International Business Management with Study Abroad BA

Fundamentals of Organisational Behaviour

This module introduces you to organisational behaviour which involves studying how people can effectively work together to achieve group and organisational aims. During this module you will be introduced to a range of topics associated with organisation studies including leadership, individual difference, conflict, power, control, ethics, communication, and organisational design. By exploring perspectives and theories you will develop understanding about peoples' behaviour at work, and create socially and ecologically responsible plans for improving the effectiveness of individuals, groups and organisations. An emphasis is put on supporting you to reflect on perspectives and theories about processes of organising and forms of organisation by evaluating their underpinning assumptions and applying them to real-world situations.

20 credits

Business Economics in a Contemporary Society

This module provides you   with a grounding in a range of business economics concepts that have immediate relevance to modern day businesses, society, and the economy. 

It introduces theoretically diverse concepts that include and contend with mainstream business economics thought, so that you are able to openly debate and engage with business economics topics. 

It is designed to challenge understanding of the socioeconomic environment in which businesses are embedded so that you become more cognizant with diverse ways of thinking about and understanding real world business economic issues.

20 credits

Principles of International Business

This module introduces the key principles, theories and concepts in international business. The module introduces and discusses the various international actors, such as multinationals, international entrepreneurs, and global institutions. You will learn about how companies organise their international activities and navigate cultural differences and different institutional environments. You will also learn about the sustainability impact of internationalisation activities to the social, ecological and/or economic environment. These theories are brought to life through concrete real-world examples, showcasing how firms have developed and implemented their international strategies. During the module and in your assessments you will also learn effective written and oral communication skills.

20 credits

Accounting and Finance for Managers

The aim of this module is to provide you with an understanding of the basic concepts used in the preparation of financial information and to introduce you to the forms of financial statements that managers need to be familiar with. In addition, the module will introduce you to appropriate forms of finance and the means of raising money to fund new enterprises, the financial planning this entails and forms of feedback and accountability to actual and potential fund providers. The module seeks to achieve all of the above in the context of start-up or growth firms. It is deliberately non-technical in nature, in other words it tries, as far as possible, to avoid unnecessary technical jargon or complexities.

20 credits

Career Development Planning

This module is intended to provide a structured and supported process for you to reflect upon your own learning, performance and/or achievement, and to plan for your personal, educational and career development. It is designed to ensure you are fully prepared to gain the most from your academic studies and to be better placed to continue your development throughout and beyond your degree studies.

20 credits

You will take one of the following:

Analysis for Decision Making A

This unit will enable you to develop competencies in quantitative techniques and tools which are essential for the collection, analysis and interpretation of data in a business context. Focusing on a variety of business problems, the unit will demonstrate how quantitative techniques and spreadsheet tools can be used to support effective business decision making. The unit adopts a flipped learning model, combining independent study with spreadsheet-based workshops in computer labs and interactive in-class workshop sessions.

20 credits

Analysis for Decision Making B

You will develop competencies in quantitative techniques and tools which are essential for the collection, analysis and interpretation of data in a business context. You will analyse a variety of  business problems, and this module  will demonstrate how data-driven quantitative methods and spreadsheet tools can be used to support effective business decision making. The teaching on this module is aimed at those students who have not taken mathematics beyond GCSE or its equivalent. The learning and teaching  adopts a flipped learning model, combining independent study with spreadsheet-based workshops in computer labs and interactive in-class workshop sessions.

20 credits

Core modules:

Final Year Challenge

This final-year module offers you a gateway to real-world experience and career readiness. It is designed to enhance your understanding of contemporary real-life issues within companies and organisations, increase awareness of your skills and personal attitudes, and provide you with a concrete avenue to showcase your abilities and creativity. This module also provides you with an important work-related learning experience, demonstrating your abilities to future employers. This is especially important if you have not had a placement yet, as it equips you with a demonstrable project to discuss during future job interviews.

You will be given the freedom to choose the 'challenge pack' and literature that best fit your interests and to build upon your strengths as developed throughout the programme). In practice, you will address a management problem independently. You will meet with the chosen organisation and/or company and report your analysis and recommendations back to them. To do so, you will be invited to reflect on your skills, analyse real-life data provided by the organisations, examine scholarly research independently, critically assess theories and apply them to your management problem. Your work will need to show awareness of social responsibility and/or environmental sustainability. The Module Leader and the teaching staff will support you throughout this entire journey.

