Undergraduate Programme Specification for BA (Hons) Business Administration

The BA (Hons) in Business Administration provides a solid foundation in business administration and is ideally suited to those seeking to attain professional expertise in business management and senior administrative positions.

The programme covers many important areas of business which are critical to the success of any enterprise. The programme provides an opportunity to analyse and evaluate the strategies and business operations of a range of organisations, and understand the way in which these are developed. In addition the programme develops the skills required to identify and analyse business problems and evaluate and present alternative solutions.

This programme will include a focus on the strategic dimension to the areas of finance, operations, information management and business development, and therefore Business Administration is multi-disciplinary in nature and can lead to many possible careers.

The programme enables you to develop an informed vision of your preferred future career and an understanding of how to create tomorrow's success with today's strategy in terms of business administration and management.

In each module of this programme, you will have exposure to real-world case studies. This will help you to contextualise and apply what you are learning.

The integrative nature and overall emphasis in the programme is on active participation and interaction between students and academics. This ensures that you are equipped to excel as holistic and progressive thinkers in all areas of today's dynamic and demanding new business environment.

You can develop a network of contacts in your chosen career route, thus enhancing your employability profile.

The Level 3 BA (Hons) Business Administration is offered as a part-time or full-time one year programme This programme delivers the 120 credit points at level 3 that are needed to progress from an Advanced Diploma in Business Administration (or equivalent) to a full BA (Hons) in Business Administration. You must complete four core modules and a project.

Core Modules (20 credits each):

• Strategic Business Analysis
• Corporate Finance and Governance
• Strategic Information Management
• Strategic Business Operations and Management

Research Methods and Project (40 credits):

In addition to the taught core modules, you must complete an individual project that is research-based. Workshops will be used to develop your research skills and independent research capabilities.

Business Administration: Modular Structure

Class attendance and active participation are very important to this programme, because student opinions and discussion of the assigned study materials are an integral part of the learning experience. The reading of current news and articles that focus on events and developments in the field of business administration are encouraged. Constructive contribution may include observations and questions about the course material as well as current events, and answers to questions raised by fellow students.

Case studies are an integral part of the programme. Additional opportunities for professional interaction and learning may be offered to you, including an orientation function at the beginning of the year, a social function in the middle of the year and various guest speakers from industry and academia during the academic year.

In order to facilitate presentations, you are encouraged to use PowerPoint presentation or multimedia resources. You will also be encouraged to use the free Internet facilities at Guildhall College, London or to visit virtual libraries. Facilities available at UEL include use of the network facilities and you will have online access to this powerful resource. In addition, student learning and progress is supported via UEL Direct and UEL Plus, virtual learning environments to develop skills for life. Additionally you will develop proficiency in information researching using UEL’s extensive, subject-specific, online databases and CD-ROM facilities.

By using these varied Information & Communications Technology (ICT) resources you will enhance your learning and increase your ICT skills. Therefore when you enter employment you will have a very wide range of skills which will enable you to effectively demonstrate and apply what you have studied on your degree.

It is the policy of Guildhall College, London and UEL’s Business School to include detailed information on assessment criteria in Module Handbooks.

Assessment is by a combination of many different types of coursework and examination.

• Students are continuously assessed through both formative and summative assessment, including theoretical and practical group assessments, individual written assessments, reports, presentations and in-class tests
• Formal examinations will typically account for no more than 50% of the assessment in a module
• The dissertation or project is an extensive individual piece of academic writing, and you must demonstrate your skills in applying learned theories and knowledge from the real world
• Your marks in all modules will determine your final degree classification: note that ABE Advanced Diploma or prior study grades are not used for this purpose

Although opportunities for work experience are not formally provided by this programme, both Guildhall College and UEL have facilities and career development infrastructure to assist you in enhancing your employability, which may include opportunities for work experience in both paid and voluntary positions.

You will undertake a project on a topic of your choosing. You will receive specific guidance on its preparation during the module through research methods workshops. The Project Report/Dissertation should be on a business-related topic, which will demonstrate an ability to think strategically, show an understanding and ability to use the theoretical models, gather information, analyse the information, and draw conclusions from the research. Each student will be assigned a supervisor who will guide and support the research activities and the writing of the dissertation.

You will also find that mini projects or group work exercises feature strongly in some of the modules that are taught on the programme.

