BA Honours International Business Administration (Year 2/3 Entry)

Overview & facilities

This course aims to enable you to develop effective business skills, realise the interrelationship of business functions, build essential business skills, and be proficient in addressing current international business issues and situations.

WHY CHOOSE THIS COURSE?
• A one or two year course is ideal for anyone wanting to follow an international business career encompassing different cultures
• Designed to build on the knowledge that you have already developed in your studies
• These courses draw together key business areas in an international context

Depending on your choice of modules you will graduate with a BA International Business Administration general award or a BA International Business Administration in one of four named pathways: Finance, Management, Marketing or Human Resource Management.

The course has a flexible design enabling students to follow a general course or subject specific pathway: Finance, Human Resource Management, Marketing, or Management. This enables you to tailor your programme to suit your interests and career aspirations. These courses have been designed specifically for students joining Middlesex University at advanced level. A key part of this course is the embedded learning support offered to enable students to maximise their potential.

The embedded support will include workshops on how to:
• Use English efficiently in your studies
• Develop effective business writing skills
• Communicate more proficiently in both speech and writing
• Learn independently

WHO IS THE COURSE FOR?
It is for those who have a broad background in business studies from the UK and overseas.
This includes students:
• With business foundation degrees and HNDs
• Who have completed one or two years of an honours degree in business at another institution
• With two-year diplomas or other qualifications from outside the UK

Content & modules

Modules

• Year 1

  Business Information Systems (30 Credits) - Optional

  The aim of this module is to give students the knowledge and skills to use and manage Business Information Systems to effectively and efficiently support business processes, improve business decision making and gain a competitive advantage. Students will gain an overall understanding of Business Information Systems: the different types, their functionality, development, management, use and the social impact. The module will also enable students to recognise the value and the use of information systems in business, in particular supporting managerial decision making and strategic advantage from the perspective of both a user and that of a manager. Through practical tasks and assignments, students will also gain an understanding of data and process modelling.

  Human Resource Management (30 Credits) - Compulsory

  The aim is to introduce students to theories of organisational behaviour and their link to key areas of HRM. By the end of the year students will be familiar with some introductory organisational behaviour theories and a wide range of generalist HR policies and practices within four key areas of the discipline: employee resourcing, employee reward, employee relations and employee training and development.

  Managerial Finance and Accounting (30 Credits) - Compulsory

  This module aims to develop and enhance understanding of the role of accounting and finance within business organisations. It aims to provide a broad introduction to financial accounting, management accounting and finance for business students who do not need to develop specialist knowledge. It will enhance accounting and finance skills and train students to use those skills in a range of different business situations.

  Marketing Foundation (30 Credits) - Compulsory

  This programme aims to provide students with a comprehensive overview of marketing concepts, frameworks and techniques. The module adopts the perspective of the general manager, who needs to understand how the marketing concept contributes to business success. Also general managers need to work alongside marketing professionals to solve business problems. Students will gain an understanding of the significance of the external and internal operating environments for marketing practice, methods to identify market segments, and the impact organisations can achieve via developing and integrating the marketing mix. Emphasis will be placed on using data to improve business performance. This includes the design and commissioning of research, and the validity and interpretation of results. Ethical aspects of market research and intelligence will also be addressed.

  Operations Management (30 Credits) - Optional

  This module aims to broaden and expand students knowledge of the concepts and techniques required for the design, operation and control of business processes. Cases and practical exercises are relevant to a variety of commercial, manufacturing and service organisations. The module builds on the IT and quantitative skills developed in the first year.

• Year 2

  Business Finance (30 Credits) - Optional

  The main aim of this module is to provide students with solid understanding of contemporary corporate finance both theoretically and practically. The module will explain all the main aspects of corporate finance, including investment decision and financing decision. It will enable a critical appreciation of the interaction between financial decision-making and capital market behaviour.

  Business Game (30 Credits) - Optional

  This module aims - to present a view of the importance to firms of integrating key business functions in order to achieve business success - to facilitate understanding and application of appropriate business and management academic theories in managing a business - to provide experience, through business simulation, of how a firm can integrate key aspects of business and management in order to succeed in a competitive environment - to use simulation techniques as a means of encouraging students to think strategically.

  Consulting in Organisations (30 Credits) - Optional

  This module introduces students to organisation consulting. It builds on learning from prior modules, and provides the student with a theoretical introduction to consulting and the idea of organisation learning. Students undertake a live group consulting project as part of this module.

  Creative Advertising and Promotion (30 Credits) - Optional

  This module aims to develop the students knowledge of the theory and practice of advertising and promotion. Students learn how to use both broad communication theory and specific promotion-related theory to inform and develop advertising and promotion programmes. They learn how these promotional activities fit within and contribute to overall marketing strategies and objectives while learning to develop, implement and evaluate advertising and promotion campaigns. Students also gain knowledge and understanding of the legal, societal and ethical issues that face the industry.

