BA (Hons) Business Management and English Bachelor's degree at the University of Derby

This module introduces organisational behaviour (OB) theory and research to help you gain an understanding of the range of individual, group and organisational factors which can influence the way that employees behave in the workplace. You will practice applying the theory to case study organisations to explore how it can be used as an analytical tool to gain a clearer understanding of the complex causes of workplace behaviour in order to develop effective management interventions.

Assessment: Coursework

This introduction to the “fundamentals of marketing” module will provide you with a basic understanding of the current and emerging marketing principles and techniques within the business environment. It seeks to establish that sustainable market success within a highly competitive environment can only be achieved by developing products or services based upon an understanding of the external environment and customers’ needs and wants. During the module you will not only consider how to add value for customers and other stakeholders but also learn to assess the impact that marketing activities have on consumers’ lives. Your assessment is coursework-based, designed to enable you to demonstrate

Assessment: Coursework

This module will assume no prior accounting knowledge. You will learn how to prepare accounts for small businesses and then apply that knowledge to larger organisations. This module will assume no prior accounting knowledge. You will learn how to prepare accounts for small businesses and then apply that knowledge to larger organisations. Numbers by themselves can be misleading and you will progress to examining accounting statements to assess just how well a business is performing. Managers cannot improve the performance of a business unless they make correct interpretations of situations and learn how to diagnose problems. Business costs will be identified and analysed to aid decision makin

Assessment: Coursework

This module aims to introduce some of the fundamental concepts of literary criticism, enabling you to put these into practice in the analysis of texts. It will encourage the critical examination of seemingly ‘natural’ assumptions about the nature of language, of meaning, and of interpretation. It will also acquaint you with the methodology and terminology which underpins current critical practices while building your analytical skills. Through this focus on skills the module will encourage you to reflect on your personal development, and to begin the process of linking your academic studies to your future goals. Assessment is by two pieces of coursework.

Assessment: Coursework

Focusing on the genres of the gothic, horror and science fiction, this module will explore representations of nonhuman ‘others’ in the literature and cinema of the fantastic. In examining this perennially popular area of culture, we will consider the ways in which cultural anxieties concerning the mind, the body, gender, race and technology are articulated in fantasy; we will also investigate the ways in which ideas of what constitutes the human have continually changed, and the ways in which these changes have been represented in fiction. From ghosts and vampires to cyborgs and aliens, we will consider a range of texts in the light of theoretical models drawn from such fields as psychoanaly

Assessment: Coursework, Practical

The English Literary Renaissance, in the context of the spiritual and cultural upheaval of the Reformation and the development of Humanism, produced some of the most significant achievements in English literature. This module will introduce you to a range of drama, poetry and prose from this critical and tumultuous period. We will study the sonnet form as well as the dramatic innovations of late Elizabethan comedy and tragedy. In this way, some key works by Shakespeare will be considered alongside those of other influential poets, dramatists and prose stylists of his age. Assessment is by two coursework essays.

Assessment: Coursework

This module aims to provide you with knowledge of responsible management including exploring concepts of ethics, leadership, global social responsibility, and creation of sustainable social, environmental and economic value for organisations and corporations utilising the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The module will also encourage you to consider the importance of these issues from both the organisation’s and other stakeholder perspectives. You will also reflect on the relevance of responsible management and leadership as a basis for sustainable competitive advantage. The module aims to equip you with the knowledge and understanding of the complex ethical issues that are enc

Assessment: Coursework

The modern business environment is highly volatile and intensely competitive, and is likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. The role of the operations function - how the organisation actually sources, produces and delivers goods and services to demanding customers - becomes a key contributor to superior performance and customer satisfaction. The module provides a framework, to understand the crucial role of operations to business success. This module will provide an understanding of the systems and processes whereby, people, capital, materials, equipment, knowledge, technology, information and time are combined to produce goods and services. This module will also provide you with op

Assessment: Coursework

Relationship management and its implementation via public relations activities is an increasingly important aspect of corporate communications. Along with marketing communications it remains an area which stimulates wide differences of opinion as to where it lies in relation to the marketing function of organisations. The module is designed to allow you to recognise which is the most appropriate approach given particular business contexts and the issues affecting it. Public Relations is about managing a corporate image and reputation. Deciding which public a company needs to engage with and which media to utilise in delivering the corporate ‘message’ are key issues that the module will equip

