Business Management BSc(Hons) top-up degree

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Why choose this course?

• The University of Brighton is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) – an accreditation achieved by fewer than 6% of business schools globally.
• Upgrade your foundation degree or HND to a degree in just nine months.
• Wide range of option modules so you can tailor your degree.
• Close links with leading employers and industry specialists.

Course structure

Our Business Management BSc(Hons) will enable you to develop an understanding of the diverse areas of modern business management. It will help you to decide which area of business you would like to specialise in, whilst also preparing you to be your own boss.

Core subjects include marketing, finance, management, strategy and business operations. Learning is delivered through a stimulating mix of seminars, academic and industry lectures, group projects and workshops.

You will develop confidence and expertise in analysis, business communication, teamwork, and transferable skills in preparing briefs, plans and reports, presenting, budgeting and evaluation.

Unlike other top-up courses, this is a nine-month course that runs from September to May.

Syllabus

This course has three compulsory modules and two or three options, depending on your choices. Options give you the scope to tailor the course to your interests and career aspirations. Possible themes include finance and international trade; economics, marketing and events; organisational behaviour; retail management; entrepreneurship, and social marketing.

Modules

Core modules

• Strategy

  On this module you'll focus on the strategic business management of organisations in industry. You'll explore and apply techniques for the analysis, development and implementation of strategies in order to achieve business goals – spanning domestic, international, global levels and in the context of the UN’s sustainable development goals.

• Managing, Teams and Developing People

  This module builds upon themes covered in year 1. Using a hands-on approach, you'll reinforce and build upon your understanding of theories and models, and apply these concepts by working in team activities involving management of yourself and others. You'll explore common issues that are faced when working in groups and teams equipping you with the skills to become an effective team worker and leader.

• Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM)

  Supply chain management (SCM) is the handling of the entire production flow of a good or service — from raw materials to delivering the final product to the consumer. On this module you'll develop a strategic understanding of SCM in a wider business context, and explore how SCM objectives have expanded to include societal and environmental implications because of, for example, depleted natural resources. You'll learn how sustainability can be a competitive advantage and explore the role of supply chains in a circular economy.

Options*

• Environmental Economics

  Issues surrounding the environment and natural resources are becoming increasingly mainstream in economics. This module follows the year 2 module of the same name and further explores how economic concepts, tools and policy instruments are relevant and are used to understand and manage environmental issues at business and government-level.

   

• Financial and Capital Markets

  The module develops your understanding of the financial system and allows you to get some experience of financial markets. You'll have an opportunity to manage a portfolio of assets and to analyse the performance of that portfolio as well as the investment environment.

• Political Economy in Europe

  Building on some aspects of the year 2 module International Business Analysis, this module is an opportunity to explore the dynamics of the political economy in Europe, focusing on the European Union.You will gain an appreciation of the complexities of change and develop your ability to critically assess the implications.

• Corporate Financial Management

  This module is a specialised finance option for final year students. It has two parts: the first builds upon applied topics in corporate finance and the second explores treasury and risk management tools and techniques. You'll focus on financial management mainly in terms of issues affecting corporate financial managers.

• Understanding Employee Relations

  This module develops your general understanding of employee relations in the UK together with your ability to critically compare and contrast this with those of other countries. You'll also develop an appreciation of the practice of employer relations, with a clear focus upon that experienced in the UK.

• Organisational Change

  This module enables you to critically analyse the processes of individual and organisational change. You'll develop a critical understanding of approaches that maximise the outcomes of organisational change for individuals and organisations, alongside gaining insight into change management. You'll also understand the importance of the roles and skills in the change process for individuals, human resource management, senior and line management, and leadership. 

• International Human Resource Management

  This module helps you to develop an understanding of the way in which international organisations manage their human resources across different countries. You'll research the meaning and implications of international and comparative HRM linking your understanding of established theory with your research finding, and present your work in a report.

• Theorising the International Events Industry

  On this module you'll take a social-scientific approach to examining international events, festivals and spectacles focuses on recent developments and socio-economic, cultural and political factors that have caused far-reaching changes. You'll explore how international events are a resource in maintaining social relations against the context of changing socio-economic environments, and how hosting events, for example global sport spectacles, has become a tool in how nations position themselves within global society

• Ecommerce and Online Behaviour

  Many business disciplines need to design strategies that take account of online behaviour. In this module you'll analyse and evaluate ecommerce systems. You'll explore the role and impact of ecommerce technologies, some of the concepts used to understand online behaviour in the marketplace, and how people behave as consumers in online settings.

