Sustainable 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. 

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 brings together everything you have learned so far and gives you the opportunity to put your knowledge into practice. Working in teams, you will develop a business idea and take it through the process of setting up a start-up. You will pitch your idea to a panel to secure investment, launch the business and organise an event, with profits donated to a local charity of your choice. Whatever your chosen business discipline, this module allows you to demonstrate and further develop your skills in a real-world context.

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 essential 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.

This is the start of your professional career, and this module lays the foundation that will support you in being a successful graduate. In your first year, you will research potential career options and map-out skills and opportunities to be developed through your second and third years. By building a graduate portfolio, and demonstrating employability skills, you will identify your strengths and weaknesses to create a personalised and targeted plan alongside your programme pathway. Starting early will give you the confidence and adaptability as you progress through your undergraduate career.

This module examines the twin forces shaping the future of business: the urgent drive toward sustainability and the disruptive potential of emerging technologies. You will explore ecological economics, climate change and the global energy transition alongside the dynamics of digital transformation, including artificial intelligence, Industry 4.0 and 5.0, robotics, automation, 3D printing, the Internet of Things, blockchain and virtual reality. 

Through case studies and applied learning, you will develop the ability to lead and innovate responsibly in a rapidly changing world, applying creative and sustainable solutions to transform industries and shape next-generation business strategies.

Through an immersive and intensive delivery, this introductory module explores how businesses operate through core functions like people management, finance, marketing and operations. Via an organisational visit and case studies, you will learn how organisations work and respond to external change. 

You will compare business types alongside developing essential academic and professional skills in analysis, reporting and presentation of information to support future study and careers. The module will leave you with understanding of appropriate academic practice and expectations of professional behaviour alongside a strong foundation of business knowledge to build on for the remainder of your degree discipline.

Sustainability is shaped by politics, policy and governance across local, national and global levels. You will explore the historical development of sustainability within international frameworks and agreements, distinguishing between government and governance. 

This module examines how stakeholders including public institutions, international bodies, businesses and communities contribute to sustainability goals such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. You will consider how global inequalities and the divide between global, national and regional needs influence how sustainable development is governed and delivered around the world, equipping you with the data and critical thinking skills to lead through informed decision making.

This module invites you to think differently about sustainability by exploring creativity and experimenting with new approaches to solving problems. You will approach complex climate challenges with fresh ideas and explore how innovation drives change in both businesses and society. Through hands on activities and examples, you will develop creative confidence and explore how individuals and teams can drive positive change. 

This module is a space to collaborate, build resilience, and imagine more sustainable futures. As part of the experience, you will also become certified Carbon Literate, equipping you with the knowledge and tools to take meaningful climate action.

This module will examine various aspects of project management through a variety of means, including online content and practical seminars informed by research and industrial collaborations. It will focus on theoretical approaches, tools and techniques of planning and controlling projects. You will learn to appreciate project management as an important and integral part of a business whether product or service based.

This module will enable you to build on the embedded employability skills developed during year one of the programme. Through engaging in various professional development and reflection activities, you will be able to identify or realise, evaluate, plan and lead on the development of your future-focused knowledge, skills, behaviours and activities required to help secure your professional career aspirations, according to your programme of study. You will develop knowledge on how to access career-specific and professional graduate-level job opportunities through exploring graduate-level labour market trends, and job-specific employer requirements. 

You will also draw on the expertise of the school’s Career’s and Employability team, employer visits and workshops delivered by the academic team within the school. This will enable you to identify and engage in innovative development strategies to improve your work experience and employability, enabling you to further strengthen in a sustained way your career-focused digital footprint in relation to your professional career goals and around the graduate level employer selection process.

Building on the knowledge and skills gained in the first year, this module aims to provide you with a more detailed understanding of how data is used and applied in a business setting. This module will introduce the concepts of business intelligence as a service that underpins decision making in different business functional areas, providing you with experience of using industry standard business intelligence tools to lead and inform evidence-based decision making in your subject specialisms. You will understand how to use data visualisations to inform decision making to influence change in the organisations. This will include human centred design approaches, developing understanding of user experience and people in organisations.

