Subject: Business Management
Including a foundation year as part of your four-year study programme will give you a head start in your academic and professional life. The foundation year offers the chance to strengthen your skills, knowledge and confidence – with extensive support from our expert staff – before you advance to stage one of your honours degree. It could also be beneficial if you are planning a career change and want to get to grips with aspects of subjects which are new to you.
CSA offers all Level 4 to Level 6 programmes through face-to-face teaching supported by online materials and support. This gives you the best of both online and on-campus study. You’ll spend a day and a half on campus enjoying the benefits of engaging, hands-on activities during face-to-face sessions. Our flexible approach is ideal if you’re balancing work, family or other commitments but still want to progress in higher education and develop your career.
Online and On Campus – the best of both worlds
Online, you’ll join live, interactive evening sessions from home using your laptop or tablet which will offer you further group and individual support. Each session lasts around two hours (with a break) and includes discussions, activities and plenty of opportunities to get involved. You’ll also have access to practice questions, downloadable lesson materials, digital resources and case studies to support your learning.
At CSA, we’re committed to supporting you throughout your journey. During on-campus sessions, you’ll meet regularly with lecturers or tutors who will revisit what you’ve studied online, answer your questions and offer guidance and feedback. You’ll also work with classmates in a friendly, supportive environment that brings key ideas to life.
To make the most of your studies, we recommend setting aside 3–6 hours of independent study each week. With a combination of guided contact time and flexible self-study, you’ll experience a learning model designed to fit your life and help you succeed.
Modules Include:
Law and Practice (Core)
Politics and Policy (Core)
Business and Economy (Core)
Society and Culture (May be replaced by Maths and English at Level 2 where students have not achieved these qualifications)
Study Skills
What’s in the News Culture (May be replaced by Maths and English at Level 2 where students have not achieved these qualifications)
For the Year 1 to Year 3 all modules are set at 20 credits unless otherwise shown.
Business communication is the sharing of information between people both inside and outside the organisation. However, effective communication is not always easy or straightforward, methods and processes of communication will be reviewed.
Good communication also provides knowledge and this provides the basis for successful business decisions. Good decision making is vital for any organisation and a range of decision making processes and situations will be explored.
These two elements will be brought together to provide a holistic perspective of personal and business perspectives of communication and decision making and how one informs the other.
For any business student a working knowledge of both quantitative and qualitative data handling skills through the use of Excel and other appropriate software is a necessary requirement. This skill is used extensively within Business based programmes and is transferable to the workplace and any future career.
This module will introduce you to a range of key issues and approaches taken in the study of Politics at undergraduate level. Understanding Politics as the study of competing interests within society, the module addresses questions such as the differences between – and the different forms taken by – democratic, totalitarian and theocratic political systems; the relationships between foreign and domestic policy; and the influence of economics on political debate and decision-making. As well as introducing you to key debates and approaches, the module will also encourage you to develop the critical thinking, writing and analytical skills you will need to study Politics at degree-level.
This module will introduce students to psychology as an integrated and multi-faceted discipline. Students will explore both classic and contemporary aspects of psychology from a position of little or no knowledge. They will gain an understanding of the breadth of psychology and the ways in which the topic areas included can be approached from a number of different theoretical perspectives using a variety of methodological approaches.
The module emphasises core sociological theoretical perspectives, which include Marxism, feminism and functionalism. Theoretical perspectives are compared in their application to, and interpretation of, various social phenomena. The module aims to provide you with a basic of understanding of how we evaluate the lived experience and covers a range of topics in relation to the research process including; statistics, data gathering methods and how evidence is presented.
Modules Include:
Understanding People in Organisations (Core)
Business Economics (Core)
Developing an Enterprising Mindset (Core)
Operations, Supply Chain and IT (Core)
Finance and Business Performance (Core)
Principles of Marketing (Core)
You will practice applying the theory to case study organisations to explore how it can be used as an analytical tool to gain a clearer understanding of the complex causes of workplace behaviour in order to develop effective management
Knowledge of economics is important to businesses as it helps them identify opportunities and potential threats they may face in the environment they operate. Therefore, this module aims to develop your understanding of the core principles of micro and macro-economics.