   

• Global Issues in Travel and Tourism

  On this module you'll explore contemporary global issues and their relationship with travel and tourism.  You will debate and examine a wide range of stakeholder views (academic, practitioners, media etc) to evaluate the policies, actions and solutions that have been generated to deal with these issues.

• Destination Marketing

  Destination marketing is vital for destinations to differentiate themselves from competitors, to develop their own distinct identity and to promote themselves as desirable and attractive places to visit. On this module you will examine traditional methods of marketing, and explore issues such as cultural representation, the branding of national and regional identities and the role of media and film in the development of perception and expectation.

• Small Business and Entrepreneurship

  On this module you'll develop a business idea and plan using knowledge and skills developed throughout your course. Students from a range of subjects take this module, creating a multidisciplinary approach to identifying and researching a business idea and developing a realistic business plan. Part of the assessment is a Dragons’ Den style presentation of your idea to a panel of local business people.

• Marketing Planning and Strategy

  In this module you'll use your knowledge of marketing principles to develop a strategic marketing plan. You will examine the stages of developing a strategic marketing plan and consider a range of operational, tactical and strategic approaches to marketing. The module follows a similar approach to that taught by the CIM and should be taken by any student wishing to gain CIM exemptions after graduating.

• Customer Relationship Management and Services Marketing

  This module enables you to acquire a detailed understanding of approaches to services marketing including the integration of customer relationship management (CRM).  You will examine how the core principles of marketing are configured in a services context and how developing CRM as a core strategy enables organisations to focus on long-term customer relationships and loyalty.

• Consumer Psychology

  On this module you'll focus on the main concepts used in understanding consumer psychology and consumer behaviour in the marketplace. You'll consider how these are used in marketing to both understand consumers and create strategies to ethically influence their behaviour.

• Marketing Across Cultures

  This module examines two key challenges facing businesses today – how to identify and develop international marketing and business opportunities, and understanding the importance of cultural differences across the globe to adapt marketing strategies and tactics for business success. You'll learn about new cultures in the developed and emerging world and how to develop an international marketing plan, putting your entrepreneurial, research, creative and report writing skills in to practice.

• Responsible Enterprise

  On this module students from subjects across the university have the opportunity to work together on responsible enterprise solutions to live client challenges. Practical projects mean that you'll learn from other students and disciplines as you share problem-solving approaches, knowledge and experience.

• The Digital Economy

  The role of digital technology is increasingly important in the way that the global economy works. New technologies and algorithms are changing how wealth is created, governed or even defined. This module brings together your understanding of the role of information communication technologies, with knowledge and information of the understanding of growth in the economy.

• Game Theory in Economics, Finance and Business

  This module introduces game theory, one of the most exciting, stimulating and promising subjects in modern microeconomics, which is now also broadly applied in philosophy, sociology, and political science among other fields. You'll apply game theory to financial and business analysis topics to deepen and widen your knowledge of economics, finance and business as an ongoing strategic game.

• International Finance

  This module takes the areas of finance and financial management that you have studied before in a domestic setting, and looks at how the domestic theory alters in an international setting because of factors such as exchange rates and country risk. You'll also be introduced to the international financial management complexities associated with the foreign direct investment decisions of multinational companies.

• Employee Selection and Development

  On this module you'll explore and consider how recruitment, selection, training and development contribute to the function and performance of an organisation, with specific focus on contemporary labour market issues.

• Happiness: Work and Society

  This module is an opportunity to analyse the concept of happiness in work and society. You'll consider happiness at an individual, organisational and socio-economic level, exploring topics such as positive psychology, happiness and wellbeing, nurturing happiness in the organisation, the issues and challenges of measuring happiness and wellbeing, and what makes a nation happy. 

• International Law and Socio-economic Development

  In this module you will look at the relationship between international law and development. You will get an insight into the relevant legal and socio-economic issues arising from debates on international law and development and an understanding of the role that theory, policy and practice have in international law and socio-economic development.

• Commercial Law

  This module enables you to develop an understanding of both domestic commercial law and key aspects of commercial law as it operates internationally. You'll explore issues including the rights and duties that arise from the supply of goods in the UK and the legal problems that occur in an international contract for the sale of goods.

• Employment Law

  This module introduces the areas of employment legislation and the employment law system and enables you to understand and evaluate the employment relationship. You'll cover an overview of the influence of EU law as well as the nature of English contracts, and become familiar with the major sources of employment law.

• Intellectual Property Law

  This module introduces you to intellectual property. You’ll develop an understanding of the nature of property and ownership, and the law related to patents, design rights, trade marks, copyright and other forms of intellectual property. You’ll also gain a practical understanding of how intellectual property relates to objects and talk with non-law students whose studies need them to be aware of their intellectual property rights.

