Business Management

|

BSc

|

Full Time

| UCAS code: N200
The programme includes a mix of core and optional modules. King's reviews its optional modules on a regular basis, in order to continue to offer innovative and exciting programmes and this list is therefore subject to change. Please check here for updates, or contact the School/department for further advice.

YEAR 1
Students take the core modules listed below plus either Communication Skills or a foreign language.

YEAR 1 CORE
Module code: 4SSMN135
Credit level: 4
Credit value: 30
Semester:  Full-year 
Teaching pattern: 44 hours lectures and 10 hours tutorials
Assessment:  written examination/s 
3hr Exam (65%), online tests (25%), attendance and participation (10%)

Aims and Objectives
The aims of the module are to:

  • Provide an introduction to accounting and financial management for students without any previous knowledge.
  • Introduce students to the key principles underlying accounting and financial management, with an emphasis on understanding, interpreting and using accounting information in the management process.
  • Encourage critical thinking about the problems and challenges of the introduction of International Financial Reporting Standards.

On completion of the module students should be able to:

  • Explain the role of accounting information in business organisations, and discuss the key information needs of different stakeholder groups.
  • Describe key accounting principles and concepts, and the main accounting rules dealing with fixed and current assets; explain their relevance and importance; and apply them in drawing up primary accounting statements.
  • Employ ratio analysis to analyse and interpret accounting information in respect of profitability, efficiency, liquidity and capital structure; and demonstrate an awareness of the limitations of ratio analysis.
  • Understand the problems of investment appraisal and the relative merits of different approaches.

 

Module code: 4SSMN136
Credit level: 4
Credit value: 30
Semester:  Full-year 
Teaching pattern: 44 hours lectures; 10 hours tutorials
Assessment:  written examination/s;  coursework; 
45% written examination; 45% in-course assessment; 10 % attendance and participation

Aims and Objectives


The aims of the module are:

  • To provide a thorough grounding in the concepts of economic analysis
  • To illuminate the use of these concepts for the analysis of the economic behaviour of households, firms,
  • markets and the economy as a whole
  • To develop an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the market as a means of allocating resources

On completion of the module, students should be able to:

  • Demonstrate an understanding of the concepts of equilibrium and how equilibrium prices and quantities are determined by the interaction of supply and demand
  • Understand the causes of market failure, and both the reasons for and the consequences of government
  • intervention in markets
  • Identify the main macroeconomic variables and describe how their measurement is undertaken
  • Understand basic theories of the level of economic activity, the money supply and the price level
Module code: 4SSMN133
Credit level: 4
Credit value: 15
Semester:  Semester 2 (spring) 
Teaching pattern: 22 hours lectures; 5 hours tutorials
Assessment:  written examination/s 
90% written examination; 10 % attendance and participation


The course introduces students to key issues in the organization, governance, and management of business firms over the course of its evolution. The emphasis is on how the modern corporation emerged and evolved from the late 19th Century to today, and the attempts of social scientists to conceptualize the managerial problems that emerged in relation to it. Students should gain an appreciation of the economic, political, social and legal factors driving changes in the way firms are organised.

On completion of the course, students should be able to describe a number of key theoretical concepts for understanding the structure, governance and organisation of the corporation. Finally, students should be able to detail lessons we can learn from taking a historical perspective on these topics.

Module code: 4SSMN134
Credit level: 4
Credit value: 30
Semester:  Full-year 
Teaching pattern: 44 hours lectures; 10 hours tutorials
Assessment:  written examination/s;  coursework; 
60% written examination; 30% coursework; 10% attendance and participation


Aims and Objectives


The aims of the module are to introduce students to:

  • Alternative social science theories and solutions to the core problems and issues of understanding organisations
  • Social scientific approaches to understanding work, occupations and organisations in society
  • Key issues relating to the change nature of work in contemporary societies

On completion of the module, students should be able to:

  • Demonstrate knowledge and capacity for critical analysis of a range of organisational theories and problems
  • Define key concepts in social scientific studies of work and relate them to empirical evidence
  • Recognise and be able to reflect on key concepts and theories relevant to understanding work, occupations and organisations in society
  • Understand and critically assess recent changes in the organisation of work

YEAR 1 OPTIONS
Module code: 4SSMN116
Credit level: 4
Credit value: 15
Semester:  Semester 1 (autumn) 
Teaching pattern: Ten one-hour lectures and workshop seminars.
Assessment:  coursework 

Assessment

  • All coursework based (no end-of-module examination)
  • Individual assignment (45%)
  • A team project including the production of a report and group presentation (45%)
  • Class participation mark (10%)

The aims of this module are to develop an understanding of the theory and practice of effective interpersonal communication and how it relates to the process of management. On completion of the module, students should be able to demonstrate the practical knowledge, understanding and skills of
the effective business communicator.

