This module gives you an introduction to statistical techniques and their applications in the context of business and management problems. In addition, it is designed to develop your ability to effectively use computer software for data analysis.

The following topics are covered:

• descriptive statistics
• probability and probability distributions
• sampling distributions
• confidence intervals
• hypothesis testing
• linear regression

This module develops an understanding of the different issues underlying business creation and development. It familiarises you with current theory and research and enables you to understand the processes of enterprise creation and development and the behaviours, motivations and business strategies of entrepreneurs – considering also how these affect the types and performance of the new ventures created.

The module also examines the primary issues associated with entrepreneurial activity in franchise systems, in mature organisations and larger corporations, and in not-for-profit contexts. Frequent use is made of illustrative case histories, and several visiting speakers will share the reality of their entrepreneurial experience with you.

Many organisational recruiters have identified the skills and knowledge they want to see from a prospective employee. Some of the top priorities are spreadsheet modelling, problem structuring, statistics, and project management.

Students will be introduced to Microsoft Excel and the basics of dynamic model building, including skills such as data handling, filtering and analysis, using functions, and charting, plus advanced techniques such as optimisation, simulation, and the use of Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) to automate models and construct decision support models.

The course will make extensive use of case studies and workshop-orientated learning tasks.

This module provides an introduction to the use of management accounting information for management purposes. This includes an examination of cost-volume profit analysis, the concepts of direct and indirect costs, and various costing methods. The importance of budgets to organisations and their impact on performance are also discussed.

In the second year of your Business Management degree, this module supports your journey towards securing a future graduate job role which you will enjoy and thrive in doing! We combine gaining career insights from employers, recent alumni and networking opportunities alongside a focus on building graduate labour market knowledge, preparation for the graduate recruitment selection process and gaining relevant work experience in the field you are interested in.

This module examines several of the transformations that have arisen in contemporary organisations as a result of the introduction and use of information systems. In order to consider how information systems have been implicated in these transformations, this course will focus on three themes:

• Knowledge Management and Information Communication Technologies (ICTs)
• Informational devices and their mobilities
• The ethical dimensions of managing information and information systems

Each of these themes have been important in the study of the role of information systems within organisations. For each theme, one or more cases and/or readings will be introduced and discussed in detail over the course of ten two-hour interactive lectures. This will enable students to (1) familiarise themselves with key historical and contemporary developments, (2) to explore the challenges that the introduction of different forms of information systems may pose, and (3) to consider the scope for management action in response to these challenges. Students are required to produce an assessed group presentation and to sit an exam in the summer. The aim of both the lectures and these forms of assessment is to enable students to develop techniques, methods of analysis and research expertise relating to the place of information systems in contemporary organisations. By the end of the course, students should have enhanced their understanding of relevant theoretical and practical issues that arise, as well as having developed their critical and analytical skills.

In this module we look at the changing role and position of management and managers in organisations and society. Much of modern analysis of management emphasises a change in forms of management control from traditional authority through vertical hierarchical forms to ones which are more horizontal and look to incorporate employees into the organisation and its goals in ever closer ways. This happens for example through attempts to align employees identities, emotions and interests with commitment to the organisation: the much discussed capturing of hearts and minds. Another aspect of this is the manipulation of meaning in order to facilitate this identification of employee and organisation, usually discussed as the corporate culture movement. Together these can be taken as two significant aspects of modern management the management of meaning and the management of identity - which feature little in traditional management texts that emphasise management as the co-ordination of tasks and the control and deployment of resources.

However, it is important to see management and managers within the light of organisation analysis. Managers are not the autonomous agents they are often portrayed, first because they are also employees themselves (albeit in the position of formally representing the interests of capital), and second, they are also subject to organisational structures, cultures and power relations. Perhaps especially in the light of managerial control designed around commitment, integration and identification with the organisation, managers are tied in by the very control strategies that they themselves are promoting. However, as we shall see, there are also important tensions between the changing context of management and these forms of control which can lead to unintended consequences such as impression management and various forms of resistance.

Thus this module focuses on how management is a social process, and what this means for the lived experience of doing management. In exploring this we look at topics which are relevant for the day-to-day experience of managers, although rarely are these addressed in conventional management textbooks: issues such as humour, diversity, impression management and emotional management.

The underlying aim of this module is to show you that management and business are not merely a collection of techniques from several disciplines, but rather have a coherent cultural core which corresponds to a generalised, globalised system of values that have to be grasped and understood if management and business are to make sense at all. Therefore, we will seek to show how management and business are part of the broader cultural and historical nature of contemporary global society.

We hope you will understand that, as part of society and culture, both management and business carry within them the signs of all the major tensions, problems and crises that face us today in the world economy, in our relationship with the Earth and the natural environment, and in our relationships with each other as humanity. The module is designed to help you recognise management’s central place in this essential ‘system of crises’ and to understand that such crises are problems for managers with possibly far-reaching social and organisational implications, rather than incidental external matters that have no bearing on your future professional lives.

Strategic Management is about making distinctive choices concerning the direction and scope of the organization over the long term, in order to enhance its ability to create value and improve its prospects for organizational survival and growth. In a complex and turbulent environment, with rapid economic, regulatory and technological changes, strategising – the art of processing complex information thoughtfully and creatively and the ability to convince others of your analysis and recommendations – is a critical skill to acquire. The goal of this module is to provide you with an understanding of strategy that will enable you to discuss real-life business activities within a framework of contemporary strategic management thinking. This module is designed to encourage you to develop a personal and distinctive understanding and appreciation of strategising for different industries and in uncertain environments, through lectures, case analyses and class discussions.

It is often argued that "effective leadership" is a key factor in improving organisational performance. Yet, it is also increasingly evident that traditional understandings of what constitutes leadership - especially charismatic and transformational models - have not always lived up to their promise. Against this background, and building on what you have learned about leadership in ‘Introduction to Management and Leadership’, this module seeks to re-think leadership relationships and dynamics by introducing students to several perspectives on leadership and exploring their strengths and weaknesses. In particular, the course addresses leader-centred, follower-centred, cultural, and critical approaches and also explores other important issues and themes.

The course is designed to rethink leadership relationships and dynamics in ways that critically examine the facilitators and challenges to effective leadership that frequently exist in contemporary organisations and societies.