This module introduces the core concepts and methods of econometric analysis and their applications in economics. It examines different types of economic data and how to handle them, the specification of econometric models, and their estimation and testing, with a focus on the classical linear regression model.

We will take an intuitive and practical approach, emphasising the application of econometric techniques to real-world data as well as the interpretation and evaluation of the results, and the ways in which they can be used to inform business and policy decisions.

An important part of the module is training in the use of specialised econometrics software. There will also be a segment dedicated to experiential learning, allowing you to gain practical experience while working with an employer.

Explore how real-world phenomena can be understood using macroeconomic models. This module will help you understand macroeconomic data and examine the implications of economic policies in both closed and open economies.

By the end of the module, you will be able to interpret macroeconomic events and tackle macroeconomic questions using the concepts and methods presented in lectures and tutorials. We will focus on major issues related to economic growth, the causes of economic fluctuations, and the effectiveness of economic policy.

You will be introduced to key concepts from microeconomic theory and their application to consumer and firm decision-making. We begin with an overview of how firms make decisions under different market structures, different pricing structures, along with the welfare implications of these choices. Next, you will learn how consumers make decisions and how they respond to price changes.

Our focus then shifts to strategic behaviour, incorporating a game-theoretic approach. We will also cover the significance of hidden information and hidden action. Additionally, we will discuss issues related to the modern business organisation, such as various models of auctions.

Finally, you will cover topics such as externalities, public goods, rent-seeking behaviour, and related policies.

This module teaches you how to interpret, analyse, and present economic data effectively. It covers key concepts in data visualisation, statistical analysis, and economic theory. You will learn to use software tools to manage datasets, create informative charts, and perform data analysis. The focus is on clearly and concisely communicating findings to both technical and non-technical audiences. By the end of the module, you will be proficient in transforming complex data into actionable insights and compelling narratives.

This module aims to expand your knowledge on the topic of inequality and its relationship with the macroeconomy. It will introduce you to the measurement and analysis of inequality data, along with the underlying theory. The module also gives a brief overview of potential policy solutions to these issues.

The topics covered include:

• skill accumulation
• discrimination
• luck
• mobility
• wealth accumulation
• the role of bequests

The goal is to stimulate critical thinking by applying theoretical concepts to real-world examples and data.

You will be introduced to the key concepts, tools, and methods in environmental economics, along with several key policy applications of these topics. This module will equip you with the skills to analyse pressing environmental issues and explore potential solutions in terms of choices, trade-offs, and scarcity.

The topics covered include:

• property rights and externalities
• benefit-cost analysis
• pollution control
• climate change
• dynamic efficiency and sustainability
• resource depletion
• ecosystem services
• management of natural resources such a fisheries

This module is designed to enhance your strategic thinking skills. You will learn how to use games to model real-world strategic situations, and how to analyse and solve these games in scenarios where players are intelligent and rational.

The module covers:

• normal form games
• extensive form games
• Bayesian games
• games with correlation devices
• repetitive games
• behavioural games

Additionally, you will have opportunities to play these games with your instructor and classmates. A basic understanding of algebra, calculus and economics is necessary for this module.

Boost your CV by gaining international experience and earn credits towards your degree. You study abroad at a summer school at a partner university between your first and second year.

You will gain subject-specific business knowledge and experience studying in a different country and culture. You can choose from a wide selection of partner universities based on where you want to study and the subjects offered.

Some of your assessment will take place at the partner university. You will also write a reflective essay after you return to help you articulate what you have learnt during your time abroad. This will help you to link your experiences to employability for future interviews.

To complete your experience, you will participate in an online project during the semester, working with an international team of students. This project will help you develop a global mindset and build your communication skills as you work in a cross-cultural team, participating in a business game where you will complete challenges related to the global Sustainable Development Goals.

Explore the essential concepts of management accounting and control, while understanding the evolving role of management accountants as trusted business advisors.

You will develop skills in measuring, analysing, and reporting information to support management decision-making. Specifically, you will learn to apply a range of costing techniques, such as variable, absorption and activity-based costing.

This module will also address control systems, including budgeting, variance analysis, and performance measurement. You will look at how these systems affect motivation and the organisation. Additionally, you will study Accounting Information Systems (AIS) which support management accounting processes. You will examine system documentation, key design features, and the relationship between AIS and financial reporting.

By the end of this module, you will gain a comprehensive understanding of both management accounting techniques and the functionality of AIS. This will allow you to confidently evaluate short- and long-term management decisions such as pricing strategies and capital allocations.

This module provides an in-depth exploration of some key contemporary marketing topics, allowing students from a wider business background to then study further strategic marketing modules. You will gain a deeper understanding of the following:

• consumers and consumer behaviour
• effective marketing communications
• the contemporary challenges facing marketers and organisations.

