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School of Management, Unit Catalogue 2005/06


MN10001: People and organisations 1

Credits: 6
Level: Certificate
Semester: 1
Assessment: CW 100%
Requisites:
While taking this unit you must take MN10005
Only available to students taking BSc (Hons) Business Administration.
Aims:
This programme intends to develop an initial understanding of core Organisational Behaviour topics that are deemed as suitable for BBA1 students. The course aims to promote an inquiring and critical attitude towards the human side of organizations and management.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* have a good grasp of a breadth of classical Organisational Behaviour topics;
* understand the relevance of these topics to individuals and groups;
* be able to apply their knowledge and understanding at a variety of levels including the individual, group and organisation;
* demonstrate practical team working and facilitation skills drawing on their knowledge.
Skills:
Students will acquire the skills of analysing their own experiences and individuals and group members in organizations and learning from these experiences. (T, A)
Through the provision of a comprehensively linked seminar programme, the students will develop team working and facilitation skills (T, F) with the key driver being to enable their own learning and that of their classmates, through practical engagement with set tasks - deepening the level of understanding acquired in the lecture programme.
The breadth of the students understanding, as well as an appreciation of the links between theory and practice of core Organisational Behaviour topics will be examined.(A)
Content:
A breadth of core Organisational Behaviour topics including: organisational structure, bureaucracy, scientific management, motivation, personality, groups and group development, culture, communication, negotiation, decision making, leadership & followership, diversity, gender, conflict, power.

MN10002: Business and society I

Credits: 6
Level: Certificate
Semester: 1
Assessment: CW 50%, CW 50%
Requisites:
After taking this unit you must take MN10007
Aims: To investigate the relationship between business and the societies within which they operate; exploring the relationships between corporate decision making and the economic, social, institutional and legal environment. To provide a framework within which students can explore the inter-relationships and interdependencies of core management disciplines. To introduce students to the fundamental legal concepts which affect businesses and the ways in which they function. To investigate aspects of the institutional, social and economic environment within which companies operate.
Learning Outcomes:
The unit will provide students with a firm understanding of the relationship between the economic, social and economic environment and corporate decision making. The legal aspects of this course will equip students to understand the law relevant to contracts and torts, and the structure of the courts through which legal rights are enforced. Students will be able to understand whether contract terms are applicable and the consequences of terms not being complied with. They also consider the liability of businesses and individuals in respect of relevant areas of criminal law. Students are given a standard set of contract terms and a business context which forms the basis of the coursework exercise and the examination.
Skills:
Students will further develop their analytical skills and ability to present and defend material through seminar based presentations and discussion. For the law aspect of this course the student will be taught to use legal method in gathering legal material (statutes and caselaw), analysing materials for the legal principles, and then applying those principles in the practical context of a continuous case study. Lectures are supplemented by smaller group tutorials in order to assist students in acquiring the required skills.
Content:
International competitiveness, training and education. Operating the Toyota manufacturing system in the social and economic environment of the UK. Firm strategy and the environment. UK firms in China: analyzing the impact of cultural and institutional factors on corporate behaviour and performance. The legal aspects of the course will introduce concepts of different areas of law and the different types of action which may be brought. In the area of property and contracts, the formation of contracts, their validity, contents and enforceability will be examined. Performance of a contract and ways of resolving disputes are considered.

MN10004: Personal computing

Credits: 6
Level: Certificate
Semester: 1
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW 50%, CW 50%
Requisites:
Aims: In the last few years, the role of computers in business has changed radically. Computing power sits on managers' desks in the form of personal computers (PCs), rather than being inaccessible in the IT department. PCs are a necessary and integral part of business life - they are important and they are unavoidable. This unit aims to introduce students to common uses of personal computing software and to provide foundation knowledge which will help their studies of Information Systems units at higher levels.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the unit, students will have:
* acquired competence in a set of commonly-used software applications.
* developed an understanding of the uses to which these applications can be put in business.
Skills:
* Intellectual - translation of problem requirements to implemented solutions (facilitated and assessed); understanding of software applications in business (taught).
* Practical - ability to use common software packages (taught, facilitated and assessed).
* Key skills - use of Information Technology (taught, facilitated and assessed); evaluation of own production (assessed).
Content:
The unit is essentially practical in orientation and is based around a series of practical classes and workshops. Lectures are used to set the business and technology context surrounding the use of the software in organisational life. The exercises used will develop competencies in the use of a variety of forms of software which are commonly used in business. Students will also be expected to understand the uses to which those software applications can be put in organisations. Relevant forms of software will vary as the technology changes, but a representative sample would include:
* Spreadsheets.
* Web page creation.
* Desktop Database Management System (e.g. MS Access).
* Presentation software.

MN10005: People in organisations 2

Credits: 6
Level: Certificate
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW 50%, EX 50%
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN10001
Aims: This programme intends to build upon knowledge of a breadth of core OB issues from MN0001. The course aims to promote an inquiring and critical attitude towards the human side of organizations and management.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* understand the interdependent nature of core OB topics and to explore these linkages.
Skills:
Students will acquire the skills of analysing their own experiences of groups in organizations and learning from these experiences. (T, A)
Through the provision of a comprehensively linked seminar programme, the students will develop team working and facilitation skills (T, F) with the key driver being to enable their own learning and that of their classmates, through practical engagement with set tasks - deepening the level of understanding acquired in the lecture programme.
The depth of the students understanding, as well as an appreciation of the interlinked nature of core OB topics will be examined.(A)
Content:
Content will include an exploration of the linkages between core OB topics, such as: Organisational structure and the implications for motivation, power and leadership styles; re-understanding leadership in the context of group work, diversity & gender policies - the implications for motivation and 'meaningful' progression; conflict - a reframing in light of effective communication styles, leadership Vs management - what is the difference and what does it mean for the organization?

MN10006: Business economics 2

Credits: 6
Level: Certificate
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW 0%, EX 100%
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take EC10044 or take MN10103

Aims & Learning Objectives:
This course aims to provide an understanding of how the competitive context within which firms operate can be analysed and some of the ways in which firms may respond to and attempt to influence the intensity of competition in theory and practise. The objective is to develop students' ability to apply the tools of microeconomics and use actual data to investigate determinants of the competitive environment and selected aspects of firms' strategy with particular emphasis on oligopolistic conditions.
Content:
The five forces affecting industry profitability. Buyers and demand estimation. The intensity of rivalry between firms and measurement of monopoly power. Strategic groups. Entry conditions and the estimation of costs. Exit decisions. Oligopoly price and non price behaviour under conditions of competition and cooperation. Entry deterrence. Small and medium sized firms in the competitive environment. The impact of government competition policy on strategic options.

MN10007: Business and society II

Credits: 6
Level: Certificate
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW 50%, EX 50%
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN10002
Aims: To investigate the relationship between business and the societies within which they operate; exploring the relationships between corporate decision making and the economic, social, institutional and legal environment. To provide a framework within which students can explore the inter-relationships and interdependencies of core management disciplines. To investigate aspects of the European institutional and economic environment within which companies operate. The legal aspect of the unit aims to extend students' knowledge of the framework of commercial law and the fundamental legal concepts which affect businesses and individuals, their potential liabilities, and the ways in which they function.
Learning Outcomes:
The unit will provide students with a firm understanding of the European institutional and economic environment and the implications of the evolution of the European Union for UK firms. The legal aspects of this unit will equip students to understand the law relevant to contracts and torts, and the structure of the courts through which legal rights are enforced. Students will consider the liability of businesses and individuals in respect of negligence and other torts. They are given a standard set of contract terms and a business context which forms the basis of the coursework exercise and the examination.
Skills:
Students will further develop their analytical skills and ability to present and defend material through seminar based presentations and negotiations. For the law aspect of this course the student will be taught to use legal method in gathering legal material (statutes and caselaw), analysing materials for the legal principles, and then applying those principles in the practical context of a continuous case study. Lectures are supplemented by smaller group tutorials in order to assist students in acquiring the required skills.
Content:
Analysis of the economic, social and institutional framework within which firms compete in the European Union will draw on the body of knowledge assembled in the first semester. In this semester students will be introduced to the Single European Market and the EURO and will analyse the implications of these developments for corporate strategy within a culturally and institutionally diverse market. The legal elements of the course develop knowledge of the framework for law and follows from the Business and Society 1 content. In this section contract law is reviewed and students cover non-contractual liability. The main content of this unit is tort law which is explained in a business context; specific torts are considered in detail, in particular negligence and breach of statutory duty, including the elements to be proved, the issues of causation, liability, defences and remedies.

MN10008: Introduction to business accounting

Credits: 6
Level: Certificate
Semester: 1
Assessment: CW 30%, EX 70%
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN10004 or take MN10077
Aims: The unit aims to test the students' ability to:
* Explain the conceptual and regulatory framework of accounting.
* Apply interpretative techniques to published financial statements.
* Apply double entry techniques to record transactions and prepare financial statements.
* Explain the basic concepts and processes used to determine product and service costs.
* Explain absorption cost, marginal cost, ABC and relevant cost concepts.
* Apply CVP analysis and interpret the results.
* Explain the role of budgets and standard costing within organisations.
* Prepare and interpret budgets, standard costs and variance statements.
Learning Outcomes:
* Students will understand how accounting and financial management serves the purpose of developing and operating a business.
* They will acquire a broad knowledge of the different dimensions of financial management and accounting which they may study in depth in later years of the course and an introductory working knowledge of basic tools of financial analysis and practice.
Skills:
* Financial data manipulation and interpretation
* Analytical and communication skills in relation to financial information
* Accreditation for some professional exams
Content:
(a) Financial planning and control
* The financial dimension of businesses and other organisations
* Estimating costs for planned activities : fixed and variable costs; direct and indirect costs; basic elements of product cost
* Preparation of cash budgets
* Annual budgeting, profit planning, liquidity control and longer term financial projections,
* Preparation of budgets and projected Profit and Loss Accounts and Balance Sheets
* Controlling operations and cost control
(b) Reporting results in financial terms
* Basic distinctions between the accounts of sole traders, partnerships and companies
* Preparation of final accounts from incomplete records
* Preparation of trial balance
* Reporting performance and financial results to higher levels in the organisation: cost centre reports, profit centre reports, investment centre reports
* Reporting the results to shareholders and other outside parties: preparation of final accounts, structure and interpretation of final accounts, underlying concepts (going concern, prudence, materiality, etc.)
* Measures of performance in the financial press: share prices, earnings per share, p/e ratios, assessing the quality of earnings announcements, etc.
* Outline of the role of company law, the accounting profession and Accounting Standards in controlling the content of published information
* Outline of complications created by going international / global for investment analysis, financing the business, financial control and financial reporting.

MN10069: Introduction to accounting & finance

Credits: 6
Level: Certificate
Semester: 2
Assessment: EX70CW30
Requisites:
In taking this unit you cannot take MN10008

Aims & Learning Objectives:
To provide students undertaking any type of degree with an introductory knowledge of accounting and finance.
Content:
Funds in Business, Basics of Financial Statements, Ratio Analysis - interpreting accounting statements, Financial Statements of quoted companies, SSAPs and FRSs, Management accounts introduction, Methods of costing, Standard costing and variance analysis, Stock, Manufacturing accounts, Budgeting, Capital Investment Appraisal.

MN10070: Business economics

Credits: 6
Level: Certificate
Semester: 1
Assessment: CW 40%, EX 60%
Requisites:
Aims: In this course, the broad academic aim is to enable students to acquire and develop appropriate analytical skills that aid their understanding of the business environment in which firms operate. At the end of the unit, students should be able to form a qualified opinion on the fundamental business question: 'How profitable is this market likely to be for my firm?'.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the course, students should be able to identify and explain important economic concepts such as demand and supply analysis, the theory of production costs, the different types of market structure and various competitive strategies in which firms engage. In addition, they should be able to evaluate economic problems (particularly relating to industry) and be able to apply the analytical tools of economic theory to examples from the real world.
Skills:
Grasp of basic economic concepts and their applicability to the real world (taught, facilitated and assessed), critical thought, writing and analytical awareness (assessed), ability to construct an argument (assessed), Interpretation of data (assessed). Ability to interface with web resources (encouraged).
Content:
Overview, theory of demand, cost theory, market structure, pricing strategies, non-price competition,

MN10071: Organisational behaviour

Credits: 6
Level: Certificate
Semester: 1
Assessment: EX95CW5
Requisites:
Aims: To provide students with an understanding for management and aspects of organisational life through the discussion of classical and contemporary perspectives. The social and structural context of organisations and implications for action and learning at group and individual levels will be explored. Implications of contemporary changes to individuals' working lives and careers will be discussed.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the unit students will be able to understand the models and debates of organisational behaviour and theory. They will also have gained practice in critically analysing and evaluating ways of organising as well as collective and individual processes that shape our experience of organizational and working life.
Skills:
Course teaches students in major analytical models and critical debates; facilitates some self-assessment activities; and assesses students' understanding of the concepts conveyed as part of the course as well as their applications.
Content:
Classic perspectives on Managing and organizing
* How to organize? Structure & bureaucracy
* Person versus Situation? What is the role of individual differences in OB?
* Understanding organizations in a cross-cultural context
* Leadership
* Power & politics
* Groups and Teams
* How do people in organizations make decisions?
* Motivation
* Organizational Culture
* Leading as the ongoing task of organizational learning.

MN10073: Marketing 1 (principles of marketing)

Credits: 6
Level: Certificate
Semester: 2
Assessment: EX100
Requisites:
In taking this unit you cannot take MN20016
Aims: This module aims to: Provide an introduction to the concepts, analyses and activities that comprise marketing management. To develop an understanding of the role and practice of marketing as a management function and organisational philosophy. To provide practice in assessing and solving marketing problems - reflecting the belief that the most effective learning comes from making marketing decisions. To lay the foundations for students wishing to take more specialised courses in marketing.
Learning Outcomes:
After completing the unit, the student should be able to a) understand the principles of building brands and implementing promotion and advertising activities and b) prepare a marketing plan.
Skills:
* Develop the ability to conceptualize marketing problems by using a series of analytical tools.
* Develop the ability to plan and rationalize marketing activities
* Develop presentation skills in the classroom.
Content:
The course will contain a range of lectures, in-class assignments and case-studies and exercises for the following topics:
* Introduction to Marketing Concepts
* Segmentation
* Targeting/Positioning
* Marketing Planning & Writing Marketing Plans
* Branding
* Pricing
* Marketing Strategy
* Product Policy & NPD
* Promotion and Advertising
* Distribution Strategy
* Information and Research
* Revision.

MN10077: Quantitative methods

Credits: 6
Level: Certificate
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW50EX50
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN10004 and in taking this unit you cannot take MA10095
Aims: To introduce students to the principles of data analysis with particular reference to business applications.
Learning Outcomes:
Students should be able to search for and download data from the web; convert raw data into index numbers or percentages; classify data by level (nominal, ordinal, interval, ratio); identify dependent and independent variables; and carry out parametric statistical tests. They should also be able to carry out elementary project appraisal techniques such as simple Decision Trees and Discounted Cash Flow analysis.
Skills:
* Intellectual: identify the correct technique required to solve data analysis problems. Taught and assessed.
* Professional: apply statistical techniques to business problems. Taught and assessed.
* Key skills: use and understanding of numerical data. Taught and assessed.
Content:
Collection and presentation of data; descriptive statistics; inferential statistics including correlation and regression; index numbers; time series; elementary probability; decision trees.

MN10078: National business environment of UK 1 - legal aspects

Credits: 6
Level: Certificate
Semester: 1
Assessment: EX60CW40
Requisites:
Aims: To provide a framework within which students can appreciate the basic legal implications of commercial relationships and the structure within which the law operates. To introduce students to the fundamental legal concepts which affect businesses and the ways in which they function.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to understand the legal rules relevant to simple contracts, their formation, validity, terms and their implications, and the consequences of breach. They will know the rules applicable to the more common tortuous areas of liability such as negligence. They will also understand the structure of the courts through which legal rights are enforced.
Skills:
Intellectual skills
T: Students are taught the elements required to establish different legal criteria and
F: this is then expanded on in tutorials for which they are required to prepare an analysis of problems given to them in advance and presented on a weekly basis within their group which then discusses the application of the legal principles.
Professional practical skills
T: Students are given a standard set of common contract terms and a business context within which it applies and
are required to analyse these terms from lectures and tutorials
A: as part of their coursework exercises and examination.
Transferable/key skills
T: Students are taught law in the context of the wider requirements of management - the course is specific to their understanding of, for instance, the restrictions within which other disciplines operate and also forms a basis for later law units.
F: Students understand the framework of contract and negligence principles from applications in tutorials and lectures and what the law will permit or not.
A: The context of the assessments is intended to enable students to apply principles clearly both within the legal context of this and other units and also to its application in different fields of study.
Content:
The course will examine different areas of the law and the different types of action which may be brought. In the area of property and contracts, the formulation of contracts, their validity, contents and enforceability will be examined. Performance of a contract and ways of resolving disputes are considered.

MN10079: National business environment of UK 2

Credits: 6
Level: Certificate
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW50EX50
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN10078
Aims: This course aims to develop students' understanding of the economic and industrial environment of the UK since World War II. Students will apply what they learn as they analyse current events.
Learning Outcomes:
Ability to analyse changes to macroeconomic environment using the AD-AS model. Appreciation of the strengths and weaknesses of economic statistics.
Skills:
* Analytical skills (T,F,A)
* Written communication (T,F,A)
* Verbal communication (F)
Content:
Topics will include: the UK economy as a whole, including GDP, demand management and development; monetary, credit and fiscal policies; foreign trade and the balance of payments; labour and unemployment.

MN10103: Business economics I

Credits: 6
Level: Certificate
Semester: 1
Assessment: EX 100%
Requisites:
Only available to students taking BSc (Hons) Business Administration.
Aims & Learning Objectives:
This course aims to provide an understanding of the operation of the macroeconomic and microeconomic environments in which business operates. The unit focuses on economic frameworks and analytical tools which are important for an understanding of the business world. The objective of the macro economic component is to develop students ability to understand the influence of changes in the economic environment on business using the IS-LM-BP framework and to apply this framework to investigate the effects of changes in policy on macroeconomic variables. The objective of the microeconomic component is to develop an understanding of decision making by households and firms in both product and factor markets with particular emphasis on the theory of the firm. This part of the course serves as a basis for Business Economics II.
Content:
Introduction to business economics. The macroeconomic environment: circular flow of income; consumption and investment; money markets and foreign exchange; relationships between markets in the closed and open economy and the impact of government policies on the macroeconomic context in which business operates. The microeconomic environment: consumer behaviour; prices and markets, production and costs; structure of product markets, operation of factor markets.

MN10248: Introduction to accounting & finance (Elec Eng / Maths)

Credits: 6
Level: Certificate
Semester: 1
Assessment: EX70CW30
Requisites:
Aims: The module aims to test the students' ability to:
* Explain the conceptual and regulatory framework of accounting
* Apply and understand double entry & incomplete records techniques
* Prepare a set of accounts from basic financial data
* Apply interpretative techniques to published financial statements.
* Explain the basic concepts and processes used to determine product and service costs.
* Explain absorption cost, marginal cost, ABC and relevant cost concepts.
* Apply CVP analysis and interpret the results.
* Explain the role of budgets and standard costing within organisations.
* Prepare and interpret budgets, standard costs and variance statements.
* Apply investment appraisal techniques.
* Analyse the financing options for business entities.
Learning Outcomes:
Students will understand how accounting and financial management serves the purpose of developing and operating a business. They will acquire a broad knowledge of the different dimensions of financial management and accounting and an introductory working knowledge of basic tools of financial analysis and practice.
Skills:
Financial data manipulation and interpretation. Analytical and communication skills in relation to financial information. Coursework to demonstrate practical analytical skills and foster inter-group communication and time management skills.
Content:
(a) Financial planning and control
* The financial dimension of businesses and other organisations
* Financing asset acquisition and an introduction to the cost of capital
* Estimating costs for planned activities : fixed and variable costs; direct and indirect costs; basic elements of product cost
* Preparation of cash budgets - including spreadsheet modelling and sensitivity tests
* Annual budgeting, profit planning, liquidity control and longer term financial projections,
* Preparation of budgets and projected Profit and Loss Accounts and Balance Sheets
* Controlling operations and cost control
(b) Reporting results in financial terms
* Reporting performance and financial results to higher levels in the organisation: cost centre reports, profit centre reports, investment centre reports
* Reporting the results to shareholders and other outside parties: preparation of final accounts, structure and interpretation of final accounts, underlying concepts (going concern, prudence, materiality, etc.)
* Measures of performance in the financial press: share prices, earnings per share, p/e ratios, assessing the quality of earnings announcements, etc.
* Outline of the role of company law, the accounting profession and Accounting Standards in controlling the content of published information
* Outline of complications created by going international / global for investment analysis, financing the business, financial control and financial reporting.

MN10309: People and organisations

Credits: 6
Level: Certificate
Semester: 1
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
Aims: This unit intends to develop an initial understanding of core Organisational Behaviour topics. The unit aims to promote an inquiring and critical attitude towards the human side of organizations and management.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* have a good grasp of a breadth of classical Organisational Behaviour topics;
* understand the relevance of these topics to individuals and groups;
* be able to apply their knowledge and understanding at a variety of levels including the individual, group and organisation;
* demonstrate practical team working and facilitation skills drawing on their knowledge.
Skills:
* Students will acquire the skills of analysing their own experiences and individuals and group members in organizations and learning from these experiences. (T, A)
* Through the provision of a comprehensively linked seminar programme, the students will develop team working and facilitation skills (T, F) with the key driver being to enable their own learning and that of their classmates, through practical engagement with set tasks - deepening the level of understanding acquired in the lecture programme.
* The breadth of the students understanding, as well as an appreciation of the links between theory and practice of core Organisational Behaviour topics will be examined.(A)
Content:
A breadth of core Organisational Behaviour topics including: organisational structure, bureaucracy, scientific management, motivation, personality, groups and group development, culture, communication, negotiation, decision making, leadership & followership, diversity, gender, conflict, power.

MN10311: Corporate finance and investment appraisal

Credits: 6
Level: Certificate
Semester: 2
Assessment: EX100
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN10008 or take EC10004
Aims: The unit introduces students to the issues involved in a firm's investment and financing decisions. Students will develop a knowledge of new investment appraisal, cost of capital, and the effect of capital structure on the value of the firm. The course will proceed to consider issues such as desirable capital structure, dividend policy, financial distress, and the use of options as financial building blocks. This course provides a basis for (and is a pre-requisite for) the 2nd year Advanced Corporate Finance course.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* Analyse investment appraisal problems.
* Estimate a firm's cost of capital.
* Calculate a firm's optimal capital structure in the basic Miller-Modigliani model (with and without tax).
* Describe the issues involved in determining a firm's optimal capital structure.
* Describe the issues involved in determining a firm's optimal dividend policy.
Skills:
* Intellectual Skills (T/F/A)
* Professional Practical Skills (T/F/A)
* Transferable/ Key Skills (T/F/A)
Content:
* New Investment Appraisal.
* Cost of Capital (WACC and the dividend growth, and CAPM).
* Capital structure and its relation to firm value.
* Effect of new projects with different capital structures and risk on firm value.
* Dividend policy (Dividend Irrelevance and Gordon Growth model).
* Options as financial building blocks.

MN10314: Requirements analysis: tools and techniques

Credits: 6
Level: Certificate
Semester: 2
Assessment: EX70CW30
Requisites:
Aims: This unit introduces students to the concept of information requirements and to a variety of methods of representing organisational activity. It will complement any studies on other units of software design and development by developing students&© understanding of how principles of requirements analysis can be applied to aid the development of information systems in organisations.
Learning Outcomes:
Students who successfully complete the unit will:
i) appreciate the organisational needs satisfied by different forms of information system.
ii) understand the information requirements of specialist and non-specialist users of information technology.
iii) apply a range of techniques for representing information requirements.
iv) explain and comment on the meaning of models expressed in common requirements analysis techniques.
Skills:

Intellectual skills:
* Understand the contribution of information systems to organisational activity. (T, F, A)
* Understand the principles underlying particular requirements analysis methods. (T, F, A)
Professional skills:
* Apply common systems analysis techniques to practical problems. (T, F, A)
* Set the use of common systems analysis techniques in the context of relevant systems development methodologies. (T, F, A)
Practical skills:
* Appreciate the nature of an organisational problem and the appropriate analysis technique for representing and addressing it. (T, F, A)
* Translate organisational information requirements to practical steps that can be designed into information systems solutions. (T, F, A)
Key skills:
* Written communication (F, A)
* Working in groups (T, F)
* Problem solving (T, F, A)
Content:

* Types of information systems in organisations.
* Organisational problems and information systems analysis.
* Common requirements analysis techniques and the principles that underpin them: e.g. data flow analysis; entity relationship modelling; object oriented analysis.
* Use of analysis techniques within systems development methodologies.
* Benefits and limitations of computer-aided software engineering (CASE) tools and desktop databases.
* Links between requirements analysis and system implementation.

MN10331: Introduction to the financial management of the organisation

Credits: 6
Level: Certificate
Semester: 2
Assessment: EX70CW30
Requisites:
While taking this unit you must take MN10077
Aims: The module aims to test the students' ability to:
* Explain the conceptual and regulatory framework of accounting.
* Apply interpretative techniques to published financial statements.
* Explain the basic concepts and processes used to determine product and service costs.
* Explain absorption cost, marginal cost, ABC and relevant cost concepts.
* Apply CVP analysis and interpret the results.
* Explain the role of budgets and standard costing within organisations.
* Prepare and interpret budgets, standard costs and variance statements.
* Apply investment appraisal techniques.
* Analyse the financing options for business entities.
Learning Outcomes:
Students will understand how accounting and financial management serves the purpose of developing and operating a business. They will acquire a broad knowledge of the different dimensions of financial management and accounting which they may study in depth in later years of the course and an introductory working knowledge of basic tools of financial analysis and practice.
Skills:

Financial data manipulation and interpretation
Analytical and communication skills in relation to financial information
Coursework to demonstrate practical analytical skills and foster inter-group communication and time management skills.
Exemptions from some ACCA paper(s).
Content:
(a) Financial planning and control
* The financial dimension of businesses and other organisations
* Investing in assets to yield a return - including the use of spreadsheets to calculate investment value and conduct sensitivity tests.
* Financing asset acquisition and an introduction to the cost of capital
* Estimating costs for planned activities : fixed and variable costs; direct and indirect costs; basic elements of product cost
* Preparation of cash budgets - including spreadsheet modelling and sensitivity tests
* Annual budgeting, profit planning, liquidity control and longer term financial projections,
* Preparation of budgets and projected Profit and Loss Accounts and Balance Sheets
* Controlling operations and cost control
(b) Reporting results in financial terms
* Reporting performance and financial results to higher levels in the organisation: cost centre reports, profit centre reports, investment centre reports
* Reporting the results to shareholders and other outside parties: preparation of final accounts, structure and interpretation of final accounts, underlying concepts (going concern, prudence, materiality, etc.)
* Measures of performance in the financial press: share prices, earnings per share, p/e ratios, assessing the quality of earnings announcements, etc.
* Outline of the role of company law, the accounting profession and Accounting Standards in controlling the content of published information
* Outline of complications created by going international / global for investment analysis, financing the business, financial control and financial reporting.

MN20009: Company finance

Credits: 6
Level: Intermediate
Semester: 2
Assessment: EX50CW50
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN10008
Aims: This unit aims at giving students an insight into the investment and financing decisions of companies. They will learn how to apply different techniques and theory to inform this decision making.
Learning Outcomes:
Students will be able to:
* evaluate the investment decisions of companies
* analyse the capital structure of companies
* determine the optimal dividend policy of a company.
Skills:
Critical thinking about issues surrounding corporate finance in light of recent empirical and theoretical developments (T/F/A), Analysing complex decision making of companies (T/F/A), Applying academic rigour to practical problems (T/F/A), Writing reports (F/A).
Content:
New Investment Appraisal. Cost of Capital (WACC and the dividend growth, and CAPM). Capital structure and its relation to firm value. Effect of new projects with different capital structures and risk on firm value. Dividend policy (Dividend Irrelevance and Gordon Growth model). Options as financial building blocks. Financial distress.

MN20010: Company law

Credits: 6
Level: Intermediate
Semester: 2
Assessment: EX60ES40
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN10007 or take MN10078
Aims: To equip students with a fundamental knowledge of the law relating to business enterprises and the way in which they function both internally and with regard to outsiders.
Learning Outcomes:
Students will be equipped to read and understand business documents and securities, and the different roles, rights and responsibilities of persons involved in financing and running businesses.
Skills:
Students are taught to understand the relevant business documents and the duties of individuals involved with the business. They work from a case study which includes key documents, which they learn to interpret in the context of a set of problems. The interpretation culminates in the coursework presentation which involves students drawing together the taught material in a practical application. Preparation for the presentation is facilitated by discussions throughout the course.
Content:
The course starts with the concept of agency and how it relates to commercial enterprises. The different types of business are then outlined and the factors relevant to choosing which form of business is appropriate are discussed. The methods of formation, financing, and functioning of the different types of business are covered, and the liability of a business, its directors or partners and other officers. Insolvency and other types of termination of a business are covered. The rights attached to ownership of a business, and the duties owes both within the business and towards outsiders are investigated. Controls over mergers and take-overs and the non-statutory and statutory controls imposed in respect of companies whose securities are traded are covered.

