BA (Hons) Business (Finance) with Foundation Year

This module will explore the environments in which organisations operate and will equip you with the ability to understand and analyse the interrelatedness of organisations and their environments.

You will explore the dynamics of the modern business environment and links will be made to business planning and achieving competitive advantage. Factors impacting on an organisation’s internal environment including the impact of legal status on the governance of an organisation, the purpose of mission and vision statements and the impact of organisational values and ethics on decision-making will be explored. This module will further explore the determinants of supply and demand in the marketplace and an understanding of market structures.

You will be challenged to explore how internal and external organisational environment(s) can influence stakeholders to act and behave. You will also be introduced to the concept of stakeholder management and will develop knowledge regarding the management of stakeholder relationships. This will provide the foundation to build and develop a wider understanding of the business environment as you progress through the programme.

This module seeks to develop your understanding of the key concepts and terminology used in marketing environments. The role and function of marketing within organisations is explored as are the factors that influence consumer behaviour. The influence of stakeholders on an organisation’s approach to marketing will be evaluated within this module through a scenario-based approach.

You will be introduced to the key components of the marketing environment and will be actively encouraged and enabled to collect and utilise relevant information about the marketing environment within this module. Individuals will learn to confidently apply tools such as a SWOT analysis in order to understand the factors in an organisation’s marketing environment which impact on the marketing of a product or service.

You will develop an understanding of the concepts and elements which make up the marketing mix and how these are applied in context to market products or services. Furthermore, you will develop an understanding regarding the strategic importance of marketing and the role of marketing in supporting the achievement of organisational objectives.

This module equips you with a firm basis of academic and professional skills required for success at university and in the graduate career market. This module assists you to transition into Higher Education and to develop your own performance in terms of the skills / competencies and behaviours used within twenty-first century organisations.

You'll be introduced to reflective practice, personal and professional development planning, team work and professional behaviour including business etiquette. Developing you as an academic scholar will form a key part of this module and you will have the opportunity to develop skills in reading, researching, referencing, writing and presenting. You will also be supported to develop your digital capabilities and to use appropriate technical software. Working styles will be nurtured by pinpointing development needs through individual and group work to cultivate intrapreneurship and entrepreneurship.

Your role as a new professional within a team will be examined and you will explore theoretical models, management and leadership styles and approaches designed to promote a culture of mutual trust, respect and support.

You will develop an understanding of how to develop, manage and lead teams and furthermore will understand approaches to achieving a balance of skills and experience in teams.

This module equips you with the basic financial management skills to enable the development of sound financial acumen needed to ensure decision-making in financial management. These basic financial management skills are essential for success in business regardless of whether an organisation has a dedicated finance department.

The module will explore the role of the finance function, the benefits and drawback of various sources of finance, current regulatory compliance and key financial documents including budgets, cashflows, balance sheets and profit and loss accounts. The role of financial information for business decision-making purposes will be analysed.

This module develops your critical awareness of the principles, techniques and methods of business and management research. This module equips you with the ability to analyse and manage data and information and to understand the use of data and information in decision-making. You will evaluate the use of data and information in decision-making, will examine the types of data and information used within this process and will become familiar with a variety of research methods and analytical techniques used in business and related research. You will determine the impact of stakeholder needs on the collection, analysis and interpretation of data and information for decision-making and will be able to justify the tools and techniques employed.

Furthermore, you will become familiar with a variety of techniques that can be used to present data and information. You will also be able to analyse the impact of organisational and legal frameworks on the use of data and information in decision-making and will be able to evaluate the ethical issues impacting research and data management.

The module provides you with a thorough introduction to economics with a specific emphasis on macroeconomics. The module builds on the knowledge gained in the Organisational Environments and Behaviour module at Level 4. You are introduced to key economic concepts, theories and economic policies and will gain an understanding of how such factors influence the world of business.

The module explores how the health of the macroeconomic environment and the decisions taken within it (by countries and governments) influences the subsequent actions taken within the microenvironment. You will develop an understanding of how to measure and define the health of an economy and will understand how monetary and fiscal policy can be used to influence and pursue economic health (stable/ rising GDP).

The module will encourage you to critique and explore the notion that countries, organisations and individuals make decisions in your own interests and subject to constraints.

This module focuses on developing your knowledge and skills to manage projects successfully. Throughout this module you will be encouraged to reflect on how you have approached previous projects throughout the duration of your degree studies to date and to identify opportunities for further skills development ahead of completing your capstone project at Level 6.

