International Management programmes:
MBA - MSc - Postgraduate Diploma and Postgraduate Certificate
Syllabus
Course outlines: core courses
Philosophy of management
This course provides the student with an understanding of how the philosophy of management underlies
all other MBA/MSc courses taught on the programme. The course will be an introduction to the
way in which a firm can develop its managerial thinking, mission and strategy. It will enable
students to evaluate and analyse a firm’s management philosophy, to understand the impact
this philosophy has on the organisation and operation of the business, and to understand how
and why the thinking of some of the key Western philosophical thinkers are relevant to management.
International accounting and finance
This course gives a fundamental understanding of accounting and finance techniques and practices.
It will also provide an awareness of the impact of contexts – different countries, industries,
markets, and regulatory regimes - on the accounting and finance. It will enable students to focus
on the analytical usefulness of accounting and finance data, but in a manner which emphasises
the importance of a wider business understanding for such analysis and the limitations as well
as the strengths of the data.
International human resource management
This course introduces students to the key concepts and policies underlying international human
resource management (HRM) in organisations. With the growth of ‘knowledge work’ and
what some see as a ‘knowledge economy’, human resources have increased in importance
for the firm, and therefore appropriate strategies for managing these resources have become critical
to competition between companies. As firms internationalise and integrate their production and
services across national borders, they find that they need to coordinate workforces that are
accustomed to contrasting management styles, and with skills and competences that have been differently
constructed. The course examines knowledge work and more mobility within labour markets as firms
internationalise and globalise their operations. This course will also examine the impact of
labour markets and other factors on the changing nature of human resource management over recent
years, focussing on the core HR issues that firms have to deal with in a globalising economy.
Furthermore, the course explores HRM in multinational corporations and discusses the issue of ‘transfer’ of
HRM practices from one country setting to another.
Leadership and behaviour in organisations
This course will enable students to develop an advanced understanding of the processes of leadership
- its scope and limitations - in different social and organizational contexts. It draws on the
students’ own experiences as leaders and followers to enable them to understand a wide
range of organizational phenomena, including motivation, teamwork, culture and change management.
The course will give an understanding of the relationship between leadership, management and
administration; transactional and transforming leadership, leadership and the management of culture
and meaning and dysfunctional forms of leadership. It will also explore organizational politics,
business ethics, morality and sustainability as well as the management of diversity and difference.
International operations management
The course will introduce students to some of the main topics in the important field of operations
management – the activities which produce the goods and/or deliver the services required
by customers. These activities are at the core of any organisation and typically involve the
management of the vast majority of its assets, employees and expenditure. The success of any
organisation depends on its ability to manage its operations efficiently – to make best
use of its resources, and effectively – to satisfy its customers. In today’s globalised
economy, more and more organisations operate internationally, increasing the complexity and importance
of operations management decision making. The consequences are felt not merely in operations
but throughout the whole organisation. These decisions usually involve significant sums of money
and affect the competitive position of the organisation for many years. This course will consider
the strategic impact of these issues as the organisations engaged in international operations.
Information systems
This course examines key information systems (IS) issues faced by organisations in today’s
global business environment. Starting with the use of information systems for attaining competitive
advantage, the course will address organisational and managerial concerns in the development, implementation
and effective management of information systems. Particular emphasis will be placed on using a
variety of case studies to make explicit the problems involved in the management of technological
change in organisations as well as the impact of information systems on organisational culture
and context. Through the course students should be able to develop a critical understanding of
the strategic issues in IS and ways in which organisations might strengthen their competitive position
through the use of such systems. It will also address the concept of an IS strategy, the most common
approaches to IS development, implementation and evaluation, the opportunities and challenges posed
by outsourcing of IS as well as the critical success factors involved in developing and implementing
electronic business strategies.
International business economics
This course introduces students to the economics of business enterprise through a strategic framework
that incorporates both traditional and modern approaches to the firm. Combining real-world examples
with economic methodology, it will explore decision-making within a competitive context and will
enable students to demonstrate an understanding of economic analysis and reasoning relevant within
a business context. Using the theory of the firm, the course will display an appreciation of
the economic underpinnings of business strategy. It will also evaluate how various models of
competitive analysis can be used to assess strategic behaviour. Students will learn how to formulate
and respond to different competitive scenarios at the firm level and apply presentation and analytical
skills to develop argument and evidence to support evaluation.
