This module will provide you with the tools to enable you to interpret and evaluate financial information and utilise financial information for decision-making purposes. After completing this module you will be able to:

• Draft financial statements.

• Critically analyse information contained in published financial statements.

• Select and apply financial decision-making techniques to appraise projects.

• Evaluate complex investment decisions.

• Utilise spreadsheets to present and analyse financial information.

• Appreciate differences between financial decision-making in the public and not for profit sectors as compared to the private sector.

• Apply appropriate techniques to protect against currency loss.

You will investigate the role and function of marketing within the context of changing markets and increasing international competition. After completing this module you will be able to:

• Critically evaluate the information needs of the marketing function in terms of its contribution to the strategic processes and tactical decision-making.

• Integrate marketing decision-making with organisational strategy.

• Establish a broad base of marketing knowledge and the strategic implications.

• Develop and implement marketing plans for a product or service.

• Reflect an international perspective and the global context of decision-making in marketing planning.

• Evaluate the appropriateness of e-business strategies.

This module will investigate the context and processes of management operations and show how operations management is central to the achievement of organisational aims. After completing this module you will be able to:

• Evaluate problems in operations and identify approaches to overcoming them.

• Critically evaluate operating plans and identify areas for improvement.

• Justify, implement and evaluate changes to operations in line with modern approaches.

• Develop outline plans for investment in new capacity, including location and layout.

• Evaluate operation processes so that customer requirements including quality, delivery and reliability are achieved.

• Differentiate and devise suitable control systems.

• Apply principles of project management.

This module will help you to develop critical awareness of the contribution the human resource can make to workplace effectiveness. It will develop your ability to apply theoretical human resource models and concepts to a wide variety of work situations. This module is also designed to stimulate your thought on how organisation design can impact on the effectiveness of people. After completing this module you will be able to:

• Critically appraise the contribution people can make to an organisation.

• Analyse how factors concerning the management of human resource vary within an organisation and across situations.

• Compare and contrast the concepts of management and leadership.

• Demonstrate how to lead and develop effective teams.

• Analyse a human resource problem and apply appropriate models to develop solutions.

This module will introduce you to the strategy process in a range of organisational contexts. After completing this module you will be able to:

• Critically analyse a range of strategic decision-making models.

• Undertake a strategic analysis of an organisation.

• Apply a range of strategic choice frameworks to generate and evaluate an organisation’s strategic options.

• Demonstrate the need to reflect cultural, structural and behavioural issues in the strategic process.

• Develop and justify plans for the implementation of agreed strategies.

This module will provide you with a conceptual framework from which research philosophies, strategies and methods associated with business management can be critically reviewed. You will develop research competencies, in particular those relating to data collection and analysis, that will enable you to design, undertake and evaluate independent research in an organisational setting. After completing this module you will be able to:

• Critically appraise research undertaken by others.

• Propose and justify a report for a research project in business management that will stand up to critical scrutiny.

• Critically appraise the contribution primary and secondary data sources can make to research studies, particularly with respect to sampling, statistical analysis and data presentation techniques.

• Synthesize research findings to improve the quality of decisions in management.

You will be required to undertake a 20,000-word dissertation.