The aim of this unit is to enable candidates to understand the purchase decision-making process and how marketing research techniques are used to contribute to the development of marketing plans. This unit explores buyer behaviour and how this is influenced by a range of factors and situations. Candidates will explore the marketing research process and assess the importance of different types of information. The approach is practical and candidates will learn how to prepare and present a research proposal, assess the reliability of market research findings, and use secondary sources of data.

Candidates will then develop the skills needed to assess trends and carry out competitor analysis.

Finally, candidates will consider customer relationship management and how to assess levels of customer satisfaction.

The unit seeks to combine a sound theoretical framework with the development of useful business skills.

• Understand buyer behaviour and the purchase decision-making process
• Be able to use marketing research techniques
• Be able to assess market size and future demand
• Be able to measure customer satisfaction

Introduces students to basic concepts in probability and statistics of relevance to managerial decision making. Topics include basic data analysis, random variables and probability distributions, sampling distributions, interval estimation, hypothesis testing and regression. Numerous examples are chosen from quality-control applications, finance, marketing and management.

Business communications is a term for a wide variety of activities including but not limited to: strategic communications planning, media relations, public relations (which can include social media, broadcast and written communications, and more), brand management, reputation management, speech-writing, customer-client relations, and internal/employee communications.

Companies with limited resources may only choose to engage in a few of these activities while larger organizations may employ a full spectrum of communications. Since it is difficult to develop such a broad range of skills, communications professionals often specialize in one or two of these areas but usually have at least a working knowledge of most of them. By far, the most important qualifications communications professionals can possess are excellent writing ability, good ‘people’ skills, and the capacity to think critically and strategically.

This unit explores the relationship between data, information and knowledge and the contribution information and knowledge management makes to the success of organisations. Candidates who aspire to positions in the area of information and knowledge management will develop the fundamental knowledge, understanding and skills necessary for such job roles.

By the end of this unit, you will be able to:

• Understand the need to manage information and knowledge within organizations
• Understand the role of ICT in information and knowledge management
• Understand the links between knowledge management strategy and competitive advantage

This unit provides candidates with the knowledge, understanding and skills to use cost information for budgeting and forecasting purposes in the management of business.

This unit deals with cost information, both current and future, of businesses. It investigates how cost data is collected, compiled, analysed and processed into information that is useful for business managers. Learners will have the opportunity to apply these principles in practise.

The unit then deals with budgetary planning and control. It looks at how to prepare forecasts and budgets and to compae these to actual business results. Learners will again have practical experience of this. Finally, the unit considers different costing and budgetary systems and the causes of resulting variances, together with the possible implications and the corrective action the business will need to take.

If you aspire to managerial positions in businesses, you will develop the financial knowledge, skills and understanding necessary for such job roles.

By the end of this unit you will be able to:

• Analyse cost information within a business
• Propose methods to reduce costs and enhance value within a business
• Prepare forecasts and budgets for a business
• Monitor performance against budgets within a business

Management is a process through which the goals of an organization are achieved and change in the workplace is handled. This process involves using human, financial, and informational resources. The goals of any profit or non-profit business are achieved through the four steps of management: planning, organizing, controlling, and leading. In this unit, you will discover that technical, conceptual, and interpersonal skills are essential to the management process.

These courses typically do not go into the same depth as standard courses in the mathematics or science fields. The two most common mathematics courses taken in this form are Business Calculus and Business Statistics. These courses are usually focused on problems from the business world, and the syllabus is adjusted correspondingly.

Commercial Correspondence is usually a letter/email/fax or any kind of modern communication, from one company to another, or between such organizations and their customers, clients and other external parties. The overall style of letter depends on the relationship between the parties concerned. Business letters can have many types of contents, for example to request direct information or action from another party, to order supplies from a supplier, to point out a mistake by the letter’s recipient, to reply directly to a request, to apologize for a wrong, or to convey goodwill. A business letter is sometimes useful because it produces a permanent written record, and may be taken more seriously by the recipient than other forms of communication.

Economics is concerned with economic issues and problems related to business organization, management, and strategy. Issues and problems include: an explanation of why corporate firms emerge and exist; why they expand: horizontally, vertically and spacially; the role of entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship; the significance of organizational structure; the relationship of firms with the employees, the providers of capital, the customers, the government; the interactions between firms and the business environment.

At least two foreign languages are mandatory to pass our Diploma program. Studying in living in Italy almost forces you to take additional language skill in Italian. The second language will be Chinese.

Business law consists of many different areas including: Contracts, the law of Corporations and other Business Organizations, Securities Law, Intellectual Property, Antitrust, Secured Transactions, Commercial Paper, Income Tax, Pensions & Benefits, Trusts & Estates, Immigration Law, Labor Law, Employment Law and Bankruptcy. It is a branch of law that examines topics that impact the operation of a business.

The objective of this unit is to help students acquire and develop skills in relation to effective leadership within organizations. Students will understand and compare different approaches, theories and methodologies about leadership and will practice leadership behaviors through class exercises and assignments.

• Understand the principal components of a leader’s contribution to high performance working
• Understand the different ways leadership has been defined, assessed and appreciated in the academic and managerial context
• Practice different behavior indicators related to leadership skills in a working environment
• Evaluate elements of key leadership and management theories and translate theoretical constructs to practical applications
• Have a personal development plan which includes the development of key leadership behaviours.