Marketing and Business Management

Year 2 Core Modules

You must study and pass all five core modules

Brief description

Business Analytics is generally thought to comprise three broad categories: descriptive analytics, predictive analytics, and prescriptive analytics. You need no prior higher education experience in statistics.

Indicative content

• Descriptive statistics: Descriptive statistics to summarize data. Modifying data using Excel, measures of location, measures of variability, measures of association between two variables and data cleansing.
• Data visualisation: The most common forms of visualising data and when each form is appropriate. The human mind can process visual images such as charts much faster than it can interpret rows of numbers.
• Probability - modelling uncertainty: Basic relationships of probability, conditional probability, random variables and probability distributions.
• Descriptive data mining: Cluster analysis, association rules and text mining.
• Statistical inference: Sample selection, point estimation, sampling distributions, interval estimation, hypothesis tests.
• Simple linear regression: The least squares method and the fit of the model.
• Multiple linear regression: Extension of the simple linear regression model to incorporate multiple independent variables. Statistical inference in regressions, categorical independent variables, model fitting and prediction using regression models.
• Time series analysis and forecasting: Time series patterns, forecast accuracy, moving averages and using regression analysis for forecasting.

Brief description

The way in which people's lives are inter-twined with the `digital revolution from a sociological perspective.

Indicative content

• Everyday digital life: The sociological significance of the incorporation of digital technology within everyday practices. Examples of such practices include: shopping and consumption, education, and games and entertainment.
• The digital self: The use and impact of digital technology on the ways in which online identities are fashioned, primarily through the use of social media.
• Contemporary issues: Controversial and/or contemporary issues such as: the use/abuse of 'big data', bots and the Turing Test, higher education and the 'University of Google', trust and reputation online, data-mapped selves.

Brief description

The tools and techniques associated with managing projects. Carry out an investigation into a project failure and recommend alternative actions which could have been taken.

Indicative content

• Project management and project teams
  Intepreting project specifications and objectives, and the requirements of project stakeholders; Key project challenges for individuals and groups: reviewing the key priorities of time and project management; Understanding the role of a project leader; Understanding team work and how effective teams function; Creating and contributing to effective project teams; Managing teams through project delivery; maintaining goal focus, and managing problems
• Project analysis and planning: Analysing project requirements and sub-tasks. Estimating timelines; deadlines and milestones and activity durations. Constructing a project schedule. Resourcing projects. Allocating and smoothing resources. Using Gantt charts to allocate and monitor resource allocation. Project management tools. Using project management software.
• Managing projects: Dealing with project risk. Evaluating the probability and potential impact of risk; contingency planning for risk management; project tracking and revision to completion. Evaluating project delivery and management: Analysing the effectiveness of project management processes and the impact of project delivery and non-delivery.
• Project management methodologies: The use of project management methodologies such as Prince2 and SCRUM.

Brief description

Introduction to research methods for real world research.

Indicative content

• Introduction to research: Explaining the nature and purpose of research; Classifying the different types of research (quantitative qualitative, mixed methods) and how they map within the different philosophical paradigms (positivism, interpretivism, pragmatism).
• Dealing with practical Issues: Identifying the main stages in the research process; Identifying/generating a research topic and setting research objectives; Developing a research strategy; Identifying ethical issues in conducting research.
• Searching and reviewing the literature: Explaining the purposes of a literature review and defining the main steps in conducting it; Searching, evaluating, organizing and synthesizing relevant literature.
• Data collection and analysis: Approaches to qualitative and quantitative data collection; Data collection using a mixed-methods design.
• Writing a research proposal: Purpose and structure of a research proposal.
• Descriptive statistics: Summarisng and visualising data sets; Exploring the relationships between variables.
• Inferential statistics: Hypothesis testing; Selected hypothesis tests.

Brief description

The various digital marketing communications tools. Learn the process of analysing the success of digital marketing strategies.

