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.
View the full module definitionThis module equips you with essential business skills and knowledge to identify opportunities and develop and execute a successful product or service tailored to the uniquely challenging winter market. You’ll explore core business concepts, including value proposition development, market research, marketing strategies, and budgeting whilst working as part of a team and building skills in leadership and decision-making in a dynamic business environment. You’ll learn to conduct industry-specific research, understand customer needs, and devise marketing strategies that respond to seasonal demand. You’ll also develop SMART objectives and apply Effectuation Theory to guide decision-making in uncertain market conditions. Additionally, the module covers important aspects of business operations, such as event planning, regulations (e.g. for food products), and the ethical use of artificial intelligence (AI) in business contexts. Throughout the module, you’ll engage in team-building exercises, leadership development, and budget management while working collaboratively on your business plans. By the end of the course, you’ll be ready to apply these skills in a real-world scenario, culminating in a final winter market event where you’ll pitch your product or service to a public audience, integrating all aspects of your learning.
View the full module definitionThis module introduces you to foundational understanding of the financial environment and essential analytical skills required for business decision-making. It covers important parts of financial systems, trends in digital finance and FinTech, ethical principles, sustainability, and the role of financial markets. You'll learn to evaluate financial data using advanced analytical techniques, supported by practical applications such as ratio analysis, financial statement interpretation, and the use of Microsoft Excel. By engaging with this module, you'll gain an in-depth appreciation for the financial decision-making process, including investment appraisal, the time value of money, and the evaluation of financial data credibility. The module also emphasises the application of theoretical knowledge to real-life situations, helping you build valuable skills for careers in business, accounting, and finance.
View the full module definitionIn an increasingly interconnected and interdependent world, understanding the global business environment is paramount for future leaders, entrepreneurs, and policymakers. This module delves deep into the multifaceted dynamics that shape international business operations and markets. Spanning from global trade patterns and international market structures to the nuanced socio-cultural and political factors that influence cross-border transactions, this module provides you with a comprehensive overview of the challenges and opportunities inherent in global commerce. Through a blend of theoretical frameworks and real-world case studies, you’ll gain insights into the external forces impacting multinational corporations, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) beyond their domestic markets. This module will introduce concepts, models and frameworks that can be applied to increase the probability of success for your own organisations and will equip you to develop your own plans within the overall business context. It also emphasizes the importance of critical thinking and problem-solving in the context of global business, equipping you with the skills required to analyse complex information and make strategic decisions.
View the full module definitionOrganisational behaviour is about learning how people behave in, and towards, organisations so as to better understand how to be a high performing employee. In this module you'll be introduced to a range of organisational behaviour issues that you may encounter in your career, from dealing with demotivation to building and participating in high performing, diverse teams. You'll be provided with evidence-informed analyses of the ways in which culture, leadership, power, and politics affect workers and workplaces to help you understand the human side of management, and diagnose problems affecting organisations both independently and as part of a group. Running through the module, also, is a key theme of how technology affects work and workers; we'll begin with the creation of Scientific Management and the growth of assembly lines that transformed skilled, independent humans into semi- and un-skilled workers, and consider whether there are any parallels with the growing interest in AI in the business world. Along the way you'll have the opportunity to tackle business issues using organisational behaviour-related theories, models, concepts and research evidence to build your human and social capitals, and critical analysis skills. At the module's core is the aim to inspire you to value and continuously use the best available management research and evidence to effectively manage and lead people, cultures, and organisations throughout your careers.
View the full module definitionEntering higher education is exciting; but it can also be a daunting experience. At ARU, we want all our students to make the most of the opportunities higher education provides, reach your potential, become lifelong learners and find fulfilling careers. However, we appreciate that the shift from secondary education, or a return to formal education is, in itself, quite a journey. This module is designed to ease that transition. You'll be enrolled on it as soon as you receive an offer from ARU so you can begin to learn about university life before your course starts. Through Into ARU, you'll explore a virtual land modelled around ARU values: Courage, Innovation, Community, Integrity, Responsibility, and Ambition. This innovative module is designed as a game, where you collect knowledge and complete mini tasks. You'll proceed at your own pace, though we you to have completed your Into ARU exploration by week 6. If for any reason you're unable to complete by that date, we'll signpost to existing services so that we can be confident that you are supported.
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.
View the full module definitionProject 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.
View the full module definitionThis 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.
View the full module definitionYou'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.
View the full module definitionRuskin 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.
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.
View the full module definitionYou'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.
View the full module definitionPeople 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.
View the full module definitionYou'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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