incorporating
Certificate in Business Studies
Diploma in Business Studies
BA/BA (Hons) Business Studies
Contents
Certificate in Business Studies
Rationale
In economics, business is the social science of managing people to organize and maintain collective productivity toward accomplishing particular creative and productive goals, usually to generate profit.
The etymology of "business" refers to the state of being busy, in the context of the individual as well as the community or society. In other words, to be busy is to be doing commercially viable and profitable work.
The term "business" has at least three usages, depending on the scope the general usage (above), the singular usage to refer to a particular company or corporation, and the generalized usage to refer to a particular market sector, such as "the record business," "the computer business," or "the business community" -- the community of suppliers of goods and services.
The singular "business" can be a legally-recognized entity within an economically free society, wherein individuals organize based on expertise and skills to bring about social and technological advancement.
In predominantly capitalist economies, businesses are typically formed to earn profit and grow the personal wealth of their owners.
The owners and operators of a business have as one of their main objectives the receipt or generation of a financial return in exchange for their work — that is, the expense of time and energy and for their acceptance of risk investing work and money without certainty of success.
Notable exceptions to this rule include some businesses which are cooperatives, or government institutions.
However, the exact definition of business is disputable as is business philosophy; for example, some Marxists use "means of production" as a rough synonym for "business"; however a more accurate definition of "means of production" would be the resources and apparatus by which products and services are created.
Control of these resources and apparatus results in control of business activity, and so, while they are very closely related, they are not the same thing.
Socialists advocate either government, public, or worker ownership of most sizable businesses. Some advocate a mixed economy of private and state-owned enterprises. Others advocate a capitalist economy where all, or nearly all, enterprises are privately owned.
- Types of business ownership
- Limited and Unlimited Liability
- Organization
- Business and government
- Capital
- Intellectual property
- Business and management
- Exit plans
Business Studies is the name of an academic subject taught at secondary level in Australia, India, Ireland and the United Kingdom (at both GCSE and A Level in the UK) and at university level in many countries. Its study combines accounting, economics, finance, marketing and organisational behavior.
A common GCSE and A Level taken in the UK, it is often accused of dumbing down the more academically rigorous GCSE of Economics. The subject is generally not considered a 'traditional academic subject,' and as a result universities prefer the more academically rigorous GCSE and A Level of Economics. This view is taken by many universities, including the University of Cambridge who clearly state this in their online prospectus.
Recently, the new suite of GCSE and A Level in applied subjects has included Business. Business Studies is generally seen to be more theoretical and conceptual as opposed to the new vocationally focused A Level in Applied Business. Both courses effectively cover the same concepts but the Applied Business course has a much more practical emphasis.
Today's Videos
- Connect with us on http://www.youtube.com/finntrack
- Google's Playlists
Teaching and Learning Resources
Click on the boxes below for furter details
Introduction to Business
The purpose of this programme is to introduce you to the many facets of the enterprise system and of the businesses that operate within it. Since it is the first course in business, Introduction to Business is not going to teach you "everything you always wanted to know about business but were too afraid to ask."
It is anticipated, though, that through your experiences in this course, you will gain a better understanding of what enterprise is all about and what is included in each of the several academic areas of study in business at institutions of higher education. It is hoped that this improved understanding will increase your appreciation of the private enterprise system and will assist you in planning both your academic program and future career.
Business Aims and Objectives
- Sources of Company Growth - Virtual Factory
- Introduction to Business Studies [159 KB]
- Business Objectives [53 KB]
- Business Survival and Growth [55 KB]
- Business Growth - Full version [270 KB]
- Introduction to Business
- Business in Action
- Business Organisation
- Essential Marketing
- Financial Management
- Fundamentals of Operations Management 1
- Fundamentals of Operations Management 2
- Future of Business
- Human Resource Development
- Introduction to IT
- Strategic Management Process
- Supply Chain Management
Resources
- A free, "teach yourself" tutorial that lets you practise your Internet Information Skills
- Business Studies Learning Material
Microeconomics
Oligopoly - Overview
We now move away from the fairly straightforward world of perfect competition and monopoly into the complex and uncertain world of oligopoly and duopoly. We find that many market structures tend towards being an oligopoly as time progresses. They are frequently fascinating markets to look at!
An oligopoly is a market dominated by a few producers, each of which has control over the market. It is an industry where there is a high level of market concentration. However, oligopoly is best defined by the conduct (or behaviour) of firms within a market rather than its market structure.