MN20012: Economics of strategy 1

Credits: 6
Level: Intermediate
Semester: 2
Assessment: EX70ES30
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN10006 and take MN10103
Aims: This course continues the economic analysis of the firm and its environment begun in Business Economics I & II. It focuses on the goals of the firm and the strategies through which these are achieved.
Learning Outcomes:
This course should enable the student to analyse interrelationships between various aspects of firms' tactical and strategic decisions, the characteristics of the competitive environment and firm performance with reference to empirical evidence, including particular cases.
Skills:
* Critical writing (F,A).
* Interpretation of data (T,A).
* Application of economic theories to real world examples (T,A).
* Ability to interface with web resources (F).
Content:
The module develops relevant and operationally significant theories of the firm; for example, behavioural, evolutionary, transaction cost and resource-based economic theories. It also explores the inter-relationships between these and neoclassical approaches. The models developed in this module are useful because they form a strong theoretical foundation for the study of marketing, purchasing and supply, and other business/management subjects.

MN20014: IT & its business context

Credits: 6
Level: Intermediate
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW30EX70
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN10004 or take MN10077
Aims: This unit aims to equip students with IT management skills for the workplace in order to make appropriate use of IT as general or functional managers in an information-based age. In particular, the course considers why IT is strategic and how it can affect the competitive environment, taking stock of the opportunities and problems it provides. It consists of lectures, discussion, and case studies. The objective is to investigate the business impact of IS. For example: in what ways are IS strategic? what business benefits can IS bring? how does IS transform management processes and organisational relationships? how can organisations evaluate IS? how should IS, which transform organisations and extend across functions, levels and locations, be implemented?
Learning Outcomes:
* To deepen students' understanding of the strategic importance of IT in organizations.
* To recognise the relationships between market pressures, organizational pressures and information systems.
* To develop understanding on the enabling role of IT in business transformation and the challenges involved.
* To appreciate the important role that end users could play in IS development and implementation.
Skills:
To develop in students a range of personal transferable skills appropriate to undergraduate students. Through diverse methods of implementation (case study analysis and presentations) it will foster interpersonal, communication, critical and analytical skills.
Content:
Core Topics:
* Strategic role of IT in organizations;
* IT-enabled organizational change;
* IS implementation and Evaluation;
* E-business practices;
* IT/IS outsourcing;
* Global IS Management.

MN20015: Market analysis

Credits: 6
Level: Intermediate
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW30EX70
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN10007 or take MN20081 and while taking this unit you must take MN20016 and in taking this unit you cannot take MN30063
DBA students must take MN20016 as well, if they choose this unit.
Aims & Learning Objectives:
To show how quantitative and qualitative data collection and analyses help marketers to understand the nature and scope of their target markets. Students will be able plan and conduct their own market research programmes after this course.
Content:
This course is concerned with all aspects of obtaining sound data for the purposes of market analysis. The course starts by examining what support the marketing decision maker needs in market analysis. This is followed by how effective research can be planned and from this point a framework for forthcoming techniques is set. Secondary data location and analysis is covered as is qualitative research, but the main emphasis in techniques is towards quantitative means to measure and analyse markets.

MN20016: Marketing 1

Credits: 6
Level: Intermediate
Semester: 2
Assessment: EX70CW30
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN10006
Aims: This module aims to: Provide an introduction to the concepts, analyses and activities that comprise marketing management. To develop an understanding of the role and practice of marketing as a management function and organisational philosophy. To provide practice in assessing and solving marketing problems - reflecting the belief that the most effective learning comes from making marketing decisions. To lay the foundations for students wishing to take more specialised courses in marketing.
Learning Outcomes:
After completing the unit, the student should be able to a) understand the principles of building brands and implementing promotion and advertising activities and b) prepare a marketing plan.
Skills:
Develop the ability to conceptualize marketing problems by using a series of analytical tools. Develop the ability to plan and rationalize marketing activities. Develop presentation skills in the classroom.
Content:
The course will contain a range of lectures, in-class assignments and case-studies and exercises for the following topics:
* Introduction to Marketing
* External Environment & Competition
* Consumer & Business Buyer Behaviour
* Market Segmentation & Positioning
* Marketing Planning & Writing Marketing Plans
* Price Strategy
* Product Policy & NPD
* Promotion and Advertising
* Distribution Strategy
* Marketing Information and Research
* Revision; Submission of Projects.

MN20017: Strategic operations management

Credits: 6
Level: Intermediate
Semester: 2
Assessment: EX70CW30
Requisites:
Aims: This course will focus on providing the student with a basic understanding of the key concepts of modern operations management. This will include issues at the strategic and practical levels of how organisations transform inputs (materials and capabilities) into outputs (goods and services).
The students will learn: the background to modern operations management, to analyse operations service requirements, determine strategy, assess tactical considerations and implement improvement. At the conclusion of the course, the student will have a general appreciation of the operational function and the critical decisions in the area that can contribute to corporate success.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to conduct informed discussion and analysis of the concepts of operations: management, design, market-driven improvement and organisation in both manufacturing and services contexts.
Skills:
* Intellectual Skills - T F A
* Professional Practical Skills - T F A
* Transferable/ Key Skills - T F
Content:
History of operations management, supply management, service operations management, service-quality, quality management, process management, lean management, process redesign, market-led operations, project management.

MN20018: Financial accounting and auditing

Credits: 6
Level: Intermediate
Semester: 2
Assessment: EX100
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN10008 or take MN10069
Aims: To enable students to
* Gain an appreciation of the role of accounting regulation
* Critically evaluate selected IFRSs
* Construct and present single company accounts in standard form
* Gain an appreciation of key tax principles
* Understand the role of audit
* Describe the processes for collection of audit evidence and audit planning
* Understand the process of evaluation of internal controls.
Learning Outcomes:
Students will gain a thorough grounding in processing financial data and preparing final accounts and a general understanding of what is involved in the audit of those accounts.
Skills:
* Financial data manipulation and interpretation
* Analytical and communication skills in relation to financial information
* Exemptions from some ACCA/CIMA paper(s).
Content:
* Preparation of Manufacturing Accounts, Trading, Profit and Loss Accounts, Balance Sheets, Funds and Cash Flow Statements in statutory form.
* The role and process of the regulatory framework in accounting.
* The development of international standards.
* Study of key IFRSs relating to the preparation and presentation of single company accounts.
* The purpose and basis of the audit process; the audit trail and types of audit evidence.
* Developing audit evidence; consideration of the concepts of materiality and audit risk.
* Evaluation of internal controls.
* Introduction to company taxation and relevant IFRSs.

MN20019: Management accounting

Credits: 6
Level: Intermediate
Semester: 1
Assessment: EX100
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN10008
Aims: The aim of this unit is to introduce students to a wide range of cost classifications, methods, and analysis, and how these techniques are used in performance evaluation, planning, control, and decision-making. The unit will provide students with the latest practice and issues in management accounting techniques, along with examples/case studies from the real world, applied using the computer technology (excel).
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this unit students should be able to:
Part I: Introduction to types of costs:
1. Understand the important and developing role of management accounting in planning, control, and decision-making.
2. Describe and discuss various methods of cost classification and explain to which types of analysis they are most appropriate. For example, absorption costing, marginal costing, direct/indirect as well as variable and fixed cost.
Part II: Activity-based costing (ABC):
3. Explain the traditional and activity-based methods of costing output and their information requirements (both in the context of goods and services), and discuss the relative advantages and drawbacks of these methods.
4. Compute, explain, and discuss various methods of cost allocation. For example product costs under a traditional, absorption costing system, volume-based (or throughput-based) product-costing system and activity-based costing system, target costing, Kaizen costing, Benchmarking, Reengineering and the theory of constraints.
5. Understand how ABC leads to an activity-base management (ABM), and the role of management accounting as a cost management system, or a management planning and control system.
6. Identify and eliminate non-value-added costs.
7. Understand the relation between ABM and today's advanced manufacturing environment, for example, Just-In-Time (JTI).
Part III: Planning, control, and performance
8. Conduct cost-volume-profit analyses using supplied data and explain the uses and limitations of this technique.
9. Prepare Activity-Based budgeting, flexible budgeting, e-budgeting and variance analysis.
10. Describe and set the operational performance measures appropriate for today's businesses.
11. Calculate financial performance measures such as return on investment (ROI), residual income (RI), and economic value added (EVA), and prepare non-financial measures such as the balanced scorecard, along with the advantage and disadvantages of each of these measures.
12. Understand transfer pricing.
Part IIII: Decision-making:
13. Describe and discuss the steps for decision-making, the role of management accounting, how accounting information is used in the decision-making process, and also identify relevant costs and benefits appropriate for it.
14. Discuss target costing and cost analysis for pricing decisions.
Skills:
Intellectual skills
* Identifying relevant (cost) information given a specific problem/objective (T/A);
* Interpreting the results of analysis in a manner pertinent to a specified problem/objective (T/A).
Professional/Practical skills
* Conducting cost-volume-profit analysis and interpreting the results (T/A);
* Identifying the optimal output mix with a single resource constraint (T/A);
* Constructing cost accounting statements and interpreting them (T/A).
* Preparing Master budget, using the computer, and conducting analysis of variance.
* Determining the types of information required for management decision-making.
* Differentiate between financial and non-financial performance measures, and when to apply them.
Transferable/Key skills
* Applying a taught method in a range of circumstances or in addressing different issues (F).
Personal/Interpersonal skills
* Working in teams on specified numerically-based problems (F);
* Communication to groups of people (F).
Content:
Part I:
* Review of the nature of product costs and process costs.
* Costing terminology and identifying cost behaviour
* Historical based cost accounting systems for Job and Process costing
* Job and process costing - establishing standard cost systems
* Absorption and variable costing systems (including differential income effects)
Part II:
* Activity-based costing and cost Management systems
* Activity-based management and today's advanced manufacturing environment
* Noon-value added activities
* Costing for JIT systems
* Target costing, kaizen costing, Benchmarking, Reengineering, and the theory of constraints
Part III:
* Activity analysis, cost behaviour, and cost estimation
* Cost-volume-profit analysis and relevant costs for decision purposes
* Activity-based budgeting, e-budgeting, flexible ad variance analysis
* Financial and non-financial performance measures such as return on investment, Economic value added, and the balanced scorecard
* Transfer pricing
Part III:
* Decision-making: relevant costs and benefits
* ABC and today's advanced manufacturing environment
* Make of buy decision
* Major influence on pricing decisions
* Target costing.

MN20021: Action project

Credits: 6
Level: Intermediate
Semester: 1
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW80OR20
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN10003 and while taking this unit you must take MN20022

Aims & Learning Objectives:
The overall aim of the Action Project is to create the opportunity for students to tackle a practical problem in a business or organisation and to begin to apply some of the concepts, techniques and skills acquired during the taught programme.
Content:
Briefing on the Action Project aims; group formation; identification of suitable project; conduct of project; writing up findings and reporting back to peer group and group co-ordinator.

MN20022: Portfolio project

Credits: 6
Level: Intermediate
Semester: 1
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW80OR20
Requisites:
While taking this unit you must take MN20021 and before taking this unit you must take MN10003
Aims: The overall aim of the Portfolio Project is to create the opportunity for student teams to research a management of business issue which is of interest to them. In particular it provides an extended opportunity to apply the concepts, techniques and skills dealt with during the unit Introduction to Research and Investigation.
Learning Outcomes:
Conduct research on a business issue and present findings in oral presentation and written report.
Skills:
Briefing on the Portfolio Project aims; group formation; identification of suitable project; secondary research of project issue; analysing and writing up findings and reporting back to peer group and group co-ordinator; presentation skills.
Content:
Project topic is defined by students. Guidelines on the report and presentation are available at the beginning of the semester.

MN20023: Business forecasting

Credits: 6
Level: Intermediate
Semester: 1
Assessment: EX60CW40
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MA20096 or take EC10004
Students on degree programmes run by the Department of Economics must take EC20019 whilst taking this unit.
Aims:
Almost all organisations use forecasts as necessary ingredients for decision making. The main objective of this course is to introduce students to the various forecasting techniques most commonly used in a business context and methods by which these techniques can be evaluated.
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the course students will be able to:
* understand the role of forecasting in organisations;
* identify appropriate forecasting methods for particular problems;
* apply, and evaluate the performance of, these forecasting methods;
* evaluate the role of management judgment in forecasting processes and apply methods to improve its effectiveness.
Skills:
Key
* an openness and capacity to continue learning with the ability to reflect on earlier knowledge and practice and integrate the new with past experience and effectively apply it to the present situations. F
Intellectual
* evaluate forecasting processes and methods T, A
Practical
* use information technology effectively for applying forecasting methods T,A
Professional
* deal with complex issues and make sound judgements in the absence of complete information, and to communicate their conclusions clearly and competently to a range of audiences. F
Content:
* The role of forecasting in organisations,
* Stages in the forecasting task
* Measuring bias and accuracy
* Time series analysis
* Univariate methods, including exponential smoothing, Holt's and the Holt Winter's method;
* Explanatory methods: bivariate and multiple regression;
* The role of management judgment in forecasting: heuristics, biases and improvement strategies, The Delphi method.

MN20024: Commercial contracts

Credits: 6
Level: Intermediate
Semester: 1
Assessment: EX60CW40
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN10007 or take MN10078
Aims: The course sets out to equip students to understand the wider implications of commercial contract and to be aware of the effects of commercial contract terms.
Learning Outcomes:
Students will be able to read and comprehend the usages in commercial contracts and the external factors affecting performance. They will understand the external legal environment and the relationships between different types of enterprise and apply their knowledge of the wider aspects of different institutional practices in the context of business relationships and agreements.
Skills:
The course will equip students to interpret business contracts and to understand the implications of business terms commonly used. Students will work from a typical commercial contract throughout the course, and this is used as the basis for the coursework and the examination, so that by the end of the course they are fully equipped to read and comprehend the problems raised in and around such contracts, and how to deal with them. For the coursework, the students are allocated into smaller groups which is given a set of issues surrounding the main contract, and each is given a particular, individual, aspect of the problem to discuss and present a reasoned case about to the rest of the group.
Content:
The wider application of agency law in the context of external business relationships and mercantile agency is examined. Commercial contract terms and the relationship with statutory provisions, such as the Sale of Goods Act, are analysed in the context of the contract provided, and then students move on to consider the network of connected contracts involved in the performance of such a contract. These areas include the specific characteristics of contracts involving: financial matters, including bills of exchange; carriage; and insurance contracts, and also aspects of intellectual property. In addition external institutions and their impact is considered - such as issues raised by competition law. Finally dispute resolution, including arbitration, are studied.

MN20026: Economic analysis of financial decisions

Credits: 6
Level: Intermediate
Semester: 1
Assessment: EX100
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN10008 or take MN10069 or take MN10248
Aims: To acquire knowledge and skills in the economic interpretation of financial and accounting data and criteria used for decision-making.
Learning Outcomes:
The student will be able to integrate and reconcile traditional management accounting methods with economic principles and analysis. Numerical skills in developing economically consistent accounting data will be acquired. Knowledge of the main methodological applications will be developed in practical areas such as investment appraisal, opportunity costs, fixed costs and joint cost allocations, and regulated utilities and network industries.
Skills:
Numerical facility with accounting and financial data, and identification/conversion to relevant economic data for decision-making.
Content:
Reconciling NPV and IRRs (standard and modified) for Investment Decisions
* The 'normal' investment series and the 'true' IRR;
* Capital rationing and the extended yield, 'average' (terminal value) IRR;
* Mutually exclusive projects and the incremental IRR;
* Combining capital rationing and mutually exclusive projects;
* Typical problems and approaches.
Optimisation and Valuation with Multiple Constraints
* Maximising contribution and minimising input costs with constraints;
* 'Internal' opportunity costs and marginal costs of constraints: the 'dual' solution.
Optimal Decisions where Sales vary with Price
* Estimating marginal revenue from demand data;
* Optimising with incremental opportunity costs;
* Linear demand curves - average and marginal revenue rules.
Fixed Costs and Optimal Cost Allocations to Products
* Traditional cost allocation methods;
* Joint costs and decentralised decision-making, identifying by-products;
Regulated Industries
* Long run versus short run marginal cost with 'lumpy' investments; two-part tariffs;
* Minimising loss of consumer welfare;
* Non-discrimination; stand-alone cost and incremental cost for access pricing.

MN20027: Economics of strategy 2

Credits: 6
Level: Intermediate
Semester: 1
Assessment: EX60ES40
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN20012

Aims & Learning Objectives:
This course builds on Economics of Strategy 1 to develop a fuller understanding of the economic aspects of strategic decisions. Particular attention is given to the analysis of strategic choices concerning the boundaries of the firm - in terms of processes carried out, product scope and the geographical area of operations. The introduction of new products and processes through technical advance is examined as is the network of relationships with other firms.
Content:
Vertical integration and other types of relationships with buyers and suppliers. Diversification and conglomerate firms. Internal growth, acquisitions and mergers. Divestment and corporate refocusing. New product and process introduction. Joint ventures and strategic alliances. The internationalisation of business.

MN20032: E-business

Credits: 6
Level: Intermediate
Semester: 1
Assessment: CW25EX75
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN20014
Aims: As we enter the third millennium we experience one of the most important changes in our lives - the move to an Internet-based society. One of the most significant changes is the manner in which business is conducted, especially in terms of managing the market place and everyday commerce. The aim of this module is to expose students to a range of e-business models and emerging technologies that are and will shape our organizational and personal lives. Students will be encouraged to consider the challenges and opportunities of e-business from a solid theoretical background and a real-world orientation with extensive examples ranging across large corporations, small businesses, and not for profit organizations.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* understand contemporary issues in e-business at the management and strategic level. This is supported by theory (e.g., Internet business models), current case studies, and in-class discussion.
* have up-to-date and in-depth knowledge of advanced areas of e-business, such as Internet security mechanisms, dotcoms, and web content management. Again, this is supported by theory, recent case studies and in-class discussion. A group case study is used to consolidate theory with practice. Thus, the emphasis is on a strategic understanding of e-business for management students underpinned by detailed knowledge of advanced areas and technologies
Skills:
Intellectual skills
* an appreciation of contemporary issues in e-business (TA);
* the facility to apply subject-specific knowledge into a range of complex situations, taking into account the overall implications for the other areas of the business (TFA);
* a conceptual understanding of theoretical concepts and frameworks that enables the student to meaningfully link theory and practice and the ability to critically appraise both theory and practice (TFA);
Professional and Practical skills
* evaluate e-business models within an organisational context (A);
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate (F);
* be self-directed and able to act autonomously in planning and implementing projects at professional levels (F)
Transferable/Key skills
* an openness and capacity to continue learning with the ability to reflect on earlier knowledge and practice and integrate the new with past experience and effectively apply it to the present situations (TFA);
* an appreciation and in-depth understanding of the resources and competences required for successful cross-functional management in organisations including enterprise skills (TA).
Content:
This course has to reflect current movements in e-business and Internet technology and the content will therefore be reviewed on an annual basis and updated as appropriate. Indicative content includes:
* Critical issues in e-business
* Business models and e-business strategies
* Consumer e-commerce (e-tailing)
* Business to business e-commerce and value chain integration
* Relationship capital and customer relationship management
* Virtual communities
* Internet security and electronic payment systems
* Management of e-business technology infrastructure.

MN20034: Marketing 2

Credits: 6
Level: Intermediate
Semester: 1
Assessment: EX100
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN20016
Aims: The aims of this unit are:
1. To provide students with an understanding of the practice of marketing management.
2. To introduce students to the fundamentals of marketing strategy implementation and performance measurement
3. To introduce students to a variety of contemporary topics facing marketing today.
Learning Outcomes:

* To create an understanding of the process of marketing strategy implementation.
* To become aware of the fundamentals of managing and measuring marketing performance.
* To develop an appreciation of the complexities involved in managing marketing teams.
* To develop a broader view of contemporary issues in marketing.
Skills:

* Market and competitive analysis (T, F, A)
* Awareness of dynamic elements that may influence implementation of marketing strategy (T, A)
* Devising a marketing performance measurement system (T)
* Managing marketing teams (F)
* Debate key issues in marketing management (T, A).
Content:
In line with the above learning aims and outcomes, the course is organized in two parts. Part I involves a series of lectures on Marketing Strategy Implementation, Part II involves a series of lectures on Contemporary Marketing Topics.

MN20072: Managing human resources

Credits: 6
Level: Intermediate
Semester: 1
Assessment: EX100
Requisites:
This unit is not to be taken by those students taking MN20031 (Human Resource Management) on the BSc Business Administration programme. Aims: The course aims to give a broad overview of major features of human resource management. It examines issues from the contrasting perspectives of management and employees and explores some contemporary policy issues.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* Understand the development and context of HRM in the UK;
* Understand the main theoretical issues surrounding HRM;
* Understand the key elements of HR practice;
* Appreciate some contemporary issues in HRM practice.
Skills:
* Understanding of theory and practice and critical debates (taught and assessed)
* Case analysis (taught and facilitated)
* Group work (facilitated)
Content:
Perspectives on managing human resources, human resource planning, recruitment and selection, reward management, performance management, flexibility, discipline and dismissal, HR and performance.

MN20074: Business information systems

Credits: 6
Level: Intermediate
Semester: 1
Assessment: EX70CW30
Requisites:
Aims: Information Technology (IT) is ubiquitous in the workplace. All areas of business are investing huge sums of money in IT. Within this changing environment, several key trends have defined a new role for computer systems:
a) New forms and applications of IT are constantly emerging. IT has become a strategic resource with the potential to affect competitive advantage: it transforms industries and products and is a key element in determining organisational success or failure.
b) Computers have become decentralised within the workplace: PCs sit on managers desks, not in the IT Department. The strategic nature of technology means that managing IT has become a core competence for modern organisations and is an important part of the task of general and functional managers. Organisations have created new roles for managers who can act as interfaces between IT and the business, combining a general technical knowledge with knowledge of the business.
This course addresses the above issues, and, in particular, aims to equip students with IT management skills for the workplace. By this, we refer to those attributes that they will need to make appropriate use of IT as general or functional managers in an information-based age.
Learning Outcomes:
The course provides the knowledge from which students should be able to make appropriate use of computing and information technology in forthcoming careers. This necessitates some technical understanding of computing, but not at an advanced level. This is a management course: not a technical computing course. By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* display a sound understanding of managing ICT in different contexts
* be able to analyze how different ICT have different characteristics and work out in practice
* display a sound understanding of the elements of an ICT infrastructure (networks, storage, applications, etc.) in context
* be able to identify threats and risks to day-to-day ICT operations and their implications for business operations and strategy
* be able to understand the intricacies of organizational interaction, communication and negotiation surrounding ICT development, implementation and use.
Skills:
The course will provide specialist knowledge of information systems in a business context. The lectures, group work and presentations will develop students' analytical skills and will assist in enhancing their competence in personal and interpersonal skills and their ability to work effectively with others.
Intellectual Skills
* a systematic understanding of ICT, organisations, the internal and external context in which they operate and how they can be effectively managed (TA);
* the facility to apply subject-specific knowledge into a range of complex situations, taking into account the overall implications for the other areas of the business (TFA);
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in ICT management (FA)
* a conceptual understanding of theoretical concepts and frameworks that enables the student to meaningfully link theory and practice and the ability to critically appraise both theory and practice (TFA);
Professional and Practical skills
* evaluate the current standing of an ICT within an organisational context (A);
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate (F);
* apply practical ICT planning tools and methods at strategic and tactical levels (TFA)
* be self-directed and able to act autonomously in planning and implementing projects at professional levels (F).
Transferable/Key skills
* an openness and capacity to continue learning with the ability to reflect on earlier knowledge and practice and integrate the new with past experience and effectively apply it to the present situations (TFA);
* an appreciation and in-depth understanding of the resources and competences required for successful cross-functional management in organisations including enterprise skills (TA);
* ability to conduct in-depth research into management and business issues (FA).
Personal/Interpersonal
* an ability to manage and work in teams with an awareness of issues such as culture, gender, working styles etc. and to use these to the benefit of the individual and the team (F);
* the facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas; preparation and production of effective business plans and reports (FA).
Content:
The course is divided into two main parts:
* ICT in organizations (internal development, implementation and use)
* Strategic ICT and competitive advantage
* ICT development
* Business Transformation
* ICT Failures
* Communication and Negotiation.

MN20080: Organisational behaviour 1

Credits: 6
Level: Intermediate
Semester: 1
Assessment: EX60ES40
Requisites:
After taking this unit you must take MN20083
Aims: To provide students with an understanding for management and aspects of organisational life through the discussion of classical and contemporary perspectives. The social and structural context of organisations and implications for action and learning at individual and collective levels will be explored. Particular attention will be given to the influence of cross-cultural issues. Implications of contemporary changes to individuals' working lives and careers will be discussed.
Learning Outcomes:
Students will gain an understanding of models and debates helping them to critically analyse and evaluate ways of organizing as well as individual processes that shape our experience of organisational and working life.
Skills:
The course teaches students in major analytical models and critical debates; facilitates some self-assessment activities; and assesses students' understanding of the concepts conveyed as part of the course as well as their applications.
Content:
* What are the 'big' issues in the study of organisations?
* How to organize?
* Person versus Situation?
* Individual learning
* Understanding organisational behaviour in a cross-cultural context
* Leadership
* Conflict, power, & politics
* Decision making
* Motivation
* Organisational learning
* Careers.

MN20081: Marketing 1 (principles of marketing)

Credits: 6
Level: Intermediate
Semester: 1
Assessment: CW30EX70
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN10079
Aims: This module aims to: Provide an introduction to the concepts, analyses and activities that comprise marketing management. To develop an understanding of the role and practice of marketing as a management function and organisational philosophy. To provide practice in assessing and solving marketing problems - reflecting the belief that the most effective learning comes from making marketing decisions. To lay the foundations for students wishing to take more specialised courses in marketing.
Learning Outcomes:
After completing the unit, the student should be able to a) understand the principles of building brands and implementing promotion and advertising activities and b) prepare a marketing plan.
Skills:
Develop the ability to conceptualize marketing problems by using a series of analytical tools. Develop the ability to plan and rationalize marketing activities Develop presentation skills in the classroom.
Content:
The course will contain a range of lectures, in-class assignments and case-studies and exercises for the following topics:
* Introduction to Marketing Concepts
* Segmentation
* Targeting/Positioning
* Marketing Planning & Writing Marketing Plans
* Branding
* Pricing
* Marketing Strategy
* Product Policy & NPD
* Promotion and Advertising
* Distribution Strategy
* Information and Research
* Revision.

MN20082: European business environment 1: European integration & legal structure

Credits: 6
Level: Intermediate
Semester: 1
Assessment: EX100
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN10079
Aims: To introduce students to the structure, objectives and key policies of the European Union and its legal foundations with respect to business.
Learning Outcomes:
Students will be able to understand the significance of the European Union in establishing the policy and legal frameworks of the European business environment.
Skills:
Intellectual skills:
* Understand the role of the EU as it affects European Businesses (T, F, A)
* Understand the principles which underpin the EU legal order (T, F, A)
Professional skills:
* Acquisition of awareness of implications for business and member state economies of EU treaties, institutions, policies and legislation (T, F, A)
Practical skills:
Application of knowledge of EU legal principles and political system to practical business situations (T, F,A)
Key skills:
* Written Communication (T, F, A)
* Research skills (F, A)
* Interdisciplinary analysis of complex problems (F, A).
Content:
The content will cover: European integration and unity in the 1940s and 1950s: the EU Treaty base and legal order: Business Organisations: Business contracts: Impact of EU legislation on contracts: EU institutions and decision-making: the Customs Union, trade, competition and agriculture policies: the Single European Market: EU regional policies: enlargement of the EU.

MN20083: Organisation behaviour II

Credits: 6
Level: Intermediate
Semester: 2
Assessment: EX70CW30
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN20080
Aims: The aim of this course is to develop a critical understanding of core organisational behaviour topics, for which Organisational Behaviour I will have provided foundation. Emphasis will be placed on utilising the students' previous experience, particularly of groups, to deepen their understanding of group dynamics as well as other topics covered.
Learning Outcomes:
After completing this unit, the students should have an appreciation of a variety of lenses (gender, age, race, organisational position etc.) they can bring to organisational analysis. They should be conversant with key theorists and well able to make strong theory-practice links.
Skills:
Through working with each other in various exercises, students should develop a strong capacity to critically evaluate the material introduced, building their reflective abilities and their competence in sharing their ideas. They will be introduced in class to learning in this way and these skills will be further encouraged throughout the semester as well as forming part of the assessment criteria.
Content:
Organisation culture, communication, managing conflict, working with others (the Human Relations school, group norms and conformity, understanding group dynamics, group structure, decision making in groups, from traditional to virtual - the reality of groups), understanding our own agency, working with diversity (including international culture/international management).

MN20086: Industrial placement 1

Credits: 30
Level: Intermediate
Semester: 1
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN10005 and After taking this module you must take MN20087
Aims: Introduction to the operations and management of organisations; performance of practical tasks within a managerial setting.
Learning Outcomes:
Develop relevant skills and knowledge; reflect on the personal learning objectives set and a critical evaluation of their achievement.
Skills:
Develop key skills relevant for the workplace both on placement and after graduation.
Content:
Pre-placement preparation (PEPL unit including preparation work for the Log Book); minimum 22 weeks industrial placement adhering to the Code of Practice provided by the Placements Office; Post-placement debriefing including individual and group assignment.

