Research skills are as vital for the workplace as they are for academic development. Research skills enable students to identify a problem, collect informational resources that can help address the problem, evaluate the resources for quality and relevance, and come up with an effective solution to the problem. These are seen as essential skills by employers for most positions in industry, to support a range of duties, for example report writing, building a business case, business planning, launching a new product or service.

This is a Pearson-set unit. Students will choose their own project based on a theme provided by Pearson (this will change annually). The project must be related to their specialist pathway of study (unless they are studying the general business pathway). This will enable students to explore and examine a relevant and current topical aspect of business in the context of the business environment and their chosen specialist pathway.

The aim of this unit is to offer students the opportunity to engage in sustained research in a specific field of study. The unit enables students to demonstrate the capacity and ability to identify a research theme, to develop a research aim and objectives and to present the outcomes of such research in both written and verbal formats. he unit also encourages students to reflect on their engagement in the research process, during which recommendations for future, personal development are key learning points.

Organisational behaviour is concerned with understanding, explaining and predicting the behaviour of individuals in the workplace and can assist in the development of practical solutions to organisational and managerial problems. Individuals, whether acting in isolation or collectively as part of a group, engage in actions and behaviours that can have a positive or negative impact on company performance and the achievement of strategic goals. It is therefore essential that those who are involved in managing and leading people in organisations, acquire insight and expertise in organisational behaviour.

The aim of this unit is to develop knowledge and understanding of how organisational behaviour concepts, theories and techniques can be applied in work and management settings in order to enhance individual, team and organisational performance. Students will be able to apply this knowledge in a variety of business situations. They will appreciate how effective application of organisational behaviour principles can be used to explain why people behave and act in particular ways and to predict how employees will respond to certain demands. The unit also develops student understanding of the influence of culture, the operation of power and politics in organisations and how these variables influence the actions and behaviour of people in an organisational context.

On successful completion of this unit, students will have developed a range of transferable skills and knowledge. This includes core people management skills used to achieve positive organisational outcomes and to create value by recognising individual difference, team working and the creation of inclusive organisational cultures.

Management accounting is a profession that supports management decision making, planning and performance management systems. Management accountants provide expertise in financial reporting and control to assist management in the formulation and implementation of an organisation's strategy by providing appropriate financial information and undertaking related accounts administration.

The overall aim of this unit is to develop students’ understanding of the scope and purpose of management accounting. The focus of the unit is on critiquing cost and management accounting techniques and using management accounting to monitor and evaluate company performance in complex operating environments.

Students will explore the significance of variance analysis and the application of different costing approaches. The contribution of the management accounting function in setting and negotiating performance measures across an organisation will also be analysed. On successful completion of this unit, students will be in a position to support an organisation to create value through effective decision making. Students will also have the fundamental knowledge and skills needed to progress to a higher level of study.

Operations management is everywhere, in every organisation, in every service experienced and in every product consumed. Operations management is the administration of business practices to create the highest level of efficiency possible in an organisation. It is concerned with converting materials and labour into goods and services as efficiently as possible to maximise profits.

The aim of this unit is to introduce students to the role of operations in an organisation, how the nature of operations management has evolved and how it contributes to sustained competitive advantage. Students will understand the key concepts of operations management in an organisational and environmental context, and how this links to supply chain management, products and processes, organisational efficiency and effectiveness, and the achievement of tactical and strategic objectives. A variety of operations management techniques and frameworks will be explored, including continuous improvement, total quality management, benchmarking and risk analysis.

By the end of this unit, students will have an appreciation of the dimensions of operations management and its central role for organisations across a wide range of sectors. Students will also have the knowledge and skills required to progress to higher levels of study or employment in positions in operations, logistics and supply.

Medium- to large-scale organisations, in any given context, require leadership teams and various levels of management to understand the significant impact the human resource (HR) function has in business. Strategic managers need to introduce effective HR practices that develop organisational efficiency and improve overall performance.

This unit gives students the opportunity to make links between the role and function of HR and emerging HR developments. This will make them aware that HR is a key contributor to organisational success.

On successful completion of this unit, students will have a greater understanding and appreciation of the role played by HR management in adding value to activities that contribute to the success of an organisation. Students will understand the typical aims and objectives of the HR function in a contemporary context, enabling them to make an effective contribution to the HR department of an organisation.

Branding is the first thing that customers recall, so it is important to perfect it. Having a memorable and distinctive brand design really can achieve new relationships with consumers. Brand designers are experts in crafting a bespoke image to suit the company and convey the right message on every level. Brand managers manage the customer’s brand association and purchasing process relationship. Brand management is an important aspect of marketing and boosts product value for any business.

This unit gives students a comprehensive overview of brand management − starting with why brands are so important and how they are formed, through to measuring brand value and managing a portfolio of brands over time.

The unit is designed and structured to give students an end-to-end understanding of brand management. Students will explore a range of tools and techniques that can be employed to maximise brand value. They will look at a number of case studies that contextualise information in real-world examples to aid understanding of how effective brand management can be achieved.

This unit focuses on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and how they can broaden their knowledge of business growth. SMEs need to know where they sit in the marketplace and which approaches to take in order to grow business and develop relevant industries and sectors accordingly.

This aim of the unit is to give students an awareness of how SMEs develop and grow. They will understand the options for SMEs in terms of exiting successful or unsuccessful businesses and will be able to appreciate the importance of making informed choices when choosing routes to growth. They will also understand the potential risks vs rewards involved with growth.

Students will learn about and apply techniques for identifying opportunities for growth and appraise options for achieving growth. Students will also learn about the sources of investment finance and consider how an SME attracts investors and the appropriate approaches to gain stakeholder interest.