UDBMMARK - BA Business Management and Marketing

The teaching and learning strategies applied to BA Business Management and Marketing aims to equip and develop students with knowledge and transferable skills required for employment in the modern Business world. The course has been designed to stimulate student interest and to be intellectual challenging by combining the cornerstones of modern business management with up to date marketing techniques.

The interconnecting subjects of the course will be taught through a mixture of interactive workshops, lectures, and seminars and group work. The lecture programme provides the underpinning theoretical foundations in the subject areas of Business Management and Marketing. The seminars will be built around students activities in response to prepared tasks and students are required to apply knowledge, to discuss and to analyse business and marketing problems. Core skills and capabilities are developed through these complementary activities. A number of workshops will use a problem based learning (PBL) approach designed to foster student centred learning and engagement. This student-centred approach enables students to research, to synthesise, to analyses and to discuss core principles. It also provides the opportunity to obtain formative feedback.

All modules will utilise a variety of approaches to teaching and learning including Blogs, e-journals, podcasts and multimedia. WebLearn will be used for the distribution of class material and also as an interactive mechanism between students and tutors.
Students will have an opportunity to test their theoretical understanding and decision making skills by participating in a business simulation. In small groups they will be required to compete with groups of like students and to use their knowledge and skills to the best advantage of their immediate group.

The approach to teaching and learning of the course is to help students develop an inquiring, but supportive, approach to study; enabling students to set own personal goals and targets beyond those prescribed by their tutors. In terms of developing skills students will engage in problem solving and decision making, both oral and written communication, and the critical and analytical skills required by managers and by professional marketers. Extra-curricular activities, such as including guest speakers from business and the marketing profession / industry and career development personal, will provide students with career development support.

Students are encouraged to engage meaningfully with personal development planning (PDP) through the curriculum. This enables them to reflect on, plan, review and record their own personal and marketing/business skills development.

Students will also have the opportunity to gain a professional marketing qualification from CIM in addition to their degree, subject to studying relevant modules.

The main aim of the Business Management and Marketing course is to provide a contemporary and dynamic programme of study which gives students knowledge and understanding of the fundamental subjects and prepares them for a wide range of careers in business management and marketing. The course aims to provide an integrated and broadly based business management and marketing curriculum. This will enable students to explore and examine key concepts and principles and link the multi-disciplinary subjects of business management with an emphasis on the marketing function. Students will have to opportunity to engage with leading edge themes of business management and marketing including sustainability, leadership, globalisation, entrepreneurship, innovation and corporate social responsibility. Optional modules at L5 & L6 will allow students to focus more directly on subject areas of particular interest to them.
Specifically the course takes a progressive and critical approach in the context of the contemporary real business world and to the techniques used in business and marketing management. The aim is to provide a sound academic and professional practitioner base in the understanding of business management and marketing techniques, concepts and principles which go to making businesses successful and efficient. There will be an emphasis the development of commercial awareness, team and inter-cultural communication, critical thinking, problem solving, decision-making and self and self refection skills. The curriculum aims to develop students’ intellectual and practical skills.

The degree is organised into three levels with specific aims, as follows:

Level 4 aims to provide a firm foundation to support the more advanced studies of Business management and marketing. This first level offers an introduction to knowledge of business management approaches and marketing principles, and these topics are positioned within the general business environment. Students are also introduced to key relevant quantitative approaches. It introduces students to critical analyses and self reflection

Level 5 aims to deepen the student’s specialist knowledge in business management and marketing with a focus on the more specialist nature of the subject matter. Students will learn about the decision making process of business organisations and the social, cultural and ethical environment in which they operate. They will also examine customer behaviour / motivation and understand the role of operations in supporting the effective delivery of customer satisfaction.
The aim is to develop students’ intellectual skills, understanding, problem solving capabilities and to promote the students ability to analyse, synthesise and evaluate business management and marketing principles from a wide context.

Level 6 aims to challenge students intellectually and promote independent learning through an individual research project culminating in a dissertation. Students will be given an opportunity to explore wider and more advanced and specialist subjects in marketing and business management such as services marketing, global regulation, managing corporate reputation and small business survival. The aim is to enable the students to have a broader coverage of both disciplines of marketing and business management. Central to this focus is to allow students to develop a wider perspective of the interrelated subjects and to enhance the student’s ability to view the wider employability prospects and opportunities of the degree.

