Unit overviews

This unit introduces microeconomic and macroeconomic analysis. In microeconomics, we explore individual and firm decisions, supply and demand, and the impact of government policies. We also study optimal firm behaviour and consumer decision-making. In macroeconomics, we analyse the economy as a whole, covering topics like output, unemployment, inflation, interest rates, and government policies’ effects on the economy.

Principles of Marketing is an introductory course for students pursuing a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) or other disciplines without prior marketing knowledge. It provides an overview of the marketing process, emphasising its importance in business and how individuals contribute to it. The course equips marketing students with foundational concepts and tools for future specialised subjects, while offering insights to non-marketing students about marketing’s role in organisations. Practical application of marketing theory is emphasised throughout the course.

Accounting is the practice of recording, classifying, summarising, analysing and interpreting information of an economic nature for the purpose of helping people make decisions. In the world of business, the role of accounting is to support management in providing timely and accurate financial information about the business so that informed decisions can be made.This unit examines some of the basic rules and principles underpinning financial accounting, as well as studying the practical uses of the information supplied through the accounting process.

This unit provides an introduction to statistics concepts and techniques for analysing economic and business problems. The unit will focus on practical business applications of statistical theory and methods. Topics covered include exploratory data analysis, probability, statistical distributions, sampling and sampling distributions, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, and regression. Students will be exposed to these topics and how each applies to the business environment. The unit is aimed to develop students’ quantitative reasoning skills and ability to solve statistical problems using both manual computations and statistical software.

This course provides an introduction to management of business organisations and provides students with fundamental concepts in management, including the development process of managerial theories, decision-making process, and the basic functions of management such as planning, organising, leading, and controlling activities in organisation in order to achieve objectives. Management can be viewed as both an art and a science. The art of management is to make people and the organisation more effective and efficient. Science is the methods and tools to accomplish the objectives and goals. Management focuses on the entire organisation from both a short-term and a long-term perspective.

This unit introduces students to the theoretical basis and analytical framework for corporate financial decision making. It is concerned with both the investment decision of firms and the determination of the financing mix necessary to achieve a firm’s financial objectives. Investment decisions determine a firm’s size, its operating profits, its business risk and its liquidity. Financing decisions affect a firm’s financing costs and its financial risk. These two decisions, combined with the dividend decision, comprise the essential financial decisions which firms must make.

The course in Business Academic Skills is designed to prepare first-year students with the knowledge and strategies required for successful university study. In this unit, students will work on developing critical thinking, research, written and spoken communication (essay and report writing, presentation), and a range of soft skills. The target skills of the unit are transferable and can be applied both in the academic environment and in the workplace. The important part of developing these skills will involve learning to work collaboratively and productively with others, as well as reflecting on engagement with the new ideas and practices.

This unit provides a sound, intuitive understanding of the basic concepts students need as they pursue careers in business, economics, and in the life and social sciences. Topics include calculus, linear algebra, and mathematics of finance.

This unit introduces students to the world of international business and management by studying cultural influences, government, and business structures in our global economy. Students also learn about trade relations, international finance and legal and labour agreements. Also covered, are topics on information needs, production systems, marketing and promotion, and career planning.

The aim of this unit is to examine the theory and practice of how and why an organisation behaves the way it does. The course analyses the factors that cause certain behaviours within an organisation and presents conceptual frameworks for the analysis of how such behaviours influence decision making and organisational effectiveness.

This unit provides students with an integrated understanding of the core HRM functions and concepts and how these may be applied to current HRM theory and practice. Students also analyse HR problems in the workplace and generate solutions to real-life issues and problems. The aim of this unit is to provide students with a solid theoretical, practical and integrated understanding of the core HRM functions relevant to contemporary organisations. Real-life cases are used to demonstrate how theory can be applied in practice. Students analyse HR problems in the workplace, and generate potential solutions while also developing their research and academic writing skills.

The unit is designed to equip students with knowledge and skills relating to theoretical basis and applications of consumer behaviour. It examines the decision-making processes that individuals, groups and organisations go through when spending resources on consumption, analyses the determinants of consumer behaviour and links behavioural concepts to marketing strategy. The implications of explanations of consumer behaviour for marketing strategy are considered and a practical emphasis is placed on developing planning skills that will allow participants to translate consumer behaviour theory into marketing management action.

This unit is intended to provide an understanding of the contemporary financial reporting environment. Particular attention is paid to accounting theory and concepts, mandatory reporting practices and reporting policies that reflect either a choice from among several mandated alternatives, or those areas where regulation has not occurred. The unit is intended for those who will be involved in the preparation or use of company financial statements. The unit provides an understanding of accounting techniques, both in terms of technical method and their relative impact on corporation’s financial statements. The emphasis throughout is on both the ‘techniques’ and the related explanations for their use.

