Business Management with Entrepreneurship with Foundation Year

This module will introduce you to key concepts of business and management, looking at what business is (and isn’t). You will be encouraged to draw on real-life examples found in the businesses you use in your every day life. You will develop an understanding of the key functions used within contemporary businesses and learn about the tools and techniques used in business for analysis and planning. 

Academic and Personal Skills is delivered with your future in mind. This module takes you through how to get to grips with the technology you need to succeed, as well as using the library, how to reference and how to produce the different styles of academic writing.

It also helps you to develop yourself; you will create a CV, learn how to write a cover letter and find out what your learning style is. The module has guest speakers who share their expert knowledge and experience with you.  All the skills covered in this module will help you to succeed in your chosen degree.

This module looks at what’s involved in starting up a sustainable business. You will discover what is needed for long term business success. We’ll look at financing and funding, business formation, planning, business ethics and sustainability along with other core aspects of start-ups. You will work closely with industry partners to gain insight into the world of start-ups. If you are interested in starting a business, this module will really help you to discover what is involved. You also gain key knowledge which your degree will build upon.  

This module will explain the importance and key elements of digital business. You will explore how digital business ideas drive technology choices and how those technologies support the development of the business.  

This module is studied in term 2 of the foundation year and brings together everything that you have learnt so far on the foundation year. This is your opportunity to put your knowledge into practice. You will work as part of a team to develop a business idea; you will work through the process of setting up the business. As a team you will pitch your idea to a panel to gain investment in your start-up. You will then start the business and create an event with the profits being donated to a local charity of your choice. Whatever your chosen business discipline this module will give you the opportunity to demonstrate and develop your skills. 

The module aims to acquire and develop an understanding of the employability skills required to succeed in your chosen industry. This is a practical module which will help you create and develop a professional CV and will develop your understanding of the recruitment and selection process. You will learn essential life-long skills to help you succeed in job applications whether they are for part-time work whilst you are a student or for your future graduate career.

This module provides you with an introduction to the key functions of business and is an opportunity to see how they work. You will get an understanding of functions including people management, accounting, marketing and operations, and how they underpin business success. This is illustrated through the lens of some of the successful businesses from across the Greater Manchester region that Salford Business School work with: we will look at a range of businesses including startups, family businesses and large scale enterprises and multinationals from different industry sectors. It is a first opportunity to see what makes businesses tick and will help you think about your future learning and employment journeys.

How do we get inside the problems that businesses face, and reach the decisions that will solve them and support the future development of the organisation? This module will introduce you to systems thinking, providing an approach that helps you examine complex problems and develop holistic solutions. You will be encouraged to think creatively, developing the skills you need for creating innovative solutions that will help you with your studies and future career.

What are the opportunities for business in the future? Starting with a grounding in the business context you will gain an understanding of economics and the digital environment, including the role of the digital economy. We will explore some of the key challenges that are on the horizon such as the impact of massive digitisation and industry 4.0, inclusive growth, food security and the climate emergency, and look at the opportunities for business to provide responsible and sustainable solutions

The Digital and Business Skills module introduces a range of digital tools for academia and the workplace. Important business skills such as management, collaboration and teamwork are fundamental to the module. Regular engagement with online platforms provides tasks to improve digital competency. Also, co creation work presents self-reflection and confidence building opportunities. Gaining the inspiring digital enterprise award (iDEA), completing LinkedIn learning assessments for Microsoft software applications, and completing collaborative video creation tasks will increase your digital and business skills as you progress towards the completion of this module. Digital Business is here to stay, so it is vital to improve these 21st century skills.

In this module you will be introduced to a variety of data analysis methods, which will be practiced on real world data sets. Regular formative assessment will be set for practice, with timely feedback given to aid learning and personal development.

You will have an opportunity to formulate your own research questions before analysing data to draw reasonable conclusions. The module will predominantly utilise real data and include a mixture of computer-based questions, calculations, interpretation and drawing conclusions.

This module is designed to provide you with practical experience of key aspects of business finance. Using a business simulation tool, you will have the opportunity to apply these concepts in a practical context. The module embeds group working skills and the experiential approach provides the opportunity to gain experience of defining, planning and delivering a project.

This module will enable you to plan and carry out appropriate professional development activities to increase your employability and performance. These include self-presentation, professional networking, project planning and implementation, team working, influencing and multimedia communication. You will gain all the necessary experience required to take advantage of global employment opportunities. 

 

Students will be introduced to a variety of methods of analysis to inform decision making which will be practised on real data sets to support a new business venture as part of the Young Enterprise programme. Formative assessment will be set, with timely feedback given to aid learning and personal development.



The decision making techniques introduced in the module can be applied to a wide range of settings, such as interpreting market performance, forecasting growth, make or buy decisions, optimisations of scarce resources, marketing planning etc.

During this module we take a detailed look at various aspects of Project Management through a variety of means such as lectures and practical seminars informed by research and industrial collaborations. We will focus on theoretical approaches, tools and techniques of planning and controlling projects.