This module introduces you to corporate finance. It focuses on key concepts that drive decision-making in businesses. You will explore the roles and interests of key stakeholders and understand their influence on decision-making within an organisation. You will also explore the core functions of a company, examining how governance structures shape company strategies and support growth and stability.

Key topics we will cover in the module include capital structure, investment and financing decisions, and dividend policy, all of which are essential for a company’s financial health. By the end of this module, you will have a solid foundation in corporate finance, preparing you to tackle more complex financial challenges in your studies and future career.

Many organisational recruiters have identified several key skills and areas of knowledge that they seek in prospective employees. At the top of the priorities are spreadsheet modelling, problem structuring, statistics, and project management. This module will introduce you to Microsoft Excel 2024 and the fundamentals of dynamic model building. You will learn essential skills such as:

• data handling
• filtering and analysis
• using functions
• charting

Additionally, you will cover advanced techniques such as:

• optimisation
• simulation
• utilising Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) to automate models and construct decision support models.

Throughout the module we will make extensive use of case-studies and workshop-orientated learning tasks.

During an industrial placement year, you will have a vital opportunity to gain real-world professional experience. You will work full-time with leading companies, applying your academic knowledge to practical challenges while developing essential employability skills. Placements span diverse sectors, including technology, finance, and consumer goods. This experience will allow you to build professional networks, enhance your CV, and gain valuable insights into potential career paths.

You will receive support from a dedicated careers team, who will provide guidance throughout your placement, ensuring a structured and meaningful experience that significantly improves your future employment prospects.

This module is designed to promote independent learning and allow you to apply the knowledge and skills from your degree to understand and analyse contemporary policy issues. You will be able to independently produce both written and verbal reports on current policy topics that are accessible to policymakers and senior managers in both the private and public sectors. The content of this module will focus on contemporary issues. In the past, topics have included:

• Is government debt a burden for future generations? What is the value of a degree?
• How are interest rates set? Business support during the pandemic: Essential support or fraud?
• How should we pay for social care? How can we help the long-term unemployed?
• What has been the impact of Brexit and Covid-19 on international trade?

This module provides a comprehensive exploration of international trade and global business dynamics, connecting theoretical models with practical policy implications. You will examine core trade theories including the Ricardian model, Heckscher-Ohlin model, and heterogeneous firm models. The module also offers in-depth analyses of international factor mobility, trade policies, and globalisation trends.

On the international business side, you will study key topics such as global value chains, multinational firm strategies, international competitive advantage, and the economic impacts of outsourcing and offshoring. The module focuses on real-world applications, exploring how theoretical frameworks inform understanding of contemporary economic phenomena, including labour productivity, attitudes towards trade, the effects of immigration, and the evolving landscape of global economic interactions.

Learn how to apply corporate finance theory to real-world situations, with a focus on the decision-making processes that drive business success. You will explore optimal decision-making strategies, gaining insight into how companies make critical choices to maximise value. The module covers mergers and acquisitions, teaching you the fundamentals of how businesses expand and grow through strategic deals.

We will also cover rational decision-making, examining how companies weigh risks and rewards in their financial strategies. You will discover the increasing importance of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors and how Natural Language Processing (NLP) plays a role in financial decision-making. Essential topics such as raising capital through bonds and equity, risk management techniques, and the international aspects of corporate finance will also be covered.

By the end of this module, you will have the tools and knowledge to understand and engage with the complex financial decisions that shape today’s global business landscape.

This module builds on the techniques developed during earlier spreadsheet modelling modules. Its aim is to enhance your technical skills in Excel, improve your model design capabilities, and strengthen your VBA programming proficiency, enabling you to create effective and powerful models.

As in the previous module, case studies and real-life applications will be used to illustrate these concepts and demonstrate how value can be added to models used in management and analysis situations. You will learn general concepts about spreadsheet modelling using VBA and acquire a wide range of modelling skills which are highly relevant to management. These include structured programming, program documentation, program verification, user interface design, and general investigative modelling.

This module provides a solid foundation in banking and behavioural finance. You will explore the fundamentals of banking, including the role of financial institutions in the economy and the complexities of their business activities, such as lending and risk management.

The module highlights the role of regulation and supervision in the banking industry, highlighting how these aspects differentiate banking from other industries, and how crises reshape regulation in banking. You will be introduced to the fascinating world of behavioural finance, where you will discover how psychological factors and cognitive biases such as overconfidence, loss aversion and herding behaviour influence decision-making in financial markets.

By combining traditional banking concepts with the latest insights from behavioural finance, this module offers a unique perspective on the interplay between human behaviour and financial systems. With real-world examples, you will gain practical insights into how these concepts apply to both individual and institutional decision-making.

