Undergraduate

Foundation Programme
Business, Economics,
Finance and Management
Programme details
Who is this programme designed for?
This programme is designed to prepare international students, who have completed senior
secondary education, for entry to undergraduate studies at one of our partner universities.
All students who successfully complete the UFP are guaranteed placement on a suitable
programme of undergraduate study. The UFP is set at level 3, which is equivalent to A-level
standard in the UK.

How long will I study for?

This programme lasts one academic year (nine months). The year is divided into three terms
of seven to eight teaching weeks and one reading week. You will undertake up to 25 hours
of classroom-based study per week.

What will I study?

This programme includes English and three academic subject modules. English will be
integrated into the teaching of academic subjects, as well as being taught separately
if you need additional support to develop your English language.

How will I be assessed?

You will be assessed at regular intervals throughout the programme to ensure you are
making the progress required to successfully complete the programme. Full assessment of
the programme will take place in the final term. Assessment methodologies are aligned to
those that will be experienced in the University environment, and include project work, essays,
presentations and unseen examinations.
Business, Economics, Finance and Management

• Economics and Finance

This module is focussed on Economic theory
across the globe, how accounting works, and
mathematical skills needed to understand how
businesses work and performance is monitored.
The main topics of this module are: economic
theory, the business’s costs, revenues and profits,
break-even analysis, budgets, cash flow analysis,
and accounting and finance.

Detailed study guide showing the key

topics and what you should be able
to do after completion:

1. The basic economic problem • Apply to current markets

• Understand and explain the link between • Explain the positive relationship between price
business and economics and quantity supplied on the supply curve
• Explain the basic economic problem, scarcity, efficiency • Explain producer surplus and show it graphically
and opportunity costs
• Explain the reasons why supply curves shift
• Describe and produce ‘Production Possibility Frontiers’
• Demonstrate graphically how supply curves shift
• Understand that in the economy decisions are
• Explain how one can derive an industry supply
made by millions of individuals and firms about;
curve from individual firms’ supply curves
What to make? How to make it? For whom
to make it? • Demonstrate how to derive an industry supply
curve form individual firm supply curves
• Explain that there is specialisation by countries,
regions and individuals • Explain consumer surplus and show graphically
• Explain the ‘Division of Labour’ and its importance • Apply to current markets
in modern society
• Describe the ‘Sectors of the Economy’ 4. Costs, Revenues and Profits
• Explain who the Economic Actors • Understand the role of the business within
are and what are their motives the economy
• Separate business costs into fixed, variable
2. Free market and mixed economies and semi-variable costs
• Explain how ‘Free Markets’ operate • Understand what is meant by the term revenue,
cost and profit
• Explain the link between Free Markets, the Economic
Actors, and Ownership and Competition • Calculate the profit or loss being made by a business
• Explain the role of government in a Free Market • Understand the relationship between cost, price,
revenue and profits
• Explain the role of government in a mixed
and planned economy
• Access the pros and cons of free and mixed economies 5. Break-even analysis
• Describe the relative degree of mixing • Calculate contribution and contribution per unit
in the world’s Economies • Calculate break-even output
• Apply to current markets • Construct a break-even table
• Construct a break-even chart, fully labelled
3. The demand curve
• Draw a typical demand curve 6. Raising Finance
• Explain the inverse relationship between price and • Describe the main internal sources of finance
quantity demanded
• Describe the main external short and long term
• Explain that price changes cause a movement along sources of finance
the demand curve
• Show awareness of the important factors when choosing
• Explain what causes shifts in the demand curve between alternative sources of finance (assess benefits
• Show that individual demand curves can be added and limitations)
together to form an industry demand curve
• Explain consumer surplus and show graphically
Business, Economics, Finance and Management

7. Setting Budgets • Business Behaviours

• Describe the reasons for setting budgets This module is focussed on how organisations
• Show an awareness of the different types are developed, how people interact in business
of budgets that are produced by a business environments, and laws which affect how
• Produce a sales budget, production budget, businesses are run. The main topics of this
cost budget and profit budget module are: entrepreneurship, legal structures,
organisational structure, recruitment and
• Discuss the problems linked to setting budgets
selection, motivation, and business law.
• Understand variances and how they are calculated