Topics of study include: Basic theories of communication; Communication media; Communication barriers and breakdowns;
Interviewing skills; Written communication and report writing; Effective negotiation and handling conflict; Interpersonal skills and body language; Presentation skills; Communication in groups and teams; Managing meetings.


YEAR 2
Students should take the compulsory modules outlined plus four options from the optional modules. Options offered may vary from year to year.

YEAR 2 CORE
Module code: 5SSMN238
Credit level: 5
Credit value: 15
Semester:  Semester 2 (spring) 
Teaching pattern: 11 hours lectures; 10 tutorials
Assessment:  written examination/s 
90% written exam; 10% attendance and participation

Aims and Objectives

The main aims of the module are to:

  • Examine the role of the multinational enterprise in the globalised economy.
  • Identify the nature of the process by which firms internationalise.
  • Analyse the notion of globalisation.Evaluate the impact of national business systems on the management and functioning of organisations that operate in an international setting.
  • Determine the extent to which different aspects of organizational functioning and structuring arebecoming similar or remain different between nations.

On completion of the module, you should be able to:

  • Appreciate the nature and importance of the multinational enterprise in the globalised economy.
  • Critically analyse different approaches to the internationalisation of the firm.
  • Understand the nature of national business systems and how they impact on a range of issues concerned with the management of organisations that operate in an international setting.
  • Identify which features of organisations are becoming similar across nations.
  • Act in a more sensitive way when interpreting cross-national situations.
Module code: 5SSMN240
Credit level: 5
Credit value: 30
Semester:  Full-year 
Teaching pattern: 40 hours lectures; 10 one-hour tutorials
Assessment:  written examination/s;  coursework; 
2hr Exam (50%), two essays of 1500 words (40%), attendance and participation (10%)

Aims and Objectives:

  • To introduce different approaches in the social sciences for the analysis of organizations, work and culture;
  • To introduce a range of methods for analysing qualitative and quantitative data;
  • To develop the student's analytic research skills through practical experience;
  • To explore the practical and methodological constraints on effective organisational research.

On completion of the module, students should be able to:

  • Understand and critically evaluate different approaches for exploring different kinds of research questions and issues;
  • Demonstrate an understanding of a range of statistical techniques through a practical coursework assignment and understand the principal issues in measuring concepts and collecting data in questionnaire research; Use SPSS to undertake statistical analysis;
  • Undertake fieldwork and ethnography, qualitative interviews and focus groups
  • Analyse different forms of qualitative data.
  • Design and conduct a small-scale observational research project

Outline Syllabus


Term 1: Researching in business and an introduction to quantitative research; Survey design and sampling; Fundamentals of statistical analyses and inferential statistics; SPSS; chi square, t tests, ANOVA, correlation and multiple regression; Reliability and Factor Analysis.

Term 2: Introduction to management research and qualitative methods approaches; Interviews and Focus Groups; Case studies; Field methods: Observer roles and data collection; Preliminary analysis and categorisation; Ethnography in business and organisational research

Module code: 5SSMN242
Credit level: 5
Credit value: 15
Semester:  Semester 1 (autumn) 
Teaching pattern: 20 hours lectures; 9 hours seminars
Assessment:  written examination/s;  presentation/s; 

80% written examination; 20% attendance and participation (including presentation)



Aims and Objectives

  • Understand the role of marketing within a society and an economic system.
  • Provide an understanding of the fundamental principles of marketing by learning key marketing principles, terminology, and their applications.
  • Illustrate how the elements of the marketing mix are combined to create a marketing plan.

On completion of this course, students should be able to:

  • Understand the role of marketing in an organization.
  • Identify and utilize the input necessary to develop and implement a marketing plan.
  • Reflect critically on marketing practices.

YEAR 2 OPTIONS
Module code: 5SSMN256
Credit level: 5
Credit value: 15
Semester:  Semester 2 (spring) 
Teaching pattern: 22 hours lectures; 5 hours tutorials
Assessment:  coursework 
60% examination; 30% coursework; 10% attendance & participation

Aims and Objectives
- To identify and critically review the main literatures and concepts of consumer behaviour
- To consider the interdisciplinary influences on consumer behaviour theory
- To understand the key applications of consumer behaviour theory in marketing practice
- To consider the role and influence of culture upon consumer behavior

On completion of the module students should be able to demonstrate the ability to
- Understand and critique the various theories of consumer behavior
- Apply consumer behavior concepts and theories to marketing problems
- Understand the interplay between consumer behaviour and marketing strategy
- Understand how culture impacts on consumer behavior

Module code: 5SSMN224
Credit level: 5
Credit value: 15
Semester:  Semester 1 (autumn) 
Teaching pattern: 22 hours lectures; 5 hours tutorials
Assessment:  written examination/s 
90% written examination; 10% tutorial participation

The aim of the course is to provide an overview of corporate finance in both a domestic and international setting.