The concentration ratio measures the extent to which a market or industry is dominated by a few leading firms. Normally an oligopoly exists when the top five firms in the market account for more than 60% of total market demand/sales.
Read More ...
Resources
Organisational Behaviour
The culture of organisations determines how things are done within them and in turn, this requires an understanding of those who manage. This course offers a systematic evaluation of organisational form and behaviour with guidelines for development and adaptation. To complete the unit, students analyse a series of historical case studies.
Recommended Texts
 |
Organisational
Behaviour and Management With Organisational Behaviour and Management, students become involved participants in learning about behaviour and management within work settings. The book is designed with instructional flexibility in mind. OBM combines text, readings, self-learning exercises, group participation exercises, and cases. These elements are aimed at students interested in understanding, interpreting, and attempting to predict the behaviour of people working in organisations. Check the availability and buy your books from our Bookshop. |
Quantitative Methods
Quantitative Methods is a course that is designed to give you the basic tools of collecting, analysing, presenting, and interpreting data. In the business community, managers must make decisions based on what will happen to such things as demand, costs, and profits. These decisions are an effort to shape the future of the organisation. If the managers make no effort to look at the past and extrapolate into the future, the likelihood of achieving success is slim. In this course, we want to look at a number of mathematical tools that can assist the manager in this decision making process.
The goal of this course is not to make you an accomplished statistician but to give you some appreciation of statistical techniques so that you may be able to determine if data that you may be given or may read in the literature is of value i.e., it is accurate and appropriate for the decision at hand. In this course many of the problems that we deal with will be small. This is necessitated because of the time constraint.
Recommended Text
Managerial Economics
This is the first of the two Economics modules in the DBS programme whose purpose is to introduce to the student the basic principles of microeconomics. Course resources are also available on a CD-ROM, although students are required to come to attend the sessions at their learning centres.
Economics is the study of the choices people make and the actions they take in order to make the best use of scarce resources to fulfil their wants and needs. This course is an introduction to the basic principles of microeconomics, which analyse the choices and actions of the individual parts of the economy - households, firms, and the government.
Resources
Principles of Marketing
The course examines marketing's role as a major business function. First the marketing concept and strategic dimensions of marketing are introduced. We then examine the key topics of the discipline: the marketing environment, marketing information and research, the analysis of consumers and competitors, the techniques of segmentation and differentiation, marketing programs, and marketing planning and strategy. Marketing programs involve decisions concerning products (including services and branding), promotion (marketing communication), price and distribution (place). Throughout the course, we assess the impact and implications of the Internet and globalization on marketing practice.
Business Finance I
This is the first one of the two DBS modules in Business Finance. You will find part two here. The aim of this course is to provide students the opportunity to learn the language and fundamentals of finance essential for (1) business decision making, (2) maximising a company's stock price (i.e. shareholder wealth), (3) understanding financial periodicals (e.g. Financial Times and Wall Street Journal), (4) personal financial planning and investments, and (5) taking more advanced finance courses.
- Business Finance I
- Business Finance
- Financial Institutions, Markets, and Money
- Financial Management
- Financial Management: Principles and Applications
Business Accounting I
This double programme is concentrated in financial accounting concepts. Topics include: Corporation cycles, internal control principles, the valuation of cash, receivables, inventories, and plant assets.
Principles of Accounting I is the first of a two sequence of courses which provide detailed study of the theory and practice of financial accounting in mainly the US. The Programme prepares you to handle issues and problems related to financial reporting, revenue recognition and income determination, resource evaluation, cash flow analysis, and accounting ethics.
Recommended Texts
 |
Meg Pollard, Sherry Mills, Walter Harrison Jan 2007, Hardback, 1344 pages Check the availability and buy your books from our Bookshop. |
 |
Contemporary
Accounting Fifth Edition Mike
Bazley - Retired Check the availability and buy your books from our Bookshop |
Resources
Business Law
Commercial law (sometimes known as business law) is the body of law that governs business and commercial transactions. It is often considered to be a branch of civil law and deals with issues of both private law and public law.
Commercial law includes within its compass such titles as principal and agent; carriage by land and sea; merchant shipping; guarantee; marine, fire, life, and accident insurance; bills of exchange and partnership. It can also be understood to regulate corporate contracts, hiring practices, and the manufacture and sales of consumer goods. Many countries have adopted civil codes that contain comprehensive statements of their commercial law. In the United States, commercial law is the province of both the United States Congress, under its power to regulate interstate commerce, and the states, under their police power. Efforts have been made to create a unified body of commercial law in the United States; the most successful of these attempts has resulted in the general adoption of the Uniform Commercial Code, which has been adopted in all 50 states (in which these can differ in each), the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories.