40 credits

International Marketing

This module provides students with an understanding of international marketing. The module will prepare students for the challenge of global marketing and enable students to have sufficient knowledge to be able to take on international related work, if faced by this challenge in industry.

20 credits

Contemporary International Business

In this module, you will explore the contemporary developments that are transforming the international business landscape. As global markets become increasingly interconnected, complex, and unpredictable, international firms face new strategic challenges and opportunities. You will critically examine how emerging trends are reshaping the way businesses operate across borders. The module encourages you to question traditional assumptions, evaluate alternative business models, and consider how firms can adapt to ongoing change. Through the analysis of current cases and real-world examples, you will develop the ability to assess strategic responses to disruption and uncertainty in a global context. Emphasis is placed on developing analytical and reflective skills that are essential for understanding international business in the 21st century. By the end of the module, you will be equipped to engage with complex, future-oriented issues in global business strategy and decision-making.

20 credits

Optional modules (choose one):

Creativity and Innovation

The module aims to develop in students both a theoretical critical understanding of, and practical guidance to enhance, creativity and innovation in organisations. Topics will include: different methodologies for studying creativity and innovation; cognitive, biological, personality and affective bases of individual creativity; explaining influences on team and organisational innovation; and social dimensions of innovation. A key practical feature of the module is that it will also train students in how to use the CLEAR IDEAS model to develop innovative solutions to real-life problems.

20 credits

Critical Perspectives on Work and Organisation

This module will introduce you to an alternative perspective on organisation and organising. This perspective will foreground the questions of ethics and justice. Using critical theories, you will question conventional ideas about work and organisations and explore how power and politics shape the problems that organisations seek to address and the 'solutions' they propose. You will examine basic organisational practices such as hierarchies and job descriptions and subject them to a critique that will reveal their impact on social justice, equity and sustainability. The module will also develop your critical thinking skills by introducing you to the broad philosophical approaches that shape different understandings of work and organisations and their role in our society. Finally, you will explore and debate the nature of power and how it works to create different social and organisational realities.

20 credits

Strategy Practice

This advanced strategy module will develop students' understanding of strategy practice and the processes through which strategies are accomplished within organisations. Building on students' understanding of the key concepts, frameworks and theories of strategic management, the module focuses on 'strategy work'; developing a deeper understanding of the nature of strategy work in organisations and strategy work and how strategy practitioners carry out this work. By applying key concepts and theories to everyday practical problems and case studies of strategy work in organisations, students will be able to critically examine how strategy practitioners deal with complex real-world problems in organisations and the practices that influence strategy outcomes. In this way, this module will enhance students' understanding of how strategy works in practice. The module will also enable students to recommend appropriate strategies and solutions for strategy practitioners in organisations.

20 credits

Digital Marketing

This module is intended to guide students on the applications of marketing theory to the Internet. Teaching will involve building upon existing marketing concepts while questioning the validity of existing theory in light of the differences between the Internet and other media, and differences between digital marketing and other forms of marketing communications. The module covers how organisations (both public and private sector) use digital media to connect, interact, establish and maintain productive dialogue with customers. The module explores the impact of the Internet on marketing and branding activities and the techniques employed to enable the development of meaningful customer relationships.

20 credits

Decision Sciences and Optimisation

You will gain an extensive overview of methodologies used to support decision making within complex systems, with a particular emphasis on industry and business management. You will explore a broad range of quantitative methods from Decision Sciences, including the fundamentals of Operational Research, Optimisation, and Simulation tools. You will also learn how to develop tailored Decision Support Systems for semi-structured management problems. Through real-world success cases from sectors such as manufacturing, healthcare, logistics, and service management, you will see how the combined use of Statistical Analyses and Optimisation Methods can provide breakthrough support for strategic and operational decision-making, helping you to achieve optimal solutions while satisfying all system constraints.

20 credits

Project Management

In this module, you will gain foundational theories and practical skills essential for managing projects effectively across diverse contexts. You will learn to structure and schedule projects, effectively manage resources, and estimate costs, with a strong focus on enhancing adaptability and responsiveness. The module equips you with the fundamentals needed to manage projects across a wide range of industries and covers key aspects of project monitoring and control, ensuring you become proficient in using several project management tools and techniques. You will also benefit from the wide emphasis placed on communication and collaboration skills required for managing projects across a diverse set of contexts and industries.

