As a Business School we are always working to improve our programmes to make sure they fit with what both students want and business needs. Every five years we get the chance to make some major changes that really help us to keep our teaching and our modules up to date and relevant for business of the future. The modules listed online are part of this review and will give you a very good indication of what you will be studying. Confirmed modules for 2020 entry will be published at the end of September 2019.
Core modules
Year 1
Accounting and Finance for Business (Semester 1)
Accounting and Finance for Business introduces you to key accounting and finance topics. They are introduced to financial statements, and use a number of case studies to understand the role of finance in the business environment.
Branding and Advertising Essentials (Semester 2)
The aim of this module is to provide you with grounding in branding and the role that advertising and marketing communications plays in supporting the brand. It also lays a foundation for your future advertising and marketing study.
Business Analysis (Semester 2)
This module is designed to help you to develop a range of statistical and computing skills that will be valuable during the course of their academic programmes and in your roles in business. Although there are not pre-requisites for this module it is assumed that students have basic mathematical skills.
Contemporary Business Issues (Semester 1)
This module prepares you for the academic study of business by developing knowledge of contemporary and emerging business issues to support students’ personal, academic and professional development to prepare for work in the modern business environment.
Economics (Semester 2)
The aim of the module is to introduce you to the fundamental economic issues stemming from the scarcity of resources. The relationship between business and the economic problem is analysed by means of micro and macro-economic models to equip students with an understanding of decision-making at the levels of the market, the firm and the nation.
Marketing Principles and Practice (Semester 1)
This module provides you with an introduction to marketing, its fundamental concepts and an overview of marketing practice. You will cover the development of the marketing concept and examine the ways in which it differs from the production, product, and sales approaches to business.
Year 2
Advertising Media Planning (Semester 2)
The aim of the module is to develop in students a critical understanding of the decision making processes involved in, and the factors which influence the advertising planning process, including account handling, media selection, scheduling and buying. It aims to develop an understanding of the actual and potential marketing applications of new and emerging media, and the role they play in delivering a targeted and fully integrated promotional mix for a modern organisation and its customer.
Advertising Strategy (Semester 1)
The aim of the module is to develop in students a critical understanding of advertising, both as an industry, and as a social and cultural force. It aims to develop a practical and theoretical knowledge of the stages undertaken and techniques used in strategic advertising planning and management, and to give students experience of developing a strategic advertising campaign.
Copywriting (Semester 1)
The aim of this module is to develop your written skills applicable to a range of marketing communication methods and channels. The module will explore how to identify different writing styles, structure and tone-of-voice to create clear and easily understood messages on behalf of an organisation. You will explore how different media use different writing styles to appeal to their target audiences. The process of writing for marketing communication will include researching the story, relationships with brand owners/ organisations, writing headlines, using a brand dictionary, structure, layout, style and editing.
Work Based Learning (Semester 2)
The aim of the module is develop students’ skills in seeking and obtaining a work placement or internship of a minimum of three weeks’ duration. It will also develop in students their skills in learning from work experience and applying academic learning to the work place.
Year three
Core modules
Advertising Individual Study (Semester 2)
The aim of the module is to provide students with the opportunity to undertake an in-depth study of a particular line of enquiry related to a business issue selected by you.
Brand Management and Communication (Semester 2)
The aim of the module is to develop in students an understanding of the theory and practice of brand management and communication in the modern enterprise. The module aims to develop in students a critical perspective on brands, their social and cultural impact in the developed world, and the ability to apply this knowledge to the brand planning process.
Creative Campaign Development (Semester 1)
The aim of this module is to develop in students an understanding of the critical importance of creativity in the modern enterprise. This will include an understanding of creativity in the creative industries generally, (drawing upon the Department for Culture Media and Sport definition) as well as specifically the role of creativity in the advertising industry. The module aims to give students direct, hands on experience of creative processes, and an understanding of how this integrates into strategic advertising planning.
Public Relations (Semester 1)
This module aims to develop in students a theoretical and practical understanding of the role of PR in building relationships with stakeholders and gain an appreciation of the strategic and specialist roles of PR.
Optional modules
Year 2
Accounting for Business (PR) (Semester 2)
Accounting for Business extends the scope of Financial Accounting for Professionals to more advanced topics in Financial Accounting. It aims to develop knowledge and skills in understanding and applying accounting standards particularly in the preparation of financial statements of entities, including groups. Understanding the theoretical framework and how to analyse and interpret financial statements are essential.
Advertising in Context (Semester 2)
The aim of the module is to provide students with the opportunity to undertake an in-depth study of a particular line of enquiry related to a business issue selected by you.
Consumer Behaviour (Semester 2)
The aim of the module is to develop in students a critical awareness and understanding of consumer and organisational buyer behaviour and how they can be influenced by marketing activity. The module will cover three aspects of consumer behaviour. First, it will cover the psychology of the individual consumer and the roles that memory, learning, motivation and perception play in consumer decision making. Second, the module will examine the social, cultural and environmental influences on the consumer. Third, it will cover the main characteristics of organisational buyer behaviour and how they differ from household buyer behaviour.