This unit presents the theory and practice of advanced financial management with the focus on the impacts of financial decisions related to asset valuations including bonds and stocks, capital budgeting, and cost of debt, cost of equity and cost of capital, capital budgeting, capital structure choices and payout policy. Excel-based skills will be developed in this unit using various techniques, such as sensitivity and scenario analysis, optimization methods, Monte Carlo simulation, and regression analysis. A practical case study helps students engage with real problems facing businesses in the daily operations. Analytical skills together with deep understanding of financial management concepts, which are accumulated from the unit, are required to tackle this complicated issue.

This unit analyses companies from a fundamental perspective in order to derive an intrinsic value for securities. The focus is on the attempt by active investors to identify mispriced securities using publicly available information, company reports and financial market information. The analytical techniques of financial statement analysis (e.g. fundamental analysis, free cash flow analysis and pro-forma analysis) and the issue of the “reliability” and “quality” of publicly available information are discussed and explored. Those contemplating careers in investment banking, financial consulting, trust funds, superannuation funds, hedge funds, and brokerage firms will find this applied unit both useful and interesting.

Business Law is a modern, active learning, practical survey of the domestic and international law business people should know: choice, formation, structure, operation (joint stock companies, corporations, partnerships limited liability companies); comparative legal systems, litigation, remedies, enforcement, conflicts, treaties; alternative dispute resolution (arbitration, mediation, negotiation); contract formation, defences, drafting, common clauses; warranties. Students learn to find, use, and refer to primary and secondary legal sources; proper procedures, business documents; to identify/reduce risk, obtain insurance; when and how to find and consult competent counsel.

International business is increasingly becoming critical to the survival of any organisation. The increased pressure of globalisation, as well as a global workforce which is overwhelmingly becoming mobile, has created both challenges and opportunities in the international environment. This unit will expose students to all the components of international business, including the different political, economic, cultural, and legal systems, and the specific focus on international business operations. This knowledge will equip students to handle issues to better manage in the global workplace. From an international perspective, learners will understand how to develop operational strategies and identify the differences from international organisations to domestic organisations. Moreover, this unit examines how international operations affect each function of the business organisation, including marketing, finance/accounting, and human resource management.

Marketing Research provides a comprehensive appreciation of the methods, uses and limitations of contemporary marketing research. The emphasis is on a conceptual understanding of the research method. Students gain exposure to concepts such as research design, information collection, data processing and analysis, and results communication involving qualitative and quantitative techniques.

This unit first aims to review the survey technique, one of the most popular techniques of conclusive research. Then, the unit focuses on explaining various data analysis techniques commonly applied in Marketing Research including not only univariate techniques such as test and analysis of variance but also multivariate ones such as exploratory factor analysis and cluster analysis. In the discussion of each statistical technique, the emphasis is on explaining the procedure, interpreting the results and drawing managerial implications, rather than on statistical elegance. In addition, this unit also provides guidelines for writing reports and preparing tables and graphs and also discusses oral presentation of the report.

This unit provides business students with an appreciation of management accounting concepts related to the management functions of planning, control, and decision making. Students are introduced to the application of management accounting tools for business decision making, budgetary control, and cost management, as well as performance evaluation.

A primary emphasis of managerial economics is the application of economic theory and methodology to the practice of business management and decision making. Students will learn how economic tools can be applied to achieve business goals and to address managerial challenges. Completion of this problem requires an understanding of three topic areas: consumer analysis and demand forecasting, production and cost decisions, and market structure and strategy.

Applied Econometrics examines regression analysis and its use in business especially in economics, finance and accounting. Topics will include the properties of estimators, hypothesis testing, specification error, multicollinearity, dummy variables, heteroskedasticity, serial correlation. It also introduces other modelling techniques in finance and economics. Empirical assignments undertaken by the student form an integral part of the unit. The emphasis is on learning by doing small group workshops.

This course provides a foundation in strategic management, focusing on analysing the business environment and creating effective business strategies. Students will study real-world examples to understand how companies achieve sustainable competitive advantage. Case studies will allow students to demonstrate their strategic decision-making skills in dynamic business environments.

This course highlights the importance of Management Information Systems (MIS) for decision-making in organisations. It covers various types of systems, such as ERP, CRM, and SCM, and their key aspects including selection, implementation, and usage. The course takes a management approach, making it relevant for students interested in both general management and information technology.