On completion of the course, students should be able to:

  • Apply the main principles of financial theory to contemporary commercial problems
  • Understand the problems of investment appraisal and the relative merits of different approaches
  • Evaluate the consequences of a proposed takeover or merger
  • Analyse the current state of financial markets

Module code: 5SSMN223
Credit level: 5
Credit value: 15
Semester:  Semester 2 (spring) 
Teaching pattern: 22 hours lectures; 5 hours tutorials
Assessment:  coursework 
90% coursework; 10% attendance and participation

The aim of the module is to extend the students understanding of the theory and practice of Human Resource Management and to locate HRM within both the context of organisations and the field of contemporary management theory and practice.

On completion of this module, students should be able to demonstrate an informed and critical understanding of:

  • The role of HR within an organisational context.
  • HRM as a process of decision-making, in relation to the strategic utilisation of a range of potential HR
  • practices and HR systems.
  • A number of key HR practices (e.g. recruitment & selecting, employee development, performance
  • management, job design) and the role each may play in contemporary organisations.
  • The extent to which HR can and should play a role in managing employee well-being.
  • The implications for HR of employers' and employees' demands for flexibility.
  • Different types of employee involvement and participation at the workplace.
  • The link between HRM and organisational performance.
Module code: 5SSMN228
Credit level: 5
Credit value: 15
Semester:  Semester 1 (autumn) 
Teaching pattern: 11 hours lectures; 10 hours tutorials
Assessment:  coursework 
90 % coursework; 10% attendance and participation
Aims and Objectives

 

The aims of this course are:

  • To introduce the basic concepts associated with competing theoretical perspectives on the nature of the firm and analysis of market coordination.
  • To develop an awareness of how recent advances in the theory of Industrial Organisation relate to previously dominant perspectives in the field.
  • To develop an understanding of how different approaches to Industrial Organisation have been applied at the level of specific firms, particular industries and with regard to concrete policy initiatives.

On completion of the course students should be able to:

  • Outline, evaluate and illustrate the contributions of transaction cost economics, resource-based theories of the firm and evolutionary approaches to Industrial Organisation.
  • Set out, evaluate and illustrate accounts of the market order which highlight the role of social rules, relationships and conventions in the functioning of competitive processes.
  • Demonstrate the policy relevance of recent theoretical advances in Industrial Organisation by evaluating the promotion of quasi-market structures in sectors such as broadcasting.
Module code: 5SSMN220
Credit level: 5
Credit value: 15
Semester:  Semester 2 (spring) 
Teaching pattern: 10 x 2 Hour Lectures; 5 x 1 Hour Tutorials
Assessment:  written examination/s;  coursework; 
60% written examination; 30% coursework; 10% attendance and participation

The main aims of the course are to:

  • Examine the meaning and significance of entrepreneurship
  • Identify different forms of entrepreneurship
  • Outline the process of new venture creation
  • Outline the distinctive features of VC and entrepreneurial firms in relation to other firms
  • Compare and contrast the levels of development of VC and the nature of firms' operations across countries

On completion of the course, students should be able to:

  • Appreciate the importance of entrepreneurship
  • Outline different forms of entrepreneurship
  • Understand the process of new venture creation
  • Identify the distinguishing features of VC and entrepreneurial firms in relation to other firms
  • Appreciate cross-country differences in the nature of VC
  • Comprehend business news and literature related to entrepreneurship
  • Engage in debate and discussion related to the key themes covered in the course
Module code: 5SSMN216
Credit level: 5
Credit value: 15
Semester:  Semester 2 (spring) 
Teaching pattern: 11 hours of lectures; 10 hours of tutorials
Assessment:  written examination/s 
90% written examination; 10% participation in tutorials

The aims of this course are to:

  • Introduce students to the general principles of tort and contract as they apply to the business environment
  • Demonstrate a basic understanding of the social and economic context in which the law of tort and contract functions; its aims objectives and underlying policy issues
  • Introduce the students to the nature and sources of law including European Law

On completion of the course, students should be able to:

  • State and distinguish between, the different sources of English Law
  • Apply and evaluate the areas of substantive law relating to contract and tortious liability in business operations
  • Adopt a critical perspective to existing legal rules, and to identify constructive suggestions for reform
  • Construct coherent legal argument, orally and in writing.
Module code: 5SSMN229
Credit level: 5
Credit value: 15
Semester:  Semester 1 (autumn) 
Teaching pattern: 10 hours lectures; 9 hours seminars
Assessment:  written examination/s 
90% written examination; 10% attendance and participation

The aims of this course are to:

  • Enable students to understand and evaluate the structure of management accounting systems, and to consider how the data produced in such systems can be used in the decision-making process.
  • Enable understanding of the ways in which the accountant operates within a business organisation.
  • Investigate how the management accountant contributes to everyday functions such as planning, communication, controlling, co-ordination and motivation.
  • Enable students to identify and evaluate the social, behavioural and cultural aspects of management accounting systems.

