Business Information Technology 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. 

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.  

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 brings together everything you have learned so far and gives you the opportunity to put your knowledge into practice. Working in teams, you will develop a business idea and take it through the process of setting up a start-up. You will pitch your idea to a panel to secure investment, launch the business and organise an event, with profits donated to a local charity of your choice. Whatever your chosen business discipline, this module allows you to demonstrate and further develop your skills in a real-world context.

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 introduces a range of digital tools essential for both academic and professional environments. Core business skills such as management, collaboration and teamwork are central to the module.

You will engage regularly with online platforms to enhance your digital competency, while co-creation tasks offer opportunities for self-reflection and confidence building. Activities include working towards the Inspiring Digital Enterprise Award (iDEA), completing LinkedIn Learning assessments on Microsoft applications and producing collaborative video content.

As digital business becomes increasingly vital, this module equips you with the 21st-century skills needed to succeed in a modern workplace.

This module introduces you to the core functions of business and provides an opportunity to see how they operate in practice. You will gain an understanding of key areas such as people management, accounting, marketing and operations, and how these functions contribute to business success.

The module draws on real-world examples from successful businesses across the Greater Manchester region, including start-ups, family-run firms, large enterprises and multinationals from various sectors. It offers a first insight into what makes businesses thrive and helps you begin to shape your future learning and career journey.

The Business Information Systems module focuses on technology infrastructures and introduces organisational systems from an Information Systems perspective. You will develop an understanding of the concepts, principles, and technologies behind the management and application of data, information and knowledge.

The module aims to ‘peel back the screen’ to reveal how data is stored, managed and flows through systems. You will explore the relationship between Information Systems and Business Intelligence, and how they support decision-making in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.

A key theme of the module is the disruptive impact of technology on commerce and society, helping you to appreciate how emerging technologies shape the business world.

Using data effectively is central to business success, and this module provides a foundation in the key skills needed to understand and apply data. You will develop an understanding of the concepts behind quantitative methods used to analyse business data.

You will practise essential Excel skills and learn to use Minitab, a statistical software package widely used by businesses to identify trends, solve problems and gain insights from data.

This module prepares you for more advanced study in quantitative analysis within business and economics.

What are the opportunities for business in the future? This module begins by establishing a strong understanding of the business context, including core economic principles and the evolving digital environment. You will explore the role of the digital economy and how it is reshaping industries.

Key global challenges will be examined—such as mass digitisation and Industry 4.0, inclusive growth, food security and the climate emergency—alongside the opportunities they present for businesses to develop responsible and sustainable solutions.

This module offers practical experience in key aspects of business intelligence and innovative problem-solving. Working collaboratively with peers, you will use business intelligence tools to define and propose solutions to a real-world business challenge.

Using the University as an industry partner, you will engage directly with the institution to address relevant problem areas, providing innovative solutions. The module embeds group working skills through an experiential learning approach, giving you the opportunity to define, plan and deliver a project—enhancing your employability and professional development.

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. 

 

So much of our everyday life is dependent upon web technology and the people who are developing and maintaining the digital solutions that we all use. Web based solutions need to be developed, but this requires many different skills such as researching, designing, developing, implementing, and testing of applications, to deliver professional, reliable, on-cost and on-time solutions. This module guides students toward acquiring a well-rounded foundation of skills in the design and development of web applications necessary for a career in the management of Business Information Technology. Web Application Development (WAD) focusses on platform-independent and browser-independent languages such as HTML, JavaScript and CSS and other core technologies used in the building of most websites.  In this unit, you will learn how to use these technologies to develop responsive business and e-commerce websites. Designed with employability in mind, this module will align its learning objectives with skills required within digital agencies and for freelance development work.

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.

Mobile App Development module will equip you with theoretical and practical knowledge for the needs of mobile app design, development and management in the modern business world. The supportive teaching team guide students through well-structure lectures and tutorials to understand app project management, mobile UI & UX, front-end and back-end design.  The module also involves guest lectures from mobile app industry and all assessments are based on a live project, which varies every year to address different industrial sectors. It is a practical module, encouraging you to demonstrate innovative thought and produce business consultancy report in mobile technology field, and to build app digital portfolio (i.e. app wireframe, prototype and user journeys) to improve employability.

This module introduces a range of analytical methods to support effective management decision-making, applied using real-world data sets. You will learn techniques that can be used across various business contexts, including interpreting market performance, forecasting growth, make-or-buy decisions and optimising scarce resources.

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.

On this module, you will learn about some of the key aspects of law and how these impact upon business. You will be introduced to the outline of the English Legal System, Contract Law, Employment Law and Company Law. You will develop a critical understanding of legal issues that may arise in business situations and be able to use your knowledge of the law in relevant business practices.

