In today's era of "big data", business analytics has become a key part of management decision making. Modern managers must now routinely understand the use and value of both qualitative and quantitative data in order to manage risk more effectively. This module provides an overview of the key analytical tools and techniques to improve decision-making in an uncertain business environment.
Programming is a structured way of giving a computer unambiguous instructions to perform specific tasks. Knowledge and experience of programming not only improves your employability but it also teaches you analytical skills such as breaking down a problem into smaller parts and recognising and reusing previously solved problems. The purpose of this module is to equip you with the knowledge and skills for writing structured computer programs. Although these fundamentals can be achieved using any high level programming language, e.g. Java and Python, the module introduces Visual Basic for Application (VBA) as the introductory language. VBA is a very versatile, event-driven programming language. Programmers predominantly use VBA algorithms to build customized applications and solutions for Microsoft office applications such as MS-Excel, MS-Word and MS-Access to enhance the capabilities of those applications. For example, you can build a VBA algorithm to automate the repetitive task of forecasting future demand for a product upon updating current sales data in Excel. Although the module assumes no prior programming experience, its analytics orientation best suits students who are highly interested in problem solving, have strong analytical skills and are highly numerate. MANG1019 or MANG1007 is a pre-requisite for this module, with a mark of at least 65% being achieved.
This course provides part of the essential knowledge and skills required for conducting the Final Project module in the final year. SAS (Statistical Analysis System) is the leading data analytics software package. This module will cover the fundamentals of SAS base programming. On successful completion of this module, you will be able to use SAS software to read data, access, manage and manipulate ‘big’ data, solve problems, save programs and datasets, use conditional logic, combine files, produce tables and listings of data, and use data analysis techniques. The module will also help prepare you for the SAS Base programming certification.
Programming is a structured way of giving a computer unambiguous instructions to perform specific tasks. Knowledge and experience of programming not only improves your employability but it also teaches you analytical skills such as breaking down a problem into smaller parts and recognising and reusing previously solved problems. The purpose of this module is to equip you with the knowledge and skills for writing structured computer programs. Although these fundamentals can be achieved using any high level programming language, e.g. Java and Python, the module introduces Visual Basic for Application (VBA) as the introductory language. VBA is a very versatile, event-driven programming language. Programmers predominantly use VBA algorithms to build customized applications and solutions for Microsoft office applications such as MS-Excel, MS-Word and MS-Access to enhance the capabilities of those applications. For example, you can build a VBA algorithm to automate the repetitive task of forecasting future demand for a product upon updating current sales data in Excel. The module will also briefly introduce the Python language and illustrate how to transfer VBA programming skills to Python by highlighting differences and similarities between the two languages. Although the module assumes no prior programming experience, its analytics orientation best suits students who are highly interested in problem solving, have strong analytical skills and are highly numerate. MANG1019 or MANG1007 is a pre-requisite for this module, with a mark of at least 65% being achieved.
Within this module you will evaluate the future of Business Marketing for Fashion. You will develop a comprehensive understanding of cutting-edge Business and Marketing strategies. The module is designed to propel you into the forefront of the industry, this module provides a deep dive into essential Business and Marketing theories and principles, infused with the latest trends and innovations shaping the fashion world. Existing theory will be explored, examined and applied as well as new disruptive models that are impacting the fashion sector. The module will investigate Equitable, Diverse, Inclusive and Sustainable frameworks and examine how fashion’s unique position in the global economy is transforming,
This module exposes students to the idea that firms are organisations embedded in societies, thus helping students contextualise the nature, goals, actions, and impact of the organisations of the business world. As such, it helps students build an interdisciplinary intellectual foundation to business as a field of inquiry by drawing on fundamental ideas, theories, and critical debates from the whole social science spectrum (economics, sociology, politics, management, and psychology). In particular, the module explores developments in human thought in relation to the nature of the firm, business behaviour, societal institutions, entrepreneurship, people management, the world of work, and social stratification. It examines debates about the importance of institutions and the state for economic growth and development, and also explores geographical dimensions of institutional and policy diversity. It therefore examines important historical and geographical processes necessary for business operations and economic prosperity. By the end of the module students will have a powerful set of interdisciplinary thinking tools by which to interpret events of the past, the present, and visions of the future. The overarching aim of the module is to establish business management as an intellectually stimulating and liberal subject which affords students a powerful and enlightening understanding of how businesses affect and are affected by society, its people, and its institutions.
