UEBMGEXT - BA Business Management (Extended Degree)

Effective business management requires both theory and practice. This course provides students with an opportunity to develop both their academic and practical skills. It is designed to prepare students to deal with contemporary issues and challenges in the ‘real world’ of business. It offers a particular emphasis on the development of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and it provides a grounding, or specialism, in a range of specialist disciplines including Human Resources, Marketing, Business Law, and Economics. It includes a strong focus on employability. Its overall aim is to provide students’ with the confidence and the transferable knowledge and skills required for their chosen careers either as employees and/or as employers in SMEs.

At levels, 4, 5, and 6 students will participate in business simulations. These are embedded in the course and will provide students with opportunities to manage a ‘virtual’ company. This in turn will boost their confidence as managers as well as testing their theoretical understanding and decision-making skills.

One of the key themes of the course is a focus on the knowledge and skills required for the development and support of start-up and small businesses. Students are encouraged to be innovative and entrepreneurial and are supported in their endeavours to monetise their innovations by London Metropolitan’s business incubator, the ‘Accelerator’, which specialises in business development programmes for start-ups and SMEs, and which is situated in Shoreditch in the heart of the digital media community.

The course utilises a blended learning approach to teaching and learning through a mixture of interactive workshops, lectures including virtual lectures, seminars and a wide range of multimedia. A Problem Based Learning (PBL) approach is also used which is designed to foster student centred learning and engagement. This approach enables students to analyse and discuss core principles and concepts. It provides opportunities for students to present their work in class and obtain formative feedback. Within the PBL context, the task exercises adopt a student centred learning approach which requires synthesis and critical analysis of key issues generated through their own research.

Workshops, lectures and seminars are designed to convey broad principles, concepts and knowledge, as well as offering students the opportunity to analyse and apply knowledge through field work, the business simulation, and through case studies and business management scenarios.

The approach to the teaching and learning on the course is to help students develop an inquisitive,
critically analytical and independent but supported level of scholarship in which they are able to set personal goals and targets beyond those prescribed by their tutors. Experiential learning is fostered, that is, students are encouraged to learn from their own current or previous experiences of work.

The course also utilises industry expertise through the inclusion of real world business problems, current employers, visiting professors and course patron input.

The overall aim of the Business Management course is to ensure that:
BA (Hons) Business Management graduates are individuals who:

• Are critical and analytical thinkers;
• Are lifelong reflective learners;
• Are commercially aware;
• Are socially responsible, ethically aware decision-makers;
• Are imaginative, flexible and enterprising;
• Are confident in their ability to lead and manage change.

The Business Management course aims to provide a contemporary and dynamic programme of study which contributes to those attributes and which provides students with an understanding of the knowledge and skills pertaining to the disciplines inherent in the subject and prepares them for a wide range of careers in business management. This course provides an integrated business management curriculum which will enable students to explore and examine key concepts and principles and link the multi-disciplinary subjects of business management coherently and in the context of the real business world. By doing this, it is specifically intended to engage the students fully in their studies, increase their motivation and raise their aspirations to be successful throughout their course and in their future careers.

The curriculum provides students with a thorough understanding of business, as well as the techniques, concepts and principles that make businesses successful and efficient. Students will learn about the decision making process of business organisations and the social, cultural and ethical environment in which they operate. National and international influences on business and business growth will be thoroughly explored. Students are provided with opportunities to engage with leading edge themes of business management including sustainability, leadership, globalisation, entrepreneurship, innovation and corporate social responsibility.

The Business Management course will develop students’ academic, intellectual and practical skills and will promote the development of students’ ability to critically analyse, synthesise and evaluate business management principles in a wide range of appropriate contexts. A central feature of this course is the development of students’ lifelong learning skills, including self-evaluation and reflection with the aim of placing students in the best position to make informed decisions about their future professional career.

The degree is organised into four levels with specific aims, as follows:
Level 3 aims to provide an introduction to university study and a general introduction to business in the context of the wider environment. It seeks to develop students’ personal skills and study skills in preparation for level four.
Level 4 aims to provide the underpinning theoretical principles and approaches inherent in the disciplines of business management, and it develops students’ critical, analytical, and self-reflection skills.
Level 5 deepens the student’s knowledge in each of the main subjects, such as managing, leading, marketing and decision making. The aim is to develop their intellectual skills such as understanding and problem solving and to promote their ability to analyse, synthesise and critically evaluate business decisions.
Level 6 aims to utilise the skills and knowledge gained at previous levels and challenge students intellectually and promote independent learning through an individual research project.

Levels 4 to 6 provide students with an opportunity to explore specific pathways- namely, SME’s, Marketing, Human Resources, Economics, Business Law.

The Business Management course has a central all encapsulating theme of employability. Students are offered the opportunity to acquire business experience in their second and final year through Work-Related modules. These modules are designed flexibly to allow students to acquire a diverse range of business experience and give them crucial skills relevant for their future careers. This aspect of the course underpins the importance of the employability agenda and demonstrates a serious commitment to the professional development of students.

In addition Business Management students are offered the opportunity to undertake a work placement year prior to completing their final year of study (see point 22 below).

The purpose of the course follows that set out in the QAA Benchmarks for Business and Management:

• the study of organisations, their management and the changing external environment in which they operate;
• preparation for and development of a career in business management;
• enhancement of lifelong learning skills and personal development to contribute to society at large.

