UDBMAHRM - BA (Hons) Business Management and Human Resource Management

This degree course provides a broad, analytical and integrated programme for those who wish to study Business Management and Human Resource Management (HRM). It is accredited by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) which means that, on completion of the course, students receive the awards of: a BA (Hons) Business Management and Human Resource Management Degree, and a CMI Level 6 Diploma in Management and Leadership. In addition, we are actively seeking Level 5 accreditation for the course with the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) which would enable students to apply for Associate Membership of the CIPD.

This course provides students with an opportunity to develop a detailed understanding of theory. It also enables students to apply that theory and develop their practical skills. There is a particular emphasis on understanding business organisations, the business environment in which they operate and how to manage the people within them. The course provides students with the opportunity to build skills and capabilities that will enable them to thrive in any role that requires management and/or HRM expertise.

At level 4 the course provides a solid foundation of broad business management principles and draws primarily on business management modules from the BA (Hons) Business Management module set, together with one bespoke HR module. This gives students the opportunity to network with, and learn from, students of Business Management who have chosen another specialist focus, for example those who are studying Business Management with Marketing or Law. There is a balance throughout Levels 5 and 6 between HRM-focused modules and other business-related modules. Students will choose at Level 6 between developing a dissertation with an HR or with a broader business focus.

The course is designed to prepare students to deal with issues and challenges facing the world of business now and in the future. It aims to develop those skills that will prepare students for the workplace and enhance employability. Students develop their understanding of the purposes, structures, governance, and management of business organisations, as well as the corporate behaviours and cultures which exist within and between them.

Human Resource Management (HRM) is instrumental in driving businesses by delivering people related business strategy and acquiring, motivating, developing and retaining talent. In recent years, the business landscape has become increasingly dynamic, more connected and integrated across borders. This requires people with the skills to work across cultures, to embrace and manage change. HRM confronts a range of contemporary challenges: organisational agility; employment legislation; diversity in the workplace at all levels; the delivery of ethical, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes; and well-being frameworks. There is also an increasing demand for HR professionals who offer expertise in specialist areas such as Employment Law or Employee Engagement.
The BA Business Management with HRM degree programme is designed to embrace these trends and organisational changes. The course offers a distinctive approach in providing our students with a broad understanding of contemporary HRM within cross-cultural contexts. The programme is also designed to develop effective practitioner-orientated skills, capabilities and more generic HR competencies to accommodate the needs of students, industry and the professional body (CIPD) requirements and to enhance the professional and employability skills of our students.
Teaching, study and assessment approaches help students to develop their understanding of management theories, models, frameworks, tasks and roles, including the management of people and corporate social responsibility. Students can enhance their theoretical understanding and develop their practical management skills and decision-making through participation in on-line business simulations, which are embedded in the course. Managing a ‘virtual’ company is a powerful mechanism for providing feedback to students on their performance as well as enhancing their confidence as young managers.

The degree has a central theme of employability, aiming to provide students with the confidence and the transferable knowledge and skills required for their chosen careers. Students can acquire business experience in their second and final year through work-related modules, which 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 deep commitment to the professional development of students.

The course adopts a modular structure with modules delivered over 12 weeks across the three levels of study. These modules include core and alt. core choices. The programme demonstrates an integrated approach to learning, adopting a variety of teaching and learning strategies. These include the traditional face-to-face classroom methods of lectures and seminars. Each module is also supported by Weblearn, our online platform, so as to facilitate and implement the faculty blended learning strategy, including virtual lectures, seminars and a range of multimedia. Students are provided with opportunities to analyse and discuss core principles and concepts and obtain peer and formative feedback.

The course adopts a student-centred learning approach, which requires synthesis and analysis of key issues generated through their own research. 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, business simulations, and through case studies and business management scenarios.

The approach to teaching and learning on the course helps students to develop an inquisitive, 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. Students are encouraged to learn from their own current or previous experiences of work, as well as those from their peers. The course also utilises industry expertise through the inclusion of business problems, current employers, and visiting professionals.

Students’ capabilities are assessed through a variety of methods such as: problem-based exercises, presentations, team work, business reports, analysing case studies and presenting critical arguments through in-class and/or online activities. Students on the course 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 business skills development.

The requirements for the CMI’s Level 6 Diploma in Management and Leadership are embedded in the course modules, which means students do not have to engage in further study to attain the Level 6 Diploma. The purpose of CMI’s professional qualification is to provide the ground for further development of managerial competences.

The course has been designed with reference to the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) for Higher Education subject statement benchmark for Business and Management (2019).

