International Business BA (Hons)

The module is an introduction to the fundamental principles of marketing. The module aims to bring contemporary marketing perspectives to life for students new to the concept of marketing. The content of the module is underpinned by marketing theory, which with an emphasis on application.

This module introduces students to the growth of international business and the unevenness of capitalism. The course examines different regional and national variations of capitalism. The national economies of Germany, Japan, the UK, US, and Scandinavian countries are discussed in detail, in addition to emerging economies such as BRICs. There is a particular focus on trade, global financial institutions and other economic units. The course is assessed through an individual reading report a group presentation and a group report (in which students have to pinpoint their own contribution to the project [800 words per student], and reflect on the process of learning during the fieldwork or working in groups if trip does not take place).

This course examines the international business environment through a combination of theoretical instruction and empirical (real-world) case studies. Students will be introduced to the key theories used to explain how and why internationalization occurs. Half the course is also devoted to the examination and discussion of real business cases. Students will gain a solid understanding of the international business environment and be able to apply theory to practice. This module aims to provide students with a foundation in the theory and practice of international business and the global business environment. The module equips students with the knowledge and understanding of the extant international business theories, research and practice, which are needed to appreciate the internationalization strategies of firms and the global business environment within which firms operate.

Whether pursuing a career in marketing or in supply chain management, modern business professionals have to be well versed in the language of accounting and finance. This module aims to equip a non-specialist audience with a solid understanding of the key principles of financial reporting and management accounting. Students will first learn how firms measure and report their financial position and performance, and then engage in analysis and visualisation of real data using financial ratios. The module will also introduce students to a number of fundamental managerial decision-making techniques, such as cost-volume-profit analysis, simple costing models, budgeting, and capital investment appraisal methods.

The module provides students with a grounding in practical and theoretical perspectives on historical and contemporary forms of management. It explores how organisations address their major challenges by drawing from tried and tested methods, as well as more innovative practices. Students are encouraged to question common sense assumptions about management, and to identify creative and sustainable practices in organisations.

​This module aims to introduce students to the academic and professional skills they will require in university and beyond. Students will examine the tools and techniques needed to use both qualitative and quantitative data and gain an understanding of how these are relevant in the modern business environment. The module will also provide an opportunity to develop key professional skills needed in the corporate environment. 

The purpose of the module is to provide an introduction to business statistics for the non-specialist. The course aims to provide a broad understanding of the nature of variability and why it is an issue for managers. It will also provide students with the ability to derive and understand a variety of graphs and statistics which can be produced in Excel and which provide a means for managers to make intelligent use of statistics in the process of management and decision-making.

The aim of this module is to introduce the core principles of economics (both micro and macro), to develop models and economic perspectives relevant to business students and demonstrate how modern economics can illuminate the problems that businesses (both national and international) face on a day-to-day basis.

This module aims to introduce students to the graduate recruitment process by providing them with the skills required to secure a work placement or summer internship. It also provides the opportunity to acquire, develop and apply these skills.   

This module will build on the first-year skills module and will teach IB students the advanced academic and professional skills they need to flourish in their final-year modules and then to function effectively in the workforce.  

This module is designed to challenge students to think about the nature of modern business behaviour, its role and contribution to society, and the ways in which such behaviour can be understood, especially from moral and ethical perspectives. Over a series of formal lectures, students are introduced to a range of key critical thinkers from ethics, philosophy, economics and management studies. Our explorations are also constantly related to real-life examples. The module is taught via formal lectures and seminars and is assessed by an unseen online open book examination and an individual assignment.         

This module is concerned with the theoretical and practical implications of international development in the global economy. The module will enable an in-depth analysis of the central issues associated with the economics and policies of international development. The module also provides an insight into problems, challenges and recent trends in international development as well as identifies future directions.

This module delivers an outlook of issues of international finance, such as parity conditions, currency exposures/management and international capital markets; especially focusing on the financial management of multinationals. The groundwork is based on fundamentals of finance which provides an introduction to the core principles of finance, valuation and financial decision-making, within the domestic setting and then expands to the international setting.

In a globalised world, companies of all kinds are no longer limited to producing and selling their goods and services in domestic markets. They explore global markets and operate across national borders. What challenges do companies face as they operate in multiple nation-states? How are they different from the domestic companies? How can multinational companies (MNCs) be managed effectively in order to stay competitive in the global market? This module aims to produce the knowledge and skills for students to address these questions. The module is structured into three parts. The first part discusses globalisation and MNCs, providing an overview of the changing landscape of the global economy. The second part focuses on the challenges that faced by MNCs with an analysis on the complex and often conflicting external environmental factors that shape the strategy and management of MNCs. The third part discusses how MNCs manage these challenges, exploring different strategies and practices that managers could consider in managing operation, talents and knowledge across borders.

