Why you should study this course
The study of marketing is grounded in understanding customer needs, the environment in which a company operates, the competitors and their offerings and then developing the most appropriate marketing mix to satisfy customer needs profitably. By integrating the two disciplines of business and marketing, we aim to provide a solid foundation of business knowledge with a clear marketing focus.
Develop your business skills through simulation games, role-play activities, and scenario-based learning by putting theory into practice. The simulation suite is equipped with modern technology, from inter-communication, built-in mics, cameras and the use of virtual reality headsets.
Gain exemption from certain modules of CIM qualifications upon successful completion of our Business and Marketing BA (Hons) course.
Access our DigiComm Lab, equipped with the latest industry-standard marketing and advertising software and devices to support your creative development.
Prepare for a future career in business and marketing with a work placement**. Past students have secured placements at IBM, L’Oreal, Rolls Royce and Warner Brothers.
Guest speakers from industry are invited to give talks about their experiences, which in previous years, have included speakers from McCann Erickson, ITV Studios, Kantar, Marstons and the Mixed Reality Studio among others (guest speaker events are subject to availability).
What you'll study
The main study themes covered on this course are:
We will cover a wide range of topics from business management to entrepreneurship, human resource management, supply chain and managing organisational change.
We will study concepts such as consumer behaviour, marketing research and strategy, as well as specialist options like digital marketing, global marketing and services and retail marketing.
You will be able to choose options such as brand and corporate communications, which aim to teach you how to determine and analyse business problems and devise actions for success.
You will be expected and encouraged to learn how to conduct both primary and secondary research and put your skills into practice by undertaking an independent and in-depth study of a marketing or business topic of your choice. This will form the basis of your final-year dissertation.
Year one
All of our Marketing courses share some first year modules, designed to develop your understanding of business in general and the holistic nature of marketing. We focus on developing your knowledge of the underpinning core principles of business, marketing and advertising, introducing you to market research, marketing planning and communications, which should enable you to become more strategic and specialised in subsequent years. All year one modules are mandatory.
Modules
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Marketing Research and Data Analysis - 20 credits
The aim of this module is to introduce you to the wide range of secondary information that is relevant to marketing decision making. The difference between primary and secondary research is explored and applied in various business scenarios. The module also introduces you to basic techniques to analyse secondary sources of information. You will have an opportunity to base your research presentation on a business case study or your work-embedded experience.
Compulsory
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Marketing Principles and Practice - 20 credits
This module aims to develop your knowledge and understanding of the fundamental theoretical concepts that underpin the marketing function. You will develop an understanding of key marketing theories related to the marketing mix, consumer behaviour, market research, marketing strategy, ethics and digital marketing which will act as a foundation of your future study.
Compulsory
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Employment and Academic Skills - 10 credits
This module aims to introduce you to a range of learning and communication skills and enable you to develop into an active learner. The module intends to drive skills through the overall course syllabus. You will also be expected to start planning for your future career. Skills gained on this module will enhance your career prospects which you can then apply later in your studies and optimise your possibilities for finding fulfilling employment.
Compulsory
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Introduction to Integrated Marketing Communications - 20 credits
This module will introduce you to Integrated Marketing Communications. The module is designed to explore the range of communication tools, such as Advertising, Direct Marketing, Personal Selling, PR and publicity available to practitioners for developing effective communication/promotional material. The module is focused on application and will therefore involve a significant amount of practical work applying different writing skills and innovative marketing communications skills to real life cases and exercises.
Compulsory
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Organising for Business - 20 credits
The aim of the module is to provide you with an introduction to the key principles of business organisation and management, which are required to achieve business objectives in competitive markets. The module will give you the opportunity to comprehend and discuss how market-led businesses organise themselves to achieve competitive success.
Compulsory
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Financial Management for Business - 20 credits
This module is designed to introduce you to the language, concepts and tools commonly used in financial management. In the first half of the module, you will be expected to demonstrate an understanding in the preparation of the core financial statements including income statements, statement of financial position and cash flow, in line with the prescribed international standards.
