Three year bachelor's degree
The BSc (Hons) Business Management with Business Analytics degree provides graduates with a strong foundation in a range of analytics techniques that can help organisations to reach well-informed decisions. The modules taught on the programme have a practical focus, as the aim is to provide preparation for a wide range of careers.
The programme helps students become proficient in using a range of analytical tools and techniques and to acquire problem-solving skills. The scheme provides a wide variety of options that open up different career choices, providing high expected returns in terms of professional and vocational relevance.
Three years (full-time)
English
The Year 1 establishes the foundations of a broad spectrum of business, management and business analytics theories and concepts. Year 2 builds upon this foundation, through the introduction of more advanced concepts and operational aspects of business management and business analytics. Year 3 draws the previous years’ teaching and learning together through development of business analytics, strategy and leadership.
Students’ acquisition of knowledge and understanding is facilitated through the teaching and learning strategies pursued by the various departments from which BSc (Business Management with Business Analytics) modules are drawn. Teaching and learning methods used on the programme include lectures and small group teaching via seminars, tutorials, computer workshops, simulations and workshops. Students’ knowledge and skills are developed through taught material, exercises and coursework of increasing challenge and complexity throughout the programme.
Programme structure: Information contained on the website with respect to modules is correct at the time of publication, and the University will make every reasonable effort to offer modules as advertised. In some cases changes may be necessary and may result in some combinations being unavailable, for example as a result of student feedback, timetabling, staff changes and new research. Not all optional modules are available every year.
This module introduces a variety of traditional and non-traditional ideas about management, followed by the theory and practice of team working and capability for management. The aim is to provide students with an essential understanding of the basic theories relevant to the management of work organisation and to enable students to identify and understand the limitations inherent within these theories.
This module provides an introduction to the analysis and use of published financial statements and concepts underlying financial reporting by companies. It also considers the perspectives of various users and opportunities for creative accounting. The concepts and use of financial statements are placed within the current commercial context, so that you acquire an appreciation of the role of financial accounting.
This course provides an introduction to key economic concepts and analytical tools which underpin their applications in a business context. It is targeted at students majoring in business-related degrees and covers a range of important topics for understanding the business applications of economics relating to the behaviour of both consumers and firms as well as the possible role of government in addressing market failures.
In this module, we challenge preconceived views about whether or not entrepreneurship can be taught, and the widely-held opinion that entrepreneurs are born, not made. We consider entrepreneurship in a wide variety of contexts and for a range of different purposes. This includes entrepreneurship for social or environmental good, or as a means of self-expression, as well as entrepreneurial start-up and classic profit-driven motivations of business founders. Theory and practice are combined throughout the module, and teaching is brought to life through the expertise of our entrepreneurs in residence. You will therefore meet practicing entrepreneurs and be provoked to consider your own values and how these might, in future, shape your own expressions of innovation and entrepreneurial behaviour, whether as an employee, in your home society, in a family business, or as a business founder or sole trader.
Business analytics focuses on developing new insights and understanding of business performance based on data analysis.
Designed to give you the kind of skills that are sought after in many organisations, this module introduces you to a range of quantitative techniques for collecting, analysing and interpreting data and develops your understanding of how to apply these techniques to management problems to draw practical conclusions. The module provides the foundations for statistical methods in follow-up modules.
The computing side of the module introduces the use of word processing, spreadsheet software for statistical calculations, and writing of management reports.
You will learn not only the fundamental analytical techniques, but also when and how to apply them to management problems and how to interpret the results. This module also involves you working as a junior business analyst on a simple but realistic case study and reporting results and conclusions to a fictional boss.
This module examines the key elements of marketing theory and practice, and how these connect with other aspects of business management. The module is arranged into three themes, with the first examining the fundamentals of market offerings, including brands, products and services. The second theme focuses on the competitive marketplace and explores how organisations understand and engage with consumers, including a look at recent developments in digital marketing. The final theme consolidates learning by considering how marketers obtain and utilise information to inform innovation and the marketing planning process. The module also aims to support students in the development of key transferable skills such as critical thinking, analysis and delivering effective business presentations.