This module will introduce you to the field of behavioural and experimental economics. It will equip you with the necessary skills to study how the standard rationality assumptions can be relaxed to account for psychological and cognitive biases as well as social preferences. Additionally, you will be introduced to the tool of experimentation in economics as a means of collecting data to test the various economic theories.

Some of the topics covered will include:

• behavioural finance
• rational emotions
• nudging
• choice under risk
• time preferences
• social preferences
• behavioural game theory

Discover how marketing works in business markets, where long-term relationships and negotiation play a central role. You will examine how organisations market to other organisations, manage key accounts and build trust in complex decision-making processes. Additionally, you will learn about effective strategic negotiating skills and reflect on the ethical dimensions of working in B2B environments.

Data science is transforming the role of information technology in society and in many sectors in which economists work. Machine learning and big data methods have gained popularity as tools in academic, government, industry, and beyond.

You will be introduced to big data and machine learning techniques with a focus on economic applications. These techniques are already significantly impacting the field of economics for modelling economic relationship, drawing causal inferences, and making predictions. They will soon become a standard toolbox for economists.

This module builds on the foundations of monetary and fiscal policy analysis by placing policy decisions in a global context. The first part of the module emphasises the interpretation and analysis of macroeconomic data. You will learn how to apply empirical methods to understand fluctuations in output, employment, inflation, and trade balances.

The second part focuses on the design and coordination of monetary and fiscal policy in an interconnected world. Special attention will be given to the challenges that central banks and governments face in managing global shocks. The topics covered will include international policy spillovers, exchange rate regimes, capital flows, and the evolving role of institutions such as the IMF and the Bank of England. We will explore real-world applications and current policy debates throughout the module.

This module tackles issues in economic growth and development, with reference to key concepts, theory and empirics. In the first half of the module, we will take a macroeconomic perspective on the key growth challenges facing developing countries. This will include competing theories of growth, industrialisation, institutions and trade policy.

In the second half, the module shifts to several microeconomic topics that examine the behaviours of households and individuals. Key issues covered will include poverty, inequality and anti-poverty policies, education, health, microfinance and credit markets, and risk and insurance.

This module offers a comprehensive exploration of labour and health economics, examining critical microeconomic dimensions of human capital and market dynamics. You will analyse labour market fundamentals including supply, demand, market policies, and workforce challenges such as unemployment, migration, and discrimination. The curriculum extends to education economics and personnel economics, investigating principal-agent problems and incentive structures within organisations. In addition, the module provides economic tools to critically examine healthcare systems, with a focus on the UK National Health Service and international healthcare models, emphasising empirical evidence and microeconomic analysis.

This experiential learning simulation focuses on a negotiation scenario designed to enhance your professional skills. Based on the Crossbay Contracting Game created by Adam Hindle, three health service organisations are involved in a contract negotiation, and you will act as part of the management team for one of these organisations. The main aim is to reach an agreement that is satisfactory to all three parties.

Public policy analysis is the study of government’s role in the economy. It involves examining both its normative and positive aspects. To gain a comprehensive understanding, we look at a combination of theories, empirical findings, and real-world examples.

We begin by focusing on public goods such as water, transportation, and other infrastructure that the government can provide directly or in collaboration with the private sector. This includes looking at the practice of regulators, as well as cost-benefit analysis. We evaluate the trade-off between efficiency and fairness, then examine state financing, including theories of optimal taxation and recent research on tax evasion and avoidance. Finally, we delve into the internal structure of government, exploring political economy and fiscal federalism.

You will examine how management accounting supports strategic decision-making, with a focus on cost management, performance evaluation, and long-term value creation. A range of advanced management accounting techniques such as balanced scorecards, strategic costing, and value-based management will be explored.

You will explore how organisations integrate Environment, Society and Governance (ESG) factors into management control systems, sustainability reporting, and performance measurement to ensure responsible and transparent business practices.

Using practical examples, you will learn to interpret both financial and non-financial data to support strategic decision-making. Given a range of contexts, you will learn to select appropriate techniques and explain their advantages and disadvantages. By the end of the module, you will have the skills to drive financially sound, ethical, and sustainable business strategies, preparing you for career in management accounting, consulting, corporate strategy, and financial planning.

In an increasingly competitive world, marketing plays a crucial role in shaping the direction and strategy of global and national organisations to create sustainable success. This module challenges you to think at a higher level about how marketing supports organisational goals. You will explore how strategic thinking influences decisions around product portfolios, markets and customer relationships. As you examine contemporary challenges such as sustainability and competitive disruption, you will build your ability to evaluate and develop integrated marketing strategies.