You will use economic models, theories and ideas to investigate current economic issues. The module will help you develop your understanding of economic information and will enable you to develop your ability and confidence to create your own independent thoughts around current economic issues.
The module provides a framework, to understand the crucial role of logistics and SCM, operations and IT to business success. This module will provide an understanding of the systems and processes whereby, people, capital, materials, equipment, knowledge, technology, information, and time are combined to produce goods and services and move these through supply chains. It provides an overview of the key areas of operations management and Logistics and SCM particularly in maintaining and improving the quality and flow of goods and services and making sure that this is also reflected in the organisation’s performance. The modern organisation cannot stand still, business operations need to be constantly evaluated and improved, against the standards expected in a changing marketplace.
Numbers by themselves can be misleading and you will progress to examining accounting statements to assess just how well a business is performing. Managers cannot improve the performance of a business unless they make correct interpretations of situations and learn how to diagnose problems.
Business costs will be identified and analysed to aid decision making relating to the control and viability of projects. Sources of finance will be identified and discussed. This basic financial knowledge is essential to anyone wishing to pursue a career in business, whether on a self-employed basis or in a larger corporation.
It seeks to establish that sustainable market success within a highly competitive environment can only be achieved by developing products or services based upon an understanding of the external environment and customers’ needs and wants.
During the module you will not only consider how to add value for customers and other stakeholders but also learn to assess the impact that marketing activities have on consumers’ lives.
Your assessment is coursework-based, designed to enable you to demonstrate your ability to approach a business challenge as a marketer and business manager. The assessment methods used on this module will also help you to develop key skills desired by employers, for example digital and visual communication and presentation skills, and business report writing.
For instance, this could be in starting and growing a business (ie in an entrepreneurial context) or applying their skills to existing organisations, whether large companies, SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) or not-for-profit organisations (ie in an intrapreneurial context – being entrepreneurial inside a larger organisation).
Being able to apply an enterprising mindset is highly desirable in today’s fast-moving business environment where reacting to gaps in the market or competitor actions, dealing with uncertainty, being able to make decisions and take action will all extend your commercial awareness and business acumen. Therefore, this module is all about developing your enterprising mindset and then applying it in a real life situation.
The aim of the module is to help you understand the relevance and interaction of these elements within a business context, and to give you transferable skills you can apply in any organisational situation. Moreover, strong emphasis will be placed upon you to demonstrate these skills and to reflect upon your progress.
Modules Include:
Sustainable & Responsible Management (Core)
Personal & Professional Development (Core)
Data Analytics for Business (Core)
Employee Engagement & Performance (Core)
Optional Modules:
The skill base developed gives you the confidence and experience to prepare an analysis of real data to inform a business decision or underpin a business strategy. These skills also prepare you for evidenced based analysis required in other modules within your programme including finance, marketing and strategy. This module contributes to the CMI accreditation for BA (Hons) Business Management students.
The module will define and consider terms such as responsible leadership, global social responsibility, corporate governance, and sustainability. It will explore such topics as:
The module provides a framework, to understand the crucial role of operations to business success. This module will provide an understanding of the systems and processes whereby, people, capital, materials, equipment, knowledge, technology, information and time are combined to produce goods and services.
This module will also provide you with opportunities to experience real workplace operations scenarios where their skills and knowledge can be applied in a practical way with real organisations or in valid case study situations.
It provides an overview of the key areas of operations management, particularly in maintaining and improving the quality of goods and services and making sure that this is also reflected in the organisations performance. The modern organisation cannot stand still, performance needs to be constantly evaluated and improved, against the standards expected in a changing marketplace.