MN20087: Industrial placement 2

Credits: 30
Level: Intermediate
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN20086
Aims: Develop and extend relevant skills and knowledge; relate management theory to experience gained and evaluate its value in a practical context; analyse a practical management problem.
Learning Outcomes:
Develop relevant skills and knowledge; performance of specialist tasks within a managerial setting.
Skills:
Develop key skills relevant for the workplace both on placement and after graduation.
Content:
Pre-placement preparation; minimum 22 weeks industrial placement adhering to the Code of Practice provided by the Placements Office; Placement Project; Post-placement debriefing.

MN20102: Financial management and reporting performance - European perspectives

Credits: 6
Level: Intermediate
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW40EX60
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN10008
Aims: The aim of this course is to provide students with an understanding of the differences in the financing of businesses in various European nations. The course covers the way European businesses raise finance and how accounting practice has developed in selected countries. It also considers the way companies are governed and how this affects business dealings and investment decisions across borders. Whilst concentrating on the major advanced economies in Europe the course also considers the changes taking place in Eastern Europe, which has a relevance as many multi-nationals have entered Eastern Europe hoping to benefit from the increased marketing possibilities and the access to cheaper labour and materials.
Learning Outcomes:
Students will describe the extent of and main actors in harmonisation of
* financial reporting
* stock market regulation
* corporate governance
They will:
* Describe the European business landscape and its effect on financial reporting
* Identify, explain and evaluate key characteristics of financial reporting in major European countries and Scandinavia
* Identify and appraise the challenges in development of coherent reporting structures in Eastern Europe
* Describe various sources of finance and preferences in Europe
* Identify and appraise developments in auditing and internal reporting practices in Europe
Skills:
Facilitation of:
* Interpretation of financial data
* Analytical and evaluative skills
Content:
Business organisations in Europe
* Differences between company structures and funding of business enterprises
* Effects on financial reporting.
* Harmonisation of accounting practice; role of EU, IASB, corporations, etc
Capital markets in Europe
* Development of capital markets, their importance and the differences between national stock exchanges
Development of business practice in emergent economies
* The transition process and varying outcomes.
* The role of Foreign Direct Investment in the transition process.
* The development of accounting practice and the role of IAS's.
Accounting and Audit practice in Europe
* The contrasts in accounting practice and the development of International Accounting Standards.
* The role of auditors and their status.
Corporate Governance
* The effect in European business organisations of shareholders and financial institutions.
* Development of governance structures and codes.
Corporate Finance and the role of the bank
* An overview of the process of capital structure and financing decisions.
* Banking institutions and their relationship with European corporations.
Scandinavia
* An analysis of the accounting and business practices of Scandinavian countries.
Internal Reporting in European organisations
* The role of internal reporting procedures and management accountants in Europe.

MN20208: Foundations for international business

Credits: 6
Level: Intermediate
Semester: 1
Assessment: CW30EX70
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN10006

Aims & Learning Objectives:
To provide students with an introductory course in international business and a common foundation for the study of other international modules. Students should be able to:
* show an appreciation of the complexity of the international environment businesses have to operate in.
* understand the underlying patterns, motivations for and modes of international trade and investment.
* appreciate the role of national and supra-national organisations in the formation of international trade and investment policies.
Content:
The course will: introduce the subject of international business; outline its historical evolution to show how prevalent it has become today; consider the complexities of the international business environment; establish the underpinnings of international trade and investment theory; outline the use of policy instruments which encourage/ discourage trade and investment; outline the modes of entry available to firms.

MN20211: Advanced corporate finance

Credits: 6
Level: Intermediate
Semester: 2
Assessment: EX100
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN10311
Aims: This unit develops, and analyses in much greater depth, the material from the first year Company Finance course MN10311. In addition to the theoretical issues, students will gain an understanding of the practical issues involved in a firm's investment and financing decisions. Students will analyse issues relating to new investment appraisal (particularly decision trees, risk analysis, and real options), cost of capital (CAPM versus APT), and the effect of capital structure on firm value (particularly the effects of managerial incentives and signalling on a firm's financing decisions). The course will then proceed to consider convertible debt, and optimal risk management policies.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* Perform numerical analyses of investment appraisal and capital structure decisions.
* Discuss the results of the aforementioned analyses.
* Write management-style reports recommending optimal investment and financing policies, considering all of the issues involved.
Skills:
* Intellectual Skills (T/F/A)
* Professional Practical Skills (T/F/A)
* Transferable/ Key Skills (T/F/A)
Content:
* New Investment Appraisal (including decision trees/risk analysis/real options).
* Cost of Capital, Capital Structure, and Firm Value.
* Optimum Capital Structure, with regard to tax, agency costs, and signalling.
* Convertible debt.
* Risk Management.
* Dividend Policy.
* Takeovers.

MN20268: Developing identity through work

Credits: 6
Level: Intermediate
Semester: 1
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN10005 or take MN20031
Aims: Students will be given an opportunity to explore the development of identity in and through work. The need for developing identity is set within the context of the changing context of work that is marked by boundaryless careers, entrepreneurial cultures, pressing social and environmental issues, and the shift from organisational to network metaphors of collective action. To successfully navigate and act in this context individuals will need to develop clear, yet fluid identities that provide them with the ability to take responsibility and change.
Learning Outcomes:
Students will develop knowledge and understanding of theories of identity formation; be able to identify key issues and analyse these critically; gain ideas and approaches to reflect on their own life and career choices.
Skills:
Ability to express link between career objectives and personal identity more coherently, in particular motives and skills. Ability to consider/access wider spectrum of resources for professional development. More effective use of social relationships.
Content:
* The changing context of work & careers;
* Identity formation as a process of constructing meaning;
* Ethical choices;
* Identity as biography;
* Constructing capability;
* Agency;
* Individual learning;
* Creativity;
* Constructing relational identities in a networked world.

MN20275: Project management

Credits: 6
Level: Intermediate
Semester: 1
Assessment: CW30EX70
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN20017
Aims:
1. To recognise the economic importance of project management and the extensive scope of the subject area;
2. To create an understanding of the concepts employed in project management at strategic, systems and operational levels;
3. To aid in the development of a contingency model of project management by students;
4. To gain an appreciation of the knowledge and skills required for successful project management in organisations.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* Demonstrate the economic importance of project management and the extensive scope of the subject area;
* Apply the concepts employed in project management at strategic, systems and operational levels in managing a project of moderate complexity;
* Critically evaluate the execution of a project by reference to established bodies of knowledge and best practice;
* Recognise the knowledge and skills required for successful project management in organisations.
Skills:
Intellectual skills
* the facility to apply subject-specific knowledge into a range of complex situations, taking into account the overall implications for the other areas of the business (T,F,A);
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in Project Management (T,A);
* the ability to acquire and analyse data, information and situations; to evaluate relevance and validity, and to synthesise it in the context of a real business project (F,A);
* an understanding of appropriate research and methodological techniques that allow detailed investigation into real-life cases and ability to use these skills to produce a professional, critical report (T).
Professional Practical skills
* evaluate the current standing of an organisation and practically contribute to the attainment of their strategies and objectives (T);
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate (F). Recognise where team issues are becoming paramount;
* be self-directed and able to act autonomously in planning and implementing projects at professional levels (T,A).
Transferable/Key skills
* ability to conduct in-depth research into management and business issues (T,F,A).
Personal/Interpersonal
* the facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas; preparation and production of effective investigation and reports (A).
Content:
The context of project management, its structures (focusing on 4D & 7S models of the subject) and evolution are introduced. Key topics then include strategy deployment through projects and project strategy, from strategy to planning, overview and detail models of planning, project execution and control, and process development. The learning objectives are addressed through lectures, discussion of case material and through a project to be reviewed by the students.

MN20291: Human resource management 1

Credits: 6
Level: Intermediate
Semester: 2
Assessment: EX70CW30
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN10005 or take MN20081 or take SP10002
Aims: The course aims to give a broad overview of major features of human resource management. It examines issues from the contrasting perspectives of management and employees.
Learning Outcomes:
After completing this unit the student will be able to:
* Understand the contribution of HRM to the organisation;
* Identify the key HR practice areas;
* Describe and analyse both content and context for these sets of HR practices;
* Apply HR models to various sectors;
* Critically assess the value of theoretical HRM models.
Skills:
* Juxtaposition of theory and practice (taught)
* Identification good practice (taught)
* Case analysis (taught and facilitated)
Content:
Approaches to the management of human resources; resourcing and equality; training, learning and development; remuneration and reward; performance management systems and managing people in contemporary organisational forms.

MN20312: Employee relations

Credits: 6
Level: Intermediate
Semester: 1
Assessment: EX60CW40
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN10005 or take SP10002
Aims: The course aims to provide students with an understanding of the main features of employee relations in the UK and the impact of EU employment policies on UK developments. It seeks to explore both theoretical and policy debates.
Learning Outcomes:
Through a variety of teaching methods the learning objectives are to achieve:
* An understanding of the theory and context of employee relations in the UK and within the wider international setting;
* An appreciation of the interplay between the key parties in employee relations;
* An understanding of the importance of collective and individual processes and outcomes;
* An understanding of the range of techniques in unionised and non unionised environments for setting the employment relationship.
Skills:
* Juxtaposition of theory and practice (taught )
* Evaluation and critical debate (taught and facilitated)
* Analysis of practical cases (taught and facilitated)
* Data searching (taught and facilitated).
Content:
Employee Relations in context, Parties to the employment relationship- managers, employee representatives and the state, Trade Unions and their future, Direct involvement, Collective bargaining, Industrial Conflict, Grievances and Discipline, European regulation.

MN20313: Human resource management 2

Credits: 6
Level: Intermediate
Semester: 1
Assessment: EX70CW30
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN20291
or a level 2 Human Resource Management or Employee Relations unit. Aims: The course aims to examine in detail some of the key contemporary HRM issues and to consider their practical application.
Learning Outcomes:
After completing this unit the student will be able to:
* Understand the significance of key contemporary HRM issues
* Establish connections between theoretical issues and the practical application of policies
* Develop a detailed understanding of the selected HR policy and practice areas
* Analyse and evaluate key practice areas
* Critique the existing theoretical models that underpin these practice areas
* Develop appropriate skills associated with the practical application of key policy areas
Skills:

* Apply theory to practical issues and problems (taught and facilitated)
* Analyse theory and practice (taught)
* Design sub-sets of HR practices (taught and facilitates)
* Understand interconnections between HR practices (taught in case analysis)
* Interview skills (facilitated).
Content:
Theoretical models of HRM, external and internal resourcing, employee and management development, new techniques in performance management, reward and recognition systems and strategies.

MN30028: Emerging patterns of thought, belief and action

Credits: 6
Level: Honours
Semester: 1
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN10005 or take MN20083 or take MN10070
Aims: To invite students to explore and evaluate a variety of sources which suggest that the current impact on the biosphere of human activity is unsustainable; that an underlying cause of this is the dominant paradigm or world view of Western civilization; and that major transformations of personal, organizational, economic and political life are required to address the challenges that arise from this situation.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to: demonstrate they have understanding of the practical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual issues that face humanity in relation to environmental issues; to have considered what changes are needed in private and public arenas; and developed an ability to critically, actively and creatively contribute to public debate.
Skills:
Intellectual Skills:
To be familiar with a variety of ways of understanding the relationship of humans to their living space; to have developed a capacity T/A
Professional Practical Skills:
to be able to discuss these issues with broad familiarity with current information; to be able to engage in public debate. F
Transferable/ Key Skills:
to have started to develop the skills as a citizen and organizational member to contribute to the development of a ecologically sustainable world. F
Content:
A series of focused explorations of the state of the biosphere from perspectives such as changing paradigms; systemic thinking, Gaia theory, the limits to growth; ecological economics and natural capitalism; deep ecology; ecological conceptions of gender, self and spirituality; the implications of these for individual social and organizational lives.

MN30035: Aspects of Japanese business

Credits: 6
Level: Honours
Semester: 2
Assessment: EX80CW20
Requisites:
Aims: The aim of this course is to critically examine and to provide an understanding of the nature of Japanese business organization.
Learning Outcomes:
After completing the unit the student should be able to: identify the political, economic and social forces underpinning the emergence of Japanese business forms; understand the relationships between business, the state and trade unions in contemporary Japan; describe the human resource management practices characteristic of Japanese business; explain the internationalization of Japanese business; assess the transferability of Japanese business practice to alien environments.
Skills:
* engage in comparative analysis of business, social and economic institutions across national boundaries.
* evaluate and interpret new information, and engage in problem solving, thereby demonstrating a capacity to think clearly and logically about a range of contemporary business issues.
* synthesizing concepts where appropriate, and applying them to the resolution of problems.
* apply the knowledge used in specific areas of management in both the U.K. and countries whose native language the student studies.
Content:
The political economy of Japan; Japan's institutional environment; Japanese production systems; Organization and power in Japanese organizations; Organizational governance; Cross-national transfer of Japanese production and management practices; Industrial relations in Japan and Japanese subsidiaries in the West.

MN30036: Brand communication

Credits: 6
Level: Honours
Semester: 1
Assessment: EX80PR20
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN20016 and take MN20081
Aims:
* To provide participants with a comprehensive overview of brand communications theory and practice.
* To teach a wide range of advertising and communication models and relate these to models of consumer behaviour
* To review recent psychology learning and show how this relates to new ideas about brand communication
* To outline best practice in brand communication evaluation.
Learning Outcomes:

* Students will become familiar with models of advertising communication.
* Students will learn to apply models of advertising to existing brand communication campaigns.
* Students will be able to use models to develop and evaluate new communication campaigns.
Skills:

* Presentation Skills - assessed
* Analytical Skills - assessed
* Writing Skills - assessed
* Class participation skills.
Content:
The role of brand communication in influencing brand choice will be critically examined making extensive use of in-class discussion of examples of advertising. The following specific subjects will be covered:
Lecture 1: Introduction to the course
Lecture 2:, Practical issues in advertising development
Lecture 3: Review of classic consumer buying behaviour. and early models of advertising
Lecture 4: Cognitive Brand Choice Models, including Cognitive Response Model & Elaboration Likelihood Model
Lecture 4: Simple non-cognitive models, including Classic Conditioning, Operant Conditioning, Brand Conditioning, Hedonic Response Model,.
Lecture 5: Team Assignment Presentations
Lecture 6: Psychology of Learning & Attention
Lecture 7: Psychology of Affective Processing
Lecture 8: Models of Affect and Attention in advertising, including MAC Model & MacInnes Jaworski Model
Lecture 9: Low Attention Processing model
Lecture 10: Advertising Evaluation
Lecture 11: Revision.

MN30039: Employment law

Credits: 6
Level: Honours
Semester: 1
Assessment: EX60OT40
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN10007 or take MN10078
Aims: The unit is designed to give students a comprehensive insight into the legal framework of the employer/employee relationship and its impact on the parties directly involved and some wider social implications.
Learning Outcomes:
Students will gain a clear and definitive understanding of the diverse factors involved in the employment relationship and the different sources of law and principle which apply to this context.
Skills:
Students are taught the key areas relevant to liability within employment and the statutory and common rules applicable. They work with a case study which includes a business structure and from which they learn to interpret the legal materials in the context of a set of problems. The interpretation culminates in the coursework mock tribunal which involves students drawing together the taught material in a practical application. Preparation for the mock tribunal is facilitated by discussions throughout the course.
Content:
The legal framework: the roles of the courts, employment tribunals and other bodies such as ACAS and trades unions, and the sources and influences on employment are set out. The relevance of changes introduced by EU law are drawn into this framework. Contracts of employment and consequent duties of employers and employees are considered in detail, including issues such as discrimination (racial, sexual, disability and trade union rights). Rights on termination of employment and the developing role of conciliation are covered. Safety at work is also considered and some aspects of trade union law in respect of its impact on employment rights.

MN30040: European integration studies 1

Credits: 6
Level: Honours
Semester: 1
Assessment: EX50ES50
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN10006 or take MN10070 or (take EU10006 and take EU20007)
(IMML students must take MN30059 in the next semester if they take this unit).
Aims & Learning Objectives:
To provide a basic grounding in the theory, politics and economics of European integration. Students will complete the course with a sound knowledge of European Union institutions and key economic policies.
Content:
Subjects covered will be: integration theory; EU political institutions, their legitimacy and their accountability; the EU decision-making process; EC finances and funds; the single market and Europe's lost competitiveness; competition policy; the EU, world trade and developing countries; regional policy; economic and monetary union; the enlargement of the EU, the EEA and Central and Eastern Europe. Lectures will be supplemented by case study discussions, tutorial sessions and a revision workshop.

MN30042: Managing conflict

Credits: 6
Level: Honours
Semester: 1
Assessment: EX60ES40
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN10005 or take MN20081 or take SP10002
Aims: The course aims to examine the processes of interaction between the involved in Employee Relations.
Learning Outcomes:
After completing this unit the student will be able to:
* Understand the different approaches to managing conflict.
* Develop a detailed understanding of the key theories relevant to managing conflict.
* Analyse and critique key theories.
* Apply relevant theories to practice.
* Develop appropriate skills associated with managing conflict.
Skills:
Negotiation and bargaining skills (taught and facilitated). Third party intervention skills (taught and facilitated). Analyse cases based on theoretical examples (taught and facilitated). Reflection on practice (own role play) (taught). Analyse and evaluate performance of other teams in negotiation (taught and facilitated).
Content:
Concepts and models in managing conflict; approaches to managing conflict between two parties; negotiation skills and techniques; the role of third parties in conflict resolution; skills and techniques in third party intervention.

MN30044: Organisational change & design

Credits: 6
Level: Honours
Semester: 1
Assessment: EX70ES30
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN10005 or take MN20083 or take MN10070 or take MN20031

Aims & Learning Objectives:
To provide students with a critical appreciation of the ideas of management gurus and how these set and guide the practice of change. This popular view is contrasted with more academic approaches and developed through a consideration of the (re)design of organisational forms suitable for an age that increasingly requires organizations to be global and innovative.
Content:
Topics will be drawn from the following: Fashions and fads - the history of ideas in change management; The role of business gurus in defining the practice of change; Orders and types of change - 1st, 2nd and reframing; The politics of organizational change; Organizational design and contingency theory; Organizational forms for the future - innovative and global.

MN30045: Pay & rewards

Credits: 6
Level: Honours
Semester: 1
Assessment: EX60CW40
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN20029 or take MN20031 or take MN10070 or take MN20083
(If the unit runs in semester 2, MSc students must have taken MN50169).
Aims & Learning Objectives:
The course will enable the student to provide informed advice on the major aspects of pay, rewards and performance management, based on a sound understanding of the relevant theories and research evidence.
Content:
The role of reward strategy in an organisation. Economic, sociological and psychological theories which have influenced pay policies and practices. Concepts of reward structure, reward system and reward levels. Different perceptions of fairness which influence employees' satisfaction with their rewards. Government pay policies. Top people's pay. Objectives and limitations of job evaluation. Performance-related pay in principle and in practice. Knowledge-based, skill-based and competence-based rewards. Pay discrimination and equal pay. Employee benefits.

MN30048: Strategic analysis

Credits: 6
Level: Honours
Semester: 1
Assessment: EX60ES40
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN20034 or take MN20081 or take MN10070 and in taking this unit you cannot take MN10076
Aims: An understanding of how strategists proactively shape the mission, objectives and strategies of their organisations within prevailing environmental and organisational constraints. Exposure to the theoretical insights and methodological approaches available to interpret and develop the competitive strategic position of the enterprise under complexity and uncertainty. Students are expected to contribute actively to class discussions and through careful preparation to become proficient at analysing specific situations using appropriate conceptual models allied to pragmatic, well-reasoned judgements with respect to the content of strategies and feasibility of implementation.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* Make a competent assessment of the strategic situation surrounding a company
* Understand how the resources of that company and the market pulls structure strategy
* Generate appropriate strategic options
* Assess those options in accordance with stakeholders' valuations
* Create appropriate plans for strategic implementation.
Skills:
Intellectual Skills - System based understanding of complex strategic situations. Professional Practical Skills - Strategic planning and options description. Transferable/ Key Skills - Strategic assessment.
Content:
Topics include: the nature of corporate objectives and mission statements; analysing operating performance; the competitive market/industry environment; sources of rivalry; the value chain; assessing opportunities and threats; the development and application of core competences; strategies in growth, maturity and in declining sectors; managing ambiguity and complexity in the multi-firm (global) corporate environment. Case studies and readings are used to explore and interpret issues.

MN30050: Supply management

Credits: 6
Level: Honours
Semester: 1
Semester: 2
Assessment: EX70CW30
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN10070 or take MN10006 or take MN50169
Aims: To examine the principles, concepts and approaches employed in procurement and supply management.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* Describe the purchasing management process and the role of purchasing in modern organisations
* Describe the development of purchasing and supply from operational to strategic levels
* Evaluate emerging concepts and principles of supply chain and supply network management
* Identify the components of supply strategy
* Describe appropriate frameworks for developing inter-organisational relationship strategies and methods
* Evaluate the concepts and techniques of lean and agile thinking in supply networks
* Appreciate the particular challenges of managing procurement and supply in complex public sector supply networks
* Assess appropriate approaches to managing technological innovation within supply networks
* Articulate the implications of information and communication technology on supply management.
Skills:
Intellectual skills
* Ability to evaluate and compare different theories and practices used in supply management (T and A)
* Ability to conceptualise purchasing and supply frameworks and methodologies that enables the student to link theory and practice meaningfully and the ability to appraise critically both theory and practice (T and A) Professional Practical skills
* Ability to assess the position of purchasing and supply management in a particular organization (F)
* Ability to operate effectively as part of a team (F and A)
* Ability to produce case study analysis (F and A)
* Ability to produce professional, critical business reports using appropriate referencing formats (T, F and A)
* Ability to make presentations in front of an audience (F and A) Transferable/Key skills
* Ability to describe and conceptualise the inter-connections between intra- and inter- organisations systems and processes (T and A)
* Ability to conduct in-depth research into business and management issues. (F and A)
* Ability to articulate the significance of different research methodologies and the implications of these on theories and models (T and A)
Content:
The field of purchasing and supply management is becoming increasingly important in today's complex business environment. Whereas purchasing only two decades ago was a purely tactical function it is now rapidly becoming a key strategic responsibility. The recognition of supply chains and networks as vital parts of commercial survival has led to a greatly increased interest in supply management amongst both academics and practitioners.
The 'Supply Management' module aims to examine the principles, concepts and approaches employed in procurement and supply management. The focus of the module is especially on understanding key inter-organisational issues. When managed strategically, supply relationships can be a critical source of value and innovation. However, in many organisations relationships continue to hide immense amounts of waste due to outdated modes of operation. Consequently, our interest is on how supply relationships can be developed, managed and assessed. Furthermore, the focus is on understanding how relationships are inter-connected within complex supply networks and the problems and opportunities these may provide.
The University of Bath School of Management is recognised as one of the world's leading centres for the study of Purchasing and Supply Management. The Centre for Research in Strategic Purchasing and Supply (CRiSPS) is a focal point for much of this work, focusing on such issues as inter-organisational networking, customer-supplier relationship assessment, and cost and value transparency in supply relationships. CRiSPS works closely with a large number of private and public sector companies; these take an active role in research projects and often participate in the implementation of new theories and concepts. The expertise generated within CRiSPS and the linkages with other research programmes, serves to underpin the theories, models and tools that are taught in this unit.

MN30051: Technology & innovation management

Credits: 6
Level: Honours
Semester: 1
Assessment: EX70ES30
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN10006 or take MN10070
Aims: This unit is concerned with the management of technological innovation from the firm's perspective. The aims are:
* to develop an understanding of some of the managerial issues raised by the creation, adoption and diffusion of technology over time.
* to introduce students to relevant theoretical frameworks, concepts and evidence
* to create an appreciation of some of the knowledge and skills required for the successful management of technological innovation within organisations and networks.
Learning Outcomes:
The student should:
* appreciate the need to manage technological innovation beyond any R & D department
* have a sound understanding of alternative approaches to the acquisition, organisation and exploitation of technology
* understand the factors influencing the relative success of alternative approaches to technological innovation in different environments.
Skills:
* A critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in technology and innovation management (T, F)
* A sound understanding of theoretical concepts and empirical evidence concerning specific aspects of the creation, adoption and diffusion of technological innovation over time. (T,F,A)
* Ability to analyse features of particular innovation environments and strategies in the context of relevant theoretical frameworks and evidence (T, F, A)
* Ability to reflect on earlier knowledge and apply it to new situations (F)
* Enhanced written (F, A) and oral communication skills (F).
Content:
The module examines patterns of technological change, how technological innovation affects competition and individual firms' competitive advantage and the development of strategies and managerial methods to meet the challenges of the increasingly technology-driven environment. Topics include patterns of R & D, technical trajectories, sources of product and process innovation and the innovation environment. Factors influencing success in technological innovation and the performance of large and smaller firms. Developing a strategic approach to technology. The relationship between technological change, industry structure and competitive advantage. Different technology strategies and decisions concerning R&D, innovation and the commercialisation of new products/ processes. The protection of intellectual property.

MN30052: Final year project (interim report)

Credits: 6
Level: Honours
Semester: 1
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN10003 and After taking this module you must take MN30068
Aims: The overall aim of the final Year Project is to create an opportunity to apply the concepts, techniques and skills acquired during the taught programme in solving a practical business problem. Specific objectives are to: develop the skills of planning and executing an original investigation into a business problem in a team; allow an evaluation of the practical worth of management theories and the ability to further develop existing theories; integrate the various components of the degree programme and create the opportunity for business sponsors to challenge student ideas.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* to practice and develop personal skills, especially those of analysis and synthesis; develop experience in handling group co-ordination and conflict.
Skills:
Intellectual skills:
* Develop skills to handle complex data sets, and allow existing theories and concepts to be applied and critically evaluated.
Professional Practical skills:
* Develop skills in designing and carrying out a field-based 'action research' investigation
Transferable/ Key skills:
*Develop skills of working collaboratively in teams, and exposing ideas to practitioners and academics.
Content:
Briefing on academic and practical project aims; group formation; assignment of the projects; problem definition; initial proposal; Project Workshops; collection of empirical data; presentation of preliminary findings; recording of formal monthly log of activities.

MN30054: Strategy & human resource management

Credits: 6
Level: Honours
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW30EX70
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN10070 or take MN20080 or take MN20312 or take MN20313
Aims: The purpose of this unit is to develop a clear understanding of the theories and practices in sophisticated organizations linking people management to organizational performance, and the interconnections between business strategies and strategic human resource management. The unit aims to elucidate the connections between, and the tensions within, the requirements of the modern firm in managing people simultaneously to maximize labour productivity, organizational flexibility and social legitimacy.
Learning Outcomes:
Through lectures, videos, case studies and self reflection on employment experiences the unit&©s learning objectives are to achieve:
* an understanding of the interconnection between business strategies and HRM
* A critical appraisal of models of HRM especially universal, contingency and configurational models
* An appreciation of the components and validity of the 'HR bundle' and the problems with diffusion of best practice
* An ability to debate and model the value of the resource-based view of strategy, different types of HR architecture and knowledge management
* A critical appraisal of key policy issues in HRM and their link with organisational and HR strategies
* Understanding the centrality of employee responses to HRM in terms of perceived organisational support, organisational citizenship behaviour and the psychological contract
* A critical awareness of the role of line managers in the implementation of HRM practice
* An understanding of organisational culture and climate and their role in HRM effectiveness
* An appreciation of the ambiguous and changing roles of HR professional managers.
Skills:

* getting to grips with cognitive complexity F
* analysing qualitative and quantitative data T.F
* verbal reasoning F
* self motivation F
* integrating theory and practice in written assignments T,F,A
* cooperative working with other students F.
Content:
See Learning Outcomes.

MN30055: Corporate governance & regulation

Credits: 6
Level: Honours
Semester: 2
Assessment: EX50CW50
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN10008 or take MN10069 or take MN10248
Aims: To set corporate governance best practice on internal control and reporting in the broader context of the 'regulatory state' and accountability through 'transparency'.
Learning Outcomes:
To acquire knowledge of the main theories of the regulatory state and the roles and accountabilities of the modern corporation, as well as their application in practice through government policies on external regulation, self-regulation of the corporate sector through the Combined Code of Practice, and the setting of accounting and reporting standards in an international trading environment.
Skills:
Discussing key issues and applying generic models to particular cases.
Content:
The Regulatory State - the Corporation in Context
* Market and non-market conduct failures
* The principles of good regulation
* Regulatory accountability
* The role of the corporation - profit maximisation and corporate social responsibility (CSR) in context
* Ownership and control:
- the principal-agent model
- the stakeholder model
- regulated public service industries
- public ownership/agency model
Controlling the Corporation
* Reconciling 'conformance' and 'performance'
* Shareholder roles:
- AGM empowerment
- exit strategy and take-overs
- 'aligned' remuneration
- external audit: controlling conflicts of interest
* Corporate governance: the directors' roles:
- codes of practice, Hampel, Turnbull, Higgs and Smith
- structuring the board for 'internal control'
- 'independence' of non-executives
- internal audit and separating roles and responsibilities in organisations
- ethics: learning cultures and whistle-blowing and note international comparators
Transparency: regulating financial reporting
- the rule-makers and reporting standards
- international harmonisation
- the framework of principles, FRS3, accounting policies and the Operating and Financial Review (OFR)
- key concepts in practice (substance over form, capitalisation of leases, provisions for deferred liabilities, eg, tax)
- modified historical cost (statement of total gains and losses), goodwill and intangibles.

