Programme Title: Bsc International Business and Management

UNIVERSITY OF BRADFORDFaculty of Management and LawSchool of Management

Programme title: BSc International Business and Management

Introduction

The BSc (Hons) International Business and Management degree provides you with a broad, critical and integrative study of the business processes, activities and challenges associated with business operations in an international and global context. Managers and business owners in the 21st century operate in an increasingly complex, interdependent and dynamic international environment. Indeed, most businesses today, whether small firms or large companies, are increasingly international in their scope of operations. As a result, there is a strong demand for managers who can combine a range of managerial skills and knowledge, with the knowledge and ability to function effectively in an international environment.

BSc (Hons) International Business and Management willsuit you if you are interested in the global and international dimensions of organisations. It is ideal for those wishing to pursue a general business management degree, with the added benefit of a strong international businessorientation. Either way, this programme will prepare you for a professional career in business and management set firmly within thecontext of theglobal economy. Following a broad introduction to business and management practice in the first year, you will take a number of core specialist modules in the second and third years. These modules will help you develop the skills and attributes needed in order to establish a career in a company, small firm, government organisation or other internationally focused organisations

The University of Bradford’s School of Management is an exciting and innovative place to study. The programme is delivered by the Marketing, Strategy and International Business team at the School (ranked as the number 1 business school in the North of England and the top ten nationally by the Financial Times).You will benefit from the fact that this programme is taught by international staff. Academics within the School are actively engaged in international business research and work closely with leading international companies while guest speakers from business are a regular feature of most modules.

If you want to enrich your international business experience, you can take advantage of the opportunity to do a one year work placement (either internationally or in an internationally oriented business in the UK) by opting for the four year degree.

Placement Year

You will have the opportunity to do a one year work placement, if you opt for the 4 year degree. Work placements are extremely valuable in helping students to develop their understanding of business and management. Historically, students who have undertaken a placement year attain higher degree classifications and improved graduate employment prospects. It will be your responsibility to find a work placement, but you are fully supported by our dedicated work placements team who will advertise placement vacancies, help you with applications, CV writing, interview techniques and preparing for your time in work. There are regular visits to the School of Management by representatives of local and international companies, looking to recruit graduates. There are also great opportunities for students to do shorter internships (6 or 8 weeks) or in-company projects and many of these specifically seek International Business students.

Should you choose a work placement year,the 20 credit work-based learning module will be a core module. This module requires students to apply taught concepts from the programme to real work based experiences. The module credits will count towards your final year of study and thereby spread your final year studies across two years, providing time in your final year to search for graduate employment.

Study Abroad

You can opt to study abroad in one of over 20 partner institutions, ranging from Canada and the USA to Holland, France, Spain, Sweden, India, Oman and more. You will be taught in English and your credits can be transferred to your degree credits here.

Programme Aims

The programme is intended to:

• enable you to apply theoretical knowledge to complex (international business) situations which are characterised by limited or contradictory information.

• equip you with the knowledge, understanding and skills to prepare you for an effective career in international business, or for further study in international business.
• provide a supportive, structured environment in which you are encouraged to develop independent learning skills for lifelong learning.
• develop in you an appreciation of the principles and importance of sustainability in the context of the global business environment
• provide you with the skills and competences to enhance your employability and which will open up opportunities for meaningful employment when you graduate.
• provide you with the means to develop personal transferable and managerial skills fundamental for your career development and future progression

Programme Learning Outcomes

When you have completed Level 4 of this programme you will be able to:

LO1 demonstrate an understanding of management knowledge within the various key business and management disciplines including, for example, a generalised awareness of business, economics; accounting and finance; marketing; operations, information and data management; and human resource management.

LO2understand skills for the management of people, finance, marketing and operations.

LO3 understand the sustainability agenda in its broadest sense.

LO4 demonstrate information technology skills relevant to an evolving business environment.

LO5 interpret and relay information to describe business decisions.

LO6 express confidence in report writing and oral presentation.