  Global Business Strategy (30 Credits) - Compulsory

  This module aims to introduce students to the main concepts, analytical tools and theoretical frameworks in the field of global business strategy. The module will introduce general strategic concepts and theories of internationalisation, and then draw together and integrate knowledge and skills that students have learned previously, applying these to the issues that are typically faced by organisations when they operate internationally. It intends to develop the student s awareness to and sensitivity of the differences between global, international and domestic business, and improve their analytical, critical and problem solving abilities.

  Global Operations Management (30 Credits) - Optional

  The aim of this module is to develop an understanding of those managerial concepts and techniques required in the design, management and control of work systems. The term work systems is used in a broad sense and includes both manufacturing and service systems. The module will look at the configuration and coordination of international business operations. Through configuration the location choices will be examined. The theories and decision making methodologies will be explained in detail. In coordination, the advantage of international operations will be discussed in detail including technology/knowledge transfer and general operations management issues.

  International Finance (30 Credits) - Optional

  This module aims to provide students with knowledge of the international monetary system and skills of managing financial assets in a global environment. The first half of the module introduces theories of exchange rate, balance of payments and macroeconomic policies in an open economy. The second half of the module talks about the application of financial instruments and techniques in managing the financial assets and risks. Students have the opportunity to study the operations of the world capital markets and participate in the discussions of various contemporary international financial issues and policies.

  International Marketing (30 Credits) - Optional

  This module puts marketing into the global context and shows the importance of international marketing in the era of globalisation. It familiarises students with the theoretical base for international marketing and provides them with a thorough understanding of the nature of the international market place and the complex and challenging forces that shape the current international business environment and highlights future trends. Students will learn how to critically assess the implications of such forces and trends for marketing strategy and decision making when organisations operate across borders. They will also develop international marketing decision-making skills and know-how that will assist them in pursuing a career in international marketing or business.

  Leadership and Management (30 Credits) - Optional

  This module aims to provide grounding in the core competencies related to management and leadership in the organisation enabling students to apply theory to practice in management. Alongside this, it will provide opportunities to develop personal skills through workshops in leadership and team building.

  Managing Across Borders (30 Credits) - Compulsory

  This module aims to explore issues of managing across borders in terms of the cultural subjectivity of management theory and practice, with a specific focus on ethics. It examines the influence of national culture on organisational functioning and managerial work. Leadership, negotiation, communication, and decision making are considered in the context of local values, beliefs and behaviours. The module thus aims to develop students sensitivity to cultural issues. It will also give students knowledge relating to ethical issues in global business and management, provides a framework for identifying and analysing these, with appropriate strategies for resolving them.

  Managing Individual and Organisational Change (30 Credits) - Optional

  This module builds on personal effectiveness developed in prior study to provide a bridge between University and future careers and further develops the strategic role of the HR practitioner to enable them to implement specific organisational change related to the management of people.

  Philosophy of Management (30 Credits) - Optional

  Management thinking has over the last decade become more reflective and more critical of its origins and key assumptions. This module introduces students to the key elements of this subject, and to the questioning of fundamentals in management that represents the core conceptual approach of philosophy. Students will be introduced to historical writers, theoretical positions, key debates and key tools of conceptual analysis as applied to organisations and management. The module covers material relating to the underlying elements of management research and management knowledge, of business ethics, of the role of business in society and even of the basic nature of organisation itself. It is an important foundation for students considering moving on to masters level study, as well as for those intending to find employment in high level organisations.

Students studying the two year course will take the following modules in their first year:

• Managerial Finance and Accounting
• Human Resource Management
• Marketing

You will then choose an option from
• Operations Management
• Business Information Systems

Placement year within an Organisation

Students on the two year course also have the option of a work placement, completing their course in a further year.
The primary aim of the placement year is to build on your academic learning by providing you with the opportunity to undertake a period of work experience for which you are paid and will give you the opportunity to apply and further develop work-related knowledge, skills and capabilities, together with the aptitude to learn from experience.

All students will take the following modules in their final year:

• Global Business Strategy
• Managing Across Borders

You will then choose two modules from the comprehensive list below that covers all of the Business disciplines.
All options will be available to those on the general BA International Business Administration course. Those wishing to qualify for a named exit award must successfully complete two modules from the specific pathway.

Final year pathways and options:

Finance pathway
• International Corporate Finance
• Business Finance

Marketing pathway
• International Marketing
• Creative Advertising and Promotion

Management pathway
• International Operations Management
• Philosophy of Management
• Management and Leadership
• Business Game

Human Resource Management pathway
• Managing Individual and Organisational Change
• Management and Leadership

General options
• All pathway options will be available to those studying on the general programme
in addition to Consulting in Organisations.