This module gives an overview of some very basic economic principles as it applies to the firm and its environment. It equips the student with the knowledge and skills necessary to understand and evaluate internal and external factors that influence the strategic decisions made by the firms. This includes the analysis of the nature and behaviour of firms in international markets. It is designed for non-economists such as Business Studies students . Explanations are sometimes based on very basic diagrams and students are expected to have GCSE level maths.

This module provides an overview of what workforce equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) are and their relevance and usefulness in improving the understanding and management of people at work. Today’s workplace is changing due to a number of factors including an ageing population and increases in the number of women and ethnic minorities. As a result, there is a need to effectively understand and manage EDI in organisations in order to create an inclusive workplace that meets organisational outcomes. A number of issues that managers of a diverse workforce face are explored. In particular, issues such as gender, age, ethnicity, disability, religion, sexual orientation and intersectional identities are discussed. Two key approaches towards EDI are reviewed: the social justice case and the business benefits case. The module also explores a range of EDI related concepts and topics such as social identity, stereotyping and discrimination. It also considers the protected rights of employees covered by UK legislation as well as international legislative drives and policies.
Successful students will develop their understanding of the field of EDI and their own personal position within it. They will also inform their practice as future managers from both research and practitioner perspectives.
The module will be delivered through lectures and seminars It will be assessed by completion of, an individual piece of reflection and an individual report.

The aim of this module is to develop awareness of the distinctive nature of the business environment within and around the European Union (EU). Students who complete this module will have an improved understanding of the role of the EU in relation to business. The key political and legal institutions and actors responsible for the formulation of policies that influence business practice in Europe will be examined and core academic debates about the form and function of the EU will be reviewed. The students will also be introduced to economic integration and the operation of the EU single market. In the second half of the module, we will explore specific EU business-related activities. There will be a case study of the UK’s EU membership.         

The core roles of government in relation to business are identified and evaluated and significant changes discussed. The module also explores the nature of the relationship between government and business, for example in terms of neo-corporatist structures and the role of business as an actor in the governmental process. These issues are also placed firmly within a wide-ranging international context and examples are drawn from a wide variety of countries. The module is assessed through an assignment and an unseen exam. Successful students will acquire an appreciation of the interactions between government and business, develop a strong critical awareness and be able to apply the general debates to a wide range of specific examples.

Innovation and entrepreneurship draw together key themes relating to the development of new products, new processes and new organisations in the business environment. Innovation is strategic when it is consistent with a corporation’s mission, vision and values and is created to enhancing the strategic positioning and/or competitiveness of organisations. This module deals with the principles underpinning innovation and entrepreneurship in the context of a global business environment.
In this module students will gain a deep understanding of the role of strategic innovation activities in various organisational settings as a tool to developing a longer-term entrepreneurial culture. It will focus on comparing methods of best practice for entrepreneurial innovation developments and how these are utilised in practice using case studies and simulated examples.
The module draws on both theory and practice from a range of sub-disciplines and areas of study, including examples of innovation within large public and private sector organisations as well as smaller technology-based organisations both local and international.
Whilst the module provides theoretical insight into innovation and entrepreneurship, students will also be encouraged to identify best practices in the management of innovation and entrepreneurship in organisations.

This course is designed to give students awareness of the legal scope and character of the ways in which business is regulated in a global economy. As markets open up, supply chains become global, and business thereby becomes cross border in character, ethical considerations become significant, and the effective regulation of that business can become a serious challenge, both for regulators and the parties to that business. As a result, international business regulation has become a complex, ever-changing, and constantly evolving institutional environment, both at the national level, and the transnational. It covers a many legal fields, and affects multiple aspects of business organisation and operation. It impacts significantly on consumers and businesses, but also has profound implications for regulators – that is policy-makers, legislators and enforcement agencies, and the challenges of regulating corporate behaviour.

This module aims to provide undergraduate international business students a broad overview of the core concepts in technology and innovation management, the dominant theories in it, innovation and technology management tools and frameworks that are employed by organisa-tions, international standards on innovation, ethical technology management practices and fi-nally practical evidences of the same. With the aid of lectures and experiential learning orient-ed seminars, the module aims to provide students with a basic understanding of the current international innovation and technology management practices and a critical perspective in evaluating the innovation and technology management frameworks. The module prepares international business students for a career in international business with organisational roles related to new product development and the strategic management of technology, knowledge, and innovation.

​This module aims to provide students with knowledge and understanding of what is expected of a manager and what is meant by managerial “effectiveness”. To do this, you need to be able to identify the role of a manager and those factors which influence a manager’s effectiveness – and these lie not only within yourself but also in your working environment.​

Identity and culture are two of the most important phenomena in organisations. They help explain why organisations look and feel the way they do. They also help us understand why people in organisations often ignore and/or resist rational models and techniques. Students on this module are encouraged to investigate culture and identity in contemporary films, fictional narratives and social media, as well as in the academic literature.

