Business with Marketing - BA (Hons)

This module introduces you to the advanced analytics of data. In a data-driven business environment, the importance of such skill is paramount. Building on your essential analysis for business module in the first year, you will enhance your knowledge of a range of methods and techniques for analysing data applicable to businesses. You will be able to make data-driven logical business decision using advanced quantitative and qualitative data analysis programmes (e.g. SPSS, STATA, Nvivo). 

In this Business Strategy module, you will explore the key concepts that shape strategy, formation and execution. Comprehensive coverage of topics includes current debates on ethics and resource-based strategy, more classic topics on the external environment, internal environment, including strategic management of business challenges.  

You will investigate the impacts of global issues such as pandemics, public health, global warming, financial interconnectedness, migration, geopolitical events, the power of media, and demographic shifts on large businesses in the Dynamic Business Issues and Solutions module. These issues affect businesses directly and often indirectly. Large businesses are often more exposed to global shocks due to their exposure to international markets. Businesses, therefore, need to have a greater awareness of these issues and understanding of the scale of impact, they might have on sustainable growth.  

This module will introduce you to the language spoken by accounting professionals.    You will gain an understanding of how financial statements are prepared.  This is key to being able to interpret the financial position and performance of companies using ratio analysis.   This module will also give an insight into how standard costs are developed for products and services and how they are key to the budgeting process.  

Channel management is the place part of the marketing mix, dealing with how manufacturers ensure products and services reach the target end consumer most effectively and efficiently.   This module aims to equip you with the skills to plan and implement a channel strategy that is appropriate to the product or service, including critiquing and selecting relevant intermediaries, developing channel support plans including brand activation, account management and negotiation techniques. This module demonstrates how marketing links to other areas of business such as sales and category planning and focusses on both the business-to-business and business to consumer relationships both domestically and internationally. 

This module is designed to allow you to develop your problem solving skills in creative ways. The module will explore understandings of creativity and how creative thinking can make a difference.  Problem solving is an important skill for more effective study and employability. This module will examine what a problem is (a gap between where you are and where you want to be), the importance of imaginative fact finding, definition and redefinition, idea generation, option generation and making choice.  

The aim of this module is to provide you with ‘real world’ event management experience. Integral to the module will be a focus on group work, enabling you to utilise your event management skills accrued at level 4 to exhibit decision making skills when choosing a viable event to execute, selecting an appropriate venue and promoting the event, and ultimately running their chosen event. The relevant literature is explored, but with a consistent view of the importance of applying theory and planning in practical business contexts.  

This module, where a programme of study enables it, is open to Business School students, who choose to undertake an international Study Abroad mobility experience within their second year of study.   The aim of this module is to enable you to explore your mobility experience through a cross-cultural lens that focusses on the key themes of your discipline in an international context, together with your personal development. This is achieved by activities that draw on research enquiry, creativity, culture, reflection and professional development. 

This module is designed to provide you with the opportunity to undertake a credit bearing, 40- week Professional Placement as an integral part of your Undergraduate Degree.    The purpose of the Professional Placement is to improve your employability skills which will, through the placement experience, allow you to evidence your professional skills, attitudes and behaviours at the point of entry to the postgraduate job market.  Furthermore, by completing the Professional Placement, you will be able to develop and enhance your understanding of the professional work environment, relevant to your chosen field of study, and reflect critically on your own professional skills development within the workplace. 

The module provides you with an introduction to the main issues of international business. This module deals with the cultural, administrative, geographical and economic differences around the world and how these differences shape businesses today. Three fundamental issues that this module addresses are: (i) the differences among domestic, international and global firms; (ii) the attributes of multinational corporations (MNCs) and finally; (iii) the determinants of success in international business.  

The business environment is undergoing constant change and this is largely driven by technological advances which enable organisations to better identify and reach prospective customers. Organisations can no longer obtain a competitive advantage simply by producing high quality goods or services and offering them for sale within the market. The way that the consumer makes their buying decisions has changed and nowadays they no longer expect to be the passive recipients of mass messages. Customers now expect to enter into a two-way conversation with organisations, thus changing the monologue into a dialogue: a two-way conversation. 

Marketing is usually involved in providing information used in strategic decision-making and is often in the forefront of executing such decisions. It is very important for marketers to have an understanding of strategy and planning as it enables marketing activities to be directed to the specific needs of that organisation. You must appreciate the complexities of preparing and implementing longer-term, customer-focused plans and the significant role of marketing and management in contributing to the core vision of the organisation and the achievement of its plans.

The aim of this module is to provide insight into the methodological foundations of business research, which will enable you to conduct a substantial piece of disciplinary research.

Let me ask you something... Could you tell me the main benefits of the next smartphone that you're hoping to buy? Is it the 256GB of storage? The HD retina display? Perhaps the pixel resolution on the camera? Now, could you tell me the impact that the production of that phone has on the environment and on society? Would you consider giving up your smartphone for the greater social good?

This module provides you with a thorough grounding in the techniques of sales and business development needed to achieve organisational objectives. Whilst the module focuses primarily on the sales process within business to business manufacturing and retail contexts, it also explores business to consumer contexts. Employment in sales related careers within the business to business sector represents 8% of total UK employment – one of the UK’s largest sectors of employment and is forecast to grow by 12% by 2020.

This module encourages you to develop an in-depth understanding of the analysis and re-design of business operations and processes and the systems that support the contribution of these core processes. Founded on the systems view of business, this module critically evaluates various functionalities within the operations management for performance enhancement. The systems view sees business as a complex system of interrelated factors, i.e. strategy, operation, management, employees, functions (marketing,finance, processes, production), suppliers, owners, investors, competitors, collaborators and customers to increase the stakeholders’ value. You will be introduced to these actors and functionalities using a real-life business case.

This module focuses on the strategic management issues and decision-making approaches in the context of International Supply Chain and Operations Strategy. You will study different types and levels of strategies and understand the relationship among them. You will also study strategic supply chain decision-making, focusing on areas such as corporate strategy, globalisation, procurement and outsourcing, production and inventory management, international management, and strategic alliances. You will be able to use a range of models, tools and/or techniques to analyse business and operations status and further support strategy development as well as daily operations optimization. The module content also emphasises the ethics and sustainability of supply chain and operations, which is a key theme among modern businesses. Additionally, some new trends and concepts e.g. digital production, e-supply chain, block chain, supply chain resilience will be discussed to open your horizon and prepare you for future challenges.

The nature of today’s global business environment means that contemporary organisations are faced with a range of challenges and opportunities presented by increasing levels of uncertainty, ambiguity and complexity. In order to be successful organisations need to find ways to work with and indeed proactively exploit these conditions.

The aim of this module is to provide a framework for you to undertake a significant piece of disciplinary-relevant accounting, business or management research. It is founded upon Birmingham City Business School’s teaching and learning philosophy which integrates theory and practice, in this case research practice. A Business Research Project presents a short academic piece of work based, delivered in a “letters” journal article format, which is relevant to your degree programme.