Knowledge and Understanding

1. Evaluate a wide range of theories and conceptual frameworks from the major disciplines relevant to Business Management
2. Analyse general business management related areas of study as well as the more specialised and contemporary issues including entrepreneurship, leadership, innovation, sustainability, governance, ethics, diversity and globalisation
3. Explain how management procedures and processes allow for effective decision-making against different objectives
4. Discuss and debate the impact of the external environment (national and international) in the context of business management, including economic, ethical, legal, political, sociological and technological influences
5. Analyse contemporary business management issues and formulate solutions to identified 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 discipline based software programmes
2. Conduct general business analysis using a variety of theoretical tools
3. Search, handle and interpret relevant information in the analysis of the operations of modern business environments
4. Communicate complex ideas and analysis through written and oral expositions
5. Design, plan organise and deliver an individual research project and demonstrate knowledge of appropriate business research methodology
6. Critically apply knowledge to comment on and evaluate real business world scenarios
7. Gain real world business experience and apply developed skills for the purpose of future career planning

Transferable skills

1. Communicate ideas, principles, theories and information 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

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 Management
2. Develop intellectual discussion and awareness of contemporary debates in the business management related core disciplines
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
4. Develop a capacity for critical reflection and judgement in the light of evidence and argument about business management issues
5. Apply the skills of seeking, handling and interpreting business information as part of the process of addressing business problems and formulating new or alternative solutions through independent research

General Business and Management Benchmarks

This course uses a wide variety of assessment methods to test students’ ability. These assessment methods have been mapped to ensure that they are evenly spread and allow the student to perform at their best.

The assessment methods include:
Course work
Problem Based Learning tasks
Business simulations
Group work
Presentations
Computer based tests
E-Portfolio
Video clips

The Business Management course offers an optional 12 month professional work placement which also offers an internationally recognised City and Guilds Licentiateship Award and eligibility for membership of The Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM).

The Business Management course also provides opportunities for a wide range of work experience at Levels 5 and 6 in the Work-Related modules. These modules are designed to enable students to gain business experience in the widest possible sense. They are flexible in delivery and will enable students to capture and build on their existing work and other experience. Students will be able to develop their action learning ability and reflect on their current and future course of action in setting goals for improved performance.

The course conforms to the framework and University Academic Regulations

Level 3 Core Modules (Level 3 only) 120 Credits
Development for Success in Business
The Context of Business
Understanding and Dealing with Customers
Using and Managing Data and Information

Level 4 Core Modules: Certificate in Higher Education – 120 credits
The Corporate Environment
Business and Enterprise
Fundamentals of Management
Understanding Business Information

Level 5 Core Modules: Diploma in Higher Education – 240 credits
Level 4 modules plus
Leading Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Business Research and Decision Making
Serving Customers in Global Markets
Plus 2 x optional 15 credit modules

Level 6 Core Modules: - BA (Hons) Business Management Extended 480 credits
Level 4&5 modules plus
Strategy: Choices and Impact
Managing Within a Global Regulatory Framework
Management Investigation and Dissertation
Plus 2 x optional 15 credit modules

Reflective learning is embedded throughout the Business Management curriculum. Students will be exposed to the concept of reflective learning at Level 4 and will be able to practice and develop the skills necessary to be an effective reflective practitioner. Reflective learning and personal development planning is central to the students’ academic and career development. Reflective learning is linked to assessment throughout the curriculum and students will have the opportunity for formative feedback to guide them in the development of this key skill. Students’ experiential learning will be encouraged throughout and action learning will be developed once confidence is boosted and students are fully aware of their learning environment.

This course places a strong emphasis on students’ employability and development of skills takes place through a continuous process of self-development nurtured in all core modules. There is an underlying philosophy of linking the acquisition of knowledge to real world business situations and providing as much real business experience as possible. Students will be placed in the best possible position after graduation to pursue rewarding and successful careers.

The course includes a number of business management related activities during the academic year as well as number of career oriented workshops which help students to identify and develop key employability skills. Presentations by industry experts will be included and students will be able to participate in workshops designed around identified self-development issues.

At Level 5 students will participate in a Venture Fair where they will present their ideas to a variety of business people including those from London Metropolitan’s business incubator, the Accelerator. All these initiatives are linked to improving the students’ employability prospects and their transferable skills.

If you choose Business Management BA as your pathway you will gain membership to the Chartered Management Institute (CMI). As a member you can access their facilities, attend events and access over 200,000 live management jobs as well as a mentoring scheme.

After successfully completing the foundation year, you can choose to complete your degree from one of the following options:

• Accounting and Finance BA
• Airline, Airport and Aviation Management BSc
• Banking and Finance BScBusiness Management BA
• Business Management BA
• Economics BSc
• Events Management BA
• International Business Management BSc
• LLB (Law)
• Tourism and Travel Management BA

Each option will further improve your skills and knowledge for postgraduate study or developing your professional career. For example, graduates from our Business Management BA and International Business Management BA degree have gone on to develop careers in leading international corporations, management, government, consultancy and business research.

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

• at least one A level (or a minimum of 40 UCAS points from an equivalent Level 3 qualification, eg BTEC Subsidiary/National/BTEC Extended Diploma)
• English Language and Mathematics GCSEs at grade C (grade 4 from 2017) or above (or equivalent)

If you're a mature student with significant work experience, you're invited to apply for this course based on the knowledge and skills you've developed through your work.

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