Studying for a degree is not just about acquiring knowledge but is also about developing a range of skills and confidence which are valued by employers. The programme is designed to help you to develop knowledge, skills and experience. We will help you to reflect upon this and recognise how you have developed and what the evidence is for this. This will help you to present yourself in the best possible light to employers.

• Strategic business development and best practice
• Strategic approaches to leadership, management and administration
• Strategic development of business processes and operations in an increasingly interconnected and globalised world
• Innovation and emerging technologies and their impact on organisations
• International business environments and cultures, and how organisations react

• Analysing the complexities of organisations and the way in which they are managed
• Acquiring, interpreting and analysing information that will help in the greater integration of many functional areas of the business
• Conducting research into business and management issues
• Leading an enterprise by establishing a competitive strategy
• Knowing and understanding the internal and external factors affecting an organisation and apply this knowledge to evaluate its strategic position
• Formulating and implementing a Business Plan
• Inter-personal communication and working with others
• Finding solutions to complex and challenging problems
• If you can answer ‘yes’ to some or all of these, then you will probably enjoy studying for a Business Administration degree

• To be able to acquire research and problem-solving skills that allow you to obtain and evaluate critically the information necessary to make managerial decisions
• To develop competence in information gathering and dissemination
• To develop knowledge in the core business functional areas of accounting, finance, operations, information technology, business strategy and human resources, and effectively participate in or manage projects in any of these functional areas
• To understand the cause-and-effect relationships between the core business functions and be able to articulate the strategic effects of these interactions
• To be prepared to take on positions of increasing managerial responsibility as a result of formalising and updating your knowledge of best business practice across industries and sectors
• To acquire following Transferable Skills:
  1. Self Management and Organisation Skills
  2. Learning Skills
  3. Presentation and Communication Skills
  4. Teamwork and Project Management Skills
  5. Problem Solving and Analytical Skills
  6. Information and Communication Technology Skills
  7. Time Management and Prioritisation Skills

A Business Administration honours degree is recognised as providing a strong background for the following occupations:

• Advertising Executive - works for an advertising agency which serves external clients, acts as a link between client and agency and co-ordinates client’s campaigns
• Accountant - provides accountancy, audit/assurance, tax and business advisory services to external or internal clients
• Distribution/Logistics Manager - manages the supply, movement, distribution and/or storage of goods and materials for an organisation
• Investment Banker (corporate finance) - provides investment and advisory services to client companies, institutions and governments
• Marketing Executive – helps develop product brands using marketing and promotional campaigns in a range of sectors and industries
• Retail Merchandiser - responsible for retail product planning, involves working closely with buying teams to forecast/identify trends, plan stock levels and monitor performance and wastage
• Personnel Administration - develops, advises on and implements policies for the effective deployment of an organisation’s human resources (HR), could include recruitment and selection, training and development, employee relations, pay and conditions, regulatory compliance
• Finance Administration - provides financial services to individual and business customers including: bank accounts; cash handling; cheque clearing; credit and debit cards; loans and mortgages; foreign currency; and insurance products.
• Business Analyst - examines business activity and operations to help decide whether new business and technical solutions will improve productivity

Graduates can also progress to study Masters Degrees in either specialised subjects, or the Master of Business Administration (MBA). Additionally graduates can also proceed to take professional qualifications in their chosen fields.

As you can see, graduates work in many different sectors of the economy, so there is a very wide choice of possible careers. We hope you will use your degree from UEL to identify what you wish to do and in preparing for that career. You should start achieving your goals both before and after graduation.

Facilities and infrastructure

• There are excellent modern facilities including a library with a wide range of materials and information relevant to all college courses. There are adequate numbers of large, state-of-the-art classrooms available for teacher-led classes and group studies.
• The Student Welfare Office conducts free CV and Job Placement Workshops. The College also assists students in finding study related part-time jobs.

Academic and administrative support

• The College Reception will be able to answer the queries you may have about the operation of the Business Administration degree.
  Personal tutoring is available to students throughout the year, and a personal tutor will be allocated to you who can advise on academic matters and personal development planning.
  Your Programme Leader or Module Leader can help if you have problems or programme related issues you wish to raise

The New Docklands Campus:
In July 2006, the Business School of UEL relocated to a state-of-the-art campus at the UEL Docklands campus. The new campus boasts a large range of brand new student facilities including new and modern lecture theatres, IT labs and Library.

You will have opportunity to attend public lectures, employability fairs and cultural festivals that take place at UEL, and be a part of the broader UEL student community.