Economics BSc (Hons)

This module introduces you to the core principles of microeconomics and macroeconomics, focusing on understanding how these concepts can be applied in real world scenarios. You will build practical skills, learning to apply theory to address practical challenges faced by businesses. By studying this module, you will develop an understanding of how individual decisions and developments in economic environment may influence business strategies.

There is an ongoing debate regarding what characterises a ‘responsible business’, covering everything from the requirement to maximise shareholder value, to considering everyone who is impacted by the business, and everything in between. In response to this ongoing debate, this module questions and unpicks how businesses balance the need for economic viability with a commitment to behaving responsibly. You will engage with theoretical and practical perspectives on issues such as:

• The provision of environmentally safe, ethical and equal working conditions
• Sustainable procurement
• The role of philanthropy

This module will challenge you to apply your learning to complex debates around contemporary business and societal issues.

Achieving sustained economic growth remains a challenge, with success varying across countries and over the time. On this module you will explore complex questions such as:

• What drives economic growth, and how does it impact poverty and inequality?
• Is economic growth always desirable, or are broader ideas of development more relevant?
• Can we pursue growth without jeopardising environmental sustainability?

Through this you will gain a deeper understanding of the economic and environmental factors that shape development, question conventional approaches, and consider innovative solutions for a more equitable and sustainable future.

This module builds on the concepts you will have been introduced to in your first semester, in Principles of Applied Economics. It explores the core principles and techniques of macroeconomic analysis, and will enhance your understanding of how theoretical and applied economic tools are used to analyse and interpret macroeconomic developments. You will investigate how decisions made by the Central Banks and governments impact critical macroeconomic variables, including inflation, consumption, economic growth, and unemployment. By analysing contemporary economic events, you will learn to understand trends in these variables, enabling you to make informed predictions and decisions.

This module explores the fundamental concepts and techniques of macroeconomic analysis. You will gain an understanding of quantitative techniques and modern macroeconomics. You will learn how decisions of the central bank and government affect inflation, consumption, economic growth and unemployment. You will also investigate contemporary economic events. This module is essential for obtaining The Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) qualification.

This module focuses on understanding financial statements, and how decision-makers use them. You will learn to understand, analyse, and interpret published financial statements, and explore essential information for financial decision-making within organisations. This includes budgetary control and decision-making for both short-term and long-term planning. By the end of the module, you will be able to identify information in published financial statements, understand the role of budgets and performance reports in planning and control, and select appropriate techniques for decision-making.

Econometrics is a branch of economics that uses statistical and mathematical techniques to analyse economic data. It is about estimating the parameters involved in economic relationships, testing them, and using them to make predictions or forecasts. The estimates may themselves be the final product, helping users understand the dynamics of the relationship. This module will equip you with essential tools for professional practice. You will also have the chance to and develop your modelling skills using statistical software.

This module builds on the knowledge and skills you will have developed in your first year, and delves deeper into the theoretical foundations of economics. Through this you will develop a thorough understanding of economic issues at an intermediate level. The module balances theory with practical applications, equipping you with essential tools to model and solve economic problems. Some of the topics we may cover include:

• Consumer theory
• Production theory
• Industrial organisation
• Game theory
• Public goods
• National income accounting and economic growth
• Unemployment and the labour market
• Economic policy issues

The impact of international financial markets on business organisations is very significant. On this module you will learn to analyse the theoretical and practical aspects of international financial markets, investigsting the development and current state of the international monetary system. We will compare theories of exchange rate determination. and apply them in relation to historical and current events. These theories will be used to address issues around the development of international financial crises, in order to analyse and discuss the impact of different types of crises on the wider economy.

