Business Management with Foundation Year

This module will introduce you to key concepts of business and management looking at what business is (and isn’t). You will be encouraged to draw on real-life examples found in the businesses you use in your every day life. You will develop an understanding of the key functions used within contemporary businesses and learn about the tools and techniques used in business for analysis and planning. 

Academic and Personal Skills is delivered with your future in mind. This module takes you through how to get to grips with the technology you need to succeed, as well as using the library, how to reference and how to produce the different styles of academic writing.

It also helps you to develop yourself; you will create a CV, learn how to write a cover letter and find out what your learning style is. The module has guest speakers who share their expert knowledge and experience with you.  All the skills covered in this module will help you to succeed in your chosen degree.

This module looks at what’s involved in starting up a sustainable business. You will discover what is needed for long term business success. We’ll look at financing and funding, business formation, planning, business ethics and sustainability along with other core aspects of start-ups. You will work closely with industry partners to gain insight into the world of start-ups. If you are interested in starting a business, this module will really help you to discover what is involved. You also gain key knowledge which your degree will build upon.  

This module will explain the importance and key elements of digital business. You will explore how digital business ideas drive technology choices and how those technologies support the development of the business.  

This module is studied in term 2 of the foundation year and brings together everything that you have learnt so far on the foundation year. This is your opportunity to put your knowledge into practice. You will work as part of a team to develop a business idea; you will work through the process of setting up the business. As a team you will pitch your idea to a panel to gain investment in your start-up. You will then start the business and create an event with the profits being donated to a local charity of your choice. Whatever your chosen business discipline this module will give you the opportunity to demonstrate and develop your skills. 

The module aims to acquire and develop an understanding of the employability skills required to succeed in your chosen industry. This is a practical module which will help you create and develop a professional CV and will develop your understanding of the recruitment and selection process. You will learn essentail life-long skills to help you succeed in job applications whether they are for part-time work whilst you are a student or for your future graduate career.

The Digital and Business Skills module introduces a range of digital tools for academia and the workplace. Important business skills such as management, collaboration and teamwork are fundamental to the module. Regular engagement with online platforms provides tasks to improve digital competency. Also, cocreation work presents self-reflection and confidence building opportunities.  Gaining the inspiring digital enterprise award (iDEA), completing LinkedIn learning assessments for Microsoft software applications, and completing collaborative video creation tasks will increase your digital and business skills as you progress towards the completion of this module. Digital Business is here to stay, so it is vital to improve these 21st century skills.

This module provides you with an introduction to the key functions of business and is an opportunity to see how they work. You will get an understanding of functions including people management, accounting, marketing and operations, and how they underpin business success. This is illustrated through the lens of some of the successful businesses from across the Greater Manchester region that Salford Business School work with: we will look at a range of businesses including startups, family businesses and large scale enterprises and multinationals from different industry sectors. It is a first opportunity to see what makes businesses tick and will help you think about your future learning and employment journeys.

How do we get inside the problems that businesses face, and reach the decisions that will solve them and support the future development of the organisation? This module will introduce you to systems thinking, providing an approach that helps you examine complex problems and develop holistic solutions. You will be encouraged to think creatively, developing the skills you need for creating innovative solutions that will help you with your studies and future career.

In this module you will be introduced to a variety of data analysis methods, which will be practiced on real world data sets. Regular formative assessment will be set for practice, with timely feedback given to aid learning and personal development.

You will have an opportunity to formulate your own research questions before analysing data to draw reasonable conclusions. The module will predominantly utilise real data and include a mixture of computer-based questions, calculations, interpretation and drawing conclusions.

What are the opportunities for business in the future? Starting with a grounding in the business context you will gain an understanding of economics and the digital environment, including the role of the digital economy. We will explore some of the key challenges that are on the horizon such as the impact of massive digitisation and industry 4.0, inclusive growth, food security and the climate emergency, and look at the opportunities for business to provide responsible and sustainable solutions

This module is designed to provide you with practical experience of key aspects of business finance. Using a business simulation tool, you will have the opportunity to apply these concepts in a practical context. The module embeds group working skills and the experiential approach provides the opportunity to gain experience of defining, planning and delivering a project.