Compulsory
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Add+vantage module - 10 credits
The Add+vantage module** allows you to develop your CV by taking credits in an area of study that may not be directly related to your degree, enabling you to demonstrate to prospective employers that you are a well-rounded graduate with a wider knowledge base than just your degree subject. Add+vantage modules are arranged around themes including Global Perspectives; Professional Development; Creativity and Enterprise and Entrepreneurship; Work Experience, Global Experience Field Trips, Projects and Skills; Languages; Professional Accreditation and Research Skills**. These additional skills and experiences give you a wider perspective, develop independence and can set you apart from other graduates. The Add+vantage module is subject to change and availability).
Compulsory
Year two
In your second year, you will have the opportunity to further develop your potential career pathway in business and marketing, by being able to explore a variety of marketing subject areas, such as consumer behaviour and marketing insights. All year two modules are mandatory.
Modules
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Marketing Management - 20 credits
This module will enhance your knowledge of marketing principles and practices by enabling you to apply these concepts to the marketing planning process framework. This involves the analysis of marketing data to make effective marketing decisions and develop medium term marketing plans. The module utilises a marketing simulation game operating on a web-based software platform.
Compulsory
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Consumer Behaviour - 20 credits
This module aims to provide you with an insight into how consumers make buying decisions and the various factors, both psychological and social factors that influence the decision-making process. The module provides a sound basis for further study in marketing, advertising and communication psychology.
Compulsory
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Marketing Insight - 20 credits
The aims of this module are to develop your expertise in primary marketing research and data analysis techniques and to develop your research skills for your final year project. You will investigate a range of different research methods and will evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of quantitative and qualitative research. You will also apply analysis techniques to both quantitative and qualitative data, to present insights and recommend solutions for current marketing challenges.
Compulsory
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Digital Business - 20 credits
This module aims to develop your understanding of contemporary business practice in digital environment. The module builds on existing theories and concepts that encourage you to critically assess market opportunities and develop business ideas exclusive to online platforms. The module will offer a critical understanding of opportunities and challenges posed by transforming digital landscape and transforming consumer culture.
Compulsory
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Career Preparation - 10 credits
This module aims to enable you to acquire the confidence and appropriate skills to make an effective transition from education to work. The module has a dual focus: Firstly, you are encouraged to know yourself, to know what kinds of employment you are suited to, and secondly, you are encouraged to develop an awareness of employment markets/potential employers. Skills gained on this module will enhance your career prospects and optimise your possibilities for finding fulfilling employment. You are encouraged to consider, plan and apply for a placement opportunity or work experience**.
Compulsory
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Management and Leadership in Marketing - 20 credits
The aim of this module is to develop an introductory knowledge and understanding of management and leadership theory, with a specific focus on how these are practically applied in a marketing context. At the core of this module is the question: ‘how can market-led businesses manage their people to deliver competitive value propositions to the marketplace?’ Answering this question will require you to understand the distinction between management and leadership as well as understand the main leadership models and theories.
Compulsory
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Add+vantage module - 10 credits
The Add+vantage module** allows you to develop your CV by taking credits in an area of study that may not be directly related to your degree, enabling you to demonstrate to prospective employers that you are a well-rounded graduate with a wider knowledge base than just your degree subject. Add+vantage modules are arranged around themes including Global Perspectives; Professional Development; Creativity and Enterprise and Entrepreneurship; Work Experience, Global Experience Field Trips, Projects and Skills; Languages; Professional Accreditation and Research Skills**. These additional skills and experiences give you a wider perspective, develop independence and can set you apart from other graduates. The Add+vantage module is subject to change and availability).
Compulsory
Final year
In your final year you will have the opportunity to pick an optional module, to help develop your knowledge in an area of interest, such as innovation, entrepreneurship or global marketing. Then, the culmination of your studies will be the completion of an independent research project in a specialist area. There will be support from an academic supervisor who may have direct knowledge and interest in your topic area, and past topics covered have included branding, organisational behaviour, HR management, advertising and entrepreneurship, as examples.
