INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS - University of Kent ·

INTERNATIONALBUSINESSCanterbury

The UK’s European university

Undergraduatestudy

2 International Business

INTERNATIONALBUSINESS AT KENTBusiness is global; to be successful you needto understand international cultures andmarkets and adapt your business to theirneeds. As an International Business studentat Kent, you develop the essential businessskills to lead any business anywhere.

3www.kent.ac.uk/kbs


CMI accreditationAt Kent Business School youhave the opportunity to gainthe Chartered ManagementInstitute’s (CMI) Level 5Award in Management andLeadership alongside yourdegree. CMI qualificationsare highly sought after byemployers.

World-leadingresearchYou learn from leading experts.Our staff undertake researchof international quality; writeand contribute to journalarticles and books; and provideexpert comment to the media.They expose you to the latestideas.

InspirationalteachingGreat teachers inspireenthusiasm and provokedebate. Whether they’relecturing on leadership orsparking a debate aboutbusiness ethics, our staff areskilled at bringing their subjectto life and drawing you intothe conversation.

Academic supportUniversity is different fromschool. You need to be self-motivated and well organised tosucceed. We help by assigningyou an academic adviser andorganising peer mentoring.You can also get help withacademic skills, such asessay writing and referencing.

Year in industry/abroadAs part of your degree youcan spend a year workingin industry in either the UKor abroad, or a year studyingabroad. This gives you thechance to put theory intopractice as well as make avaluable contribution to anorganisation.

ExcellentresourcesAccess more than 1 millionbooks, ebooks, databasesand journals at the University’sTempleman Library. Our expertsubject librarians are on handto help you find your wayaround and get the mostfrom our specialist collections.

Support forstart-upsTake the Business Start-upJourney and develop theskills you need to becomea successful entrepreneur.You get advice from businessexperts to develop your ownbusiness plan, pitch your ideasand potentially win a cash prizeto help fund your start-up.

Lively campusKent is a campus university,so everything you need iswithin walking distance. Youcan watch a play or film at theGulbenkian arts centre, danceat The Venue nightclub, keep fitat our sports centre and meetfriends at one of many campuscafés and restaurants.

Career successEmployability is a priority atKent. By studying, you sharpenskills that are useful in workinglife, such as time managementand team work. You haveopportunities to gain workexperience and access tocareers advice, boostingyour CV and your confidence.

WHY STUDY INTERNATIONALBUSINESS AT KENT?

The Complete UniversityGuide 2020• Business and ManagementStudies at Kent scored 93out of 100

Destination of Leavers fromHigher Education (DLHE)• Over 95% of Kent graduateswho responded to the mostrecent national survey ofgraduate destinations werein work or further study withinsix months (DLHE, 2017).

Research ExcellenceFramework• Based on the most recentResearch ExcellenceFramework, Kent was rankedin the top 20 for researchintensity by the Times HigherEducation, outperforming11 of the 24 Russell Groupuniversities

Teaching ExcellenceFramework• Kent was awarded gold,the highest rating, in theUK government’s TeachingExcellence Framework*

Independent rankings

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Global outlookAt Kent Business School, we pride ourselves on the strength ofour global connections. These have developed as a result of manystrategies including a policy of regional, European and globalrecruitment, training and consultancy links. We also have excellentlinks with business schools in Hong Kong, China, France, Germany,Spain, Finland and Italy. We believe that an international perspectiveon business benefits all our students. *The University of Kent’s Statement

of Findings can be found atwww.kent.ac.uk/tef-statement

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working for Guerlain, both in Paris.They were areas I was interested in[hospitality and luxury business] butvery different companies. The firstwas more sales and the secondmore marketing based but it wasa bit of shock to discover thatmarketing means completelydifferent things to differentcompanies. They were both goodexperiences and I also learnedwhat I didn’t want to do as a careeras much as what I do want to do.

What kind of career are youhoping to have?I don’t know exactly in what field.I’m open to pretty much anyindustry, but it’s more about theactual job, as I’ve realised that if thejob isn’t motivating, if the corporateculture is not engaging and it’s notreally appealing, then I won’t givemy all. So I need to find a placethat’s actually going to make me feellike I belong there and I really enjoyit. Possibly working for a smallercompany where I could be in atthe ground floor and be part ofsomething.

