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Division of Business, Events and Management (BEaM)

QMU Division of Business, Events and Management (BEaM)

Suggested Readings

Please remember these are suggestions – don’t worry if you cannot access everything on this list. We are offering these in case you want to get a head start, or even just want to brush up your knowledge over the summer. Don’t rush out and buy everything – most resources will be available in the Library or online.

BA (Hons) Business Management

Level 2 Modules

Craig Cathcart is the module coordinator for this module. This module will introduce you to key legal concepts relevant to business. You will not be a legal expert after completing this module. However you will use scenario based learning to develop your legal problem solving skills.

By the end of the module you should be able to answer the following questions:

What kind of business set up is best for me in legal terms?
What is a contract? Does it have to be in writing?
Who might sue me or my business, and why?
How can I protect myself and my business against liability?
How do I resolve disputes with customers and suppliers?

There are two short (ish) videos on sources of Scots law that you will be directed to in the first week of classes. This is the first topic for the module and briefly sets the scene:

Sources of Scots Law Part 1( 19 mins )

Sources of Scots Law Part 2( 10 mins )

The next topic is contract law, then the law of negligence, so the following sources are useful for reading on these areas:

LITTLE, T. 2015. Scottish Contract Law Essentials. 3^rd ed. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press; and/or
CROSSAN, S.J. 2017. Scots Law Theory and Practice. 3^rd ed. Paisley: Hodder Gibson; [The bits about contract law and delict, especially negligence]; and/or
MCMANUS, F. 2017. Delict Essentials – Edinburgh Law Essentials. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press [Especially the bits on negligence]

Operations Management (B2083):

Gordon Campbell is the module coordinator for this module. The module helps you to develop an appreciation of the role that operations management can have in designing, planning, evaluating and improving the core processes of organisations.

A key aspect of this module is that it will take a significant focus on data analysis for operations management. The management of capacity, inventory, quality, risk and the development of forecasts will be explored from the perspective of supporting better decision making in operations management. A backdrop to the overall module will be the development of a consistent focus on a process and systems view, and how this and the management of operations are framed in the wider supply chain.

Gordon will use scanned chapters from a range of Operations Management textbooks, which will be added to the Hub each week, so there is no key textbook. However if you want to read on the subject area you might find the following textbooks useful:

REID, R. D. and SANDERS, N. R. 2015. Operations Management: An Integrated Approach. 6^th ed. London: Wiley
JOHNSON, R., CLARK, G. and SHULVER, M. 2012. Service Operations Management. 4^th ed. London: Prentice Hall.
SLACK, N., BRANDON-JONES, A. and JOHNSTON, R. 2016. Operations Management. 8^th ed. Essex: Pearson
HILL, A. and HILL, T. 2018. Essential Operations Management. 2^nd ed. New York: Palgrave Macmillan

For those of you who may not be proficient in Microsoft Excel, you could use the summer period to brush up on your MS Excel skills. There are plenty of good YouTube videos available to help you out in this area. You are not expected to be a MS Excel expert for your lab classes as you will be given worksheets to work through to build your MS Excel skills. It might just be helpful to play around with the package before you have your first lab class (half way through the module).

Understanding Business Consultancy (B2188):

Dr. Marjory Brewster is the module coordinator for this module. The purpose of the module is to expose you to authentic real business problems through engagement with organisations from the local business community, voluntary and third sectors.

A number of local businesses will work with you in this module and present you with real-world business challenges they face to which you must, as a team, develop practical recommendations for the organisation to change, improve or enhance current practice.

This is a really fun, yet challenging module, where you get to work with real businesses and put into practice some of the theory you've been introduced to at previous levels and research a real organisational problem, on a consultancy basis. As such, much of the theoretical content will look at the consultancy process.

The key text for this module is:

WICKHAM, L. and WILCOCK, J. 2016. Management Consulting: delivering an effective project. 5^th ed. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.

You may also find this textbook useful:

NEWTON, R. 2019. The Management Consultant. Mastering the Art of Consultancy. 2^nd ed. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.

