International Business Management MSc

15 credits

This module will develop your knowledge and understanding of the international business world, equipping you with the tools needed to assess changes in global business environments and configure organisations to adapt to these changing environments.

Topics include:

• Country analysis techniques to guide international expansion
• Free trade and protection
• Introduction to common terms related to international business analysis
• Internationalisation and multinational, global and transnational firms
• Foreign direct investment and entry mode

30 credits

This module will enable you to understand and prepare management information to support sound business decision-making in the allocation of resources, control of costs and maximisation of profits in productive enterprises.

The module has two main components:

1. Operations and Supply Chain Management

You will examine the key elements of manufacturing and services, including capacity, quality and scheduling, and how processes manage them. You will study the fundamentals of supply chain management, addressing contemporary issues such as sustainable supply chains, supply chain risk management, global (out)sourcing and the impact of emerging digital technologies.

2. Financial Resources Management

You will study the planning, organising, raising, and monitoring of the funds and assets that keep a business operating. You will learn how to calculate the costs associated with the production of products and the provision of services, and determine their price. You will explore budgeting approaches and how budgets are produced, as well as techniques used in evaluating the role of financial institutions and the economic environment in financial business decision making.

15 credits

The success of an organisation depends on its ability to make fast, widely supported and high-quality decisions on a frequent basis. This module introduces you to a range of processes by which organisations assimilate and process information, as well as interpret and make decisions within their environments.

These decisions tend to involve imitating competitors or differentiating themselves from them. Contemporary strategic decisions tend to involve learning, flexibility and adaptation rather than rigid, mechanistic processes of their planning era.

You will discover conceptual and analytical approaches and models to which help us to understand: a) the internal assets and capabilities of, as well as the political dynamics within an organisation, b) its relationships with suppliers, customers, regulatory bodies and other institutions, c) all of the above in the context of globalisation and international competition.

You will then consider the issues involved in understanding and designing strategic options, including those related to managing risk, managing expectations for accountability and ethical business behaviours, and financial and accounting factors.

30 credits

This module will develop your understanding of how people and teams operate within modern global organisations, and how to equip them with the practical skills needed to maximise their contribution.

You will learn how to:

• Be a good communicator
• Inspire trust through reputational credibility and business expertise
• Be resilient in the face of uncertainty, change and pressure
• Work across different cultures and value systems.

Teaching consists of lectures, case studies, career development workshops and guest speaker sessions. You will learn from both academics and practitioners, and you will undertake a real-life project based on a social enterprise or volunteering organisation, which will enable you to apply your knowledge and skills within a team and as part of an organisation.

30 credits

This module will introduce you to the methodologies and tools used in conducting research in consultancy projects.

You will develop the practical skills that consultants use to gather and analyse information on a specific topic and turn information into actionable insights through analysis and interpretation. You will discover the exciting world of business intelligence and big data science, with a particular focus on its use to inform decision making.

As part of the module, you will investigate a business problem using appropriate theory and research methods, providing sound, evidence-based, managerial recommendations in the form of a research proposal.

30 credits

This module will equip you with the knowledge, understanding, skills and practical experience to conduct a consultancy project to solve a real business problem and make recommendations for clients.

You will work in groups while being supported by a series of lectures, seminars and workshops. You will produce a group presentation for the client, presenting your findings and recommendations, as well as submitting a professional consultancy report.

You will be encouraged to critically reflect and evaluate your learning, performance, development and experience, producing a personal development log.

15 credits

The module introduces you to the concepts of entrepreneurship and innovation from an international perspective.

You will develop a deep understanding of the role and relevance of enterprise, entrepreneurship, and innovation as critical features of economic and social development for all nations and types of organisation, public and private.

You will explore new venture and small business management realities, highlighting the difference in management between new/small and large established organisations. You will gain entrepreneurial management skills and the ability to cope with ambiguity, uncertainty, and complexity.

15 credits

Organisations with a strong, consistent and successful focus on managing innovation outperform their competitors in terms of growth and financial performance.