20 credits

Responsible Management for a Sustainable Society

This module considers the critical challenges faced by contemporary organisations in the context of the global 'polycrisis'—a state of multiple intersecting crises encompassing threats of climate change, entrenched poverty and inequalities, deepening global conflict etc. Managers across different organisations must find ways to navigate these challenges, whilst creating multiple forms of value for their stakeholders. In the business world such crises are increasingly being re-conceived as opportunities, and addressing them positioned centrally as part of the core 'purpose' of firms. New forms of business organising are also emerging that give primacy to the creation of public over private benefit and seek to develop innovative new solutions to global sustainable development challenges. 

This module aims to equip you with the knowledge and skills you will need to manage organisations in an age of polycrisis. To do this, you will gain critical understanding of key concepts, theories and perspectives in the field of responsible management. You will learn about the practical challenges managers in contemporary organisations face in respect of ethics, business and society, and sustainable development, and how these can be navigated. You will examine, critically evaluate, and propose recommendations for organisations applying responsible management principles in their activities. You will learn how the embedding of responsible practice is creating new roles in organisations, with opportunities for your future careers.

20 credits

Optional modules (choose one):

Strategic Organisational Crisis Management

This module will introduce students to strategic organisational crisis management from a process perspective. Contextualising organisations within a framework of formal and informal institutions, this research-led and practice-oriented module will guide students through organisational incubation, response and recovery from crisis. It will draw upon key concepts, such as systems and complexity, to provide lenses through which the manager can gain critical insights into the crisis process and thereby potentially develop socially responsible interventions which can help organisations prepare, respond and learn from major disruptions.

20 credits

Socially-Responsible Marketing and Consumption

The module provides students with a comprehensive understanding of socially responsible marketing and consumer behaviour, demonstrating how these principles can address societal challenges, such as sustainable development, the impact of overconsumption, public health, and consumer welfare. It explores how socially responsible marketing practices can tackle social issues, support non-profit organisations, aid government policy development, and benefit society. The module equips students with the skills to critically assess marketing strategies and conduct secondary research to evaluate and improve practices. Both theoretical and practical approaches will be used to explore how these principles adapt to the evolving socioeconomic and technological environment, benefiting a variety of sectors, including arts, education, for profit organisations and healthcare.

20 credits

Applications of Operations and Supply Chain Management

You will gain exposure to different applications of operations and supply chain management, explore how businesses produce goods and services, and understand their interaction with other key business functions. This module will deepen your understanding of how organisations effectively, efficiently, and economically manage their resources to achieve their goals. You will delve deeper into Operations Management, a core function in all commercial businesses, and expand upon it by exploring Supply Chain Management, which focuses on the strategic management of procurement and supply. Building on your prior exposure in year 2, this module will help you develop higher-level capabilities and prepare you for more strategic roles.

20 credits

New Venture Creation

This unit aims to provide you with an introduction to new venture creation from the perspective of the 'one shot' or 'serial' entrepreneur - those individuals who start, manage and grow a single venture or who have only one active venture at any one time, even though through the course of their lives they may create a number of ventures. Emphasis is placed upon entrepreneurial personality, motivation and attitudes; skills of opportunity recognition, creation and evaluation; innovation; and developing entry and exit strategies. This simultaneously draws upon, and develops foundations necessary for, companion studies in strategic management, marketing, finance and organisational behaviour.

20 credits

Work-Related Health & Well-Being

This module is designed to introduce students to a broad range of topics relevant to good understanding of employee well-being in the workplace of today. Indicative topics that might be covered include: stress/burnout, workplace bullying/violence, absenteeism (and presenteeism), musculoskeletal disorders, job crafting, job redesign etc. In addition, the module will examine potential workplace/organisational interventions designed to limit the risks to employees of these factors, for example, organizational stress policies, bullying policies and reporting systems, HR initiated health and well-being programmes, mindfulness.

20 credits

Work and Employment in the Twenty-First Century

This module is concerned with exploring the dimensions of work and employment in the twenty-first century. It will explore as its central motif notions of 'decent work and 'job quality within the contemporary political economy. We will examine the key dimensions of job quality focussing on issues relating to skill formation, employee autonomy and growing work pressures. As well as exploring changes in the quantity and quality of jobs on offer in the economy, the module will also explore the dimensions and dynamics of job quality for key occupational groups such as creative workers, knowledge workers, service workers and manual work. As a result questions such as 'what makes a job have quality 'why are bad jobs growing 'are graduate jobs disappearing and 'is knowledge work on the increase will be considered. The module will draw on a wide body of both empirical research as well as requiring a theoretical engagement with the subject.

20 credits