Undergraduate study

Overview

International Business is a new undergraduate programme. The programme at Keele offers an authentic blend of management knowledge and methods designed to give students opportunities in the highly competitve world of business. The programme draws on seminal thinkers, practitioners and world famous companies and industries.

International Business at Keele has a distinctive approach to teaching and research, believing that the most productive way of studying the subject is to take a critical perspective on organisations, along with a thorough exploration of the ‘nuts and bolts’ of fundamental business skills and knowledge. For this reason, our teaching and research moves between the basic techniques and practices used in particular functions of management and reflects a concern to understand these techniques within their historical and cultural contexts. We believe that it is important to think about and debate not just technical issues, but also social trends, cultural location and ethical issues. We encourage our students to engage critically with management practice in a way that is grounded in a thorough appreciation of the mechanics of contemporary organisations. We try to foster creative and analytical thinking with the belief that business and organisational futures can only be realised by considering the wider issues raised by current practice.

For overseas students who do not meet direct entry requirements, we offer the opportunity to take an intensive Foundation Diploma programme in Business and Management leading to second year degree entry

Course Content

First year 
Two core modules are taken:

Management in Context provides an introduction to management and organisations, and places them in a historical, political and economic context.

Globalisation introduces the global business environment focusing on the operations of international businesses and the global market framework in which they operate.

Modules can also be taken from a range of electives(variable), including:

Accounting Principles
Markets and Hierarchies
Business Law
Foundations of Human Resource Management
Marketing Principles
Financial and Management Accounting
Quantitative Methods

Second year
Basic knowledge gained in the first year is built on by taking the following core modules:

Organisational Behaviour explores theoretical insights as they have developed in relation to organisations and management. It examines the way in which people behave and interact as members of a business or other organisation.

Operations and Quality Management encourages you to explore key quality concepts and techniques within specific organisational contexts and to consider why quality is crucial to organisational success.

Modules can be taken from a range of electives (variable), including:

Social Theory at Work
Critical Perspectives on Management Research
Corporate Social Responsibility
International Human Resource Management
Research Methods

Third year 
Two core modules are taken:

Business Strategy examines the formation of organisation strategies, placing emphasis on the idea of ‘thinking strategically’ at the industry level.

International Business Strategy examines the wider influence of business internationalisation on societies, regions and nation states.

Modules can also be taken from a range of electives (variable), including:

Global Labour Regulation
Comparative Business Cultures
Global Marketing Decisions
Global Business Analysis
Independent Study Project I & II

Study abroad and modern languages

The Management School is keen to promote the opportunity for students to spend a semester studying at a partner institution in Europe, Australia, Asia, South Africa or North America. Students study abroad during either the first or second semester in their second year and take a series of modules at the partner university that are equivalent to those at Keele. Keele International's Study Abroad Office oversees the process and offers excellent support for students both as they prepare for their study abroad period and while they are away.

We also encourage students considering studying International Business to learn or extend their knowledge of modern languages through the wide range of language electives available to students in each year of their studies. Further information.

Codes and Combinations

Students are candidates for the degree of Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) (BA Hons) if their two Principal courses are in humanities and/or social science subjects.

All students who study a science subject are candidates for the degree of Bachelor of Science (with Honours) (BSc Hons).

Dual Honours Course can be combined with:

* subject to approval

For overseas students who do not meet direct entry requirements, we offer the opportunity to take an intensive International Year One in Business and Management leading to second year degree entry.

Foundation course available: 

Teaching and Assessment

Teaching is by a combination of lectures, classes, and supervised individual and group work. Throughout the course, we pay attention to the development of skills that students will need in whatever career they might pursue after graduating. This includes the development of communication and presentational skills in classes, whilst in group work you will develop the ability to work as part of a team.

Programme specifications (new window)

Skills and Careers

As well as providing an intellectually stimulating course of study, the International Business programme will equip students with leading edge skills and knowledge that will be of practical use in their future careers.

Visit our Careers pages (new window)

International Business and Human Resource Management
The International Business and Human Resource Management degree provides a strong grounding in the multiple disciplines that inform the social sciences, drawing on perspectives – from Sociology and Psychology to History and Philosophy – to promote a critical understanding of organisational and employment practices both on a national and global scale. Students will also be encouraged to reflect upon the social, historical, global, cultural and ethical factors pertaining to employment and management practices. The two subjects complement each other well in that they not only reinforce an understanding of the social sciences, but also encourage students to examine organisations from the perspective of various parties that include trades unions, different groups of employees, customers, managers and shareholders. Whilst the Human Resource Management part of the degree develops a thorough understanding of the wide range of issues pertaining to the employment relationships, the International Business part of the course will enable you to place this understanding within the broader context of global organisational theories and practices.

This combination will be attractive to students with a particular interest in the management of people in organisations and, through the Human Resource Management part of the degree, you will receive exemption for the core Management qualification of the Institute of Personnel Development.

International Business and Finance
The International Business and Finance degree enables students to work across disciplines and combines a good grounding in the social sciences. As such it is reflective of the breadth of knowledge and understanding that Keele University seeks to promote, and will equip students with a wide range of skills and theoretical perspectives relevant for the understanding of finance and organisations at both national and international level. The Finance part of the course draws upon accounting techniques and economic theories to provide students with a thorough understanding of the working of financial markets and their connection to the wider global economy. The International Business part of the course will enable students to situate their understanding of finance and economics within broader global, organisational, historical and social contexts, as well as comparing financial and economic perspectives with theoretical perspectives developed within the social sciences. This combination will enable you not only to develop a broad range of skills, but also to examine organisations and markets, both national and global, from the perspectives of different stakeholders.

We offer the opportunity for you to continue your studies with us in International Business by folowing our Masters programme in which you will have the opportunity to choose an internship in place of your dissertation thereby enhancing your future employment prospects.