By the end of the module students will be able to analyse the causes of poor performance within organisations and the principles and practices of effective performance management. They will be able to explain how these practices can be integrated into high performance work systems (HPWS) and analyse barriers to high performance working and the development of high performance cultures.
During this period of work experience, students can gain a deeper appreciation of the responsibilities arising from both corporate and individual responses to such issues, thus enabling them to relate to the wider world when exploring a personal direction for potential career development.
The emphasis in this module is on the analysis and evaluation of the work completed within the organisation. This module also gives students an opportunity to relate their academic knowledge to the work environment.
It will allow you to explore the importance of logistics and SCM within an organisation, what logistics means to different sectors and help you to develop some of the techniques and approaches to managing organisational logistics and supply chains. You will experience some of the dynamics of this challenging sector. You will explore the complexity of purchasing and managing an international supply chain, lean systems, innovation and cost reduction. Warehousing and transport are key strategic functions within the organisation’s supply chain, balancing trade-offs between major capital expense and customer service.
The module examines the role of the warehouse within the supply chain at a national and global level. The module will provide an in-depth understanding of the design, operation and management of warehouses, including where and how many. Through critical examination, the module will investigate the interface and relationships between warehousing and the end-to-end supply chain, and the impact warehousing has on the competitive position of the organisation.
The module will provide students with the key analytical tools necessary for designing warehouse networks, utilising space effectively and the most appropriate order-picking systems. The module critically examines the strategic management process across a broad representation of the differing and often conflicting perspectives, from both academics and business practitioners with a strong emphasis on practical applications.
It is up to date with both the latest (critical and evaluative) thinking in supply chain strategy and the current practices and approaches that facilitate overall organisational development and direction. Finally, the module encourages you to develop a wider global/national perspective, increasing your awareness of the impact that effective supply chain strategy has on the competitive position of the organisation and developing your critical/analytical, problem-solving, and strategic decision-making skills.
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You will analyse the range of human resources (HR) tools and techniques used to manage the attraction, retention and departure of employees within the UK legal framework. By the end of the module, you will be able to describe HR planning, recruitment and retention methods and demonstrate skills required to undertake many of these in the workplace.
Increasingly governments, businesses, and non-governmental organisations have recognised that the pursuit of economic growth has consequences for the survival of the planet and human existence. Balancing economic growth and prosperity with planetary boundaries presents ‘wicked’ challenges that affect the whole of society both now and in the future.
During this module, students will explore how social enterprises are well placed to address social and environmental externalities caused by economic growth and how social enterprises can contribute to the triple bottom line of People, Planet and Prosperity and the United Nations’ SDGs.
Students will also examine the challenges of setting up and running a social enterprise and explore how social entrepreneurs can apply business models and concepts to ensure their enterprise delivers sustainable social value. The module will be delivered using experiential hands-on learning to develop the skills, knowledge and attributes desirable for social entrepreneurship coupled with the development of a sustainability mindset.
You will gain an appreciation of the value of corporate governance and the responsibility of good managers to wider stakeholders in the business. Without good management control and coordination of financial resources, businesses frequently fail to meet their potential.
You will study common pitfalls in performance management and how to avoid them. This module will equip you with key skills, such as the ability to understand, analyse and interpret financial, management and non-financial information in the context of modern business. Such skills are vital to any business manager, irrespective of discipline.
A systematic understanding of this multifaceted landscape, and the way it is resourced, organised and developed, is important for the practice of developing an IT architecture. An IT architecture is an enterprise-wide framework (or strategy) which provides coherence, coordination, risk-mitigation and agility for the various technology, information and human elements that make up the IT landscape. An architectural approach is required to ensure the adoption of new systems or processes is done in such a way that permits smooth integration with older legacy systems within the landscape. A balance has to be negotiated between various aspects of technical design, business processes, staff behaviour & viewpoints, company structure and strategy, in order to evolve the applications portfolio for the benefit of the business. The architectural function is therefore quite complex, as it involves aligning the current or planned IT landscape against diverse and often conflicting considerations, at different levels of granularity. This requires holistic thinking based upon a range of business, technical, project and inter-personal concepts & skills.