Any advice for future students?Try to make the most of your firstyear as that is when you will havethe most free time. So, choosewisely, but test out all the societiesyou like the sound of. The first yearis hard in terms of adjustment andmaking friends, but push throughthose hardest points and you’llrealise that you can do this.

Sarah Grippay is in thefinal year of her BSc inInternational Business.

Why did you choose Kent?I visited a lot of universities to geta feel for what I wanted and I thinkKent was the only one that didn’thave any cons – there was nomain negative side to it. I liked thecourses, the campus and the city.Kent was actually my insurancecourse, but now I’m actually reallyhappy that I came here.

How is your course going? I feel like my final year has been thebest year; the best teachers and thebest classes so far. I think it mightbe because I was away for my yearin industry. So then coming back,I had more expectations, buteverything’s been met. But ithas been a lot of work!

What do you think of theteaching?The lecturers are really passionate,they really know their topic insideout. The way they convey things isreally great, not just going throughthe textbook, but really adding inrecent research and examples tomake the theory easier tounderstand.

Which modules have youenjoyed most and why?I most enjoyed InternationalEntrepreneurship and it’s actuallymade me decide to work onlaunching an app with my friendafter presenting our idea of making

the search for a university a lot lessdaunting. Our lecturer really likedthe idea and encouraged us to goforward with it. It’s going to be a lotof work but I think if I’d not takenthis module, I’d never have thoughtabout this as a possibility ratherthan a ‘traditional’ career path.

What do you think of thefacilities on campus?I like the library; I think I spent mostof my second year at the library!It gives me a chance also to seepeople who aren’t in the BusinessSchool, my law and politics friends.I spend most of my time now inSibson [the Business Schoolbuilding] because there are groupmeetings and lectures to go to andpeople I need to see. I think that it’sgreat to just have buildings that youcan go in to where you’re able tostudy or just to meet people.

What about your social life?I was in the Model United Nationsfor my first two years and I’m alsoin the Kent Current Affairs Society.That has been really interestingas they bring in a lot of speakersand you hear about things fromdifferent people and different pointsof view. I also recently took part inthe Jailbreak Challenge for KentRAG and we made it all the wayto San Francisco and raised nearly£800 for Help Healing Venezuela.

What did you do for your year inindustry?I split it into two six-monthinternships. One for MarriottInternational and the second

STUDENT VIEW


CHOOSING YOUR PROGRAMME

Kent Business Schooloffers a range of degreeprogrammes that aretailored to specific aspectsof industry as well as yourindividual interests andrequirements. Here’s aguide to what’s available.

International Businesswww.kent.ac.uk/ug/865This degree gives you a thoroughgrounding in the core topics thatare key for a successful businesscareer, as well as coveringcontemporary issues within theglobal business environment.The degree may be taken overthree years full-time or six yearspart-time.

International Businesswith a Year Abroadwww.kent.ac.uk/ug/866

International Businesswith a Year in Industrywww.kent.ac.uk/ug/867The International Business degreemay also be taken over four yearsfull-time with either a year in industryor a year studying overseas. Thesefour-year programmes have thesame content as the three-yearprogramme, see p9.

Other degree programmesThe following single honoursprogrammes are also available tostudy at our Canterbury campusover three years full-time, or fouryears full-time with an optional

year abroad/in industry. You mayalso study some programmes part-time.

Accounting & Financewww.kent.ac.uk/ug/235

Accounting & Financewith a Year Abroad (N405)www.kent.ac.uk/ug/3723

Accounting & Finance witha Year in Industry (N404)www.kent.ac.uk/ug/237Our Accounting & Finance degreeis specially designed to ensurethat it responds to the needsand expectations of the modernaccountancy profession.

Business (top-up)www.kent.ac.uk/ug/12Building upon your in-depthknowledge of business andbusiness-related subjects, thisprogramme allows you to attaina full honours degree in one year,provided you have gained a HNDor foundation degree with acompatible syllabus in Businessor a related discipline.

Managementwww.kent.ac.uk/ug/1399Management with a Year Abroadwww.kent.ac.uk/ug/3722Management with a Year inIndustrywww.kent.ac.uk/ug/1398You are introduced to key functionalareas, such as strategy, humanresource management, accounting,marketing and operations. In yourfinal year, the options allow you todevelop other specialist areas.

