BSc International Business and Management with a Modern Language with Placement Year

Compulsory modules 

Developing Professional Excellence 

Develop the key skills and competencies to thrive in your studies and your career, including communication, business writing and time management skills. You'll also explore careers theories and gain practical skills that can help you with internships, placements or applications for graduate positions. 

Business in Practice: Markets, Marketing and Management 

Explore the concepts that underpin markets, strategy, marketing, operations, organisational behaviour and entrepreneurship -- and gain an understanding of the inter-relationship between them. You'll examine key theories and frameworks, and apply them to current scenarios in the business world. 

Business in Practice: Accounting for Managers

Explore how businesses use accounting information in reporting, internal decision-making and planning. You'll gain an understanding of management accounting and financial accounting, as well as the necessary foundation in accounting to allow you to specialise in your later studies. 

Business in Practice: Data Analytics

Study key concepts in data analytics, including descriptive analytics and predictive analytics, and explore visualisation techniques for qualitatively summarising data. Topics will include: types of data, types of distributions (with an emphasis on the normal distribution), using parametric and non-parametric tests to analyse statistical differences, and regression models. You'll also gain experience in using GUI-based tools for analysing data.  

Ideas of Frenchness 1

Gain a foundation in the history, culture, literature and ideas of France and the Francophone world, helping you to understand key ideas and developments that shaped the concept and perception of ‘Frenchness’. 

The Making of Contemporary Germany

You’ll analyse and assess social and political developments in Germany since 1945, interacting films, official documents, media discourse, documentaries, national symbols, and song lyrics to identify themes of the historical period. 

Making Italians: A Journey in the History and Culture of Modern Italy

Explore the history and culture of modern Italy, from unification to the present. You’ll consider what and who contributed to the birth of Italy, including how they shaped the political landscape of the Fascist regime and the Republic.  

The Making of Modern Spain and Latin America

Discover the factors that contributed to the development of modern Spain and Latin America from 1492 to the present day. You’ll gain a broad overview from the days of Spanish empire to its decline through revolutions, experiences of dictatorship and globalisation. 

You'll take at least one of the following:

Beginners French, German, Italian or Spanish Language

If you have no experience of the language, this module will develop your skills to a level comparable to level A2 of the Common European Framework of Reference. You’ll learn the basics and gain the proficiency needed to undertake a degree in or involving the language. 

Intermediate French, German, Italian or Spanish Language

If you have a good GCSE grade or AS level in the language, this module will develop your skills to a level comparable to B1 of the Common European Framework for Reference. You’ll learn the speaking and writing skills required to study the language to honours degree level.  

Advanced French, German, Italian or Spanish Language I

If you’ve achieved an A level in the language, this module will develop your skills to a level comparable to level B1.2/B2.1 of the Common European Framework of Reference. You’ll advance your written and spoken skills, enabling you to study the language to honours degree level. 

Optional modules

Ideas of Frenchness 2

Build on your existing knowledge of ‘Frenchness’ by critically assessing cultural, historical, and literary materials, texts, and artefacts. Concepts covered include war, colonisation, decolonisation and changing conditions for women.

Belonging in Germany

Examine the changing ideas that address national belonging and exclusion in Germany. Using various media, you’ll gain insight into the question of how ‘belonging’ has been defined in different periods of German history.

Introduction to Linguistics

Investigate human language including aspects of acquisition, multilingualism, and non-verbal communication. You’ll consider the phonological, morphological, syntactical, semantic, and pragmatic features of the language.  

Introduction to Spanish and Latin American Culture

Using short stories, poetry, documentaries, films, and popular music from Spain and Latin America, you’ll analyse culture in the Hispanophone world, identifying themes of national identity, resistance, cultural and social revolution, power, and religion. 

These are the modules that we currently offer for 2024/25 entry. They may be subject to change as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them.

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading.

Compulsory modules

Building Competitive Advantage: Business Strategy and Operations

Using short stories, poetry, documentaries, films, and popular music from Spain and Latin America, you’ll analyse culture in the Hispanophone world, identifying themes of national identity, resistance, cultural and social revolution, power, and religion. 