MN30058: Ecological thinking & action in management

Credits: 6
Level: Honours
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW60ES40
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN10005 or take MN10070 or take MN20080 or take MN50169 or take PS50052
Aims: The aim of this unit is to explore global trends in social, political and environmental thinking and their implications for the role of business and the practice of management.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* Show some knowledge of contemporary environmental and social problems relating to business and of how they emerge
* Understand different perspectives applicable to business-society relations
* Apply systemic principles of analysis
* Show a critical awareness of strategies organizations are adopting to address sustainability and social justice issues
* Review and articulate their own perspectives on contemporary challenges facing business.
Skills:
Intellectual skills
* Ability to synthesise information from a variety of academic perspectives and non-academic sources for a relevant understanding of theoretical and practical approaches. TFA
* Capacity to reflect on the appropriateness, strengths and weaknesses of management theories, perspectives and policy making. TFA
* Ability to recognise and understand selected management strategies for environmental and social aspects of business. TFA
* Capacity to undertake systemic analysis. TFA
* Capacity to reflect on their own perspective. TFA
* Ability to analyse from a range of perspectives. TFA
Professional Practical skills
* Capacities for independent study. FA
* Capacity to undertake systemic analysis. TFA
* Capacity to reflect on their own perspective. TFA
Transferable/ Key skills
* All of the above
Content:
A series of focused explorations examining: the changing context of business; globalisation and sustainable development; management of natural resources; system dynamics; ecological thinking and practices in management; developments in environmental, economic and social indicators; stakeholders of corporate responsibility; and emerging company practices in the field of corporate social responsibility.

MN30059: European integration studies 2

Credits: 6
Level: Honours
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW25ES75
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN30040 or take MN20208

Aims & Learning Objectives:
AIMS: Students will learn about the business environment of the European Union. Special emphasis placed on the Union's non-economic policies and on the recent evolution of EU decision-making. OBJECTIVES: Students will be able to understand the dynamics of the European integrationprocess as it affects the business environment both in an institutional and a policy context.
Content:
The course is structured around lectures and seminars covering EU social and environmental policies; lobbying activities by corporations,NGOs and third country governments; the operation of the Commom Agricultural Policy; problems of policy implementation; the debate on EU governance.

MN30062: International business law

Credits: 6
Level: Honours
Semester: 2
Assessment: EX60CW40
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN10007 or take MN10078
Aims: To put international trade contracts and other relationships in their legal framework, in terms of the businesses and the implications of their contracts between the parties and with regard to wider considerations.
Learning Outcomes:
Students will understand the different regimes which are relevant to making agreements in an international context and the problems which can arise, and how to deal with them. Common contracts terms and business relationships will be examined and applied so that students can understand the factors which can facilitate or hinder international contracts.
Skills:
Students will be able to understand the terms used in international business and the implications of those terms and their enforceability. They will be aware of some of the major areas where problems arise and how these can be avoided or resolved. They work from a case study which includes references to common terms, which they learn to interpret in the context of a set of problems. The interpretation culminates in the coursework presentation which involves students drawing together the taught material in a practical application. Preparation for the presentation is facilitated by discussions throughout the course.
Content:
The course considers the regimes which are applicable to foreign trade, including choice of a national law, international regimes of law (such as EU law, and international treaties in areas such as carriage) and international commercial institutions (such as the ICC). The types of business which operate in international trade are examined, including commercial agency. Issues particularly applicable to international trade are key areas on the course, such as international carriage of goods, international banking and payment protection, such as documentary credits, protection of intellectual property, competition laws, dispute resolution and enforcement.

MN30066: Strategic management

Credits: 6
Level: Honours
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW30EX70
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN30048
Aims: The aim of the course is to give BBA students practice in using the knowledge, techniques, and patterns of thought, learned in MN30048, to carry out strategic analysis and options generation in a variety of 'real world' firm contexts.
Learning Outcomes:
1. To increase familiarity with the principal concepts, frameworks, and techniques of strategic management.
2. To gain expertise in applying these concepts, frameworks, and techniques in order to:
* understand the reasons for good or bad performance by an enterprise,
* generate strategy options for an enterprise,
* assess available options under conditions of imperfect knowledge,
* select the most appropriate strategy, and
* recommend the best means for implementing the chosen strategy.
3. To integrate the knowledge learned in previous and parallel courses.
4. To develop capacity as a general manager in terms of:
* viewing business problems from a holistic perspective,
* assessing the marketplace from a local to global vantage,
* developing original and innovative approaches to strategic problems, and
* developing business judgment.
5. To improve skills of oral and written business communication.
6. To develop team skills including interpersonal communication and team management.
Skills:
Intellectual skills:
* a systematic understanding of organisations, the internal and external context in which they operate and how they can be effectively managed (TA)
* the facility to apply subject-specific knowledge into a range of complex situations, taking into account the overall implications for the other areas of the business (TFA);
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in management (FA);
* a conceptual understanding of theoretical concepts and frameworks that enables the student to meaningfully link theory and practice and the ability to critically appraise both theory and practice (TFA);
* an understanding of appropriate research and methodological techniques that allow detailed investigation into topical business issues and ability to use these skills to produce professional, critical reports and presentations in business and management (TA).
Professional Practical skills
The ability to:
* analyse the main features of industry and market environments (TFA)
* identify/determine a firm's position and strength within an industry/market (TFA)
* assess the positioning and strategies of firm competitors (FA)
* identify the firm strategy currently pursued (TFA)
* understand the competencies a firm uses in its strategy (FA)
* assess firm financial performance, and understand the basic features of its production system and production technology and their implications for the strategy of the firm (FA)
Transferable/Key skills
The ability to:
* develop a holistic perspective on an organization and an understanding of how the different functions relate to one another (TFA);
* develop an in-depth understanding of the resources and competences required for successful cross-functional management in organisations (TA);
* conduct in-depth research into management and business issues (FA).
* listen and analyse in real-time (TFA)
* enlarge the debate by adding value to that which has been presented, including: (TFA)
- sharpening the focus and/or interpretation of key strategic issues,
- integrating information presented but not utilised in the analysis, and
- constructively challenging conclusions, where appropriate, by offering insightfully derived strategic action alternatives
* synthesise debated issues and provide analysis and closure on an extemporaneous basis (FA)
Personal/Interpersonal
The ability to:
* communicate, including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas (FA)
* prepare and produce effective business presentations (TFA)
* engage in critically constructive debate (FA)
* recognise intra/entrepreneurial risks and opportunities (FA)
* develop and manage team relationships (FA)
* use enterprise skills to advantage established and start-up firms (F)
Content:
Case studies are continuously analysed during the course. The objective of case analysis is to apply strategic theory and models relevant to the strategy focus of that week. Each week students either present the case as a team, or provide spontaneous analysis and critique of the case and presentation as a team, or participate individually in the open debate. Types of strategy focus typically included in the course are:
* industry analysis & evolution
* scale-based strategy
* non-scale strategy
* vertical integration
* horizontal integration
* diversification
* alliances & joint ventures
* mergers & acquisitions
* technology-based strategy
* global strategy
* rejuvenation strategy
* new venture creation strategy.

MN30067: Treasury management

Credits: 6
Level: Honours
Semester: 1
Assessment: EX100
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN10008 or take MN10069 or take MN10311 or take MN50170 and in taking this unit you cannot take MN50182
Aims: The course aims to give an understanding of the role of the corporate treasurer in maintaining the financial well being of the organisation.
Learning Outcomes:
Understand the various functions that are the responsibility of the corporate treasurer including liquidity management, funding, risk management, organisation and control.
Skills:
Intellectual Analytical skills: defining the exposures facing an organisation and analysing the financial consequences of the various approaches to hedging and managing risk T&A. Advocacy: being able to support an argument based on the facts and personal risk preferences. T&F&A Professional/practical: learning about markets, instruments, company and bank practice. T&A Key skills: analytical, numerate, organisational T&F&A
Content:
Liquidity management (cash management, control of debtors and creditors, short term funding and investment, international bank account and bank relationship management. Risk management (foreign exchange risk definition and hedging techniques, internal control, interest rate risk, definition and instruments used in its management, system risk) Funding: (types of funding and the issues surrounding building a portfolio of debt) Support issues (including electronic banking, internal processes for risk management)

MN30068: Final year project (final report)

Credits: 6
Level: Honours
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW70OR30
Requisites:
While taking this unit you must take MN30052 and before taking this unit you must take MN20021 and take MN20022
Aims: The overall aim of the final Year Project is to create an opportunity to apply the concepts, techniques and skills acquired during the taught programme in solving a practical business problem. Specific objectives are to: develop the skills of planning and executing an original investigation into a business problem in a team; allow an evaluation of the practical worth of management theories and the ability to further develop existing theories; integrate the various components of the degree programme and create the opportunity for business sponsors to challenge student ideas.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* to practice and develop personal skills, especially those of analysis and synthesis; develop experience in handling group co-ordination and conflict.
Skills:
Intellectual skills:
* Develop skills to handle complex data sets, and allow existing theories and concepts to be applied and critically evaluated.
Professional Practical skills:
* Develop skills in designing and carrying out a field-based 'action research' investigation
Transferable/ Key skills:
* Develop skills of working collaboratively in teams, and exposing ideas to practitioners and academics as well as writing up a fairly large-scale project.
Content:
Evaluation of progress; on-going updating of formal log of activities; further data collection; further examination of literature and relevant theory; Project Workshop; further analysis of collected data; production of final written report and oral presentation of findings.

MN30076: Business strategy

Credits: 6
Level: Honours
Semester: 2
Assessment: EX100
Requisites:
In taking this unit you cannot take MN30048
Aims:
* To provide an appreciation of how organisations develop from their entrepreneurial beginnings through maturity and decline.
* To examine the interrelationship between strategy formulation, strategy implementation and the behavioural aspects of business
* To enable students to explore the theoretical notions behind corporate and business strategy
* Students are expected to develop skills of analysis and the ability to interpret complex business situations.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* Prepare a strategy plan for an organisation that takes account of the internal and external factors of the business environment
* Analysis the business environment of an organisation and how it impacts strategy formulation
* Use theoretical tools and frameworks to make sense of complex interrelated business data
* Understand what lies behind strategy formulation and begin to think strategically.
Skills:
Intellectual skills
* the ability to think strategically (T/F/A)
* a critical awareness of classic and current issues and frameworks surrounding strategy formulation (T/F/A)
* an understanding of the motivations behind the behaviour of leading companies (T&F)
Professional Practical skills
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate F
* be self-directed and able to act autonomously in planning and implementing study and research time F
Transferable/ Key skills
* the ability to acquire and analyse complex data sets, information and situations; to evaluate relevance and validity, and to synthesise it in the context of strategic issues ( T/F & A).
Content:
Business objectives, values and mission; industry and market analysis; competitive strategy and advantage; competing strategic styles and frameworks, technology impact on strategy, business life cycle; organisational structures and controls.

MN30085: The internationalisation of business

Credits: 6
Level: Honours
Semester: 1
Assessment: EX60CW40
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take XX20093 or XX20094 or XX20095 or XX20096 or XX20097 or XX20098 or XX20047 or XX20048 or XX20049 and in taking this unit you cannot take MN20208. Aims: The course aims to introduce and assess the forms, motivations and processes of establishing and developing a multinational enterprise. It will explain the magnitude and significance of international business, discuss the academic frameworks used to analyse the activities of international businesses and the processes of internationalisation. To understand some of the considerations of globalisation in the automotive industry in Europe.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* Understand and assess the options available to companies undergoing the internationalisation process; to analyse the different issues that arise and problems that need to be addressed when establishing and operating subsidiaries and affiliates across national boundaries; to identify and explain actual examples using theories introduced in the course.
Skills:

* Intellectual skills: evaluation, presentation of an argument;
* Professional practical skills: Use of PEST framework for environmental scanning;
* Transferable/key skills: research, project writing, coordination of work schedules and responsibilities between partners.
Content:
The theories of international business, including those pertaining to trade, FDI and theories of the multinational enterprise. The risks of international operations $ú political and economic risk. The motivations for multinational operation - economic globalisation, competitive rivalry, resource or market seeking. The strategic options for establishing a global network of subsidiaries. The different forms of multinational operation, including contractual forms, equity arrangements, joint ventures, etc. but with a particular focus on foreign direct investment. An assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of each. The course will use case studies (industry and company-based) to illustrate and explain the theories of international business.

MN30094: Economics of incentives

Credits: 6
Level: Honours
Semester: 2
Assessment: EX70ES30
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN20012 or (take EC20010 and take EC20045)
(Others with EC10044, MN10006 and placement experience should undertake preparatory reading). Aims: This course uses economics to investigate the incentives generated by a range of contractual relationships. Students will link economic ideas to their own experiences in the workplace, and they will develop their written and oral communication skills.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* Understand the concepts of incentive compatibility and individual rationality.
* Apply the models developed in the module to novel environments.
* Understand and articulate the key themes developed in the module.
Skills:
Economic analysis (T, A) Critical thinking (T,A) Written communication (T,A) Oral presentation (F)
Content:
Incentives are an integral part of many areas in economics, and so the topics examined in the course come from a range of economic disciplines. The course examines the application of principal-agent models to labour markets, capital markets, insurance markets, and corporate governance issues. Some of the topics addressed in the course will be: The use of pay systems to influence the behaviour of managerial and non-managerial employees; transaction costs as the reason for the existence of contracts; the importance of institutional structures as a response to transaction costs; and moral hazard and adverse selection.

MN30095: The emotional organization

Credits: 6
Level: Honours
Semester: 2
Assessment: ES40EX60
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN20011 or take MN20028 or take MN20031 or take MN30042
Aims: The aim of this course is to introduce students to key areas of organizational behaviour ' through an emotion lens. It represents an exciting new development in organizational behaviour and management, drawing upon recent findings in the psychology and sociology of organizations. Classic studies of organizations and management have stressed the rational, the cognitive; the predictable and the controlled. This course challenges these notions. It introduces some of the latest ideas on how feelings and emotions are central to the experience and organization of work, and their managerial implications. Students will learn to appreciate some of the key perspectives in the area, and how they are applicable to everyday, as well as crisis, management issues.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* Appreciate and analyse organizations from an emotion perspective
* Apply emotion to contemporary management problems.
Skills:
Intellectual skills
* Comparative perspectives on emoting in organizations (TA)
* Analysis of organizational problems (TA)
Professional Practical skills
* Ways of managing emotion-related issues and problems in organizations (TA)
Transferable/ Key skills
* All the above will apply to most organizational and personal circumstances (A)
Content:
The course will be constructed around some of the following issues: The persisting myth of the rationality. The historical and ideological context of emotion at work. Thinking and emotion. Feelings and emotions. Commercialising feelings. Emotion work and emotional labour. Emotional intelligence. Virtual emotion. Emotional injuries at work - stress and anger, violence and harassment. Emotion and leading, decisions, and change.

MN30105: Consumer behaviour

Credits: 6
Level: Honours
Semester: 1
Assessment: ES60OR40
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN20016 or take MN20081
Aims:
* To enable participants to appreciate the core issues from the wide range of disciplines which underpin consumer behaviour research.
* To provide a conceptual and pragmatic framework for implementing marketing management strategies.
* To introduce new areas of research such as "the ethical consumer" and "fair trade marketing".
Learning Outcomes:

* Students will be able to design and apply informed marketing strategies
* Students will be able to design and apply informed marketing communication strategies
* Students will have an informed view on marketing ethics and fair trade.
Skills:

* Presentation Skills - assessed
* Analytical Skills - assessed
* Writing Skills - assessed
* Class participation skills.
Content:

1. What is a Consumer? In this session we will look at the many faces of the modern consumer and consider what disciplines marketers need to draw on to research consumer behaviour.
2. Why Study Consumer Behaviour? The Managerial Implications. Here we will look at the relationship of consumer behaviour to the elements of the marketing mix: product, price, place and promotion. We will concentrate particularly on understanding how advertising works.
3. The Decision Making Process. Many models of consumer behaviour consider the consumer as a rational decision maker. We will examine and discuss some of these models.
4. Consumers as Individuals 1. A range of concepts is useful for understanding what goes on inside individual consumers&© head. We will pay particular attention to the processes of perception, learning, memory and motivation.
5. Consumers as Individuals 2. In this session we will move onto looking at characteristics of individuals and will introduce age, gender, psychographics, geodemographics and personality.
6. Consumers in Groups 1. Consumers of course, do not always (or even mainly) behave alone. In this session we will explore the role of culture, sub culture, and socio-economic group on consumer behaviour.
7. Consumers in Groups 2. Here we will consider consumerism in a broader sense. We will look at ethical, green and fair-trade marketing and consider to what extent consumer groups have power over corporations.
8. Consumer Loyalty, Relationships and Stationery Markets. There is much talk about brand loyalty and having long term relationships with customers. We will examine and discuss some to the thinking behind this idea.

MN30107: International academic exchange - out-going

Credits: 30
Level: Honours
Semester: 1
Assessment: OT100
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN20021 and take MN20022
Aims: An opportunity to gain the experience of studying and living in a different country at an approved partner institution. Students should also have the opportunity of studying subjects not available at the University of Bath.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* Achieve learning outcomes specified in the modules taken in the partner institution.
* Appreciate differences in the approaches taken to management disciplines in overseas cultures.
* Establish the initiation and planning stages of a group project.
Skills:
Intellectual skills
* Understanding and analysing the content of modules taken at the partner institution. (T, F, A)
Transferable/ Key skills
* Group organisation and planning (F, A)
* Project initiation (F, A)
Content:
The student will study an approved programme of units at a partner educational institution and complete the first semester work on the Final Year Project.

MN30109: Business-to-business marketing

Credits: 6
Level: Honours
Semester: 2
Assessment: EX70CW30
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN20016 and take MN20034
Aims: This module aims to build on the earlier Marketing 1 and Marketing 2 courses, and is designed for those with an interest in business-to-business rather than consumer marketing. It aims to develop an understanding of how business markets differ from consumer markets, to illustrate the importance of relationships within such markets, and seeks to put the role of the business-to-business marketing manager into the broader context of overall business strategy.
Learning Outcomes:
After completing the unit, the student should be able to understand a) the building blocks of inter-firm relationships, b) how firms interact, and c) how firms negotiate the creation and distribution of 'value.'
Skills:
Develop the ability to conceptualize Business- to-Business marketing problems by using a series of analytical tools. Develop the ability to plan and rationalize activities Develop presentation skills in the classroom
Content:
The course will contain a range of lectures, in-class assignments and case-studies and exercises for the following topics:
* Introduction to Business-to Business Marketing
* Managerial Challenges
* Business-to Business Segmentation & Positioning
* Network Approach
* Business Relationships
* Business Negotiation & Deal Making
* Contractual Arrangements
* Key Account Management
* Business Purchasing
* Business Network Mobilisation
* Revision

MN30170: Fundamentals of accounting and financial management

Credits: 6
Level: Honours
Semester: 1
Assessment: EX 70%, CW 30%
Requisites:
Aims: To provide a basic understanding of accounting and financial management.
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the course students will be able to: prepare a basic set of financial statements; apply certain basic techniques of financial analysis; understand the role of financial management in an organisation and have an awareness of capital structure and methods of financing; apply basic techniques used in cash management and investment appraisal and apply the use of costs in short term decision making.
Skills:
1. A level of numeracy which will enable fairly basic mathematical calculations in the context of preparing and using accounting and financial information $ú T&A 2. A generally well directed approach to the analysis and interpretation of information - F 3. Well structured written presentation skills (e.g. report writing) - F.
Content:
The accounting process; the format and content of a profit and loss account, balance sheet and cash flow statements; techniques of financial analysis; fixed and variable costs; break even and contribution analysis. Methods of company financing including equity and debt; cost of capital; net present value technique of investment appraisal and short term cash management.

MN30203: Organizational leadership

Credits: 6
Level: Honours
Semester: 2
Assessment: EX60ES40
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must (take MN10001 and take MN10005) or (take MN20080 and take MN20083) or take MN20031

Aims & Learning Objectives:
This course is about leadership in organizations. It aims to take a critical approach to some of the vast literatures of leadership, considering a systemic view which locates leadership in the context of organization and organizing. By the end of the unit, students should have developed an understanding of self-awareness, assumptions and values against which behaviour of others is routinely evaluated together with an appreciation of how 'things are made to happen' by influencing and 'leading' people.
Content:
Leadership is often described as the most widely studied and least understood concept in the social sciences. With this backdrop, the course aims to make some sense of what is undoubtedly assumed to be the most important element in organizational life - the exercise of influence by which 'things are made to happen'. Students will be encouraged to reflect on the assumptions they make about leadership - the person(ality), the position, the process, the performance - as well as to consider their own self-awareness, assumptions and values against which they evaluate others' influence. Drawing on contemporary business illustrations as well as literature and metaphors, this unit will explore the complications involved in becoming, being, confronting and evaluating leadership in organizations.

MN30209: Investment banking

Credits: 6
Level: Honours
Semester: 2
Assessment: EX100
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN20009 or take MN20102 or take MN30170
Aims: The unit has the aim to give an introduction into investment banking and the issues surrounding their performances.
Learning Outcomes:
Students will be able to:
* Explain the different business areas of investment banks.
* Evaluate the conflicts of interests between investment banks and their customers.
* Analyze the challenges to investment banks in the current environment.
Skills:
Critical thinking about issues surrounding investment banking in light of recent developments (T/F/A), Analysing the complex interactions of decision makers in investment banks (T/F/A), Identifying and evaluating a problem within investment banks (T/F/A), Applying academic rigour in analysing practical problems (F/A), Writing reports (F/A).
Content:
This course gives an introduction into various aspects of investment banking. The emphasis will be laid on giving an understanding of the complex interactions of investment banks with competitors, their clients and investors in the market. Areas covered are: Mergers & Acquisitions, Initial Public Offerings (IPOs), Brokerage, Financial Engineering, Relationship Banking, Using Technology in Investment Banking.

MN30212: International business in the Americas

Credits: 6
Level: Honours
Semester: 2
Assessment: EX75ES25
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN20208
Aims: The aim of the course is to explore the political economy of the Americas.
Learning Outcomes:
As a final year unit students take this option because the topic interests them. Although they will know more about the world after the course, I do not expect them to 'do' anything after taking it.
Skills:
Critical thinking - facilitated. Research skills - facilitated and assessed.
Content:
Lecture and seminar topics include: US trade policy; regional economic integration; Canadian and Mexican political economy; North American Free Trade Agreement; Brazilian political economy; and Mercosur.

MN30222: Innovation, industrialisation & international competitiveness

Credits: 6
Level: Honours
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN20208 or take MN30085 or take MN30051
Aims: To examine the role of technology and innovation in the internationalisation of businesses and the industrialisation of nations.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* Appreciate technology as a global driver and facilitator.
* Have an understanding of the crucial interplay between firms, governments and global environment in encouraging technology innovation for industrial growth.
Skills:
* Intellectual skills: ability to select a focus for a project, analysis and synthesis of information.
* Transferable/ Key skills: research, ability to select a focus for a project, analysis and synthesis of information, structuring and writing a long essay.
Content:
Course will potentially include: the definition of technology and innovation; how it is relevant to international business activity/production. The role of the MNE in the internationalisation of technology; the organisation of innovation for international competitiveness; technology trajectories and diversification; technology based alliances and international technology transfer; National Systems of Innovation and technology policy.

MN30266: Decision making

Credits: 6
Level: Honours
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW40EX60
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MA10095 or take MN10077
Aims: This unit will investigate how individuals and groups make decisions and identify the weaknesses of unaided decision making. It will show how decision analysis can help to overcome these weaknesses in problems where there may be a plurality of objectives, risk and both qualitative and quantitative attributes.
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the course students will be able to:
* identify the problems associated with unaided decision making,
* recognise problems which are amenable to decision analysis,
* implement appropriate decision analysis methods,
* critically evaluate analyses by considering the underlying normative and behavioural assumptions of decision analysis.
Skills:
Key
* an openness and capacity to continue learning with the ability to reflect on earlier knowledge and practice and integrate the new with past experience and effectively apply it to the present situations. F
Intellectual
* identify biases and deficiencies of observed decision processes, T,A
* evaluate and interpret new information, and engage in problem solving; T,A
Practical
* formulate and evaluate decision support models T, A
* demonstrate consistent and effective written communication skills; A
Professional
* deal with complex issues and make sound judgements in the absence of complete information, and to communicate their conclusions clearly and competently to a range of audiences. F.
Content:

* Descriptive models and theories of individual decision making:
* Problems associated with group decision making.
* Heuristics and biases in probability assessment
* The underlying rationale of decision analysis
* Decision Problems involving multiple objectives under conditions of certainty.
* Decision Problems under conditions of uncertainty
* Structuring decision problems.
* Probability assessment.
* Revision of Opinion in the light of new information.
* Methods designed to aid group decision making.

MN30267: Global governance & international business: the political economy of international trade

Credits: 6
Level: Honours
Semester: 2
Assessment: EX75ES25
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN20208 and while taking this unit you must take MN30085
Aims: The governance of the international economy is one of the more fiercely contested public policy issues confronting citizens and policymakers. The globalisation of the world economy, far from ushering in a deregulated free-market paradise, confronts governments and firms with more complex rules than ever. What these rules are and how they get made is a key issue in international political economy. The course will take students into this debate by focussing on important topic areas in international trade.
Learning Outcomes:
The only outcome is greater knowledge about the world economy. It is unlikely that students will use this knowledge in their jobs. They take the course because they are interested.
Skills:
Critical thinking - facilitated. Research skills - facilitated and assessed.
Content:
This course is designed to explore the nature of power and governance in the international economy - with a special focus on international trade. It does so by paying particular attention to the relationship between firms and governments. It begins with a theoretical exploration of power and authority, utilising the work of Douglass North, the neo-Gramscian School, Debora Spar, Susan Strange and others. It then moves on to use these theoretical tools as a means of understanding issue areas like: structure of the WTO; investment rules; TRIPS, GATS, agriculture; trade and development and EU-US economic relations.

MN30270: Virtual organising

Credits: 6
Level: Honours
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN20014 or take MN20032 or take MN30281
Aims: The aim of the unit is to educate students on the complex dynamics of information technology in organizations in order to enable them to function and manage effectively and to prepare them to play the role of organizational transformation agents in the now virtual world. Through case studies, research reports and interactive discussions, participants will learn to deploy an alternative perspective, one that is more political and critical orientated, to the pragmatic and recipe-based approaches to the issues that dominate much of the contemporary management literature on IT. In presenting this argument the course will explore the key features of virtual organizations, then go on to examine some essential business processes that characterise the operation of virtual organizations, and finally deal with the issues involved in successfully developing and managing collaborative virtual organizations. Special emphasis will be given on how information and communication technologies enable intra- and inter- virtual organizational forms to emerge.
Learning Outcomes:
* To deepen students' understanding of how information technologies enable organizations to change and what is required of managers in this environment;
* To develop students' ability to work cross-culturally;
* To develop students' ability to build teams and collaborations with people in dispersed locations;
* To give students the experience of using new business communication technologies and enable them to thoughtfully assess when and how to use them.
Skills:
To develop in students a range of personal transferable skills appropriate to final year undergraduate students. Through diverse methods of implementation (case study analysis, presentations and interactive discussions) it will foster interpersonal, communication, critical and analytical skills.
Content:
Core content will include:
* Relating IT to its organizational context;
* Virtual Organization as an IT-enabled workplace strategy;
* Models for Virtual Organizations;
* Knowledge-based strategies for virtual organizations;
* Developing Collaborative Strategies in a virtual world;
* The use of Computer-mediated Communication.

MN30271: Information system development

Credits: 6
Level: Honours
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW60RT40
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN10004
Aims: To impart an understanding of the complexity and difficulty of successful information system development in the Internet age. Although the roots of Information system development methods can be found in the engineering tradition of hardware and software development, more recent developments in IS research have highlighted the need to employ alternative paradigms that cater for the needs of the organization and those whose work is affected by the introduction of an information system. The recent rise of Internet-based information systems has introduced new challenges for the developer - building systems with global reach and building them in 'Internet time'. This unit gives students the opportunity to engage with current approaches to IS Development and links their understanding of general issues in Information Systems to the application of techniques and methodologies.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should:
* be able to display a sound understanding of the role of IS development in organizations
* be able to analyze critically the strengths and weaknesses of a range of IS development methods
* be able to display a sound understanding of which methods to use in which situations
* be able to think in a systemic fashion about the organizational context of IS development
* be able to apply IS development modelling techniques to support the creation of software artefacts
* be able to display a sound understanding of the dynamics of the IS development process and the associated challenges to management.
Skills:
Intellectual skills
* a systematic understanding of the organisational context of IS Development and the process of managing it (TFA);
* the facility to apply subject-specific knowledge into a range of complex situations, taking into account the overall implications for the other areas of the business (TFA);
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in IS Development methodologies(TFA)
* a conceptual understanding of theoretical concepts and frameworks that enables the student to meaningfully link theory and practice and the ability to critically appraise both theory and practice (TFA).
Professional Practical skills
* evaluate the current status of information use in an organization and practically contribute to the diagnosis and implementation of appropriate changes (A);
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate (F);
* apply industry-standard IS development tools and methods (TFA)
* be self-directed and able to act autonomously in planning and implementing projects at professional levels (F).
Transferable/Key skills
* an openness and capacity to continue learning with the ability to reflect on earlier knowledge and practice and integrate the new with past experience and effectively apply it to the present situations (TFA);
* an appreciation and in-depth understanding of the resources and competences required for successful cross-functional management in organisations including enterprise skills (TA);
* ability to conduct in-depth research into management and business issues (FA).
Personal/Interpersonal
* an ability to manage and work in teams with an awareness of issues such as culture, gender, working styles etc. and to use these to the benefit of the individual and the team (F);
* the facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas; preparation and production of effective business plans and reports (FA).
Content:
The unit addresses the following topics:
* The IS development process
* Organizational analysis: stakeholders and soft systems
* Socio-technical design: ETHICS, participatory design
* Information modelling: data and process modelling with the Unified Modeling Language (UML)
* Software development: building a Web site with an industry standard authoring tool (such as Macromedia DreamWeaver)
* Integrative case study: covering organizational requirements through to software prototype
* Conceptual and philosophical foundations of IS development.