Various regulatory schemes control how commerce is conducted, particularly vis-a-vis employees and customers. Privacy laws, safety laws (e.g., the Occupational Safety and Health Act in the United States), and food and drug laws are some examples.
External links |
 |
Recommended Texts
 |
Business,
Society and the Law, Third Edition
Andrew
Terry – University of New South Wales
Check the availability and buy your books from our Bookshop. |
Information Systems
The first sessions of the course are focused on information and knowledge as it relates to the individual manager, irrespective of whether or not Technology is the primary means of delivery. In the subsequent sessions the critical importance of IS and its associated technology within the context of the organisation is considered, including strategic, structural and evaluative issues for the body corporate. The final sessions of the module looks at some of the technological applications of information management and the opportunities (and threats) arising therefrom.
Recommended Texts
 |
Introduction to Information Systems, 13/e James
A. O'Brien, Northern Arizona University Check the availability and buy your books from our Bookshop.
|
Business Communication
The module deals with management as a discipline and a process. Topics discussed include the evolution and scope of management, decision-making, communications, planning and strategy, organising and staffing, leading and control, and of course change! The importance of management in the changing environment and ethical considerations of management decisions are also discussed. The main purpose of this course is to introduce students to the theoretical and practical approaches used to study and understand modern management principles.
Recommended Texts
|
 |
Human Resource Management
The objective of this course is to familiarize the student with the basic concepts and practices of Human Resource Management. At the end of this course the student will be able to implement this knowledge in an organization's especially in the following areas:
Recommended Tests
|
 |
Diploma in Business Studies - Marketing Option
Macroeconomics
This is the second of the two Economics core modules in the DBS programme whose purpose is to introduce to the student the basic principles of macroeconomics. Course resources are also online, although students are required to come to attend the sessions at their learning centres.
The purpose of this course is to introduce the economic phenomena and issues that affect the entire economy; measurement and determination of national income, employment, and price; It will also provide an introduction to monetary and fiscal policy analysis; the effects of government deficits and debt, exchange rates, and trade balances and develop a practical understanding of the global economy, with special emphasis on the impact of international macroeconomic developments on financial markets and business.
Recommended Texts
 |
International Economics: A European Perspective Barbara
Ingham Check the availability and buy your books from our Bookshop. |
 |
Economics
of the Welfare State Check the availability and buy your books from our Bookshop. |
Consumer Behaviour
The understanding of consumer behaviour is fundamental to the field of marketing and the development of marketing strategies. You will find that this course applies to many experiences that you have everyday, and throughout the course you will discover ways in which you have been influenced or attracted to products and services through the use of marketing strategies.
Recommended Texts
 |
Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy Cathy Neal, Queensland University of Technology Check the availability and buy your books from our Bookshop. |
Public Relations Management
The general objective in this course is to develop a conceptual understanding of the PR function. It is not the purpose of the course to produce creative artists.It should be stressed that promotion is a part of marketing. Public Relations are not isolated areas that exist apart from the other functional areas of business.It must be understood that PR is persuasive communication. The underlying purpose of PR is to inform, persuade, and remind people to accept an idea or product. This can only be done if communication takes place.
Recommended Texts
 |
Cross-Cultural
Communication: A Visual Approach Check the availability and buy your books from our Bookshop |
Marketing Research
Marketing research is an important tool in marketing management. Using the results from a research study is as important as conducting one. By understanding the research process, the users of research will better judge the suitability, reliability and the validity of a research study. Understanding the research process and commonly used tools in marketing research is imperative for a student of marketing.
Recommended Texts
 |
Marketing
Research ISBN:
0074711385
Check the availability and buy your books from our Bookshop. |
Advertising and Sales Promotion
This course provides students an opportunity to gain an understanding of advertising and other mass communications marketing practices: common business activities and terminology, perspectives applied when taking the optimal approach to decisions, plus descriptions and rationales of common practices (which are often far from optimal). The class itself places emphasis on developing students' abilities to express their analysis and recommendations in class discussion, essay exams and written assignments.
Recommended Texts
 |
Advertising:
Principles and Practice,
6/e Check the availability and buy your books from our Bookshop. |
Electronic Marketing
Direct marketing has always embraced new technologies and focused on providing information for marketing management the customer level - the individual level. Today, direct marketing is taking centre stage in many companies' marketing strategies.