International strategy
This course provides the student with an understanding of how Corporate and Business Strategy fits
into the organisation and running of a company or multi-company corporation. It will introduce
students to the way in which a firm can achieve sustainable competitive advantage and develop
the corporation internationally. It will enable students to evaluate the factors that need to
be considered in analysing a firm’s external environment as well as the internal core competences
of a firm. Students will learn how to formulate strategy for a firm and will understand the nature
of corporate and international strategy.
International marketing
This course aims to develop an advanced understanding of the managerial marketing vocabulary of
concepts, maxims and normative models within an international context drawing on issues in differing
domains of practice including the public sector. The baseline for the module is the influential
US normative tradition of applied marketing principles. Alongside this, the course encourages
a critical engagement from students supported by reference to traditions of marketing scholarship
which seek not to advance organisational effectiveness but to study the evolution, production
and communication of marketing thought itself. Students successfully completing this module will
understand something of managerial marketing thought’s historical development from its
roots in classical economics in the USA to the normative tradition promoted by academic consultants
such as Drucker, Levitt and Kotler. Students would furthermore demonstrate an understanding of
popular normative marketing concepts such as the Mix and STP through application in practical
case scenarios, learn to appreciate the scope of marketing activity in diverse sectors including
non-profit and develop an awareness of some of the work that critiques the practical and theoretical
assumptions of the managerial marketing tradition and which explores the idea of marketing as
an intellectual domain.
International sustainability management
This course provides the student with an understanding of how Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
fits into a programme of Sustainable Development for an organisation. The aim is to introduce
the student to the tensions and trade-offs involved in the adoption of CSR by a firm in a competitive
economy. The students will also learn to understand the role of central, regional and local government
in providing a facilitating framework for CSR and encouraging its adoption. The students will
also learn to understand the problems involved in implementing a CSR programme and the culture
change necessary to achieve a successful CSR firm strategy for companies previously concerned
only with shareholder value. It will enable students to evaluate the factors that need to be
considered by politicians in encouraging the adoption of CSR, the factors that need to be considered
by corporate strategists in developing a business and corporate strategy including CSR and to
evaluate the economic and cultural factors involved in the adoption of CSR by firms. It identifies
the implications for a firm in terms of risk and competitiveness of the adoption of a CSR agenda
when other firms in its markets may not have done so and enables student to understand the implications
of CSR for capital markets as well as the implications of implementing and embedding CSR in a
corporation.
International human resource management and
organisational behaviour
This course combines the key principles and analytical frameworks from the two separate courses:
International human resource management and Leadership and behaviour in organizations (see above).
They are taught as an integrated course for the MSc in International Management. We have selectively
brought the two together not to create an over ambitious course, but in order to give a comprehensive
account of the nature of work within the modern corporation. The operative word here is selective.
We have chosen what we see as the key issues and dimensions of managing people at work, namely:
selecting and recruiting staff from external and internal labour markets, rewarding and motivating
them, fitting them into an organisational structure and culture, and seeing how they cope with
organisational change, much of it driven by the internationalisation of business in the modern
world. Overall, we have utilised what could be called a macro, sociological or organisational approach
to the subject of people at work.
Information systems and operations management
This course combines the key principles and analytical frameworks from the two separate courses:
International Operations management and Information systems (see above). They are taught as an
integrated course for the MSc in International Management. This course will introduce students
to some of the main topics in the important field of operations management – the activities
which produce the goods and/or deliver the services required by customers. In today’s globalised
economy, more and more organisations operate internationally, increasing the complexity and importance
of operations management decision making. The course will also focus on the key information systems
(IS) issues faced by organisations in today’s global business environment and will address
the important organisational and managerial concerns in the development, implementation and effective
management of information systems.
International marketing and strategy
This course combines the key principles and analytical frameworks from the two separate courses:
International marketing and International strategy (see above). They are taught as an integrated
course for the MSc in International Management. This course will provide students with an understanding
of how Corporate and Business Strategy fits into the organisation and running of a company or
multi-company corporation and will introduce students to the way in which a firm can achieve
sustainable competitive advantage and develop the corporation internationally. The course will
also enable students to develop an advanced understanding of the managerial marketing vocabulary
of concepts, maxims and normative models within an international context drawing on issues in
differing domains of practice including the public sector.
International human resource management and organisational behaviour AND Advanced international human resource management and organisational behaviour For the MSc in International Management, the subject matter of the two modules in International human resource management and Leadership and behaviour in organisations are combined in order to create standard and advanced elements of this integrated material. The first module (International human resource management and organisational behaviour) covers the key principles and analytical frameworks of these subjects while the advanced module (Advanced international human resource management and organisational behaviour) goes further in extending the reach of this combined subject matter. We have brought these two subjects together in order to give a comprehensive account of the nature of work within the modern corporation. In these modules we have chosen what we see as the key dimensions of managing people at work, namely: selecting and recruiting staff from external and internal labour markets, rewarding and motivating them, fitting them into an organisational structure and culture, and seeing how they cope with organisational change, much of it driven by the internationalisation of business in the modern world. Overall, we have utilised what could be called a macro, sociological or organisational approach to the subject of people at work.
