BSc (Hons) International Business Management (Top-up)

This final-year core module “Leading Innovation” aims to enable students to study and apply in practice:

• A range of leadership theories and techniques to critically evaluate and develop their own personal leadership style
• A range of leadership theories and techniques to critically evaluate contemporary innovation practice, and organisations in a range of industries engaged with innovation practice
• A range of innovation theories and techniques to critically evaluate contemporary innovation processes, and organisations in a range of industries that innovate

the synergies between leadership and innovation in a range of contexts

The Module will be based around two themes:

1. Theme 1: Leadership, where they will study, reflect on, and use leadership theories and techniques to assess and develop their own personal leadership style. By doing this, students will be closely engaging with and evaluating classic and contemporary theories, and directly applying the ideas from these theories to their own experience and ambitions.
2. Theme 2: Innovation, where they will study, analyse, and evaluate the innovation processes of selected organisations and industries (by critiquing, for example, Case Studies), and how innovation is achieved and operates within the contemporary economy (by critiquing, for example, classic and contemporary examples).

   In addition, students will study the synergies between leadership and innovation, an emerging area in academic research and in practice. By doing this, students will be closely engaging with and evaluating innovation practice and performance, informed by the leadership theories and techniques covered in Theme 1.

Each theme will conclude with an assignment: Theme 1 will conclude with a team-based formative assignment, and Theme 2 will conclude with a pairs-based summative assignment. Once complete, this Module aims to enable students to understand a long-term timeline. Firstly, students will ‘look back’ and be exposed to classic and contemporary leadership texts, so they can critically evaluate and develop their own personal leadership style.

Secondly, they will ‘look forward’ and critically evaluate how innovation can further emerge in the economy and society, and how contemporary and future organisations and industries can ensure sustainability through enhanced innovation, blended with enhanced organisational leadership.

This module explores a range of topics connected with working and managing across different social cultures. It examines cross-cultural management in both international and intra-national contexts, and draws on perspectives from social anthropology, social psychology, organisational behaviour and management theory.

By the end of this final-year core module “Business Strategy”, you will have the ability to:

• Develop your knowledge and understanding to critically apply a range of practical strategic management tools for analysis, choice-making and implementation across public, private and not-for-profit organisations of all sizes across all sectors internationally;
• Translate your analysis of contemporary organisations and contexts into persuasive, creative and realistic proposals for an international organisation’s future strategic direction
• Apply structured insight into the realities of an international organisation’s internal and external context in order to develop implementation plans which help maximise achievement of their strategic objectives; and
• Enhance your employability by developing transferable skills such as research, analysis,evaluation, decision-making, team-work, presenting, and influencing others, across different cultures.

Strategy is a crucial subject, concerned with the development, success and failure of allkinds of organisations, from multinational corporations (MNCs) to entrepreneurial start-ups, from international charities to global agencies, and many others. Accordingly, strategy constitutes a key element of all professional business and management qualifications:

• It equips aspiring managers and leaders with the knowledge, skills and techniques required to critically analyse contemporary organisations within changing environments nationally and globally; and
• to formulate, evaluate and defend realistic and creative proposals for future strategic direction; and
• to plan for the effective implementation of the strategy selected

This final-year core module “The Practice of Management” aims to enable students to:

•  study and apply a range of management theories and techniques to critically evaluating their personal development and management style
• study and apply a range of management theories and techniques to critically analyse large PLCs, plus to wider global issues.

The Module will be based around two themes:

1. Theme 1: Personal and Academic Development, where they will study, reflect on, and use management theories and techniques to assess their own qualities and career ambitions. By doing this, students will be closely engaging with and evaluating classic and contemporary theorists, and directly applying the ideas from these theorists to their own experience.
2. Theme 2: Professional Development, where they will study, analyse, and evaluate the management and performance of large corporations, and, looking ahead, consider these corporations in light of the UN’s Global Sustainability Goals 2030, justifying ways in which their selected PLCs will need to be strategically re-aligned and managed internally in order to contribute to these long-term external goals.

   By doing this, students will be closely engaging with and evaluating management and business strategy and performance, and creatively re-designing corporate strategy to contribute to wider social, political, and cultural objectives.