During this module, you will identify, evaluate and utilise methods and tools for planning tasks and activities, as well as extending your knowledge of how to implement and manage project activities, build stakeholder relationships, manage resources and risk, monitor progress and report on outcomes. The ability to manage projects and work as a wider project team member is a vital skill for all managers.

You will work collaboratively in small groups adopting a project-based learning approach to develop the requisite skills to manage projects effectively in order to achieve results. A hands-off approach to formal taught delivery will prevail and you will be challenged to further develop your employability skills through adopting a self-starting and self-managed approach to achieving learning gain.

This module has been designed to assist you to further develop your understanding of the world of work and to bridge the gap between your academic studies and future employment.

You are encouraged to personalise your learning experience from this module and will undertake a minimum of a 30-hour work placement. Regardless of the number of learning experiences that you select, the intent of the work placement experience should focus on identifying and developing a range of personal and employability skills. You are encouraged to complete the Graduate Attributes Excellence Award as part of this module.

The experiential learning from this module culminates in a practical assessment where you showcase your skills development in readiness for employment / self-employment.

This module will provide you with the opportunity to gain a broad introduction to the fundamentals of accounting. Correct accounting is necessary and crucial for the stability and success of any organisation. The complexity of the modern global economy depends upon the trustworthiness provided by accurate financial records and reports. You will be introduced to the basics of financial and management accounting as well as the ethics, knowledge and skills required to interrogate financial information and documentation. The module affords you an opportunity to extend your knowledge of topics such as financial reports, preparing financial statements, and book-keeping.

This module provides you with the opportunity to broaden your understanding of finance and investment. The ability to make evidence-based investment decisions is critical to the success of any organisation. It is also necessary for managers and leaders of organisations to be able to understand, interpret, and critically analyse financial statements and performance to ensure sustainability, liquidity, and profitability. You will be introduced to the basics of investment and finance, as well as the ethics, knowledge, and skills required for the world of work. The module will be of use to those who wish to pursue self-employment, a career in senior leadership and management positions, or those who wish to engage in social entrepreneurship making investment decisions for a better tomorrow. The module affords you an opportunity to extend your knowledge of topics such as financial statement analysis, the efficient market hypothesis, and criteria for investment decisions.

This module equips you with an understanding of CSR and sustainability in global and organisational contexts. This module will empower you to take positive action as informed global citizens in line with The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015.

The Agenda provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership. They recognise that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests. These SDGs will therefore underpin the teaching and learning ethos of this module.

Through undertaking the module, you will begin to develop the knowledge and skills required to develop practices for managing and leading Corporate Social Responsibility and sustainability in an organisational setting. The approaches taken to manage and lead CSR and sustainability differ according to the genre and purposes of the individual organisations. Hence the critical exploration of case studies will help support you to develop a fuller understanding of CSR / sustainability in a variety of organisational contexts.

You will take positive action within this module by working together as part of BGU's Enactus team to actively tackle global challenges. This experiential approach affords you the opportunity to engage with the world’s largest experiential learning platform. (Enactus is a global network of global business, academic and student leaders unified by one vision—to create a better, more sustainable world.)

This module provides you with an opportunity to explore the meaning of equality, diversity and inclusion. Equality, diversity and inclusion are important drivers of organisational performance, benefiting staff and stakeholders.

For you to be effective as future fit employees and aspiring managers and leaders it is key that your everyday sense of ‘normal’ and the lenses that impact on how you see and interpret the world around you are explored. These individual lenses through which a person sees, frame the attitude and response to a changing world brought ever closer by globalisation. Through undertaking this module, you will come to understand that promoting and supporting diversity in the workplace is an important aspect of good people management and that it is about valuing everyone in the organisation as an individual.

Furthermore, you will come to understand that in order to reap the benefits of a diverse workforce it is vital to have an inclusive environment where everyone is encouraged and enabled to participate and achieve their potential. You will develop an understanding of UK legislation – covering age, disability, race, religion, gender and sexual orientation among others. You will come to appreciate that this sets the minimum standards, and that an effective diversity and inclusion strategy goes beyond legal compliance seeking to add value to an organisation, contributing to employee well-being and engagement.

Through undertaking this module, you will be empowered to champion equality, diversity and inclusion and to challenge others to do the same if / where needed.

This module introduces you to the principles of managing and leading individuals, teams and organisations and provides an opportunity for you to evaluate and understand approaches for supporting, motivating and inspiring others to meet and exceed expectations. You will use case study examples to extend your knowledge and understanding and to review best practice in the workplace.