Information systems and operations
management AND Advanced information systems and operations management
For the MSc in International Management, the subject matter of the two modules in Operations management
and Information systems are combined in order to create standard and advanced elements of this
integrated material. The first module (Operations management and information systems) covers the
key principles and analytical frameworks of these subjects while the advanced module (Advanced
operations management and information systems) goes further in extending the reach of this combined
subject matter. These modules will facilitate the study of topics in the important field of operations
management - the activities which produce the goods and/or deliver the services required by customers.
In today’s globalised economy, more and more organisations operate internationally, increasing
the complexity and importance of operations management decision making. The modules will also cover
the topical field of information systems and will address the important organisational and managerial
concerns in the development, implementation and effective management of information systems.
International marketing and strategy
AND Advanced international marketing and strategy
For the MSc in International Management, the subject matter of the two modules in International
marketing and International strategy is combined in order to create standard and advanced elements
of this integrated material. The first module (International marketing and strategy) covers the
key principles and analytical frameworks of these subjects while the advanced module (Advanced
international marketing and strategy) goes further in extending the reach of this combined subject
matter. These modules will provide students with an understanding of how Corporate and Business
Strategy fits into the organisation and running of a company or multi-company corporation and will
introduce students to the way in which a firm can achieve sustainable competitive advantage and
develop the corporation internationally. They will also enable students to develop an advanced
understanding of the managerial marketing vocabulary of concepts, maxims and normative models within
an international context drawing on issues in differing domains of practice including the public
sector.
Course outlines: core link courses (for students transferring from the Postgraduate Certificate in International Management only)
Advanced international human resource management
and organisational behaviour
The subject matter of the two modules in International human resource management and Leadership
and Organisations are combined to provide an in-depth study of these two fields. The advanced module
goes further in extending the reach of this combined subject matter. We have brought these two
subjects together in order to give a comprehensive account of the nature of work within the modern
corporation. In these modules we have chosen what we see as the key dimensions of managing people
at work, namely: selecting and recruiting staff from external and internal labour markets, rewarding
and motivating them, fitting them into an organisational structure and culture, and seeing how
they cope with organisational change, much of it driven by the internationalisation of business
in the modern world. Overall, we have utilised what could be called a macro, sociological or organisational
approach to the subject of people at work.
Advanced information systems and operations
management
The subject matter of the two modules in Operations management and Information systems
are combined to provide an in-depth study of these two fields. The advanced module goes further
in extending the reach of this combined subject matter. These modules will facilitate the study
of topics in the important field of operations management – the activities which produce
the goods and/or deliver the services required by customers. In today’s globalised economy,
more and more organisations operate internationally, increasing the complexity and importance of
operations management decision-making. The modules will also cover the topical field of information
systems and will address the important organisational and managerial concerns in the development,
implementation and effective management of information systems.
Advanced international marketing and strategy
The subject matter of the two modules in International marketing and International strategy
are combined to provide an in-depth study of these two fields. The advanced module goes further
in extending the reach of this combined subject matter. These modules will provide students with
an understanding of how Corporate and Business Strategy fits into the organisation and running
of a company or multi-company corporation and will introduce students to the way in which a firm
can achieve sustainable competitive advantage and develop the corporation internationally. They
will also enable students to develop an advanced understanding of the managerial marketing vocabulary
of concepts, maxims and normative models within an international context drawing on issues in differing
domains of practice including the public sector.
Course outlines: electives
China and the international economy
This course will explore China’s role in the integration of the Asia Pacific region, and
the nature of diplomatic and economic relations. It will specifically analyse the role of FDI and
overseas and Asian MNEs in China, and assess the causes of economic growth and reform in China,
and the nature of business organisation and management. The role of entrepreneurship and the growth
of Chinese corporations and their global strategies will be discussed. The impact of the financial
crisis of 1997 and the implications of China’s accession to the World Trade Organization
on Chinese business will be explored. Attention will also be paid to the role of the state, personal
connections, and the Communist Party. Students will learn about the practical realities of business
and management in China, and the relationship between indigenous practice and international influences.