MN30276: Management & organization in the PRC

Credits: 6
Level: Honours
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW20EX80
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN20208 or take MN10079
Aims: This course aims to provide insights into the context and conduct of business in the PRC. The context of business refers to the economic, political, social and cultural environment. The conduct of business refers to the organization and management of businesses.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the course students should be able to:
* Explain the nature of the Chinese economy and its relationship to the rest of the world (especially trade and FDI);
* Understand and explain the Chinese business environment;
* Locate the peculiarities of Chinese business and management in the PRC within this context;
* Describe and explain patterns of management and organizational behaviour under different types of enterprise ownership;
* Suggest ways in which organizational problems might be resolved;
* Comment on the future trajectory of the Chinese economy and Chinese management.
Skills:

* engage in comparative analysis of business, social and economic institutions across national boundaries.
* evaluate and interpret new information, and engage in problem solving, thereby demonstrating a capacity to think clearly and logically about a range of contemporary business issues.
* synthesizing concepts where appropriate, and applying them to the resolution of problems.
* apply the knowledge used in specific areas of management in both the U.K. and countries whose native language the student studies.
Content:
The course will cover:
* Chinese economic structure: the re-structuring of the Chinese economy; trade and investment relationships with neighbouring countries and the rest of the world; impact of marketization, open door, and WTO membership.
* The Chinese political context: the role and ambitions of the state and the Communist Party in China's economic affairs; recent reforms to the command economy; employment and welfare reforms.
* The Chinese social and cultural context: the influence of traditional Chinese values and institutions; the legacy of the iron rice bowl and egalitarian ideals.
* Patterns of management and organization in the PRC: organizational governance; decision-making and organizational behaviour; differences across state owned enterprises, township and village enterprises, private Chinese enterprises, joint ventures, and wholly-owned foreign enterprises.

MN30279: Economics, institutions and knowledge

Credits: 6
Level: Honours
Semester: 1
Assessment: ES100
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN10006 or take MN10079
Aims: This unit aims to provide students with the opportunity to engage with the theoretical and applied aspects of heterodox economics with particular emphasis placed upon the role of institutions (broadly defined) in a modern economy.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the unit students should be able to explain how a sophisticated market economy actually works and be able to apply the theories and concepts of heterodox economics to a broad range of real world issues. In doing this they should develop a better appreciation of the role and nature of firms in an economy.
Skills:
The unit will nurture and develop the analytical and critical faculties of students. It will also develop conceptual modelling ability and abstract thinking. This will be achieved through a combination of structured reading materials, lectures and tutorial sessions.
Content:
Economics is often associated with a single paradigm - the so called neoclassical approach. This is built upon a model of economic actors that is a far cry from reality. Furthermore these actors are modelled as operating in an economy that is essentially free of any social institutions and customs. The epitome of the neoclassical approach is the Walrasian model of General Equilibrium in which the economy is treated as if it were susceptible to the same analytical tools as the natural science of physics. A prerequisite of 'economics as physics' is that all agents are costlessly and completely linked to all other agents (this analytical apparatus is called a 'field'). In effect this means that consumers know exactly from whom and at what price they can obtain goods/services that meet their requirements and that even nascent or entrepreneurial firms know who their customers are. It also assumes that firms know exactly the best method of operation. In short, most of the really interesting questions about the acquisition of knowledge and information that concern real world economic decision makers (such as entrepreneurs) are assumed to have taken place already. The institutional approach that we will follow here takes a different perspective. It begins by assuming that the real world is characterised by incomplete connections between economic actors and as a result a modern economy contains and evolves a sophisticated web of institutions that help agents overcome their difficulties (albeit imperfectly). Drawing upon the work of some of the foremost economic thinkers of the 20th and 21st century we will explore how a real economy actually works and examine puzzles such as differential economic performance (for example, why has the Russian model of free enterprise been so spectacularly unsuccessful while American free enterprise works so well?). To this end we will introduce the model of heteroeconomicus developed by Nobel Laureate Herbert Simon and discuss issues related to the creation and management of knowledge in the economy as examined by scholars such as Friedrich Hayek (another Nobel Laureate) and Mark Casson. In addition we will study the rapidly developing evolutionary economics associated with Richard Nelson & Sidney Winter and assess its contribution to our understanding of how real firms work.

MN30280: Political marketing

Credits: 6
Level: Honours
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW30EX70
Requisites:
Aims: This course will introduce the discipline of political marketing, its main theoretical concepts as well as managerial practice and ethical considerations. Through group assignments the understanding of the concepts will be enhanced and deepened.
Learning Outcomes:
The unit will enable students to understand the basic tenets of political marketing theory and practice, its relationship to marketing and political science theory. Furthermore, the unit will foster the students' ability to critique contemporary issues of political marketing practice.
Skills:
Interdisciplinary skills of integrating theories/concepts from different disciplines will be taught and assessed. Furthermore, the ability to engage in a critical discourse about contemporary issues of political marketing will be assessed.
Content:
Lecture 1: Political Marketing and the Marketing Domain;
Lecture 2: Functions of Political Marketing;
Lecture 3: Strategic Political Marketing;
Lecture 4: Political Marketing Instruments I;
Lecture 5: Political Marketing Instruments II;
Lecture 6: Examples of Political Campaigning;
Lecture 7: Voting and Buying Behaviour Theory and Political Marketing;
Lecture 8: Ethical Considerations and Political Marketing;
Seminar 1: Guest Lecture on Political Marketing and Political Propaganda;
Workshop 1: Group Presentations and Discussions;
Workshop 2: Group Presentations and Discussions;
Lecture 9: Contemporary Issues of Political Marketing

MN30281: Contemporary issues in the information systems field

Credits: 6
Level: Honours
Semester: 1
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
Aims: The aim of this unit is to expose students to a range of issues that information systems and business management professionals will encounter when implementing and using information systems. Each topic will frame the major issues and controversies and points to other relevant literature. The unit reflects on significant information systems issues reported in the literature.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the unit the students should have developed an understanding of critical management issues with respect to the development and use of information technology in organizations; key criteria and frameworks for understanding of organizational aspects of information systems.
Skills:
This unit will contribute to skills development in the areas of intellectual, professional and transferable skills, including: critical thinking, an awareness of issues in the analysis and understanding of the use of information systems in work settings, capability of applying academic ideas to real-world problems.
Content:
The content of the academic sessions will be updated each year to reflect then current issues in information systems, but the following is indicative of the content: IT Outsourcing; Information and knowledge management; IT infrastructure management; Ethical issues in IS; IT and SMEs; Virtual teamworking; IT and Globalization.

MN30290: Training, learning and development

Credits: 6
Level: Honours
Semester: 2
Assessment: EX60CW40
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN20291
Aims: To provide an introduction to the processes of adult learning, training and development from both an individual and an organisational perspective. To provide a framework for the links between learning and Strategic Human Resource Development and Human Resource Management.
Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this unit the student would be able to:
* Understand the nature and contribution of training and development to organisational success;
* Appreciate the role and responsibilities of the individual in training and development;
* Differentiate between employee and management development;
* Make suggestions for creative and innovative approaches to adult learning;
* Provide a framework for analysis and understanding of current thinking in training and development.
Skills:

* Analysis of case material (taught)
* Critical reflection on theory (taught)
* Application of theoretical models (taught)
* Conversations with practitioners (facilitated)
* Design of a learning intervention (taught and facilitated)
Content:
The role of training and development in organisations; Training as a cost or investment; Theories and practice of learning; adult learning; lifelong learning; experiential learning; managers as developers; learning technologies; the training and development cycle; assessment methodologies; evaluation techniques; feedback mechanisms; new approached to CPD.

XX20047: Year abroad in Spain - work placement

Credits: 60
Level: Intermediate
Academic Year
Assessment: ES100
Requisites:

Aims & Learning Objectives:

* to promote the development of high-level language skills in Spanish
* to acquire in-depth personal experience of the Spanish culture
* to gain professional experience.
Content:
Working in a role in an approved organization which will involve a challenging range of tasks, giving an opportunity to put management studies into practice, while also developing language skills to near fluency.

XX20048: Year abroad in Spain - academic exchange

Credits: 60
Level: Intermediate
Academic Year
Assessment:
Requisites:

Aims & Learning Objectives:

* to promote the development of high-level language skills in Spanish
* to acquire in-depth personal experience of the Spanish culture
* to gain academic experience in a Spanish/Latin-American business school.
Content:
To carry out an agreed programme of work at a Spanish/Latin American business school. The nature, scope and assessment of this work is to be agreed by the institutions involved in the exchange arrangements.

XX20049: Year abroad in Spain - academic exchange & work placement

Credits: 60
Level: Intermediate
Academic Year
Assessment:
Requisites:

Aims & Learning Objectives:

* to promote the development of high-level language skills in Spain
* to acquire in-depth personal experience of the Spanish culture
* to gain professional experience.
Content:
To carry out an agreed programme of work at a Spanish/Latin-American business school. The nature, scope and assessment of this work is to be agreed by the institutions involved in the exchange arrangements.

XX20087: German comparative employee relations

Credits: 6
Level: Intermediate
Semester: 1
Assessment: EX50ES50
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN10079

Aims & Learning Objectives:
a) To describe and analyse the changing features of employee relations in the UK. This introduction to the subject provides the basis for comparative work later in the course.
b) To introduce students to the specific legal, institutional and cultural dimensions of industrial relations in Germany. Comparisons with the UK will serve to highlight the main characteristics of the German situation and to sensitise students to the reasons behind the complex pattern of relations existing between the "social partners" as represented by state, unions, employers and employees.
Content:
Employee relations: an introduction; Trade Unions; Employers and Managers; Industrial Conflict; State and the Law.

XX20093: Year abroad in France - work placement

Credits: 60
Level: Intermediate
Academic Year
Assessment: ES100
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take XX20088

Aims & Learning Objectives:

* to promote the development of high-level language skills in French
* to acquire in-depth personal experience of the French culture
* to gain professional experience
Content:
Working in a role in an approved organization which will involve a challenging range of tasks, giving an opportunity to put management studies into practice, while also developing language skills to near fluency.

XX20094: Year abroad in Germany - work placement

Credits: 60
Level: Intermediate
Academic Year
Assessment: ES100
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take XX20090

Aims & Learning Objectives:

* to promote the development of high-level language skills in German
* to acquire in-depth personal experience of the German culture
* to gain professional experience
Content:
Working in a role in an approved organization which will involve a challenging range of tasks, giving an opportunity to put management studies into practice, while also developing language skills to near fluency.

XX20095: Year abroad in France - academic exchange

Credits: 60
Level: Intermediate
Academic Year
Assessment:
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take XX20088

Aims & Learning Objectives:

* to promote the development of high-level language skills in French
* to acquire in-depth personal experience of the French culture
* to gain academic experience in a French/Quebecois business school
Content:
To carry out an agreed programme of work at a French/Quebecois business school. The nature, scope and assessment of this work is to be agreed by the institutions involved in the exchange arrangements.

XX20096: Year abroad in Germany - academic exchange

Credits: 60
Level: Intermediate
Academic Year
Assessment:
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take XX20090

Aims & Learning Objectives:

* to promote the development of high-level language skills in German
* to acquire in-depth personal experience of the German culture
* to gain academic experience in a German business school
Content:
To carry out an agreed programme of work at a German business school. The nature, scope and assessment of this work is to be agreed by the institutions involved in the exchange arrangements.

XX20097: Year abroad in France - academic exchange & work placement

Credits: 60
Level: Intermediate
Academic Year
Assessment:
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take XX20088

Aims & Learning Objectives:

* to promote the development of high-level language skills in France
* to acquire in-depth personal experience of the French culture
* to gain professional experience
Content:
To carry out an agreed programme of work at a French business school. The nature, scope and assessment of this work is to be agreed by the institutions involved in the exchange arrangements.

XX20098: Year abroad in Germany - academic exchange & work placement

Credits: 60
Level: Intermediate
Academic Year
Assessment:
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take XX20090

Aims & Learning Objectives:

* to promote the development of high-level language skills in Germany
* to acquire in-depth personal experience of the German culture
* to gain professional experience
Content:
To carry out an agreed programme of work at a German business school. The nature, scope and assessment of this work is to be agreed by the institutions involved in the exchange arrangements.

Postgraduate units:


MN50090: Elements of English law

Credits: 0
Level: Masters
Academic Year
Assessment:
Requisites:
Aims: The aim of this unit is to familiarise students with the principles of law across a wide range of legal topics so as to inform and underpin their work in the translation and interpreting units.
Learning Outcomes:
Students who complete the unit successfully will be able to demonstrate an appropriate knowledge and understanding of these topics in their translation and interpreting activities.
Skills:
The emphasis in this unit is on developing:
* the intellectual skill required to assimilate a potentially complex and unfamiliar body of information;
* the transferable key skills of listening, analysing information and relating this to data and materials that are likely to be encountered in other contexts;
* the practical ability to deploy a functional knowledge of the English legal system as part of professional language work.
Content:
The main topics dealt with in the unit are as follows:
* terminology and functions of the law, court structure and personnel, legal objectives and remedies;
* property law, contract law, tort law;
* commercial law: principles, companies and partnerships, employment contracts, banking and insurance, intellectual property and competition;
* criminal law: general principles and defences, offences against the person, offences against property.
Reference will be made throughout to areas of usage that are common with other legal systems, or where there is a substantial difference under English law to that which might be encountered elsewhere. Students are expected to do appropriate background reading.

MN50110: Marketing management

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 1
Assessment: CW 30%, EX 70%
Requisites:
Aims: The course aims to provide an understanding of the issues and problems in developing marketing strategy within the firm. The strategic perspective involves some integration of concepts and approaches from Marketing and Corporate Strategy.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* Explain the purpose and content of a marketing plan, and be able to critically evaluate of such a plan
* Understand the different marketing environments that managers may encounter, especially B2C and B2B marketing
* Understand fully the traditional approaches to marketing, such as segmentation and targeting
* Understand too when such traditional approaches might not be relevant, and when a relationship or network perspective might be more appropriate.
For each learning outcome, the student should be able to summarise key current issues and developments of relevance to business generally.
Skills:
Intellectual skills
* a systematic understanding of organisations, the internal and external context in which they operate and how they can be effectively managed (T, F, A)
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in management (T, F)
* the ability to acquire and analyse data, information and situations; to evaluate relevance and validity, and to synthesise it in the context of topical business problems (T, F, A)
* a conceptual understanding of theoretical concepts and frameworks that enables the student to meaningfully link theory and practice and the ability to critically appraise both theory and practice (T, F, A)
Professional Practical skills
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate (F, A)
Transferable/Key Skills
* an openness and capacity to continue learning with the ability to reflect on earlier knowledge and practice and integrate the new with past experience and effectively apply it to the present situations (F, A)
Personal/Interpersonal
* an ability to manage and work in international teams with an awareness of issues such as culture, gender, etc., to identify learning/working styles and to use these to the benefit of the individual and the team (F)
* the facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas; preparation and production of effective business plans and reports (T, F, A).
Content:
* The Role of Marketing
* Creating Value
* Grouping Consumers - Segmentation and Targeting
* Customer Relationship Management
* Consumer Behaviour
* New Product Development
* Brand Management
* Distribution
* Pricing Policy
* Understanding Business Markets
* Technology and Marketing Strategy
* Putting Marketing into Practice.

MN50111: Managerial economics

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 1
Assessment: CW 30%, EX 70%
Requisites:
Aims: Managerial Economics aims to introduce tools of economic analysis to help students to make sense of the business environment in which firms carry out their operations. It aims to provide an understanding of both the decisions of individual decision makers, especially firms and customers, and the nature of the competitive environment in which they operate (microeconomics) and those affecting the whole economy (macroeconomics) as they relate to business. The emphasis of the module is on the application and understanding of the concepts and techniques developed, rather than theory for its own sake.
Learning Outcomes:
After completing this unit, the student should be understand the key concepts and theories involved and able to apply them to provide an analysis of demand and cost conditions, an assessment of the nature of competition and the determinants of profitability in particular industrial environments as well as likely impact of these on certain price and non price strategies of both established firms and new entrants. Students should also be able to process information received through the media regarding interest rates, exchange rates, unemployment rates, tax structures, government spending decisions, etc., and to understand their likely effects on the business environment. Skills:
* Knowledge and understanding of the fundamental economic concepts and methodological approaches available to assess the extent and nature of competition in the specific market/ industry environment in which firms operate (taught and assessed)
* Knowledge and understanding of the fundamental economic concepts and methodological approaches available to understand broad features of the macroeconomic environment in which firms operate (taught and assessed)
* The ability to acquire and analyse economic data and other information, to link it with theory, to evaluate its relevance and validity and synthesise it in the context of specific economic issues (taught, facilitated and assessed)
* The ability to reflect on knowledge acquired use past learning to help understand new situations (facilitated)
* Ability to use economic models to understand current events (taught, facilitated and assessed).
Content:
Introduction to the economist's approach to analysis. Introduction to microeconomics including the analysis of the competitive environment; demand and consumer behaviour; cost analysis; market structures and market processes with particular attention to oligopoly issues. Definition and discussion of key economic variables, including: gross domestic product, price indices, interest rates, income taxes, sales taxes, etc. Analysis of the relationships between these economic variables, with a particular focus on the price and income effects of government policy in the short run and long run.

MN50112: Operations management

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 1
Assessment: CW 15%, CW 15%, CW 70%
Requisites:
In taking this unit you may not take MN50163, MN50225 or MN50252
Aims: This module introduces the basic principles of Operations Management: opening up narrowly defined notions of 'operations' and illustrating how all organisations are essentially defined through their operational capabilities. Throughout the course, students will experience, analyse, discuss and contrast a range of service, manufacturing, for-profit and not-for-profit organisations.
Learning Outcomes:
The primary learning objectives are to:
1. introduce the basic concepts of operations management and illustrate the strategic significance (potentially positive and negative) of operational capabilities.
2. demonstrate the value of employing an operations 'lens' on all organisational activities. In particular this helps students understand the critical interfaces between key organisational functions.
3. provide familiarity with the language, concepts and application of operations management tools and analyses.
4. provide, through the use of a wide variety of case and video material, simulations, games, presentations, discussion papers etc. the opportunity to develop specific and general analytical skills.
Skills:
Academic/Intellectual skills (T, F, A)
* systematic understanding of operations management - as both a functional discipline and a lens on organisational behaviour.
* increased awareness of, and critical understanding of, theoretical constructs and practical models developed in the response to current operations management challenges;
* enhanced ability to move back and fore between theoretical and practical perspectives.
Professional Practical skills (T, F, A)
* ability to analyse live operational issues in service and manufacturing, and for-profit and not-for profit, environments;
* recognition of the personal ingredients necessary to operate more effectively as a reflective practitioner: including team-based and leadership roles.
Transferable/Personal/Interpersonal skills (T, F, A)
* ability to manage and work in international teams with an increased awareness of issues such as culture, gender, etc.;
* facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas; preparation and production of effective analytical reports and improvement plans.
Content:
In terms of its conceptual coverage, the course is structured around four key operations management content themes: strategy; design; planning/control, and; improvement/implementation.
* The primary focus is the for-profit enterprise (although issues of public and 'third sector' operations will also be discussed) and the service/manufacturing balance of the teaching material reflects the composition of GDP in most advanced economies (i.e. approximately 75% service).
* Every attempt is made to ensure that the material and teaching methods capture and retain student interest: mixed media, case studies, visits and guest speakers, together with a variety of hands-on exercises and simulations are used.

MN50113: Accounting and financial management

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 1
Assessment: EX 100%
Requisites:
In taking this unit you may not take MN50137, MN50147 or MN50250
Aims: The aim of this course is to equip students with sufficient knowledge of accounting and finance to support the general management function and appreciate how specialist activities in these areas can contribute to the attainment of financial and business strategies and objectives.
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of the course students should be able to:
1. Explain the purpose and content of the principal financial statements of a company, and apply analytical techniques to interpret them.
2. Describe the components of an annual report and explain their respective purposes in terms of their contribution to corporate accountability.
3. Explain the uses of key management accounting techniques in the support of strategy, decision-making and control.
4. Discuss issues in financial management and explain their significance to the business.
For each learning outcome, the student should be able to summarise key current issues and developments of relevance to business generally.
Skills:
Intellectual skills
* a systematic understanding of organisations, the internal and external context in which they operate and how they can be effectively managed (T/A);
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in management (T/A);
* the ability to acquire and analyse data, information and situations; to evaluate relevance and validity, and to synthesise it in the context of topical business problems (F);
* a conceptual understanding of theoretical concepts and frameworks that enables the student to meaningfully link theory and practice and the ability to critically appraise both theory and practice (T/A).
Professional Practical skills
* apply practical decision-making methods and tools at both tactical and strategic levels (T/A);
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate (F).
Transferable/Key skills
* an openness and capacity to continue learning with the ability to reflect on earlier knowledge and practice and integrate the new with past experience and effectively apply it to the present situations (F);
* ability to recognise ethical corporate/social responsibility issues and to manage in light of these issues (T/A).
Personal/Interpersonal
* the facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas; preparation and production of effective business plans and reports (T/F/A).
Content:
The course content may be described in two parts.
Accounting
i. The basics of financial accounting (through construction of a simple set of accounts).
ii. Corporate financial reporting: Components of annual reports and the content and purpose of the principal financial statements. Qualitative characteristics of useful accounting information. Key accounting principles and concepts, e.g. accruals accounting. The effect of accounting policy selection on reported results.
iii. Regulation of financial reporting: Regulation of accounting and the integrity of accounts (including corporate governance aspects).
iv. Analysis and interpretation of corporate reports, particularly through ratio analysis.
v. Current issues in corporate accountability: Developments in governance rules, international harmonisation of accounting standards, and proposals for widening the scope of corporate reporting.
vi. Costing and business decisions: Typologies of costs. Costs in short-run decisions (contribution and cost-volume-profit analysis). Cost allocation through traditional methods and activity-based costing, including uses in inventory valuation and pricing.
vii. Budgeting and management control: Objectives of budgets, their construction and use in variance analysis. Interpretation of simple variances. Divisional performance measures (e.g. return on investment) and issues in their use.
viii. Topics in strategic management accounting: Cost management (target and kaizen costing), activity-based management, cost of quality reporting, the balanced scorecard.
Financial management
This section focuses on the role financial management plays in the general management of a business and highlights those factors which impact on decisions in the following areas:
i. Methods and types of company financing including share capital, retained profits and debt.
ii. The capital structure decision, risk and required returns, the cost of capital and the consequences of financial distress.
iii. Dividend policy and measuring shareholder value.
iv. Appraisal of capital investment decisions including net present value (NPV).
v. Company valuation methods with particular reference to mergers and acquisitions.
vi. Short term cash management including foreign currency risk.

MN50115: Claverton entrepreneurship project

Credits: 9
Level: Masters
Academic Year
Assessment: CW 70%, OR 30%
Requisites:
Aims:
* to provide students with the opportunity to encounter the real-life process of launching an entrepreneurial enterprise with individuals who have launched or are in the process of launching a new venture;
* to integrate the multi-disciplinary knowledge and insight gained from the taught programme and their personal experience;
* to provide students with the opportunity and skills to develop, work within and manage international teams;
* to embed enterprise skills along with an understanding of how high-performance and creative teams are developed and managed.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this programme, students will:
* be able to develop a professional, integrated and convincing new venture creation proposal;
* have an understanding of how they can develop, work within and manage creative and effective teams;
* have acquired and developed enterprise skills.
Skills:
Group work; analytical problem-solving; presentational skills; lateral integration of management activities. (T = Taught, F = Facilitated, A = Assessed)
Transferable/Key
* an ability to develop a holistic perspective on an organization and an understanding of how the different functions relate to one another; (T/F/A)
* an appreciation and in-depth understanding of the resources and competences required for successful cross-functional management in organisations including enterprise skills. (F/A)
Professional Practical
* deal with complex issues and make sound judgements in the absence of complete information, and to communicate their conclusions clearly and competently to a range of audiences; (F/A)
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate. (F)
Personal/Interpersonal
* the facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas; preparation and production of effective business plans and reports; (F/A)
* the ability to recognise intra/entrepreneurial risks and opportunities and to use their enterprise skills to the advantage of start-ups and firms in general. (T/F/A)
Content:
Business Plan writing and presentation.

MN50117: Strategy

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 2
Assessment: EX 100%
Requisites:
Aims:
* provide students with an in-depth appreciation of strategic management thinking and decision-making;
* explore the many, wide ranging issues that comprise strategy and how they may be resolved;
* help develop powers of strategic thinking, analysis and judgement.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* display a sound understanding of theories of strategic management and be able to appraise models and evidence critically;
* determine how the external environment (economic, legal, social, political) in which organizations operate condition strategy in the firm;
* evaluate and interpret new information and theory, and engage in problem solving, thereby demonstrating a capacity to think clearly, logically and practically about a range of strategic business issues;
* analyse and characterise the nature of the strategic situation facing a firm or other organisation;
* identify feasible strategic responses to that strategic problem context;
* assess strategic responses for suitability;
* advocate a strategic option after assessment.
Skills:
Intellectual skills
* systematic understanding of organisations, the internal and external context in which they operate and how they can be effectively managed (TA);
* facility to apply subject-specific knowledge into a range of complex situations, taking into account the overall implications for the other areas of the business (TFA);
* critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in management(FA);
* conceptual understanding of theoretical concepts and frameworks that enables the student to meaningfully link theory and practice and the ability to critically appraise both theory and practice.
Professional Practical skills
* deal with complex issues and make sound judgements in the absence of complete information, and to communicate their conclusions clearly and competently to a range of audiences (FA);
* analyse operational issues at a strategic level in both service and manufacturing environments;
* assess and further develop the strategic position of their organization under conditions of complexity and uncertainty(F);
* evaluate the current standing of an organization and practically contribute to the attainment of their company's strategies and objectives (TFA);
* apply practical decision-making methods and tools at both tactical and strategic levels (TFA);
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate (F);
* self-directed and able to act autonomously in planning and implementing projects at professional levels.
Transferable/Key skills
* openness and capacity to continue learning with the ability to reflect on earlier knowledge and practice and integrate the new with past experience and effectively apply it to the present situations;
* ability to develop a holistic perspective on an organization and an understanding of how the different functions relate to one another (TFA);
* appreciation and in-depth understanding of the resources and competences required for successful cross-functional management in organisations including enterprise skills (TA).
Personal/Interpersonal
* facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas; preparation and production of effective management analysis (F);
* ability to recognise intra/entre-preneurial risks and opportunities and to use enterprise skills to advantage established and start-up firms. (F).
Content:
Early parts of the course concentrate on the process of strategic decision-making, the issues of organisational conflict, and the nature of strategic alternatives. This is followed by an examination of the firm's macro- and internal environments, as well as the nature of the industry and competitive environment in which the firm operates. Business, corporate, and network level strategy formulation is investigated and considered further in the context of globalisation. Towwards the end of the course, the different elements of the process of developing a strategy for an organisation are reviewed and some of the newest strategy concepts are considered in greater detail, such as the real options approach to strategic management, and the effects on strategy formulation of network externalities and increasing returns. Typical course content includes:
* Strategic Decision Making
* Industry & Competitive environment
* Business Level Strategy
* Corporate Level Strategy
* Network Level Strategy
* Technology-based Strategy
* Real Options Approach to Strategy
* Strategy Assessment
* Globalisation
Case studies are used to explore and interpret issues.

MN50120: Corporate financial management

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW 50%, CW 50%
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN50113 or take MN50137
Aims: The aim of this course is to give students an overview of key financial issues to be addressed in companies and to provide the basic tools to evaluate these problems.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* understand the main decision problems a financial manager faces
* evaluate the financial alternatives available to address these problems
* develop a formula for a long-term strategy for the financing of a company.
Skills:
Intellectual skills
* the facility to apply subject-specific knowledge into a range of complex situations, taking into account the overall implications for the other areas of the business; TFA
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in management;F
* the ability to acquire and analyse data, information and situations; to evaluate relevance and validity, and to synthesise it in the context of topical business problems;FA
* an understanding of appropriate research and methodological techniques that allow detailed investigation into topical business issues and ability to use these skills to produce professional, critical reports in business and management.A
Professional Practical skills
* evaluate the current standing of an organization and practically contribute to the attainment of their company's strategies and objectives;TFA
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate;A
* be self-directed and able to act autonomously in planning and implementing projects at professional levels.A
Transferable/Key skills
* ability to recognise ethical corporate/social responsibility issues and to manage in light of these issues;Not covered
* ability to conduct in-depth research into management and business issues.FA
Personal/Interpersonal
* the facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas; preparation and production of effective business plans and reports.FA
Content:
Topics covered are: Financial Planning; Debt Finance; Equity Finance; Mergers and Acquisitions; Financial Distress. These aspects are illustrated by selected case studies.

