be achieved through relating relevant theory to practical people and organisational management issues.

The main topics of study are as follows:

• The theory of strategic HRM

• Strategic HRM and Business Strategy

• Strategic HRM and Organisational Performance

• Strategic employee involvement and participation

• HRM in the public sector

• HRM in Small and Medium Enterprises

• HRM in the voluntary sector

• Strategic HRM in the international context

Making decisions is one of the most important things any manager or business must do. Making smart decisions, however, can be extremely difficult due the complexity and uncertainty involved. Decision Analysis (DA) provides a structured and coherent approach to decision making. It involves a wide range of quantitative and graphical methods for identifying, representing, and assessing alternatives in order to determine a best course of action. DA is regularly employed by many leading companies in the pharmaceutical, oil and gas, utilities, automotive, and financial services sectors. In this module, you learn about the basic concepts of DA and how to apply it in a variety of practical business planning situations.

This module introduces students to core theories about innovation and new product marketing. It is based around understanding what a new product is and illustrating effective new product marketing practices through a systematic new product marketing process. It will include:

New Products Marketing and Innovation

New Product Strategies

Models on New Product Development

Market research and its influence on New Product Development

Managing the new product development process from idea generation to commercialisation

The marketing/R&D interface

The module looks at how digital marketing applications can be used by modern organisations. The module considers the fundamental technologies that support digital marketing along with the regulatory and societal challenges that must be taken into account, for example, privacy and data protection. The methods available to attract customers through digital marketing are covered making a distinction between paid methods, such as sponsored search, and non-paid methods, such as an organisation's own social media assets. Issues around loyalty are considered especially in the context of falling search costs which enable customers to switch providers.

The unique nature of digital products, for example music downloads or video streaming, are outlined with the marketing challenges and opportunities this presents. The module stresses the importance of implementation, using applied examples, and the uncertainty involved.

The digital marketing environment; Enabling technologies for digital marketing; Website design, implementation and analysis; Social media; Social commerce; Customers in the Internet age: knowing, reaching & retaining the customer; Network effects and versioning; Loyalty, Customer Relationship Management and Data Mining; E-Marketing campaigns; Brands in the Internet age; Data protection, privacy and legal issues; Digital marketing and globalisation

This module presents an overview of what workforce diversity is and its relevance and usefulness in improving our understanding and management of people (including ourselves) at work. The demographics of the population and the workplace are changing drastically because of a number of factors, such as an increasing number of ethnic minorities and women in the workforce and in management. Accordingly, there is a need to effectively understand and manage workforce diversity not only to increase organisational business outcomes but also to create an inclusive workplace in a socially responsible manner.

The module will examine issues confronting managers of a diverse workforce. In particular issues such as ethnicity, race, language, ageing, disability, gender, and intersectional identities will be discussed. Two key approaches towards managing diversity will be explained, i.e. the social equity case of managing diversity, and the business benefits case of managing diversity. The module will explore a range of diversity related concepts and topics, such as social identity, stereotyping, discrimination, intergroup conflict, structural integration, and organisational change.

Main themes covered by this module will include:

Origins of diversity and equal opportunity in the workplace context;

Social and psychological perspectives on workplace diversity;

The UK and European diversity contexts;

Business benefits case and social equity case of managing diversity;

The legal framework for diversity;

Organisational approaches to diversity;

Contemporary issues central to the experiences of diverse individuals in the UK and in organisations across a range of diversity dimensions;

Diversity management in an international context

A synopsis of the curriculum

Students will be expected to develop the ability to use appropriate techniques of analysis and enquiry within Operations and Service Management and to learn how to evaluate the alternatives and make recommendations. Topics include:

• The nature of services and service strategy

• Service development and technology

• Service quality and the service encounter

• Project/Event management and control

• Managing capacity and demand in services

• Managing inventories