The module, ‘Analytics Essentials: Transforming Business with Big Data’ offers a comprehensive exploration of cutting-edge advancements in big data analytics and their transformative impact on business operations and strategy. Throughout the course, you’ll delve into key topics such as data mining techniques, machine learning fundamentals, real-time data analytics, and advanced analytics techniques. Emphasis is placed on the practical application of these concepts through case studies highlighting innovative business applications across various industries, including finance, healthcare, retail, manufacturing, and telecommunications. Additionally, the module addresses ethical considerations, privacy protection, infrastructure, and future trends in big data analytics. By the end of the module, you’ll have gained a deep understanding of how big data analytics drives innovation and competitive advantage in the evolving landscape of business

The module introduces you to programming using ‘Python for finance’. No prior knowledge or coding experience in Python is assumed. Python has emerged as an industrystandard language and is extensively used to develop innovative financial products and services. This course covers foundational programming concepts such as conditional statements and loops, data processing from files, receiving input, and displaying relevant output. At the end of the module, you should be proficient in writing basic Python functions, manipulate data files – including reading, modifying, and writing to external files – and performing tasks such as reading and writing to Excel and CSV, connecting to databases, retrieving and processing web data, and employing Python for Finance applications. These applications include developing event-based trading strategies and back testing and optimising them using historical data.

International business strategy evaluation and formulation are crucial tasks within all organisations, requiring the analysis of complex information. This module aims to broaden and deepen your understanding of critical and strategic issues and activities in international business. It introduces the tools, theories, and concepts of international business strategy for multinational enterprises (MNEs). Through this module you will develop an understanding of firms’ internal and external environments, critically assessing their strategies and proposing and evaluating strategic options. By learning how to analyse international firm strategy, you will gain insight into how firms strive to achieve and maintain competitive advantage and what distinguishes successful companies. Additionally, this module aims to develop skills in interpreting and analysing complex real-world issues using theoretical perspectives, concepts, models, and data. The emphasis is on using theory to inform practice and address real-world problems.

Management decision-making is a complex subject involving many variable factors. The primary objective of this module is to provide a conceptual and analytical framework for looking at organisations operating in capital, financial and operational markets. You’ll explore the financial element contained in decisions and the techniques that may be used to assist informed management decisions. You start by considering the availability of financial information that may be relevant to decision making and whether this fits with the information you need to make the decision. This is further developed to the type of decision and differing requirements, leading to a more bespoke deliverable information set that meets the context of the decision. You’ll gain an appreciation of core themes prevalent throughout financial management. The module also explores the financial techniques developed by financial and management accountants and how they may be used and applied. Finally, consideration is given to the relevance and weighting of the financial element in the decision making process and how qualitative issues may be incorporated in the overall decision. Strategic financial management issues covered include financial statement analysis, budget and performance management, raising finance (both short and long term), efficient allocation and utilisation of financial resources (including investment decisions), and mergers and acquisitions as well as foreign currency and interest rate risk management. Different organisations and sectors are covered to develop your knowledge and skills in finance and business analysis through practical tasks involving developing financial strategies, conducting a financial analysis, managing foreign currency risks and by using professional database such as FAME and Osiris, etc. Successful completion of this module by students registered on the Masters in Business Administration, Masters in Business Administration (with placement), MBA Entrepreneurship or MBA Entrepreneurship (with placement) provides exemption from the Chartered Management Institute’s unit 706 Finance for Strategic Leaders.

Organisations and managers have to adapt, change and evolve to meet the conflicting, competing and complex business related environmental change factors, whose rate of change is developing at an exponential rate. Irresistible influences from National, International and Global Macro. Micro and Operating environments are shaping and influencing contemporary management theories and practice. Today’s managers must equip themselves with new skills and knowledge in order to interact with and respond to the emerging challenges that change brings and where appropriate take the required corrective action. Business leaders are required to develop higher level management skills, especially critical evaluation and decision making within National, International and Global contexts, when needing to respond effectively to the challenges within these constantly changing operating environments This module provides professional managers with an opportunity to consider reflect and critically appraise a range of current contemporary management issues, including developing International lenses of reference from a theoretical and practical application whilst relating these factors to the art of management.

The course content will provide a framework to assess how these issues impact within organisations and how managers are able to react to these issues. The module will develop within students a critical appreciation of the challenges faced by management professionals in developing responses to business environment conditions which are complex, dynamic and diverse. This module engages students with contemporary issues in context with associated links to organisational strategy and management approaches and systems related to information, networks and collaborations as well as organisational learning. In achieving its overall objectives, the module will encourage students to further develop, engage, evaluate and critique their contemporary understanding with a view to the realities of practice and organisations. Students will consider interactions, theories and frameworks that explain contemporary issues and ground this in organisational and individual contexts. It is widely accepted that such issues are crucial to the viability of organisations across all sectors and contexts and the creation of value (however defined). As a result both the study mode and module content further facilitate the application of, and reflection on, theory and understanding in practice and this is evidenced in the learning outcomes and the associated development of the individual’s understanding.

This module will develop the skills and knowledge necessary to collect, manipulate and analyse business data to produce, and effectively explain, data-driven answers to real-world business and managerial questions. The first part of the module covers research design and the collection and management of data. Next, you will explore various methods of analysing structured and unstructured data. Finally, the module explores interpreting, visualising and communicating results. During the student-led workshops, you will practice applying the methods covered to business-related datasets using statistical software. No prior knowledge of statistical software is assumed. By the end of the module, you will be able to rigorously analyse a variety of data and communicate your results to specialists and non-specialists, including the unavoidable uncertainties of such analysis.

This major project module allows students to engage in a substantial piece of individual research focussed on a topic relevant to their business degree award and specialist subject area under the supervision and guidance of a member of academic staff. This module requires students to develop their chosen topic into a specific project under the guidance of their supervisor. Supervisors will discuss with students contemporary research problems and issues based on their research and practice, and students will be required to conduct literature reviews, evaluate and critically appraise a range of information, investigate and adopt suitable theoretical frameworks, research methodologies and methods, and process and analyse data to produce a coherent and justified solution to the problem(s) identified. Throughout the module your supervisor will support you in terms of content and skills development so that you can work semi-autonomously on your individual research project. This is achieved through regular supervisory meetings throughout the year, which will allow for individual discussion of the tasks that will have to be completed in order to develop the project smoothly. Students will receive formative and constructive feedback from their supervisors in order progress their research to a conclusion. Attendance at meetings and engagement with the proposed tasks are essential to successful completion of the project.