On completion of the course, students should be able to:

  • Describe the functions of accounting in business organisations and distinguish between management and financial accounting
  • Locate sources of financial data relevant to business organisations and utilise the information in written reports and analyses.
  • Define the basic terminology of management accounting and provide practical examples
  • Explain the issues relating to cost classification and apply the procedures of absorption and marginal costing in allocating and apportioning overhead costs and in performing basic break-even analysis.
  • Distinguish between long-term and short-term management decision in relation to budgeting.
  • Explain the use of standard costing in management planning and apply introductory variance analysis.
Module code: 5SSMN243
Credit level: 5
Credit value: 15
Semester:  Semester 1 (autumn) 
Teaching pattern: 22 hours lectures; 6 hours tutorials
Assessment:  coursework 
85% essay; 15% attendance & participation
Aims and Objectives:

This course explores one of the biggest concerns for organizations today: how can diversity and inclusion be managed in globalised organisations? It looks at three main aspects: understanding diversity and inclusion, applying diversity and inclusion, and managing diversity and inclusion. The module looks at issues such as the meaning of equality, diversity and inclusion, theories and concepts, dimensions of diversity such as gender, 'race', sexuality, age and disabilities, the business case for D&I, the talent management perspective and issues around implementing D&I in organizations. The course is designed to inform and stimulate thinking on issues of D&I in business and organisations.

At the end of the course, participants will be able to:

  • Appreciate the significance of D&I from academic and practitioner perspectives
  • Apply theories and concepts from D&I to organizational situations
  • Develop their own standpoint on issues of D&I
Module code: 5SSMN221
Credit level: 5
Credit value: 15
Semester:  Semester 2 (spring) 
Teaching pattern: 11 hours lectures; 9 hours tutorial
Assessment:  written examination/s 
90% written examination; 10% attendance and participation

The aim of the module is to convey a consolidated and expanded knowledge and understanding of marketing, including new directions in marketing theories, research and practice.

On completion of the module students should be able to:

  • Demonstrate substantial knowledge and understanding, beyond that acquired in Principles of Marketing,
  • in the areas of market analysis, market research and market planning.
  • Show understanding of more advanced and alternative theories of marketing, including relationship
  • Marketing, postmodern marketing and theories pertaining to international marketing
  • Apply more advanced aspects of marketing theory in case studies
Module code: 5SSMN239
Credit level: 5
Credit value: 15
Semester:  Semester 1 (autumn) 
Teaching pattern: 20 hours lectures; 5 hours tutorials
Assessment:  written examination/s 
90% written examination; 10% attendance and participation

Aims and Objectives


The aims of the course are to:

  • To develop a comprehensive understanding of microeconomic analysis, including the economics of the consumer, the firm, markets, and market failure, welfare economics, and the basic economics of risk and information, building on the microeconomic content of SMN 132 (Principles of Economics).
  • To create an understanding of simple model building methods in microeconomic analysis, including indifference curve analysis, isoquant analysis, basic game theory, simple general equilibrium (Edgeworth Box), and the efficiency analysis of different resource allocations.
  • To foster a critical awareness of the applications and limitations of microeconomic models in relation to issues and evidence concerning outcomes and performance in particular markets.
  • To develop a foundation for the analysis involved in third year optional courses involving microeconomics.

On completion of the course, students should be able to:

  • A systematic understanding of the findings of the analysis of market outcomes, in terms of their positive and normative content (Aim 1)
  • An awareness of the content, strengths and limitations of the analytical methods used in microeconomics (Aim 2).
  • A sense of the main conclusions of the microeconomic analysis of specific markets and policy issues (Aim 3).
  • The tools necessary to master the economic aspects of third year optional courses with microeconomic content.
Module code: 5SSMN215
Credit level: 5
Credit value: 15
Semester:  Semester 1 (autumn) 
Teaching pattern: 11 lectures; 10 tutorials
Assessment:  coursework;  presentation/s; 
90% 3500-word report;  10% oral presentation

Aims and Objectives

This module aims to

  • help understand the challenges in designing and deploying new and innovative technologies to support organizations, including collaborative technologies, web services, knowledge management, decision support, mobile and ubiquitous computing;
  • introduce methods and approaches for the design, deployment and analysis of technologies within organisations;
  • evaluate concepts and approaches in studies of technology and innovation.