MN50123: Business & management in Peoples Republic of China

Credits: 3
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW 100%
Requisites:
In taking this unit you cannot take MN50150 or take MN50257
Aims: The aims of this course are to provide an understanding of the context and conduct of business and management in the People's Republic of China. Context refers to the PRC's economic, political, social and cultural environment. Conduct refers to the organization and management of businesses.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* Explain the nature of the Chinese economy and its relationship to the rest of the world (especially trade and FDI)
* Understand the Chinese business environment
* Locate the peculiarities of Chinese business and management in the PRC within this context
* Describe and explain patterns of management and organizational behaviour under different types of enterprise ownership
* Comment on the future trajectory of the Chinese economy and Chinese management.
Skills:
Intellectual skills
* the facility to apply subject-specific knowledge into a range of complex situations, taking into account the overall implications for the other areas of the business (F)
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in management (T/F)
* the ability to acquire and analyse data, information and situations; to evaluate relevance and validity, and to synthesise it in the context of topical business problems (F/A)
* an understanding of appropriate research and methodological techniques that allow detailed investigation into topical business issues and ability to use these skills to produce professional, critical reports in business and management (F)
Professional Practical Skills
* evaluate the current standing of an organization and practically contribute to the attainment of their company's strategies and objectives (F)
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate (F)
* be self-directed and able to act autonomously in planning and implementing projects at professional levels (F)
Transferable/Key Skills
* ability to conduct in-depth research into management and business issues (F/A)
Personal/Interpersonal
* the facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas; preparation and production of effective business plans and reports (F)
Content:
The economic structure of the PRC. Economic, political and legal reform in China. The impact of globalization on business in China. State-business relations. The legacy of command economics and the 'iron rice bowl'. The influence of culture on management and organization in China. Inter-firm relationships. Organizational governance and industrial relations in state owned enterprises (SOEs), township and village enterprises (TVEs), wholly owned foreign enterprises (WOFEs) and international joint ventures (JVs). Chinese labour markets. Management and organisation in SOEs, TVEs, WOFEs and JVs. HRM in the PRC.

MN50124: Entrepreneurship & the small business

Credits: 3
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW 100%
Requisites:
Aims: This elective focuses upon entrepreneurship and the management of small business. It is concerned with the nature of the creative process and the way in which this can be expressed in business. The Course is located within the context of the small business. It seeks to explain how new firms arise, survive and grow through harnessing entrepreneurial instincts and energies. It explores the control systems that are essential if such creative instincts are not to expose the firm to too great a degree of risk.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* Critically assess a small start-up business to determine its likely success or failure
* Apply growth models to small companies to help determine future successful strategies
* Have an awareness of the characteristics of entrepreneurs and how to predict their behaviour
* Appreciate and influence the creative process of an entrepreneur.
Skills:
Intellectual skills
* the facility to apply subject-specific knowledge into a range of complex situations, taking into account the overall implications for the other areas of the business; F
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in management; T
* the ability to acquire and analyse data, information and situations; to evaluate relevance and validity, and to synthesise it in the context of topical business problems; T & A
* an understanding of appropriate research and methodological techniques that allow detailed investigation into topical business issues and ability to use these skills to produce professional, critical reports in business and management. F&A
Professional Practical skills
* evaluate the current standing of an organization and practically contribute to the attainment of their company's strategies and objectives; F
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate; F
* be self-directed and able to act autonomously in planning and implementing projects at professional levels.F
Transferable/Key skills
* ability to conduct in-depth research into management and business issues. F& A
Personal/Interpersonal
* an ability to manage and work in international teams with an awareness of issues such as culture, gender, etc., to identify learning/working styles and to use these to the benefit of the individual and the team;F
* the facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas; preparation and production of effective business plans and reports; T, F&A
* the ability to recognise intra/entrepreneurial risks and opportunities and to use their enterprise skills to the advantage of start-ups and firms in general. T & A
Content:
Among the topics covered are: innovation, entrepreneurship, risk, management, resourcing and planning.

MN50125: European Business

Credits: 3
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW 100%
Requisites:
Aims: The aim of this course is to introduce MBA students to the European Business Environment arising from the process of European integration.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* identify key areas of the European integration process which impact upon business;
* be familiar with the EU decision-making process and how businesses can influence it;
* critically assess current and future developments in economic integration and regulation in the EU.

Skills:
Intellectual skills
* the facility to apply subject-specific knowledge into a range of complex situations, taking into account the overall implications for the other areas of the business; F/A
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in management; T/A
* the ability to acquire and analyse data, information and situations; to evaluate relevance and validity, and to synthesise it in the context of topical business problems; T/A
* an understanding of appropriate research and methodological techniques that allow detailed investigation into topical business issues and ability to use these skills to produce professional, critical reports in business and management. F/A
Professional Practical skills
* evaluate the current standing of an organization and practically contribute to the attainment of their company's strategies and objectives; F
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate; F
* be self-directed and able to act autonomously in planning and implementing projects at professional levels. F
Transferable/Key skills
* ability to conduct in-depth research into management and business issues. F/A
Personal/Interpersonal
* the facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas; preparation and production of effective business plans and reports. F/A
Content:
Origins and development of the EU and decision-making in the EU. The single European market. Social and environmental regulation. Lobbying by firms. Sectoral case studies. Economics and monetary union. The EU and Enlargement.

MN50127: Dissertation/MBA Project

Credits: 18
Level: Masters
Dissertation period
Assessment: CW 100%
Requisites:

Aims & Learning Objectives:
Aim: To create an opportunity to develop and apply the concepts, techniques and skills acquired during the taught programme in addressing a management problem or issue. Objective: to develop the skills of planning and executing an original investigation into a management problem; to allow a critical evaluation of the practical and/or explanatory worth of management theories and an ability to build on theories; to integrate various components of the total degree programme and its specialisms as appropriate; and to give the opportunity to practice and develop personal skills especially those of organisation, negotiation, research, analysis and synthesis.

MN50129: Managing change

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW 100%
Requisites:

Aims & Learning Objectives:
The aim of this course is to introduce students to the theory and practice of change management in organisations.In terms of theory this will involve an appreciation of a number of concepts, models and perspectives, while in terms of practice the emphasis will be on the skills required to diagnose and intervene in the change process. The learning objective is to meaningfully link theory and practice in the context of understanding and changing organisations in contemporary society.
Content:
The course comprises 10 three-hour sessions that consider a particular theoretical perspective on change, i.e. Cultural, political, structural together with phases of the change process itself i.e. ; creating the climate for change , leading & managing the intervention, and finally capturing the learning from the change effort . The course will develop a critical and constructive approach to popular (i.e. Guru and consultancy led) approaches to change with the intention of developing a theory of good practice and a practice of good theory. To this end, teaching will involve a number of media including lecture, video, exercise and case material.

MN50130: Managing information systems

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW 100%
Requisites:
Aims: The unit examines, from a general management perspective, how information technology (IT) enables organizations to conduct business in radically different and more effective ways. New electronic market places and exchanges are being created, new channels of supply and distribution are emerging that threaten not just the competitive position of firms but their very survival. The aim of this unit is to provide students with a better understanding of the influence of 21st century technologies, such as the Internet, on business decisions. Case studies are used to encourage students to reflect on the opportunities and challenges of conducting business in a networked economy.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* display a sound understanding of the impact of IT on industries and markets
* be able to analyze how firms can exploit IT for competitive advantage
* be able to analyze and critique an organization's information system strategy
* display a sound understanding of the elements of an IT infrastructure (networks, storage, applications, etc.)
* be able to identify threats and risks to day-to-day IT operations and their implications for business operations
* display a sound understanding of how the IT operation should be organized to support the business (e.g., which IT functions should be performed inside the firm and which might be outsourced)
* be able to discuss and evaluate the implications of the networked economy and virtual organizations
* be able to apply management techniques, such as results chain modelling, and reflect critically on the usefulness of those techniques.
Skills:
Intellectual skills
* a systematic understanding of organisations, the internal and external context in which they operate and how they can be effectively managed (T,A);
* the facility to apply subject-specific knowledge into a range of complex situations, taking into account the overall implications for the other areas of the business (T,F,A);
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in management (F,A);
* a conceptual understanding of theoretical concepts and frameworks that enables the student to meaningfully link theory and practice and the ability to critically appraise both theory and practice (T,F,A).
Professional Practical skills
* evaluate the current standing of an organization and practically contribute to the attainment of that company's information strategies and objectives (A);
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate (F);
* apply practical IS planning tools and methods at strategic and tactical levels (T,F,A);
* be self-directed and able to act autonomously in planning and implementing projects at professional levels (F).
Transferable/Key Skills
* an openness and capacity to continue learning with the ability to reflect on earlier knowledge and practice and integrate the new with past experience and effectively apply it to the present situations (T,F,A);
* an appreciation and in-depth understanding of the resources and competences required for successful cross-functional management in organisations including enterprise skills (T,A);
* ability to conduct in-depth research into management and business issues (F,A).
Personal/Interpersonal
* an ability to manage and work in teams with an awareness of issues such as culture, gender, working styles etc. and to use these to the benefit of the individual and the team (F);
* the facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas; preparation and production of effective business plans and reports (F,A).
Content:
This unit addresses information technology (IT) and information systems (IS) from a general management perspective, rather than a technical perspective. The key areas addressed are:
* Creating business advantage with IT: the impact of IT on strategic decision-making;
* Developing business and e-businness models
* Building networked business: value networks and virtual organizations;
* Managing the IT infrastructure: internetworking infrastructure, assuring reliable and secure IT services;
* Organizing and leading the IT operation: IT investment evaluation, IS implementation, IS outsourcing.

MN50133: International finance

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
Aims: The aim of the course is to give the participants:
* a good understanding of the financial risks that arise when a company or organisation starts to trade overseas either through import/export or with a physical presence
* an understanding of how the international financial markets work, the interrelationships and the language involved.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* Understand the various functions that are the responsibility of the corporate finance team in an international context including liquidity management in a domestic and international context, funding, foreign exchange and interest rate risk management, tax planning, organisation and control.
Skills:
Intellectual skills
* the facility to apply subject-specific knowledge into a range of complex situations, taking into account the overall implications for the other areas of the business; T,F & A
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in management; T&F
* the ability to acquire and analyse data, information and situations; to evaluate relevance and validity, and to synthesise it in the context of topical business problems; T&F&A
* an understanding of appropriate research and methodological techniques that allow detailed investigation into topical business issues and ability to use these skills to produce professional, critical reports in business and management. T&A
Professional Practical skills
* evaluate the current standing of an organization and practically contribute to the attainment of their company's strategies and objectives; T&A
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate; T&F
* be self-directed and able to act autonomously in planning and implementing projects at professional levels. F
Transferable/Key skills
* ability to conduct in-depth research into management and business issues.
Personal/Interpersonal
* the facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas; preparation and production of effective business plans and reports. T&F
Content:
The course will look at:
* Foreign Exchange Risk Management, how it arises and how it may be managed, the instruments involved and how to evaluate between them
* Interest Rate Risk Management, how it arises and how it may be managed and the instruments involved and how to evaluate between them
* International Cash Management, the objectives and techniques
* International Investment Appraisal
* Strategic implications of the risks involved.

MN50137: Accounting and financial management

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
Aims: The aim of this course is to equip students with sufficient knowledge of accounting and finance to support the general management function and appreciate how specialist activities in these areas can contribute to the attainment of financial and business strategies and objectives.
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of the course students should be able to:
1. Explain the purpose and content of the principal financial statements of a company, and apply analytical techniques to interpret them.
2. Describe the components of an annual report and explain their respective purposes in terms of their contribution to corporate accountability.
3. Explain the uses of key management accounting techniques in the support of strategy, decision-making and control.
4. Discuss issues in financial management and explain their significance to the business.
For each learning outcome, the student should be able to summarise key current issues and developments of relevance to business generally.
Skills:
Intellectual skills
* a systematic understanding of organisations, the internal and external context in which they operate and how they can be effectively managed (T/A);
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in management (T/A);
* the ability to acquire and analyse data, information and situations; to evaluate relevance and validity, and to synthesise it in the context of topical business problems (F);
* a conceptual understanding of theoretical concepts and frameworks that enables the student to meaningfully link theory and practice and the ability to critically appraise both theory and practice (T/A).
Professional Practical skills
* apply practical decision-making methods and tools at both tactical and strategic levels (T/A);
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate (F).
Transferable/Key skills
* an openness and capacity to continue learning with the ability to reflect on earlier knowledge and practice and integrate the new with past experience and effectively apply it to the present situations (F);
* ability to recognise ethical corporate/social responsibility issues and to manage in light of these issues (T/A).
Personal/Interpersonal
* the facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas; preparation and production of effective business plans and reports (T/F/A).
Content:
The course content may be described in two parts.
Accounting
i. Corporate financial reporting: Components of annual reports and the content and purpose of the principal financial statements. Qualitative characteristics of useful accounting information. Key accounting principles and concepts, e.g. accruals accounting. The effect of accounting policy selection on reported results.
ii. Regulation of financial reporting: Regulation of accounting and the integrity of accounts (including corporate governance aspects).
iii. Analysis and interpretation of corporate reports, particularly through ratio analysis.
iv. Current issues in corporate accountability: Developments in governance rules, international harmonisation of accounting standards, and proposals for widening the scope of corporate reporting.
v. Costing and business decisions: Typologies of costs. Costs in short-run decisions (contribution and cost-volume-profit analysis). Cost allocation through traditional methods and activity-based costing, including uses in inventory valuation, pricing and activity-based management.
vi. Budgeting and management control: Objectives of budgets, their construction and use in variance analysis. Interpretation of simple variances. Divisional performance measures (e.g. return on investment) and issues in their use. The balanced scorecard.
Financial management
This section focuses on the role financial management plays in the general management of a business and highlights thosse factors which impact on decisions in the following areas:
i. Methods and types of company financing including share capital, retained profits and debt.
ii. The capital structure decision, risk and required returns, the cost of capital and the consequences of financial distress.
iii. Dividend policy and measuring shareholder value.
iv. Appraisal of capital investment decisions including net present value (NPV).
v. Short term cash management including foreign currency risk.

MN50138: Strategic human resource management

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Semester: 1
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
In taking this unit you cannot take MN50114 or take MN50146 or take MN50253
Aims: To provide a wide analysis of the role of HRM (or people management) in organisations especially the link with performance, flexibility and social legitimacy, paying due attention to environmental contexts of sector, technology, legislation, social institutions and cultures. To assess key policies and practices related to the betterment of individual employees.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* assess the contribution of SHRM in theory and practice to desirable organisational outcomes;
* understand how HRM can be linked to, and contribute to business strategy;
* differentiate between the needs of different occupational groups;
* build a model of employment utilising HR architecture;
* appreciate critical choices in the management of individuals to maximise their effectiveness and know what factors to include in policy design;
* integrate performance and HR metrics as a diagnostic tool;
* choose appropriate management styles in union and non-union firms;
* through the assignment provide a critical diagnosis of HRM in their own organisation and provide options or recommendations for improvement.
Skills:
Intellectual skills (T/A)
* a systematic understanding of organisations, the internal and external context in which they operate and how they can be effectively managed;
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in management;
* the ability to acquire and analyse data, information and situations; to evaluate relevance and validity, and to synthesise it in the context of topical business problems;
* a conceptual understanding of theoretical concepts and frameworks that enables the student to meaningfully link theory and practice and the ability to critically appraise both theory and practice.
Professional Practical skills (F)
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate;
* be self-directed and able to act autonomously in planning and implementing projects at professional levels.
Transferable/Key skills (F/A)
* an openness and capacity to continue learning with the ability to reflect on earlier knowledge and practice and integrate the new with past experience and effectively apply it to the present situations;
* ability to conduct in-depth research into management and business issues.
Personal/Interpersonal F/A)
* an ability to manage and work in teams with an awareness of issues such as culture, gender, working styles etc. and to use these to the benefit of the individual and the team;
* the facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas; preparation and production of effective business plans and reports.
Content:
The unit begins with a focus on strategic issues in HRM such as:
i) management style as an area of strategic choice;
ii) is there a universal best practice model of SHRM and if so why do so few organisations use it;
iii) how can SHRM be 'fitted' to business strategy nationally and internationally;
iv) how are high performance work places created and in what circumstances;
v) how do organisations choose to internalise &/or externalise their employment regimes;
vi) how HRM contributes to a critical understanding of firm resources and capabilities for sustained competitive advantage;
vii) challenges and opportunities in the management of knowledge and knowledge workers;
viii) choices in dealing with trade unions, responding to new laws on information and consultation and building effective involvement;
ix) developing a balanced scorecard and utilising HRM and performance metrics.
The unit looks then in detail at critical issues related to the management of individuals:
x) external and internal staffing;
xi) performance management;
xii) reward systems;
xiii) the psychological contract.
The content includes case studies, videos and an interactive exercise undertaken in groups. The content may change to take account of recent developments and for timetabling reasons.

MN50139: Managing information systems

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
Aims: The unit examines, from a general management perspective, how information technology (IT) enables organizations to conduct business in radically different and more effective ways. New electronic market places and exchanges are being created, new channels of supply and distribution are emerging that threaten not just the competitive position of firms but their very survival. The aim of this unit is to provide students with a better understanding of the influence of 21st century technologies, such as the Internet, on business decisions. Case studies are used to encourage students to reflect on the opportunities and challenges of conducting business in a networked economy.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* display a sound understanding of the impact of IT on industries and markets
* be able to analyze how firms can exploit IT for competitive advantage
* be able to analyze and critique an organization's information system strategy
* display a sound understanding of the elements of an IT infrastructure (networks, storage, applications, etc.)
* be able to identify threats and risks to day-to-day IT operations and their implications for business operations
* display a sound understanding of how the IT operation should be organized to support the business (e.g., which IT functions should be performed inside the firm and which might be outsourced)
* be able to discuss and evaluate the implications of the networked economy and virtual organizations
* be able to apply management techniques, such as results chain modelling, and reflect critically on the usefulness of those techniques.
Skills:
Intellectual skills
* a systematic understanding of organisations, the internal and external context in which they operate and how they can be effectively managed (TA);
* the facility to apply subject-specific knowledge into a range of complex situations, taking into account the overall implications for the other areas of the business (TFA);
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in management (FA);
* a conceptual understanding of theoretical concepts and frameworks that enables the student to meaningfully link theory and practice and the ability to critically appraise both theory and practice (TFA).
Professional Practical skills
* evaluate the current standing of an organization and practically contribute to the attainment of that company's information strategies and objectives (A);
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate (F);
* apply practical IS planning tools and methods at strategic and tactical levels (TFA);
* be self-directed and able to act autonomously in planning and implementing projects at professional levels (F).
Transferable/Key skills
* an openness and capacity to continue learning with the ability to reflect on earlier knowledge and practice and integrate the new with past experience and effectively apply it to the present situations (TFA);
* an appreciation and in-depth understanding of the resources and competences required for successful cross-functional management in organisations including enterprise skills (TA);
* ability to conduct in-depth research into management and business issues (FA).
Personal/Interpersonal
* an ability to manage and work in teams with an awareness of issues such as culture, gender, working styles etc. and to use these to the benefit of the individual and the team (F);
* the facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas; preparation and production of effective business plans and reports (FA).
Content:
This unit addresses information technology (IT) and information systems (IS) from a general management perspective, rather than a technical perspective. The key areas addressed are:
* Creating business advantage with IT: the impact of IT on strategic decision-making;
* Developing business and e-business models
*
* Building networked business: value networks and virtual organizations;
* Managing the IT infrastructure: internetworking infrastructure, assuring reliable and secure IT services;
* Organizing and leading the IT operation: IT investment evaluation, IS implementation, IS outsourcing.

MN50140: Project

Credits: 18
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Assessment:
Requisites:

Aims & Learning Objectives:
This workshop aims to prepare students for the process of planning and undertaking their final dissertation or project. At the end of the unit students will have: Developed an understanding of how to manage a research project.
Content:
Before attending the workshop, students will be sent a copy of Project Guidelines. These guidelines include the structure of a proposal that students will use to help them plan and communicate their project ideas. Students will come to the workshop with a draft proposal of their planned final project. The nature of participants' proposals will shape the nature and depth of subjects covered. The workshop will start by going through the guidelines in detail. This part of the workshop will cover issues such as: the nature of suitable projects, working with other students, involving their organisation, developing their project idea, the role of a supervisor, time management and research ethics. Beyond discussing the guidelines will be a set of core topics and a set of optional topics. The core topics will include: the nature and forces that shape research methodology; the use of different methodological approaches; the concepts of validity, reliability and generalisability; locating and evaluating secondary data; the role of theory in project work; sampling theory; quantitative and qualitative data analysis; and the use of different software packages to capture and analyse qualitative and quantitative data. The optional topics will typically be devoted to the practicalities of undertaking specific research techniques. These topics will be tackled depending upon the demand of workshop participants. Optional topics could include specific techniques under the broad headings of: qualitative interviewing; observation techniques; survey techniques; and experimental techniques. A month after the Programme, students will be expected to submit a revised proposal and be ready to start their projects.

MN50141: Managing innovation in supply networks

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Assessment: CW 100%
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN50112, MN50145, MN50163 or MN50252
Aims: This module focuses on the key strategic and conceptual issues that affect the supply process, especially the need to manage within multi-organisational networks. The aim is to provide an understanding of how managers deal with innovation in the design and introduction of process and product/service offerings, and how factors within the business environment and technological paradigms influence, enable and inhibit this.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit students should be able to:
* Identify and define innovation as a basis for sustainable competitive advantage for supply networks in the context of several industry sectors.
* Understand the key strategic and conceptual issues that affect innovation in the supply process involving multiple organizations.
* Recognise the skills and capabilities required to manage innovation in the design and introduction of process and product/service offerings.
Skills:
Intellectual
* the facility to apply subject-specific knowledge into a range of complex situations, taking into account the overall implications for the other areas of the business (T)
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in management (T)
* the ability to acquire and analyse data, information and situations; to evaluate relevance and validity, and to synthesise it in the context of topical business problems (T/F)
Professional Practical
* evaluate the current standing of an organization and practically contribute to the attainment of their company's strategies and objectives (F)
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate (F)
Transferable/Key Skills
* an openness and capacity to continue learning with the ability to reflect on earlier knowledge and practice and integrate the new with past experience and effectively apply it to the present situations (T/F)
Personal/Interpersonal
* an ability to manage and work in international teams with an awareness of issues such as culture, gender, etc., to identify learning/working styles and to use these to the benefit of the individual and the team (F)
* the facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas; preparation and production of effective business plans and reports (A)
Content:
New structures for strategic supply: network theory, structures and application; clusters; managing in supply networks. Conceptual challenges: leanness and agility; strategic dualism in practice; virtual organisations. Innovation and the management of technology in supply chains; purchasing's role in new product development and in cross-functional teams. Development in relationship management: advanced concepts in collaboration management. Environmentally sound supply management, and corporate social responsibility. Information systems for supply management.

MN50144: Marketing management

Credits: 9
Level: Masters
Academic Year
Assessment: CW50EX50
Requisites:
Aims: Development of skills in market analysis and marketing programme building at the tactical and strategic level.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* Explain the purpose and content of a marketing plan, and be able to critically evaluate of such a plan
* Understand the different marketing environments that managers may encounter, especially B2C and B2B marketing
* Understand fully the traditional approaches to marketing, such as segmentation and targeting
* Understand too when such traditional approaches might not be relevant, and when a relationship or network perspective might be more appropriate.
For each learning outcome, the student should be able to summarise key current issues and developments of relevance to business generally.
Skills:
Intellectual Skills
* a systematic understanding of organisations, the internal and external context in which they operate and how they can be effectively managed (T, F, A)
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in management (T, F)
* the ability to acquire and analyse data, information and situations; to evaluate relevance and validity, and to synthesise it in the context of topical business problems (T, F, A)
* a conceptual understanding of theoretical concepts and frameworks that enables the student to meaningfully link theory and practice and the ability to critically appraise both theory and practice (T, F, A)
Professional Practical Skills
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate (F, A)
Transferable/Key Skills
* an openness and capacity to continue learning with the ability to reflect on earlier knowledge and practice and integrate the new with past experience and effectively apply it to the present situations (F, A)
Personal/Interpersonal
* an ability to manage and work in international teams with an awareness of issues such as culture, gender, etc., to identify learning/working styles and to use these to the benefit of the individual and the team (F)
* the facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas; preparation and production of effective business plans and reports (T, F, A).
Content:
* Introduction - Marketing Concepts and Analysis
* The Relations between Marketing and Strategy
* Understanding Business Markets
* Understanding Consumer Markets
* Detailed Development of Marketing Programmes, including:
* Pricing Policies Product/Service Policies
* Distribution Strategies Retail Marketing
* Technology Strategy & Marketing
* International Marketing
* Implementing Marketing Strategy

MN50145: Operations management

Credits: 9
Level: Masters
Academic Year
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
Aims: This module introduces the basic principles of Operations Management: opening up narrowly defined notions of 'operations' and illustrating how all organisations are essentially defined through their operational capabilities. Throughout the course, students will experience, analyse, discuss and contrast a range of service, manufacturing, for-profit and not-for-profit organisations.
Learning Outcomes:
The primary learning objectives are to:
1. introduce the basic concepts of operations management and illustrate the strategic significance (potentially positive and negative) of operational capabilities.
2. demonstrate the value of employing an operations 'lens' on all organisational activities. In particular this helps students understand the critical interfaces between key organisational functions.
3. provide familiarity with the language, concepts and application of operations management tools and analyses.
4. provide, through the use of a wide variety of case and video material, simulations, games, presentations, discussion papers etc. the opportunity to develop specific and general analytical skills.
Skills:
Academic/Intellectual skills (T, F, A)
* systematic understanding of operations management - as both a functional discipline and a lens on organisational behaviour.
* increased awareness of, and critical understanding of, theoretical constructs and practical models developed in the response to current operations management challenges;
* enhanced ability to move back and fore between theoretical and practical perspectives.
Professional Practical skills (T, F, A)
* ability to analyse live operational issues in service and manufacturing, and for-profit and not-for profit, environments;
* recognition of the personal ingredients necessary to operate more effectively as a reflective practitioner: including team-based and leadership roles.
Transferable/Personal/Interpersonal skills (T, F, A)
* ability to manage and work in international teams with an increased awareness of issues such as culture, gender, etc.;
* facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas; preparation and production of effective analytical reports and improvement plans.
Content:
In terms of its conceptual coverage, the course is structured around four key operations management content themes: strategy; design; planning/control, and; improvement/implementation.
* The primary focus is the for-profit enterprise (although issues of public and 'third sector' operations will also be discussed) and the service/manufacturing balance of the teaching material reflects the composition of GDP in most advanced economies (i.e. approximately 75% service).
* Every attempt is made to ensure that the material and teaching methods capture and retain student interest: mixed media, case studies, visits and guest speakers, together with a variety of hands-on exercises and simulations are used.

MN50146: Strategic human resources management

Credits: 9
Level: Masters
Academic Year
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
In taking this unit you cannot take MN50138, MN50114 or MN50253
Aims: To provide a wide analysis of the role of HRM (or people management) in organisations especially the link with performance, flexibility and social legitimacy, paying due attention to environmental contexts of sector, technology, legislation, social institutions and cultures. To assess key policies and practices related to the betterment of individual employees.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* assess the contribution of SHRM in theory and practice to desirable organisational outcomes;
* understand how HRM can be linked to, and contribute to business strategy;
* differentiate between the needs of different occupational groups;
* build a model of employment utilising HR architecture;
* appreciate critical choices in the management of individuals to maximise their effectiveness and know what factors to include in policy design;
* integrate performance and HR metrics as a diagnostic tool;
* choose appropriate management styles in union and non-union firms;
* through the assignment provide a critical diagnosis of HRM in their own organisation and provide options or recommendations for improvement.
Skills:
Intellectual Skills (T/A)
* a systematic understanding of organisations, the internal and external context in which they operate and how they can be effectively managed;
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in management;
* the ability to acquire and analyse data, information and situations; to evaluate relevance and validity, and to synthesise it in the context of topical business problems;
* a conceptual understanding of theoretical concepts and frameworks that enables the student to meaningfully link theory and practice and the ability to critically appraise both theory and practice.
Professional Practical Skills (F)
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate;
* be self-directed and able to act autonomously in planning and implementing projects at professional levels.
Transferable/Key Skills (F/A)
* an openness and capacity to continue learning with the ability to reflect on earlier knowledge and practice and integrate the new with past experience and effectively apply it to the present situations.
* ability to conduct in-depth research into management and business issues.
Personal/Interpersonal (F/A)
* an ability to manage and work in teams with an awareness of issues such as culture, gender, working styles etc. and to use these to the benefit of the individual and the team;
* the facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas; preparation and production of effective business plans and reports.
Content:
The unit begins with a focus on strategic issues in HRM such as:
i) management style as an area of strategic choice;
ii) is there a universal best practice model of SHRM and if so why do so few organisations use it;
iii) how can SHRM be "fitted" to business strategy nationally and internationally;
iv) how are high performance work places created and in what circumstances;
v) how do organisations choose to internalise &/or externalise their employment regimes;
vi) how HRM contributes to a critical understanding of firm resources and capabilities for sustained competitive advantage;
vii) challenges and opportunities in the management of knowledge and knowledge workers;
viii) choices in dealing with trade unions, responding to new laws on information and consultation and building effective involvement;
ix) developing a balanced scorecard and utilising HRM and performance metrics.
The unit looks then in detail at critical issues related to the management of individuals
x) external and internal staffing;
xi) performance management;
xii) reward systems;
xiii) the psychological contract.
The content includes case studies, videos and an interactive exercise undertaken in groups. The content may change to take account of recent developments and for timetabling reasons.