This module is built around solving a real sustainability project, operated in partnership with the Centre for Sustainable Innovation (CSI). Working in project teams, you will tackle real challenges, developing practical solutions that make a difference. The experience builds confidence in project planning, communication, and collaboration, while deepening understanding of sustainability in action, positioning you as future leaders. You will engage with CSI gaining insight into how sustainability is applied across sectors. It is a hands on, meaningful opportunity to develop skills and contribute to positive change.

The module runs in collaboration with Young Enterprise (UK) who focus on enhancing and embedding entrepreneurial learning and enterprise in education through adopting experiential learning. This module gives you the opportunity to lead, innovate and sustain through real entrepreneurial experience. Working in teams and supported by industry mentors, you will create and manage your own start-up enterprise as part of the Young Enterprise (UK) programme. You will apply business decision-making tools, develop creative solutions and engage directly with customers, stakeholders and advisors. Through this hands-on process, you’ll strengthen critical thinking, teamwork and leadership skills while exploring how ethical, sustainable and data-informed decisions drive enterprise success. The experience provides practical insight and a strong foundation for future entrepreneurial and professional growth.

This module explores practical approaches for building sustainable value chains by applying circular economy thinking. It explores how organisations can reduce waste, extend product life cycles and minimise environmental impacts through strategies such as sustainable sourcing, design for reuse and closed-loop logistics. 

Using tools such as supply chain mapping and life cycle analysis, you will work with case studies using data to evaluate and improve the sustainability of real-world operations across sectors. By the end of the module you will be equipped with the knowledge to build more responsible value chains and contribute to a more circular, low-carbon economy.

You have the option to do a placement year, taking a year in industry to learn in a real-life environment whilst earning a salary and paying no tuition fees.

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.

 For more information, please visit the placement and internships page. 

This module enables you to step confidently into your future as a professional graduate. Building on your development at Levels 4 and 5, you will critically reflect on who you are, what you offer, and how you will make your contribution. You will deepen your emotional intelligence, evaluate workplace behaviours, and identify strengths and aspirations to shape a compelling professional identity. Using strengths-based diagnostics and simulated recruitment environments, you will learn to lead through critical thinking and data-driven decisions, innovate with curiosity and entrepreneurial skills, and sustain positive impact for people and planet while building a lifelong learning plan.

This module supports you in developing a deep understanding and practical application of innovation and entrepreneurship, to develop innovation skills that will support your future career, whether you plan to launch your own enterprise as an entrepreneur or drive change within an organisation as an intrapreneur. Working with a partner organisation you will gain an in depth appreciation of the current status of, and external landscape influencing the core business functional areas. This serves as the foundation for exploration of evidence based opportunities for growth and innovation. You will research and respond to contemporary issues, asking critical questions and use the authentic business challenge to research and develop a sustainable and ethical innovation solution which focuses on your chosen area of the business. Building on prior learning, you will develop the confidence and creativity needed to lead innovation and create sustainable value in your chosen career. On completion you will have created a tangible innovation solution that you can use as evidence of your capabilities in a job interview.

This module provides you with in depth understanding of strategy and leadership. Using scenarios, you will be equipped to lead transformational change, make evidence-based strategic decisions and contribute meaningfully to sustainable organisational performance in complex, dynamic environments. You will examine and critique the underlying principles of key leadership theories and critically evaluate how effective leaders embed a culture of innovation in organisations. Finally, you will review and critically examine the strategic role of leaders within organisations.

The Integrated Learning Project is a capstone module which allows you to apply the knowledge that you have acquired during your degree in a substantive real-world project. You will be able to select from three different types of project: a research dissertation; a consultancy project; or an entrepreneurial simulation project. The module allows you to apply your skills in critical thinking, independent research, project management, communication, and problem-solving, whilst engaging in an in-depth exploration of a topic relating to your degree. The output will be a portfolio that showcases your innovation in the generation of a sustainable and responsible solution to the selected problem which showcases your academic and professional abilities as a future leader. The project outputs will provide evidence of your knowledge and skills within your graduate portfolio, supporting your graduate career journey.

This module explores how artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies are driving transformative change in sustainable business. You will learn how AI can support in smarter decision making, reduce environmental impact, create more efficient waste strategies and improve transparency in areas like supply chains, energy use and customer engagement. You will also consider and critique the environmental risks and ethical challenges associated with digital transformation, including water use, algorithmic bias and data management, exploring methods to mitigate this. Through case studies and applied projects, you will explore how digital innovation can help businesses meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and build more resilient, future-focused strategies.