Managing Work and People: Organisational Behaviour and Human Resources Management 

Examine the main concepts, principles and practices in the management of work and people in organisations. You'll explore the observable, practical elements of people management, as well as the underlying theories of organisational behaviour and management studies. 

Social Responsibility in Action 

Explore the principles of corporate social responsibility, including sustainability, diversity and ethical behaviour. You'll study the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals, including the "Principles for Responsible Management Education", and apply the knowledge you've gained during your studies to a real-world management problem.  

How to Think in French

Strengthen the links between the linguistic and cultural study of French language and achieve ‘thinking in French’. You’ll focus on French rhetoric and style and how writing and thinking are taught within the French education system. You’ll also explore the way ideas about the French have developed and have been debated over time.

The First World War: Then and Now

To understand the French experience of the First World War and its wider impact on twentieth-century France, you’ll analyse experiences and responses to the conflict and consider representations and memory of the war. 

Cinema of Germany

Cinema has become a site of identity discourse for many Germans. You’ll analyse and assess films produced between the First World War and unification, relating these to changing political regimes and the wider cultural context of Germany.

Glorification, Denial and Contempt: Reconstructing Austria's Past

Critically examine discourses about Austrian identity and culture, while discussing key events and turning points in Austrian history. You’ll closely examines the commemoration, evaluation, and potential reinterpretation of these events by different generations or political groups. 

Modern and Contemporary Spanish Narratives

Discover pivotal narrative trends in modern and contemporary Spanish culture, including realism, the uncanny, the fantastic, metafiction, and symbolic representation. You’ll study various fictional works, including short stories, novels, and films from the late 19th century, exploring narrative devices and situating the texts within their intellectual and socio-cultural contexts.

Culture and Revolution in Modern Latin America

Explore key moments of revolution and cultural policy in Latin America. You’ll examine how these events have been represented in different media, while developing an understanding of the various interactions and relationships between radical political change and culture.

You'll take at least one of the following:

Intermediate French, German, Italian or Spanish Language

Develop your language skills and advance your proficiency to undertake your final year. Upon successful completion, you’ll have achieved the equivalent of level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference.  

Advanced French, German, Italian or Spanish Language I

Develop your language skills to a level comparable to level B1.2/B2.1 of the Common European Framework of Reference. You’ll advance your written and spoken skills, enabling you to study the language to honours degree level.  

Advanced French, German, Italian or Spanish Language II

Further develop your speaking and writing skills to achieve the language level required to your final year. Upon successful completion, you’ll achieve the equivalent of level B1.2/B2.1 of the Common European Framework of Reference. 

Optional modules

Firms in the Global Economy

This module offers an integrated perspective on the role of nations and firms in the global economy and serves as an introduction to international business and economics. It revolves around the key questions of why and how firms go abroad and what are the consequences of international business activity for the nations, firms and people of the global economy.  

Practice of Entrepreneurship

This module will introduce you to key concepts of business start-up as you identify and develop a new business opportunity and test your idea through ‘lean start-up' experiments.  You’ll gain entrepreneurial management skills such as design thinking, business model creation, and entrepreneurial finance and marketing.  

Introduction to Machine Learning

This module focusses on data-driven processes that are used in industry and business applications to provide recommendations, make predictions, or extract knowledge. You’ll focus on the importance of machine learning for strategic use and gain experience building predictive models that can lead to data-driven solutions.  

Business Ethics 1

Study and debate the ethical issues that corporate decision-makers face in developing policies about employees, shareholders, customers and broader stakeholders. You’ll utilise both theory and case study as you focus on topics such as ethical theory, buyer/supplied relationships, and the ethics of globalisation and financial issues.  

Management Accounting

Gain an understanding of the techniques, principles and underlying concepts of management accounting. You'll explore how organisations use financial information in decision-making, planning, control, and performance evaluation. 

Sales and Business Development

Learn the characteristics of the sales channel as you explore sales through a practitioner-oriented view. You’ll consider different approaches and sales models, focussing on direct and online sales, and explore the modern concept of sales as a philosophy, culture, process and strategic business development role for companies.  

