Business Studies:Single

Course summary

This course allows you to study business in various contexts, e.g. large/small, UK-based or global, and service or manufacturing-based. The key areas of marketing, finance, human resources, and operations are covered to understand how decisions are made within a business. The competitive environment and the markets that a business operates within, along with influences upon a business and the impact on the decision-making process are discussed, including ethical and environmental issues. How technology is changing the way in which decisions are made, and how they react and compete in the technological world are covered, along with the influences of stakeholders on strategic decisions, i.e. those made by the most senior people within a business. The global business environment is studied in depth, to understand why businesses want to both sell and locate in overseas countries and why governments may encourage and discourage this. There is an important emphasis on students critically examining differing business scenarios and making recommendations on actions a business may take to improve its current position. This gives the course a ‘live’ feel as students are encouraged to make decisions on real business situations, so they gain an insight into the ever-changing business world and they can compare and contrast different businesses. Students are encouraged to undertake their own independent research in a student-centred approach to learning, where in many instances there may not be definitive right and wrong answers, the key is how you justify your recommendations. Content: Theme 1: Marketing and people Theme 2: Managing business activities Theme 3: Business decisions and strategy Theme 4: Global business