The aim of this module is to enable you to identify high-level architectural issues and solution requirements relevant to the corporate IT landscape of contemporary firms. You will draw upon various concepts and principles of systems architecture, organisational architecture, information architecture, and IT governance that will enable you to achieve a well-grounded understanding of the IT landscape. You will learn about important issues and challenges that may arise when architecting a portfolio of IT applications to deliver business benefits around efficacy, integration or agility. Examples will be drawn from a wide variety of system types, such as databases, workflow, groupware, document management systems, internet & ERP software. Frameworks or techniques for architectural modelling and IT governance will also be covered. This module has an applied orientation, linking theoretical ideas with practice.
During this module you will learn about best practice and key elements of managing digital marketing in an ‘always on’ 24/7 environment. You will learn how to audit and evaluate competitors’ digital footprints as well as understand how to gain consumer insights using digital techniques.
Your assessment is coursework-based, designed to provide practical life and employment skills, developing an outline digital marketing plan. This assessment will contribute towards key skills sought by employers, including: evaluation, understanding of digital tools, presentation and business report writing.
You will explore the learning and development context within which organisations form their development strategies and plans and critically evaluate a range of development methods to make effective choices in the design, delivery and evaluation of employee development programmes.
In this hands-on module, you will discover how to generate new and creative ideas, and how to develop innovative products and services out of those ideas. Crucially, this may mean looking to other areas and subjects for inspiration and progress.
To do all this, you will have the opportunity to work with other students on a real business problem, finding out your strengths and abilities, but also areas for development. You will work with an actual employer and their organisation, based in the local area, by applying your ideas, combined with the theories we will study, to promote creative solutions to issues they are facing right now.
You are then going to present your ideas, backed up by academic references, in the form of a video presentation. The context for this innovation may be within the small firm or corporate organisation and your scope may include product, service, process, technology and marketing innovations of any kind. Being innovative, creative and confident of your own ideas is a key employability skill in today’s challenging business environment.
The module will equip you to discuss and apply project management methodologies and key project management tools, as well as developing knowledge of the Project lifecycle and comprehension of how to keep project stakeholders informed and ‘on-board’.
Thus, it is vital for individuals to understand the pillars of personal finance and how to make prudent financial decisions that meet personal/family goals and help maintain a decent standard of living in the long term. Therefore, the prime objective of this module is to develop your understanding of money matters and your ability to acquire skills and competence in personal financial management.
The essential skills acquired from this module will not only be applied to key financial matters in your own personal life but will enable you to consider pursuing a future career as a financial advisor or personal financial planner.
On successful completion of the module, you will be able to:
1. Apply the theory of personal wealth and money management to a given scenario.
2. Analyse and critically evaluate characteristics of various instruments/tools and associated risks to achieve personal financial independence and stability.
Modules Include:
Global Business and Strategy (Core)
The Business Consultancy Project (Core) – 40 credits
Developing Leadership and Management (Core)
Optional Modules:
You will study the key theoretical underpinnings, trends and challenges of international trade and foreign direct investment. You will analyse the importance of government and institutions in controlling/regulating international business behaviour. This will allow you to consider the long-term sustainability of businesses in the ever-changing, and often hostile, global business environment and help you understand the critical role played by strategic management. You will learn how to weigh up a range of complex issues like culture, leadership, corporate governance and others when developing a strategy for an international business.
Throughout this module, you will develop critical practical skills valued by employers and professional accreditation bodies. These include selecting and interpreting data, problem-solving and decision-making, positioning analysis, and developing and evaluating strategic options. Such skills are vital for successful careers in a variety of international and domestic organisations.
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Effective consultation and project management using appropriate business improvement and research methodologies is key to the successful implementation of change. In this module students will explore how to plan, organise, motivate, and control resources to achieve defined goals, on time and to agreed cost and quality criteria.
Using a consultative approach, students will be challenged to make decisions based on their own research to provide practical advice and solutions to real-life scenarios taking into consideration the organisation’s constraints. They will liaise with employers, establish agreed objectives and present their findings in a clear, business focused report and presentation.
As a student of Marketing and a future Marketing professional, you must have a thorough understanding of the added complexities involved in global marketing and how these impact on the formulation of marketing plans and strategies. Organisations in all sectors and industries face increasing international competition; this could be from multi-nationals or competitors establishing themselves in their domestic environment, the need for foreign suppliers or indeed when they seek to establish operations abroad.
This module seeks to build on the knowledge and concepts you will have encountered at earlier stages of the programme. It aims to familiarise you with a range of issues and concepts encountered by international marketers and to provide the theoretical framework that will enable you to analyse and implement these in a real-life business situation.
Your assessment is coursework-based, designed to enable you to demonstrate your ability to approach a business challenge as a marketer and business manager. The assessment methods used on this module will also help you develop key skills desired by employers, for example, critical analysis, business report writing and presentation skills.
An alternative approach is that of the lean business venture. In this approach, a minimum viable product or service is developed and tested with potential customers. The results of this are fed back into the further development of fulfilling the business opportunity. However, the immediate customer feedback means less waste and is, as such, a lean process.
This process is what we will be asking you to demonstrate within this module. The aim is for you to take a minimum product or service which addresses a business opportunity, present it to possible customers, learn from their actions and reactions and then develop and improve the product or service. You will then need to reflect on the pros and cons of achieving that goal.
Whilst learning about traditional distribution channels, this module will also enable you to explore the Omni channel concept and the potential impacts on distribution centre and outbound logistics activities and operations, together with understanding the vital links between such operations and other aspects of the business (the value chain).
Many organisations focus on the outbound logistics and getting the goods to the customer when they expect them, however, a significant number of retail products are returned with a cost to the retailer – For example, approximately 50% of all on-line clothing purchases are returned! This module will include exploration of the Omni channel concept together with the returns dilemma and the potential impacts on the Logistics function and wider business operations.
With the ever-increasing pressure of competition among companies, the move towards consolidation of global production and the improvements in communication and transportation systems the supply market is now a global phenomenon. To that end the sourcing and outsourcing of materials or the engagement of service providers is taking on an international perspective. This alters dramatically the role of purchasing, to a more strategic and global posture. This module explores the forces that guide the development of the supply chain: the supply chain concept, the trends within global business and a strategic shift being taken by an increasing number of enterprises towards core competencies.
Developing celebrity and brands based on other forms of popular culture that accurately and effectively reflect their goals, values, personality and aspirations on the one hand and benefits and satisfaction sought by a variety of customers on the other is one way in which organisations can increase their visibility, desirability and constructive advantage.
Successful alignment of brand goals with the satisfaction sought by diverse customers also acts as a platform from which to generate customer engagement and brand loyalty in the form of co-creation and brand (re)development.
Maintaining successful popular culture brands is equally challenging and imperative in order to balance product/ service portfolios and so ensure investment funds for future development and growth.
You will develop a thorough understanding of the role of branding in positioning from a unique and interesting context of celebrity and popular culture. It further provides you with an opportunity to evaluate branding strategies and tactics and, using existing research and frameworks as underpinning, to acquire the insights, skills and competences necessary to develop brands in a range of popular culture settings.