An Introduction to the Management of Information Systems

Become acquainted with the management of business Information Systems (IS) and learn the interplay between management, organisational, and information technology IS dimensions. As you learn their capabilities and limitations, you’ll gain a conceptual foundation to different information systems and consider their purpose from a business perspective.  

Business Applications Development

Develop the skills and knowledge required to manage and analyse data. You will study key computing concepts, learn to design and implement different types of databases, and critically evaluate the usability and user experience of applications.  

Branding Theory and Practice

Examine two key issues within marketing: branding and the preparation of a branding orientated project. You'll gain in-depth understanding of the theories and practices related to brand management, and the process of building a strong brand. The project will provide an opportunity to apply the concepts you've learned in a creative team task. 

Understanding Leadership

Gain deeper understanding of leadership models and concepts as you explore different leadership styles and the ethical challenges associated with it. You’ll consider potential obstacles for leaders and learn how they can develop their leadership capabilities to deal with them.  

Society, Thought, and Art  in Modern Europe

Discover the birth of modern humanity in late 18th-century Europe and the revolutionary changes that Enlightenment and Romanticism intellectual movements brought in all spheres of thought and social life. You’ll also explore how different European nations contributed to innovation, how modernity diffused beyond the Western world, the transformations brought by non-European influences, and the leading role of art in the modernisation process.

Unity, Nationalism and Regionalism in Europe

Discover how modern ideas of nation, national identity, the nation-state and nationalism have shaped modern Europe and the rest of the world from the 18th century to the present day. You’ll examine the impact of the idea of the nation and the persistence and profound significance of regionalist tendencies across Europe. You’ll also explore the dynamic relationship between nationalism and other ideologies of community and identity.  

Strategic Human Resource Management

Examine how companies manage people at work and study the relationships between strategy, HRM and performance. You’ll consider the priorities and objectives of organisations and how these are managed while accommodating the needs and expectations of employees.  

Digital Entrepreneurship in Practice

Explore how entrepreneurial digital companies develop their products, compete in hyper-competitive markets, and monetise their products. You'll examine the marketing methods used by digital entrepreneurs, approaches to customer development, and data-driven decision making processes. 

These are the modules that we currently offer for 2024/25 entry. They may be subject to change as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them.

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading.

Work Placement Year

Compulsory modules

Developing Personal Leadership

Gain a comprehensive view on personal leadership development and learn how to plain your own leadership skills strategy. You’ll examine concepts, theories, and evidence needed to develop your understanding and competencies associated with leadership development and demonstrate contextual and self-awareness.   

Philanthropy à la Française: The History of Ideas and Practices in the French Third Sector

You’ll examine case studies that address the significant role that charity has played throughout French history and consider the social, economic, political, and cultural motivations and consequences of voluntary action.  

French Popular Music and Society

Explore French popular music of the late 20th and 21st centuries, focusing on the development of the relevant genres and on music’s wider socio-cultural role. You’ll spend time looking at the texts, performances and personae of major artists in contemporary music genres including rap, rock, and electronica.  

The German Language and National identity

Investigate debates around the German language including standardisation and codification, the uses and misuses of German, and the role it has played in the development of Germany as a nation.  

Crisis, Change, Opportunity: Italy from 1968 to the Present

Discover themes and events that have contributed to change in modern Italian society. You’ll examine how moments of crisis engendered long-lasting change whilst fostering opportunity in terms of identity, citizenship, and nationhood.  

Memory, Dictatorship and Cultural Resistance in the Southern Cone

Examine the politics and aesthetics of 1970s Latin America, when authoritarian rule took hold across the Southern Cone. You’ll consider factors that led to military dictatorship, cultural resistance, and representations in literature, film and collective memory. 

Narrating the Colombian Conflict

Investigate the history of the Colombian armed conflicts, from the 1940s civil war to the present day war on drugs. Through the analysis of interdisciplinary historical and cultural texts, including essays, fiction, films and new media, you’ll explore the role stories play in both justifying conflict and creating the possibilities for peace. 