On completion of the module, students should be able to:

  • assess how technological developments can support organisational activities;
  • apply methods for the design, assessment and development of new technology in organisations;
  • assess organisational strategies for the deployment of technologies in organisations.

YEAR 3
Students select eight options, among them a research project (dissertation). Options offered may vary from year to year.

YEAR 3 OPTIONS
Module code: 6SSMN311
Credit level: 6
Credit value: 15
Semester:  Semester 2 (spring) 
Teaching pattern: 20 hours lectures; 5 hours tutorials
Assessment:  written examination/s 
90% written examination, 10% participation in tutorials
Aims and Objectives

The aims of this course are to:

Introduce students to key concepts in microeconomic analysis, most notably game theory and the theory of asymmetric informationDevelop an understanding of how these tools can be used to address theoretical, applied and policy problemsDevelop an understanding of the nature and role of quasi-markets in the reform of the public services in the UK

On completion of this course, students should be able to:

Define the core concepts of game theory and the theory of asymmetric informationUse those theories to analyse real-world microeconomic phenomenaEvaluate the case for the use of quasi-markets to deliver public services

Module code: 6SSMN350
Credit level: 6
Credit value: 15
Semester:  Semester 1 (autumn) 
Teaching pattern: 11 hours lectures; 10 hours tutorials
Assessment:  coursework;  presentation/s; 
90% Coursework; 10% Oral presentation

The aims of this course are:
- To foster understanding of the burgeoning body of literature concerned with language, discourse, talk and social interaction in organisations;
- To highlight differences between ordinary conversation and patterns of talk in organisational settings;
- To develop understanding of the ways in which the study of text and talk can inform the analysis of, and work in, contemporary organisations.

On completion of the module, students should be able to:
- Demonstrate understanding of the factors that have contributed to the emergence of studies concerned with language, discourse, talk and social interaction in organisational studies;
- Display knowledge of a range of literatures concerned with how discourse shapes our understanding of work and organisations
- Demonstrate understanding of how studies of language in use can inform the analysis and practice of work in organisations;
- Systematically analyse naturally-occurring text or talk collected in work and organisational settings.

Module code: 6SSMN364
Credit level: 6
Semester:  Semester 2 (spring) 
Teaching pattern: 20 hours of lectures
5 hours of tutorials
Assessment:  written examination/s 
Written Examinations 90%;
Attendance & Participation 10%

Aims:
To provide business students with knowledge and critical appreciation of company law principles and an awareness of current policy trends and developments in company law.

To provide students with knowledge of core topics in Company law including:

- the advantages and disadvantages of a company compared to other business structures
- the legal nature and significance of separate corporate personality
- the constitution of a company and legal requirements and restrictions
- financing the company
- the legal rules governing company’s external relationships and dealings with third parties
- Directors : duties, powers and limitations
- Shareholders: rights and remedies
- Issues arising on the insolvent liquidation of a company

Module code: 6SSMN355
Credit level: 6
Credit value: 15
Semester:  Semester 1 (autumn) 
Teaching pattern: 11 hours lectures; 10 hours tutorials
Assessment:  coursework 
90% coursework: 70% research paper, 20% in-tutorial assignments; 10% tutorial attendance

Aims and Objectives
The main aims of this course are to explore the international business environment in the Asia, to provide an overview of the various Asian economies, their interrelationship, and their importance in the world economy, and to examine the lessons which may be drawn both from the economic success of the Asian economies, and from the Asian financial crisis.

On completion of the course, students should be able to:
- Assess the economic structures of the various Asian economies, and understand the nature of the (economic, political etc) linkages between them
- Evaluate critically the reasons for the economic success of the 'high-performing Asian economies', and the constraints on future development.
- Understand the reasons for the Asian financial crisis, and compare the crisis with previous financial crises elsewhere in the world.
- Understand the nature of the different business systems in the various Asia-Pacific economies.

Module code: 6SSMN336
Credit level: 6
Credit value: 15
Semester:  Semester 1 (autumn) 
Teaching pattern: 22 hours lectures, 6 hours tutorials
Assessment:  coursework 
85% essay, 15% attendance & participation
Aims and Objectives

This module explores the relationship between business and society through looking at corporate social responsibility. It looks at three main aspects: understanding corporate social responsibility, applying corporate social responsibility and managing corporate social responsibility. The module explores issues such as business ethics, concepts in corporate social responsibility, the business case for corporate responsibility, engagement of stakeholders and corporate social responsibility in the workplace.