Marketingwww.kent.ac.uk/ug/868Marketing with a Year Abroadwww.kent.ac.uk/ug/3721Marketing with a Year in Industrywww.kent.ac.uk/ug/869Our Marketing degree focuseson developing marketing skills ina globally competitive environment.You take a range of modules tofacilitate the development of yourmarketing skills and capabilities.

International studentsIf you are applying from outsidethe UK without the necessaryEnglish language qualifications,you may be able to take the KentInternational Foundation Programme(IFP). Achieving a good pass fromthe Kent IFP with an overall averageof 60%, including passing allcomponents, guarantees you entryto the first year of the InternationalBusiness degree programme. Formore details of entry requirements,please see p15.

For the most up-to-date information,see www.kent.ac.uk/ifp

Need more information? If you would like advice on whichis the right programme for you,you may email the business schooland request a one-to-one talk withthe Head of Recruitment, SteveRobinson, at [email protected]

www.kent.ac.uk/kbs 9

YOUR STUDY PROGRAMME

Your studies are dividedinto three stages: Stage 1,Stage 2 and Stage 3. Ifyou are spending a yearabroad or in industry, youdo this between Stages 2and 3.

In your first year (Stage 1) you areintroduced to key concepts andtheories in international business.

At Stages 2 and 3, you deepenyour knowledge and have thechance to focus on areas thatinterest you. You also develop yourinternational business specialism.You take a compulsory employabilitymodule in both Stages 2 and 3 tohelp you acquire and develop thetransferable skills necessary toapply for work experience andgraduate opportunities.

Teaching and assessmentIn a typical week at Stage 1, youspend four hours in lectures andfour hours in seminars. Somemodules have workshops orsessions in the micro-computerlabs. You also spend considerableperiods on individual study usingthe library resources.

Most Stage 1 modules are assessedby a combination of courseworkand examination. Most moduleshave an end-of-year examination,which normally counts for 60% ofthe mark; the other 40% is derivedfrom your coursework. You mustsuccessfully complete Stage 1 inorder to move onto Stage 2.

At Stages 2 and 3, you have around12 hours of class time per week.Assessment is by a mixture ofcoursework and examinations. Theexaminations normally count for60% of the marks for each module.

Module informationPlease note: the module lists beloware not fixed as new modules arealways in development and choicesare updated yearly. The detailsbelow are correct at the time ofpublication (June 2019). Pleasesee www.kent.ac.uk/ug for themost up-to-date information.

To read a full description ofany of the modules listed, go towww.kent.ac.uk/courses/modulesand search for the module code.

Stage 1All students take the following:• Business Analysis Tools (CB364)• Business Organisation, Issues

and Skills (CB391)• Financial Accounting, Reporting

and Analysis (CB369)• Global Business Environment

(CB343)• Introduction to Management

(CB312)• Introduction to Marketing (CB370)• Introduction to Statistics for

Business (CB313)• Microeconomics for Business

(EC313).

All students can take a Europeanlanguage option (either French,German, Italian or Spanish) insteadof Business, Organisation, Issuesand Skills, and Introduction toStatistics for Business.

Stages 2 and 3All students take the followingcompulsory modules in Stages 2and 3:• Business Ethics and Sustainable

Management (CB733)• Business in Emerging Markets

(CB673)• Cross-Cultural Management

(CB746)• European Business (CB605) • Financial Management for

Decision Making and Control(CB677)

• International Business: Modesand Functions (CB749)

• International Business:Theoretical Insights (CB6005)

• International Business:A Strategic Perspective (CB674)

• International BusinessManagement Project (CB748) orInternational Entrepreneurship(CB747) and InternationalMarketing (CB544)

• Operations Management(CB786)

• Strategy Analysis and Tools(CB676).

Your remaining modules areselected from a wide rangeincluding:• Digital Marketing Applications

(CB602)• Diversity in Organisations

(CB658)• Entrepreneurship (CB613)• Project Management (CB750)• Psychology of the Contemporary

Workplace (CB751)• Research and Consultancy

Methods (CB757)• a European language.

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Keeping in touch with KentThe University maintains closecontact with you during youryear away. The year in industryis assessed by a combination ofemployer feedback and academicevaluation.