Innovation management requires special knowledge and skills, which are different to standard strategic management theories and practices. This module introduces you to the main concepts and management tools for innovation activities within organisations - from small to large.

You will develop a deep understanding of the role and relevance of innovation within all kinds of organisations and you are asked to identify critical issues, skills and knowledge needed to implement innovation activities or projects.

The module uses a combination of learning and teaching strategies, such as case studies and practical examples of latest examples of innovations. You will carry out a practical innovation audit within an established organisation actively engaged in innovation.

15 credits

This module will develop your knowledge of marketing within an international context. You will explore the various challenges and opportunities faced by a firm when marketing its products and services beyond its domestic borders.

Some of the topics explored in this module include:

• Marketing environments
• Cultural diversity
• Research in an international context
• Emerging markets
• International market selection
• Market entry strategies
• International marking mix decisions.

You will also analyse the impact of the internet and new technology trends such as artificial intelligence on various facets of international marketing.

15 credits

This module focuses on how people buy and use products, and how they react to marketing action.

On this module you will:

• apply this buyer behaviour information to specify marketing goals and define an effective services strategy
• critically evaluate the latest research developments in buyer behaviour, such as customer loyalty, satisfaction, advertising effectiveness, branding, pricing and store atmospherics
• take a scientific approach, based on evidence and theory, to understand the practical application of research findings and to identify areas where further investigation may be needed
• evaluate the most appropriate methods of investigation and analysis.

15 credits

On this module you will turn knowledge of Agile project management tools and techniques into the skills businesses require to bring about strategic change, within a technology-driven context as well as other business areas.

You will explore how Agile approaches require specific organisational and cultural environments that are suited to the key values and manifestos that are so important to the success of these types of projects.

You will work in groups to develop coherent user stories, adopt timebox planning techniques and generate burndown charts to track the delivery of the most important themes that will deliver the greatest benefits back into the business.

15 credits

This module looks at managing multiple complex projects in close alignment with an organisation's business strategy to enhance the management of business activities, both on a strategic and operational level to create and sustain competitive advantage in international markets.

You will learn how to develop portfolios that link to strategic objectives, before developing benefit maps to help organisations to track progress and measure against organisational goals. You will also plan a project from start to finish, using product breakdown techniques and online tools such as MS Project.

Risk and ethics workshops will provide you with practical tools for identifying, assessing and mitigating the most important risks and ethical challenges that face project and programme managers working in today's complex business landscapes.

15 credits

This module offers an intuitive analysis of the international financial management environment.

You will study the role and functions of international financial markets (FX, capital markets) and institutions, and assess the tools that can be employed by firms' managers to assess and control for risk in these markets.

You will learn about international economic linkages, monetary systems and parity conditions in international financial markets. Several real-world examples and journal articles are used to bring together theoretical considerations and practise.

15 credits

This module will provide you with a broad understanding of the field of investment.

The main topics include:

• The UK stock market
• Stock valuation
• Investment strategies for equities
• Financial derivatives
• Portfolio diversification
• Optimal portfolio construction
• Financial risk management.

You will have access to our very own Bloomberg Trading Room and software packages to explore real-time financial data.

15 credits

This module will help you develop a critical understanding of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainable development (SD), and recognise their development and growing importance.

You will learn contrasting methods while you evaluate CSR and SD practices that are applied to various business functions and how to manage organisations and their activities in a socially responsible way.

15 credits

Participatory approaches have become increasingly widespread in recent years, and they recognise the publics and other stakeholders' right to be involved in environmental decision making, but also expects them to take on a variety of responsibilities.

This module explores the diversity of participatory approaches, from global policy to local action. You will examine the benefits and challenges of participatory approaches involving a range of stakeholders in a number of contexts, and consider those who may be excluded and questions of social justice.

You will explore the complexities of implementing these policies and methods through case studies which focus on key issues and the challenges of balancing a range of competing needs.