We will discuss project management as an important and integral part of a business whether this is product or service based.

This module will enrich your knowledge on how to generate and validate business ideas using a range of creative thinking tools. The primary focus of this module is to enable you develop your own business idea for a target market by exploring models of innovation, using practical business models, live case studies and robust market research. You will have the opportunity to apply your creative skills by designing a feasible business idea, conducting your research and interpreting your findings to justify the viability of the business ideas.

The module will introduce you to key issues in marketing and the impact that this has on consumers as well as their behaviour. It draws upon key theories in marketing and consumer behaviour and reflects on the relevance to marketing practice in the digital age.

All students can apply for a one-year professional placement, which takes place between your second and last years of study.

This is an excellent opportunity to take advantage of and we will help you find out about vacancies and make the right connections with high profile employers through regular events and presentations.

Here is just a small selection of the companies our students have enjoyed placements with so far: NatWest, Barclays and the Cooperative Bank; BP, Esso and Shell; IBM, Hewlett Packard and Compaq; Ford, Vauxhall, Jaguar and Nissan; Marks & Spencer, Selfridges and Sainsbury’s; Eli Lilly, Glaxo and ICI; Fujitsu, Marriott and Virgin.

This module equips you with an appreciation and in-depth understanding of the implications of Business Ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability within national and international organisations. This module will also develop your knowledge with respect to the importance of the balance between shareholders, stakeholders and the purpose and values of the organisation. It will explore the roles of social and technological innovation in global ethical organisations in order to prepare you for future employability.

Employers tell us that they are looking for employees with an entrepreneurial mindset.  Or perhaps you're thinking of setting up your own business.

In this module you have the opportunity to undertake an enterprise project for an internal or external sponsor on a topic of common interest.  Alternatively, you can use this opportunity to undertake in-depth research for your own project, for example, a business plan if you are wanting to start up a company after you graduate. The nature of the project will be negotiated by yourself, the module leader and the sponsoring company. 

This module provides an engaging opportunity for you to learn how to use contemporary business models to create new business ideas. You will be supported to use various business model tools to create new business idea, evaluate your ideas, reflect on the viability of the ideas and their implications to the new or targeted markets.  You will apply components of the Business Model Canvas (e.g., value proposition, revenue streams, customer segments and customer relationships) to design your individual business idea. We will use a blended learning environment, mixing face-to-face and online learning.

This module will provide a detailed understanding of business strategy, so that you acquire an organisation-wide perspective through exploring strategy techniques and processes within the global environment. You will draw together your knowledge from across the programme, and apply this to real world organisational problems, deploying accurately established techniques of analysis and enquiry, some of which are at the forefront of strategic research and practice. The module prepares you for a career in business and management, developing the next generation of managers, and you will work on industry problems drawn from your pathway specialism.

This module offers a unique in-depth knowledge and understanding of the key practical and theoretical aspects of leadership and management in contemporary organisations. There is a focus on specific individual leaders, leadership styles and traits and offers an insight into how leaders operate in an organisational context. The module also explores personal leadership, the development of leadership and how leadership occurs at all levels. Practically the module will invite you to develop your own leadership style and experience, enhancing  employability.

This module enables you to explore your own leadership styles and traits and evaluate how these impact on the management of people.

This module is designed to provide you with the opportunity to demonstrate your learning from previous years. You will enhance your knowledge and develop techniques to create and bring a business idea to life. We will focus on exploring what is needed to be an entrepreneur and provide an understanding of the business creation process. The primary focus of this module is to enable you to develop a start-up strategy for an identified business idea by exploring models, tools, approaches, live case studies and robust market research.  You will be provided with an opportunity to apply your creative and entrepreneurial skills in planning and designing a business plan for start-up.

Modern businesses derive significant insight from applying advanced analytical techniques to massive volumes of data. In the module, you will learn a range of established Big Data and analytics techniques and the value they provide to organisations. On successful completion of the module, you will not only be able to collect and analyse data to underpin business decisions but also be able to apply them within the business context, looking at strategy, business goals and organisational competitive advantage.

Technology innovation is concerned with developing your awareness and understanding of the use of digital technologies and their role in digital transformation. We will examine contemporary issues in this area and explore the impact that digital technology had had on business and will have in the future. On completion, you will have a critical awareness of the digital industry and have considered the application of technology to business problems. This module links with and is supported by Launch@ Salford, the University’s incubation centre.

A short internship, whether paid or unpaid, is invaluable for you to develop and demonstrate your skills in the real-world. This modules allows you to gain credits for work you do that is relevant to your degree and contributes to your employability. The Business School will provide support and guidance when you are looking for internship opportunities. This may be done during the summer period between the end of level 5 and the start of level 6 but other opportunities may be possible provided the relevant amount of work-based learning is undertaken. During term time, you will work on a reflective report to demonstrate what you learned during the internship.