Modules
Module 1: Retail Environment
The module is designed to provide a general, holistic understanding of the business environment in which the retail sector operates. The development of retailing is examined in a conceptual context with particular emphasis on the influences that impact on the retail sector and how retailers attempt to maintain a competitive position in a changing market place.
The importance of retailing within a modern, dynamic economy and the contribution of retailing to such an economy is also examined
Module 2: Stock Management and Presentation
The module is designed to enable the candidate to understand the need for a comprehensive stock control system to minimise loss and track low turnover items. The needs of customer trends must be examined in relation to stock levels, stock turnover and target sales achievement.
Stock presentation and positioning is examined in terms of branding, eye level positioning and customer targeting.
The importance of computerised technology within a modern retailing establishment is also examined.
Module 3: Retail Security
The module is designed to provide a general approach to minimizing loss within a retail environment. The module will look at potential loss through theft by the buying public, sales staff and delivery personnel. The module will also look at theft through the use of stolen credit cards, debit cards or forged banknotes. In addition, the importance of loss prevention methods will be examined including trained store security personnel, electronic detectors and surveillance equipment.
Module 4: Customer Care
The module is designed to provide an understanding of the importance within the retail industry of establishing good customer care and developing a long lasting relationship with the customer through loyalty programmes and incentives. The module will look at the difficulty facing the retail industry through intense competition from other retailers, price fluctuation and cut throat price reductions by the major sellers.
Module 5: Introduction to Marketing
This module is to provide students with a basic knowledge and understanding of marketing principles. The module aims to provide basic marketing theories for conceptual purposes. This is an introductory module which can also be studied by students who may wish to progress to more specialized marketing modules.
Module 6: IT Applications 1
This module provides a systematic, structured introduction to the range of information and communication technology (ICT) skills required by students engaged in studying for a modern business degree.
It is recognized that many of the skills will have already been mastered by the student, perhaps from a previous programme or from ad hoc self study. However such is the importance of these key transferable MS Office and information literacy skills both in the context of the degree programme and for future professional development that it is appropriate to provide these short skills based module.
Module 7: Understanding Financial Statements
The aim of this course is to review, analyze, classify, and record business transactions in a manual and computerized environment. Emphasis is on understanding the complete accounting cycle and preparing financial statements, bank reconciliation, and payroll. Includes accounting for notes, deferrals and accruals, receivables and payables, inventory and plant assets.
Module 8: Business Statistics
Students will be introduced to the concepts involved in descriptive and inferential statistics. Topics include methods of producing, exploring, condensing and displaying data, both of single and multiple variables, elementary probability, the normal distribution, single and two-sample inference of means and proportions, comparison of frequencies, correlation and regression. Emphasis will be placed on how statistics is used in practice and on the presentation and interpretation of statistical analyses. A computing package and calculator will be used to facilitate numerical calculation and graphing.