The main aim of the course is to deliver a contemporary and dynamic programme of study which provides students with the knowledge and skills inherent in the subject to prepare them for a career in business or HR management by increasing their understanding of organisations, their management, the economy and the business environment.

To enable students to explore and examine key concepts, principles and techniques that make businesses successful and efficient and to link the multi-disciplinary subjects of business management and HR coherently in the context of the business world.

To develop students’ knowledge of the decision-making process, as well as the social, cultural and ethical environments in which businesses operate. Students are provided with opportunities to engage with current themes including sustainability, leadership, globalisation, entrepreneurship, innovation and corporate social responsibility.

To develop students’ academic, intellectual and practical skills and promote the development of their ability to critically analyse, synthesise, and evaluate business management principles in a wide range of 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 careers.

The course has been developed in conjunction with the needs of two leading industry and professional bodies. The core modules on the course at Level 5 are designed with a focus on meeting the requirements for CIPD accreditation, which would offer students access to Associate Membership of the CIPD, a highly valued stepping stone for HR professionals. The course meets the requirements for the CMI Level 6 Diploma in Management and Leadership, which aims to help students develop personal management capabilities, make effective use of information in decision-making, operations and in the management of people.

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

Level 4 aims to provide the underpinning business and management foundation, principles and approaches inherent in the discipline. It develops students’ intellectual, critical, analytical, and self-reflection skills.

Level 5 deepens the student’s specialist knowledge of HRM as well as developing broader business strengths in strategy, leadership and decision-making. The aim here is also to develop key intellectual skills such as understanding and problem solving and to promote their ability to analyse, synthesise and evaluate business decisions. The course aims at this level to:
1. Develop in students a sound understanding of the knowledge, skills and behaviours required by HR professionals whether in a specialist or a generalist role.

2. Enhance students’ awareness of current issues and strategic developments in HRM, taking account of the nature and significance of national and international contexts.

3. Enable students to design their own research on an HR-related business issue.

4. Develop students’ skills in interpersonal relationships and facilitate self-reflection and ongoing continuing professional development necessary for career development and progression.

5. Provide an opportunity for students to engage in a range of HR specialisms as well as to examine HR generalist issues.

Level 6 aims to utilise the skills and knowledge gained at previous levels, promote independent learning and challenge students intellectually through an individual consultancy project or a dissertation. Students studying at this level see the broader implications of the theories studied, how they apply in practice and refine their personal development planning activities.

In addition, students are offered the opportunity to undertake a work placement year prior to completing their final year of study.

The course will equip students with the skills and attributes that will enable them to compete with success in the complex and challenging business environment and employment market. It brings together University and School distinctiveness, and - as it is of inherently multidisciplinary - refers to
The QAA statement for Business and Management (2019) subjects require the achievement in and consistent demonstration of a breadth, depth, integration and application of knowledge and understanding; subject-specific and intellectual skills; learning, personal and interpersonal skills; the capacity to deal with uncertainty and complexity; and the capabilities of evaluation, reflection, creativity and originality. In addition, the learning outcomes are informed by the CMI and CIPD

The University learning outcome that cuts across the entirety of the London Metropolitan University provision, and thus :

On completion of this course, students will be able to: demonstrate confidence, resilience, ambition and creativity and will act as inclusive, collaborative and socially responsible professionals in their discipline

More specifically :

Thus, upon graduating with an honours degree in Business Management and HRM, students will typically:

Have the confidence needed to take leadership decisions in challenging situations (LO1).
Possess the necessary communication skills that will help them adopt a global and multicultural perspective in their professional context (LO2).
Be cognisant of the effects of the social and environmental of their decisions and will remain active citizens of the places they live and work (LO3).
Demonstrate application of creative thinking skills to practical problems, and possess the analytical and organisational skills to translate creative ideas to operational solutions (LO4)
Have a wide knowledge and understanding of the broad range of areas of business and the detailed relationships between these and their application in practice, through awareness of HRM within local, national and global contexts and the place of HRM in the wider context of business processes and functions (LO5).
Consistently demonstrate a command of subject-specific skills as well as proficiency in generic skills and attributes (LO6).
Have a view of business management and HRM influenced by a wide range of learning sources, based on a proactive and independent approach to learning (LO7).
Be distinguished from the basic standard (threshold) of achievement by their enhanced capacity to develop and apply their own perspectives to their studies, to deal with uncertainty and complexity, to explore alternative solutions, to demonstrate critical evaluation and to integrate theory and practice in a wide range of situations (LO8).

