BSc Business Administration

Programme overview

The BSc Business Administration degree provides a foundation for advanced and independent study through establishing a common platform of essential knowledge and skills. A range of themes are offered to ensure that students appreciate the diverse, interdisciplinary nature of business administration and marketing and gain or reinforce a range of conceptual, technical, quantitative and personal skills. You'll develop the ability to analyse real-life problems facing businesses and develop effective solutions to them.

Over the course of your studies, you will:

• develop an understanding of the organisation, its functions, and the context of business leading to a multifaceted appreciation of marketing and other management disciplines.
• explore the strategic and operational processes management uses to secure and maintain competitive advantage.
• examine the emergence of the global economy and multinational firms, using various theoretical approaches (economic management, international relations and geo-political).

You can choose one of two pathways into the bachelor’s degree programme.

• The general pathway consists of four compulsory modules in Stage One, followed by a blend of compulsory and optional modules in Stage Two and Three, which cover a range of key Business Administration and global business topics.
• The specialist pathway in Human Resource Management is dedicated to those looking to explore and further their understanding of contemporary Human Resource Management practices and organisational behaviour, on an international scale.

Curriculum

Stage 1 – four compulsory modules:

Foundations of Quantitative Methods for Sustainable Organisations

In this module, you’ll learn how quantitative studies can be employed in management, economics, and for sustainable business. Topics covered include:

• Data presentation
• Measures of central tendency and variation and index numbers
• Probability and probability distributions
• Circular economy
• Corporate social responsibility
• Risk management for sustainability

Interpreting Management, Markets and Consumption

In this module, you’ll be introduced to marketing in the context of interpreting management, as both an academic discipline and as practice.

In ‘interpreting management’, you are encouraged to become reflective thinkers, exploring the challenges of managing organisations and critically analysing the impact of organisational and managerial policy and practice on the lived experience of employees.

In ‘markets and consumption’, you explore your lived experiences within a consumer society considering a broad range of issues including the role of marketing in society, the goods in our hands, and the retail environments that we visit.

Main topics of the module include:

• Management and bureaucracy
• Motivation and employee engagement
• Management in diverse contexts
• Marketing, consumption and space
• Branding
• Markets, ideology and gender

Information Systems and Organisation studies

Business organisations use information technologies and systems to achieve corporate objectives, and as a solution to a variety of business challenges and problems.

To fully understand information systems, you need to be aware of the broader organisational, human and information technology dimensions of systems and their power to provide solutions to challenges and problems in the business environment.

This module offers an introduction to information systems and organisation studies. It will examine the behavioural and the technical issues surrounding the development, use, and impact of information systems used by managers and employees in firms. It will also examine core topics and debates within the organisation studies discipline.

Main topics of the module include:

• The digital enterprise
• E-commerce
• Databases and information management
• Systems development and procurement
• Business intelligence, decision making and artificial intelligence
• Information systems security, ethics and privacy

International Business and Accounting

This module provides the necessary knowledge and theoretical concepts for understanding international business and analysing and devising international strategies for multinational enterprises.

The second part to the module examines accounting, which has been referred to as the language of business. You are introduced to the underlying framework and concepts of accounting and its role in organisations and society.

The module also examines the principles of financial decision making, with emphasis on developing skills for analysing financial accounting information.

Main topics of the module include:

• Globalisation
• Foreign direct investment (FDI)
• Trade flows and international trade theory
• Measuring and reporting financial performance
• Analysing and interpreting financial statements
• Making capital investment decisions

Stage 2 – three compulsory modules:

Employability and Human Resource Management

The first part to the module is directed at exploring career development, examining influences on employment, employability, career choice and career development. Key trends in employee management in a range of workplaces are also examined with the overall aim being to engender confidence and awareness of the challenges associated with career development in the contemporary workplace.

The second part to the module examines the significance of human resource management (HRM) in organisations. The objective is to give you an understanding of the main concepts and models that underpin HRM, as well as a critical assessment of the relationship between theory and practice in HRM in contemporary workplaces.

Main topics of the module include:

• Career development and the work environment
• Employability and the recruitment process in a global context
• Influences on employment, employability, career choice, and career development
• Trends in employee management in a range of contexts
• Rationale for HRM policies and practices
• Impact of HRM policies and practices on employees

Strategic Management and Accounting

In the first part of the module we examine strategy, assessing the principal theories of strategic management, setting these in the context of key developments in which contemporary business operates. This includes political and regulatory developments, technological change, financialisation and the development of ‘new’ business models.

In the second part of the module we examine the role and use of accounting information by managers in organisations. We will focus on the use of accounting information in decision-making, planning and control in organisations. The module will also cover the use of accounting information in performance management, including strategic approaches.

Main topics of the module include:

• Major approaches to analysing corporate strategy
• Regulatory practices and how these relate to corporate strategy
• Strategic frameworks in a variety of business contexts
• The role of accounting information in organisational contexts
• The use of accounting information in decision making, planning, control, and performance management in organisations
• Using accounting information to make recommendations in organisations

Operations Management and Marketing Strategy

The first part to the module is directed at exploring career development, examining influences on employment, employability, career choice and career development. Key trends in employee management in a range of workplaces are also examined with the overall aim being to engender confidence and awareness of the challenges associated with career development in the contemporary workplace.

