BSc (Hons) Management with Economics

This module will introduce you to key theories, insights and methods within Organisational Studies. In particular, it will critically examine different organisational forms, processes and contexts.

The module places an important emphasis on the meaning and content of organisational strategies. It will help you develop the tools you need to analyse an organisation’s positioning within the marketplace, and think/plan strategically in order to make it more competitive.

You'll gain an understanding of strategic management and appreciate the interrelated dynamics of both strategic and organisational research and practice.

This module introduces students to microeconomics, macroeconomics and the context of economic analysis. Students will get a good grounding in microeconomic theory and will understand the principles used in mainstream rational choice and perfect competition theory.

The course will cover preference theory, demand and supply, income and substitution effects, cost and revenue curves, perfect competition and partial equilibrium theory. The focus here is the internal consistency of neoclassical microeconomics as exemplified in rational choice theory and competitive markets, and its use of logic. Arguments showing the context and limited nature of neoclassical economic tools in explaining the economic and social reality will be discussed throughout these weeks. 

Then students will be taught topics of macroeconomics. In this section, the focus will be on the following specific concepts: national accounting, inflation, unemployment and business cycles. The analysis of these concepts will be through the use of contemporary schools of economic thought (New Classical, New Keynesian, Post Keynesian, and Monetarist) and their analytical frameworks. By viewing these concepts through these different frameworks, the student is introduced into open-ended discussions on these topics as different answers are equally valid as long as students can clearly identify the theoretical frameworks that he/she is using.

Finally, students then will learn about the social, political and business context of economic theory through the discussion of case studies and real-world examples.

The objective of this module is to introduce you to key concepts and theories in the field of entrepreneurship, and to different kinds of entrepreneurial processes, entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial businesses. It also examines how context and culture shape entrepreneurial activity.

This module is an introduction to marketing. By the end of the module you will have a knowledge of the role of marketing within organisations and within society, and of the principles of marketing management.

Conceptually, the module is divided in two sections. The focus of the first section is to understand what marketing and its role within society. In the first five weeks, you will be introduced to the definition of marketing, the role of marketing within organisations, the value of marketing within organisations and society, the history of marketing, the role of marketing in constructing the consumer society, and the relationship that marketing has with society (i.e. marketing ethics, and sustainability).

We will study both traditional and critical/interpretativist theories of marketing.

In the second half of the module, you will be introduced to foundational topics in marketing management. You will also be introduced to marketing strategy through an brief overview of the 4Ps of marketing - Product, Place, Promotion and Price.

This module covers the core concepts of both finance and accounting. It will introduce students to the important financial and managerial accounting principles that are necessary when running any type of organisation- whether it is manufacturing, merchandising, service, non-profit, or government. It will give students an understanding of how management accounting information is used by managers in their planning and control activities and, is designed to prepare graduates for a variety of professional managerial roles in both the public and private sectors. It covers topics such as financial accounting and reporting, foundation and tools for management accounting, strategy development and using costs in decision making, costing systems and activity-based costing, managing customers, processes and life cycle costs, and using budgets for planning, coordination and control. In the financial component of the module, students will look at the three traditional accounting statements, balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statement. The module has two distinct elements: managerial finance with a focus on understanding financial statements, and management accounting with an emphasis on costing, budget and control. The lectures in the module will be supplemented by several assignments designed to develop and enhance practical skills.

In this module, subtitled ‘Everything is a Text’, you will consider the value of different types of texts and ways of imparting knowledge and ideas. You will reflect upon your identities as learners and future professionals in the world, considering a range of contexts: the academic/educational context, personal settings and the eco-systems that you live and work in. These reflections will be used to inform your practices as academic learners.

You will explore academic literacies, different ways of knowing and consider what counts as ‘legitimate’ knowledge. You will engage with critical thinking, making arguments and establishing criteria to defend intellectual positions and these skills will be acknowledged as social practices that produce and reinforce meaning and frameworks of understanding and knowledge.

Furthermore, you will engage with a wide range of academic and non-academic material, individuals and environments in order to contribute to discussions regarding attitudes and assumptions about ideas and experience, including within labour markets, cultural hegemonies, distributions of power and the relationship between the individual and society. In this way, the social interactions, relationships and contexts that underpin academic literacies in higher education will be made explicit.

You will discuss these ideas with students and tutors from the different subjects at Goldsmiths, and learn to be part of the wider university community. You will also be able to submit an assignment which could be a written, graphically designed, audio, video, or negotiated project. You will get to choose the assessment that best shows what you can do.