Across the course, learning outcomes are delivered primarily through 15 credit core modules, supported by a choice of elective modules, and independent learning.

The QAA Benchmark statement for Business and Management Nov 2019

The BA (Hons) Business Management with HRM offers both formative and summative assessment that take a variety of formats including, coursework, portfolios, blogs, essays, exams, group presentations, business reports, problem-based activities, practice-based projects, group research projects, videos, computer-based tests, business simulations and a final dissertation or consultancy project.

Feedback is provided on both formative and summative in keeping with the university guidelines. Students are encouraged to engage in a dialogue through feed forward activities with staff on assessments. The aim is to encourage engagement support & constructive guidance from academic staff. This is also to facilitate and to ensure that assessment have an effective developmental impact on student learning and allow the student to reflect on their learning.

The university operates a marking and moderation process that are both rigorous and transparent to quality assure that:

Student work is assessed on a fair basis
Students are provided with supportive and appropriate feedback
Academic standards in relation to student work and final awards are maintained

Where possible work will be marked anonymously. The marking process on the course involves first marker who has responsibility for giving formal feedback and making an initial assessment of the standard and a provisional mark.

A sample of students work is moderated by an internal 2nd marker. Marks and feedback may be adjusted if necessary. A sample of work is moderated by an external examiner who is independent of the university a subject specialist. External examiners are required to report back to the University and to the Chair of the Subject Standards Board that formally processes the marks. Following the regulatory framework of the marking process students are unable to appeal your final marks and/or grades on the grounds of academic judgement.

Assessment criteria for the Chartered Management Institute’s (CMI) Level 6 Diploma in Management and Leadership are embedded within each individual module.

The course incorporates core employability modules including an optional 12 month professional work placement at Level 5.

In addition, it provides opportunities for a wide variety 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.

The course has a considerable tangible Alumni network and is visible on online platforms such as LinkedIn. Students have the opportunity to interact and work with graduates and practitioners and to be mentored by them.

There are no specified part-time structures for this course. Students on a part-time mode of study are required to take between 30 and 90 credits per academic year to complete the degree programme within the maximum time length allowed (6 years for a three-year course).
Programme planning is therefore agreed between the student and course team, in accordance with regulations on progression and completion.

As part of our Undergraduate Student Promise, every student will benefit from accredited work-related learning (in either the form of a work placement or ‘live’ project with a partner organisation or practical small business planning) as a core, compulsory element within the study programme.

Standard University Regulations apply.
All modules are core except for three Alt core options at Level 5 (Management cluster).

PDP and Reflective learning are embedded throughout the curriculum commencing at Level 4. Reflective learning and personal development planning is central to the students’ academic and career development – it is linked to assessment throughout the curriculum and is a formal element of formative feedback in several modules for the development of this key skill. Students’ experiential learning is encouraged throughout, and action learning sets are a feature at levels five and six, which promote reflective and Peer to Peer learning.

All modules have formative and summative assessment requiring varying degrees of critical self- evaluation and reflection in the context of business management professional practice.

N/A

Employability and workplace skills are inherent in all modules throughout the course, commencing with the business simulation at Level 4. At Level 5 along with the business simulation, students will undertake a Work Related Learning module where they can do a short work placement.

In addition, 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 are included and students are able to participate in workshops designed around identified self-development issues.

At all levels students can present their ideas to a variety of business people including those from London Metropolitan’s business incubator, the Accelerator. These initiatives are linked to improving the students’ employability prospects and their transferable skills.

This course is designed to help you develop skills so that you can thrive in management roles, with the added bonus of HRM expertise.

If you successfully complete the course, you could go on to pursue a managerial position in diverse sectors of industry such as consumer goods, financial services, manufacturing and management consultancy.

Continuing your studies with us

The Guildhall School of Business and Law has a range of industry-linked postgraduate courses available on a full-time and part-time basis in business management, tourism and events, marketing and fashion, law, human resources and finance banking. These courses would be ideal for postgraduate progression:

• International Business Management - MSc
• International Business Management with Project Management - MSc
• International Trade and Finance - MSc
• Marketing - MA
• Human Resource Management - MA

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

• a minimum of grades CCC in three A levels (or a minimum of 96 UCAS points from an equivalent Level 3 qualification)
• English Language and Mathematics GCSE at grade C/4 or above (or equivalent)

These requirements may vary in individual cases.

If you don't have traditional qualifications or can't meet the entry requirements for this undergraduate degree, you may still be able to gain entry by completing our Business Management (including foundation year) BA (Hons).