This module is designed to support the first stage in your journey towards securing a future graduate job role which you will enjoy and thrive in doing! In the first year, we combine gaining business insights from visiting employers alongside a focus on two important stages for employability preparation: ‘Opportunity Awareness’, career opportunities available to Business Management graduates and how this knowledge relates to ‘Self-Awareness’, personal interests, motivations, values & skills.
Operations management is the core managerial discipline in all kinds of operation – from private-sector manufacturing through to public-sector services. It is about the human capacity to organise all the operations that underpin the modern world: transportation, the generation of energy, retailing, the production of goods, the provision of medical and educational services, and so on.
The module will introduce students to key concepts and themes of Operations Management such as operations strategy and performance objectives, operations design (e.g. layout, facility location and capacity), inventory planning and control, project management, quality management and supply chain management. These topics will be approached using a combination of qualitative and simple quantitative methods.
By the end of the course students should be able to:
Many organisational recruiters have identified a number of skills and knowledge they want to see from a prospective employee. Top in the priorities are spreadsheet modelling, problem structuring, statistics, and project management.
Students will be introduced to Microsoft Excel 2019 and the basics of dynamic model building, including skills such as data handling, filtering and analysis, using functions, charting, plus advanced techniques such as optimisation, simulation, and the use of Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) to automate models and construct decision support models.
The course will make extensive use of case-studies and workshop-orientated learning tasks.
The overall objective of this module is to develop students’ abilities to describe, analyse and interpret data soundly, making effective use of computer software. These skills will help students demonstrate to prospective employers that they have practical skills that can immediately be put to good use to solve problems for organisations either in the public or private sector. The lecture materials and problems that students are asked to solve in tutorials relate to typical problems that organisations have to solve in practical situations where data analysis skills are required.
Techniques based on mathematics and statistics can be extremely powerful tools in helping to solve organisational problems and are widely used in practice. This module explains the business situations in which such techniques apply, and shows how to use the techniques and interpret the results to make better business decisions
Five such techniques will be covered:
Designed as an introduction to the theory and practice of managing business projects, this module introduces project management methods in a way which links to the life cycle of a typical project – from the early project identification and definition stages, through project execution and control, to issues of implementation and change. The coverage of the early stages of the project cycle uses methods emerging from the systems movement and stresses the strategic relevance of project management. The management of the project is covered by introducing techniques for planning, scheduling and controlling projects. Attention is also given to the people management aspects of this process, including leadership, team-working and motivation.
In the second year of your Business Management degree, this module supports your journey towards securing a future graduate job role which you will enjoy and thrive in doing! We combine gaining business insights from visiting employers, recent alumni and networking opportunities, alongside a focus on building graduate labour market knowledge and preparation for the graduate recruitment selection process.
And any two of the following modules:
For full description of these modules go to Undergraduate Courses | Lancaster University.
Issues and problems in the complex world of management do not necessarily arise in a well-structured form. People often do not know what they want or what is possible. They may also disagree about what they are trying to achieve and the means for arriving at their goals. Much thinking needs to be done in order to define an appropriate framework within which a useful analysis or project can be carried out.
Various approaches have been developed in recent years to assist in this task, often referred to as problem-structuring methods (PSMs). These very practically oriented methodologies typically involve the management team to help facilitate the structuring of complex situations. They place emphasis on dialogue to think through strategic problems, identify the salient issues, formulate goals and negotiate action plans. This module introduces you to several PSMs and some of the process skills needed to use them.
This module is about the study of business uses and benefits of information systems and the relationship between business strategy and information systems; we will explore the infrastructure of businesses and how they align their strategy with information systems.
The module will require students to develop new individual skills such as:
In this module we look at how to study business operations, analyse the situation and develop appropriate information systems designs. The same techniques can be of value whether you develop them further and become an information systems professional or use them in general management or consultancy. There is an emphasis on practical application and extensive use of class exercises.
The techniques taught in this module are widely employed by analysts in the fields of information systems and general business consultancy, and the ability to analyse information requirements and design efficient and effective information systems to meet those requirements is increasingly recognised and valued by employers as an important management skill.