It's hard to find a company that does not have, or is not planning to build a customer database, is not concerned about developing and strengthening its customer relationships or isn't exploring the scale and the scope of the e-commerce opportunity. Marketing courses need to reflect the changes in marketing with up-to-date, relevant teaching of business practice as it happens today and indeed, how it will happen tomorrow.
Recommended Texts
 |
Frontiers of Electronic Commerce Check the availability and buy your books from our Bookshop. |
Operations and Supply Chain Management
This is about Supply Chain Management which involves the flows of materials and information among all of the firms that contribute value to a product, from the source of raw materials to end customers. Elements of supply chain management have been studied and practised for some time in marketing, logistics, and operations management.
We will attempt to integrate these different perspectives to develop a broad understanding of how to manage a supply chain. Specific issues that will be discussed include: customer relationship management, demand management, logistic networks, inventory management, supplier contracting, new product development, sourcing, information technology, flexibility, globalization, and performance measurement.
Recommended Texts
 |
Fundamentals of Operations Management, 4/e Check the availability and buy your books from our Bookshop
|
Global Marketing Management
This course is a study of strategic planning and organizing for international management and marketing, researching global markets, marketing consumer products, industrial products, and services in the world markets. It explores the international marketing mix, export trade mechanics and logistics, financial requirement for international marketing, and coordinating and controlling global operations. Also discussed are the effects of trade agreements on international business.
Recommended Texts
 |
Marketing
Environment Check the availability and buy your books from our Bookshop. |
Innovation & New Product Development
| This course examines the issues related to the management of the R&D and innovation process, with emphasis on new product development and the commercialisation of technology. The course focuses on strategic, behavioural, inter-functional (team) and international aspects of the innovation and new product development (NPD) processes. Topics include promotion of creativity, strategic management and competitiveness, technology transfer, entrepreneurship, and the processes by which new products are brought into the marketplace. Advances in technology, including information technology and the Internet, and the evaluation of technology on the economy and society are also discussed. |  |
Recommended Texts
 |
Product
Design and Development, Third Edition Check
the availability and buy your books from our Bookshop. |
Marketing Strategy
| Strategic Marketing course provides students and marketing professionals with a step-by-step guide to each stage of the marketing plan and strategy development process.The course is designed in simple and concise language, and to become a resource for students undertaking a marketing unit that requires them to develop a strategic marketing plan. It helps students to bridge the gap between the theory they are learning and the practice of writing a marketing plan. |  |
Recommended Texts
 |
Strategic
Marketing Management
Check the availability and buy your books from our Bookshop.
|
Business Logistics Management
Logistics management is the planning, implementation and control of the processes involved in the flow and storage of materials from the point of origin (as raw materials) through the various value-added stages to the point of consumption (as finished goods). It has been estimated that logistics costs account for 30% of the cost of doing business. Effective logistics management can lower costs, provide better customer service and quality, which translate into strategic competitive advantage and profitability for the company.
This course provides an introduction to Logistics Management and the related Operations Management. Topics covered include the strategic important of logistics management, international logistics issues, logistics network design, location and layout planning, demand forecasting, the management of materials and inventories, production planning and control, and transportation/distribution issues.
Recommended Texts
 |
Business Logistics Management, 4th ed. (Upper Ronald H. Ballou, Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall) Check the availability and buy your books from our Bookshop.
|
Resources
- Distribution & Logistics Management Benchmarking Consortium (DLMBC™)
- Inventory Management - Logistics & SCM
Cost Accounting
The theme of this unit is 'accounting control'. There is an emphasis on learning accounting control techniques relevant to managing a business enterprise efficiently and effectively. There will also be an emphasis on the concepts that underlie the techniques, the actual use of the information the techniques provide, and the implications of using the techniques. Budgeting and standard costing will be introduced as means to control operations. Divisional performance measures and transfer pricing are introduced as means to control divisions.
The role of management accounting in marketing and the effect of advanced production technology on management accounting will also be considered.
Recommended Texts
 |
Cost
Management: A Strategic Emphasis Third Edition Check
the availability and buy your books from our Bookshop. |
Learner Support Resources
Entrance Requirements
Admittance to the Programme is based on your educational background, work experience, motivation and command of English language.
You should possess the following or equivalent qualifications:
1. High School Leaving Certicate to equivalent of at least 5 GCSE and
2. 2 A-level passes or equivalent, or
3. Be a mature students, over 21 years of age, and have minimum of 2 years of relevant work experience.
Resources
 |
 |
