Business and Law

Applied Financial Skills

Building on from first year accounting study, this module allows you to critically evaluate the financial results of strategic and financial decisions as reported by different companies. You’ll develop desirable skills of financial analysis and management accounting to support the needs of future managers and marketing professionals. 

This module will also allow you to develop the confidence to use financial information both independently, and collaboratively with financial specialists. 
 

Independent Study

This module provides your opportunity for independent study on an approved topic that relates to your learning outcomes. It’ll be conducted under academic supervision. You’ll select a topic area relevant to your studies in consultation with academic staff and approved by the module leader. Your self directed study may involve

• action based learning
• based solely on desk research
• limited primary research
• involve a group activity in which individual students have explicit roles, responsibilities and outcomes.
   

Introduction to People Management

This module is designed to introduce you to the operational role and functions of people management and how it supports organisations to manage their diverse workforce in an international context. People management is an essential tool for all line managers as it provides them with the skills, knowledge and competencies that equip you to be effective in how you recruit, motivate and reward your staff. This module offers you an operational ‘toolbox’ that covers all the core, fundamental features of people management.

On successful completion of this module, you will be able to identify the essential components of viable people management policies whilst also illustrating their effectiveness and engage in appropriate and accurate communications amongst different business contexts
 

Enterprise and Entrepreneurship

In this module, you’ll gain a strong knowledge of enterprise, and develop a wide range of relevant entrepreneurial skills. You’ll get to know the rich variety of meanings in enterprise and entrepreneurship. You’ll learn new and innovative ways of thinking about business, increasing your ability to think creatively and effectively for your Law with Business degree. You’ll consider topics including,

• entrepreneurship
• intrapreneurship (when an employee acts like an entrepreneur within an organisation)
• Business spin-offs, including technological ones
• Social and public enterprise. 
   

International Business Law

In this module, you’ll gain a strong understanding of International Business Law. You’ll gain key knowledge of the legal environment of business organisations throughout the world. You’ll gain excellent analytical skills as you compare and contrast these environments, and consider how they affect trading between states. 

Choose one optional module from:

European Union Law

In this module, you’ll get to grips with the European Union (EU) and its foundations. You’ll dig into key areas of law, central to the EU system. And you’ll explore the political and social implications of EU Law. 
You’ll examine the history of EU Law, and its key institutions:

• the European Parliament
• the Council of the European Union
• the European Commission. 

You’ll then focus on Union Law, and how it relates to national law. You’ll also consider the role of the Court of Justice of the EU. You’ll explore substantive law, as you understand the internal market of the EU, including:

• free movement of people
• citizenship.
   

Environmental Law

How do societies react to environmental crises? How do we address environmental problems in the law? In this module, you’ll look at the relevant regulations and laws around the environment. You’ll look beyond legal cases, and consider the historical, political, ethical and technological issues of law and the environment. You’ll examine:

• anthropocentrism vs ecocentrism
• environmental rights and environmental justice
• ecology and conservation
• climate change and risk
• the ethics of environmental law.

You’ll develop key critical skills as you consider the fascinating interaction between the law, society and one of the biggest issues facing humanity - the environment.
 

Understanding Criminal Justice

In this module, you’ll dive into the criminal justice system, and the main issues of criminal justice. You’ll understand  wider aspects of the criminal justice system and engage critically with the system’s flaws and shortcomings. You’ll gain key critical skills as you explore how well the system achieves its aims. You’ll explore specific areas such as:

• punishment
• sentencing
• crime prevention
• community safety
• policing
• youth crime
• prisons
• the criminal court system.

You’ll observe the criminal justice system, first hand. You’ll then devise a social-science experiment to test your understanding of the system you’ve studied. This means you’ll devise a hypothesis on how the criminal justice system operates, and test to see if your hypothesis was right. You’ll conduct work in prisons, police stations and the streets of Oxford, allowing you to access the real world of the criminal justice system.
 

Optional Work Placement Year (includes a Placement Search and Preparation module in your second year)

Learn more about how Oxford Brookes Business School supports students secure a work placement.

Business Ethics

This module is designed to address our changing world that is facing social and environmental challenges. You’ll develop the capacity to make ethically defensible decisions as members of business organisations and of society in general. You’ll analyse and evaluate the ethical propositions of others. And, you’ll evaluate the ethics of different systemic models of production, distribution and exchange.

Upon completing this module, be able evaluate and apply ethical reasoning to local and global business dilemmas and economic systems, and you’ll be able to evaluate the significance of a range of western and non-western ethical perspectives.
 