An in-depth understanding of the theoretical and practical approaches to leading and managing effectively will thus prevail. Furthermore, you will analyse and evaluate the merits of various methods that can be used to monitor organisational, individual and team performance. Managing and leading in both physical and remote environments as well as in hybrid settings whereby individuals typically have more freedom to work when and where they choose will also be explored.

This module provides you with the opportunity to continue to develop and demonstrate the critical knowledge and understanding gained on your degree programme so far. The module will introduce you to the many ways in which researchers might choose to collect and analyse data and produce scientific and rigorous research.

You will therefore gain an insight into research methods and the ethical considerations involved in conducting research. It will give you an appropriate base of knowledge by which you can start to make your own research decisions and complete a research project of your own design. The module affords you an opportunity to develop knowledge on how to create appropriate research aims, questions, and objectives, appropriate methods of data collection and analysis, and the ethics of research.

This module is supported with a number of classroom-based activities (i.e. lectures, seminars, and workshops) introducing you to the types of research methods and issues identified above. A research and ethics proposal template will also be provided, the submission of which will form the culmination of this module.

This module provides you with the opportunity to undertake a research-based project, drawing on academic advice as well as your own interests and intellectual skills, to produce a substantial written dissertation.

You conduct your research by addressing self-formulated questions, supported by the critical selection, evaluation and analysis of primary and secondary source material. By these means you will devise and sustain a core argument, and /or solve relevant business problems. The dissertation module affords you an opportunity to extend your knowledge in a topic area of your choice related to the programme and to produce an extended project that will provide a strong talking point for future interviews, or for applications to further study.

This module offers the potential for enhanced employability through demonstrating a deep understanding of the application of business theory and skills to analyse and evaluate real world situations. This module is supported with whole class workshops at various intervals during the semester; these seek to guide the management research process and the successful presentation of a business dissertation.

You also benefit from individual tutors (one-to-one supervision during the semester with your supervisor who closely monitor and advise on the development of appropriate, distinctive, and critical arguments in respect of the chosen subject of study.

This module provides you with the opportunity to gain detailed insight into financial reporting and auditing. The need for accurate financial reporting and auditing is crucial for the stability and success not only of organisations, but also the wider economy – several high-profile corporate scandals of recent years, including the collapse of Enron and Carillion, were in large part exacerbated by identified inadequacies in financial auditing. You will be introduced to the process and requirements of financial reporting and auditing during this module. You will also gain understanding of issues such as corporate governance, corporate responsibility (in the area of financial reporting and auditing), and sustainability. The module affords you an opportunity to extend your knowledge of company financial accounting and the regulatory framework in which organisations operate spanning economy, law, and society. It will be especially of use to you if you wish to leave higher education to enter a career within finance or accounting, or if you wish to ultimately occupy a management or leadership position within an organisation.

This module provides you with the opportunity to examine in detail the causes and nature of financial risks facing organisations. The need for organisations to understand the financial risks they face is critical to your future prosperity, and vital to the wider stability of the economy. It was only a decade ago that the inability to adequately manage risks in financial institutions led to a global financial crisis in 2008-09. You will be introduced to an array of organisations and your respective financial risks and will be challenged to develop an ability to measure and prioritise them. You will also examine methods for managing financial risk. The module affords you an opportunity to extend your knowledge of financial risk in all its varieties. The module will be of use to those who wish to pursue self-employment, or a career in senior leadership and management positions.

This module equips you with the knowledge and skills to business plan for start-up. This module is practical in nature and provides you with the opportunity to create a business plan for a commercially viable product or service through a workshop approach.

You will create a plan that will guide you in defining your unique selling proposition (USP) and give you clarity of the marketplace in which you choose to operate. You will be supported to seek out relevant enterprise guidance and support from outside agencies such as the local chamber of commerce and The FSB and will be encouraged to test start-up ideas in a safe environment using the facilities and expertise of the on-site business incubation centre BG Futures.

This module provides you with the opportunity to explore social innovation and entrepreneurship. You will review and analyse; the characteristics of social entrepreneurship, innovative, up-to-date research on the ecosystems of social entrepreneurship, the behaviour of social entrepreneurs, their ability to produce social innovation, social capital and social inclusion, and the role of stakeholders in fostering socially oriented businesses.

You will be encouraged and supported to network with social entrepreneurs in order to explore first-hand the diversity of the social enterprise sector. In networking with social entrepreneurs you will consider the motivations and role of social entrepreneurs and social enterprises in the modern world.