Modules
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Contemporary Marketing Issues - 20 credits
The aim of this module is to enable you to investigate and discuss the latest developments in the academic thinking and practice in marketing and business practice. The module will encourage you to use a range of academic literature to increase your awareness of contemporary marketing issues.
Compulsory
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Career Development - 10 credits
This module aims to enable you to develop and refine skills, allowing you to gain the confidence and the competences needed to make an effective transition from education to employment. Learning gained on this module will enhance your career prospects and optimise your possibilities for finding, and succeeding in, graduate employment and your subsequent career development.
Compulsory
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Marketing Strategy - 20 credits
This module aims to develop your critical understanding of marketing strategy. The module builds on the previous marketing planning knowledge and aims to provide a critical insight into the marketing frameworks studied to date. The module intends to use contemporary strategic marketing theory and practice to provide you with an insight into how this contributes to the development of competitive advantage. The module will also enable you to apply contemporary marketing theory to address organisational challenges. You also have the option to participate in the global X-Culture project (subject to X-culture running)**.
Compulsory
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Responsible Business Strategy - 20 credits
This module challenges you to develop a realistic, yet innovative, strategic vision for current and future business. Responsible business issues are essentially strategic in the way that they are always acknowledged to be long-term matters requiring far-reaching solutions. Sustainability issues span three-time frames, past, present and future, and strategy needs to be designed to compensate for past malpractice, implement change for the present and establish a firm foundation for future.
Compulsory
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Project - 20 credits
This module aims to provide you with an opportunity to apply and develop your research skills and to extend your knowledge, understanding and ability to critically analyse in a specialist area of interest. You will choose an academic area related to your programme of study and apply your independent learning skills to research this area in depth. You will receive academic support through a series of group supervisions and will be allocated a project supervisor.
The module includes three routes, and you will be given the opportunity to select your preferred route, although all project titles must be approved by the project supervisor in advance of commencing the project. The three routes are:
- Route 1: An individual research-based dissertation
- Route 2: An individual project report
- Route 3: A group project report. Where work is completed as part of a group, each group may have no more than five members.
Compulsory
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Add+vantage module - 10 credits
The Add+vantage module** allows you to develop your CV by taking credits in an area of study that may not be directly related to your degree, enabling you to demonstrate to prospective employers that you are a well-rounded graduate with a wider knowledge base than just your degree subject. Add+vantage modules are arranged around themes including Global Perspectives; Professional Development; Creativity and Enterprise and Entrepreneurship; Work Experience, Global Experience Field Trips, Projects and Skills; Languages; Professional Accreditation and Research Skills**. These additional skills and experiences give you a wider perspective, develop independence and can set you apart from other graduates. The Add+vantage module is subject to change and availability)
Compulsory
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Optional modules
Choose one of the following:
- Global Marketing - 20 credits
This module aims to deliver and develop a wide-ranging and contemporary perspective of the international marketplace and the strategic issues involved in marketing across countries and cultures. While the major focus of the module is global marketing, some teaching contents will be from European and other trade blocs (i.e., emerging economies).
- Innovation and Change - 20 credits
This module seeks to explore the theories and frameworks underpinning organisational change to allow you to develop your understanding of what change means, how it happens and how it is best managed. The links between innovation and change in organisations will also be explored and ways in which organisations can develop a culture open to continuous improvement, innovation and change. The material covered draws heavily on 'real' examples of change processes and encourages you to apply the theory you have learned to these examples, to understand the alternative methods of reacting to situations. You will (where appropriate) have the opportunity to use your own experiences of changes within the workplace to further illustrate the material covered. A thorough understanding of the management of change and innovation will help you to make sense of the environment in which you work and the approach of this module will further develop their capacity for critical analysis and synthesis.
- Enterprise and Entrepreneurship - 20 credits
This module aims to develop your understanding of business enterprise, entrepreneurship, start-up processes, effectual and critical thinking as applied to business innovation and creativity. Innovation, creativity and their applicability to entrepreneurship are essential skills for the marketer and business management. The module seeks to provide an academic and experiential perspective in the processes of managing enterprise entrepreneurship.
Optional