Level 3 Modules

New Enterprise Creation (B3133):

Richard Bent is the module coordinator for this module. The module will allow you to identify, research, design, critically evaluate and defend a new small business idea in a fundraising scenario. The course work is designed to simulate a real life, business funding scenario. Students working (primarily in partnership) investigate, generate and develop an idea for a new business requiring start-up capital from a lender (e.g. a bank loan or similar). The single integrated assessment will require a written business plan submission (10 pages) that will be proposed and defended in a short “bank” style interview.

To prepare for this module, you should revisit any of your old (or new) finance textbooks. You should focus on projected profit and loss accounts, projected cash flow statements and issues such as breakeven as these will be applied to planning a new business start-up.

The following textbooks are useful:

STOKES, D., and WILSON, N. 2019. Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship. 8^th ed. Hampshire: Cengage Learning EMEA
BLUNDELL, R., LOCKETT, N. and WANG, C. 2018. Exploring Entrepreneurship. 2^nd ed. London: Sage Publishing

Richard has also advised that you might want to start thinking about a potential and viable business idea. Having this in mind with some market research into potential demand for your idea would be a great start.

Organisational Behaviour (B3137):

Virginia Elliot is the module coordinator for this module. Organisational behaviour investigates the impact that individuals, groups and structures have on human behaviour within an organisational setting. This module will draw on contributions from psychology, sociology and social psychology disciplines in its study of human behaviour. The module will cover important contemporary subjects within the study and practice of organisational behaviour, focusing on individual behaviour, group and team behaviour, and the main systemic issues facing contemporary organisations – organisational culture, management of organisational change and stress management.

The textbook for this module is:

CROSS, C., and CARBERY, R. (eds.). 2016. Organisational Behaviour: An Introduction. London: Palgrave Macmillan [available as an eBook in the LRC].

You might also find the following books useful:

ROBBINS, S., and JUDGE, T. 2017. Organizational Behaviour. 17^th ed. Essex: Pearson.
BRATTON, J. 2017. An Introduction to Work and Organizational Behaviour. 3^rd ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Financial Markets and Institutions (B3191) (elective / route module):

Dr. Ramchandra Bhusal is the module coordinator for this module. The module aims to build upon economic principles, financial theories and management concepts to equip the student with an understanding of the interdependencies of financial markets and the global economy. It also introduces students to financial markets and financial institutions, and how through the interaction with regulators and central banks they determine the long-term profitability of investment decisions, the incentives to innovate and produce goods and services, and the overall global economic well-being.

The core textbook for this module is:

MISHKIN, F. S., and EAKINS, S. G. 2018. Financial Markets and Institutions: Global Edition. 9^th ed. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited (eBook available here)

You might also find the following textbook useful:

HUBBARD, R. G., and O’BRIEN, A. P. 2014. Money, Banking and the Financial System International Edition. 2^nd ed. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited (hard copies available to borrow @ QMU LRC)

The following journals are also recommended:

Journal of International Financial Markets Institutions and Money
Financial Markets, Institutions and Instruments
Journal of Finance
Journal of Banking and Finance
The Review of Economic Studies

Newspapers

Financial Times

The Wall Street Journal

The Economist

YouTube channel:

Bloomberg Markets and Finance (You Tube Channel)

Experiential Marketing and Consumer Behaviour (B3198) (elective / route module):

Kristen Marshall is the module coordinator for this module. This module looks at a number of issues linking consumer behaviour to marketing, in particular the internal and external influences on the consumer and the consumer purchasing process. It will then describe and develop the idea of ‘experiential marketing’. Experiential marketing is a reaction against the power of digital marketing, and relies on the customer being present at the point of purchase to ‘experience’ particular facets of the product. It is thus especially relevant to retailing, hospitality, tourism, events and other service marketing concepts, because it is the intangible elements of the product that are imbued with most meaning to the consumer. Marketers are increasingly using the techniques of experiential marketing as an important way to attract the consumer, for example using emotion and atmospherics as elements of the product and / or the brand.

