Business and Management

with a Year Abroad

How do you effectively manage people in organisations? In this module, we’ll tackle that question by exploring decision-making processes concerning work design, organisational structure, and accountability.

We'll consider classical management perspectives such as scientific management and human relations theory, as well as contemporary issues like culture management and diverse leadership styles. Through case studies, you’ll develop critical thinking skills and gain an understanding of contemporary business operations with an emphasis on reflecting on the ethics and fairness of current workplace practices.

How do companies measure, assess and communicate their financial performance? Managers prepare, read and interpret financial information daily and they use it to communicate company financial results to a variety of stakeholders.

In this module you’ll learn how sole traders and limited companies record accounting transactions using bookkeeping and how they summarise and report their financial results to external stakeholders using financial statements. You’ll also gain essential knowledge of the regulatory framework of financial reporting which guides the process of preparing annual reports for a variety of companies.

By the end of the module, you will have developed the analytical skills needed to both prepare and analyse financial statements. This will enable you to holistically assess company financial performance and provide recommendations, an important skill in your future career.

Given the startling pace at which human-driven changes are occurring to our social and ecological systems, what skills do you need to be ready for whatever challenges await you when you graduate?

You’ll look at the biggest challenge facing businesses in every industry today: how to organise themselves in ways that ensure a sustainable future for the global community. You’ll look at various case studies to examine the impact climate change is having on business. You’ll also consider the key theories, concepts, and practices of sustainable business, including the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.

In doing this, you’ll develop the skills you need to succeed as you navigate university and professional life, so that you can make a positive impact — both in your local community and globally during your time at Kent, and in your career afterwards.

Economics are a crucial tool for business to utilise to help make informed decision that support success and drive growth. Devloping a knowledge of microeconomics will help you understand how millions of consumers and producers make decisions, how they interact and use scarce resources.

You will learn how to apply microeconomic theories and tools to understand consumer and producer behaviour, resource allocation, and pricing policy, including cost and benefit analysis. The application of microeconomic theory to real-world situations will help you make efficient decisions as a manager and as an entrepreneur.

You ability to both understand and apply microeconomics theories to real business situations is vital to not only launching your career, but making rapid progress and delivering results on a managerial or executive level through informed decision making.

Marketing is an exciting and dynamic field that offers endless opportunities for innovation, creativity and growth. With advancements in technology, shifts in consumer behaviour and emerging trends, marketers have the opportunity to explore new strategies and tactics to help firms effectively reach and communicate with their target customers.

Creating brand awareness, engagement, satisfaction and loyalty is vital for sales growth in competitive and dynamic markets. You'll learn how to develop and implement effective marketing plans and strategies as well as exploring how key elements of the marketing mix can be used to create and communicate a distinctive value proposition that helps a product or service stand out from the competition. You’ll gain the skills, knowledge and confidence needed to develop, deliver and refine digital marketing strategies that make employers sit up and take notice.

Excel is the industry standard software for data processing and modelling, so if you want to hit the ground running in your career, mastery of Excel is crucial. You'll learn the techniques of Excel and spreadsheet modelling through realistic problems and extensive exercises, giving you real hands-on experience to make rapid progress.

By the end of the module, you wont only have mastered excel to report, model and forecast for businesses, you'll have also developed the confidence you need to present your insights to managers, stakeholders and business leaders. This makes you a vital asset for businesses focused on growth, and gives you an extra edge when looking to make progress in expanding industries.

This module aims to equip you with the knowledge and skills to identify, analyse, and evaluate ethical issues in business. Through critical reflection and analytical argumentation, you’ll develop the ability to articulate your views and critique opposing perspectives on ethical matters.

The focus of this module is on gaining an in-depth understanding of business ethics and cultivating critical thinking skills, enabling you to emerge as a conscientious leader in your field. Corporate social responsibility and sustainability are central themes due to the growing interest and expectations from stakeholders on environmental and social performance.

You'll cover essential theories such as utilitarianism, deontological theories, corporate social responsibility, and the triple bottom line, applying these concepts to real-life business situations through case studies.

Operations management is the highly important activity of managing the resources devoted to production and delivery of products and services.

We'll explore conceptual, analytical, and practical aspects of how to effectively manage operations in manufacturing and service companies. We’ll look at various types of businesses including in the private, public, and third sector as well as start-up organisations.

You’ll develop highly sought after knowledge, understanding, skills and abilities in analysing, judging and decision-making in these areas. All of these will be very valuable when starting out in your career.

What are the key policies and practices that shape how we manage people in organisations? You'll learn about all areas of human resource management theory and practice — from planning and recruiting for your human resource requirements through to effective performance and reward management, employee relations and the ethical treatment of staff.