Advertising and promotional communication
This course will provide students with an advanced strategic perspective on contemporary marketing
communication management within an international context. It will develop an integrated approach
within a strategic and international marketing communication perspective, and offer a theoretically
and practically robust basis for further postgraduate study/research and/or careers in marketing
and advertising. The course will draw on the research-based expertise in the marketing group
in advertising and promotional communication within the School of Management.
Cooperative strategy
Many companies today engage in cooperative strategies. A cooperative strategy is an attempt by
a firm to realize its objectives through cooperation with other firms, in alliances, rather than
competition with them. This course focuses on the benefits that can be gained through cooperation
and how to manage the cooperation so as to realize them. It will examine how a cooperative strategy
can offer significant advantages for companies that are lacking particular competencies or resources
to secure these through links to others possessing complementary skills or assets; this course
will also examine how cooperative strategy may also offer easier access to new markets, and opportunities
for mutual synergy and learning.
International business analysis
This course analyses corporate management by examining two interconnected themes: (a) literature
and debates, and (b) the macro and meso background. The first theme presents a form of business
analysis that draws on three sources. First, it outlines relevant management/strategy literatures.
Second, it introduces political economy debates, which help us to understand the changing structural
context around firms and industry. Third, it demonstrates how market, financial and productive
analysis can be used to develop empirically based stories about strategies and their outcomes.
The second theme contains two features: first, economic/product market context; second, use of
business analysis methods to allow case study work.
Corporate social responsibility
This course will provide students with more in-depth knowledge of CSR issues in the business world.
The aim is to introduce the student to the tensions and trade-offs involved in the adoption of
CSR by a firm in a competitive economy. Students will also learn to understand the role of central,
regional and local government in providing a facilitating framework for CSR and encouraging its
adoption. It will provide students with an understanding of the problems involved in implementing
a CSR programme and the culture change necessary to achieve a successful CSR firm strategy for
companies previously concerned only with shareholder value.
Management of Japanese multinationals
This course analyses the business strategies, organization and operations of leading Japanese multinational
companies, by reviewing and comparing case-studies. The course will develop insight into the
approaches and methods of leading Japanese executives, and the practical realities of multinational
management. It will consider the influence of national and organizational cultures on the operations
of multinationals, and analyze the organizational capabilities of Japanese multinationals in
relation to their competitors. Student will be able to evaluate relevant literature and theory
on the multinational enterprise and Japanese business with contemporary practice, and to utilize
research skills in the investigation of individual Japanese multinationals. A key feature of
this course is the opportunity to confer with leading business executives and officials, and
extend the personal skills and experiences of students.
Multinational enterprise and the global economy
This course will provide an overview of the development and current position and role of Multinational
Enterprises (MNEs) as key agents on the international economic stage. Attention is placed on
the growth and development of MNEs, the emergence of a ‘global’ economy, trends in
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and more strategic issues such as the foreign market entry decision,
co-operative structures and strategies and ethical concerns. Therefore, the course attempts to
interrogate the importance of MNEs as key agents of integration across the international economy.
The course also addresses the implications of ‘globalization’ for the organization
and operation of multinational firms.
Investment management
The course will provide students with a comprehensive overview of portfolio management in theory
and practice. It will develop an understanding of the pricing of bonds, equities and derivatives
and their risk/return characteristics and evaluate the relative merits of active and passive
management from both a domestic and international perspective. Recent changes in international
fund management and their implications will also be examined. The main valuation models for bonds
and equities will be critically analysed, and the problems of international investment strategy
and the relative merits of different approaches will be examined in detail. The current state
of financial markets will be analysed with a view to devising a relevant portfolio strategy.
Corporate finance
This course will provide an overview of corporate finance in both a domestic and an international
setting. It will explain the valuation of real investments and their financing as well as the
dividend decision. By developing an understanding of international capital markets, the course
will identify the main trends in mergers and acquisition activity. Students will be able to apply
the main principles of financial theory to contemporary commercial problems and understand the
problems of investment appraisal and the relative merits of different approaches. This will enable
them also to evaluate the consequences of a proposed takeover or merger, and to analyse the current
state of financial markets.
Knowledge management
This course will develop students’ knowledge and understanding of contemporary theories and
practices of knowledge management (KM) by examining the theoretical understanding of knowledge
management to real life situations and by integrating different dimensions of knowledge management
arising from human resource management, information systems and strategic management. The course
will explain the concept of `intellectual capital’ and how it is managed and exploited in
organisations. The course will demonstrate a critical understanding of knowledge management policies
and strategies in organisations that enhance effectiveness. Students will be able to apply a range
of transferable skills including literature search, analytical skills, application of theory to
real life situations, teamwork, motivation and interpersonal skills.