Year abroad For your year abroad, you spendyour time studying at one of ourpartner institutions. It may also bepossible to spend your year abroadon an approved work placement.See www.kent.ac.uk/goabroad fordetails.

YEAR IN INDUSTRY/ABROAD

As part of your degreeprogramme, it is possibleto go on a year’s businessplacement or spend ayear studying or workingabroad. This is takenbetween Stages 2 and 3.

Year in industryStudents at Kent Business Schoolhave had placements with manymajor companies both in the UKand overseas. Opportunities formanagerial level jobs are availablein a wide range of sectors.Organisations that have recentlyparticipated in the scheme includeDenne, Enterprise Rent-A-Car,Ernst & Young, Eurosport, Fujitsu,IBM, Lloyds Banking Group, MorganStanley, National Grid, The WaltDisney Company, UBS AG Bankand Vauxhall Motors.

Study and career benefitsEmployers are very keen to employgraduates who already have workexperience, so this year can greatlyenhance your job prospects byproviding you with real managerialchallenges. The placement alsoallows you to evaluate a particularcareer path and gain knowledge ofthe working environment. Followinga successful placement, you mayeven be offered a full-time positionwith the organisation after yougraduate.

The skills and knowledge acquiredwill also help you in your final yearat university, by allowing you toput your academic learning intopractice in a real-world context.

Finding a placement Kent Business School providesinformation and support in findingplacements, through a rangeof preparatory employabilityworkshops. You are visited duringyour placement, and providedwith online support at other times.On your return to the University,you provide a reflective reporton your placement.

Salary and benefitsSalary and holiday entitlements varyaccording to the employer you workfor. However, many students find thatthey earn enough to be able tosave some of their income, andthis often helps them in their finalyear of studying at Kent.

• arranging note-takers, signersand other support workers for you

• discussing exam accessarrangements

• helping you with emotional,psychological or mental healthissues

• applying for relevant fundingto support you.

Find out more at www.kent.ac.uk/studentsupport

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SUPERB STUDY SUPPORT

We’ll support youthroughout your timeat Kent, from helpingyou adjust to universitystudy to discussingmodule choices andessay topics with you.

You are assigned an academicadviser in your first year, and theyhelp you get the most from yourdegree programme. They meetwith you regularly to discussgeneral academic issues orspecific assignments. Theywill assist you in developingacademic skills and refer you toother sources of help if you need it.

Peer supportThe best advice often comes from people who’ve been in yoursituation. On our Academic PeerMentoring scheme, first-yearstudents can ask to be matchedwith second- or third-year studentson a similar degree programme.

Peer mentors will help you settle into university life and find your feet.They can help you to discuss ideasand improve your study skills as youprogress through your first year.

Study skills adviceSuccessful students take control oftheir own learning. Kent’s StudentLearning Advisory Service (SLAS)can help you to increase yourcompetence and confidence andfulfil your potential. You can requesta one-to-one appointment or attend

workshops on a diverse rangeof topics, from making the mostof lectures to writing well andavoiding plagiarism.

Student support andwellbeingYou might need extra help to getthe most from university. If youhave a medical condition, specificlearning difficulty, mental healthcondition or disability, the StudentSupport and Wellbeing team isthere to support you.

The team is committed to improvingaccess to learning for all studentsat Kent and can assist with manythings, including:• talking to your lecturers about

any help you need in lecturesor seminars

DID YOU KNOW?Kent has won the TimesHigher Education (THE)Outstanding Support forStudents Award two yearsrunning (2017 and 2018).


A SUCCESSFUL FUTURE

What do you hope to do once you have yourdegree? Whether you havea specific career path inmind or haven’t yetthought much beyonduniversity, we can helpyou to plan for successin the future.

Build your CVYour degree studies help you todevelop skills such as thinkingcritically, expressing yourself clearly,solving problems and working bothindependently and as part of ateam. These transferable skills arevalued by employers and will alsobe vital if you go on to further study.

At Kent, you have lots of other greatopportunities to enhance your skills.For instance, you could:• join a society or sports club (even

better – get involved in running it)• volunteer in the community• work in a part-time job or take

up a summer internship • represent your fellow students

as a student rep, or becomea student ambassador

• learn a new language or skillwith Study Plus.

