BA Joint Hons Finance & Marketing

This module will provide you with an introduction to finance and accounting, covering the basic concepts and practicalities of corporate finance, the principles of valuation, financial management and business investment, the role and purpose of company accounts and their usefulness, security analysis, risk and returns from investments, and personal finance.

At all times the module content will be linked with financial behaviour and events in the real world.

The aim of this module is to provide you with a solid foundation and understanding of the theories and principles underlying marketing and entrepreneurship. A combination of the subjects will be taught to enhance understanding of the way the two disciplines address issues related to both the macro and micro-environment contexts of markets and entrepreneurship.

Marketing is everywhere in contemporary society. It plays a central role in business as it is concerned with the creation and retention of customers. The module is designed to give you a foundational understanding of marketing and a critical introduction to the topic of marketing in both theory and practice through a series of lectures and workshops.

In your first-year class you will explore the core concepts of value and exchange. You will learn what marketing is and its core principles such as analysing the marketing environment, developing a marketing strategy, and dealing with the marketing mix i.e., product, price, place, and promotion. You will learn how organisations develop a customer centric approach to marketing and how that can create a competitive advantage in a dynamic business environment.

The assessment for this module will involve individual coursework.

In this module, you will be exposed to concepts and ideas from economics, sociology, psychology, geography and other social sciences, all in the context of the competitive business environment.

Entrepreneurship too is a complex process involving many different skills and activities, though it is based upon a 'mindset and process by which an individual or group identifies and successfully exploits a new idea or opportunity. For this part of the module, you'll be working in teams to learn about the ideation process, which forms the foundations of new venture creation, in our Creative Challenge.

This module introduces learners to the field and practice of international business and management.

Drawing on classical and recent debates in theory and practice including, but not limited to commercial concerns, learners will be equipped with an understanding of the foundational principles and developments of the subject.

In the module, we consider how international business and management is researched, and facilitate a critical understanding based on real-life case studies in international contexts. This module gives learners the capacity to look at the past, present and future in organisations and provides the foundations for intellectual progression in the subject, and broadly, for year two and beyond.  

The module will provide you with a balanced introduction to economics which will be based on a programme of systematic directed reading, supplemented by experiments and exercises undertaken in tutorials. 

The module uses the innovative CORE (Curriculum Open-Access Resources in Economics) Econ resources, which provides a complete introduction to economics and the economy. CORE Econ teaches about the economy and economics by starting from a question or a problem about the economy - why the advent of capitalism is associated with a sharp increase in average living standards, for example - and then teach the tools of economics that contribute to an answer. This innovative approach ensures that students understand how the tools of economics can help us understand the modern economy. 

The second half of the module is the study of how analytical thinking, scientific method and associated tools can be used to help decision making. This Business Analysis element of the module will provide an overview of where methods and tools are widely used across a large range of industries including the manufacturing, retail, healthcare, financial services, travel, and electronics industries, as well as in local and national government. 

Examples of where Business Analysis is put into practice are: 

• the management of new building projects
• the design of efficient transport systems and plant layouts
• personnel scheduling
• allocation of resources and financial modelling and forecasting

This area of expertise can help to reduce costs, increase revenues, improve customer service, increase efficiency and can even save lives. 

This module includes two thematic parts which run in parallel across the semester. One part, Introduction to Tourism Studies, introduces tourism management as both, international business and as a global cultural phenomenon.

It provides insights into key concepts and theories to understand the intricacy of this industry in commercial, cultural and environmental terms. The other part, Managing People, focuses on the contemporary and practical issues of how people are organised and managed in the workplace and examines different theoretical perspectives which help our understanding of the complex relationship between the employer and the employee in the contemporary business environment.

The ICE Pathway - “Innovation, Commercialisation & Entrepreneurship”, where you'll learn about the Foundations of 'What is Business’.  Alongside:

• Personal & Professional Development: Who am I? How Do I learn? How do I lead & work in a team?
• Knowledge & Practice: What is a business/organisation? Why does this matter? How does this affect society?
• Experiential Learning: Real-world cases & clients; team-based and student-centred Learning approaches

This class aims to support you in developing key skills that are important to both your academic and future career. These include skills associated with:

• research
• data analysis
• critical writing
• team working
• communication

Topics

Semester 1 topics include:

• Working in Business Organisations
• Working Business Research & Consultancy
• Working Internationally
• Working in the Third Sector
• Rhetorics & Oratory

Semester 2 is about developing the proposal of Management Development Programme 3; with a presentation and a final report.

