Business Management with Foundation Year

We'll help you develop core academic skills such as using electronic resources, planning and note-taking, communication skills related to essay and report writing and delivering presentations.

You'll learn to manage your time, prioritise tasks and manage stress, and become more confident in engaging with collaborative learning, debates, discussions and critical reflection.

You’ll study an area of interest related to your chosen degree and work individually on your project.

It could be a written report, a presentation and oral examination, a film or a series of blog posts.

You’ll learn through problem-solving and get formative feedback and support throughout, helping to develop your self-confidence.

We'll look at what a business is, the different types of businesses, their objectives and the modern business environment.

We'll draw on case studies and your own personal experiences to make the module as relatable as possible. You'll also be encouraged to raise business topics to discuss in class.

You'll learn about the supply chain from raw materials to consumers, and the logistics of getting the right goods in the right amount to the right place at the right time.

You'll study production and discover the difference between services and manufacturing, the principles of project management and quality control processes.

You'll also learn the principles of human resource management and leadership, as well as teamwork and team building.

You'll examine the modern business environment and how start-up businesses grow as technology advances.

We'll look at sustainability and the opportunities or limitations small businesses face.

You'll get an overview of how businesses use social media and communications technology to reach an audience.

You'll also develop your own business and marketing plans and concepts in lectures, workshops, coursework and group work.

You will study the four main economic objectives - employment, inflation, growth and balance of payments.

Your lectures will look at different approaches to macroeconomic policy, such as Keynesian, supply-side, monetarist and Austrian.

Studying a range of introductory macroeconomic topics across closed and open economies, you will gain a deeper understanding of aggregate demand and supply, income and money flows.

You will also consider the impact of international trade and globalisation on business, employment and wealth distribution.

Exploring the nature and complexity of organisations, you will look at the functional specialisms in management.

You will be encouraged to compare different approaches to management theory, such as Taylorism/Fordism and Human Relations, as groundwork for future studies.

Class-based exercises will take you through topics such as leadership, motivation, group formation, behaviour, change, and the international implications of people management.

You will get a basic introduction to the marketing environment, marketing management, and the role of marketing in the world.

You will look at the impact of a customer-centred approach, marketing research, market analysis, segmentation, targeting and positioning theory and practice.

You will also study marketing mix elements such as product, price, promotion and place, how service and retail marketing works in theory and practice, and the impact of technological developments like e-commerce.

You will gain a contemporary and comprehensive understanding of operations management and strategy from a global perspective.

Operations management covers the direction, design and management of processes, information, technology and people to ensure the effective and efficient production of products and services.

You will look at quality assurance, continuous improvement methods, and performance management systems underpinned by evidence-based business decision-making.

The two general branches of accounting are financial and management. You will consider the purpose and type of information each produces.

You'll learn about the types of business organisations, the role of stakeholders, and how regulatory and non-regulatory factors affect businesses.

You'll apply and interpret measures such as profitability, liquidity and activity ratios.

You'll find out the difference between costing methods and be able to classify and explain concepts such as cost centres, material and labour pricing, stock valuation methods, allocation and apportionment.

You'll recognise the nature and purpose of budgeting, the process of budgeting preparation, department budgets and master budget, the difference between flexible and fixed budgets and the behavioural aspects of budgeting.

You'll be introduced to the learning and teaching approaches at Leeds Trinity University, helping you transition into higher education.

Learning about the social justice mission of Leeds Trinity, you'll consider a range of contemporary social issues, as well as your own personal and academic development.

Throughout the module, you'll engage with ethical topics and perspectives relevant to your course.

The module will help you engage with the wider world in an empathic, ethical and compassionate way.

You'll prepare career and study plans, find out how to search for job opportunities and experience a typical graduate trainee assessment centre recruitment process.

In workshops, you'll analyse your professional development and personality and learn the importance of teamwork and effective interpersonal relationships.

You'll develop graduate-level employability skills through reflective learning and self-directed study.

You'll get an introduction to corporate governance, mechanisms for financial management, and corporate financial objectives such as formation, benchmarking and performance.

You'll study ratio analysis, viability assessment, reasons for company failure, capital rationing techniques and more.

You'll also look at the UK and global banking system and discuss sources of finance, venture capital and working capital management.

You'll learn about areas of English and EU laws that affect the legal structure and operation of businesses.

You will examine the nature of the relevant law in context and explore how the law affects directors, entrepreneurs, managers and employees.

The module also covers the court system, sources of law and precedence, contract law, tort, equity and trusts, employment law, consumer law, the legal structure of businesses, applicable instruments and aspects of liability under criminal law.

You'll be encouraged to identify the different elements of marketing communication and explore them in detail.

You'll do practical work and develop your areas of interest, such as website design, direct marketing, PR and social media.

You'll learn to critically analyse techniques including branding, copy, colour, music and sensory appeals.

You'll study the key principles of social science research underpinning business, management, economics, marketing methodologies, and accounting and finance.

You'll learn theoretical and empirical investigative methods and qualitative and quantitative methodological techniques. These include systematic literature reviews, surveys, interviews, focus groups and statistical analysis using primary and secondary databases.

Guided through the process of research design, you will write a realistic, small-scale research proposal.

You'll study the key aspects of theoretical people management and leadership models and how they apply in practice.

You'll develop practical experience in team-working through class-based exercises involving people management.

You'll also reflect on your performance and areas for development.

You'll study the role of people management and the development of human resources, how it can lead to competitive advantage, and discuss case studies relating to contemporary issues in the workplace.

You'll learn how to analyse and deploy digital strategies and technologies within an organisation in the UK and globally.

Building on traditional business and marketing theories and concepts, you'll get a structured approach to applying modern technologies for management and marketing operations, particularly concerning international business.

You'll cover e-business operations, logistics and supply chains, e-marketing, situation analysis, objective setting, e-marketing strategy and implementation, and control and management of e-marketing.

You'll study the inter-related nature of the environment in which businesses exist and the implications for how they work.

You'll learn about the main theoretical strategic planning models, the use and application of financial information relevant to different groups of stakeholders, and the implications and influence of cultural and ethical issues for strategic planning.

You'll also look at effective strategies for organisational competition and growth, how strategy is formulated and implemented, and the implications for the organisation and its stakeholders.

You'll measure environmental, social and economic impacts and performance, including market and non-market impacts and key performance indicators.

We'll examine the business case for sustainability, strategic frameworks for implementing corporate sustainability and environmental compliance.

We'll also analyse corporate sustainability tools, environmental auditing including EMAS, ISO1400 certification and carbon footprinting, social and environmental risk assessment, product life-cycle analysis, eco-labelling and sustainable branding, as well as external sustainability reporting and verification.

You'll complete a work-based or alternative professional development project within your work setting.

This will involve negotiating a project that meets the needs of both your employer or placement provider and Leeds Trinity University.

You'll develop and negotiate learning outcomes and assessment modes that allow you to apply theoretical understanding and practical work-based development to a chosen context.