Getting involved like this meansthat you can earn EmployabilityPoints, which you can exchangefor employability rewards. The morepoints you earn, the more valuablethe rewards: we work with local,national and international employersto offer internships, work experienceand a range of other activities thatprepare you for the world of work.

Valuable contactsTaking the year in industryprogramme gives you a wonderfulopportunity to impress employersand make contacts in the businessworld. It also gives you a betterunderstanding of what employersare looking for, and helps youdiscover what type of work mostappeals to you.

The companies involved also seethese placements as a good wayto find potential full-time employees,so the scheme gives you a definiteadvantage when it comes to jobprospects. See p10 for more details.

Find a great jobInternational Business graduatesfrom Kent have taken up positionswith a wide range of employers,including Deloitte, KPMG, PWC,Lloyd’s Bank, Sainsbury’s, Tesco,Transport for London, Yahoo! UK,Thames Valley Police and Heineken.

Kent Business School’s qualifiedcareers practitioners providesupport to all International Businessundergraduate students both duringtheir studies and for up to threeyears after graduation.

Visit our careers fair to talk topotential employers and useour award-winning Careers andEmployability Service for adviceon preparing your CV. Our trackrecord speaks for itself: over 95%of Kent graduates who respondedto the most recent national surveyof graduate destinations werein work or further study withinsix months (DLHE, 2017).


How do you think your coursehas changed you? It has taught me to listen and exploreother people’s views and opinions.When in a professional meetingyou can often find some peopledominate the room, doing lots ofgroup work while at Kent has taughtme to ask open questions to thewhole room and listen to otherpeople’s thoughts. It taught me thereis a lot to learn from others and gaveme the opportunity to do so.

In what way has your degreehelped you find work? My course opened my eyes to themany different sectors, marketsand roles available out there thatI otherwise would not know about.It really helped me in terms ofresearching different companiesI would like to work for.

What are your plans for thefuture?My plans are to work in London anddevelop the skills and knowledge Igained from Kent before taking myexpertise abroad and working in aninternational environment either inEurope or Asia.

Any advice for those thinking ofcoming to Kent?University is a great opportunity tobe yourself, meet people with similarinterests and make some greatfriendships that will last a lifetime.And if you have the opportunity Iwould highly recommend doing ayear abroad. It is a great experienceto live in another part of the worldand travel while studying.

What attracted you to Kent andto this particular programme?I always knew I wanted to studyinternational business; whatattracted me to Kent was the factit is the UK’s European universityand the idea of studying with andlearning from people with differentbackgrounds was great.

How were your studies? The core course material ofstudying international businesswas the most interesting part for meand when we looked further at howbusiness is conducted differentlyin other parts of the world.

Looking back now, I am thankful forthe group presentations we did aspart of our studies. At the time theywere intimidating, but they reallyhelped me prepare for thepresentations I do now.

What did you think of theteaching at Kent? The teaching at Kent was great,I remember learning from variouslecturers during my three yearsthere. Each one would have theirown teaching style. Their ability tobring material to life through casestudies really helped me learn. Wehad great support from week oneall the way to final exams.

Was the course flexible enoughto allow you to pursue your ownpassions? My course was very broad andcovered multiple areas, which hasopened many doors for me whenlooking at the types of roles I wouldlike to do in the future. The flexiblehours also allowed me to pursue mypassion for boxing and handle theresponsibility of being the club’spresident during my second year.

How would you describe yourfellow students? My peers were from all over theworld and from multiple differentbackgrounds. I found that everyonebonded and got along no matterwhere people had come from.There was a culture of helpingone another during revision butalso celebrating together oncedeadlines were done!

What about the social life? I really enjoyed my time at Kent; theUniversity has a lot to offer in termsof societies to join and get involvedwith and was very supportive of mewhen I chose to do so. Canterburyhad a great choice of events,nightlife and places to eat. It’s alsoa short train journey to London ifwe ever wanted to get away.

NEXT STEPS

Joe Gaymer graduated from Kent in 2017 with a BAin International Business. He is currently working inbusiness development for the sports and fashion sectorat the data, insights and consulting company, Kantar.


