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Business with Human Resource Management BSc (Hons)

Cambridge

Year 1

Foundation in Business

In your first year you'll study with our partner, ARU College. This module will provide you with the necessary skills to begin studying at level 4 in courses related to business, accounting, finance, marketing, tourism and economics. You will be introduced to the core skills necessary to succeed in higher education, including thinking critically, researching and referencing appropriately, demonstrating appropriate numeracy and ICT skills, and communicating effectively verbally and in writing. You'll also be introduced to specific concepts related to your degree programmes including the functions of a business, business law, ethics and intercultural studies. Real-world applications of these theories in business will be highlighted, and you will practice applying the theory to case studies. The module is made up of the following eight constituent elements: Interactive Learning Skills and Communication (ILSC); Information Communication Technology (ICT); Critical Thinking; Core Maths; Ethics; Intercultural Studies; Business Law; Introduction to Business.

Year 2

Introduction to Financial Analysis and Management

The module aims to give you a sound grasp of the basic concepts required for financial analysis and management. The module will help you understand the role of managerial finance and financial markets and will enable you to analyse and present data using Microsoft Excel. For those studying BSc (Hons) Business Management and BSc (Hons) Business Management with Placement, successful completion of this module fulfils the requirements of the Chartered Management Institute's Unit 520 Managing Finance.

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Global Business Environment and International Strategy

You'll explore the factors that affect business, from a mostly external perspective, including elements of globalisation and international business and the fundamental skills needed in the world of business. Political, Economics, Social, Legal, Ecological and Technological factors will be examined in the macro business environment and how these interact in a competitive environment with globalisation, technological and social change to create complex strategic options for organisations. You will also explore in some detail the concept of sustainability and introductory economics.

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Introduction to Business Contracts and the Law

As an introduction to a broad range of civil legal issues, you'll get an insight and appreciation of the various ways in which the law impacts on the world of commerce and our everyday life. The module provides a foundation across a broad range of fundamental legal principles and concepts of the English Legal System. The rights and obligations of legal entities/individuals under the Law of Contract and the Law of Tort will also be examined.

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Digital Business and Principles of Marketing

This module presents a fusion between the philosophies which underlie marketing, with a strong emphasis of integrating digital and traditional concepts and the real life application of marketing across a variety of sectoral contexts. You'll examine the core marketing concept of customer value and the interplay between marketing and sustainability and the ethical challenges and critiques of modern marketing. You'll gain a wide range of knowledge across a breadth of sectors and be able to adapt these to whatever career or future research you choose. On completion of the module you'll have not only a solid grounding in marketing philosophies and theories but also a critical view of marketing, based around the realisation of the reality of modern digital marketing operations and management in a context of increasing global economic challenges, but also within a context where the customer profile is shifting to become increasingly demanding, critical and questioning of the motivations and ethics behind the marketers activities.

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Organisational Behaviour

You'll be introduced to a range of organisational behaviour issues that you may encounter in your career and be provided with evidence-informed analyses of ways in which culture, leadership, structure and motivation affect workers and workplaces. This foundation enables you to analyse the human side of management and diagnose problems affecting organisations both independently and as part of a group. You'll have the opportunity to take managerial, critical, symbolic-interactivist and feminist perspectives to business issues and organisational behaviour related theories, models and concepts to build your social capital and critical analytical skills. Specifically, we will equip you with the knowledge and human capitals to understand how people and organisations function in individual, group and organisational levels based on the latest academic evidence on topics such as motivation, leadership, teams, organisational structure and culture. Finally, we aim to inspire you to value and continuously use the best available academic evidence on effective management of people and organisations throughout your career.

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Year 3

The Entrepreneurial Journey

Entrepreneurs are people who identify and exploit opportunities for new products, marketing or processes to generate economic and social value. Entrepreneurship is not just about new venture creation, it involves using creative or innovative ideas to recognise and develop solutions. You’ll work as part of a team over 3 rounds of activity (such as gamification, experiential learning and simulation) to focus on the identification of an opportunity, the creation of a product or service and pitching a concept to work as part of the team to develop your skills and collaborate with organisations and guest speakers.

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Project Management and Implementation

Project management is a key skill for any future professional. This module focuses on providing a sound basis for managing or working on projects. In essence, the concept of managing a project hinging on one quite basic principle, managing the triangle of: quality of the project outcomes, cost and time. The module covers: Project Management Body of Knowledge; the importance of stakeholder and risk management; scheduling and costing; monitoring and controlling techniques, time management and resource optimisation; improving the success of projects; and the principles of agile project management.