Employers appreciate the skills and knowledge that graduates bring to organisations from academic study. However, employers increasingly value graduates who have undertaken a substantial placement as part of their degree. A structured placement provides you with the opportunity to develop your business skills and to gain valuable work experience in your degree, which ensures that upon graduating with a placement you are better prepared for work beyond the University. This module not only provides opportunities for a placement, but it prepares your employability skills and professional profile ready for the application process and the practical experience. It also provides support with a dedicated Placement Advisor, and ensures that you consider your future professional development needs and career pathways.
This module has a very practical focus on the development of effective business plans. The taught content will address what is required in a business plan, including variations that occur across sectors or industries. At the end of the course, learners will be able to write a business plan and deliver a business pitch to potential investors.
The Business Project module forms the third part of the MBA (Mastering Business) and allows students to demonstrate their mastery of business management and leadership in a 'capstone' project for an organisation or business sector. It is an individual and independent project in which students can bring together all their learning on the programme to help solve a chosen business problem or challenge. The Business Project is undertaken in an area chosen by the student and is supervised by a member of Faculty. There is a series of workshops to prepare students for the Business Project, which cover research methods and associated skills such as client management and business planning. The Business Project involves an extended, independent investigation of a topic of your own choosing and the preparation of a 12,000 word business project describing your work. Essentially, the Business Project is a test of your ability to create and investigate, on your own initiative, a text which demonstrates a Masters level understanding of a particular subject issue. The Business Project acts as a mechanism for you to synthesize your previous learning and ability to conduct an independent piece of work. The module introduces students to business research methods and requires the initial development of a proposal for the Business Project. Once approved, you can then start the Business Project. Completing a Business Project gives you a unique opportunity to undertake an extended piece of personal research on a topic of your own choosing. You will be allocated a supervisor - if possible we will aim to match your research interests with those of the staff within the Business School. Business Projects can take a number of forms, for example: - Empirical work involving quantitative analysis of collected data. - A case study of a particular firm or industry. - Study of a particular problem in an organisation or industry. - A survey of business practice in a particular context. - A business plan which can be used for a new business venture. The Business Project should not exceed 12,000 words overall and includes the following two pieces of assessed work: - Proposal (2,000 words) - Main Project (10,000 words, incl. 1,000 word reflection) The Proposal must be completed and approved before progressing onto the Main Project. As a full-time student, you are expected to complete the taught element of the programme over the course of 9 months. You will work on the Business Project during the summer and it will be submitted during September.
Organisations exist in dynamic environments, which mean that frequent changes need to be made to remain competitive. This requires managers to make important decisions which can ‘make or break’ an organisation. These decisions need to be based on sound evidence and critical analysis in order to ensure that the changes are appropriate and are likely to contribute to an organisation’s success. Subsequently, the need to design, execute and understand the outcomes of research projects is crucial to managers and their organisations. Using a portfolio of innovative content, including online theoretical and practical lectures, supporting workshops, and input from leaders in consultancy and business research, students will become acutely aware of the importance of undertaking research in business, how to design research projects, collect data and undertake analysis. This module will also prepare students with the skills necessary to design and successfully complete their own research project, which will take the form of a dissertation in the final year. Students attending an Erasmus exchange in Part 2, Semester 2 of a programme where this module is compulsory to the programme, are required to study this module during their exchange
Business can be understood narrowly as the part of life in which we exchange services and goods. But in contemporary society, many of us spend a large part of our lives conducting business—either working within firms or for ourselves—and all of us engage in, or are affected by, such exchanges. As business activity shapes our lives in this pervasive way, the ethical questions that that activity raises are relevant to, and important for, us all. These questions take many forms. For example, what are the proper aims of the management of firms? Is it only to maximise returns to their shareholders? Or is it for firms to address broader ethical issues that society faces? Can anything and everything be bought and sold? If not, what restrictions should be imposed? This module will explore some of these questions.
In this module you will be challenged to utilise your growing creative and commercial critical thinking skills in order identify market trends and opportunities. You will analyse how a business can respond to emerging opportunities in the responsible development of product from concept to consumer. You will be expected to look to future developments and emergent trends to develop your strategic thinking linked to the management of product and delivery of long-term sustainable and or inclusive business strategies. You will also consider the impact of micro trends on buying, merchandising and product development with a focus on commercial growth. This module builds upon your knowledge and skills developed in Level 1 allowing you to examine the fashion retail environment in more detail, in particular, from the perspective of a buyer and a merchandiser in relation to a brand. You will develop knowledge and understanding of buying and merchandising skills through a teaching scheme that includes product and brand management, range planning, pricing, retail strategy, sales forecasting and sourcing and manufacturing strategy.