At the end of the module successful participants will be able to:

Appreciate the significance of corporate social responsibility from academic and practitioner perspectives Apply theories and concepts from corporate social responsibility to organizational situationsDevelop their own standpoint on issues of corporate social responsibility

Module code: 6SSMN358
Credit level: 6
Credit value: 15
Semester:  Semester 1 (autumn) 
Teaching pattern: 22 hours of lectures; 5 hours of tutorials
Assessment:  written examination/s 
3hr exam (90%), attendance and participation (10%)

The module aims to give students a sound basic understanding of the principles of individual and collective Employment Law, together with an insight into the extent to which the law recognises the essentially "social" nature of the employment relationship. This will include an understanding of the growing influence of both human rights and, most crucially, European Union law on the domestic framework of employment.

On completion of the module, students should be able to:

  • -distinguish between and evaluate the various sources of Employment Law;
  • understand the key principles of individual Employment Law;
  • apply skills of critical analysis and logical thought in dealing with legal materials;
  • have acquired the ability to identify the existence of potential legal issues in a given factual situation and
  • to apply relevant legal principles to the analysis of those issues;
  • be able to assess the impact of Employment Law on the exercise of managerial prerogatives
Module code: 6SSMN352
Credit level: 6
Credit value: 15
Semester:  Semester 2 (spring) 
Teaching pattern: 10 hours lectures; 10 hours tutorials

Assessment:  written examination/s 
  • A written piece of course work in which students will be required to produce a professional equity analysis report based on a FTSE 100 firm of their choice (40%)
  • 2-hour written examination (60%)

Aims and Objectives

This course presents financial statement analysis from the point of view of the primary users of financial statements: company managers, creditors, and investors. The aim of this module is to provide students with tools to enable them to analyse financial statements and draw inferences about the performance and the value of a firm. The course is structured in three parts. The first part reviews the nature and content of financial statements and provides guidelines for preparation of balance sheet, profit and loss and cash flow statements. Financial analysis forms the second part, focusing on past and present performance evaluation to generate expectations about future performance (prospective analysis), credit rating and distress prediction. The third part, security valuation, focuses on market- and accounting-based valuation models to derive the intrinsic value of a firm.

On completion of the course students should be able to:

  • Expand their understanding of financial statements and develop key analysis tools that facilitate practical financial statement analysis;
  • Interpret balance sheets, profit and loss statements and cash flow statements on a time series and cross sectional basis;
  • Calculate and interpret measures of a company's internal liquidity, operating performance, risk, and growth potential;
  • Understand the uses and limitation of the tools for analysing financial statements;
  • Compute, understand and compare the value of a stock using different valuation models;
  • Appreciate why it is important to examine a company's performance relative to its competitors, industry and the economy.
Module code: 6SSMN362
Credit level: 6
Credit value: 15
Semester:  Semester 2 (spring) 
Teaching pattern: 22 hours lectures; 5 tutorials
Assessment:  written examination/s 
90% written exam; 10% attendance and participation
Aims and Objectives

The purpose of this module is to

  • examine the distinctiveness of national forms of corporate governance in advanced and emerging economies
  • investigate a number of elements of the constitution of corporate governance systems in comparative perspective
  • identify the processes through which international patterns of corporate governance are emerging
  • appreciate the pressures of globalisation forces and international organisations on national corporate governance regimes.

On completion of this module, students will be able to:

  • appreciate the ways in which forms of corporate governance are embedded in particular national contexts
  • understand the nature and causes of national variations in the way that ostensibly similar aspects of corporate governance are undertaken
  • critically evaluate a range of aspects of the emergence of cross-national forms or corporate governance, in particular in emerging markets
Module code: 6SSMN344
Credit level: 6
Credit value: 15
Semester:  Semester 1 (autumn) 
Teaching pattern: 22 lectures; 5 hours seminars
Assessment:  coursework 

90% coursework; 10% attendance & participation


On successful completion of the module, you will have:

  • An understanding of the influence of employers, employees, trade unions and the state in shaping contemporary employment relations.
  • An ability to assess critically a variety of current, policy-relevant issues and perspectives which inform the study of employment relations.
  • An understanding of the employment relationship which builds on the study of HRM and other aspects of organisational behaviour.

Topics of study include:

  • Changing patterns of labour market participation; Management strategy and strategic choice in employment relations;
  • Management and the state: social partnership and involvement;
  • Trade union decline and revitalisation;
  • Pay determination, low pay and the minimum wage;
  • Work re-organisation and outsourcing;

  • The modernisation of public service employment relations;
  • Multinationals and ER innovation;
  • Globalisation and Labour standards: the role of corporate codes;
  • Globalisation of labour markets: the experience of labour
    migration.

