Overview

This introductory course covers the fundamentals of business organizations, including corporate aims, strategies, responsibilities, and behaviour. Topics include organizational context, structure, culture, teams, decision-making, human resources, working practices, leadership, and communications. The course also introduces marketing concepts like market research, segmentation, marketing mix, consumer behaviour, product development, pricing, distribution, branding, and digital marketing. By the end of the course, you will have a broad understanding of core business and marketing principles and practices.

During this module, participants will focus on the fundamentals of business organisations. You will cover the following areas:

-elements of corporate strategies, functional aims & objectives, and the impact to society -theories and practices in organisation including organisation behaviour, environment, technology, and culture. -individual and groups in organisation -decision making processes -human resource or talent management -motivational theories -the basics of operational management. -communications in business -management and leadership -the fundamental concepts in marketing -managing marketing information -product development design product lifecycle. -pricing strategies - marketing channels and communications -marketing strategies and brand positioning -emerging trends in digital marketing

Assessment Strategy

Threshold (40-49% / D- to D+): Student has made sufficient progress in the study of this module to achieve the lowest level of pass allowing for progression onto an undergraduate degree.

Satisfactory (50 – 59% / C- to C+): Student demonstrates reasonably comprehensive coverage of learning outcomes, indicating generally accurate understanding, based on lecture material and some core readings. Some gaps in knowledge and/or understanding evident.

Good (60-69% / B- to B+): Student has displayed a sound basic knowledge and understanding of much of the material studied in this module and achieved a high enough grade to indicate a clear ability to cope with the demands of an undergraduate level degree.

Excellent (70% + / A- to A*): Student has engaged consistently well with all aspects of the module and strong achievement in assessments indicates the ability to perform effectively at undergraduate degree level.

Learning Outcomes

• Conduct independent research on a specified subject area, identify the key points from the information collected, consolidate, summarise, and present the information in an appropriate business or finance format.

• Describe and analyse the role of human resource management in staff planning, development and performance.

• Evaluate and comment on the effectiveness of a business in terms of its strategies, organisational structure, people, culture, and processes

• Evaluate the fundamental marketing concepts and discuss recent development in digital marketing