Writers and Publishers in Spain

Explore how recent history, politics, society, ideology and technology have shaped Spain’s cultural landscapes. You’ll focus on critical episodes in Spanish history, like the rise of a parliamentary system, the Republic of 1931, the Civil War, the Francoist regime, and the Transition to democracy. This module is conducted in Spanish, but assessments can be done in either English or Spanish.

Future Worlds in Film

Explore genre features, contexts, and aesthetic genesis of science-fiction films from different traditions and periods. You’ll analyse formal and thematic features of the films and identify central ethical questions they raise, evaluating each film in its specific cultural, political, and social context.

Extended Essay

Prepare for postgraduate study and engage in extended research on a topic of your choosing, within the subject area and relevant to your degree programme. 

Identity and Conflict in Modern Europe

Explore the diversification, evolution and fluidity of definitions of modern notions of race, gender, and how individual and collective identities have been redefined by intellectuals and ideologies. You’ll be encouraged to engage with competing and conflicting visions and values both through set case studies and group projects. 

You'll take at least one of the following:

Advanced French, German, Italian or Spanish Language I

Increase your competence in spoken and written language. Upon successful completion, you’ll achieve the equivalent of level B1.2/B2.1 of the Common European Framework of Reference. 

Advanced French, German, Italian or Spanish Language II

Consolidate your language skills and achieve the equivalent of level B2.2 of the Common European Framework of Reference upon successful completion. 

Advanced French, German, Italian or Spanish Language III

Advance the spoken and written language skills you developed during your year abroad to express yourself fluently. Upon successful completion, you’ll achieve the equivalent of level C1/C2 of the Common European Framework of Reference. 

Optional modules

Financial Statement Analysis

In this module, you’ll develop financial acumen through reading, evaluating and analysing real companies published financial statements as you consider key financial rations and performances. You’ll expand on oral communication skills as you plan and give a presentation that integrates your knowledge and creative ideas.  

Strategy and International Business 

Study the strategic issues confronting managers of multinational enterprises (MNEs) both within the firm and in the global marketplace.  You’ll examine factors that influence the development and the competitive positioning of MNEs and gain an understanding of both the external business environment and internal nature of the firm and its strategy.  

Institutions and Emerging Firms 

Explore frameworks that allow description and understanding of national institutions and competitive dynamics related to emerging economies such as China, Russia, Brazil, India and South Africa. You’ll gain understanding as to how managers can address challenges of different national institutions in product markets, labour markets and financial markets in the face of competition.  

Service Operations

Covering key concepts and theories within the area of service operations and management, this module will introduce you to particular challenges facing service organisations in an era where services contribute more to gross domestic product (GDP) than manufacturing. You’ll be provided with theoretical and practical grounding  to work within service organisations or service business units within manufacturing organisations.  

New Directions in Business and Corporate Social Responsibility 

Develop your awareness of contemporary debates and practices of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as you consider challenges such as reducing poverty, protection vulnerable ecosystems and facing up to global climate change. You’ll consider the wider role of business in society and global sustainable development and focus on specific areas of corporate responsibility.  

International Marketing 

Gain an in depth understanding of the complexity and variety of factors playing a role in designing and implementing international marketing programmes. This module will stimulate your critical and independent thinking as you consider topics from theoretical and empirical perspectives and the implications for marketing operations of organisations trading across cultures.  

International Human Resource Management 

Learn the key concepts for understanding international human resource management. You'll explore the practice of managing human resources in international businesses and consider variations in the practice of managing human resources in different countries and cultures. 

Marketing Communications 

Discuss marketing communication theories to understand how intended audiences are targeted and engaged with. You’ll learn how marketing communications work in practice as you consider both traditional and digital strategies associated with advertisement, sales promotion, design, and management.  

Optimising Marketing Performance 

Develop financial acumen for a career in marketing. You’ll evaluate financial statements, apply relevant marketing metrics, assess marketing costs, and monitor marketing performance results.  

Financing Entrepreneurship 

Become acquainted with the various forms of financing for entrepreneurship including debt, equity financing, non-for-profit and alternative financing. You will gain an in depth understanding of the entrepreneurial ecosystem approach and develop skills of cost-benefit analysis of a project and a financial appraisal of new ventures.  