Indicative content

• Social media marketing and mobile marketing: The nature and platforms of social media. The various mobile marketing tools and their role within the wider digital marketing strategy.
• Paid search, online advertising and content marketing: Exploring the tools of display and video advertising on online platforms. Using a relationship marketing approach to your digital marketing with tools of email marketing and content marketing. Enhancing website performance using web optimisation, paid search and SEO/SEM.
• Digital campaign tracking: The process of tracking campaign data on digital media using methods. The tools of the trade, e.g. Google Analytics for analysing success of digital marketing campaigns via monitoring relevant metrics and KPIs.
• Data driven decision-making: Applying a strategic approach to collecting digital metrics. Exploring the decisions made using metrics and analytics.

Year 2 Option Modules

You must study and pass one option module of your choosing from Term 1 and one option module from Term 2.  

Brief description

Human resource management theory and practice.

Indicative content

• Introduction to HRM: Theoretical perspectives to HRM; practical approaches to HRM.
• Context and HRM: National, international, occupational, organisational and individual contexts of HRM in theory and in practice.
• Strategic HRM: Introduction to strategic human resource management; ‘best fit’ and ‘best practice’ approaches.
• HRM, work and wellbeing: Fair work; dignity at work; mental health and stress at work; the benefits and challenges of flexibility.
• HRM, equality and diversity: Inequalities in the labour market and in the workplace; managing diverse workforce.
• Managing conflict in the workplace: Conflict in the employment relationship; misbehaviour, discipline and grievance procedures; bullying and harassment; disputes.
• Contemporary HRM trends and future challenges: Continuity and change in work and employment; gig economy; (ir)responsible HRM.

BMT214 People Planet Profit

Brief description

Develop a range of skills, knowledge and techniques within the natural, technological and social sciences that are relevant to the study of environmental sustainability and concurrently, life in the twenty-first century. 

Indicative content

• The Challenge of Sustainable Development: Problems associated with life in the 21st Century and the relationship to scientific provisionalism and uncertainty are discussed.
• The Genesis of Sustainable Development Concept: Developments associated with the Club of Rome are outlined while Limits to Growth and the Tragedy of the Commons are discussed.
• Evolution of Sustainable Development: The Reo Summit and Suitability, and Policy Developments thereof will be discussed.
• Mainstreaming Sustainability: Sustainability and Mitigation, Adaptation and Resilience, as individual and social concerns, will be evaluated. And their role in transformation will be discussed.
• Communicating Sustainability: Human well-being, Environmental Justice, Environmental Policy and the practicalities of Sustainability in Scotland are discussed.
• Sustainable Development in Practice: Community Empowerment associated with Land Reform. Energy Production and Food Production in Tayside..
• Ethics and Sustainability Policy: Active citizenship and Globalisation.
• Innovating Locally, Transforming Globally: Transformations that are required to embrace Sustainability.
• Active Relationship for Sustainable Futures: Thinking Globally, acting locally.

Brief description

Social, managerial, economic, political and technical challenges and opportunities associated with emerging renewable energy innovation, production, supply and consumption.

Indicative content

• Renewable Energy Nontechnical Challenges and Opportunities: Social and political challenges and opportunities of renewable energy production supply and consumption. Economic and environmental challenges of renewable energy production supply and consumption. Strategic and managerial challenges of renewable energy production supply and consumption.
• Renewable Energy Technological Challenges and Opportunities:. Geotechnical and Geophysical information. Technical limitations and challenges of energy distribution systems and energy storage. Current technological development trend, collaborative innovation in renewable energy.

Brief description

Introduction to tax.

Indicative content

• Introduction to taxation: General introduction to UK tax system; Administration of tax system; Tax evasion; Tax avoidance; HMRC Charter; Introduction to Income tax.
• Sources of income: Basis of assessment and allowable expenditure; Capital expenditure; Personal allowances and reliefs; Income and losses arising from property; Employee’s liability for National Insurance contributions.
• Income from employment: Basis of assessment; Employment income; Non-taxable employment income; Deductible expenses; Administration of the Pay As you Earn (PAYE) system; Benefit-in-kind.
• Income from self-employment: The calculation of trading profits; Disallowed and allowable expenditure; Trading income allowance ; Basis periods for trading income; Commencement of trade; Cessation of trade; Change of accounting date; Capital allowances; Trading losses and relief; partnerships.

Brief description

Skills and knowledge required to manage the finance of an event.

Indicative content

• Sources of funding: Determining where funding will come from for your event; funding policies; funding applications to external sponsors; convincing sponsors of the benefits of funding your event.
• Budgeting and breakeven: Understanding the types of costs involved in the project;  Preparing a simple budget and analysing a complex (pre-prepared) budget; Creating a break-even analysis.
• Controlling finances: Pre-event controls, operational controls, post control mechanisms.

Brief description

The impact of festivals and events on their host communities.

Indicative Content

• Introduction: The theoretical background: Basic concepts, ideas, principles of festivals, events and communities; Forces-Stressors-State-Impact-Response (FPSIR) model)
• Types of events: Local community events to mega and online events
• Impact of events: Nature of impacts, impact assessments; Economic, social, environmental, tourism, political, psychological
• Future of events: Introduction to the future, industry perception of events future; future trends and issues. Live streaming.
• Stakeholders: Stakeholder theory Corporate Social Responsibility theory, 
• Case studies in events.

Year 3 Core Modules

You must study and pass all four core modules.

Brief description

How companies can improve their competitiveness by using digital solutions.Exploiting technology to transform service delivery through Internet portals, intra-corporate connected environments, social networks. Transforming internal processes and ways of working with partners are strategic issues considered by most organisations, both large and small. 

Indicative content

• Meaning and scope of e-business and e-commerce: Introduction and overview: current trends and issues. The evolution of e-business.
• Analysis of firm's external environment: The macro-environment and implications for e-business ventures. Defining industry, segments and target markets for e-business.
• Analysis of firm's internal environment: The meaning of core competence in e-business; the four virtual spaces of the ICDT framework for interaction with customers; the meaning of the company's value chain and value network.
• Foundations of value creation in e-business: Understanding of what the value is and elements that contribute to value creation; the value grid and levers of e-value creation.
• Dealing with disruptive innovations in e-business: Successful imitation and the barriers to imitation; how companies can assess the threat of a disruptive innovation; the ways to deal with a disruptive innovation in e- business. The trade-off between richness and reach in e-business; customer relationship management in the digital context; the concept of mass-customisation.Business models and revenue models in digital business; Digital transformation: a blend of digital technology, people, innovation and creativity; Doing digital (i.e. tactical solutions) vs being digital (i.e. strategic solutions); Implementation by creating a competitive advantage; Protecting digital business from imitation.

Brief description

Consumer behaviour theory and concepts, along with fundamental principles of market research and data analysis to support data-driven decision making in organisations. 

Indicative content

• Fundamentals of consumer behaviour: Decision-making models and influences on decision-making. Needs, motivation and values. Perception, memory and learning. Attitude theory. Theories on personality, self and identity. Social and group influences on consumer behaviour. Digital consumer behaviour.
• Principles of marketing research: Designing marketing research projects and identifying researchable questions. The importance of data and data-driven decisions in marketing. Primary research methods in marketing: quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques. Secondary research in marketing. Data quality
• Data analysis: Using SPSS to analyse, interpret and draw conclusions from quantitative data. Qualitative data analysis 

Brief description

The challenges facing contemporary business organisations in an operating context in which they are expected not only to demonstrate an economic contribution and shareholder value, but increasingly, to do so in a manner that reflects the interests of a range of stakeholder groups and being sustainable.

Indicative Content

• The changing context of business: The changing nature of organisations: from industrial to post-industrial society; globalisation structures, processes and arguments; 
• Sustainable business practice: Corporate social responsibility and The Business and Society Relationship; Corporate Citizenship: Social Responsibility, Responsiveness, and Business Performance 
• Employee well being at work: Employees as stakeholders: issues relating to privacy, safety and employee well-being 
• The role of third sector organisations; Social and economic exclusion and business; understanding the conditions of inequality and social exclusion; factors influencing social mobility, The social contribution of third sector organisations
• Corporate social responsibility:  Public Policy and governance: public and third sector 

Brief description

Branding and the role of brands for businesses, consumers and society more broadly. Key theories in brand management, the impact of brands on business success, along with contemporary developments and issues in brand management.