Each theme will conclude with an assignment: Theme 1 will conclude with an individual formative assignment, and Theme 2 will conclude with a pairs-based summative assignment. Once complete, this Module aims to enable students to understand a long-term time line.

Firstly, students will ‘look back’ and be exposed to classic and contemporary texts, theories, and techniques, which they will apply to their personal and professional development. Secondly, they will ‘look forward’ and evaluate how contemporary PLCs can contribute to future wider global socio-political objectives, namely the UN’s Global Sustainability Goals 2030, which will strengthen their professional development.

This module provides a comprehensive overview of the strategic and operational dimensions of international business within the context of globalisation. You will critically explore the key drivers behind global integration, such as technological change, trade liberalisation, and evolving market dynamics and assess how these forces shape the structure and evolution of international business operations. The module situates international business within a broader institutional framework, examining how cultural, political, legal, and ethical environments influence business decisions across borders.

This module offers a critical and comprehensive examination of the strategic and operational dimensions of international business in the context of globalisation. You will explore the key drivers of global integration, such as technological innovation, trade liberalisation, and shifting market dynamics, and evaluate how these forces influence the structure and evolution of international business operations. The module situates international business within a broader institutional landscape, enabling you to assess how cultural, political, legal, and ethical environments shape global business decision-making.

As the global marketplace becomes increasingly interconnected and competitive, you will engage with a variety of strategic frameworks to analyse international market entry strategies, organisational design, and the management of core business functions, including marketing, human resources, finance, and supply chain operations. Through the use of real-world case studies and interactive learning methods, you will develop a practical understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by multinational enterprises.

This module contributes to a range of business-focused undergraduate and postgraduate pathways by developing your global mindset, strategic thinking, and cross-cultural competence. It prepares you to operate effectively in diverse international contexts and equips you with essential skills for careers in international management, consultancy, entrepreneurship, and related fields.

To meet the learning objectives, you will aim to:

1. Understand the impact of globalisation on international business strategies and organisational structures.
2. Analyse the influence of cultural, political, legal, and ethical environments on global business decision-making.
3. Apply strategic frameworks to assess global market entry strategies and the effective management of international business functions.

Financial decision-making is important for all businesses. This natural mental process needs to be informed to select a course of action from several alternative options. One of the most essential elements that help to facilitate the implementation of the business strategy in an organisation is Finance. The financial manager of an organisation plays a central role in making decisions on optimum utilisation of financial resources and assess the implications for shareholders and other stakeholders, and the need for effective corporate governance. Therefore, managers require critical understanding of key financial management concepts and techniques, performance indicators and methodologies relating to financial management frameworks. Managers use these tools when they are faced with making financial decisions in the business environment. This module provides students with knowledge about financial decision-making approaches and control systems businesses use to make managerial decisions.

The module also provides the knowledge and skills necessary to evaluate the impact of financial decisions. It enable learners of today, who are managers of tomorrow, to participate in decision making processes concerning the utilisation of finances in investment, financial and risk management, and the delivery of value for money in achieving the objectives of the business. Although managers are not always required to perform detailed financial analysis, they need to have a clear understanding of how the process of financial management and decision-making work to ascertain that decisions are properly made and implemented and that apposite risk management systems are in place.

The module focuses on fundamentals of financial management, the need for accounting and finance, financial governance, making capital investment decisions, balancing risk and return, tools of financial analysis, interpretations and planning, reading financial reports, cost challenges in decision making, working capital management, sources of finance, cost-volume-profit analysis and its use in managerial decisions and planning.

The Professional Consultancy / Project is a capstone module in which students will be required to undertake a business project aimed at enhancing their employability as well as providing a platform for further professional development.

This module requires students to undertake and write up an individual project that gives them the opportunity to not only consolidate their learning on the programme, but also to clearly apply their learning in a real-world context. Furthermore, it will provide students with the opportunity to showcase their professional competences built throughout the programme.

If in employment students may choose to use a work-based consultancy project (subject to agreement from their employer). Alternatively, they may choose a project which is research-based.

Students will also be required to present their project via an on-line presentation or podcast. This module gives them the opportunity to demonstrate their professional credibility and to use their academic, business and technical skills in a professional context.