B04 - BA (Honours) Business Studies

Degree

Code: B04

Level: Undergraduate

Made up of: 360 credit points

Description

Once you complete this degree, you’ll have a general understanding of business organisations, their key elements, wider considerations such as environments, markets and processes, and how all these work together. You’ll be able to analyse how businesses develop strategies, handle risk and take decisions, and you’ll have an insight into essential business functions such as marketing, accounting and finance. You’ll have relevant and practical skills, in particular IT, numerical, study and thinking skills.

There are two main choices in the BA (Hons) Business Studies programme. You can gain a standard BA (Hons) Business Studies degree by taking three compulsory core courses, course options (you choose from a selection) and some free choice courses. Or, if you have an area of special interest, you can demonstrate this by combining another subject with your business studies degree. You can study any one of seven specialist options and attain a BA (Hons) Business Studies with ICT, Spanish, law, etc. See below or visit our BA (Hons) Business Studies website for more details.

While studying for an honours degree, you can achieve a Certificate in Business Studies (C63) or a Diploma in Business Studies (E20) along the way. You can pause or stop your studies at that point.

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Planning your studies

To gain this honours degree, you need 360 points, half of which are obtained by studying the three compulsory courses. 120 of the remaining points are gained by choosing two or more options from a list and the remaining 60 points can be gained by taking any OU Business School or OU courses that count towards an undergraduate degree.

If you decide to study one of the specialist options, then the course options are replaced by specified courses. The compulsory courses and your free choice of 60 points still apply.

If you have not previously studied at degree level, we strongly recommend that you start with an Openings or Level 1 course. Two Openings courses in particular make ideal starting points for this degree and can count towards your degree:

Understanding management (Y159) (10 points)

Understanding society (Y157) (10 points)

An introduction to business studies (B120) or Working and learning: developing effective performance at work (BU130) are a good starting point for this degree but other Level 1 courses are also suitable. Managing in the workplace (B121) is the recommended place to start if you already hold a vocational qualification at level 3 with significant management elements level 3 (e.g. NVQ Level 3 in Management). Otherwise, we particularly recommend the Level 1 courses below. They could count towards your free choice courses or, if you choose the standard BA (Hons) Business Studies degree without a specialism, be part of your course options.

The BA (Hons) Business Studies has no set time frame for completion. Nevertheless each course contains deadlines and timetables that must be followed. Normally, only one 60-point course is taken per year. Programme rules state that a minimum of 60 points have to come from Level 3 courses. The courses can be taken in any order.

A few courses are ‘excluded combinations’ because their content overlaps. You are strongly advised to check the compatibility of your courses before making a commitment.

You can declare your intention to study for this degree when you register your place on individual courses, or you can ask us at any time to link courses that you have already studied towards the degree. This gives you the flexibility to delay your decision or to change your mind as your studies progress. You must include at least 120 points from OU courses that have not been counted in an OU diploma or other first degree you have been awarded.

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Career relevance and employability

This degree contributes to the career development of business studies graduates in two main ways. First, it develops not only cognitive skills – critical thinking, analysis, paraphrasing and evaluation – but also ICT skills, presentation skills and basic numeracy. Second, you will explore how business organisations think and work and develop your understanding of the function and contribution of such specialisms as marketing, HR, operations and finance. These skills and knowledge are recognised by employers as being of great value for work in management and business or in specialist areas concerned with offering guidance to managers – for example management consultancy or business journalism. The degree is an innovative and accessible introduction to the world of business that equips you to follow a number of career paths. (If you already have some personal knowledge and experience of managing in an organisation and are specifically interested in developing your management skills, a Professional Certificate in Management is also offered at undergraduate level.) Visit our careers website if you want to find out more about the process of career development, and about sources of careers information and guidance. Alternatively, contact the OU Business School Information Line on +44 (0)845 366 6035.

For planning your next career steps, visit the OU Careers Advisory Service.

There’s more information about the career relevance of degrees on the national HE Prospects website.

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Courses

For this 360-point honours degree you require:

180 points from the following compulsory courses:

Level 2 compulsory courses	Points	Next start
Business organisations and their environments (B201) This practical course about sharing and developing personal and professional practice in business is delivered mainly online, building your IT skills at the same time. See full description.	60	Feb 2010
Business functions in context (B203) A practice-based course about how five essential organisational functions – human resources; marketing; operations management; information management; and accounting and finance – operate and integrate within business. See full description.	60	Oct 2010

Level 3 compulsory course	Points	Next start
Making sense of strategy (B301) NEW Explore the origins and development of strategy as a subject and how organisations and individuals try to interpret and exploit opportunities and strive for success. See full description.	60	Feb 2010

Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, at Level 2 the discontinued courses B200, B202, at Level 3 the discontinued course B300

And at least 120 points, including at least 60 at Level 3, from the following optional courses:

Level 1 optional courses	Points	Next start
An introduction to business studies (B120) This course introduces internal and external elements of a business, explains the context in which a business operates, and explores common aims and characteristics. See full description.	30	May 2010
An introduction to law in contemporary Scotland (W150) Investigate key areas of the Scottish legal system, including laws relating to employment and children, and consider the role of the Scottish Parliament and Courts. See full description.	15	Nov 2010
An introduction to the social sciences: understanding social change Part 1 (DD121)	30
An intro to the social sciences: understanding social change part 2 (DD122) This course – along with DD121 – presents the same materials as An introduction to the social sciences (DD100), but takes a more gradual pace. See full description.	30
Beyond Google: working with information online (TU120) This course offers a structured journey through the world of information – how to search, retrieve and analyse it – and considers developments in the information landscape. See full description.	10	May 2010
Chance, risk and health (SMK184) Introduces some of the main ideas of modern statistics and explores the role of statistics in science generally and medicine in particular. See full description.	10
Data, computing and information (M150) This data, computing and information course explains how computers work, how mechanisms are embedded in hardware and software, and how to write simple programs. See full description.	30	Feb 2010
Discovering mathematics (MU123) NEW Introduces and helps integrate key ideas from statistics, algebra, geometry and trigonometry into your everyday thinking to build your confidence in learning and using mathematics. See full description.	30	Feb 2010
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Open mathematics (MU120) Build your confidence in mathematics, learn to use a graphics calculator, and start to incorporate statistical, graphical, algebraic, trigonometric and numerical thinking into your everyday life. See full description.	30
Information and communication technologies at work (T121) This course enables you to gain academic credit for learning at work, in a role currently involving you in use of and/or management of ICTs. See full description.		May 2010
Introducing the social sciences (DD101) An ideal introduction to the disciplines that make up the social sciences - psychology, social policy, criminology, geography, environment, politics, international studies, economics and sociology. See full description.	60	Jan 2010
Introduction to bookkeeping and accounting (B190) This short course will give you a good grounding in double-entry bookkeeping and the production of basic financial statements, and an introduction to financial accounting. See full description.	10	Feb 2010
Introduction to financial services (BD131) NEW Explore the historical development of financial services in the UK and examine how the sector is currently structured and regulated. See full description.	10	May 2010
Introduction to sport, fitness and management (E112) Whether your interest in sport and fitness is general or professional, this course covers key issues from health and nutrition to safety and customer care. See full description.	60	Oct 2010
Learning to change (Y165) Build on your existing knowledge, skills and qualities to achieve positive change – considering the options open to you and making plans for the future. See full description.	10	Mar 2010
Managing in the workplace (B121) or version BXS121 This course about management skills and ideas is ideal if you’ve completed NVQ Level 3 in management – or similar – and want to begin undergraduate study. See full description.	30	May 2010
Networked living: exploring information and communication technologies (T175) How do networked systems work? This course looks inside ICTs in contexts like entertainment, transport and health and considers where they might take us next. See full description.	30	Feb 2010
Professional communication skills for business studies (LB160) Develop specialised communication skills for business studies while enhancing your understanding of areas like human resource management; finance and accounting; marketing and business analysis methods. See full description.	30	May 2010
Rules, rights and justice: an introduction to law (W100) This course introduces the study of law and legal reasoning, examining the nature and function of regulation and how laws are made, interpreted, and applied. See full description.	60	Feb 2010
Starting with law (Y166) This introductory course asks why law matters, exploring the rights and responsibilities of the individual, from childhood to adulthood and finally into old age. See full description.	10	Mar 2010
Starting with maths (Y162) Learn how to tackle everyday mathematical problems at home, work or in your further studies, through fascinating and entertaining case studies, activities, puzzles, and more. See full description.	10	Mar 2010
Understanding management (Y159) We all have experience of managing or being managed – formally, informally, at work or elsewhere. Explore what ‘management’ means, and what makes a good manager. See full description.	10	Mar 2010
Understanding society (Y157) This wide-ranging course introduces social science concepts and debates, from family life to social movements, exploring how different people live in our changing society. See full description.	10	Mar 2010
Using mathematics (MST121) This introduction to university-level mathematics will develop your understanding of recurrence relations, matrices and vectors, calculus, statistics, and using a computer to solve practical problems. See full description.	30	Jan 2010
Working and learning: developing effective performance at work (BU130) or version BUXS130 An introduction to the skills of work-based learning – WBL – which provides a stimulating link between academic study and your day-to-day working life. See full description.	30	May 2010
You and your money: personal finance in context (DB123) This practical course builds your financial knowledge and skills, improves your understanding of personal finance and develops your awareness of its social and economic context. See full description.	30	May 2010