Class description

The second year concentrates on developing understanding through industry-specific contextualisation. Sessions are weekly and three hours in length.

The sessions are thematically linked to the pathways for individualised experience in third year whilst also drawing on the theoretical knowledge developed in Management Development Programme 1. In order to develop understanding, organisations will deliver a half-day session. This consists of a one hour plenary introduction where the company and case study are introduced. This is followed by the group sessions where you undertake activities in relation to the case study set by the company.

Second year classes cover:

• investment and financial decision-making and policies in business
• risk and return and the pricing of company shares
• portfolio selection and the efficiency of financial markets
• the valuation of bonds and bond portfolio management
• equity trading strategies
• statistical and spreadsheet methods of analysing financial problems and strategies

Many of the fundamental concepts of marketing are based on an ability to understand consumers and how these concepts can be implemented more effectively when adequate information about the market and potential consumer behaviour is available.

In this module you will explore factors that influence consumer behaviour and shape consumption practices. The module will draw upon psychological theories to examine how memory, social influence, personality, attitudes and learning influences consumers. You will develop an understanding of consumer behaviour from both managers and consumers perspectives.

The module will also introduce you to key concepts and techniques in market research and how market research can be used to understand consumers changing behaviours. The module will provide you with an in depth understanding of qualitative and quantitative research methods and prepare you for practical market research projects.

You will also gain an opportunity to acquire an industry recognised qualification from the Market Research Society.

The assessment for this module is a combination of individual and group coursework.

The service sector is large and a growing feature of the UK economy. In addition, most manufacturing, and product-based organisations (e.g., IBM) encompass extensive service functions as well as product operations. As consumers, we purchase services everyday- be it retail banking, shopping at a supermarket, going to a restaurant, visiting the hairdresser, using transportation services, or engaging with experiential services such as tourism, sports, theatre. Therefore, it is important to understand the problems and challenges in designing and delivering high quality services for customers and businesses.

This module will encourage you to explore and reflect on real world services. The module will help you understand the unique characteristics of services and how service organisations require a distinct approach to marketing strategy both in its development and in its execution. You will draw upon your foundational learning knowledge of marketing in Year 1 such as the marketing mix and further learn about the extended marketing mix.

The module will also provide you with insight into service retailers. You will learn about key elements of service retailers that influence the development of retail strategies and the interaction between consumers and retailers at both in-store and online operational levels. You will also develop an understanding of the dynamic nature of supply chains and innovative distribution channels. You will explore different retail contexts and the supply chain relationships required to create value alongside strategies for sustainable practices.

The assessment for this module is a combination of individual and group coursework.

The third year of centres on individualised experience in an organisational context through one of the following pathways:

• Internship/Charities - gain practical experience in a private or third sector organisation. You need to negotiate and locate your own organisation and experience – this is one of the key learning points of the pathway.
• Research and consultancy - a facility for local small businesses to gain from the experience and expertise of those within Strathclyde Business School. You work on two live business consultancy projects (one in each semester) and, as a team of six, develop solutions and strategic initiatives for the local SME economy.
• International experience – only available for students who are undertaking an international exchange for either one semester or full year.
• Vertically Integrated Projects - working on a cross-faculty basis to research longitudinal projects (including the ‘Bill Gates Toilet Challenge, Solar Panels for Gambia and Enterprise in Schools) you work with a team of students from all levels of study (first year undergraduate to final year PhD) to further the work of the project.

In addition, you’re required to undertake a social responsibility element (this accounts for one quarter of the overall workload).

These have been designed to provide support to the Curriculum for Excellence and the Widening Access to Higher Education programme. There are no formal classes for Management Development Programme 3 although there is pathway support with the pathway leads and tutor support.

Areas covered in third year classes include:

• advanced corporate finance and financial markets issues
• valuation of derivatives, such as options and futures and swaps
• the operations of derivatives markets
• hedging strategies
• treasury and international financial risk management in business

Advanced methods of empirical analysis, such as event studies, and access to historic and live data are also included.

Every business, organisation and media outlet relies on traditional and digital communications to communicate their products and services to consumers and businesses. As the change and consumption of different media continues to increase, there is a demand for graduates to embrace new technologies and engage in innovative content creation for traditional and digital marketing communications.

In this module you will explore the various forms of traditional and digital marketing communications. You will gain an understanding of the strategic role of marketing communications and the integration of both traditional and digital communications to develop a marketing communications plan. You will further explore the role of social media marketing and mobile marketing in the digital world and learn how to develop a digital marketing campaign using a range of digital tools such as SEO, PPC, Google AdWords etc.

The assessment for this module is a combination of individual and group coursework.

The module aims to equip you for a career in strategic marketing in various industries. It is important for marketers to obtain a good understanding of various perspectives on marketing strategy and to develop the ability to evaluate, design and implement a sustainable and profitable marketing strategy. 

In this module you will learn strategy formulation and planning aspects associated with strategic marketing in domestic and international contexts. The module will further stimulate your thinking around questions such as:

1. Why some products or services succeed and why others fail?
2. What are the challenges involved in designing and implementing a profitable and sustainable marketing strategy?

The assessment for this module is a combination of individual and group coursework.

You can either specialise in Finance as a Single Honours subject or continue to a Joint Honours degree in Finance and your other principal subject. In order to gain entry to Honours year, you must meet specified performance criteria in Years 2 and 3.

Students taking Single Honours in Finance will do a research dissertation in Finance, while Joint Honours students typically have the choice of doing their dissertation in either Finance or their other subject. Honours classes cover advanced topics in the following areas:

• corporate investment
• corporate financing
• asset pricing
• portfolio analysis
• derivatives
• international financial management
• behavioural finance
• international corporate governance
• financial quantitative methods

The importance of brands raises significant questions of how to develop brand equity and how to communicate a branding strategy of differentiation, value and identification. The role of the Brand Manager is reviewed along with formulating the necessary communication strategies to build brand equity and secure market share.

More recent approaches in this vein suggest that the traditional Brand Management approach is all too limited, leaving many questions unanswered. Consequently more recent approaches address the co-construction of brand value, through viral branding, using social media, co-branding and brand extensions. In this respect, the principles of branding are now being applied beyond simply new product development, to such strategies as places, communities and countries.

Other key strategies that may be discussed include, luxury branding, nation branding, business-to-business branding and corporate brands.

This course aims to build foundational knowledge of traditional commercial-oriented Marketing, by examining applications of Marketing in a social context. Each year millions of pounds are spent world-wide to combat health and social problems such as HIV/AIDS, smoking, drug and alcohol abuse and rising obesity levels. At the same time excessive consumptions burdens society with building landfills and increasing pollution. Meanwhile there are still people who consume 'too little' and who suffer from hunger.

The class considers recent research in a variety of Social Marketing contexts and material is continuously updated to ensure that students gain an understanding of the most relevant and critical Social Marketing trends.

This class provides students with an understanding of some of the contemporary issues and challenges in understanding consumers. Building on the undergraduate Consumer Behaviour class, this module aims to develop students’ ability to analyse consumer behaviour in a variety of situations and to explore the complexity of 21st century consumption.

The class reviews consumer trends and the significance of consumer culture, and then explores topics that are the focus of recent research attention. Current topics include consumer identity (possessions and body image); consumer vulnerability; postmodern consumers; consumer tribes; consumption spaces; consumers and celebrities and consumers and ethics.

This class examines the theoretical underpinnings which help explain the operations of such enterprises, covering both international business strategy and international business management. This will be achieved by exploring contemporary issues in academic thought and international business practice.

The class will create a learning environment in which students can enhance their knowledge of relevant marketing communications theories and develop the necessary analytical, creative and decision-making skills required to effectively manage IMC in a variety of contexts.

This class provides you with an opportunity to study and apply marketing principles and concepts to a sector that has gained increasing significance in society world-wide. We’ve witnessed the emergence of a sports culture in many countries. This, in turn, has led to the emergence of sport as a global industry.

Sport is one of the most important sectors in the UK in terms of spectator interest, participation and consumer spending. It is also a varied industry consisting of sports products as well as sports services, spectator sports, sports media and sport-related travel.

This class explores sustainability and the role of marketing in society as an agent of change. Marketing as a discipline is often tarnished by the assumption that it focuses on encouraging overconsumption, driving sales for sales sake and is misleading the public. Whilst this is often true, marketing also has a substantial role to play in tackling the biggest challenges in our society, and in particular driving societal discourse and market change towards the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This class builds from a foundation of evidence-based marketing, driven by systems thinking, understanding full product and service life cycles and fact-led decision-making. Ensuring the claims made and communication approaches employed are substantiated, well-designed and targeted at change for good. A number of different techniques are explored to identify and exploit vectors for change through different approaches to understanding market systems, targeting key stakeholders to drive change, and marketing tactics for reshaping market, organisational and consumer behaviour. The class is an advanced marketing class, assuming a sound grounding in areas of consumer behaviour, branding, strategic marketing and marketing research as a foundation on which more advanced concepts can be built.