LO7 engage in effective team working skills and demonstrate the ability to work effectively with others.

LO8 identify your on-going professional and career development needs and to take action to maintain your knowledge and skills.

When you have completed Level 5 of this programme you will be able to:

LO9 assess management knowledge within the various key business and management disciplines in order to inform business decision making processes.

LO10 classify and evaluate theory in orderto support local, national and international decision making.

LO11 understand specialist knowledge in international business and other subject areas, reflecting your choice of modules from the range of options on offer.

LO12 select and apply appropriately skills for the management of people, finance, marketing and operations.

LO13 review and analyse business decisions, taking into account the complexity of the sustainability agenda in its broadest sense.

LO14 demonstrate the ability to assess information and be creative in problem solving.

LO15 compare business issues in both written and oral presentation.

LO16 recognise and evaluate the value of collaborative working.

LO17 review your on-going professional and career development needs and to take action to maintain your knowledge and skills.

When you have completed Level 6 of this programme you will be able to:

LO18 critically evaluate and then apply appropriate international business theories, models, techniques and tools for the analysis of domestic and international business situations and for the solution of domestic and international business problems.

LO19 appraise and apply advanced specialist knowledge in particular subject areas which will reflect your choice of modules from the range of options on offer.

LO20 evaluate the development of appropriate polices and strategies within a changing global environment to meet stakeholder interests and engage with the complexity of the sustainability agenda in its broadest sense.

LO21 research, analyse and evaluate information to inform international business decision making and debate.

LO22 critically evaluate and debate theory and practice in written and oral presentation.

LO23 initiate and take personal responsibility for successful and collaborative working.

A Bachelor’s degree (Ordinary)may be awarded to students who have demonstrated:

• a systematic understanding of key aspects of their field of study, including acquisition of coherent and detailed knowledge informed by aspects of a general business and management.
• an ability to deploy accurately established techniques of analysis and enquiry within general business and management.
• conceptual understanding that enables the student:
• to devise and sustain arguments, and/or to solve problems, using ideas and techniques.
• to describe and comment upon particular aspects of current research, or equivalent scholarship, or practice in general business and management.
• an appreciation of the uncertainty, ambiguity and limits of knowledge.
• the ability to manage their own learning, and to make use of primary sources.

Typically, holders of the qualification will be able to:

• apply the methods and techniques that they have learned to review, consolidate, extend and apply their knowledge and understanding.
• communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialist and non specialist audiences.

And holders will have:

• the qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment requiring:
• the exercise of initiative and personal responsibility
• the learning ability needed to undertake appropriate further training of a professional or equivalent nature.

The holders of a Bachelor’s degree (Ordinary) will meet the above learning outcomes, but undertake fewer credit requirements as per the University regulations.

Curriculum

The map of your studies is detailed below. Each Stage or taught ‘year’ of an Honours programme consists of two semesters. The programme contains a mixture of 20 and 10 credit modules, delivered either over the full teaching year, or over one semester.

A number of modules are core to the programme (compulsory for all students) and have two primary purposes.

Stage 1 contains foundation modules which provide grounding in the fundamentals of business and management areas.

In Stage 2 you will study MAN2011M Business Law and MAN2012L Employability and Enterprise Skills which develops your ability to search for work, make applications and be successively employed

In addition to these modules Stage 2 includes a further 60 credits worth of core modules and 30 credits worth of optional modules. By the end of this Stage, you will have gained skills in key business areas and begun to develop research skills that underpin your evaluation of both theory and application.

In Stage 3 you will study 60 credits of core modules (80 for those who have undertaken a placement) in both strategic disciplines and specialist international applications of the key business disciplines.

Stage 1 – Framework for Higher Education Level 4 (Certificate in Higher Education)

Students who have achieved at least 120 credit points at Level 4 may exit the programme and are eligible for the award of Certificate of Higher Education.