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Developing Professional Practice and Using Information in HR

This module will give you a sound understanding of the knowledge, skills and behaviours required by human resources (HR) professionals, whether in a generalist or specialist role as described in the CIPD HR Profession Map (HRPM). You’ll embrace the ‘thinking performer’ perspective and cover the competencies needed by HR professionals when collaborating and working with others and functioning efficiently and effectively in an organisational context. You'll assess your own strengths and identify a continuing professional development plan, based on the capabilities required for ethical, business-focused and interpersonal professional conduct, exploring and recognising the strategic importance of the effective management of the human resource and people management and progresses a critical appreciation of the role of HR. You’ll explore and recognise the strategic importance of effective HR management and using work-based research and good practice, critically evaluate the role of HR in formulating strategies to prepare business cases and present viable and realistic improvement which shows an appreciation for issues identified in your research.

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Managing HR and Improving Organisational Performance

You're introduced to the context, theory and practice of human resource management with particular focus on how human resource management can contribute to improving organisational performance. You'll focus on 3 elements; understanding HR Management and the ways this is evolving in different organisation contexts and developments; understanding HR activities (e.g. planning, recruitment and selection, performance management) and organisational performance and how you can improve and sustain organisational performance; research and theory to develop knowledge and understanding of work, HR Mmanagement and organisational development within the wider social and economic, and diverse organisational context, combining strong academic foundations with practical insights of relevance to future careers involving the management of people.

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Ruskin Module (15 credits)

Ruskin Modules are designed to prepare our students for a complex, challenging and changing future. These interdisciplinary modules provide the opportunity to further broaden your perspectives, develop your intellectual flexibility and creativity. You will work with others from different disciplines to enable you to reflect critically on the limitations of a single discipline to solve wider societal concerns. You will be supported to create meaningful connections across disciplines to apply new knowledge to tackle complex problems and key challenges. Ruskin Modules are designed to grow your confidence, seek and maximise opportunities to realise your potential to give you a distinctive edge and enhance your success in the workplace.

Year 4

International Business Strategy and Practice

In this module, you’ll build your knowledge and skills as you navigate the complexities of international business strategy in dynamic and competitive global environments. It emphasises the importance of business analytics and strategic frameworks in decision-making, fostering innovation, and addressing sustainability challenges across borders. The module is designed to develop your entrepreneurial mindset by encouraging creativity, opportunity identification, and risk assessment in global contexts. It integrates a focus on international innovation and management, enabling you to understand how to drive innovation across borders and manage diverse teams effectively. Additionally, the module enhances employability skills, including strategic thinking, leadership, teamwork, and cross-cultural communication. You’ll learn to apply theories and frameworks to practical business scenarios, with a strong emphasis on sustainability and adaptability in volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environments.

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HR Management in Context and Reward Management

You'll explore sustainable work practices and think critically to comply with the highest professional standards. You'll understand key developments in business and external contexts within which HR operates and be encouraged to provide sustainable organisational and HR solutions to address them. You'll gain a wider understanding of how strategies and policies can have an impact upon sustainable business decisions.

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Employment Law and Relations

People represent a key source of sustainable competitive advantage for most organisations. Employment law continues to expand both in terms of volume and complexity and the amount of regulation covering the employment relationship and the workplace has grown substantially in recent years. You'll gain a comprehensive understanding of employment law and employment relations in terms of theory, debates and practices in national and international settings and from a theoretical and behavioural competency perspective. Your knowledge, understanding and skills will let you brief and support organisations on the consequences of current and future developments in employment law/relations and give up-to-date, timely and accurate advice concerning the practical application of key legal principles of UK employment law. This will relate both to collective and individual employment relations and the actions of employers, employees and their respective organisations, whilst offering support and advice to management regarding best practice. Throughout the module you'll reflect critically on theory and practice and take into consideration both legal and ethical issues.

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Undergraduate Major Project

You'll have the opportunity to bring together your learning on live brief assessments and be part of an interdisciplinary team addressing a current issue in business. You'll be presented with a current business issue and be required to research, analyse and evaluate the issue effectively as a team. You'll act as the expert in your field of study to bring the perspective of that specialty to a complex business problem. You'll identify the key problems and issues, conduct literature reviews, evaluate information, investigate and adopt suitable development methodologies, determine solutions, process data, critically appraise and present the findings of your project using a variety of media. You'll create a poster presentation on your project for your team to display, and answer questions on, to an audience of academics and employers at a poster presentation event. You'll write a group business report on the outcomes of your project, evidencing your recommendations alongside an individual piece of reflective work on how you approached the issue, worked successfully as a team member, conducted robust business research and developed sound conclusions and recommendations.

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