Entry & applying

Standard Entry requirements

We normally require evidence that you have completed an equivalent Year One and Two of an Undergraduate business course, for example an HND, or foundation Degree or equivalent.

International entry requirements

We accept the equivalent of the above from a recognised overseas qualification, to find out more about the requirements from your country, see further information under support in your country. For details of other equivalent requirements that Middlesex accepts see entry requirements.

English language requirements

You must have competence in English language and we normally require Grade C GCSE or an equivalent qualification. The most common English Language requirements for international students are IELTS 6.0 (with minimum 5.5 in all four components) or TOEFL internet based 72 (with at least 17 in listening & writing, 20 in speaking and 18 in reading).

Middlesex also offers an Intensive Academic English course (Pre-Sessional) that ranges from 5-17 weeks depending on your level of English. Successful completion of this course would meet English language entry requirements. For more information on applying for the pre-sessional please email english@mdx.ac.uk.

Entry into year two or three (transfer students)

If you have achieved a qualification such as a foundation degree or HND, or have gained credit at another university, you may be able to enter a Middlesex course in year two or three. For full details of how this works see transfer students.

UK/EU applicants with existing higher education qualifications

If you have already been awarded a qualification at the same level as the course you are applying for, you may not be eligible for a tuition fee loan, see fees and funding for more information.

How to Apply

UK/EU students

Apply now

Applications for UK and EU students should be made to UCAS – the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. The institution code for Middlesex is M80, and the code name is MIDDX. You also need the code for the course you wish to apply for – this is found in the 'at a glance' box above.

International students

International students from outside the EU can make a direct application.  We have a network of regional offices across the world to assist you with your application.  They have experience with helping students from your country and supporting them with their applications to study at Middlesex. Read more on international applications. 

Fees & funding

January Start Fees

UK/EU students: £3,375
International students: £10,400

The tuition fee for the 2012/2013 academic year for UK/EU students is £9,000.
The tuition fee for the 2012/2013 academic year for International students is £10,400.

Click here to find out more about fees, funding and our scholarships in 2012.

Careers & placements

The University has a dedicated Careers Advisory Service that you can drop into on campus. They run workshops on CV writing and interview techniques, as well as providing information on the graduate job market, so you will be well-supported for planning your future career.

Graduates are highly attractive to employers because of their understanding of global business operations, their analytical and problem-solving skills and their ability to think logically. You will be particularly prepared for working for an international firm, in the UK or abroad.

Our careers service offers you a range of support both while you’re studying with us – and after you’ve graduated.

Placements
Work placements are proven to increase your success in the job market – as well as being a fantastic experience. Business is a highly competitive field so we encourage as many students as possible to grasp this opportunity.

We have a dedicated Placement Service which helps you find and plan for a placement.

Graduate Employment prospects

Latest survey figures show that six months after graduating:  

• 84% of Middlesex graduates were in employment or further study

• 16% were assumed to be unemployed or doing something else, such as travelling
  

(Based on data from BA International Business respondents of the 2009-10 Destination of Leavers in Higher Education Survey)

The average salary for graduates included in the survey was £20,000 for those in full time employment.

Examples of the types of jobs that graduates from the class of 2009-10 are doing include:

Graduate Account Exec, Consultant, Conference Manager, Journalist, Business Manager, Duty Support Officer, Learning Mentor, Managerial Assistant.

in the following organisations:

Hydrogen Group, NHS, International Trade & Development, YMCA, ITSS, Rhodia, O2, Ikea, CPW, Haringey 6th Form College, Total Security

Graduate Roles
Below are just a few examples of the types of careers that you could pursue after graduating with us: 

Administrative Manager – An administrative manager applies specialised technical or professional principles, practices and skills or the use of a wide range of administrative methods in the solution of problems. This may include planning, developing, evaluating, advising, and improving various management control systems, programmes and policies, for the purpose of improving the effectiveness and efficiency of programmes and operations.

Advertising Manager – As an advertising manager you will develop, implement, and manage a company's advertising strategy, both from a business, sales and technical perspective. Your job will be to initiate and manage discussion and sales with sponsors and agencies. You will spend your time negotiating agreements with outside sales representatives and managing the development of sales materials, including media kits.

Retail Area Manager – As a retail area manager you will be responsible for the management and overall profitability of a group of stores. You will promote the generation of sales, forming an important link in the management communication chain, by liaising with store managers as well as key departments within head-office.

Branch Manager – As a branch manager you will be responsible for the management of specialty or department stores. Your responsibilities will include the profits of the store, stock, costs, security and administration of the store, as well as the selection, interviewing and training of staff.