This module, subtitled ‘Researching Our World & Lives’, builds on the conceptual and contextual foundations of Identity, Agency and Environment 1.

You will learn how to conduct academic research and will be offered the opportunity to broaden and deepen your understanding of the relationship between your own interests, skills, values, career and non-career aspirations, the concepts, theories and contexts of your discipline, and the world.

You will reflect upon your identities as researchers, and learn how the research skills you’ve acquired both within your studies and the world more generally can be related to problem-solving in a wide range of contexts. You will consider your agency as researchers, what you can and cannot research, the ethical issues involved, and think reflexively about your position as a researcher in a range of environments and eco-systems.

Formal conventions of academic research and writing will be integrated into your individualised contexts and goals, enabling the expression of ideas and perspectives that may challenge the status quo. The module will encourage creativity, activism, decision-making and the formation of judgements leading to action-planning in relation to research topics and types of evidence, and professional planning.

You will learn to critique your own subject disciplines. Interdisciplinary sharing of knowledge will ensure that assessment and learning practices provide you with the opportunity to develop new lines of thinking and knowing, within formative collaborative learning and research communities.

This module introduces the mathematical methods used in the analysis of modern economics. This module is suitable for students both with and without an A Level in Mathematics (or equivalent). Students will revise and apply the basic concepts from algebra and differential calculus to relevant economic problems. Furthermore they will learn partial derivatives and second partial derivatives of functions of two or more independent variables, constrained and unconstrained optimization. The students will be taught how to use these tools in economic applications.

This module introduces students to economic reasoning and basic issues in economic methodology.

The module starts off with a concise introduction to key questions in the philosophy of science, such as explanation, laws, inductive and deductive reasoning, verification and falsification, scientific paradigms, and theories and models. These tools are then used to discuss the epistemological status of economics.

The following two weeks are devoted to what economics studies, and how. Competing definitions are presented, with a special focus on production and exchange paradigms, and the types of reasoning associated with them (economic change and systemic coherence vs. equilibrium and optimal allocation).

The next two weeks focus on levels of analysis (micro, macro, and intermediate) and methodological issues associated with them, such as individualism vs. holism.

The fourth part of the module addresses the dichotomy, which has divided economic analysis since the Methodenstreit, between general principles and historical contingency. It discusses the divide between economic theory and economic history, as well as possible ways ahead.

The last two weeks are devoted to rationality. They cover classical rationality, forms of bounded rationality, the problem of determination and freedom, and possible ways to overcome existing dichotomies and limitations.

This module will provide you with the tools you need to conduct both qualitative and quantitative market research and to translate this research into consumer insight.

After reviewing well known data collection methods and distributions, the module will be divided into three sections. The focus of the first section is quantitative data analysis. Specifically, the module will look into inferential statistics such as hypothesis testing, correlations, T-Test, ANOVA, regression, factor analysis, and cluster analysis. You will learn how to use SPSS to conduct inferential statistics.

In the second part, you will learn qualitative data analyses. Specifically, you will learn different coding techniques used in the market research industry, and how to use qualitative data to extrapolate broader insights into your markets.

Finally, you will learn how to translate both qualitative and quantitative market research outputs into consumer insights. The overall aim is to enable you to evaluate different types of market research, and be able to understand and use research output for solving marketing problems such as segmentation, targeting, positioning, marketing strategy and consumer behaviour.

This module will help students to develop a career plan and prepare for their employment search. It will cover practical aspects such as writing a CV, a cover letter and application forms and developing an internet presence through websites such as Linkedin. It will give students the tools to prepare for interviews, including case interviews, assessment centres, and psychometric tests. It will cover the development of soft skills such as leadership and networking skills as well as the development of commercial awareness through business case studies. The students will also be introduced to current theories of career development and employability.

Our academic departments are developing exciting elective ideas to allow you to broaden your education, either to develop vocationally orientated experiences or to learn more about contemporary society, culture and politics. You’ll be able to choose safe in the knowledge that these modules have been designed for non-subject specialists and to bring students from different disciplines together. For example, you may want to take introductions to areas such as Law, Education, the digital industries, the creative industries,think like a designer or understand the history and politics behind our current affairs.

This module is designed to provide students with a thorough understanding of leadership and talent in organisations. Moreover, students will learn about methods for assessing leadership potential and talent, along with approaches to enhancing leadership ability and talent. The module will also cover use of technology in leadership development and talent management. By using case material and practical examples, students are introduced to the importance of theory and research-based practice in these fields.

This module will introduce you to the psychological theories and research on how organisational, team-level and individual characteristics affect productivity and mental health. This module will also consider the limitations of our understanding of these issues and how occupational psychology theory and research is trying to overcome them. 