• Big Data and Business Intelligence

  Big data refers to data sets so complex they are difficult to process using conventional databases. They result from the increasing use of real-time computing in process and organisations such as web analytics, government, social media, security and healthcare. In this module you'll explore how the growth of big data impacts on business opportunities and risks, and how business intelligence contributes to improved performance and forecasting

• Retail Marketing and Distribution

  The module introduces retail marketing and distribution through practical workshops with emphasis on real retailer situations. You'll study topics from historical development, current industry structure, trends and projected developments. You will balance theory and practice to produce a viable strategic report about the marketplace.

• Marketing Communications

  The module is an overview of the key marketing communications tools including branding, advertising, sales promotion and public relations. You'll consider the key theories of marketing communications, exploring how advertising has its effect on consumers. You'll also explore models of consumer psychology and behaviour  to further understand the role of marketing communications in society.

• Public Relations: Principles and Practice

  This module is an opportunity to work as a team on a public relations (PR) project. You'll develop your account management and PR skills, focusing on the function of PR and its role in marketing and corporate communications. You'll analyse and evaluate specialist PR functions and examine how a well-integrated PR strategy ensures that organisations can develop and maintain relationships with their stakeholders and audiences. 

• Developing Professional Practice in Business

  This module is an opportunity for students who are not undertaking a work placement year to complete a 30-hour business or consultancy project, helping them to develop their problem solving, creative thinking, analysis and project management skills. The project can be based in a range of settings including the university's Active Student or Community-university Partnership Project.

• Researching Contemporary Issues in Human Resource Management and Organisational Behaviour

  This module is an opportunity to research a contemporary human resource management or organisation behaviour issue of your choice. Through your research, you'll develop and deepen your knowledge and understanding of these topics and present your findings in a final report.

• Researching Contemporary Issues for the Intelligent Enterprise

  Intelligent Enterprise is a management approach that applies technology and new service models to the challenge of improving business performance. On this module you will conduct in-depth research into issues and emerging technologies that promote the concept of an intelligent enterprise. You'll choose a topic to research, either from a wide range or identify a new one in this dynamic field.

• Researching Contemporary Issues in Marketing

  The module is an opportunity to study a contemporary marketing issue of your choosing. You'll undertake a piece of in-depth research, further developing your analytical and critical skills and using the skills and knowledge gained on your degree to produce a report. The module is based on independent study supported by a tutor.

• Researching Contemporary Issues in Supply Chain Management

  This module is an opportunity to choose and research a contemporary supply chain, supply chain management or inventory management topic that really interests you. Current trends and issues include outsourcing, use of technologies (data analysis, IoT, cloud computing), supply chain visibility among organisations and sustainable supply chains. In producing your report, you'll further develop your analysis and evaluation skills, and make recommendations for improvements  in business decision making.

   

• Researching Contemporary Issues in Strategic Management

  The module is an opportunity to choose a strategic management issue to study in-depth. You'll review published data, and present your research as a clear and concise report summarising good practice and making recommendations of a possible solution to the issue. Topics you can choose are wide-ranging, and could include how businesses are adapting to climate change, strategic management in the responsible enterprise, strategic management issues of business and public policy, risk, performance, or innovation and creativity in product or process. 

   

   

   

• Researching Contemporary Issues in Economics

  In this module you will apply economic principles and methods to a contemporary issue that has implications for countries, businesses or individuals in the present and in the future. You'll identify a specific topic to research, and, using the principles and methods that you've learned on your course, formulate the research questions and hypotheses, devise a methodology and identify relevant data sources.

• Researching Contemporary Issues in Finance

  Choose a specific current issue in finance to study in depth. You'll review and analyse a wide range of published data with the aim of summarising good practice and recommending a possible solution to the problem in your final report. 

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Course fees

The fees listed here are for the first year of full-time study if you start your course in the academic year 2025–26.

You will pay fees for each year of your course. Some fees may increase each year.

UK undergraduate and some postgraduate fees are regulated by the UK government and increases will not be more than the maximum amount allowed. Course fees that are not regulated may increase each year by up to 5% or RPI (whichever is higher).

If you are studying part-time your fee will usually be calculated based on the number of modules that you take.

Find out more

• Brighton Boost – cost of living help for our new undergrad students. Find out about how we can help with your study, accommodation or travel costs and more...
• Fees, bursaries, scholarships and government funding info for UK and international undergraduate students
• Student finance and budgeting while studying
• Read our student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf) for more on University of Brighton tuition fees.

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