 

Module code: 6SSMN349
Credit level: 6
Credit value: 15
Semester:  Semester 2 (spring) 
Teaching pattern: 20 hours lectures; 5 hours seminars
Assessment:  written examination/s;  coursework; 
70% written examination; 20% written coursework; 10% attendance and participation

The aims of this module are to:

  • To generate a comprehensive understanding of the significance of the growing internationalisation of finance
  • To provide students with a historical overview of financial globalization
  • To allow students to develop a good understanding of the organization and functioning of modern international financial markets
  • To develop students' ability to critically evaluate the impact of financial globalization, including an understanding of the recent - current - international crisis

On completion of this module, students should be able to:

  • provide a broad and in-depth summary of the way in which the internationalisation of finance has occurred and its significance
  • be able to reach a balanced and informed assessment of the consequences of financial globalization on growth and stability
  • use a variety of sources of information to assess the relative strengths and weaknesses of various segments of the financial system within and across countries
  • be able to establish linkages and relations between similarly non connected events in the international financial system
Module code: 6SSMN348
Credit level: 6
Credit value: 15
Semester:  Semester 1 (autumn) 
Teaching pattern: 11 hours lectures; 10 hours tutorials
Assessment:  coursework;  presentation/s; 
70% essay; 20% coursework; 10% participation
Aims and Objectives

This course aims to introduce students to the theory and practices of international human resource management (IHRM). The first part of the course is designed to help students understand the institutional characteristics across states and capitalist economies. Here, this course asks why and to what extent companies located in different countries adopt distinct practices regarding compensation, work design, training, and flexibility. The second part of the course examines the role of HRM in the management of multinational firms and discusses particular human resource management challenges faced by multinational corporations.

On completion of the module successful students should be able to:

  • Understand how national (and international) institutions including labour market regulations, training systems, and collective bargaining systems affect firms' choices of HRM policies and workers' outcomes.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of particular HRM policies and practices in different national and organizational settings.
  • Evaluate the both challenges and contribution of HRM to the management of international organizations.
Module code: 6SSMN354
Credit level: 6
Credit value: 15
Semester:  Semester 1 (autumn) 
Teaching pattern: 22 hours lectures; 5 hours tutorials
Assessment:  written examination/s;  presentation/s; 
60% exam; 30% group presentation; 10% attendance & participation
Aims and Objectives

The module aims

  • To introduce and outline the core areas of international marketing
  • To explore the role and influence of culture upon international marketing decision-making
  • To introduce students to issues of strategic importance to organisations operating in international markets
  • To explore some of the organisational challenges involved in managing international marketing

Specific aims

  • To review the main literature on international marketing
  • To explore the sources of competitive advantage, and assess the effects of globalisation on marketing strategies
  • To understand and be able to evaluate the key strategic marketing issues facing organisations involved in international markets
  • To assess the technological, social and political impact of international marketing both upon host and home countries

On completion of the module, students should be able to:

  • Understand the effects of the process of internationalisation on marketing strategy
  • Understand and critique the various theories of international marketing
  • Understand the role of market research in international marketing and market evaluation for global expansion
  • Apply skills to plan, design and launch international marketing programmes
Module code: 6SSMN359
Credit level: 6
Credit value: 15
Semester:  Semester 1 (autumn) 
Teaching pattern: 11 hours lectures - 11 hours tutorials (8 tutorial of 1 or 2 hours)
Assessment:  coursework 
3500 word essay (80%); Reflective Journal on tutorials (20%).

Aims and Objectives


The aims of the module are:

  • To provide students with knowledge and understanding of a range of perspectives and theories on leadership.
  • To enable students to understand leadership in a variety of organisational contexts.
  • To provide students with experience of leadership development processes and exercises in tutorials.

On completion of the module, students should be able to:

  • Read, understand, write about and discuss a range of literature on leadership.
  • Critically evaluate how different approaches to leadership relate to different organisational activities and settings.
  • Understand leadership development processes and exercises having experienced them in tutorials.
Module code: 6SSMN318
Credit level: 6
Credit value: 15
Semester:  Semester 2 (spring) 
Teaching pattern: 11 lectures; 10 tutorials
Assessment:  written examination/s;  coursework; 
70% written examination; 20% coursework; 10% attendance and participation

Aims and Objectives
The main aim is to develop an understanding of how principles of microeconomics are applied to managerial economics, and to foster an understanding of economic logic and of some elements of industrial economics, with appropriate case studies.