The employment relationship has been evolving with the development of emerging technologies and a wider use of contracts and types of employment. Employment Relations studies the interactions and behaviours of the different parties within the workplace and their respective, sometimes diverse interests. Within the employment relationship there are those who work, those who employ them and those who have some impact on the workplace. As the role of Trade Unions and industrial action has reduced over the last decade, the role of legislators and politicians has become more important and this will be explored within concepts of the psychological contract, employee voice, employee involvement, commitment and engagement. This module addresses the UN SDGs No. 5 Gender Equality and No. 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth and provides students with the opportunity to demonstrate application of the UNESCO sustainability competencies to the employment relationship. The focus on power, and the imbalance of power between different groups, within the workplace often leads to some form of action and this module will explore both collective and individual actions, conflict resolutions and informal mechanisms used to achieve a good working relationship.
Module learning outcomes
On successful completion of the module, you will be able to:
Module content
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In recent years, international business and entrepreneurship have been coalescing into a single cognate area that is now becoming regarded as cohesive in its own right. Trading blocs such as the EU have placed emphasis on entrepreneurship as an engine of economic growth and the trend towards greater international involvement of SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) is accelerated by technological advances.
At the same time, globalisation has prompted the re-emergence of local cultures which influence the growth of entrepreneurship in diverse ways. We can therefore see a tension between the global and local elements. Creating an in-depth appreciation of these elements will enable you to apply theory to inform, evaluate and enhance potential international entrepreneurial ventures. Ultimately, all organisations need to be aware of the development of international business and that they can no longer rely simply on national trade.
The purpose of this module is therefore for you to explore entrepreneurial activity across boundaries paying attention to cultural and political differences, choice of markets, supply chain relations and appropriate marketing implementation. You will apply your learning to a local SME to produce an international market entry strategy and critically evaluate the process you have undertaken.
This module explores issues concerning how businesses, government and not-for-profit leaders and managers can better integrate the needs of the environment, people, and profits in the short and long term.
In this module, you will gain a comprehensive understanding of what is meant by the term sustainability and the values that help develop a model for business sustainability. You will analyse the UN Global Compact, which is a strategic policy initiative for businesses, and apply this to case studies introduced in the module.
During this module you will be expected to reflect on the theory presented and real-life examples introduced. This will enable you to develop your own thoughts and propose potential solutions to the opportunities and challenges of sustainable growth that face businesses at a local, regional, national and international level today.
Our teaching methods will be varied, interactive and engaging. You will take part in:
By the end of the course you will have sound business acumen and a wide range of practical skills. You’ll graduate with not only a degree in Business Management, but with an extra professional qualification (the CMI Diploma) and a host of real-world experience, so you’ll already have a head start in the careers market.
Because this is such a broad degree, lots of different job roles will be open to you, in areas such as project management, analysis, consultancy, accountancy, operations, human resource management, marketing, sales, logistics and finance.
| Requirement | What we’re looking for |
|---|---|
| UCAS points | 72 |
| A Level | DDD |
| T Level | Pass |
| BTEC | MMP |
| GCSE | GCSE Maths and English are preferred, however if you don’t have these qualifications you will be able to undertake Maths and English at Level 2 as part of your course of study |
| Access to HE | Pass Access to HE Diploma with 60 credits: 45 at Level 3 with a minimum of Distinction: 0, Merit: 30, Pass: 15 |
| English language requirements | IELTS: 6.0 (with at least 5.5 in each skills area) |
Course Fee: *£5,760
*This is the fee for the Foundation Year. Subsequent fees are £9,535 per year.
You can apply for a student loan to cover the costs of course fees. You may also be able to apply for various grants and loans to support your learning. Specific advice regarding student loans and other benefits can be obtained from www.gov.uk/student-finance.
Please note that all fees are subject to change and they may vary depending on personal circumstances, please enquire with the Registry Department for further information on +44 (0) 20 3576 3423 or email fees@caspianschool.ac.uk.

Olympic House, 28 – 42 Clements Road, Ilford, England, IG1 1BA

Rainham Campus CEME Business Campus, Marsh Way, Rainham, England RM13 8EU
+44 (0) 20 3576 3423
