Module BUSI41R15: BUSINESS ECONOMICS AND ACCOUNTING (ONLINE)

Department: Management and Marketing

BUSI41R15: BUSINESS ECONOMICS AND ACCOUNTING (ONLINE)

Tied To

• N1KY07: Entrepreneurship (Part-time) (see Postgraduate Handbook 2012-2013 for details)
• N1N107: Entrepreneurship (for students entering in April 2014 only) (see Postgraduate Handbook 2017-2018 for details)
• N2K307: Management (Part-Time) (for students entering between Oct 2010 - Oct 2012) (see Postgraduate Handbook 2018-2019 for details)
• N2K507: Management (for students entering between Oct 2013 - Oct 2014) (see Postgraduate Handbook 2018-2019 for details)
• N5K107: Marketing (Part-Time) (for students entering between Oct 2010 - Oct 2012) (see Postgraduate Handbook 2017-2018 for details)
• N5K407: Marketing (for students entering in April 2013 only) (see Postgraduate Handbook 2016-2017 for details)
• N5K507: Marketing (for students entering from April 2014) (see Postgraduate Handbook 2016-2017 for details)
• N6K107: Human Resource Management (Part-time) (see Postgraduate Handbook 2012-2013 for details)
• N6K207: Human Resource Management (for students entering from October 2013) (see Postgraduate Handbook 2016-2017 for details)

Pre-requisites

Corequisites

Excluded Combinations

Aims

• To develop skills in the application of economic analysis in business decision-making and planning.
• To provide students with a critical understanding of key economic aspects of the business environment and the impact of changes in that environment at national and international level.
• To provide students with a critical knowledge and understanding of the use of financial reporting external to the organisation, and of financial statements - their underlying principles and fundamental techniques of analysis and interpretation.

Content

• Markets, information and transaction costs.
• Organisations, costs and the profit motive.
• Competition and welfare.
• Strategic behaviour by firms.
• Global business and the macroeconomic environment.
• Performance and business decisions.
• Critical understanding of information conveyed through corporate reporting.
• Analysis of company performance based on financial data.

Learning Outcomes

• Have a specialist knowledge and understanding of the importance of, and interaction between demand, costs and prices at the level of the firm and the market; the interrelationship between the competitive environment and business decisions; and the macro-economic environment, at the national and global level.
• Have a critical understanding and appreciation of the complex nature of the economic business environment.
• Have a specialist knowledge and understanding of the use of financial data within organisations.
• Have a specialist knowledge and understanding of the analysis of financial data for evaluating the financial prospects of organisations.
• Have a critical understanding of the uses and limitations of corporate financial reports in internal and external business analysis.

• Be able to apply economic understanding in the analysis of business decisions.

• Written communication; planning, organising and time management; problem solving and analysis; using initiative; computer literacy.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• The module is delivered via online learning, divided up into study weeks with specially produced resources within each week. Resources vary according to the learning outcomes but normally include: video content, directed reading, reflection through activities, opportunities for self-assessment and peer-to-peer learning within a tutor-facilitated discussion board. Tutors provide feedback on formative work and facilitate discussion board communication as well as being available for individual consultation as necessary (usually by email and Skype).
• The summative assessment of the module is designed to test the acquisition and articulation of knowledge and critical understanding, and skills of application and interpretation within the business context.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment

A written assignment of 1,500 words, or its multimedia equivalent, which may involve some group work.