This module provides a bridge between A-level mathematics and university mathematics. Some of the material will be similar to that in A-level Maths and Further Maths but will be treated in more depth, and some of the material will be new. Topics of study include functions, limits, continuity, differentiation, integration and ordinary differential equations.
This module extends the ideas of calculus to multiple variables. This is a key step to move towards the formulation of differential equations for complex systems, a core part of modelling in the mathematical sciences.
This module is designed to provide an overview of the cellular and molecular biology of cancer and will run alongside the Immunology module in semester 1 to provide the foundations for the cancer immunology and immunotherapy module in semester 2. As a multidisciplinary field, this module will provide a basic introduction to cell biology before exploring how dysregulation in cellular processes and genetic variation results in tumour formation, and the landscape of current diagnostics and conventional treatments.
Dissertation by research is a research based module where students develop and apply the skills and subject knowledge acquired during the taught components of the programme to real world research questions. Students will be embedded in research groups within the School for Cancer Sciences or cross-discipline collaborators, in a selected area of cancer biology and immunology to undertake a defined research project. To reflect the diverse nature of the research undertaken within the Faculty of Medicine and School of Cancer Sciences, projects include laboratory based research, bioinformatics or systematic literature reviews.
This module will deliver a comprehensive analysis of selected topics associated with the cellular and molecular mechanisms that drive cancer development and lead to tumour progression. This will involve exploring the genetic drivers of disease, the mechanisms of aneuploidy, how the immune system influences tumour development, the impact of disrupted cellular signalling pathways on cancer progression, and the mechanisms of tumour metastasis and invasion. In addition, genomic and proteomic research methods utilised to probe the underlying mechanisms of cancer will be discussed.
This module will provide a comprehensive understanding of the fundamental principles of genomics and the high throughput technologies used in cancer genomics research. We will explore the structure and organisation of the human genome, the concepts of germline and somatic variants, coding and non coding variants and their effect on the cancer cell, regulation of gene expression and epigenetic modifications in cancer. Students gain practical experience of basic bioinformatics data analysis and interpretation preparing them for careers in cancer genomics. Students are not expected to have prior bioinformatics or computational biology expertise prior to this module.
This module consists of 9 x 2-hour sessions covering 5 topics. Click on the timetable link for timetables and details of topics covered. Prior to each topic, the relevant journal and supporting documentation will be uploaded onto the course materials section of the blackboard. Each topic will be taught by an academic with a specialist interest in the subject area. The first session will consist of a seminar. The content of the seminar will then be discussed by the group, including the lecturer, in order to clarify any points and to frame any questions arising from the lecture that the students find interesting. A journal paper that extends or applies the knowledge in the seminar, will then be shared with the students. Students should read the methods section immediately, in order to ensure that they are familiar with the basic principles of the techniques and/or any confusing abbreviations used. Methodological queries will be discussed at the session. The paper and background questions arising from the paper or the seminar will form the basis of the work in the following session (except for topic 5). For topic 1, students will submit a written critical review of the paper stating the hypothesis and summarising the background, results and conclusion with comments on strengths, weaknesses and any new questions arising as a consequence of the paper. This will be a formative assessment and the critical analysis of the paper and feedback on the written reviews will be discussed during the session 2 of topic 1. For topics 2, 3 and 4, one or several students will make an oral presentation of the paper, and all the students will be expected to join in a discussion of the paper during and after the presentation. All students will be expected to research other articles to bring to the general discussion of the selected paper. The student(s) who give the presentation will not be assessed on their contribution to the discussion. All students will be given marks for either their oral presentation or discussion contribution for these 3 topics. For topic 5, all the students will write a critical review of the paper stating the hypothesis and summarising the background, results and conclusion with comments on strengths, weaknesses and any new questions arising as a consequence of the paper. This will be a summative assessment. There will be no session 2/oral presentation for this topic. Although there is no specific pre-requisite for this module, this is a level 7 module, and an undergraduate level knowledge of immunology is expected.