MN50147: Accounting & financial management

Credits: 9
Level: Masters
Academic Year
Assessment: EX100
Requisites:
In taking this unit you cannot take MN50113, MN50137 or MN50250
Aims: The aim of this course is to equip students with sufficient knowledge of accounting and finance to support the general management function and appreciate how specialist activities in these areas can contribute to the attainment of financial and business strategies and objectives.
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of the course students should be able to:
1. Explain the purpose and content of the principal financial statements of a company, and apply analytical techniques to interpret them.
2. Describe the components of an annual report and explain their respective purposes in terms of their contribution to corporate accountability.
3. Explain the uses of key management accounting techniques in the support of strategy, decision-making and control.
4. Discuss issues in financial management and explain their significance to the business.
For each learning outcome, the student should be able to summarise key current issues and developments of relevance to business generally.
Skills:
Intellectual Skills
* a systematic understanding of organisations, the internal and external context in which they operate and how they can be effectively managed (T/A);
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in management (T/A);
* the ability to acquire and analyse data, information and situations; to evaluate relevance and validity, and to synthesise it in the context of topical business problems (F);
* a conceptual understanding of theoretical concepts and frameworks that enables the student to meaningfully link theory and practice and the ability to critically appraise both theory and practice (T/A).
Professional Practical Skills
* apply practical decision-making methods and tools at both tactical and strategic levels (T/A);
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate (F).
Transferable/Key Skills
* an openness and capacity to continue learning with the ability to reflect on earlier knowledge and practice and integrate the new with past experience and effectively apply it to the present situations (F);
* ability to recognise ethical corporate/social responsibility issues and to manage in light of these issues (T/A).
Personal/Interpersonal
* the facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas; preparation and production of effective business plans and reports (T/F/A).
Content:
The course content may be described in two parts.

Accounting
i. Corporate financial reporting: Components of annual reports and the content and purpose of the principal financial statements. Qualitative characteristics of useful accounting information. Key accounting principles and concepts, e.g. accruals accounting. The effect of accounting policy selection on reported results.
ii. Regulation of financial reporting: Regulation of accounting and the integrity of accounts (including corporate governance aspects).
iii. Analysis and interpretation of corporate reports, particularly through ratio analysis.
iv. Current issues in corporate accountability: Developments in governance rules, international harmonisation of accounting standards, and proposals for widening the scope of corporate reporting.
v. Costing and business decisions: Typologies of costs. Costs in short-run decisions (contribution and cost-volume-profit analysis). Cost allocation through traditional methods and activity-based costing, including uses in inventory valuation and pricing.
vi. Budgeting and management control: Objectives of budgets, their construction and use in variance analysis. Interpretation of simple variances. Divisional performance measures (e.g. return on investment) and issues in their use.
vii. Topics in strategic management accounting: Cost management (target and kaizen costing), activity-based management, cost of quality reporting, the balanced scorecard.

Financial management
This section focuses on the role financial management plays in the general management of a business and highlights those factors which impact on decisions in the following areas:
i. Methods and types of company financing including share capital, retained profits and debt.
ii. The capital structure decision, risk and required returns, the cost of capital and the consequences of financial distress.
iii. Dividend policy and measuring shareholder value.
iv. Appraisal of capital investment decisions including net present value (NPV).
v. Company valuation methods with particular reference to mergers and acquisitions.
vi. Short term cash management including foreign currency risk.

MN50148: Strategy

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Assessment: ES100
Requisites:
Aims: The aim of the course is to fit EMBA candidates with the necessary knowledge and patterns of thought to carry out strategic analysis and options generation in a variety of firm contexts.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* display a sound understanding of theories of strategic management and be able to appraise models and evidence critically;
* display a sound understanding of the external environment (economic, legal, social, political) in which organizations operate, and the way in which that environment conditions strategy in the firm;
* evaluate and interpret new information and theory, and engage in problem solving, thereby demonstrating a capacity to think clearly, logically and practically about a range of strategic business issues.
* to be able to analyse and characterise the nature of the strategic situation facing a firm or other organisation;
* to be able to identify feasible strategic responses to that strategic problem context;
* to be able to asses strategic responses for suitability;
* to be able to advocate a strategic option after assessment.
Skills:
Intellectual skills
* a systematic understanding of organisations, the internal and external context in which they operate and how they can be effectively managed (TA)
* the facility to apply subject-specific knowledge into a range of complex situations, taking into account the overall implications for the other areas of the business (TFA);
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in management (FA);
* a conceptual understanding of theoretical concepts and frameworks that enables the student to meaningfully link theory and practice and the ability to critically appraise both theory and practice (TFA);
* an understanding of appropriate research and methodological techniques that allow detailed investigation into topical business issues and ability to use these skills to produce professional, critical reports in business and management (TA).
Professional Practical skills
* deal with complex issues and make sound judgements in the absence of complete information, and to communicate their conclusions clearly and competently to a range of audiences (FA);
* assess and further develop the strategic position of their organization under conditions of complexity and uncertainty (F);
* evaluate the current standing of an organization and practically contribute to the attainment of their company's strategies and objectives (TFA);
* apply practical decision-making methods and tools at both tactical and strategic levels (TFA);
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate(F);
* be self-directed and able to act autonomously in planning and implementing projects at professional levels(F).
Transferable/Key skills
* an ability to develop a holistic perspective on an organization and an understanding of how the different functions relate to one another (TFA);
* an appreciation and in-depth understanding of the resources and competences required for successful cross-functional management in organisations including enterprise skills (TA);
* ability to conduct in-depth research into management and business issues (FA).
Personal/Interpersonal
* the facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas; preparation and production of effective business plans and reports (F);
* the ability to recognise intra/entrepreneurial risks and opportunities and to use their enterprise skills to the advantage of start-ups and firms in general (F).
Content:
Early parts of the course concentrate on internal and external analysis followed by an examination of the process of strategic decision making and the issues of organisational conflict and the nature of strategic options. Towards the end of the course, the different elements of the process of developing a strategy for an organisation are reviewed and participants haave the opportunity to suggest particular topics for discussion that have arisen during their strategy assignment work on their own organisations.
* Strategic Decision making
* Strategic environment
* Stakeholder, values and missions
* Systems approach to strategy (QPID)
* Futures
* Core competences and the resource based view of the firm
* Strategic options generation (Scale and non-scale)
* Strategy Assessment
* Corporate strategy.

MN50149: Managing & leading change

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
Aims & Learning Objectives: The aim of this course is to introduce students to the theory and practice of managing and leading change in organizations. In terms of theory, this will involve an appreciation of a number of concepts, models and perspectives, while in terms of practice, the emphasis will be on the skills required to diagnose and and intervene in the change process. The learning objective is to meaningfully link theory and practice in the context of understanding and changing organizations in contemporary society.
Content:
The course comprises 12 three hour sessions that consider a particular perspective on change ie cultural, political, structural; and/or a particular aspect of the change process such as 'tuning in' (diagnosis), working through (implementation) and leading change. The course will develop a critical and constructive approach to popular (i.e. guru and consultancy led) approaches to change as well as critically questioning some of the assumptions made of leadership with the intention of developing a theory of good practice and a practice of good theory. To this end, teaching will involve a number of media including lecture, video, exercise and case material.

MN50150: International business

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
In taking this unit you cannot take MN50257
Aims: The course will introduce participants to characteristics of business organization and management in the Americas, Europe and East Asia. It locates business practices in the context of political economy, institutions, and socio-cultural environment.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* Explain the relevance and impact of trade and foreign direct investment for countries in the areas studied
* Understand the importance of free trade arrangements for inter- and intra-regional trade, and for foreign direct investment
* Relate the institutional environments of the countries under study to business practices and patterns of management
* Understand the importance of country and region-specific knowledge for international business decisions
* Put to use such understanding in critical assessments of case study material.
Skills:
Intellectual skills
* a systematic understanding of organisations, the internal and external context in which they operate and how they can be effectively managed (T/F/A)
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in management (F)
* a conceptual understanding of theoretical concepts and frameworks that enables the student to meaningfully link theory and practice and the ability to critically appraise both theory and practice (F/A)
* an understanding of appropriate research and methodological techniques that allow detailed investigation into topical business issues and ability to use these skills to produce professional, critical reports in business and management (F)
Professional Practical skills
* assess and further develop the strategic position of their organization under conditions of complexity and uncertainty (F)
* evaluate the current standing of an organization and practically contribute to the attainment of their company's strategies and objectives (F)
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate (F)
* be self-directed and able to act autonomously in planning and implementing projects at professional levels (F)
Transferable/Key skills
* an ability to develop a holistic perspective on an organization and an understanding of how the different functions relate to one another (T/F)
* an appreciation and in-depth understanding of the resources and competences required for successful cross-functional management in organisations including enterprise skills (F)
* ability to conduct in-depth research into management and business issues (F/A)
Personal/Interpersonal
* the facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas; preparation and production of effective business plans and reports (F).
Content:
It will focus in particular on the different forms of capitalism that are found in America, Europe and the Asia/Pacific region and will include discussion of some of the economic, philosophical and political ideas that shape and direct the behaviour of enterprises. Participants will be encouraged to consider the implications of these discussions for the elaboration and implementation of corporate strategy.

MN50152: Supply chain and network management

Credits: 3
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
Aims: To understand the implications for strategic managers of the developments in supply chain and network thinking that result from pressures in the business environment.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* Critically analyse the emergence and development of core concepts and bodies of knowledge on supply strategy, supply chain management, and supply networks;
* Understand and be capable of applying appropriate, contingent approaches to managing in and managing supply networks;
* Relate appropriate core management theories to supply chains and networks;
* Successfully apply appropriate learning to a problem area in practice.
Skills:
Intellectual skills
* a systematic understanding of organisations, the internal and external context in which they operate and how they can be effectively managed; (T and A)
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in management; (T)
* a conceptual understanding of theoretical concepts and frameworks that enables the student to link theory and practice meaningfully and the ability to appraise critically both theory and practice; (T and A)
* an understanding of appropriate research and methodological techniques that allow detailed investigation into topical business issues and ability to use these skills to produce professional, critical reports in business and management. (T, F and A)
Professional Practical skills
* assess and further develop the strategic position of their organization under conditions of complexity and uncertainty; (F)
* evaluate the current standing of an organization and practically contribute to the attainment of their company's strategies and objectives; (T, F and A)
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate; (F and A)
* be self-directed and able to act autonomously in planning and implementing projects at professional levels.(F and A)
Transferable/Key skills
* an ability to develop a holistic perspective on an organization and an understanding of how the different functions relate to one another; (T, F and A)
* an appreciation and in-depth understanding of the resources and competences required for successful cross-functional management in organisations including enterprise skills; (T and F)
* ability to conduct in-depth research into management and business issues. (F and A)
Personal/Interpersonal
* an ability to manage and work in teams with an awareness of issues such as culture, gender, working styles etc. and to use these to the benefit of the individual and the team; (F)
* the facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas; preparation and production of effective business plans and reports. (F and A)
Content:
Strategic models and techniques in supply chain management and inter-organisation supply networks will be explored and criticised, with underpinning theories and concepts being linked to existing and emerging practice.

MN50153: Managing information systems

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
Aims: The unit examines, from a general management perspective, how information technology (IT) enables organizations to conduct business in radically different and more effective ways. New electronic market places and exchanges are being created, new channels of supply and distribution are emerging that threaten not just the competitive position of firms but their very survival. The aim of this unit is to provide students with a better understanding of the influence of 21st century technologies, such as the Internet, on business decisions. Case studies are used to encourage students to reflect on the opportunities and challenges of conducting business in a networked economy.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* display a sound understanding of the impact of IT on industries and markets
* be able to analyze how firms can exploit IT for competitive advantage
* be able to analyze and critique an organization's information system strategy
* display a sound understanding of the elements of an IT infrastructure (networks, storage, applications, etc.)
* be able to identify threats and risks to day-to-day IT operations and their implications for business operations
* display a sound understanding of how the IT operation should be organized to support the business (e.g., which IT functions should be performed inside the firm and which might be outsourced)
* be able to discuss and evaluate the implications of the networked economy and virtual organizations
* be able to apply management techniques, such as results chain modelling, and reflect critically on the usefulness of those techniques.
Skills:
Intellectual skills
* a systematic understanding of organisations, the internal and external context in which they operate and how they can be effectively managed (TA);
* the facility to apply subject-specific knowledge into a range of complex situations, taking into account the overall implications for the other areas of the business (TFA);
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in management (FA);
* a conceptual understanding of theoretical concepts and frameworks that enables the student to meaningfully link theory and practice and the ability to critically appraise both theory and practice (TFA).
Professional Practical skills
* evaluate the current standing of an organization and practically contribute to the attainment of that company's information strategies and objectives (A);
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate (F);
* apply practical IS planning tools and methods at strategic and tactical levels (TFA)
* be self-directed and able to act autonomously in planning and implementing projects at professional levels (F).
Transferable/Key skills
* an openness and capacity to continue learning with the ability to reflect on earlier knowledge and practice and integrate the new with past experience and effectively apply it to the present situations (TFA);
* an appreciation and in-depth understanding of the resources and competences required for successful cross-functional management in organisations including enterprise skills (TA);
* ability to conduct in-depth research into management and business issues (FA).
Personal/Interpersonal
* an ability to manage and work in teams with an awareness of issues such as culture, gender, working styles etc. and to use these to the benefit of the individual and the team (F);
* the facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas; preparation and production of effective business plans and reports (FA).
Content:
This unit addresses information technology (IT) and information systems (IS) from a general management perspective, rather than a technical perspective. The key areas addressed are:
* Creating business advantage with IT: the impact of IT on strategic decision-making;
* Developing business and e-business models
* Building networked business: value networks and virtual organizations;
* Managing the IT infrastructure: internetworking infrastructure, assuring reliable and secure IT services;
* Organizing and leading the IT operation: IT investment evaluation, IS implementation, IS outsourcing.

MN50154: Project

Credits: 18
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Assessment:
Requisites:

Content:
TBA

MN50155: Employment law

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 2
Assessment: OT100
Requisites:
Aims: The unit is designed to give students a comprehensive insight into the legal framework of the employer/employee relationship and its impact on the parties directly involved and some wider social implications.
Learning Outcomes:
Students will gain a clear and definitive understanding of the diverse factors involved in the employment relationship and the different sources of law and principle which apply to this context. Students are taught the key areas relevant to liability within employment and the statutory and common rules applicable. They work with a case study which includes a business structure and from which they learn to interpret the legal materials in the context of a set of problems. The interpretation culminates in the coursework mock tribunal which involves students drawing together the taught material in a practical application. Preparation for the mock tribunal is facilitated by discussions throughout the course.
Skills:
The course and the assessment methods utilise a case study approach which develops students' understanding not only of the legal methods to be used but also of the procedural context. They are enabled to analyse the relevant issues and to apply the legal principles applicable. They also understand the relevant external organisations which have a role in the field of employment.
Content:
The legal framework: the roles of the courts, employment tribunals and other bodies such as ACAS and trades unions, and the sources and influences on employment are set out. The relevance of changes introduced by EU law are drawn into this framework. Contracts of employment and consequent duties of employers and employees are considered in detail, including issues such as discrimination (racial, sexual, disability and trade union rights). Rights on termination of employment and the developing role of conciliation are covered. Safety at work is also considered and some aspects of trade union law in respect of its impact on employment rights.

MN50156: Ecology, management & organisational performance

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW 100%
Requisites:
Aims: The aim of this unit is to explore global trends in social, political, environmental and ethical thinking. The implications for the role of business will be discussed, especially how work organisations come to define and influence their environmental and social responsibilities.
Learning Outcomes:
Students will understand:
* different perspectives applicable to business-societyrelations;
* principles of business and social science analysis, the basic principles of research strategy. These outcomes will include:
* an awareness of inter-disciplinary considerations in understanding contemporary business issues;
* relevant knowledge of contemporary economic, social and political developments and their relevance for social science and management research in given business areas;
* some knowledge of contemporary environmental and social problems relating to business and how they emerge;
* understanding of the origins, development, activities and organisation of typical business practices.
Skills:
* Evaluate research and evidence critically to appropriate postgraduate standards using a variety of academic and non-academic sources;
* Synthesise information from a variety of academic perspectives and non-academic sources for a relevant understanging of theoretical and practical approaches;
* Reflect on the appropriateness, strengths and weaknesses of management and social science theories, perspectives and policy making;
* Recognise and understand selected management strategies for environmental and social aspects of business.
Content:
A series of focussed explorations examining: the changing context of business; globalisation, sustainable development; management of natural resources; system dynamics; ecological thinking and practices in management; developments in economic and social indicators; the risk society and industry; stakeholders of corporate responsibility; the social construction of organizational morality; corporate crime and whistle-blowing.

MN50158: Managing change

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Assessment:
Requisites:

Content:
TBA

MN50159: Competitive environment

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
Aims: An introduction to some of the key economic concepts and methodological approaches available to understand the extent and nature of competition in the specific market/industry environments in which firms conduct their business. Participants are expected to contribute actively to class discussions and, through careful preparation, to become proficient at analysing specific industry situations. After completing this course, participants should be able to apply basic economic concepts to analyse the structure of industry; determine the key drivers of industry profitability, and understand some aspects of how the firm may be influenced by and seek to influence the extent and nature of competition in its market environment.
Learning Outcomes:
To the extent that students have understood the material covered in this unit they should be able to:
* carry out a rigorous analysis of the competitive environment facing the firm
* explain the applications and limits of application of various frameworks and models.
Skills:
Intellectual skills
* a systematic understanding of the external context in which organisations operate (T,F,A);
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in management (F,A);
* the ability to acquire and analyse data, information and situations; to evaluate relevance and validity, and to synthesise it in the context of topical business problems (T, F, A);
* a conceptual understanding of theoretical concepts and frameworks that enables the student to meaningfully link theory and practice and the ability to critically appraise both theory and practice (T,F,A);
* an understanding of appropriate research and methodological techniques that allow detailed investigation into topical business issues and ability to use these skills to produce professional, critical reports in business and management (F,A).
Professional Practical skills
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate (F);
* be self-directed and able to act autonomously in planning and implementing projects at professional levels (A).
Transferable/Key skills
* ability to conduct in-depth research into management and business issues (A).
Personal/Interpersonal
* the facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas; preparation and production of effective business plans and reports (F, A).
Content:
Topics include: identifying the scope of the industry/market; the economic characteristics of the industry; the key drivers of profitability; and the dynamics of competition in different industrial settings; international competitiveness; implications of the evolving EU market. Case studies and readings are used to develop understanding of chosen areas.

MN50161: Marketing management

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
Aims: We will start the week by examining some of the basic 'textbook' ideas on how to analyse market behaviour and on the management of a company's marketing. We will then quickly move on to consider how companies can make sense of the attitudes and behaviour of end consumers, and then examine the complex networks in which companies operate and on what the characteristics of these networks mean for the tasks of marketing and purchasing. Following on from this, we will concentrate on some of the specific activities that comprise marketing in these networks.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* Explain the purpose and content of a marketing plan, and be able to critically evaluate of such a plan
* Understand the different marketing environments that managers may encounter, especially B2C and B2B marketing
* Understand fully the traditional approaches to marketing, such as segmentation and targeting
* Understand too when such traditional approaches might not be relevant, and when a relationship or network perspective might be more appropriate
For each learning outcome, the student should be able to summarise key current issues and developments of relevance to business generally.
Skills:
Intellectual skills
* a systematic understanding of organisations, the internal and external context in which they operate and how they can be effectively managed (T, F, A)
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in management (T, F)
* the ability to acquire and analyse data, information and situations; to evaluate relevance and validity, and to synthesise it in the context of topical business problems (T, F, A)
* a conceptual understanding of theoretical concepts and frameworks that enables the student to meaningfully link theory and practice and the ability to critically appraise both theory and practice (T, F, A)
Professional Practical skills
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate (F, A)
Transferable/Key skills
* an openness and capacity to continue learning with the ability to reflect on earlier knowledge and practice and integrate the new with past experience and effectively apply it to the present situations (F, A)
Personal/Interpersonal
* an ability to manage and work in international teams with an awareness of issues such as culture, gender, etc., to identify learning/working styles and to use these to the benefit of the individual and the team (F)
* the facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas; preparation and production of effective business plans and reports (T, F, A)
Content:
* Introduction - Marketing Concepts and Analysis
* Relations between Marketing and Strategy
* Understanding Business Markets
* Understanding Consumer Needs
* Detailed development of Marketing Programmes, including: Pricing Policies, Product Service Policies, Distribution Strategies, Retail Marketing, Implementing Market Strategy.

MN50163: Operations management

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
In taking this unit you may not take MN50112, MN50225 or MN50252
Aims: This module introduces the basic principles of Operations Management: opening up narrowly defined notions of 'operations' and illustrating how all organisations are essentially defined through their operational capabilities. Throughout the course, students will experience, analyse, discuss and contrast a range of service, manufacturing, for-profit and not-for-profit organisations.
Learning Outcomes:
The primary learning objectives are to:
1. introduce the basic concepts of operations management and illustrate the strategic significance (potentially positive and negative) of operational capabilities.
2. demonstrate the value of employing an operations 'lens' on all organisational activities. In particular this helps students understand the critical interfaces between key organisational functions.
3. provide familiarity with the language, concepts and application of operations management tools and analyses.
4. provide, through the use of a wide variety of case and video material, simulations, games, presentations, discussion papers etc. the opportunity to develop specific and general analytical skills.
Skills:
Academic/Intellectual skills (T, F, A)
* systematic understanding of operations management - as both a functional discipline and a lens on organisational behaviour.
* increased awareness of, and critical understanding of, theoretical constructs and practical models developed in the response to current operations management challenges;
* enhanced ability to move back and fore between theoretical and practical perspectives.
Professional Practical skills (T, F, A)
* ability to analyse live operational issues in service and manufacturing, and for-profit and not-for profit, environments;
* recognition of the personal ingredients necessary to operate more effectively as a reflective practitioner: including team-based and leadership roles.
Transferable/Personal/Interpersonal skills (T, F, A)
* ability to manage and work in international teams with an increased awareness of issues such as culture, gender, etc.;
* facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas; preparation and production of effective analytical reports and improvement plans.
Content:
In terms of its conceptual coverage, the course is structured around four key operations management content themes: strategy; design; planning/control, and; improvement/implementation.
* The primary focus is the for-profit enterprise (although issues of public and 'third sector' operations will also be discussed) and the service/manufacturing balance of the teaching material reflects the composition of GDP in most advanced economies (i.e. approximately 75% service).
* Every attempt is made to ensure that the material and teaching methods capture and retain student interest: mixed media, case studies, visits and guest speakers, together with a variety of hands-on exercises and simulations are used.

MN50164: Strategy

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Assessment: EX100
Requisites:
Aims:
* provide students with an in-depth appreciation of strategic management thinking and decision-making;
* explore the many, wide ranging issues that comprise strategy and how they may be resolved;
* help develop powers of strategic thinking, analysis and judgement.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* display a sound understanding of theories of strategic management and be able to appraise models and evidence critically;
* determine how the external environment (economic, legal, social, political) in which organizations operate condition strategy in the firm;
* evaluate and interpret new information and theory, and engage in problem solving, thereby demonstrating a capacity to think clearly, logically and practically about a range of strategic business issues;
* analyse and characterise the nature of the strategic situation facing a firm or other organisation;
* identify feasible strategic responses to that strategic problem context;
* assess strategic responses for suitability;
* advocate a strategic option after assessment.
Skills:
Intellectual skills
* systematic understanding of organisations, the internal and external context in which they operate and how they can be effectively managed (TA)
* facility to apply subject-specific knowledge into a range of complex situations, taking into account the overall implications for the other areas of the business (TFA);
* critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in management (FA);
* understanding of theoretical concepts and frameworks that enable the student to meaningfully link theory and practice, and the ability to critically appraise both theory and practice (TFA).
Professional Practical Skills
* deal with complex issues and make sound judgements in the absence of complete information, and to communicate their conclusions clearly and competently to a range of audiences (FA);
* assess and further develop the strategic position of an organization under conditions of complexity and uncertainty (F);
* evaluate the current standing of an organization and practically contribute to the attainment of the company's strategies and objectives (TFA);
* apply practical decision-making methods and tools at both tactical and strategic levels (TFA);
* operate effectively within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate(F);
Transferable/Key skills
* ability to develop a holistic perspective on an organization and an understanding of how the different functions relate to one another (TFA);
* appreciation and in-depth understanding of the resources and competences required for successful cross-functional management in organisations including enterprise skills (TA);
* ability to conduct in-depth research into management and business issues (FA).
Personal/Interpersonal
* facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas; preparation and production of effective management analysis (F);
* ability to recognise intra/entrepreneurial risks and opportunities and to use enterprise skills to advantage established and start-ups. (F).
Content:
Early parts of the course concentrate on the process of strategic decision-making, the issues of organisational conflict, and the nature of strategic alternatives. This is followed by an examination of the firm's macro- and internal environments, as well as the nature of the industry and competitive environment in which the firm operates. Business, corporate, and network level strategy formulation is investigated and considered further in the context of globalisation. Towards the end of the course, the different elements of the process of developing a strategy for an organisation are reviewed and some of the newest strategy concepts are considered in greater detail, such as the real options approach to strategic management, and the effects of network externalities and increasing returns on strategy formulation. Typical course content incluudes:
* Strategic Decision Making
* Industry & Competitive environment
* Business Level Strategy
* Corporate Level Strategy
* Network Level Strategy
* Technology-based Strategy
* Real Options Approach to Strategy
* Strategy Assessment
* Globalisation.

MN50165: Organisational behaviour

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 2
Assessment: EX 100%
Requisites:
Aims: To provide students with an introduction, through lectures, seminars, and guided peer-group learning, to key perspectives and concepts on how and why people behave at work - individually, in teams and corporately.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this module, students should be able to critically appraise a range of ideas and issues in organisational behaviour, and how they might apply in practice.
Skills:
Students will be assessed in their critical understanding of the organisational concepts taught during this course and their ability to apply concepts to organisational case studies.
Content:
Will include (but with possible substitutions); understanding OB from cross-cultural perspective; groups & team working; decision making (in groups); leadership; motivation; power/empowerment; culture; greening; emotions at work; bullying and violence.

MN50166: Methods of management research

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW 100%
Requisites:

Aims & Learning Objectives:
To help students as potential managers to appreciate the value of management research in decision making, to judge the value of other persons' research efforts, and to plan and execute their own research.
Content:
The nature and scope of management research, secondary data, sampling issues, primary data collection techniques, the questionnaire, the purpose of qualitative research, qualitative techniques, data reduction and the presentation of research findings.

MN50167: Marketing

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 1
Assessment: CW 40%, EX 60%
Requisites:
Aims:
* To provide an introduction to the concepts, analyses and activities that comprises marketing management.
* To develop an understanding of the role and practice of marketing as a management function and organisational philosophy.
* To provide practice in assessing and solving marketing problems - reflecting the belief that the most effective learning comes from making marketing decisions.
* To lay the foundations for students wishing to take more specialised courses in marketing.
Learning Outcomes:
After completing the unit, the student should be able to a) understand the principles of building brands and implementing promotion and advertising activities and b) prepare a marketing plan.
Skills:
* Develop the ability to conceptualize marketing problems by using a series of analytical tools. (T, F and A)
* Develop the ability to plan and rationalize marketing activities (T and A)
* Develop presentation skills in the classroom (T and F).
Content:
People often define marketing as advertising - a highly visible activity by which organisations try to "persuade" consumers to purchase their products and services. Marketing is more than simply advertising, it involves identifying customers needs and wants and satisfying these with the right product, at the right price, available through the right distribution channels and promoted in ways that motivate and maximise purchases. These decisions constitute the "marketing mix". Together with analysis of the external environment, customers and competitors, these compose the main activities of marketing management and are the focus of this module.

MN50169: Business economics

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 1
Assessment: EX 100%
Requisites:
Aims: To provide an understanding of some of the analytical tools used by economists, and to show how these can assist in providing insights into the nature of the competitive environment and their relevance to business decisions.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this course, students should be able to analyse markets and firms of their own choosing.
Skills:
Grasp of basic economic concepts and their applicability to the real world (taught, facilitated and assessed), critical thought, writing and analytical awareness (assessed), ability to construct an argument (assessed), Interpretation of data (assessed). Ability to interface with web resources (encouraged).
Content:
Microeconomic theory of the firm and industry, and related analytical frameworks. Topics to be covered include demand conditions, cost conditions, the competitive environment - models of market structure, price and non-price competition.