COME AND FIND OUT MORE

Choosing a universityis a big step, so it’simportant to find out asmuch as you can beforeyou make your decision.Come and visit us to seewhat we can offer you.

Open DaysOpen Days are a great way to findout what life as a student at Kent islike. For instance, you can:• learn more about the course

you are interested in at asubject presentation

• ask questions – talk to theacademic teams at theinformation stands

• experience our teaching ata taster lecture*

• find out about student finance,opportunities to study abroadand extra-curricular activitiessuch as Kent Sport.

Explore the campus at your ownpace on the self-guided walkingtour. You will be able to visit differenttypes of accommodation, chat tocurrent students and enjoy thestunning views over the city ofCanterbury.

Open Days are held in the summerand autumn. Book your place atwww.kent.ac.uk/opendays

Applicant DaysIf you apply to Kent and we offeryou a place (or ask you to come for an interview), you will usually be invited to an Applicant Day.

Applicant Days run in the autumnand spring terms and are anopportunity to find out about thecourse in more detail. You spendtime with your academic schoolmeeting staff and current students,and take part in activities that giveyou a flavour of your prospectivecourse and university life.

Informal visitsIf you can’t make it to an Open Dayor Applicant Day, you can still visitus. We run tours of the campusthroughout the year.

If you live outside Europe, weappreciate that you might find itdifficult to attend our scheduledevents, so we can arrange apersonal campus tour for youand your family.

Let us know you’re comingScheduled tours and personalcampus tours (for internationalstudents) need to be booked inadvance – you can do this viawww.kent.ac.uk/informal

Meet us in your countryOur staff regularly travel overseasto meet with students who areinterested in coming to Kent.We also have strong links withagents in your home country whocan offer guidance and informationon studying at Kent. Find out moreat www.kent.ac.uk/courses/international

*Programme of events variesaccording to subject.

Self-guided toursIf you prefer to explore onyour own, you can downloada self-guided walking tour at www.kent.ac.uk/informalor pick up a copy from us.

A self-guided audio tour is availabletoo, which allows you to learn aboutKent without even leaving home.See www.kent.ac.uk/courses/visit/informal/audio-tour.html

Explore onlineIf you can’t come and see us,you can find out more about theacademic team, the course andevents in the department andSchool online at www.kent.ac.uk/kbs


This brochure was produced in June 2019. The University of Kent makes every effortto ensure that the information contained in its publicity materials is fair and accurateand to provide educational services as described. However, the courses, services and other matters may be subject to change. For the most up-to-date information,see www.kent.ac.uk/ug and for full details of our terms and conditions, seewww.kent.ac.uk/termsandconditions

For the University to operate efficiently, it needs to process information about youfor administrative, academic and health and safety reasons. Any offer we make toyou is subject to your consent to process such information, which is a requirementin order for you to be registered as a student. All students must agree to abide bythe University rules and regulations at www.kent.ac.uk/regulations

Keep in touch with us• www.facebook.com/

KentBusinessSchool• www.twitter.com/kbs_kent• www.youtube.com/

KentBusinessSchool• www.instagram.com/

KentBusinessSchool

Contact usIf you would like more informationon Kent’s courses, facilities orservices, please contact us on:T: +44 (0)1227 768896www.kent.ac.uk/ug

LocationCanterbury

AwardBSc (Hons)

Degree programmes

Single honours• International Business (N126)• International Business witha Year Abroad (N127)

• International Business witha Year in Industry (N128)

Offer levelsBBB at A level; IB Diploma34 points overall or 16 pointsat higher inc Mathematics4 at HL or SL.

N127: BBB at A level; IB Diploma34 points overall or 16 points athigher incl Mathematics 4 at HLor SL, plus 4 or 5 at SL in amodern European languageother than English

Required subjectsA level German at grade C forGerman variant of N127

GCSE Mathematics grade C(or grade 4).

Year abroad/in industrySee p10.

Offer levels and entryrequirements are subject tochange. For the latest courseinformation, seewww.kent.ac.uk/ug

DPC 12872606/19PUB1228

University of Kent, The Registry, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NZ T: +44 (0)1227 764000 www.kent.ac.uk/ug

COME ANDVISIT USTo find out more about visitingthe University, see our website:

www.kent.ac.uk/visit

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS - University of Kent ·

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