By the end of the module, you will have increased your awareness and developed your knowledge and skills in effective management by looking at practices currently applied within organisations. This skill set is crucial as you progress in your career in HR management through this module, you should have everything you need to thrive in your career.

Project management has rapidly emerged as an essential discipline for businesses seeking to achieve strategic and sustainable goals. It can be applied across industries, offering indispensable tools for organisational development. Whatever field you are working in, project managers are in the driving seat of progress.

This module provides in-depth insights into project management concepts, principles, and applications, giving you essential approaches, tools, and techniques which you can apply to various contexts.

You’ll enhance your analytical, critical and reflective thinking skills. By integrating project management expertise with discipline-specific knowledge, you’ll have a competitive edge when you finish the module, enabling you to succeed in both project and non-project-oriented careers.

Are you interested in starting your own business? What are the tools and skills you need to do so? Why are startups becoming more popular? We’ll delve into the social and economic changes that have raised the status of enterprises, small businesses, and entrepreneurial ventures in the global economy.

We’ll consider entrepreneurs, their characteristics and motivations, and the barriers and issues that they face when planning and establishing a new startup venture. You'll learn what makes new ventures grow and succeed, and evaluate the practical decisions that entrepreneurs need to make to maximise the chances of their business succeeding.

Gain an in-depth and critical understanding of the complex and volatile work environments they may experience in the workplace. The development of relevant knowledge and skills to thrive and lead in today’s dynamic workplace in an ethical and sustainable way is a vital toolkit for today’s graduate. In doing so, you will understand the importance of values-driven and inclusive leadership, collaborative working, employee well-being, valuing difference and championing diversity, creativity, innovation, managing change and the role of AI. This will enable you to develop the knowledge and skills-base needed by business professionals.

Managers use financial controls for daily decision-making, with profit planning being vital for business sustainability and growth globally. They prepare profit plans by integrating strategic, marketing and financial analysis. Performance measurement involves utilising management accounting tools like budgeting, variance analysis and KPIs. Revisions to the profit plan are identified through continuous monitoring, comparing actual results to targets and analysing discrepancies. Managers leverage data analysis and performance management tools to enhance business performance, provide feedback and suggest improvements, fostering socially responsible and sustainable practices.

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.

Making decisions is crucial for managers and businesses, as they shape our lives and impact outcomes at work. However, making smart decisions in the face of complexity and uncertainty can be challenging. How can data support our decisions in such uncertain contexts? Together we'll explore various quantitative and graphical methods that help identify, represent, and evaluate different possibile options and make optimal decisions. These tools will equip you to make sound decisions in uncertain situations, enabling you to influence and lead effectively. By the end of the module, you'll have a deep understanding of informed decision-making methodologies. You'll learn how to analyze problems, identify potential solutions, and evaluate outcomes in uncertain conditions.

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.

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.

An introduction to the concept of behavioural science and how its insights can be applied to the workplace. Behavioural Science is drawing from multiple scientific disciplines (e.g. psychology, behavioural economics). It aims to give new insights into how our minds operate in the modern business world. Applied to the workplace it can help us to shed new light onto a wide range of issues relating to HR. You'll gain a first insight as to how the developing cross-disciplinary field of behavioural science and provide you with novel tools to overcome organisational challenges. For example, you'll cover how behavioual sciences can help us to understand how our decision making can be inherently biased and affect selection and assessment processes or equality and inclusivity within the workplace, how humans are motivated, how the workplace environment can be affected by workplace interactions both between individuals and teams, or how stress or wellbeing are influenced by a number of workplace factors.

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.

How do you think creatively for business and startup planning? You'll address opportunity recognition, product development, business proposal creation and entrepreneurial finance. Through teamwork, you'll develop leadership, problem-solving, communication and analytical skills. Analogies from diverse cultures aid personal connections, while the curriculum emphasises sustainability, lifelong learning and systems thinking. You'll gain entrepreneurial confidence, adaptability, opportunity recognition, risk management, and innovative mindset for diverse career paths.

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.

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.

Do you have what it takes to be a management consultant? Do you have the skills to be able to respond to the real-world problems that businesses are facing today? On this module, we'll work with real businesses who want the help of groups of KBS students to solve the challenges that they currently face.  Through a series of workshops you'll come to understand the consultancy process and develop key consultancy skills as you master the art of responding effectively to a brief from a business. Working in a group of your peers, you'll bring different skillsets from your studies to bear on solving business problems like designing a marketing strategy, advising on recruitment processes, or support meaningful performance management and financial evaluation etc. Put a capstone on your studies with a project that has real world impact.