Digital Marketing (Semester 2)
The module explores the changes in the macro and micro environment, particularly the technological changes which have led to the growth of digital marketing for most organisations’ marketing activities. It considers the role of the Internet as a focal point in the digital marketing mix focusing particularly on the online product, pricing issues on the web, and online distribution. The wider context of digital marketing strategy and the implications for B2B and B2C markets are examined in closer detail.
Human Resource Management (CMI) (Semester 2)
This module aims to equip students with the ability to understand and analyse core HRM concepts, operational human resource activities and responsibilities and relate these to a range of organisational contexts.
Innovation and Enterprise Management (Semester 2)
The module will consider the role and definition of innovation in organisations of all types and sizes, including the concept of Intellectual Property and its contribution to competitiveness. It will explore the concepts and theories of innovation, the tools and techniques for innovation management and review how these are used in practice.
Marketing Communications (CIM) (Semester 1)
The module explores integrated marketing communications as a tool for building and maintaining brands. It will give good insight into the practical processes and the strategies involved in creating such campaigns, and explores in particular the characteristics of the different communications tools available to marketing communications executives.
Management Accounting (Semester 2)
Management Accounting introduces and develops an understanding of the fundamental concepts and techniques of management accounting and applies these techniques in an appropriate way. It also develops students’ ability to critically evaluate the strengths and limitations of these techniques. It demonstrates how management accounting information may be used for the purposes of planning, decision making, performance measurement and control within organisations, in order to further the organisation's strategic objectives.
Market Research (PR) (Semester 1)
The module will explore the nature, scope and recent development of marketing research and its context in the marketing decision process. A range of both primary and secondary data sources as well as quantitative and qualitative research techniques will be explored, evaluated and contextualised. For example, government and commercial sources of data and the use and design of questionnaires, focus groups and in-depth interviews will be used to demonstrate various aspects of the research process. In line with current practice the use of current information technology software will be introduced in order to facilitate data analysis and presentation.
Retail Marketing (Semester 1)
The module introduces you to the background and context of the modern retail business. A history of retail development will be reviewed and an analysis of its impact on current activity will be undertaken, including an exploration of prevailing trends in consumer retail marketing environments. The module will examine the practical applications of the elements of the retail marketing mix. Decision-making processes and strategic choices will be evaluated in respect of a number of areas, such as retailer organisation, structure and size, location, logistics, store design and layout, in-store communication and merchandising. Special consideration will be placed on retail buyer behaviour and the influence of the store and the brand on intention to purchase.
Year 3
Advertising Practice (Semester 2)
This module is above all a practical one, geared towards the production of an advertising campaign that assists a local small enterprise (SE) or charity. After a guide to what is involved in such a campaign, teams of students will either be assigned a real SE or charity for which they need to generate an effective campaign or they may find their own SE or charity for the same purpose. The guidelines for the campaign are procedural and organisational.
Global and International Marketing (Semester 2)
The module develops student understanding and then provides a forum for critical analysis of the application of marketing techniques in international, multi-national, and global market situations. Emphasis is given to the relative importance of political, economic, socio-cultural, technological, legal and regulatory, and environmental issues as they apply to (changing) country-specific and regional contexts. Market research techniques and practices develop student understanding of market entry and market sustainability techniques as aspects of competitive advantage.
Marketing Culture and Communication (Semester 2)
This module develops student understanding in relation to the importance of an appreciation of how the cultural context(s) for global marketing activities can be regarded as similar, or dissimilar to their home-country situation. Emphasis is given to language (spoken and ‘silent’) as a barrier to effective communication across the full range of marketing activities, but with particular emphasis on its value in relation to both personal and non-personal marketing communications activities such as face-to-face personal selling, and advertising and packaging, respectively.
New Venture Creation (Semester 1)
The module aims to provide a practical perspective on the development and planning processes involved in the creation of a new venture, either as a new business start-up or as a new product or service development within a public or private organisation setting. It aims to develop an understanding and awareness of business models underlying successful new business ventures, and the potential of business model innovation. It will explore the fundamental building blocks of a business model, the interrelationships between the building blocks and the links to the external business environment, and aims to arrive at a detailed operational and financial feasibility study that assesses the real potential of the new venture creation project.
Social Media Marketing (PR) (Semester 1)
This module critically assesses the role of digital media for marketing communication. Students will learn how to evaluate the key stages in the planning and implementation of a digital marketing campaign, including use of the major channels and platforms and be able to examine how digital marketing campaigns are monitored and measured.
Strategic Marketing Planning (Semester 1)
The aim of the module is to develop in students an understanding of the major aspects of strategic marketing and their role in the development of sustainable competitive advantage in an organisation.
Retail Strategy (PR) (Semester 2)
This module aims to develop a critical awareness of the strategic factors and operational implications a retailer needs to achieve in order to establish a clear market position in a competitive market.