International business law
This course provides an understanding of the essential elements of international business law.
It will focus on the main issues relating to Contract Law, Commercial Law, Business Regulation,
Employment Law, Company Law, Commercial Arbitration Law (theory and practice) and Business Ethics
(theory and practice). It is intended to give students a comprehensive and coherent appreciation
of the main legal aspects of the subject as well as exploring ethical issues within the international
business context. The course will give a grounding in the legal issues of international business,
and provide an understanding of the national and international legal practice relating to international
business law.
Global financial markets
Global financial markets is concerned with the nature of the capital securities which are traded
on the international money and capital markets and with the operation of those markets themselves.
Over the last 20 years there has been an explosion in the variety of securities and tradable
assets, fuelled by deregulation and paralleled by an equally explosive growth in the technical
and academic development of the discipline of finance. This development came about because of
a number of important theoretical advances: the development of the theory of risk, the formal
development of the concept of arbitrage and, of equal importance, the development of sophisticated
information processing systems.
International entrepreneurship
This course will provide students with the intellectual and practical background to equip would-be
entrepreneurs with the skills and knowledge to set up their own international companies successfully.
Students will gain an understanding of the key differences between large companies and SMEs and
learn to appreciate the role of start-up and entrepreneurial activity in the hi-tech and Bio-pharma
sectors. It will also provide students with an understanding of the financing options available
to start-up and developing companies.
Face-to-face plenary session
Plenary group work
The group work forms an important part of the MBA and MSc schedule and experience. It comprises
two group presentations and one written group report. The presentations and report focus on relevant
management issues, functions, and organisational outcomes. The group work draws on practical
application of theory gained from the study of the core subjects on the MBA and MSc.
The course aims to:
1. To assist students in understanding the linkages between the various core management functions – Accounting
and finance, Human resources management, Organisational behaviour, Strategy, Operations management,
Information Systems, and Marketing.
2. To provide a forum in which to discuss the practical elements of leadership and group working.
3. To provide an environment in which distance learning students can experience the networking
aspects so important in an MBA and MSc programme.
The project material is case study based, with each group being given a case study on which to base their presentations and report. The first part of the project focuses on literature review and problem identification, and the second part focuses on case study analysis and interpretation. In both portions of the project students are expected to gather further information from library and web sources, evaluate this information and use it to inform their approach to the case study assigned. There is also a strong emphasis on group dynamics.
Research course and dissertation
Business research methods
This is an innovative course designed as a step-by-step guide on how to write your dissertation.
It is based on many years of experience of helping students to successfully complete a research
project. Unlike all other courses in the MBA and MSc, there is no examination, but the course
is assessed through the submission of a 12,000 word dissertation.
Course outline
Starting your dissertation: developing and choosing a research topic; routes to pursue
a research issue; how soon should I write?; designing your research project – research purpose,
research strategy; unit of analysis; time dimension; study setting. Progress of your report:
typical route; road blocks to making progress on your project; when to stop writing; the 65 per
cent rule; limits and objectives of the literature review; structuring your literature review;
falsification theory and the structure of a literature review. Theory building:how do
we think?; scientific understanding and method; deduction and induction; lateral thinking; fuzzy
thinking; theory building; variables; hypotheses; what are theories for?; do theories have to make
sense?; simplification; structure of a theory chapter. Methodology:components and structure
of a methodology chapter; methodology diary; common methodological problems; qualitative versus
quantitative research; qualitative data collection; six characteristics of qualitative data collection;
methods for collecting qualitative data; methods for collecting quantitative data; complementarity
of qualitative and quantitative research; sampling and survey design; advantages of sampling; representativeness
and randomness; reliability and validity; populations and sampling frames; sampling designs. Coping
with data: statistics are beautiful; the power of statistics; six common statistical fallacies;
when is data information?; introduction to statistical techniques; data analysis; decision framework
for data analysis; statistical tools for data analysis; use of SPSS. Concluding chapters:
bringing data back to theory; how not to write a conclusion; common problems of style; basic rules
of writing; the expectations of examiners.
Dissertation
The dissertation is an excellent opportunity to analyse a business or management issue in depth
as an independent research project. The dissertation could be carried out in conjunction with
a ‘blue chip’ business or you could use your experience and knowledge to study a
topic of relevance to your own professional or national background. You will be assigned a supervisor
who will be able to offer advice and suggestions about your chosen filed of inquiry, your methods
and analysis. The supervisor will also provide support and encouragement to assist you in completing
this challenging and final component of the MBA course.