Indicative content

• How brands work. 
• Foundations of strategic brand management: brand identity, brand image and brand positioning.
• Brand equity and measuring brand performance.
• Managing brands over time: brand portfolios and brand extensions.
• Brand innovation.
• Brands, society and sustainability. 
• Contemporary developments and issues in branding.
• Online brand communities and digital influences on branding

Year 3 Option Modules

You must study and pass one option module of your choosing from Term 1 and one from Term 2.

Brief description

The role of relationship building and customer experience management to business performance. 

Indicative content

• Defining the nature of customer relationship management: The use of data and insights to drive the strategic, operational and analytical aspects of relationship management. Aligning customer relationships with organisational visions and objectives. 
• Understanding customer relationships: Understanding the benefit of relationships to customers and to organisations. The use of technology to evaluate the customer lifecycle, develop customer loyalty and enhance the value of the customer relationship. 
• Customer portfolio management: The process of using data and insight to support segmenting, targeting and profiling customers andw to analyse the value of the various segments and provide them with tailored, relevant acquisition or retention strategies. 
• Customer experience management: Using various digital tools to support the delivery of customer-experienced value. Exploring how value of a customer experience is determined and by whom.  The difference between customer experience management and customer relationship management.

Brief description

The processes of framing and production of the mass mediation of propaganda.

Indicative content

• The historical emergence of modern propaganda forms: The historical development of propaganda forms, rhetorics, tropes and ideology.
• The analysis of propaganda: Frameworks and models for analysing and researching propaganda including textual analysis, semiotics, historical archaeology.
• Propaganda and mass media: Mass media as means of the organisation, production and circulation of propaganda, focussing on the propaganda techniques of the Third Reich.
• Propaganda, narrative and myth: Structural analysis of narrative and myth/ideological systems and their representation as propaganda.

Brief description

Spend a specified time in a business environment working in an area related to your programme.

Indicative content

• Placement preparation
• Placement briefing: Responsibilities of all parties involved; expectations; professional conduct. of placement; requirements of professional conduct.
• Experiential learning: Supervised Placement carried out 1 day per week for 10 weeks(preferred structure)or 10 day block; feedback; employer assessment, student reflection on performance while on placement.
• Placement check: Discussions will take place between the placement tutor, student and employer to ensure satisfactory progress is being made.
• Placement presentation: Prepare a Poster presentation focused on your placement learning and employability skills development, and on learning through experience to peers and employers.
• Business investigation/Business project: Research within the placement organisation, a business/management issue, or participate in a workplace project and report on the findings/outcomes.

Brief description

Gain a theoretical and evidence basis for decision-making in marketing communications and creative design. Learm to  create, design, analyse, evaluate, provide recommendations for and plan marketing communications. 

Indicative content

• Marketing communications theories.
• Planning effective marketing communication campaigns: context analysis, objectives, marketing communications strategy, creative strategy, marketing communications mix, channel selection, budget and scheduling, evaluation.
• Developing the creative message: Creative design principles and developing marketing communication materials.
• The marketing communications mix: Advertising, Public Relations, Sales promotion, Personal Selling, Direct Marketing.
• Digital marketing communications & digital channels
• Integrated marketing communications.
• Responsible marketing communications: societal effects and ethics of marketing communications; legal responsibilities.
• Psychological perspectives on marketing communications.

Brief description

The skills and knowledge needed to launch a small business successfully. Acquire the personal and professional skills needed in order to develop a professional career and/or to succeed as entrepreneurs in Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs).

Indicative content

• An introduction to entrepreneurship and an analysis of the skills and qualities associated with successful entrepreneurs.
• Generating successful business ideas.
• Environmental scanning.
• Developing a credible business plan that includes evaluating business ideas. Assessing risk and uncertainty; identifying potential customers, markets and market segments; assessing operations, USP and competition; price vs quality and profits.
• Presenting the business idea.

Year 4 Core Modules

You must study and pass all four core modules

Brief description

The essentials of strategic marketing planning and execution in the contemporary organisation. The influence of various elements in the global and increasing digital landscape on the decision-making process at an organisational level.

Indicative content

• The essentials of strategic marketing planning: Examine the nature of strategy and strategic decisions. Discuss the contribution of strategic marketing to business performance. Explore the phases of the strategic marketing planning process. 
• Supporting strategic marketing with data-driven insights: Auditing the marketing environment. Discussing the contribution of analysis to strategic marketing. Conducting competitive analysis. Using insight in defining market segments and selecting target markets. Applying analytical models to evaluate the attractiveness of a marketplace and the efficiency of strategic marketing planning and execution.
• Contemporary issues influencing strategic marketing decisions: Examining the influence of the sustainable agenda on strategic choices. Creating a blueprint for competing in an evolving world. Discussing the increasing influence of digital technology (for example AI and Machine Learning) on the function of marketing and the future of marketing professionals. Considering the ethical considerations e.g. privacy and data security in the creation and execution of marketing strategies.
• Designing effective strategic marketing activities: Exploring the process of creating and selecting strategic marketing options. Examining the utility of design thinking in creating effective strategy activities. Criteria for prioritising goals and objectives in strategic activities. Integrating digital technology and tools in the strategic marketing process.

Brief description

Investigate in depth a topic of interest. Develop a research project through independent work, supported by individual supervision.You are expected to identify a contemporary research problem in marketing, use literature to establish a knowledge gap and develop a research proposal outlining the methods proposed to address it.

Indicative content

• The research process and planning a research project.
• Choosing a research topic. 
• Writing a literature review and identifying a research gap.
• Developing research questions/hypotheses.
• Research strategies and philosophical assumptions.
• Quantitative research methods and designs.
• Qualitative research methods and designs.
• Writing the research proposal.
• Research ethics.

Brief description

Undertake some practical research in response to a current business need of a real company and produce a suitable management report with recommendations.

Indicative content

• Analysing a problem: Using different analysis techniques such as data flow diagrams, entity relationship modelling and process mapping, examine problems to better understand the current position of the business.
• Innovation and innovation techniques: Using different creativity and innovation tools to help find solutions to business problems.
• Innovation for global growth (IGG): Work with multiple organisations - public, private and third sector, on a challenge they currently face. This will provide a scoping opportunity for the problem and a chance to test possible solutions. Prior to this event discussions on professional behaviour and communication will take place.
• Developing and presenting the solution: Take the solutions identified during IGG and further investigate their suitability. Develop one or more solution to provide an implementation plan for the organisation.

Brief description

A continuation of the work started in Marketing Dissertation. Submit an ethical approval application, conduct empirical research and collect primary data. Analyse and discuss the data collected and provide conclusions and recommendations as appropriate. In your final submission you will also be able to combine a (previously submitted) literature review and research design with your findings to produce a full marketing dissertation. 

Indicative content

• Completing the ethical approval application.
• Data collection in practice: Quantitative data analysis: statistical analysis tools and techniques.
• Qualitative data analysis: qualitative analytic tools and techniques: Presenting data effectively.
• Writing a dissertation. 

Year 4 Option Modules

You must study and pass one option module of your choosing from Term 1 and one from Term 2. 

Brief description

A combination of theory and practice to examine organisational change and transformation in times of uncertainty.

Indicative content

• Analysing change contexts and drivers: The change context: globalisation, technology, and changing market dynamics; change management and sustainability
• Theories of change and approaches to change management: Models of change and change management; trans- formational change and organisations; Critical discourse in change management.
• Human resources issues in change management: Participative change ; managing psychological contracts, social identity, stakeholder positioning and dynamics in times of radical change ; voice, dialogue and rethinking resistances in radical change; Culture, habits and unlearning.
• Change in context: This will change each year and will form the basis of the guest lectures.
• Leading and managing change: Transactional and transformational leadership; a competency framework for transformational leadership; values and value-based systems in transformational change;

Brief description

Prepare for graduate recruitment by ensuring you have the professional skills required in the workplace.