This module will deepen your understanding of investment decisions by situating them within a broader business context. We will focus on the sources and costs of both internal and external finance. On this module you will:

• Learn to analyse capital budgeting decisions, particularly in the context of risk
• Compare and contrast various theories of capital structure
• Understand how different capital structures can impact a company's cost of capital.
• Critically evaluate theories of stakeholder value, learning these theories influence business strategies and decisions

Understanding research and conducting it is a life skil, as well as being valuable to the functioning of organisations. This module will give you the foundational skills to evaluate, design and conduct research. You will learn to:

• Formulate and scrutinise research questions
• Design and propose research methodology
• Collect qualitative and quantitative data
• Analyse data, reach conclusions using it, and report it

These skills will be transferable in all fields of business, including finance, marketing, economics, tourism and events. You will also learn IT skills for survey design and statistical data analysis. For this module’s assessments you will learn to create video presentations, to work conduct and report research collaboratively, and to propose an original piece of research.

This module introduces the principles of natural resource economics, and explores how these concepts play a crucial role in shaping environmental policies. You will learn to design, select, and evaluate policy instruments to address urgent challenges around climate change and conserving nature. You will engage with debates surrounding natural capital, resource management, and the importance of cooperation to address environmental public goods. The focus is on developing practical skills to evaluate the impact of public policies, to investigate how natural resources are, and should be, valued and managed. 

This module will provide you with hands-on, business problem-solving experience, by working on live briefs. In most cases this would include visiting the organisation, communicating your progress with clients, conducting primary or secondary research, and making recommendations in form of report and presentation. This module goes beyond theory, equipping you with authentic workplace skills and a deeper understanding of your own strengths and abilities. All of our projects are designed to develops your skills, while also helping local organisations find solutions to real problems that matters to them.

On this module you will develop a substantial piece of specialist work, with the support of a designated research investigation tutor. This could be in the form of either:

• A traditional Dissertation
• A Business Creation Feasibility Project

You will develop research objectives, formulate appropriate methodologies, and apply problem solving and analytical skills in a business context of your choice. You will also need to collect, analyse, interpret, and evaluate the data generated by your research. At the end of the module, you will have the opportunity to showcase your research at the York Business School Undergraduate Research Symposium.

This module introduces concepts beyond traditional economic theories, exploring how incentives and psychological biases informs policy making. It offers a unique opportunity to consider how people behave and make decisions in controlled experimental settings. Through hands-on experiments, you will observe how individuals respond to economic incentives, and gain a deeper understanding of the complexities behind decision-making.  Building on skills built earlier in your degree, you will design and execute your very own economic experiment, turning theory into practice.

The global economy is now digital, and the nature, role and regulation of money in the digital economy has changed drastically. This module explores technological advances that have uses in finance and the digital economy. It also explores the social, legal and ethical implications of the role of technology in finance and the digital economy. Some of the topics we may cover include:

• Financial services and fintech
• Theoretical foundations and modern applications
• Blockchain technologies in finance
• Cryptocurrencies
• Artificial Intelligence in Finance
• Regulation and Policy
• Social issues in digital finance and cryptocurrencies
• The future of digital finance

On this module you will learn about the key concepts, models, principles and tools involved in Health Economics. This will involve exploring issues surrounding the efficiency, effectiveness, value, and human behaviour in relation to health and healthcare. You will consider:

• Why health is important
• The factors that determine our state of health
• The most cost-effective way to achieve a given state of health
• The role of policy in Health Economics

This will lead you to think critically about the real challenges that healthcare systems face. It equips students with the tools and skills needed to evaluate and propose solutions to mitigate challenges facing healthcare systems.

Globalisation has been a defining feature of how the planet has been re-shaped in economic, technological, social and cultural terms throughout the twentieth century, but it is increasingly being questioned. Issues such as uneven development, inequality, climate change, national-populism, and insecure employment have all challenged dominant thought on globalisation. On this module you will explore how globalisation is being revisited and rethought, engaging with arguments related to social justice in a contested global environment. We consider a broad range of perspectives, not just the traditional voices from the Euro-West that have typically been used to interpret the global environment. The module is informed by the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRiME).

As companies become increasingly complex, they become more difficult to manage, direct and hold to account. Meanwhile the environment they operate in is also becoming more complex, due to pressures of sustainability and ethical behaviour. On this module you will consider how modern companies are operated and directed in this fast changing world, within the framework of the FRC UK Corporate Governance Code, taking in to account their responsibilities for Ethical behaviour and sustainability.  York Business School are committed to integrating Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME). This module is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.