There is no core textbook for this module. As such you will be given essential readings for the module for each week. To prepare you for the module, you should develop a sensor for interesting marketing stories at a general level. These can be found on the BBC website, in “The Economist”, and all of the reliable (and serious) newspapers and on their associated websites. Each website allows you to subscribe (for free) to weekly, if not daily newsletters so please consider setting this up.

The following will be useful for your preparation for this module:

Search through WARC (one of QMU library databases) for marketing content and case studies to read
the Drum - or marketing, advertising, design and digital news.
Marketing Week - UK-based website covering the latest marketing news, opinion, trends and challenges facing the marketing industry.
Campaign - for marketing, advertising

Econsultancy: 10 very cool examples of experiential marketing

Logistics and Supply Chain Management (B3138) (elective):

Derek Wade is the module coordinator for this module. The module will introduce and explore the importance of logistics and supply chain management (LSCM) as a critical organisational capability that is increasingly central to organisational strategy and success. The module will take a demand chain perspective of LSCM and explore basic concepts, techniques and theories, before discussing broader strategic objectives and the nature and sources of competitive advantage that can be delivered. Key themes and trends that will be covered include: the demand chain, LSCM and strategy, international LSCM, LSCM capabilities and characteristics, partnerships and collaboration, supply chain risk, technology and data within LSCM, procurement, lean and agile practices, fulfilment, risk management and resilience. The overarching focus of the module will be to examine the supply chain as an ‘end-to-end’ journey, which starts with the consumer and works back though sales, distribution and manufacture, to sourcing.

Core textbook for this module is:

CHRISTOPHER, M. 2019. Logistics and Supply Chain Management. 5^th ed. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited [6 copies available in LRC, also lots of 4^th edition versions which are fine and an eBook available in the LRC]

Other recommended reading:

HARRISON, A., and VAN HOCK, R. 2016. Logistics Management and Strategy: Competing Through the Supply Chain. 6^th ed. London: FT Prentice Hall [4^th edition available in LRC too]
SWINK, M., MELNYK, S., HARTLEY, J.L., and COOPER, M.B. 2019. Managing Operations across the Supply Chain. 4^th ed. Maidenhead: McGraw Hill Education

Useful websites:

Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply (UK)

Logistics Manager Magazine

Some useful videos:

Inside the Factory – available on BBC iPlayer or YouTube. Any of the 50+ topics you can choose from to watch

Integrating Procurement and Supply Chain Strategy

Amazon Supply Chain Conference

BA (Hons) Events and Festival Management

Recommended Reading - Semester 1 Modules

Level 2 Modules

Business Law (B2084):

By the end of the module you should be able to answer the following questions:

What kind of business set up is best for me in legal terms?
What is a contract? Does it have to be in writing?
Who might sue me or my business, and why?
How can I protect myself and my business against liability?
How do I resolve disputes with customers and suppliers?

There are two short (ish) videos on sources of Scots law that you will be directed to in the first week of classes. This is the first topic for the module and briefly sets the scene:

Sources of Scots Law Part 1( 19 mins )

Sources of Scots Law Part 2( 10 mins )

The next topic is contract law, then the law of negligence, so the following sources are useful for reading on these areas:

LITTLE, T. 2015. Scottish Contract Law Essentials. 3^rd ed. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press; and/or
CROSSAN, S.J. 2017. Scots Law Theory and Practice. 3^rd ed. Paisley: Hodder Gibson; [The bits about contract law and delict, especially negligence]; and/or
MCMANUS, F. 2017. Delict Essentials – Edinburgh Law Essentials. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press [Especially the bits on negligence]

Events and Festivals with Purpose (B2125):

Jarno Stegeman is the module coordinator for this module. Events and festivals have long been an integral part of the social fabric; they bring people together to reinforce and renegotiate individual and collectively held beliefs, values, and identities. In event and festival management, the ‘why’ is often not a question that gets defined and explained often enough.