On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

Knowledge and Understanding

1. Evaluate a wider range of theories and conceptual frameworks from the major disciplines relevant to Business Management and Marketing
2. Discuss and debate the impact of external environment (domestic and international) in the context of business and marketing management, including economic, political, sociological, legal, technological and ethical influences
3. Analyse general business and marketing management related areas of study as well as more specialised and contemporary issues including entrepreneurship, leadership, innovation, sustainability, governance, ethics, diversity and globalisation
4. Explain how business and marketing procedures and processes allow for effective decision-making against different influences
5. Analyse contemporary Business and marketing management issues and formulate solutions to identify problems in a clear and coherent research plan

Subject specific skills

1. Produce and analyse appropriate information from a variety of sources. Specifically, to use IT to access sources of information and to work with business marketing based software and programmes
2. Conduct general business and marketing analysis using a variety of theoretical tools
3. Search handle and interpret relevant information in the analysis of the operation of modern business and specifically the marketing environment
4. Communicate complex ideas and analysis through written and oral expositions, design, plan, organise and deliver an individual research project and demonstrate knowledge of appropriate business research methodology
5. Critically apply knowledge to comment on and evaluate real business world facts
6. Design, plan organise and deliver an individual research project and demonstrate knowledge of appropriate business/ marketing research methodology

Intellectual skills

1. Ability to think independently and select appropriate approaches and solve problems relevant to business and marketing management.
2. Apply intellectual skills and critical faculties with particular emphasis on the development of the skills to analyse, synthesis and evaluation of concepts, ideas and theories that characterise the major disciplines of Business management and Marketing
3. Initiate and undertake independent and scholarly research and investigation, specifically to develop the ability to review critically relevant literature, retrieve data, to interpret and analyse complex information
4. Develop a capacity for critical reflection and judgement in light of evidence and argument about marketing/business issues
5. Develop intellectual discussion and awareness if contemporary debates in business management and marketing

Transferable skills

1. Gather, organise and deploy information in order to communicate effectively by oral, written and visual means
2. Develop personal skills including skills in study, problem-solving, working with others, independent learning, self-awareness, self-management, self-presentation and decision-making
3. Interpret and critically analyse business problems in order to produce solutions which demonstrate an evaluation of the impact of ethical issues and cultural diversity
4. Evaluate the appropriateness of data for alternate purposes and handle complex data with ease
5. Demonstrate development of personal and professional skills relevant for career and personal development planning

Knowledge and Understanding

1. Evaluate a wide range of theories and conceptual frameworks from the major disciplines relevant to Business Management and Marketing:

All core modules

2. Discuss and debate the impact of external environment (domestic and international) in the context of business and marketing management, including economic, political, sociological, legal, technological and ethical influences:

Challenges for the 21st Century Manager
Principles and Practice in Marketing, Integrated Marketing Communications, Digital Marketing Direct and Digital Marketing, Management, Marketing planning & Strategy, Regulation in Management in the global community
Global Marketing

3. Analyse general business and marketing management related areas of study as well as more specialised and contemporary issues including entrepreneurship, leadership, innovation, sustainability, governance, ethics, diversity and globalisation:

Challenges for the 21st Century Manager
Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Leadership
Global Marketing
Regulation in Management in the global community,
Integrated Marketing Communications,
Marketing Planning & Strategy, Direct and Digital Marketing Management , Services Marketing, Not for profit Marketing

4. Explain how business and marketing procedures and processes allow for effective decision-making against different influences:

People Management and Performance in Contemporary Organisations
Challenges for the 21st Century Manager,
Understanding and Managing Marketing Information, Marketing Planning & Strategy, Direct and Digital Marketing Management,
Integrated Marketing communications

5. Analyse contemporary business and marketing management issues and formulate solutions to identified problems in a clear and coherent research plan:

Management Investigation &Recruitment Report,
Marketing Planning & Strategy, Direct and Digital Marketing Management
Integrated Marketing communications, Brand Management, Marketing for non profit organisations

Subject specific skills

1. Produce and analyse appropriate information from a variety of sources. Specifically, to use IT to access sources of information and to work with discipline based software programmes:

Principles and Practice in marketing,
People Management and Performance in Contemporary Organisations
Direct and Digital Marketing Management,
Digital Marketing, Understanding and Managing Marketing Information Marketing

2. Conduct general business and marketing analysis using a variety of theoretical tools:

All core modules

3. Search, handle and interpret relevant information in the analysis of the operations of modern business environments:

Global Business Environment
Challenges for 21st Century Manager
Principles & Practice in Marketing,
Marketing planning& Strategy, Management Investigation &Recruitment Report

4. Communicate complex ideas and analysis through written and oral expositions:

All core modules

5. Design, plan organise and deliver an individual research project and demonstrate knowledge of appropriate business/marketing research methodology:

Management Investigation &Recruitment Report

Transferable skills

1. Gather, organise and deploy information in order to communicate effectively by oral, written and visual means:

All core modules

2. Develop personal skills including skills in study, problem-solving, working with others, independent learning, self-awareness, self-management, self-presentation and decision-making:

All core modules

3. Interpret and critically analyse business problems in order to produce solutions which demonstrate an evaluation of the impact of ethical issues and cultural diversity:

Global Business Environment
Regulation and Management in the Global Community

4. Evaluate the appropriateness of data for alternate purposes and handle complex data with ease:

Understanding and Managing Marketing Information, Direct Marketing
Direct& digital marketing management
Management Investigation &Recruitment Report,