This module builds on the first year Introductory Economics module and the Mathematics and Statistics for Economics and Business module to give a more in depth perspective of microeconomic theory and its technical apparatus.

The first six weeks give an overview of the technical and theoretical analysis that forms the core of the neoclassical theory of consumption, production and market interaction. It introduces the following topics: choice under uncertainty, inter-temporal choice, incomplete and asymmetric information, principal-agent problem, basic game theory, dynamic and static oligopoly, price differentiation, markup pricing and market concentration.

In contrast, the rest of the module focuses on aspects of microeconomic behavior that do not conform to rational choice theory as developed in traditional neoclassical economics. Each week will explore a different alternative approach, icluding: Simon’s Bounded Rationality, Sen’s Capability Approach, Behavioural Economics.

The module aims to provide a good understanding of the key areas of macroeconomics, through the analytical tools of different schools of thought.

This module covers the evolution of macroeconomic analysis through a succession of key models, including Keynesian, Monetarist, New Classical, Real Business Cycle, New Keynesian, and Post Keynesian approaches. It studies the analytical details, the underlying economic assumptions, and the historical context in which they emerged. It also provides an introduction to structural theories of business cycles. You study economic growth and economic development, explaining the differences between the two and using historical examples. Classical, Keynesian, and neoclassical theories, as well as structural dynamics are discussed.

The final two weeks are devoted to the political economy of economic policy, from the viewpoint of different schools of thought: controversies on the effectiveness of fiscal and monetary policy, individual rationality applied to policy decisions, economic and political disagreements, models of voting on macro-policy, and recent developments.

• Understand key concepts relating to international business, describe the key players in international business, and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of globalization 
• Examine the international business environment and the different dimensions (political, legal, technological and cultural) that affect the operations of international businesses
• Understand the international monetary and financial environment
• Examine different strategies for entering in to foreign markets and analyse organizational design, control and structure in international business contexts

This module compares and contrasts the behaviour of individuals and institutions. It provides a more detailed understanding of the various levels of analysis that you have encountered throughout the degree and provides an applied discussion of the issues surrounding methodological individualism, including the social construction of the individual from different geographical and disciplinary traditions.

The first eight weeks of the module cover four levels: i) the individual; ii) firms and organisations; iii) the state; and iv) the supranational and international level.

The last two weeks are devoted to how individuals and institutions cope with uncertainty. The view of uncertainty as risk is integrated and contrasted with theories of strong and fundamental uncertainty, as well as perspectives from other social sciences.

This module combines resources from three fields of economic theory: macroeconomic analysis, history of economic thought and economic history.

The first seven weeks focus on six episodes in economic history, ending with the current (post 2007) crisis. The writings of different schools of economic thought are used and contrasted in order to see how different theorists understood and analyzed the crises and the types of solutions they offered to solve them. Discourses from outside economics (from psychology or/and sociology or/and anthropology) will also be utilized as competing interpretations that explain different aspects of these crises not captured by economic analysis.

Finally, the last three weeks will focus on the general concept of economic crises, and related concepts of risk and uncertainty, and discuss how these events alter our understanding of the workings of the market economy.

This module explores the role of gender and race in areas of relevance to economics and management. You'll analyse gender and racial relations through both theoretical and methodological analyses, and look at how this relates to households, businesses and the wider economy.

You'll be introduced to multi-disciplinary theoretical viewpoints and use academic literature and everyday communication tools such as practitioner reports, blogs, podcasts and tweets. You'll gain the skills to critically evaluate current economic relations from a gendered and racial lens, develop suggestions to tackle current inequalities and communicate key insights to a wider audience with the help of a podcast.

Modules will be divided into two parts. The first part of each lecture will consist of introducing you to different theoretical viewpoints (e.g. stratification economics) and methodological approaches (e.g. social network analysis) while the second gives you the chance to take part in discussions of real-life case studies, and share your ideas through presentations with the class an element of their everyday life and its connection to conceptualizations of gender and race. 

The module will start with providing definitions of the concepts of gender and race and how these apply to management and economics, followed by weekly topics. Internalising the concept of de-disciplining (Ndlovu-Gatsheni, 2021), the weekly topics will be arranged according to different levels of institutional analysis (micro-, meso- and macro) and provide insights from diverse disciplines when explaining economic relations at this level of analysis. The particular focus lies in exploring how structural and normative constraints impact everyday economic relations and how these could be overcome. While the first eight weekly topics will be determined by the lecturer, you'll get the opportunity to input into the curriculum yourself, and help to choose the last two topics.