Advances in human ecology and the wider ecosystem in which we live and function have profoundly changed how we view ourselves, how we view the world around us, and ultimately how we live and exist in our societies. As a learner we are now being called upon to tackle the biggest ecological challenges facing us, such as climate change and social crises. Our duty to explore, research and educate one another to help solve these issues by seeking to understand better the value, purpose, and ethics of human behaviour in the context of (International) Business and Management is critical. This module which will draw from multiple cross disciplinary fields in the social sciences, where students will explore theories which seek to give insights into underpinning real-world problems, alongside philosophical and ethical theories. This will enable students to develop skills in debate, analysis, and critical argument, to help nurture their awareness and appreciation of the responsibility they will carry with them into business contexts, society and the wider ecosystem. The module seeks to advance students’ awareness of their own ecological citizenship and responsibilities as future business practitioners. In this module students will also have the opportunity to evaluate their personal orientations to their own values, assumptions and responsibilities building upon material studied, by reflexively shaping their appreciation of how we need to become more ethically minded as Business Practitioners in our social eco-systems.

This is an optional module focusing on the business environment in emerging markets and specifically in the BRIC countries, Brazil, Russia, India and China. MNEs based in these countries will also be discussed.

This module gives students an up-to-date coverage of global strategy and hands-on experience putting theory into practice. It sets new approaches such as institutional analysis alongside more traditional approaches based in economics and management. It also gives considerable attention to competition in and from emerging economies. At the end of the module, students are able to critically analyse the challenges and opportunities that a multinational enterprise (MNE) faces and the context in which these organizations make decisions. Assessment is through an individual report submitted at the end of the module.

This module provides a detailed coverage of the nature and determinants of the pattern of world trade and financial, capital and labour flows. The module also aims to provide students with a critical appreciation of why conflicts arise between nations due to international economic activity and what policy options are most appropriate for countries both individually and cooperatively to adopt. Throughout the module emphasis is placed upon the role of theory in enhancing understanding of the key issues in international economic relations.

The module gives an overview of the subject from the perspective of principles and practice. The first part of the module provides an overview of perspectives and explains the centrality of strategic purpose. The second part is about strategic analysis and covers strategic objectives, and the analysis of the external and internal environments. The third part covers business, corporate, and global levels of strategy. Finally, the module explains implementation: covering strategic actions and performance management.

The module covers the history and development of corporate governance, and the key principles and systems that underpin corporate governance today. It also provides the opportunity to assess the practical application of corporate governance systems across major international organisations based on UK regulation.

The independent study module is an individual piece of work, related to the specialist element within the International Business programme, undertaken by the student with supervisor support on an individual basis.

The independent study module is an individual piece of work, related to the specialist element within the International Business programme, undertaken by the student with supervisor support on an individual basis.

An understanding of International marketing is crucial in today’s increasingly international marketplace. Marketing activities must be planned, co-ordinated and integrated whilst recognising the need to understand the diversity of cultures when devising a strategy for market entry. Graduates will often interact with international clients and therefore, this module aims to address the importance of having an international marketing understanding. It examines how a firm internationalises the marketing function, looking in detail at: methods of international market entry and development; the development of an international marketing strategy; the implementation and control of international marketing strategies and an awareness of international ethical issues.

The module introduces students to core theories and current issues and developments concerning knowledge management with the aim of fostering innovation. Students will learn how to analyse and critically evaluate the subject matter and apply it to diverse organisational environments.   

All decisions involving uncertainty run the risk of failure. This module examines why people and organizations sometimes make unwise decisions and how to make better decisions.

The aim of this module is to develop and enhance students’ critical understanding of the key issues surrounding the contemporary football sector. Students will develop a critical understanding of how economics, finance, marketing and other business and management disciplines can be used to analyse features of the football business sector. Furthermore, various concepts and theories from the aforementioned disciplines will be used to analyse critically decision-making within the sector. Where appropriate alternative outcomes will be considered that might improve efficiency and effectiveness within the sector.

The key focus of this module is for the students to build a strong understanding on contemporary issues concerning the International Business discipline as well as develop their critical thinking and critical discussion skills on a variety of controversial issues in IB. Through reading and interpretation of the academic international business literature as well as recent trends and developments in the global marketplace, students will be encouraged to analyse and debate the topics in order to form and express their own perspective in a structured and convincing manner. The module will draw on the research expertise of academic staff at ULMS and appropriate external speakers.

The aim of the module is to build on the basic management accounting methods seen in ACFI 107 through coverage of a range of additional/more advanced techniques that aid costing, decision-making, planning and control. The module will also cover some of the contemporary developments within management accounting and performance measurement which have had a fundamental impact on the way many organisations are operated and managed.