This module seeks to address this by focusing on the purpose of events and festivals in international societies. Purpose-driven events and festivals shine a spotlight on important social causes or movements and are a platform to make diverse voices and messages heard. Examining the contemporary ethos of ‘partying for a purpose’, this module explores experiential links to supporting charitable causes, raising awareness of social justice issues, participating in activism and protest, hearing marginalised voices. From rallies, marches and debates to socially-driven festivals and gigs, event and festival managers need the skills to put on events that are not only enjoyable, but also thought-provoking and enlightening. Main themes also consider how to source sponsorship, effective use of social media, and marketing both the cause and the event to potential attendees

There is no core textbook for this module. The module will draw primarily upon journal articles, for example, from the following journals: Event Management, Annals of Tourism Management, Tourism Management, Journal of Policy Research in Tourism, Leisure & Events.

Events Project Management Design and Operations (B2126):

Jarno Stegeman is the module coordinator for this module. Event design and project management will discuss determining event feasibility: scope, funding sources, client expectations and budgeting and financial management. In addition, the module will help students understand how to; present a sales pitch through presentation and production, work effectively within teams, conduct marketing research and assess the risk for events. The module will conclude by providing event evaluation skills, human resource management skills, developing skills in food and beverage design and operations for the events sector and documentation of event activities to advance career progression in the future.

Some of the following textbooks might be useful for reading this module:

MATTHEWS, D. 2016. Special Event Production: The Process. 2^nd ed. Oxon: Routledge
PIELICHATY, H., ELS, G., REED, I. and MAWER, V. 2017. Events Project Management. Oxon: Routledge

Level 3 Modules

New Enterprise Creation (B3133):

The following textbooks are useful:

STOKES, D., and WILSON, N. 2019. Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship. 8^th ed. Hampshire: Cengage Learning EMEA
BLUNDELL, R., LOCKETT, N. and WANG, C. 2018. Exploring Entrepreneurship. 2^nd ed. London: Sage Publishing

Consumer Motivations and Events and Festival Experience (B3212):

Dr. Cathy Matheson is the module coordinator for this module. The main focus of this module is on: 1) the diversity of events consumer motivations that contribute to an understanding of the decision-making process and market segmentation; 2) the event experience as understood through an intersectional lens and its implications for event practitioners; and, 3) the dimensions of event quality and their relationship to other concepts, such as satisfaction, which aid in a comprehension of consumer behaviour. As such, this module provides learners with a theoretical understanding of the key concepts that underpin the event consumer’s rationale to attend an event and their evaluation of the event, which has implications for events practitioners. The diversity of events motivations, in particular, festival, sports and business motivations, and the pertinent implications regarding market segmentation will be examined. Other areas which can contribute to an understanding of the decision-making process will be examined, for example, structural factors. Event experience will be explored through conceptualisations of status, spectacle, and intersectional approaches. Different conceptualisations of event quality in a variety of event settings will be examined. The relationship between quality and other concepts, such as satisfaction, behavioural intention and value will be evaluated. The implications of these topics for event practitioners will also be examined.

Events and Urban Regeneration (B3194):

Dr. Cathy Matheson is the module coordinator for this module. This module will examine the evolution of event regeneration using a variety of national and international examples. The conceptualisation of event regeneration and the application of relevant theorisations to the field will be examined. Dimensions of event regeneration will be evaluated, namely, economic, social and physical aspects. The evaluation of event regeneration dimensions will incorporate other relevant concepts in the area, such as, gentrification and event legacies. Key aspects of the strategic processes pertaining to event regeneration will be examined. This will include the governance of event regeneration and strategic development issues, for example, the integration of events within wider regeneration strategies.

This module will draw primarily upon journal articles, for example, from the following journals: Event Management, Local Economy, Tourism Management and Urban Studies.

BA (Hons) International Hospitality and Tourism Management

Business is a dynamic industry that is affected by the world around it. Get prepared for your university life by reading a quality newspaper and getting to grips with world events. Brexit, immigration, economic trends, unemployment and pandemics (e.g. Coronavirus) have all been in the news recently. What do these things mean and how to they impact business; specifically the business of hospitality and tourism.

Some suggested reading: the Guardian (free on your smartphones), Times, Telegraph, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal or the Economist.