Communication and Persuasion in Business

Explore effective communication traits in both written and spoken forms. You’ll learn to present data persuasively and delve into rhetorical theory for critical analysis of various texts, including social media communications. You’ll create informative and persuasive documents and reflect upon your own use of language in the workplace and beyond.

Private Equity and Venture Capital

Become familiarised with private equity (PE) and venture capital (VC) fund raising and investment processes. You’ll develop an appreciation of the practical aspects of investing by PE and VC firms and understand the dynamics between venture capital investors and the entrepreneur.  

Information Systems and Digital Business

Gain an in depth understanding of the structure and function of information processed and presented by IT systems in organisations. You’ll acquire the ability to plan and develop information system solutions to support digital transformation of organisations with the awareness of social and technological changes and advances. 

The Dark Side of Marketing 

Explore the conflicts, controversies and moral challenges in the world of marketing – and challenge the way you think about the subject. You'll examine the effects of marketing on consumers’ physical and mental well-being, as well as the alleged exploitation of vulnerable consumers. This module combines marketing with other subject areas, including science, nutrition and law. 

Global Ethics for International Management

Develop your awareness of global approaches to ethics and gain a critical understanding of the key approaches to ethical theories from different cultures and national contexts. You’ll consider the global issues in relationships between business and society from different ethical perspectives relying on ethical theory and case study.  

Social Enterprise 

This interactive module offers an experiential introduction to social entrepreneurship. You’ll embark on a journey exploring social enterprise from conception through to design and delivery. Additionally, you’ll explore opportunities and challenges surrounding social enterprises and the impact of various stakeholders on the development, survival, and growth of such organisations.  

Corporate Strategy 

Consider the corporate strategies of companies with a single primary line of business to the strategies of multi-business firms. You’ll consider choices related to corporate strategy such as those concerning diversification, vertical integration, acquisitions, and the allocation of resources. As you embark on this module, you’ll develop a sense of what strategists must do to improve firms long-run performance.  

Project Management

In this hands-on module, you'll work on project-based group activities to develop a practical understanding of the tools and techniques used in project management. You'll also explore the core theories that underpin the project management process.   

Technology Advisory Practices

Develop your ability to address complex business problems involving the use of technology and identify appropriate options and formulate recommendations. You’ll have the opportunity to work closely with a group of peers to apply technology advisory practices to a contemporary business case and gain business and academic skills applicable to different areas of advisory practice.  

Dissertation

Explore French popular music of the late 20th and 21st centuries, focusing on the development of the relevant genres and on music’s wider socio-cultural role. You’ll spend time looking at the texts, performances and personae of major artists in contemporary music genres including rap, rock, and electronica. 

Cross Cultural Marketing

Following on from the module Marketing Essentials, this module introduces cross-cultural marketing based on the recognition of diversity in different markets of the world and local and global consumers. You’ll embark on a group project that provides you with the opportunity to apply concepts and tools in a creative and challenging team task that addresses cross-cultural marketing issues. 

Fairness

Study how fairness shapes our understanding of justice and morality as you delve into different theories that ask the importance and relationship of fairness to concepts such as justice, impartiality, need, and deservingness. You’ll examine real word examples such as global poverty, climate change, and the intersection of fairness and moral demandingness. 

Intellectual Property Law

Gain an in-depth knowledge on the law of copyright, performers’ rights, trademarks and passing off. You’ll identify and explore rationales of intellectual property protection and learn to assess their practical, day-to-day implementation to  understand the interface between legal rules and physical realities.   

Commercial Law

Study the fundamental principles of commercial law through a critical examination of relevant case law, legislation, business practice, academic work, historical influence and public policy. You’ll primarily focus on the law surrounding contracts for the sale of goods, with particular reference to commercial transactions in England and Wales.    

Company Law

Discover the fundamental principles of company law in England and Wales as you consider the formation, structure, operation and activities of companies. You’ll consider the regulation of companies and engage deeply with case law, legislation and legal reform.      

These are the modules that we currently offer for 2024/25 entry. They may be subject to change as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them.

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading.