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.
This module aims to provide essential quantitative skills useful for economists. You’ll work with those mathematical tools and methods which are used frequently in economics to provide the mathematical foundations necessary to study second year economics modules such as Micro and Macro Economics and Introduction to Econometrics. You’ll begin with revision of basic algebra, covering exponents, roots and logarithms and manipulation of algebraic expressions before progressing on to linear and non-linear equations, differentiation and elementary statistics. To further aid your understanding you will undertake exercises during seminars where you’ll learn how to put that theory into practice solving complex problems and applying those principles to economic examples.
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.
Financial management is the assessment of the investment and financing decisions of firms and you’ll gain knowledge of the theoretical foundations underlying much of financial management practice and learn how those theories should be applied in practice. You’ll learn how to apply problem solving and analytical skills to complex and current issues in corporate finance.
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 definitionIn this module you’ll build your knowledge of those factors affecting firms and countries performance. You’ll discuss the theoretical explanations offered by economists and social scientists and examines the writing of leading experts. By the end of the modules you’ll be able to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of alternative explanations of firms strategies, performance and countries economic growth and development. Within Micro Economics you'll look at the way in which varying decision-making units make decisions, the fundamental concepts that underpin these and the firms' input and output decisions based on profit maximisation and cost minimization in different market sessions.You'll explore customer choice based on utility maximisation and how it applies to the labour market as well as game theory approaches and asymmetric information problems, such as adverse selection, moral hazard and principle-agent problems. In Macro Economics you'll consider determination of national income, the workings of the monetary system, causes and consequences of inflation and the reasons behind unemployment. You'll explore in more detail the determinants of positive, zero and negative growth as well as how growth and development are affected by changes in population numbers, resources, infrastructure, innovation, government intervention and stability. You'll understand how economists are able to define, evaluate, measure and attempt to boost employment, economic growth and development to reduce inflation and public debt.
View the full module definitionThe aim of this module is to introduce the tools and concepts necessary to perform empirical research projects based on data analysis, from a practical perspective. You’ll get a sound understanding of how to ask questions of data to look at the existence of statistical relationships among different characteristics or variables. Most questions will be on the possible existence of statistical relationships among different characteristics or variables in the data sets. As datasets are most often samples of an original population, you'll focus on how to extend empirical findings from the sampling data to statistical statements about the populations, how to collect, manage and prepare secondary data for a research project and using the econometrics software Stata. You'll test your hypotheses using the linear regression model, an essential step to understand differences between causation and correlation and be introduced to the concepts of Multiple Linear Regression Analysis. Every topic will be accompanied by a practical computer workshop, where you'll use basic commands of Stata software to produce an independent empirical research project.
View the full module definitionYou'll apply economic theories and methods to current economic or socioeconomic policy issues and think ‘outside the box’ when addressing these issues. You'll gain an understanding of the original formulation of fundamental analytical and technical methods and theoretical concepts in economics as well as an understanding of the continuing relevance of these methods and concepts. It will provide you with the awareness of the socio-economics issues and allows you to explore economic ideas to inform your participation in discussions and debates on economic affairs of today. You'll engage in informed discussion with specialists and non-specialists alike on issues currently reviving widespread attention in the media and public debate generally.
View the full module definitionBehavioural economics is an exciting and growing research field which integrates insights from psychology, and other social sciences, into economics. Standard economic models assume that people always make rational choices, however there is continually mounting empirical evidence that challenges the assumption of rationality. Behavioural economics aims at understanding how people actually make choices and to translate this into economic models based on more realistic psychological foundations. This module provides an introduction to behavioural economics. The module is split into two parts. The first part will provide you with a broad overview of key concepts and findings in behavioural economics, focusing on the conceptual foundations (core assumptions and models) and exploring the implications of these to the decision-making in a variety of situations. In the second part, you will apply, and further build, your knowledge in behavioural economics in a project. In this part, there will be three progress meetings under the guidance/supervision of the module leader/tutor in which you will receive formative feedback on fortnightly project milestones that will help guide you through to the completion of the project.
You'll gain a rigorous grounding in the theory and practice of corporate finance at an advanced level with an emphasis on the applications of the principles and a thorough synthesis of the most important current research. Both normative and positive aspects of the theory are examined, together with supporting descriptive and empirical evidence from various implications in practice. You'll focus on key aspects of the financial operations related to maximising the valuation of a corporation in an international financial environment. Principles that corporations use in their investment and financing decision-making are reviewed and evaluated using practical examples. You'll be introduced to the wider corporate financial operations, including hedging and financial derivatives, including financial leverage and capital structure, portfolio and evaluation models, mergers and acquisitions, business valuations, foreign exchange market, forward and money market hedging, financial futures and options, interest rate swaps. This module is part of a broader programme offering support for you to study for the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and the Chartered Institute of Bankers (CBI). You'll develop the knowledge and skills required in finance, business analysis and banking related professions or to start your own business through practical tasks involving developing financial strategies, conducting a financial analysis and managing foreign currency risks, among others using professional database such as Bloomberg and Osiris, etc. You'll also develop your professional identity by engaging in tasks that enhance your career development and employability.
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.