This is a 40-credit core module running in the first semester of the MSc Business with programme and is developed for those of you who have little or no prior business and management subject experience. The aim of the module is to introduce you to the main business functions – Finance, Marketing, HRM, Operations, Strategy – and show how each can contribute to the competitive advantage of a firm and hence enable the firm to achieve its strategic objectives.

This module engages you in personal and professional development in order that you develop and hone your team working, management and leadership skills, capabilities and attributes, and in so doing, enhance your employability. On this module, you will not only prepare for your first job after you graduate but also kick-start your commitment to life-long personal and professional learning.

In the first part of the module you will be supported in a self-analysis by a range of activities, including the completion of self-administered tool-kits to demonstrate an increased self-awareness and self-understanding. A key outcome of this process is how you will be able to exploit this development in order to lead, and manage, more effectively in your future careers.

The second part of the module contains activities which enable you to build on your self-analysis and explore further your strengths, weaknesses and areas for development in the context of your career development plans. This will also include the development of knowledge into the global graduate market, (including routes such as self-employment and developing your career with an existing employer) drawing upon local, national and international examples.

This module will provide you with the essential knowledge and analytics skills needed for you to complete a high-quality Masters’ Dissertation. By undertaking and reflecting on practical research-based activities you will understand the process of designing and carrying out a research study, also you will engage in activities that involve an understanding of data and analysis of data. This will place you in a strong position to undertake your own Masters’ level research.  At the end of the module, you will write a research proposal, this will be assessed and will contribute to your final mark. In the dissertation you will work under the supervision of a member of the academic staff and your proposal will also help to ensure you get the most from this relationship.

This module aims to increase your awareness and understanding of the issues and challenges of starting up and operating a small business and being entrepreneurial. As entrepreneurship requires a strong focus on practice, this will be achieved by providing you with a practical insight into setting up and trading as a small business, raising awareness of self-employment as a viable career option.

You will learn about entrepreneurship as a process, the entrepreneurial person, ideation and opportunity recognition, pitching and presenting, business planning, idea validation, resource acquisition, market analysis, customers and selling, entrepreneurial marketing, networking, and accelerators, incubation and support. You will learn how to identify, explore and progress your own business idea and be supported in your experience of planning this idea over the course of the module, recognising patterns and opportunities in complex situations and environments.

This module is developed for those of you who have prior awareness of entrepreneurship and seek a deeper understanding of contemporary issues of entrepreneurship and small business subjects.

The aim of the module is to introduce you to the main theoretical concepts of entrepreneurship and small business – Entrepreneurship Characteristics; Creativity; Risk and Strategic Options; Technology Innovation; Networks; Sustainability; Orientation – and show how each can contribute to the activities, success or otherwise of entrepreneurship. On completion of the module, you will be able to demonstrate critical thinking skills suitable for strategic leadership roles adept at organisational change and innovation and utilise oral, written and communication skills.

The aim of this module is to support your study, language and communication skills for academic purposes in the study in your chosen discipline at postgraduate level.   The module is designed to enable you to become an advanced independent learner. The module is supported by a teaching and learning plan which outlines the formal sessions. Interactive workshops will be tailored to address some of the specific issues that you meet within your discipline.  You may also be asked to complete some preparation tasks for some seminars but these will be kept to minimum.  You will be expected to identify those skills which you need within your postgraduate programme, and to develop these independently through a range of learning activities that might include extended reading, and reflection.

You will design a research project of 15000 words while working under the supervision of a member of academic staff who will give you appropriate guidance and support throughout the dissertation process whilst encouraging learner autonomy: this is your dissertation and you will have responsibility for decision making as the dissertation proceeds. You will use appropriate research methodologies and data collection methods to critically synthesise a body of knowledge relevant to the taught programme.

For successful completion of this module, you will conduct research and organise the findings into a comprehensive and explicit structure that is critically assessed and is linked to the conclusions drawn.  You will demonstrate this by identifying a topic, critically selecting and applying an appropriate research methodology and data collection method(s) to your chosen research topic, demonstrating a rigorous understanding of the relevant theory and literature and showing how these link to the research method(s).  You will also critically reflect on how your research contributes to the understanding of the topic area.