On completion of the module, students should be able to:

  • Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the methods, content and scope of economic principles in managerial decision making
  • Apply microeconomic analysis to the business decisions of firms
  • Analyse and evaluate market structure and strategic and competitive conduct between firms
Module code: 6SSMN361
Credit level: 6
Credit value: 15
Semester:  Semester 2 (spring) 
Teaching pattern: 12 hours lectures, 12 hours tutorials
Assessment:  written examination/s 
90% written examination, 10% for participation in tutorials
Aims and Objectives

Introduce students to the theory and practice of advertising & marketing communicationsEnable students to design efficient and effective integrated marketing communications' strategies.Provide students with analytical frameworks and tools for coordinating and evaluating advertising and marketing communications' campaigns.Equip students with leadership, teamwork, written and oral communication, organization and time management skills.

On completion of the module students should

Feel confident to explain and apply the concept of Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC).Postulate how advertising and marketing communications can have a significant impact on consumer behaviour.Discuss the strategic issues behind the organization and management of advertising and marketing communications within, or outside the firm.Define and discuss the role of different tools and media at various stages of an advertising and marketing communications' campaign. Fuse the analytical with the creative in order to produce an integrated communications' campaign in a marketing context (such as new product launch, or brand extensions)

Module code: 6SSMN345
Credit level: 6
Credit value: 15
Semester:  Semester 2 (spring) 
Teaching pattern: 22 hours lectures; 5 hours tutorials
Assessment:  written examination/s 
3hr Examination (90%); 10% attendance & participation

The aims of the module are to:

  • To facilitate understanding of the kinds of change experienced in contemporary organisations and the factors responsible for this change.
  • To foster understanding of the different forms change can taken in organisations and the processes entailed in bringing about and experiencing change.

On completion of the module, students should be able to demonstrate:

  • Analyse the factors driving change in contemporary organisations and identify organisational responses to
  • such forces for change.
  • Critique the context for change in different organisations and explain how choices and strategies for change are generated.
  • Analyse the processes involved in implementing change and assess how these might be used to bring about change in different organisational contexts.
  • Identify the roles organisational culture, power and politics play in the change process.
  • Analyse the roles individuals play in the change process, as leaders, as change agents and as participators in the process of change.
Module code: 6SSMN322
Credit level: 6
Credit value: 30
Semester:  Full-year 
Teaching pattern: A short, two-lecture module in the second semester of the academic year will introduce students to the project and provide instruction on how to manage it. Assessment will be on the basis of the submitted project report, and on an oral presentation of the project material.
Assessment:  coursework;  oral examination/s; 
Project report to be handed in towards the end of February of the student's final year. Oral exams to be held in the March of the student's final year.
Prerequisites: Students eligible for the project should have achieved an average mark of at least 55% in the first year of their undergraduate module. However students who do not achieve this average can request approval from potential supervisors to take the project.

Aims and Objectives

A final year project often offers you an opportunity to study a field of interest in depth and face, perhaps for the first time, the practical problems of using knowledge you have acquired in lecture modules. The aim of the Project is for students to undertake an individual research study of their choice that will allow them to use knowledge, acquired from previous studies and their own research, in order to analyse organisational practices and problems. The project will typically involve a combination of library based research and/ or limited fieldwork and will be supervised by a member of academic staff from the Department of Management. The final report must be no more than 10,000 words in length and must be submitted by early March 2010. Assessment will be on the basis of the report, and an oral presentation of the project material. The project counts for 25% of the student's third year mark. The project is valued at 30 credits; equivalent to two taught third year modules. Students opting for this module are expected to have obtained an average of 2:1 in their first year of study. This should indicate to students the amount of work expected on the project.

After undertaking this module students should be able to:

  • Work independently on a specific project.
  • Write an extended report which provides details of why and how the research has been undertaken, leading to an analysis of relevant literature and ideas, and an application of this conceptual understanding to an analysis of organisational practices and problems.
  • Be able to think through how the insights from the research project could influence organisational research and /or practice.
Module code: 6SSMN346
Credit level: 6
Credit value: 15
Semester:  Semester 1 (autumn) 
Teaching pattern: 10 hours lectures; 9 hours tutorials
Assessment:  written examination/s 
85% written examination; 15% mid-term test

Aims and Objectives


The aims of this course are to:

  • Introduce students to key concepts in the economics of work and pay most notably labour market theory and the theory of personnel economics
  • Develop an understanding of how these tools can be used to address theoretical, applied and policy problems
  • Develop an understanding of the nature and role of the labour market in the UK

On completion of this course, students should be able to:

  • Master the core concepts of labour economics theory and the theory of personnel economics
  • Use those theories to analyse real-world labour market phenomena such as how pays are set, why there is wage inequality, unemployment.
  • Evaluate the case for the use of the theory in designing reforms of the labour markets

Maughan Library