This module will enable you to plan and carry out appropriate professional development activities to increase your employability and performance. These include self-presentation, professional networking, project planning and implementation, team working, influencing and multimedia communication. You will gain all the necessary experience required to take advantage of global employment opportunities. 

Watch this video to hear what students say about the module.

This module will enrich your knowledge, appreciation and detailed awareness of the means required to operationalise and manage the resources of a business.

It will establish and focus on the key operational processes using an underpinning of theoretical frameworks, supported by a range of examples from service, manufacturing or a combination of these from industry. This course also benefits from guest lectures and, where possible, field trips for you to gain ‘live’ experience and support learning.

This module will provide systematic understanding of operations management and the skills relevant to the development and sustainability of regional, national and international business.

You will be introduced to a variety of methods of analysis for management decision making, which will be practiced utilising real world data sets relevant to your chosen pathway structure. Formative assessment will be set for practice, with timely feedback given to aid learning and personal development.

The decision making techniques introduced in the module can be applied to a wide range of settings, such as interpreting market performance, forecasting growth, make or buy decisions, optimisation of scarce resources etc.

During this module we take a detailed look at various aspects of Project Management through a variety of means such as lectures and practical seminars informed by research and industrial collaborations. We will focus on theoretical approaches, tools and techniques of planning and controlling projects.

We will discuss project management as an important and integral part of a business whether this is product or service based.

The module will introduce you to key issues in marketing and the impact that this has on consumers as well as their behaviour. It draws upon key theories in marketing and consumer behaviour and reflects on the relevance to marketing practice in the digital age.

The digital workplace is here to stay. This module helps you gain an understanding of the application of digital technologies in organisations. You will develop a critical awareness of the relationship between people and the workplaces of the future. You will also explore the issues around implementing a digital strategy.

On this short module, you'll look at the issues affecting current marketing in a global setting and the impact this has on the wider business environment. You'll look at different marketing niches from a social, economic and environmental perspective, considering the importance of minority group affiliations associated with Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ+, social inclusion, ethics, sustainability and the marketing-savvy green consumer. You'll also gain an understanding of the ethical, moral and legal requirements that managers must appreciate when engaging in international marketing activities.

This module aims to equip you with the analytical skills required to handle and analyse business, financial and economic data using basic econometric methods, including simple and multiple linear regression models, inference and hypothesis testing. As part of this module, you will get hands-on experience with the Data Analysis Toolkit within Excel and the Econometric/Statistical software package Stata. You will also undertake an applied empirical project where you are expected to demonstrate your understanding of data analysis and econometric methods.

You will be introduced to some fundamentals of basic financial and management accounting, learning to understand the content of financial statements and the accountancy practices required to prepare these statements. You will learn to analyse and interpret financial statements and use the data to make informed management decisions. With cost (and its impact on profit) a key factor in an organisation’s success, you will learn to communicate financial information both in writing and speaking.

On this module, you will learn about some of the key aspects of law and how these impact upon business. You will be introduced to the outline of the English Legal System, Contract Law, Employment Law and Company Law. You will develop a critical understanding of legal issues that may arise in business situations and be able to use your knowledge of the law in relevant business practices.

Being able to communicate effectively with your key markets and target audiences is an important part of business success. This module gives you an effective introduction to the key aspects of marketing communications theory and practice.

You will design and develop an efficient integrated marketing communications plan and strategy, and study key topics including: advertising, public relations, direct marketing, sales promotion, personal selling, point-of-purchase and e-communications.

A short internship, whether paid or unpaid, is invaluable for you to develop and demonstrate your skills in the real-world. This modules allows you to gain credits for work you do that is relevant to your degree and contributes to your employability. The Business School will provide support and guidance when you are looking for internship opportunities. This may be done during the summer period between the end of level 4 and the start of level 5 but other opportunities may be possible provided the relevant amount of work-based learning is undertaken. During term time, you will work on a reflective report to demonstrate what you learned during the internship.

