Business (top-up)

In the rapidly evolving world of business, developing and implementing effective strategies is vital for success. This module equips you with the knowledge and skills necessary to excel in the field of strategic management.

You’ll engage in rigorous analysis and critical thinking to explore a range of strategic concepts. These include the fundamentals of strategic planning, advanced topics in supply chain dynamics, and issues such as quality management, technology-driven innovation, and project/event management.

Throughout the module, you’ll engage in interactive discussions, group projects, case studies, and hands-on exercises to enhance your problem-solving and decision-making skills. By the end, you’ll have the ability to analyse and apply critical thinking to evaluate strategic alternatives and make informed recommendations.

In a world characterised by perpetual transformation, how can emerging business leaders navigate the challenges and seize the opportunities that shape corporate strategy? Through engaging and interactive sessions, you’ll explore the complexities inherent in leadership principles and strategic decision-making.

This module emphasises hands-on learning, ensuring that you gain the knowledge and essential practical skills needed for effective leadership in contemporary business environments. After finishing the module, you’ll understand the vital corporate strategy tools organisations use to navigate the complex landscape of strategic planning and decision making. This understanding of these processes and tools makes you an asset to employers and help you stand out in the job market after graduation.

As digital marketing and social media become increasingly important to business strategy, knowing how to use analytics to drive success has never been more important. Digital analytics produce a wealth of insights that enable marketing managers to evaluate the success of digital and social media marketing initiatives. They are also useful for forecasting trends to inform future marketing decisions.

You'll learn how to use a range of analytical tools to interpret and evaluate data on consumer behaviour and preferences and social media engagement. You’ll also discover how to use key performance indicators (KPIs) - which are specific to digital and social media campaigns - to help drive improvement and performance.

The module will equip you with the analytical and data skills necessary to interpret digital data, enhancing your employability and preparing your for a range of careers in marketing or business.

What is the impact of a changing world on cross-border management? How can culture, organisation, communication, leadership, and ethics be managed effectively in different locations? The current era offers unprecedented excitement and opportunities for learning. 

You'll gain a comprehensive introduction to the latest research on cross-cultural management. Based on critical analysis of the assumptions underlying various approaches to studying national cultures, you’ll apply frameworks to understand cross-cultural issues managers in international organisations may face. Some of the topics you’ll study include different approaches to cross-cultural management, cultural frameworks and how to apply them, the role of the global manager, and global management challenges. 

Experiential learning and teamwork are integral to the module and the teaching is highly participative. You’ll participate in various group exercises including an assignment in partnership with Kelley School of Business in the USA. This active experience working with peers and with another international institution helps you make rapid progress in your understanding of cross-cultural management, giving you an edge in the job market.

In today's business context there is a wealth of data available. Many businesses currently struggle to transform that data into useable information that they can use to make meaningful decisions. We'll learn to extract insights from historical data through interactive visual analytics, communicating complex information effectively and gain hands-on experience in using data to drive positive change in business, environment and society.

We'll also explore advanced techniques for pattern recognition and forecasting, providing the ability to foresee future outcomes and trends. We'll explore real-world case studies from diverse industries, offering a deep understanding of how data analytics is integral to sectors like supply chain management, marketing, healthcare and finance.

By the end of this module, you'll be equipped with the skills and knowledge to transform data into actionable insights and predictions, making an impact on any organisation that you work at.

Study the different ways in which people operate within organisations. You're introduced to the strategic use of data in people operations to tackle workplace challenges effectively. You'll learn various methodologies for analysing and interpreting data to improve organisational performance and employee well-being. Explore diverse data collection, processing and utilisation techniques. Through practical exercises and case studies, you'll learn to extract valuable insights, recognise patterns and make informed decisions to optimise human capital management. Ethical considerations such as privacy and confidentiality are emphasised, ensuring responsible data usage. You'll leave with a thorough understanding of how data-driven approaches can positively impact organisational culture and productivity.

Understand corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability through ethical theory and stakeholder perspectives. You'll engage with essential readings and cases to recognise key issues raised by stakeholder groups, including shareholder activism, socially responsible investment, employee discrimination, working conditions, ethical marketing, consumer protection, accountability, collaboration with civil society organisations, and governmental corruption. We emphasise collaboration with internal and external stakeholders which contributes to understanding contemporary social issues in business.

International Marketing offers companies the opportunity to expand their business and reach new customers on a global scale. You’ll learn how to identify and evaluate new market opportunities, assess different ways to enter potential markets and appreciate the range of influences that exist in the international marketing environment that might require adaptations to marketing strategy and programmes. By taking a problem solving approach to the opportunities and challenges international marketers face, you’ll learn how to apply key international marketing theories and frameworks to help you demonstrate and develop the essential critical thinking and analytical skills needed in today’s workplace to justify your decision-making.

Many developed economies are dominated by services, so it’s increasingly important to understand the customer decision making process involved with service encounters, as well as what’s involved in delivering quality service experiences and understanding how to positively influence customer perceptions at key touchpoints in the service delivery process. You’ll learn how the distinct characteristics of services create challenges for service marketers and explore how theoretical concepts and models of services marketing can be applied to address these challenges by examining the strategies and practices of service based companies. This will give you the skills and knowledge to formulate marketing strategies and programmes that are customer centric and enhance the service experience for target customers, enabling service organisations to compete more effectively.

Designed to ignite your entrepreneurial spirit, inspire you to recognise the potential for international success and equip you with the knowledge and tools to navigate the complexities of the modern industrial age. Through a combination of theoretical concepts and interaction with entrepreneurs, you'll gain insights into international opportunities, the critical factors contributing to initial success, and strategies for sustained growth.

Interdisciplinary thinking is encouraged, fostering the ability to merge theories from different subjects to solve complex problems. You'll develop independent study skills and effective communication, both orally and in writing, while honing their critical thinking abilities. You'll consider teamwork in multicultural settings, preparing you to work efficiently and effectively in diverse, cross-border collaborations.

You'lll emerge with a multifaceted skill set, including the capacity to work across disciplines, plan and study independently, communicate effectively, think critically and understand the intricacies of entrepreneurship on a global scale.