Stage 2 – Framework for Higher Education Level 5 (Diploma in Higher Education)

Students who have achieved 120 credit points at Level 5 may exit the programme and are eligible for the award of Diploma of Higher Education.

Stage 3 – Framework for Higher Education Level 6 (Bachelors)

C= Compulsory/Core module O = Optional module

Students who have achieved 120 credit points at Level 6are eligible for the award of BSc (Hons) International Business and Management.

The curriculum may change, subject to the University's programme approval, monitoring and review procedures.

Learning, Teaching and Assessment Strategies

Your programme of study has three, one year long, stages of study. Within each stage you will gain knowledge and understanding specific to business and management. You will also acquire personal transferable skills at each stage which will improve and enhance your ability to excel at university and beyond.

Stage 1 of the programme contains only core modules and provides the foundation level understanding to support the attainment of learning outcomes 1 to 8. During stage one core knowledge and understanding of business and management will be introduced (LO1-5). Alongside which, key graduate learner skills including communication and the correct sourcing, use of and presentation of information including referencing will be introduced. Such skills will enable you to write in an academic manner (LO6) and begin to reflect on the value and usefulness of the information (LO5) with which you are presented, engage in team working (LO7) and consider your future career paths (LO8).

Stage 2 contains core modules in MAN2011M Business Law and MAN2012L Employability and Enterprise Skills. Business Law continues the development of theory and provides more specialist knowledge to underpin business decision making (LO11) and Employability and Enterprise Skills supports the attainment of core transferable skills such as problem solving and career enhancement (LO14 and 17). During Stage 2 of the programme you begin to develop specialist knowledge and understanding of the key disciplines, and are encouraged to critically review the current theory and its practical applications. (LO9, 11 and 13).

During Stage 2 you will encounter a wide variety of assessments that build and test graduate attributes (LO14, 15 and 16), the focus here is more on interpretation and evaluation, rather than understanding and description (LO9-16).

In Stage 3 you will be prepared to demonstrate your ability as an independent learner. For this stage, advanced specialist knowledge in strategy and international business is gained via the core modules. You will be presented with teaching materials, methods and assessment strategies that will require you to be more evaluative and critical of theory and utilise problem solving skills, often in relation to advanced business scenarios in either your core or chosen option modules (LO19-20).For instance MAN0710M Retail Marketing provides the opportunity to work in teams, competing with others in a computerised business simulation. (LO 18, 21, & 23)

Graduate transferable skills with be gained as you research information in depth (LO21) and communicate this effectively, either individually (LO22) or as part of a group (LO23).

The School of Management prides itself on providing an educational experience which is informed by the world class research of the School’s academic staff. The School also has a long tradition of ensuring that students develop academically with knowledge, understanding and personal skills that are relevant and fit the needs of contemporary business. Together, the exploration of leading research ideas and the application of knowledge and skills to real business problems pose interesting and appropriate challenges to our students.

We understand you may arrive from school, college or some other route as a tutor dependent learner, following prescribed lesson plans and assessments. Through a transformational educational experience you will graduate as an independent learner, able to identify your own learning needs, sources of information and an ability to critically evaluate, reflect upon and develop your own learning. This process of transformation will be gradual, progressive and supportive. Through each stage of study progressively more advanced skills, experiences and expectations will be introduced, challenging you to mature as a learner within a supportive and developmental environment.

Methods of assessment vary according to the learning outcomes of particular modules and the stage of study. Accordingly, a mixture of closed and open book examinations, essays, case study analysis, computer assisted assessment, group work and presentations will be used to assess your learning. Throughout the programme your learning will be supported using various methods of formative assessment and feedback. This is to help you progress your studies and support your continuing development.

For all taught modules your learning will be directed, supported and reinforced through a combination of lectures, tutorials, small group seminars, virtual learning environment activities and guided private studies. The School is also committed to demonstrating the relevance of taught material to real business problems,guest speakers from the marketing industry allow you to hear about current and topical issues from practitioners from a variety of organizations. Whilereal industry sponsored business problems are used for assessment purposes.