5. Demonstrate development of personal and professional skills relevant for career and personal development planning:

All core modules

Intellectual skills

1. Apply intellectual skills and critical faculties with particular emphasis on the development of the skills of analysis, synthesis and evaluation of concepts, ideas and theories that characterise the major disciplines of business and marketing:

management Regulation and Management in the Global Community,
Management Investigation &Recruitment Report, Marketing Planning and Strategy, Direct and Digital Marketing Management, Integrated Marketing

2. Develop intellectual discussion and awareness of contemporary debates in the business management related core disciplines:

All core modules

3. Initiate and undertake independent and scholarly research and investigation, specifically to develop the ability to review critically relevant literature, retrieve data, to interpret and apply complex information Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Leadership
Regulation and Management in the Global Community:

Marketing Planning and Strategy, Direct and Digital Marketing Management,

4. Develop a capacity for critical reflection and judgement in the light of evidence and argument about business and marketing management issues:

Challenges for 21st Century Manager,
Marketing Planning and Strategy, Direct and Digital Marketing Management
Integrated Marketing
Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Leadership

5. Develop intellectual discussion and awareness if contemporary debates in business management and marketing:

All core modules

General Business and Management Benchmarks

Students are assesses thorough a variety of methods, including practical reports, case studies, oral presentations, collation of portfolio, in class tests and end of semester exams

As part of our Undergraduate Student Promise, every student will undertake accredited work-related learning (in either the form of a work placement or ‘live’ project with a partner organisation or planning to set up small business) for a minimum of 70 hours as a core, compulsory element within their course programme.

You will have the option of taking the “Learning Through Work” or “Create a Winning Business” 15 credit module in the second or third year of your course programme. Additionally you have the option of taking an additional 30 credit 12 month sandwich placement module (which would extend your course to four years).
Work-related learning provides students with:
● the experience of a competitive recruitment process or pitching for an opportunity
● a work-related experience or project which impacts a real organisation
● assessment and feedback on their reflections on their experience of the work-related learning and planning for their future career.

Where required, students will be supported in finding suitable opportunities which can be either be a placement, part-time role or ’live’ project for an external organisation untaken within the University. We have dedicated placements and careers teams who will assist learners with all aspects of their job search and application. The suitability of the opportunities will be assessed by the Module Leader on an individual basis. It is the student’s responsibility to apply for opportunities and engage with the relevant University personnel who to assist them in gaining a suitable role.

Learners may be able to utilise their existing part-time / vacation employment (whether or not this relates to their subject area), providing they can demonstrate that it is personally developmental and involves responsibility (decided upon submission of the role details by the Module Leader).

Thorough the flexibility of delivery these modules have been designed to enable students to gain business and marketing experience. If desired students will have the opportunity to study abroad through the Erasmus programme or other international exchange programmes.

The course conforms to the framework and University Academic Regulations

Level 4 modules Core modules

Challenges for the 21st Century Manager (30 credit Core )

Global Business Environment (30 credit Core )

Understanding and Managing Marketing Information (30 credit Core )

Principles and Practice in Marketing (30 credit Core )

Level 5 modules Core modules

Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Leadership (30 credit Core )

People Management and Performance in Contemporary Organisations (30 credit Core)

Integrated Marketing Communications (30 credit Core)

Digital Marketing (15 credit Core )

Plus 1 x optional 15 credit module

Level 6 Core Modules:

Management Investigation & Dissertation (30 Core)

Marketing Planning & Strategy (30 core)

Plus 2x optional 30 credit modules

or

Plus 4 x optional 15 credit modules

or

Plus 1 optional 30 credit module

And 2 x optional 15 credit modules

The course is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), the largest professional marketing body in the world. It also provides exemption for a CIM unit. Following the course, you may decide to develop into a fully-fledged professional marketer.

This course is designed for those seeking business management and marketing careers in national organisations. It is also ideal preparation for entry onto graduate training schemes.

Successful completion of this course offers you improved career opportunities in job roles such as business development manager, human resource manager, recruitment consultant, business buyer industrial/retail, marketing communications executive, digital marketing account executive, sales executives and marketing executives.

The course will also engage your entrepreneurial ambitions and is excellent preparation for further postgraduate study.

In addition to the University's standard entry requirements, you should have:

• for entry in the academic year 2017-18: a minimum of grades CCC in three A levels in academic or business subjects (or a minimum of 96 UCAS points from an equivalent Level 3 qualification, eg BTEC National, OCR Diploma or Advanced Diploma)
• English language and mathematics GCSE at grade C (grade 4 from 2017) or above (or equivalent) are also required

These requirements may be varied in individual cases.

All applicants must be able to demonstrate proficiency in the English language. Applicants who require a Tier 4 student visa may need to sit a Secure English Language Test (SELT) such as Academic IELTS. For more information about English qualifications please see our English language requirements.