Independent Study

This module gives you the chance to do research on a topic that fascinates you. You’ll work independently, with the support of our expert academic team, and will carry out work on a specific project of your choosing. You’ll gain core skills for work, including in:

• enquiry
• research 
• analysis 
• evaluation.
   

Business at the Cutting Edge

This module will equip you with the necessary skills to appreciate, understand, and cope with a fast paced, and changing business environment. Within a contextual framework of current disruptive innovations, you’ll also evaluate and challenge the norms of business models. 

You’ll gain analytical skills that can be used to evaluate the impact of disruptive innovation, new technologies, modes of employment and their impact on business now and in the future. These analytical and evaluation skills can also be used to develop directed goals for career development.
 

Contemporary Legal Issues in Business

Through the active involvement in business and law research and community of practice, your understanding of contemporary legal issues in business will broaden.  You will learn essential research and self-development skills as well as insight into your understanding of career aspirations. 

You will learn to explore issues more deeply through the lens of contemporary research and debates. Your ability to critically analyse a range of contemporary legal issues involved in business and its different legal context, sectors and societies will expand. 
 

Perspectives on International Management

This module aims to equip you with the skills and knowledge necessary to manage effectively in a globalised business environment. You’ll analyse a wide range of management practices, while also evaluating theoretical frameworks and conducting research on national cultures. You will evaluate the strategic implications of culture on business operations and HRM practices, while also developing the aptitude required to manage effectively across cultures.

Benefits to you include gaining a competitive edge in the job market by expanding knowledge about managing in a globalised world and navigating cross-cultural communication challenges. You will also broaden your horizons and increase your cultural awareness and sensitivity, enhancing your ability to work effectively with individuals from different backgrounds.

Placement Learning

In this module, you'll have the opportunity to reflect critically on your competencies and develop strategies to enhance your personal and professional development through your work experience. You'll also develop critical self-reflection as a tool for personal and professional growth, while evaluating the contribution of your job role to the success of the organisation. Through work-based learning, you'll develop a range of personal competencies, evidence your progress, and apply theory to practise in assessing organisational practice and individual contribution. Additionally, you'll gain a deep understanding of the functioning of your employing organisation, including its structure, culture, and strategy.

By the end of the module, you'll be equipped with the skills and knowledge necessary to critically reflect on your own personal and professional development needs, progress, and contributions to organisational success.
 

Equity Law

How do we prevent discrimination against race and sexual orientation in the law? In this module, you’ll focus on the Equality Act 2010, and other legislation on:

• sex
• race
• sexual orientation
• religion
• disability discrimination
• equal pay. 

You’ll explore how courts interpret the Equality Act, and how it impacts the workplace. You’ll look at how it interacts with the law of the European Commission (EC), and how we might extend equality law. You’ll gain valuable critical skills for your career, as you ask:

• what difference the Equality Act has made
• who benefits (and does not benefit) from the act
• what we can do in the future to improve protection. 
   

International Trade Law

In this module, you’ll get to grips with international trade law, and its key elements. You’ll understand international sales transactions. You’ll gain valuable key critical skills as you analyse the key treaties of international law, such as:

• the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
• the World Trade Organisation 
• international commercial terms
• specific trade laws
• case histories
• dispute settlement procedures.

You’ll also explore:

• international rights in international trade
• the relationship between domestic law and international rules
• international trade agreements.

You’ll discover how these rules can (or can’t) resolve certain problems in international trade. And you’ll develop the ability to advise on international trade practices, and other rights and obligations. 
 

Computer Law and Artificial Intelligence

The internet rules society. In a vastly digital age, lawyers really need to understand technology and the legal challenges it presents. In this module, you’ll examine the legal issues of current internet technologies and hardware. You’ll gain key technical knowledge, as you evaluate the regulatory systems of these technologies, and how they affect society. You’ll explore how digital technologies challenge copyright law. And you’ll be introduced to some of the legal issues relating to the use of artificial intelligence.  

Crime and Society

In this module, you’ll explore the ways we define and measure crime. You’ll develop core critical skills as you explore theories about the causes of crime. And you’ll consider some major crimes in detail. You’ll dive into the following topics:

• crime and the media
• criminal behaviour 
• crimes in action - from violent crime to white-collar crime
• critical criminology: race and gender.

You’ll think about crimes and criminality in a wider sense than simply ‘innocence’ or ‘guilt’. You’ll look at the social contexts of crimes, and what causes people to commit them.