BA (Hons) International Business Management (with a Foundation Year) - (St. Mary's University Twickenham London)

Why study International Business Management (with a Foundation Year)?

Business today is truly international; digital developments allow businesses of all sizes to access customers and suppliers from around the world. Apps developed on one side of the world can transform markets on the other.

Governments sometimes find it hard to cope with this new world order, and the role of geopolitics is now a key function in the way international organisations operate across national boundaries. Consequently, countries revise and develop trading arrangements frequently, making it difficult for international companies to develop their business strategies.

Success in international business management involves an understanding of global, social, economic, financial and business developments. Intercultural management and the ability to establish and maintain profitable, effective and ethical relationships with other business and customers all over the world is also critical.

International businesses require managers with these skill-sets to strengthen their domestic and international workforce. They are needed not solely within the field of general management, but also for a wide range of jobs in business, such as accountancy and finance, supply chain management, information technology, marketing, and human resources.

This degree will equip you with the knowledge and skills needed to understand the challenges facing international organisations, large and small, operating in the private and charitable sectors. The course builds on contemporary international business management skills and approaches, giving you everything you need to succeed in a job at an organisation operating across national boundaries.

Why St Mary's?

Our beautiful London campus is located near several large international companies, many of which supply, run and use Heathrow Airport. The area is also home to lots of successful small international businesses who require management expertise and welcome student placements.

This International Business Management course has been developed by an experienced team of academics, many of whom have worked with or within international organisations spanning a variety of industry sectors. The degree focuses on what employers and industry experts expect from new management graduates.

Our International Business Management programme combines coverage of the key business areas from finance and marketing, through to strategy and human resources, with the opportunity to study more specialist subject areas, including business law, management consultancy and digital business.

There are numerous opportunities to undertake a work placement as an integral part of your degree and to experience the benefits of combining academic theory with the practicality of the working environment.

About the Foundation Year

Our four-year degree programmes (including a foundation year) provide an alternative route to undergraduate study at university if you do not have the grades to access higher education in the traditional way.

On successful completion of the Business Foundation Year pathway, you will progress on to the three-year undergraduate degree in International Business Management.

Key facts

• Successful completion of the degree leads to dual accreditation: Bachelor's degree and Level 5 Certificate in Management and Leadership, awarded by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI)
• Work placement opportunities integrated into the second and third year of the programme
• Taught on our historic Strawberry Hill campus

Photo by Matthew Henry from Burst

Course content

On successful completion of the foundation year, you will be automatically enrolled on to the first year of the undergraduate degree.

You will learn about the financial and economic aspects of international businesses, how to manage and motivate people of different cultures and how to build an organisation that operates successfully across national boundaries. You will learn how factors such as changes taking place in the global business world, cultural societies, local consumer markets, financial issues, organisational strategy, global economies and digital technology affect international businesses.

You can gain work experience with an international organisation during one of many work placements offered on the programme. You will also manage your own international-based projects for individual assessments.

It is possible to gain professional accreditations and certificate exemptions by successfully completing selected core and optional International Business Management modules.

Professional bodies include Chartered Management Institute (CMI), Chartered Institute of Management Accounting (CIMA) and Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accounting (CIPFA).

Foundation year

• Fundamentals of Business Management
• London: A Global City
• Personal Learning Competencies
• Taking a Professional Approach
• The Individual Project
• Thinking Critically, Creatively and Ethically

Year one

Core

• Contemporary Business Issues
• Contemporary Marketing Practice
• Financial Decision Making
• Human Resource Management
• Introduction To Management Theory
• Organisational Behaviour

Year two

Core

• Fundamentals of Accounting
• International Management
• International Marketing and Supply Logistics
• Research Methods in Business and Management

Optional

• Business Economics
• Business Law
• Consumer and Commercial Law
• Contributing to the Community
• Corporate Finance
• Experience and Employment in Business
• International Human Resource Management
• Leadership in Organisations
• Management Accounting
• Marketing Strategy and Implementation
• Philosophy and Ethics for Business Decision Making
• Principles of Entrepreneurship
• Project Management and Practitioner Skills for Managers
• Starting a Business Venture

Year 3

Core

• Contemporary Issues in Global Business
• International Strategic Management
• Research Project

Optional

• Building a Start-up Business
• Charity Management
• Corporate Governance and Social Responsibility
• Digital Business
• Employment Law
• Financial Markets and Institutions
• Financing and Marketing the Small Business Venture
• International Entrepreneurship Project
• International Financial Reporting
• Law of International Trade
• Management Consultancy Project
• Management of Organisational Change
• Managing in the Workplace
• Social Enterprise
• Stock Market Investment
• The Enterprising Workplace

How the degree is taught

Teaching methods

Highly interactive lectures and presentations from leading researchers and top management professionals and practitioners are coupled with seminars that deepen your understanding of the skills you’ll need to be an effective manager within an international organisation.

Individual tutorials provide one-to-one support from your lecturers.

These methods are supplemented by an online virtual learning environment where you can find additional learning materials.

Assessment methods

Assessments are designed to test knowledge, understanding and skills development throughout your degree.

The programme uses a broad range of assessments including international business reports, essays, practical exercises, presentations, case studies, examinations, assessed blogs, seminar and simulation exercises as well as traditional exam-based assessments.

When possible, you will be assessed using digital methods and online feedback.

Career opportunities

This degree will help you to develop a wide range of skills that increase your employability portfolio. These skills include communication, presentation, analysis, quantification, research techniques, teamwork and working to deadlines.

After completing your International Business Management degree, career opportunities will include banking, insurance, law and business consultancy. A wide variety of specialist and generalist management posts in leisure and sport, marketing and human resources will also be open to you.

The Careers Service has more information on careers and postgraduate study options available to International Business Management students who have started their studies at St Mary’s.

There is also the opportunity to undertake a work placement as part of your degree. The Centre for Workplace Learning offers work-related modules that can be embedded within your studies.