At the heart of many real-world industrial and scientific problems are increasingly large data sets that need to be analysed efficiently in order to gain novel and useful insights. The field of as data mining (also known as intelligent data analysis) brings together real large-scale datasets and algorithms from statistics, machine learning and computational intelligence that can work efficiently with real-world datasets.
This module provides an introduction to the fundamental methods and approaches from the interrelated areas of data mining, statistical/ machine learning, and intelligent data analysis. The module covers the entire data analysis process, starting from the formulation of a project objective, developing an understanding of the available data and other resources, up to the point of statistical modelling and performance assessment. The focus of the course is classification. The course content covers:
The module uses the R programming language and more specifically the RStudio integrated programming environment; also we make extensive use of online video lectures from top scientists in the field.
In this module students will learn general concepts about spreadsheet modelling using VBA and a wide range of modelling skills which are highly relevant to management. These include structured programming, program documentation, program verification, and user interface design, and general investigative modelling – including applications involving optimisation, forecasting and simulation.
The module will cover a wide range of advanced spreadsheet modelling skills and VBA programming techniques. An outline syllabus could contain the following topics:
Central to this module is the Crossbay Contracting Game, a management game designed by the module convenor and his colleagues at HCS Ltd.
Three (health service) organisations are involved in a contract negotiation, and you will be part of the management team of one of these organisations. The contract concerns funding requirements for core activities over the coming financial year.
The main aim is to reach an agreement that is satisfactory to all three parties – but you must of course ensure that your own organisation is likely to come out of it well. Much of your time will be spent analysing the emerging situation and negotiating with the other parties.
Alongside this ‘management’ task there is also a modelling task. Teams are provided with a decision support system they can use to analyse the emerging situation and help them decide which strategies are cost-effective for their organisation.
This module examines the principles and practices of supply chain management, building on operations management concepts. It examines supply chain and logistics management applications in various sectors, such as retailing, pharmaceuticals, information technology, and even higher education.
Most of the time will be spent considering inter-organisational relationships from various perspectives, but it will also be necessary to understand how they relate to matters within the organisation, including functional areas such as logistics and procurement. As well as covering core principles and practices, the module also considers emerging supply chain themes such as service supply chains and sustainability.
And any three of the following modules:
For full description of these modules go to Undergraduate Courses | Lancaster University.
Teaching is delivered via a combination of small group lectures and group-based tutorial coursework (oral and written presentation).
Lectures convey knowledge, provide conceptual maps and introduce theoretical perspectives, illustrate methods and techniques of analysis and argument and identify policy issues. Small group teaching (seminars, etc.) develop
students’ critical understanding of the topics through theoretical discussion, presentations and problem-solving exercises.
Computer workshops facilitate the application of techniques and practical experience of bespoke software.
Students’ skills of reasoning and argumentation, and their general communication skills, are developed through seminar discussion, presentations and written coursework assignments.
Assessment is through examinations, essays, projects, and oral presentations at both the individual and group levels.
You will be encouraged throughout to undertake independent study to supplement what is being taught/learnt and to broaden your personal knowledge.
All BSc (Hons) Business Management with Business Analytics students will receive their undergraduate degree from the quadruple-accredited Lancaster University Management School in the UK.
With analytical, numeric thinkers with good professional and problem-solving skills being in demand in a range of industries and organisations.
Given the variety of roles that Business Analytics graduates can fill, there are careers in a variety of roles and sectors. Business Analysts are highly sought after for their quantitative and business skills. They can be working directly as a specialist business analyst or utilising their talents in general management, project management and consultancy roles.
Business analysts study a company’s processes, operating procedures, and large data sets to find ways to enhance an organization’s operational efficiency while achieving better performance. Business analysts work with management to reduce costs, eliminate, or reduce inefficiencies, and boost the company’s competitiveness in the modern business world. They use their analytical skills to understand and apply data-focused strategies best suited to increase a company’s bottom line.
These roles provide Business Analysts with opportunities in both the public sector and the private sector.