Students will be introduced to a variety of methods of analysis to inform decision making which will be practised on real data sets to support a new business venture as part of the Young Enterprise programme. Formative assessment will be set, with timely feedback given to aid learning and personal development.

The decision making techniques introduced in the module can be applied to a wide range of settings, such as interpreting market performance, forecasting growth, make or buy decisions, optimisations of scarce resources, marketing planning etc.

All of our BSc students can apply for a one-year professional placement, which takes place between your second and last years of study.

This is an excellent opportunity to take advantage of and we will help you find out about vacancies and make the right connections with high profile employers through regular events and presentations.

Here is just a small selection of the companies our students have enjoyed placements with so far: NatWest, Barclays and the Cooperative Bank; BP, Esso and Shell; IBM, Hewlett Packard and Compaq; Ford, Vauxhall, Jaguar and Nissan; Marks & Spencer, Selfridges and Sainsbury’s; Eli Lilly, Glaxo and ICI; Fujitsu, Marriott and Virgin.

This module equips you with an appreciation and in-depth understanding of the implications of Business Ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability within national and international organisations. This module will also develop your knowledge with respect to the importance of the balance between shareholders, stakeholders and the purpose and values of the organisation. It will explore the roles of social and technological innovation in global ethical organisations in order to prepare you for future employability.

How do you make sure your products reach your customers where and when they want them? What systems make it easy for customers to buy? How will you deliver to multiple customers around the country through rain and snow?

The main aims of the module are to evaluate the concepts of supply chain management, to consider how those strategically connect to company objectives and to provide a critical awareness of digital transformation within the context of procurement and supply chain management.

You will systematically interpret and apply theories, skills and research aiming to make defendable judgements about complex issues in supply chain management, taking into account organisational settings and cognitive biases in contexts of uncertainty, disruption and volatility.

You will learn to critically evaluate and advise on supply chain management issues at a strategic level of organisations and analyse the impact of digital transformation on different interconnected supply chain elements eg, forecasting, planning, facilities, inventory, transportation, sourcing and information exchange.

This module offers a unique in-depth knowledge and understanding of the key practical and theoretical aspects of leadership and management in contemporary organisations. There is a focus on specific individual leaders, leadership styles and traits and offers an insight into how leaders operate in an organisational context. The module also explores personal leadership, the development of leadership and how leadership occurs at all levels. Practically the module will invite you to develop your own leadership style and experience, enhancing  employability.

This module enables you to explore your own leadership styles and traits and evaluate how these impact on the management of people.

Employers tell us that they are looking for employees with an entrepreneurial mindset.  Or perhaps you're thinking of setting up your own business.

In this module you have the opportunity to undertake an enterprise project for an internal or external sponsor on a topic of common interest.  Alternatively, you can use this opportunity to undertake in-depth research for your own project, for example, a business plan if you are wanting to start up a company after you graduate. The nature of the project will be negotiated by yourself, the module leader and the sponsoring company. 

This module will provide a detailed understanding of business strategy, so that you acquire an organisation-wide perspective through exploring strategy techniques and processes within the global environment. You will draw together your knowledge from across the programme, and apply this to real world organisational problems, deploying accurately established techniques of analysis and enquiry, some of which are at the forefront of strategic research and practice. The module prepares you for a career in business and management, developing the next generation of managers, and you will work on industry problems drawn from your pathway specialism.

In this module, you will work as part of a team in an online business simulation. Acting as the management team in a competitive business environment, you will solve business problems and learn about the relationships between different areas of business. This modules gives you a chance to test your entrepreneurship, business planning and your ability to manage change in an uncertain environment.

You can choose between this and the dissertation option

If you choose the dissertation, you will identify and focus on a specialist area of research related to an aspect of your degree programme. Through this module, you will carry out a substantial piece of independent research and produce a scholarly and critical dissertation as a result. As well as being a great way to prepare you for postgraduate study, your dissertation can also support your CV and be presented to potential employers as evidence of your analytical and research skills.

You can choose between this and the Business Entrepreneurial Simulation Project option.