International Business Management

Taught modules

Compulsory modules

• The Practice of Business and Management

  This module will help you to build and develop your knowledge in International Business and Management in an progressive way. 

  You’ll learn about the four key business functions of:

  • Operations
  • Finance
  • Marketing
  • Human Resources.

  You’ll build the knowledge and understanding of how the business functions contribute to the success of an organisation and how to gain a competitive advantage.

• Strategy, Innovation and Change Management

  You will develop knowledge in the area of strategic change management, and innovation. You’ll gain understanding of the organisation and the economic context of the business environment. 

  Through this module you build your insight into a series of relevant and current topics that represent key issues around innovation and change and the organisational context in modern general management; strategic management, including the critical evaluation of the business and economic environment.

• Developing Skills for Leadership and Employability

  You’ll develop self-awareness of your own strengths and weaknesses as an effective leader and team player. This module will help you develop and improve a range of definable skills which are pivotal to successful management practice and effective leadership. 

  You’ll progress essential skills such as the confidence and the ability to articulate your skills and attributes that are required for professional development, lifelong learning and employment. You’ll also have the opportunity to explore different leadership perspectives on:

  • ethics
  • Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
  • sustainability
  • technology 
  • and change.

Optional modules

• Customer Behaviour

  You'll examine consumer behaviour in relation to global challenges such as climate change, inequality, poverty, and the wealth gap. Grounded in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 12, you'll explore how consumer choices contribute to and can help address sustainability challenges.

  Drawing on behavioural science, psychology, sociology, macro marketing, and ethical consumption theories, you'll analyse digital influence, AI, VR, neuroscience, and misinformation in shaping behaviour. The module also incorporates futurism and creative thinking to reimagine sustainable consumption practices. Through contemporary research and applied analysis, you'll gain insight into the transformative potential of sustainable consumer behaviour for a better future.

• Sustainable Global Marketing

  You'll focus on developing marketing strategies in a sustainable global world. While learning how to select and apply a range of marketing theories, concepts and approaches in order to inform the decision-making processes involved in developing marketing strategies in a global context. 
  
  This module also embraces relevant UN Sustainable Development Goals and their relevance for responsible marketing practitioners. The main aim of this module is to ensure that you'll understand and appreciate the importance of ethical, sustainable, social, cultural and environmental issues in the global marketplace and the profound impact these factors have on marketing practices in a global context.

• Digital Marketing Applications and Big Data

  Explore how digital technologies, big data, and AI-driven tools are transforming modern marketing strategy, execution, and performance measurement. You'll develop skills to apply marketing and competitive positioning frameworks across digital channels, including social, mobile, and emerging platforms. 

  You'll use an evidence-based decision-making, through marketing analytics, web and app analytics, campaign measurement, and consumer behaviour analysis. You'll learn to extract insights from structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data such as social media, reviews, and search activity. Also you'll examine AI-enabled marketing practices, automation, governance, privacy, and bias, while strengthening your ability to communicate insights through dashboards and executive-level recommendations.

• Data Driven Decision Marketing

  In this module, you’ll understand how to make decisions for businesses under uncertainty and risky conditions.
  
  You’ll critically evaluate and apply decision science frameworks. You’ll also develop a critical understanding of how data can be used to simulate situations, which informs management decision making in a range of functions as well as how it creates strategic value. Throughout this module, you’ll be encouraged to engage with contemporary and ethical issues surrounding responsible decision-making practices and you’ll engage with the organisational and wider environmental context in which these decisions are made.

• Business Intelligence

  Business Intelligence (BI) refers to technologies, applications, and practices for the collection, integration, analysis, and presentation of business information. The purpose of business intelligence is to support better business decision making. 

  You’ll gain an understanding of the technology of BI and its application to an organisation’s strategies and goals. By using theory and knowledge, you’ll be equipped to extensively apply data and perform statistical and qualitative analyses that help drive business decisions and actions. You’ll also learn the business intelligence techniques and skills to understand, evaluate, and interpret business and performance metrics and tools. All of this will enable you to improve individual and organisational performance, which can be used to update organisational policies and procedures.

• Procurement and Supply Chain Management

  In an increasingly globalised business environment, the ability of organisations to identify, and then to manage, supply networks and individual chains of supply have grown in its significance. 

  You'll learn about the key elements and activities within Procurement and Supply Chain management, how this function supports the wider organisation and its objectives, and how these activities can be managed to ensure the optimal outcome.

  You'll build your knowledge of upstream and downstream relationships with suppliers and customers are managed effectively to ensure value is added whilst controlling costs and ultimately satisfying the customer. 

• Group Consultancy Project

  The purpose of this intensive experiential learning module is to help you gain project and consultancy experience working in cross-cultural teams. 

  You can work on a real problem within a client organisation.  A series of workshops are held on consultancy and projects, building on your previous learning in your studies. You'll apply your understanding of management in relation to specific organisational problems.  

  You'll develop practical problem-solving skills as well as communication and the ability to work in cross-cultural teams.

• Investment and Asset Management

  This module details the various asset classes that investors might consider in forming portfolios. You'll gain hands-on experience of building a diversified portfolio, hedging using derivatives, and analysing its performance and risk using the Bloomberg terminal. 

  The fundamentals you'll learn in this module will be particularly beneficial for a career in asset management, investment banking, and wealth management. Your primary focus will be on building an equity and bond portfolio, although other asset classes will also be introduced to you.

• Global Markets and Institutions

  Explore the role of financial markets and institutions in connecting providers and users of funds within global financial systems. You'll examine different types of securities, their risk-return characteristics, and their functions in managing or hedging risk. Key topics include asset pricing, market efficiency, and critiques of the efficient market hypothesis. 

  You'll analyse how globalisation, technological innovation, and regulatory reforms have transformed financial institutions and systems. You'll conclude with a critical evaluation of financial sector regulation and its effectiveness in addressing contemporary challenges. An international perspective is emphasised throughout, comparing regulatory approaches in OECD nations and countries from the global South.

• Managing International Organisations

  Examine a range of international organisations and their different purposes. Your studies will focus on multinational companies, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the European Union and other similar organisations such as the UN. These institutions influence and relate to the operations of global businesses. You'll also explore the political, economic and social environments in which international organisations function and the challenges they face. Also leading business executives and subject experts will be invited to speak with you.

• Academic English for Postgraduate Studies

  This non-credit-bearing module focuses on developing the academic writing and reading skills required when undertaking postgraduate level study. It will help you develop your understanding of key features of successful academic writing, including how to integrate sources to support arguments, how to demonstrate critical thinking and how to address assessment tasks effectively. Critical reading and research skills are also developed as well as Critical AI Literacy. It is particularly suitable for postgraduate students who have had little or no previous Academic English training or study experience in a UK university.