Indicative content

• Analysing the job market: Determining the type of job you would like to move into. Thinking about sectors and finding out what employers want. 
• Skills audit: Undertaking a skills audit. 
• Preparing for work: Understanding the trends in your chosen field of employment and employers’ requirements for staff. 
• Topic specific activity: Options for study of different skills and knowledge.

Brief description

The main concepts, approaches and tools of strategic management in the contemporary business environment. The fundamentals of operations management, such as the supply network, inventory management, and the use of technology in operations processes. 

Indicative content

• Operations management in its organisational context: The operations function within the organisation and its relationship with other functional areas; The role of the operations manager.
• Performance Objectives, Operations Strategy and Operations Design: Measuring operations performance, operations strategy, different types of strategies, formulation of operations strategy, product and service innovation, Types of Innovation, stages of product and service innovation, 4Vs.
•  Capacity Management: Demand v. production, models of capacity planning, measuring capacity (utilisation and efficiency calculations).
• Inventory Management: Why hold stock? Costs of inventory, ABC analysis, economic order quantity, inventory management strategies.
• Technology in Operations processes: E-supply chain, IT application in supply chain system, enterprise resource planning, technology strategies.
• Supply Chain Management: The supply network; designing the supply chain (make or buy); supply chain stages; uncertainly and risk factors, purchasing and supply, materials and distribution management, logistics, balancing flow within a supply chain, managing bottlenecks and restrictions. Supply chain measures, six sigma, strategic alliances and collaborative partnerships, characteristics of supply chains in the contemporary global economy.
• Outsourcing: Make or buy decisions in sourcing strategy; supplier selection; outsourcing supply chain management; co- ordinating supply and managing supplier relationships & partnerships, supply chain risks management.
• The customer interface: Meeting customer requirements, forecasting demand, lean operations and JIT, lean principles, reducing waste.
• Strategy and the organisation: Strategic analysis; strategic thinking; levels of strategy.
• Strategy context: Industry analysis: turbulences and dynamics. Porter’s five forces.
• Business level strategy: Business level strategy and sources of competitive advantage.
• Corporate level strategy: Generic strategies; hybrid strategy; value chains.

Brief description

Introduction to international trade. A practical guide to sell abroad profitably including the legal regimes applicable.

Indicative content

• Introduction to world trade: The economic rationale for international trade, barriers to trade and international markets. World Bank data, current trade developments.
• Building the foundations for exporting: Are you ready for export? Writing an export Business Plan, prepping for exports.
• Creating and using online marketing platforms: Online fundamentals, creating a social media and networking presence, marketing your business worldwide.
• Mapping your export journey: Choosing a product to export, exploring your territory, preparing and adapting your product for the export marketplace.
• Managing the transactions: Transport, logistics and fulfilment options; pricing and preparing quotations; getting paid.
• Some policies of the institutions and organisations: For example the Generalised System of Preferences and the incorporation of Development issues into International Trade regulation.
• The effect on business of the International Regulation: To include the Vienna Sales Convention 1980, with a UK focus, letters of credit, cross border guarantees, international carriage of goods, by land, sea and air.

Brief description

The challenges of managing in complex international business environments.

Indicative content:

• Introduction - The theoretical background: Globalisation and international business; Analysis of international external business environment; political factors; economical factors; social factors; technological factors and implications for international managers; International trade theories and practices.
• International business strategies: Strategy and international business; Country evaluation and selection; Export and Import strategies; Direct investments and collaborative strategies.
• International and cross-cultural management: International Dimensions of Culture: Understanding various dimensions of culture; Hofstede's (1980) National Culture Approach and Trompenaars (1993) Cultural Dimensions. Implications for International Managers. managing employee relations in multiple contexts. 
• Managing in international contexts: Culture and negotiations: Understanding the relationship between culture and negotiations; how to reconcile possible conflicts regarding differences in culture and negotiations. 
• Contemporary issues in managing international business: Managing international work assignments, Understanding the implications of CSR on MNE decision making.