Level 2 optional courses	Points	Next start
Analysing data (M248) Gain an understanding of statistics, and learn to make use of basic statistical concepts on this introductory course. You’ll need a good grounding in mathematics. See full description.	30	Feb 2010
Business and consumer transactions: law and practice (W222) Consider the legal principles of contract law and the sale of goods relating to business and consumer transactions, including differences between commercial and consumer contracts. See full description.	30	May 2010
Company law and practice (W223) This course addresses fundamental issues of the law in relation to business organisations, including the consequences of a company failing to meet legal standards. See full description.	30	Nov 2010
Economics and economic change (DD202) Are we living through a new, ICT-led industrial revolution? Explore key topics in contemporary economics while developing your ICT skills through innovative, multimedia teaching methods. See full description.	60	Feb 2010
Employment law and practice (W221) This course considers the development and characteristics of the modern employment relationship. It examines issues such as discrimination, breach of contract, unfair dismissal and redundancy. See full description.	30	Nov 2010
Making it happen! Leadership, influence and change (B204) A practical, work-based course about leadership and change practice – about making things happen – applicable to your current and future roles, whether paid or unpaid. See full description.	60	Oct 2010
Understanding systems: making sense of complexity (T214) Explore how ‘systems thinking’ makes sense of technological, environmental and social systems – examining connections and relationships between things, and the different perspectives of those involved. See full description.	60	Feb 2010

Level 3 optional courses	Points	Next start
Accounting for strategy implementation (B321) Explore accounting concepts and applications employed at a strategic level – like organising for performance, using diagnostic and interactive control systems, achieving profit goals and strategies. See full description.	30	Nov 2010
A world of whose making? (DU301) This interdisciplinary perspective on contemporary international studies provides the analytical tools needed to understand global developments in politics, economics, technology and culture. See full description.	60	Feb 2010
Certificate in accounting (B680) This certificate provides fundamental accountancy skills. It enables you to go straight into professional training for accounting, or continue with diploma or degree level study. See full description.	60
Doing economics: people, markets and policy (DD309) NEW Examine the various economic theories that explain people’s behaviour in households, businesses and governments and make critical judgements of which alternative best serves which purpose. See full description.	60	Jan 2010
Ebusiness technologies: foundations and practice (T320) This course explores the driving forces behind developments in ebusiness, introducing the fundamental technologies and protocols upon which new systems and services can be built. See full description.	30	Feb 2010
Innovation: designing for a sustainable future (T307) This project-based course looks at how successful innovations emerge, and how innovation can be directed towards ensuring a socially, economically and environmentally sustainable future. See full description.	60	Feb 2010
Investigating entrepreneurial opportunities (B322) If you’re considering starting your own venture, this course helps you test your ideas to arrive at a business proposition with ambitious yet attainable objectives. See full description.	30	Nov 2010
Managing 1: organisations and people (B628) or online version BZX628 The first of three practice-focused courses leading to the Professional Certificate in Management. Investigates organisational behaviour and human resource management, focusing on your own role. See full description.	30	May 2010
Managing 2: marketing and finance (B629) or online version BZX629 This practical course from our Professional Certificate in Management programme covers topics in marketing and finance through activities and problem-solving, focusing on your own role. See full description.	30	May 2010
Managing complexity: a systems approach (T306) Working on your own project throughout this course, you will practise and develop your systems thinking and project management skills in handling complex issues. See full description.	60	Feb 2010
Marketing and society (B324) Explore the theory and practice of responsible marketing, the interrelated areas of corporate social responsibility and marketing ethics, and the emergent area of social marketing. See full description.	30	May 2010
Professional certificate in management (APEL) (BZL615) * This course enables you to achieve the Professional Certificate in Management through accreditation of your prior learning via an assignment and exam. See full description.	60
Winning resources and support (B625) This distance learning route to the Institute of Fundraising’s Certificate in Fundraising Management provides tools for effective, ethical fundraising in an increasingly competitive international environment. See full description.	30	Nov 2010

Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, at Level 1 the discontinued courses DD100, U120, T171, T172, T185, T188, at Level 2 the discontinued courses BM240, D216, T205, T245, T247, TXR248, at Level 3 the discontinued courses D301, DU321, B615, BYN615, BZX615, BZXN615, D319, T301, T302

To complete the 360 points needed for an honours degree, the remaining points up to a maximum of 60 points can be from any OU undergraduate courses. You must ensure that you have the required number of points at each level.

* Please be aware that if you do count this course towards your degree, it may affect your degree classification. It is advisable to check this with a regional adviser.

Specialisms

If you want a BA (Hons) Business Studies degree that shows you have concentrated your studies in one subject area, you must include the three compulsory courses listed above (B201, B203 and B301) and the courses listed below for the appropriate subject area. Any remaining points (maximum 60) can be from any OU courses that count towards a bachelor’s degree, bearing in mind the overall requirements for an honours degree.