This module aims to equip you with the analytical skills required to handle and analyse business, financial and economic data using basic econometric methods, including simple and multiple linear regression models, inference and hypothesis testing. As part of this module, you will get hands-on experience with the Data Analysis Toolkit within Excel and the Econometric/Statistical software package Stata. You will also undertake an applied empirical project where you are expected to demonstrate your understanding of data analysis and econometric methods.

You will be introduced to some fundamentals of basic financial and management accounting, learning to understand the content of financial statements and the accountancy practices required to prepare these statements. You will learn to analyse and interpret financial statements and use the data to make informed management decisions. With cost (and its impact on profit) a key factor in an organisation’s success, you will learn to communicate financial information both in writing and speaking.

On this short module, you'll look at the issues affecting current marketing in a global setting and the impact this has on the wider business environment. You'll look at different marketing niches from a social, economic and environmental perspective, considering the importance of minority group affiliations associated with Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ+, social inclusion, ethics, sustainability and the marketing-savvy green consumer. You'll also gain an understanding of the ethical, moral and legal requirements that managers must appreciate when engaging in international marketing activities.

The digital workplace is here to stay. This module helps you gain an understanding of the application of digital technologies in organisations. You will develop a critical awareness of the relationship between people and the workplaces of the future. You will also explore the issues around implementing a digital strategy.

A short internship—whether paid or unpaid—offers valuable real-world experience to help you develop and demonstrate your skills. This module allows you to gain academic credit for work that is relevant to your degree and enhances your employability.

The Business School will support and guide you in finding suitable internship opportunities. These may take place during the summer between Level 4 and Level 5, or at other times, provided the required amount of work-based learning is completed. During term time, you will produce a reflective report to demonstrate what you have learned through your internship experience.

You have the option to do a professional placement year, taking a year in industry to learn in a real-life environment whilst earning a salary and paying no tuition fees.

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.

 For more information, please visit the placement and internships page. 

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.

Working with the digital industry, we explore careers, innovation and digital transformation to allow you to evaluate your next steps, find new opportunities and identify an audience to create a digital portfolio aimed at seizing these opportunities and reaching their goals. Exploring career options to create a plan for an innovative digital portfolio through appropriate channels, content and data. This is a hands-on module which allows students to create a website and social media channels and content and to optimise them, providing you with a competitive advantage when you graduate. The module is suitable for technical or less technical students.

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. 

Business IT project is designed to allow you to scope, define, design and implement a practical technology project. It provides the opportunity for you  to research and analyse current practice and explore innovations in a Business IT related field of their choosing. All students will work under the guidance of an advisor to complete an in-depth piece of work and produce a business proposal and prototype, together with a scholarly and critical report which documents their research and prototype design. This practical module encourages you to demonstrate innovative problem solving, apply knowledge from across the programme, and contribute to their digital portfolio to enhance employability.

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.

Modern businesses gain valuable insights by applying advanced analytical techniques to large volumes of data. In this module, you will learn a range of established Big Data and analytics methods and explore the value they bring to organisations.

Upon successful completion, you will be able to collect and analyse data to support business decision-making, and apply these techniques within a strategic context—aligning with business goals and enhancing organisational competitive advantage.

Climate change is a fundamental stressor that undermines past development gains and threatens future progress in key areas of human well-being. In the 21st century, the sustainable use of energy is critical, as our reliance on energy for transport, business and heating is both a major driver of climate change and central to its solution. As such, energy and climate change are inextricably linked.

This module provides a multidisciplinary introduction to the key issues surrounding climate change. You will explore the science and policy of climate change, international climate finance, energy policy, business and sustainability, and environmental policy.

This module explores the management and protection of digital information across a range of technologies. It addresses key areas such as data security and cybersecurity risk, data policy in modern digital systems and the strategic dimensions of information security management. You will also examine digital forensics, along with the legal, ethical and professional considerations involved in safeguarding data.

A short internship—whether paid or unpaid—offers valuable real-world experience to help you develop and demonstrate your skills. This module allows you to gain academic credit for work that is relevant to your degree and enhances your employability.

The Business School will support and guide you in finding suitable internship opportunities. These may take place during the summer between Level 4 and Level 5, or at other times, provided the required amount of work-based learning is completed. During term time, you will produce a reflective report to demonstrate what you have learned through your internship experience.

This module provides an introduction to the investment environment, focusing on key financial principles and practices. You will explore the concept of risk and how investors can manage it effectively. The module also covers the time value of money, portfolio management and the relationship between risk and return, equipping you with foundational knowledge for informed investment decision-making.

This module develops your understanding of digital technologies and their role in driving digital transformation. You will explore contemporary issues in the field and assess the current and future impact of digital technologies on businesses.

By the end of the module, you will have a critical awareness of the digital industry and will have considered how technology can be applied to solve real-world business challenges. The module is supported by Launch@Salford, the University’s business incubation centre, providing practical insights and opportunities.