Detailed study guide showing the key

8. Cash Flow topics and what you should be able
• Understand the nature and importance of cash flow to do after completion:
to a business start-up
• Understand why businesses prepare cash flow forecast 1. Introduction to Business and Enterprise
• Be able to amend or complete a cash flow forecast & Entrepreneurship
• Evaluate the difficulties of cash flow forecasting • Understand types of business activity
• Understand the causes of cash-flow problems • Understand and explain the terms ‘enterprise’
and ‘entrepreneurship’
• Be able to suggest how a business can improve
its cash flow • Describe the potential risks, rewards and
opportunity cost of becoming an entrepreneur
9. Introduction to Financial Accounting • Identify the characteristics of successful
entrepreneurs
• Read, understand and analyse financial statements
• Explain the main motives and drawbacks
• Demonstrate an awareness of accounting of becoming an entrepreneur
problems and the underlying economic factors
that generated them
2. Choosing the Right Legal Structure
• Prepare a balance sheet
• Explain the key features, benefits and drawbacks
• Prepare an income statement
of setting up as a sole trader, partnership, private
• Prepare a cash flow statement limited, public limited company and a franchise
• Understand and record liabilities (current, bonds, • Evaluate the most appropriate legal structure
leases), assets, and inventories for an entrepreneur setting up a new business
• Be able to assess which type of legal structure
is suitable as businesses progress

3. Improving Organisational Structure

• Describe the key elements of organisational
structures; chain of command, span of control,
authority & responsibility and delegation
• Analyse how organisational structure affects
business performance
• Define the concepts of Delegation, Power,
Accountability and Responsibility

4. Recruitment & Selection

• Understand the need for effective recruitment
• Describe the recruitment process
• Analyse the benefits and drawbacks of internal
and external recruitment
• Describe the different methods of selection
that can be used
• Discuss how recruitment and selection
can improve the workforce
Business, Economics, Finance and Management

11. Motivation • Skill for Business

• Describe the motivation theories of at least Skills for Business, is about developing
2 different theorists transferable skills such as data collation and
• Discuss the importance to a business of having analysis (surveys, basic statistical techniques
a motivated workforce used in business), using case studies to evidence
• Describe the range of financial and non-financial arguments, seminar speaking skills, developing
methods used to motivate employees argument in written forms, collaborating in group
work such as debates, using academic papers
12. Business Law to write essays, accurate referencing techniques,
how to set up a business. The main topics of this
• Explain key differences between the UK legal system module are: market research, CSR and Ethics
and the European Legal System
(this material will be used to allow you to practice
• Understand the impact of the law on the business the transferable skills listed), business planning
• Understand the basics of employment Law: the and presentation skills.
employment contract and health and safety at work
• Explain discrimination and dismissal and how these Detailed study guide showing the key
can be avoided
topics and what you should be able
to do after completion:

1. Conducting Start-Up Market Research

• Understand the purpose of market research
• Describe the difference between primary and
secondary research and discuss the advantages
and disadvantages of each
• Discuss the various methods available for collecting
research
• Be able to assess the benefits and drawbacks of
various methods of primary and secondary research
• Explain the difference between quantitative
and qualitative research data
• Understand the benefits of, and comment on some
of the potential drawbacks of market research
• Conduct secondary research
• Conduct primary research
• Analyse the results of the research

2. Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility

and learning Harvard Style Referencing
• Be able to discuss the role of a business in society
• Understand the different ways in which ethics
can impact a business and society
• Understand sustainability and some ideas
of how companies can act sustainably
• Be able to defend an opinion about the role
of CSR and ethics in Business
• This will be one of the topics where students
will write an academic essay
• Collect data from academic papers, and analyse
the data found
• Write several essays to practice academic
essay writing
• Understand the purpose and importance
of referencing
• Practice Harvard style referencing
Business, Economics, Finance and Management

3. Business Planning and SWOT analysis • Advanced Maths for Business

Business Planning and Finance (University of Amsterdam only)
• Identify the key features of a Business Plan - This module is designed to cover many elements
Locating the business, market segmentation, of pure mathematics, including topics such as:
market size, share & growth, assessing business Calculus, Vectors, Matrices and Complex Numbers,
start-ups & gathering secondary & primary data Proof, Differential Equations, Mechanics and Discrete
and employing people
Mathematics.
• Review past plans and presentation -
discuss their effectiveness
• Students use this time to brainstorm and research
their Business ideas
SWOT analysis
• Introduce SWOT – use to help identify viable business
proposals
• Students will work in teams to come up with an idea
for
a new business. Students will then write a business
plan as a self-managed team, sharing and dividing
the work
• Students will present their business plan in their
teams. Each student must speak in front of the
audience

Sample timetable
9-10 10-11 11-12 12-1 1-2 2-3 3-4 4-5
EAP and EAP and
Mon English test English test Lunch Subject 2 Subject 2 Personal
prep prep tutorial
EAP and EAP and
Tues Subject 1 Subject 1 Lunch English test English test
prep prep
EAP and EAP and
Wed Skills for … English test English test Lunch Subject 2 Subject 2
prep prep
EAP and EAP and
Thur Subject 1 Subject 1 Lunch English test English test Skills for …
prep prep
EAP and EAP and
Fri Subject 2 Subject 2 Skills for … Lunch Subject 1 Subject 1 English test English test
prep prep

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