Assessment: Coursework

This module will equip you with the skills needed to evaluate the financial data used to produce company financial statements. You will learn the importance of choosing the correct form of finance for a given business. You will gain an appreciation of the value of corporate governance and the responsibility of good managers to wider stakeholders in the business. Without good management control and coordination of financial resources, businesses frequently fail to meet their potential. You will study common pitfalls in performance management and how to avoid them. This module will equip you with key skills, such as the ability to understand, analyse and interpret financial, management and non

Assessment: Coursework

This module explores approaches to talent planning and resourcing adopted by organisations in response to different labour market conditions and strategic business needs. You will analyse the range of human resources (HR) tools and techniques used to manage the attraction, retention and departure of employees within the UK legal framework. By the end of the module, you will be able to describe HR planning, recruitment and retention methods and demonstrate skills required to undertake many of these in the workplace.

Assessment: Coursework

This module develops key skills for your future employment in business - the ability to use spread sheets for quantitative analysis, and the skills to interpret and communicate the results of data analysis. These are key skills required by the Chartered Management Institute. The skill base developed gives you the confidence and experience to prepare an analysis of real data to inform a business decision or underpin a business strategy. These skills also prepare you for evidenced based analysis required in other modules within your programme including finance, marketing and strategy. This module contributes to CMI accreditation for BA (Hons) Business Management students.

Assessment: Coursework

Many contemporary business firms rely heavily on the adoption and use of a portfolio of IT applications and information assets (e.g. database, transaction-processing and decision support systems, web-based interfaces and e-business platforms). This diverse portfolio of systems and data, together with the various groups of staff who maintain or manage them, collectively comprise the corporate ‘IT landscape’ of the firm. A systematic understanding of this multifaceted landscape, and the way it is resourced, organised and developed, is important for the practice of developing an IT architecture. An IT architecture is an enterprise-wide framework (or strategy) which provides coherence, coordinat

Assessment: Exam

Being creative can be thought of as coming up with new and original ideas, whereas innovation can be defined as the development and application of these new ideas to develop new opportunities, create original products and services and to solve problems. Both of these activities are necessary for the innovation funnel to be successful. In this hands-on module, you will discover how to generate new and creative ideas, and how to develop innovative products and services out of those ideas. Crucially, this may mean looking to other areas and subjects for inspiration and progress. To do all this, you will have the opportunity to work with other students on a real business problem, finding out you

Assessment: Coursework

This module will give you the tools, techniques and theory behind how digital marketing works within a business environment. During this module you will learn about best practice and key elements of managing digital marketing in an ‘always on’ 24/7 environment. You will learn how to audit and evaluate competitors’ digital footprints as well as understand how to gain consumer insights using digital techniques. Your assessment is coursework-based, designed to provide practical life and employment skills, developing an outline digital marketing plan. This assessment will contribute towards key skills sought by employers, including: evaluation, understanding of digital tools, presentation and bu

Assessment: Coursework

This module will develop your knowledge and understanding of the relevant concepts and models as well as appropriate project planning software. It will enable you to develop an effective project plan, monitor the progress of the project, while simultaneously identifying and managing the associated project risks. The module will equip you to discuss and apply project management methodologies and key project management tools, as well as developing knowledge of the Project lifecycle and comprehension of how to keep project stakeholders informed and ‘on-board’.

Assessment: Coursework, Exam

Managing the performance of staff is essential to the smooth running of organisations. This module analyses the range of human resource management (HRM) activities undertaken within organisations to manage the performance of its employees and explores the devolution of many of these roles and responsibilities to line managers. It provides an introduction to the knowledge and skills required to undertake these activities professionally and effectively in the workplace. By the end of the module students will be able to analyse the causes of poor performance within organisations and the principles and practices of effective performance management. They will be able to explain how these practice

Assessment: Coursework

This module will introduce you to some of the key figures and concepts which inform current critical practice, and acquaint you with the terminology and discourses which constitute that practice. The focus is upon poststructuralist approaches to literature and culture, and we will thus be discussing ideas which have developed from linguistics, psychoanalysis, Marxism, postmodernism, gender studies and post-colonialism, in relation to specific textual examples. We will also consider subsequent developments ‘post-Theory’. Assessment is by two coursework essays.

Assessment: Coursework

This module will address the seismic cultural changes which have been drawn together under the umbrella term of ‘Modernism’. Roughly corresponding to the period from the late nineteenth century to the Second World War, Modernism embodied a decisive change in approaches to literature: modernist novelists such as Virginia Woolf and James Joyce moved away from realist narrative conventions and experimented with form; Modernist poets such as T. S. Eliot and Ezra Pound introduced a fragmented and allusive style of poetry whose impact remains significant today. In the course of this module, you will study some significant modernist writings in their intellectual and historical contexts; we will al

Assessment: Coursework

This module is an exploration of the British and European realist novel in the nineteenth century. You will study a selection of key texts and consider their wider cultural and socio/historical themes and issues. In the course of the module, you will also examine the narrative modes and generic conventions relating to realism. Assessment is by coursework and seminar participation, including a presentation and engagement in discussion.

Assessment: Coursework, Practical

The Romantic era in British Literature – approximately the half century between 1780 and 1830 – was an especially rich one in the history of British poetry as well as being a period of great historical change and artistic innovation. This module aims to familiarise you with the key achievements of a number of important late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth century British poets. The period was one of social and political upheaval, as a consequence of (for example) the impact of the French Revolution and the long war with revolutionary, and then Napoleonic, France; the agitation for Parliamentary reform and political rights; the movement to abolish the slave trade and slavery in the British co

Assessment: Coursework

This module is designed to develop your research skills and to apply them to different contexts. It will provide an advanced understanding of research methodologies and to consider different ways in which scholars undertake research. It will then enable you to put these skills into practice into two different contexts. The first of these is a short, group, applied research project, based upon a brief from an external partner. You will then produce an extended piece of academic writing based upon an individually devised research question. The module will encourage you to think about how research skills are transferable beyond university and prepare you for the greater emphasis on independent

Assessment: Coursework, Practical

This module forms part of the placement year typically completed between the second and final stage of a degree programme. The module provides a framework for the development of reflective skills appropriate to all areas of professional practice including for example aspects of problem solving such as objective setting, planning, negotiating, demonstrating, and reflecting. The emphasis in this module is on the analysis and evaluation of work completed within the organisation and future employability planning. During the module students will develop a reflective portfolio where they record the skills, knowledge and experience developed during the placement experience and evaluate how this wil

Assessment: Coursework

This module provides a comprehensive analysis of the principles and practices of the international supply chain and the strategic impact this can have on the organisation. With the ever-increasing pressure of competition among companies, the move towards consolidation of global production and the improvements in communication and transportation systems the supply market is now a global phenomenon. To that end the sourcing and outsourcing of materials or the engagement of service providers is taking on an international perspective. This alters dramatically the role of purchasing, to a more strategic and global posture. This module explores the forces that guide the development of the supply c

Assessment: Coursework

As a student of Marketing and a future Marketing professional, you must have a thorough understanding of the added complexities involved in global marketing and how these impact on the formulation of marketing plans and strategies. Organisations in all sectors and industries face increasing international competition; this could be from multi-nationals or competitors establishing themselves in their domestic environment, the need for foreign suppliers or indeed when they seek to establish operations abroad. This module seeks to build on the knowledge and concepts you will have encountered at earlier stages of the programme. It aims to familiarise you with a range of issues and concepts encoun

Assessment: Coursework

As companies need to become more established in the international environment, the challenge to create, establish, maintain and develop effective policy and practice in managing a more culturally diverse workforce is seen as a pivotal component of business success. The module explores, examines and compares different approaches to HR and how these opportunities available to organisations can facilitate entry or help confirm their position in the global market.

Assessment: Coursework

Developing a business opportunity, whether in a new venture or any existing business if often about spotting what you think is an opportunity and then developing a product or service to address that opportunity. However, businesses often develop new products and services in isolation from customers as they do not want their ideas copied by competitors. However, if there is no conversation with and feedback from the potential end customer during this phase, there is a high risk of wasted time and money as that the product will be require further development at best and at worst, could be a total failure. An alternative approach is that of the lean business venture. In this approach, a minimum

Assessment: Coursework

The analysis of financial statements can tell us a great deal about the health of a company and its ability to deal with future challenges, which is a key skill in any business environment, whether or not profit is the primary motivation. This module concentrates on using the financial, economic and non-quantitative information available to assess the relative strengths of entities and their ability to react to the impact of outside forces on their performance.

Assessment: Coursework

The rapid development rate of technology has increased customer expectations with regard to when and where we buy and collect our products, which has led to the development of the ‘Omni’ channel concept and making retailers re-think how they store and distribute their products. Whilst learning about traditional distribution channels, this module will also enable you to explore the Omni channel concept and the potential impacts on distribution centre and outbound logistics activities and operations, together with understanding the vital links between such operations and other aspects of the business (the value chain). Many organisations focus on the outbound logistics and getting the goods to

Assessment: Coursework

This module has been developed in response to demand from employers for graduates who understand the importance and complexity of branding for 21st-century marketing. One of the key challenges for organisations and individuals (eg celebrity) is to create distinctive, sustainable and differentiated identities and positions for themselves in an increasingly cluttered marketplace. Developing celebrity and brands based on other forms of popular culture that accurately and effectively reflect their goals, values, personality and aspirations on the one hand and benefits and satisfaction sought by a variety of customers on the other is one way in which organisations can increase their visibility, d

Assessment: Coursework

This module seeks to develop your understanding of the emerging area of international entrepreneurship and how you can apply that knowledge in a real life situation. In recent years, international business and entrepreneurship have been coalescing into a single cognate area that is now becoming regarded as cohesive in its own right. Trading blocs such as the EU have placed emphasis on entrepreneurship as an engine of economic growth and the trend towards greater international involvement of SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) is accelerated by technological advances. At the same time, globalisation has prompted the re-emergence of local cultures which influence the growth of entreprene

Assessment: Coursework

This module studies the global business using a combined strategic and economic approach. As part of this module, you will explore the recent major global economic shifts and analyse current international business events. You will study the key theoretical underpinnings, trends and challenges of international trade and foreign direct investment. You will analyse the importance of government and institutions in controlling/regulating international business behaviour. This will allow you to consider the long-term sustainability of businesses in the ever-changing, and often hostile, global business environment and help you understand the critical role played by strategic management. You will le

Assessment: Coursework

This module is about the concepts of Leadership and Management. It explores the similarities and differences in the roles and responsibilities of leaders and managers in the workplace and the development of leadership theoretical approaches as well as the practical application of these within organisations. Students will analyse the skills and competencies of effective organisational leaders and examine alternative methods of leadership development to enhance these.

Assessment: Coursework

This double module, extending over two semesters, aims to facilitate your undertaking a piece of independently researched work, on a subject area generated by you in negotiation with a designated supervisor. The topic will be theoretically-based, in depth, and will extend your understanding, skills, and analyses developed through the first two years of the programme. Your approach in terms of research methodology, theoretical basis and level of engagement will reflect the increased intellectual sophistication of the subject at Level Six. The varying skills accrued in this module will prove essential to your future employability and personal development, as well as providing an excellent fram

Assessment: Coursework

This module provides you with an opportunity to experience working in a cultural, creative, arts, heritage or related organisation and to develop valuable academic and transferable skills. The main focus is to negotiate and conduct a work-based project with an employer or other outside body. This might be a museum or gallery, a cinema or theatre, a radio or TV station, or an educational establishment, for example. It allows you to bring your academic skills to an organisation, to complete a project that would be useful to them (and, in many cases, the wider community), and gives you the opportunity to gain valuable work experience relevant to your chosen career path.

Assessment: Coursework

This module will examine the legacies of modernism, with particular reference to the French philosophical and literary movement known as Existentialism and the subsequent development of postmodernism. In relation to a diverse range of innovative and subversive works of literature, we will consider in depth existentialist notions of responsibility, bad faith, freedom and the absurd as well as postmodern ideas concerning the fictional nature of ‘reality’. Therefore, as well as engaging with major British, European and American writers of the twentieth century, we will consider concurrent developments in film, visual art, theory and philosophy. Assessment is by coursework and seminar participat

Assessment: Coursework, Practical