The second part to the module examines the significance of human resource management (HRM) in organisations. The objective is to give you an understanding of the main concepts and models that underpin HRM, as well as a critical assessment of the relationship between theory and practice in HRM in contemporary workplaces.

Main topics of the module include:

• Factors affecting the choice of operating methods
• Specific tools and techniques of operating systems
• Manufacturing and service operations management
• Strategic marketing tools and the marketing environment
• Elements of the marketing mix and their critical interrelationships
• Marketing strategies in a business context

Optional stage 2 modules:

Managing Organisational Change and Performance Please note: this module is compulsory for the Human Resource Management specialism

This module examines organisational change, management practices, and research examining motivation and performance. Main topics of the module include:

• Concepts and theories underpinning organisational change
• Practices and techniques for managing change
• Theoretical and practical approaches to change management
• Work motivation theories
• The links between motivation and other predictors of behaviour and performance
• Approaches to enhance work motivation and performance

The Global Economy and Multinational Enterprise

This module provides an overview of the growth and development of the global economy during the twentieth-century. Main topics of the module include:

• Changes in the structure of the global economy
• Changes in global trade and investment patterns
• The evolution, role, and influence of key institutions of the global economy
• The development, organisation, and structure of multinational enterprises
• Multinational enterprise activity in the host nation
• Risks of internationalisation

Stage 3 – one compulsory module:

Integrating Management: Business, Leadership and Innovation.

This module draws together learning from across the programme. Main topics of the module include:

• Business and management activities
• Key megatrends that influence the firm’s external context in the early 21st century
• Opportunities and constraints arising from trends and leadership styles
• Implications of the business context for selected corporate functions
• Social, environmental, and ethical challenges facing companies
• Innovation, leadership, and organisational sustainability

Optional stage 3 modules:

Brands, Branding and Advertising

In this module you will explore the nature of brands and branding to understand the marketing environment and the nature of the consumer society that we live in. Main topics of the module include:

• Theoretical approaches to understanding brands and branding
• Branding theories and the impact of marketing strategies
• Brand management approaches from a strategic perspective
• Advertising and promotional communication
• Alternative promotional communication theories and techniques
• Advertising from a cultural perspective

International Human Resource Management

Please note: this module is compulsory for the Human Resource Management specialism

This module examines the issues of a globalised workplace. Main topics of the module include:

• Human resource management policies in multinational companies with an international workforce
• Key analytical concepts and models in international Human Resource Management
• Comparisons of Human Resource Management systems in the UK, the USA, Germany, and Japan.
• Approaches to, and strategies for, International Human Resource Management
• Problems of transferring Human Resource Management practices from one country to another
• The role of transnational organisations in regulating human resource policies and practices in firms

The Individual at Work and Globalisation

Please note: this module is compulsory for the Human Resource Management specialism.

This module examines organisational behaviour and the impact of globalisation on work. Main topics of the module include:

• Contemporary issues in organisational behaviour
• Theoretical approaches to understanding individual and group processes
• Knowledge development in the study of individual and groups
• Work organisation and employment relations in the established and emerging economies
• Implications of a more integrated global labour market
• Research methods and approaches in the study of globalisation of work

Emerging markets and Asia Pacific Business

Please note: this module is compulsory for the Human Resource Management specialism.

This module examines emerging markets within the context of the global economy and Asia Pacific business systems. Main topics of the module include:

• Strategic opportunities and risks in emerging markets
• Theoretical models, evidence, and perspectives on doing business in emerging markets
• Foreign multinationals in emerging markets
• Characteristics of Asia Pacific Business systems
• The rise of Asia Pacific multinationals in the global marketplace

Try a course

The University of London offers a number of online taster courses and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), designed to introduce themes that are included in degree programmes. The University is running the following course that explores topics covered in the BSc Business Administration degree.

Explore Management Concepts through Metaphor and Music: In this course, you will be introduced to core managerial and organisational concepts and theories through the lens of metaphor and music. You will explore issues related to, for example: organisational and work design; motivation and productivity; employee voice; careers; and management and leadership styles. You will research and analyse contemporary management dilemmas and challenges and gain new insights into the lived experience of work. You will explore the power of music to creatively engage and motivate employees, boost their morale, and give voice to workers who might otherwise remain unheard.

Business Sustainability in the Circular Economy: In this course you explore the meaning of sustainability and its impact on modern organisations as they move to circular ideas to reduce waste, increase recycling and become fit for our modern society. In the course you will not only learn about the role of business in sustainability, but also your own personal contribution. Topics covered include: Paris Climate Accord, Carbon Footprint, the circular economy, reverse logistics, recycling strategies, right to repair, Corporate Social Responsibility, Bottom of the Pyramid and developing economies, and fair trade business models.

When you graduate, you’ll be able to:

• Have an understanding of the organisation, its functions, and the context of business leading to a multifaceted appreciation of marketing and other management disciplines.
• Understand the strategic and operational processes by which management plans and coordinates the use of resources with the general objective of securing or maintaining competitive advantage.
• Examine the emergence of the global economy and multinational firms, using various theoretical approaches (economic management, international relations and geo-political).
• Gain the ability to analyse real-life problems facing actual businesses and evaluate the effectiveness and limitations of different management and human resources management attempts to solve them.
• Understand the discipline of management with an emphasis on the historical, political, cultural, ethical and institutional forces shaping modern business.
• Understand how organisations develop and maintain competitive advantage within a changing business environment influenced by economic, political, social and cultural factors.