MN50171: Personal development & management competencies

Credits: 0
Level: Masters
Semester: 2
Assessment: ES50PR50
Requisites:

Aims & Learning Objectives:
To develop the students' grasp of management competencies and to prepare them for a career in organizations. The units complement the theoretical material contained in the existing part of the curriculum and strengthen the students' capacity to carry out their dissertation or project work.
Content:
Topics covered include management styles, personal style inventories, career planning, emotional intelligence, negotiation and problem solving, team work, interviews, delegation, communication and working in a multi-cultural environment. The unit also introduces the students to the use of a learning journal as an aid to personal development.

MN50172: Essay skills

Credits: 0
Level: Masters
Semester: 1
Assessment:
Requisites:
Aims: Students on the MSc course come from a variety of undergraduate backgrounds, some with quantitative and others with qualitative emphasis. This non-compulsory unit is aimed at improving the essay-writing skills of students from science and engineering backgrounds and the quantitative skills of students from the arts and humanities.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* understand how to write well-structured essays, reports and dissertations in style appropriate to purpost and situation;
* understand how to incorporate source material and refer to sources appropriately.
Skills:
Intellectual skills - The course enables students to:
* synthesis information from a number of sources (T)
Professional practical skills - The course enables students to:
* enhance their writing skills (T)
* act autonomously in planning and implementing tasks (F)
Transferable/key skills - The course enable students better to:
* communicate their conclusions clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences (T)
* continue to advance their knowledge and understanding (F).
Content:
Essay-writing technique; essay structure, content, language, style and presentation.

MN50173: Information management

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW 30%, EX 70%
Requisites:
Aims: We are currently in the information age, a time when knowledge is power; and knowledge comes from having timely access to information and knowing what to do with it. Linked to these issues, the aim of this unit is to help future managers sustain organisational performance in the information revolution. To do so, they need to initiate thoughtful and coherent changes in both their organisation and in their information systems.
The unit will take a management perspective towards information systems. It will identify the organisational issues that managers face as they decide how to respond to technological opportunities.
Overall, this unit provides the knowledge from which students should be able to make appropriate use of information and information systems in their forthcoming careers.
Learning Outcomes:
By attending this unit students will be able to:
* Identify the value of information in today's organisations.
* Outline the reasons for organisations' increased dependence on information systems (IS)
* Appreciate the socio-technical context of information technology, the changing nature of those contexts, the dynamics of change and their role in facilitating transformation through technology.
* Understand what innovative organisations are doing with contemporary information systems and more, important where things are headed.
* Assess ways of organising IS activities and relate these to wider business strategy.
This unit addresses the above issues, and, in particular, aims to equip students with what they need to know about information systems at a strategic level in their careers as general or functional managers.
Skills:
The course will provide specialist knowledge of information systems in a business context. The lectures, case studies and presentations that will take place during the seminars will develop students' analytical skills and will assist in enhancing their competence in personal and interpersonal skills and their ability to work effectively with others.
Content:
The lecture topics include: the value of information; the development and implementation of information systems; the role of IT in business transformation, managing and organising IS; and e-business and virtual organising.
The seminars aim to apply the conceptual frameworks and ideas of the lectures to a series of IT case studies. The case studies are used to help students develop a practical understanding of the opportunities presented by information systems, together with an appreciation of the associated management, organizational, and technical issues.

MN50174: Human resource management

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 1
Assessment: CW 20%, EX 80%
Requisites:
Aims: Students will be introduced to concepts and theories of human resource management (HRM), and explore contemporary policy developments and management practice.
Learning Outcomes:
The Unit's learning outcomes are for students to be able to:
* understand the development of HRM, the theoretical issues surrounding HRM & the context of HRM in the UK and within the wider international environment;
* understand the core elements of HRM practice (resourcing, development, employee relations and reward);
* appreciate some contemporary issues in HRM practice;
* debate the impact of HRM on performance.
Skills:
Key skills: Group work (assessed), data searching (assessed), gain understanding of what practitioners do (facilitated by consideration of case studies).
Content:
Key topics covered include the development and main models of HRM, HRM in context, recruitment and selection, managing pay, managing with/without trade unions, employee involvement and participation, flexibility, HR and performance. Although the course will focus on HRM from a UK perspective, aspects of international and comparative HRM will be introduced throughout the course.

MN50175: Operations management

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 1
Assessment: CW 50%, EX 50%
Requisites:
Aims: This unit aims to introduce students to the core concepts and techniques in operations management.
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the course, students should be able to: identify and analyse operations issues; apply operations ideas in manufacturing, service, and non-profit contexts; and identify the link between operations and business strategy.
Skills:
Intellectual skills developed through this unit include the ability to critique both practice and theory through their comparison using real-world cases. Professional skills include the development of the skill of analysing complex systems. Practical skills include those of understanding (through the workshop) the tensions created by functions in modern organisations.
Content:
This unit focuses on the process involved in efficiently and effectively transforming inputs (labour, capital, materials etc) into useful outputs (i.e., goods and services) in both service and manufacturing operations. Theoretical concepts and application are applied to real-world situations. Topics covered include transformation processes; the trade-offs involved in process choice; capacity and aggregate planning; job design and workforce management; quality management and control; supply chain management; world-class manufacturing; and the relationships between operations and other functional business areas.

MN50176: Strategic management

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 2
Assessment: EX 100%
Requisites:
Aims: Students will be introduced to the concepts and theoretical approaches to Strategic Management and be provided with a perspective of strategic management in practice.
Learning Outcomes:
The Unit's learning outcomes are for students to be able to:
* Understand strategic situation analysis including macro-environmental analysis, industry structure, competitor profiling, market segmentation, strategic groups, internal analysis, and stakeholder influences on organisations.
* Use rational approaches associated with the identification and selection of strategic alternatives to include: market-based strategic positioning, scale and non scale strategies, core competencies and resource-based strategies.
* Appreciate the issues and practices of implementing chosen strategies.
Skills:
Key skills: data searching, gaining an understanding of what practitioners do facilitated by consideration of case studies and references to current industrial developments as reported in the business press. Self help group work is encouraged and feedback is given.
Content:
Key topics covered include the strategy process, main models of external and internal analysis of industries and businesses in the public and, primarily, private sectors, generic strategies, technology strategy, risk and uncertainty, alliances, mergers and acquisitions, corporate strategy, international and global strategies, strategic alternatives and choice, styles of strategic decision making and organizing to support strategy implementation. Although the unit focuses on Strategic Management from a UK perspective, aspects of international and comparative strategic approaches will be introduced throughout the course.

MN50178: Dissertation/ project

Credits: 18
Level: Masters
Dissertation period
Assessment: CW 100%
Requisites:

Aims & Learning Objectives:
To develop the students' ability to carry out a research project in depth, either individually or in a group, and to ensure their command in depth of at least one particular field of management.
Content:
Dissertations: Dissertations will be carried out individually, under supervision by a member of academic staff. Dissertations will involve desk and/or field research appropriate to their aim and may employ quantitative, qualitative or a mixture of research methods for the analysis of the material. It will be the students' responsibility to choose their research area, organize their research activities and negotiate access with other organizations if required. Projects: Projects will be carried out in self-selected groups of three students, under supervision by a member of academic staff. In addition to literature study and field research, projects will also involve an appropriate piece of action learning. Students will plan, organize and carry out an event, a function or a series of management-type interventions which will yield some of their field material for action-learning. It will be the students' responsibility to conceive and organize projects, negotiating access with other organizations as required.

MN50180: Fundamentals of corporate finance

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW50EX50
Requisites:

Aims & Learning Objectives:
At the outset of the unit, students will be introduced to the nature of the company and its financial context in terms of financial institutions and the Stock Exchange. By taking this unit students will be able to advise on the different forms of finance that a company may use, how to compare their costs and form an appropriate financial structure, dividend policy, corporate restructuring and analysis of financial performance. The unit will include practical case study work and focus on academic research where it has been shown to have a direct implication for company practice, rather than advanced theory and quantitative analysis in finance research for its own sake. The unit will also ensure that students can understand various dimensions of the financial press - especially reports on companies, share price performance, etc. and see how this related to corporate behaviour.
Content:
The legal nature of a company, the financial institutional context, (nature and types of financial markets and financial institutions, understanding the financial press), general principles of valuation for businesses and securities and an outline of portfolio analysis, sources of finance and their costs, the corporate cost of capital, rates of return which should be earned by corporate divisions and projects to satisfy providers of finance, capital structure and dividend policy decisions, the capital budgeting process in practice, including modelling for risk analysis, and linking investment to corporate strategy through SVA and value chain analysis (especially for investments where benefits are difficult to quantify), evaluation of company performance, financial aspects of corporate restructuring, modelling financial outcomes.

MN50181: Financial statments, corporate governance and regulation

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 2
Assessment: EX100
Requisites:
Aims: To set corporate governance best practice on internal control and reporting in the broader context of the 'regulatory state' and accountability through 'transparency'. To understand financial statements and their compilation.
Learning Outcomes:
To acquire knowledge of the main theories of the regulatory state and the roles and accountabilities of the modern corporation, as well as their application in practice through government policies on external regulation, self-regulation of the corporate sector through the Combined Code of Practice, and the setting of accounting and reporting standards in an international trading environment. To apply the principles of financial accounting, accruals and the double-entry method to the preparation of financial statements, including profit and loss account, balance sheet and cash flow statement.
Skills:
Preparing financial statements. Discussing key issues and applying generic models to particular cases.
Content:
The Regulatory State - the Corporation in Context
* Market and non-market conduct failures
* The principles of good regulation
* Regulatory accountability
* The role of the corporation - profit maximisation and corporate social responsibility (CSR) in context
* Ownership and control:
- the principal-agent model; the stakeholder model; regulated public service industries; public ownership/agency model.
Controlling the Corporation
* Reconciling 'conformance' and 'performance'
* Shareholder roles:
- AGM empowerment; exit strategy and take-overs; 'aligned' remuneration; external audit: controlling conflicts of interest
* Corporate governance: the directors' roles:
- codes of practice, Hampel, Turnbull, Higgs and Smith; structuring the board for 'internal control'; 'independence' of non-executives; internal audit and separating roles and responsibilities in organisations; ethics: learning cultures and whistle-blowing and note international comparators
Transparency: regulating financial reporting
- the rule-makers and reporting standards
- international harmonisation
- the framework of principles, FRS3, accounting policies and the Operating and Financial Review (OFR)
- key concepts in practice (substance over form, capitalisation of leases, provisions for deferred liabilities, eg, tax); modified historical cost (statement of total gains and losses), goodwill and intangibles.

MN50182: Financial management for international business

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 2
Assessment: EX100
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN50170 or take MN50319 and in taking this unit you cannot take MN30067
Aims: The aim of the course is to give the student an understanding of the increased range of financial issues that arise when companies operate across international borders.
Learning Outcomes:
The student will be able to analyse the financial risks facing an international company and be able to reach a decision as to how to formulate a company policy to manage them.
Skills:
Intellectual
*Analytical skills; defining the exposures facing an organisation be they foreign exchange, interest rate or systemic. Analysing the financial consequences of the various approaches to hedging and managing these risks. T & A
*Advocacy; being able to support an argument based on the facts and a reasonable personal interpretation of the facts and personal risk preferences. T&F&A
Professional/practical; learning about markets (domestic and international), instruments and company and bank practices. T&A
Key skills; analytical, numerical, organisational. T&A&F.
Content:
* Liquidity management (cash management, control of debtors and creditors, short term funding and investment, international bank account and bank relationship management.
* Risk management (foreign exchange risk definition and hedging techniques, internal control, interest rate risk, definition and instruments used in its management, system risk)
* Funding: (types of funding and the issues surrounding building a portfolio of debt)
* Support issues (including electronic banking, internal processes for risk management)
* Political risk (assessment and management, overseas project cost of capital).

MN50183: Strategic management accounting

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 2
Assessment: EX100
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN50170

Aims & Learning Objectives:
Recent developments in management accounting and especially cost management will be reviewed mainly through the medium of case studies in order to develop the students' ability to analyse practical control problems and select the appropriate tools to use in specific circumstances.The final objective of the unit will be to consider how companies are changing their cost management systems through time in order to align them more closely with central strategic thinking for developing the business.
Content:
Developments in product costing and cost management (activity based costing, the theory of constraints and throughput accounting, cost of quality analyses, etc.), the way management accounting and control is adapting to the changing technological context and developments in supply chain relationships, the influence of Japanese management accounting practices and how they are also changing in Japan (target costing, kaisen costing, ex-ante activity analysis), balanced scorecard developments and their relationship to business segment control (divisions, SBUs, product groups, projects, etc).

MN50184: Gender, diversity and work

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
Aims: The aim of the unit is to give students an understanding of equality and diversity issues within organisations, with particular attention to gender. National and international contexts will be examined.
Learning Outcomes:
To have a critical understanding of such concepts as diversity, equal opportunities and mainstreaming. To understand different perspectives on how diversity and equal opportunities policies may contribute to Human Resource and Organisational Strategies. To appreciate relevant theories concerning the labour market experiences of different groups.
Skills:
Students learn about key models, theories and critical debates in the subject area (T) Analytical skills (F) Debating skills (F) Equality Audits (T) Develop improved transferable personal skills including comprehension, collation of information and writing (F) Further develop presentation skills (F)
Content:
British, European and US regulation of discrimination and diversity at work Theories of discrimination Diversity management Discrimination on grounds of gender, race, age, sexual orientation and disability Women in the labour market Equal pay Gender mainstreaming Work-life balance Paid and unpaid work

MN50187: Training, learning & development

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 2
Assessment: ES60OR40
Requisites:
Aims: To provide an introduction to the processes of adult learning, training and development from both an individual and an organisational perspective. To provide a framework for the links between learning and Strategic Human Resource Development and Human Resource Management.
Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this unit the student would be able to:
* Understand the nature and contribution of training and development to organisational success ;
* Appreciate the role and responsibilities of the individual in training and development ;
* Differentiate between employee and management development
* Make suggestions for creative and innovative approaches to adult learning
* Provide a framework for analysis and understanding of current thinking in training and development.
Skills:
Analysis of case material (taught) Critical reflection on theory (taught) Application of theoretical models (taught) Conversations with practitioners (facilitated) Design of a learning intervention (taught and facilitated)
Content:
The role of training and development in organisations; Training as a cost or investment; Theories and practice of learning; adult learning; lifelong learning; experiential learning; managers as developers; learning technologies; the training and development cycle; assessment methodologies; evaluation techniques; feedback mechanisms; new approached to CPD.

MN50189: Contemporary management issues in the IS field

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 2
Assessment: ES80CW20
Requisites:
Aims: The aim of this unit is to expose students to a range of issues that information systems and business management professionals will encounter when implementing and using information systems. Each topic will frame the major issues and controversies. The unit reflects on significant information systems issues reported in the literature.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the unit the students should have developed an understanding of critical management issues with respect to the development and use of information technology in organizations; key criteria and frameworks for understanding of organizational aspects of information systems.
Skills:
Intellectual skills
* an understanding of information systems, organisations, the internal & external context in which they operate (TA);
* the facility to apply subject-specific knowledge into a range of complex situations, taking into account the overall implications for the other areas of the business (TFA);
* a conceptual understanding of theoretical concepts and frameworks that enables the student to meaningfully link theory and practice and the ability to critically appraise both theory and practice (TFA);
Professional and Practical skills
* evaluate the current standing of an information systems within an organisational context (A);
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate (F);
* be self-directed and able to act autonomously in planning and implementing projects at professional levels (F)
Transferable/Key skills
* an openness and capacity to continue learning with the ability to reflect on earlier knowledge and practice and integrate the new with past experience and effectively apply it to the present situations (TFA);
* an appreciation and in-depth understanding of the resources and competences required for successful cross-functional management in organisations including enterprise skills (TA).
Content:
The content of the academic sessions will be updated each year to reflect contemporary issues in information systems, but the following is indicative of the content: IT Outsourcing; Information and knowledge management; IT infrastructure management; Ethical issues in IS; Virtual teamworking; IT and Globalization.

MN50190: Organisational IS

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:

Aims & Learning Objectives:
The aim of this unit is to expose students to a wide range of views of the current state of the art in terms of application of IS in organisations and various social and organisational issues. This unit examines the organisational pervasiveness of information systems, investigating their role in functional support and throughout the hierarchy of the organisation. This includes assessment of the dynamic relationship between the different organisational contexts and the application of IS, and illustrative case examples of how they can be employed to meet organisational objectives in different industries.
Content:
The sessions will be of two types:
* Those that investigate types applications of IS in organisations
* Those that investigate the different social/organisational contexts in which IS are designed and used. The learning will be student centred: students will be expected to carry out individual research and investigations. Guest speakers will present their own experiences of systems and contexts.

MN50191: Information system development

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN50173
Aims: To impart an understanding of the complexity and difficulty of successful information system development in the Internet age. Although the roots of Information system development methods can be found in the engineering tradition of hardware and software development, more recent developments in IS research have highlighted the need to employ alternative paradigms that cater for the needs of the organization and those whose work is affected by the introduction of an information system. The recent rise of Internet-based information systems has introduced new challenges for the developer - building systems with global reach and building them in 'Internet time'. This unit gives students the opportunity to engage with current approaches to IS Development and links their understanding of general issues in Information Systems to the application of techniques and methodologies.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should:
* be able to display a sound understanding of the role of IS development in organizations
* be able to analyze critically the strengths and weaknesses of a range of IS development methods
* be able to display a sound understanding of which methods to use in which situations
* be able to think in a systemic fashion about the organizational context of IS development
* be able to apply IS development modelling techniques to support the creation of software artefacts
* be able to display a sound understanding of the dynamics of the IS development process and the associated challenges to management.
Skills:
Intellectual skills
* a systematic understanding of the organisational context of IS Development and the process of managing it (TFA);
* the facility to apply subject-specific knowledge into a range of complex situations, taking into account the overall implications for the other areas of the business (TFA);
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in IS Development methodologies(TFA)
* a conceptual understanding of theoretical concepts and frameworks that enables the student to meaningfully link theory and practice and the ability to critically appraise both theory and practice (TFA).
Professional Practical skills
* evaluate the current status of information use in an organization and practically contribute to the diagnosis and implementation of appropriate changes (A);
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate (F);
* apply industry-standard IS development tools and methods (TFA)
* be self-directed and able to act autonomously in planning and implementing projects at professional levels (F).
Transferable/Key skills
* an openness and capacity to continue learning with the ability to reflect on earlier knowledge and practice and integrate the new with past experience and effectively apply it to the present situations (TFA);
* an appreciation and in-depth understanding of the resources and competences required for successful cross-functional management in organisations including enterprise skills (TA);
* ability to conduct in-depth research into management and business issues (FA).
Personal/Interpersonal
* an ability to manage and work in teams with an awareness of issues such as culture, gender, working styles etc. and to use these to the benefit of the individual and the team (F);
* the facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas; preparation and production of effective business plans and reports (FA).
Content:
The unit addresses the following topics:
* The IS development process
* Organizational analysis: stakeholders and soft systems
* Socio-technical design: ETHICS, participatory design
* Information modelling: data and process modelling with the Unified Modeling Language (UML)
* Software development: building a Web site with an industry standard authoring tool (such as Macromedia DreamWeaver)
* Integrative case study: covering organizational rrequirements through to software prototype
* Conceptual and philosophical foundations of IS development.

MN50192: Information systems implementation

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 2
Assessment: ES70CW30
Requisites:
Aims: To introduce the students to IS implementation in a variety of contexts (theory and practice), using a multitude of technologies and exposing an array of issues.
Learning Outcomes:
Students will be able to:
* Identify a range of commonly used approaches to understanding IS implementations both in theory and in practice
* Critique and evaluate IS implementations drawing on a wealth of experiences.
Skills:
* Linking theory with practice
* Conducting a practical research project of an IS implementation (design as well as implementation)
* Interpersonal communication
* Presentation Skills
* Interviewing Skills
* Empirical research skills.
Content:
* Introduction to IS implementation
* Approaches to Understanding IS implementations
* IS implementation in a cross-cultural context
* IS implementation in a global context
* Public sector IT projects
* Technology and IS implementations
* IT and the Community
* Guest speaker - Sam Cappleman, HP
* IS Implementation issues.

MN50193: Introduction to personal computing

Credits: 0
Level: Masters
Semester: 1
Assessment:
Requisites:
While taking this unit you must take MN50173
Aims: The purpose of this unit is to equip students with enough basic knowledge of information technology applications for them to be able to develop their ability to use it during their studies and professional careers.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* acquired competence in a set of commonly-used software applications.
Skills:
Intellectual - translation of problem requirements to implemented solutions (facilitated and taught). Practical - ability to use common software packages (taught and facilitated). Key skills - use of Information Technology (taught and facilitated).
Content:
The unit is essentially practical in orientation and is based around a series of practical classes and workshops. The exercises used will develop competencies in the use of a variety of forms of software which are commonly used in business. Relevant forms of software will vary as the technology changes, but a representative sample would include:
* Spreadsheets.
* Web page creation.
* Desktop Database Management System (e.g. MS Access)
* Presentation software. Some sessions will be formally timetabled, others will be arranged as needed. Learning will be student centred and responsive. In part students will be expected to define their own skills needs.

MN50194: E-business

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW30ES70
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN50173
Aims: As we enter the third millennium we experience one of the most important changes in our lives - the move to an Internet-based society. One of the most significant changes is the manner in which business is conducted, especially in terms of managing the market place and everyday commerce. The aim of this module is to expose students to a range of e-business models and emerging technologies that are and will shape our organizational and personal lives. Students will be encouraged to consider the challenges and opportunities of e-business from a solid theoretical background and a real-world orientation with extensive examples ranging across large corporations, small businesses, and not for profit organizations.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* understand contemporary issues in e-business at the management and strategic level. This is supported by theory (e.g., Internet business models), current case studies, and in-class discussion.
* have up-to-date and in-depth knowledge of advanced areas of e-business, such as Internet security mechanisms, dotcoms, and web content management. Again, this is supported by theory, recent case studies and in-class discussion. A group case study is used to consolidate theory with practice.
Thus, the emphasis is on a strategic understanding of e-business for management students underpinned by detailed knowledge of advanced areas and technologies
Skills:
Intellectual skills
* an appreciation of contemporary issues in e-business (TA);
* the facility to apply subject-specific knowledge into a range of complex situations, taking into account the overall implications for the other areas of the business (TFA);
* a conceptual understanding of theoretical concepts and frameworks that enables the student to meaningfully link theory and practice and the ability to critically appraise both theory and practice (TFA);
Professional and Practical skills
* evaluate e-business models within an organisational context (A);
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate (F);
* be self-directed and able to act autonomously in planning and implementing projects at professional levels (F)
Transferable/Key skills
* an openness and capacity to continue learning with the ability to reflect on earlier knowledge and practice and integrate the new with past experience and effectively apply it to the present situations (TFA);
* an appreciation and in-depth understanding of the resources and competences required for successful cross-functional management in organisations including enterprise skills (TA).
Content:
This course must reflect current movements in e-business and Internet technology and the content will therefore be reviewed on an annual basis and updated as appropriate. Indicative content includes:
* Foundations of e-commerce
* e-business strategies & Internet business models
* Consumer e-commerce (e-tailing)
* Business to business e-commerce and supply chain integration
* Customer relationship management
* Intelligent agent technologies and dynamic pricing
* Electronic payment systems & Security
* Mobile commerce (m-commerce)
* E-commerce technology infrastructure.

MN50195: Virtual organising

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN50173
Aims: The aim of the unit is to educate students on the complex dynamics of information technology in organizations in order to enable them to function and manage effectively and to prepare them to play the role of organizational transformation agents in the now virtual world. Through case studies, research reports and interactive discussions, participants will learn to deploy an alternative perspective, one that is more political and critical orientated, to the pragmatic and recipe-based approaches to the issues that dominate much of the contemporary management literature on IT. In presenting this argument the course will explore the key features of virtual organizations, then go on to examine some essential business processes that characterise the operation of virtual organizations, and finally deal with the issues involved in successfully developing and managing collaborative virtual organizations. Special emphasis will be given on how information and communication technologies enable intra- and inter- virtual organizational forms to emerge.
Learning Outcomes:
* To deepen students' understanding of how information technologies enable organizations to change and what is required of managers in this environment;
* To develop students' ability to work cross-culturally;
* To develop students' ability to build teams and collaborations with people in dispersed locations;
* To give students the experience of using new business communication technologies and enable them to thoughtfully assess when and how to use them.
Skills:
To develop in students a range of personal transferable skills appropriate to the postgraduate level. Through diverse methods of implementation (case study analysis, presentations and interactive discussions) it will foster interpersonal, communication, critical and analytical skills.
Content:
Core content will include:
* Relating IT to its organizational context;
* Virtual Organization as an IT-enabled workplace strategy;
* Models for Virtual Organizations;
* Knowledge-based strategies for virtual organizations;
* Developing Collaborative Strategies in a virtual world;
* The use of Computer-mediated Communication.

MN50198: Project management

Credits: 3
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW 100%
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN50112 or take MN50252 or take MN50163 or take MN50145 and in taking this unit you cannot take MN50259
Aims:
* To develop an understanding of the principles, practice and importance of project management in modern organisations;
* To expose students to the latest thinking and research in project management;
* To critically examine key methods for managing projects;
* To develop in student an appreciation of the need to deliver projects on time, to budget and to specification (conformance) as well as an understanding of the implications of exceeding these (performance).
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* Demonstrate an in-depth knowledge and understanding of key theories in project management relating to project initiation, implementation and closure and to assessing risk and quality in projects;
* Develop the role of project management in their organisations;
* Use selected methods and techniques, which have been developed out of the wide body of knowledge and by practitioners in pursuit of best-practice in project management;
* Analyse problems and issues associated with project management;
* Apply a contingent approach to project management.
Skills:
Intellectual skills
* the facility to apply subject-specific knowledge into a range of complex situations, taking into account the overall implications for the other areas of the business (T,F,A);
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in management (T,A);
* the ability to acquire and analyse data, information and situations; to evaluate relevance and validity, and to synthesise it in the context of topical business problems (F,A);
* an understanding of appropriate research and methodological techniques that allow detailed investigation into topical business issues and ability to use these skills to produce professional, critical reports in business and management (T).
Professional Practical skills
* evaluate the current standing of an organization and practically contribute to the attainment of their company's strategies and objectives (T);
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate (F);
* be self-directed and able to act autonomously in planning and implementing projects at professional levels (T,A).
Transferable/Key skills
* ability to conduct in-depth research into management and business issues (T,F,A).
Personal/Interpersonal
* the facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas; preparation and production of effective business plans and reports (A).
Content:
Among the topics are: The nature and context of project management, its structures (focusing on 4D & 7S models of the subject) and evolution are introduced. Key topics then include strategy deployment through projects and project strategy, from strategy to planning, overview and detail models of planning, project execution and control, and process development.

MN50199: Managing information and communications technology (ICT) in global contexts

Credits: 3
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
Aims: The unit examines information and communication technology (ICT) in a variety of contexts. The aim of this unit is to expose students to a wide range of different technologies in a multitude of contexts and provide them with a theoretical as well as practical understanding of the managerial, organisational but also technical issues that are faced by managers in organisations. Case studies as well as games are used to encourage students to reflect on the opportunities and challenges of conducting business in a networked economy.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* display a sound understanding of managing ICT in different contexts
* be able to analyze how different ICT have different characteristics and work out in practice
* display a sound understanding of the elements of an ICT infrastructure (networks, storage, applications, etc.) in context
* be able to identify threats and risks to day-to-day ICT operations and their implications for business operations and strategy.
Skills:
Intellectual skills
* a systematic understanding of ICT, organisations, the internal and external context in which they operate and how they can be effectively managed (TA);
* the facility to apply subject-specific knowledge into a range of complex situations, taking into account the overall implications for the other areas of the business (TFA);
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in ICT management (FA)
* a conceptual understanding of theoretical concepts and frameworks that enables the student to meaningfully link theory and practice and the ability to critically appraise both theory and practice (TFA);
Professional and Practical skills
* evaluate the current standing of an ICT within an organisational context (A);
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate (F);
* apply practical ICT planning tools and methods at strategic and tactical levels (TFA)
* be self-directed and able to act autonomously in planning and implementing projects at professional levels (F).
Transferable/Key skills
* an openness and capacity to continue learning with the ability to reflect on earlier knowledge and practice and integrate the new with past experience and effectively apply it to the present situations (TFA);
* an appreciation and in-depth understanding of the resources and competences required for successful cross-functional management in organisations including enterprise skills (TA);
* ability to conduct in-depth research into management and business issues (FA).
Personal/Interpersonal
* an ability to manage and work in teams with an awareness of issues such as culture, gender, working styles etc. and to use these to the benefit of the individual and the team (F);
* the facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas; preparation and production of effective business plans and reports (FA).
Content:
This unit addresses information and communication technology (ICT) in organisations from an integrated of perspective taking into account managerial, organisational as well as technical considerations. The key areas addressed are:
* Understanding the management of ICT in organisational contexts;
* Developing business and e-business models;
* Types of ICT;
* Global IS development;
* Global IS implementation;.
* Understanding ICT and (cross-)culture;
* Managing ICT in a global context.

MN50204: Services operations management

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 2
Assessment: EX50CW50
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN50175
Aims: This course will focus on service operations management - managing activities in which a service is provided. It will provide students with an understanding of key issues in managing service operations and the tools to analyse and improve operations within this context.
The course will be sub-divided into: understanding the service context; service market strategy (marked-led operations); analysing service requirements on and offline (SERVQUAL, online service quality); world-class service design (lean thinking) and co-ordinating service delivery (service workforce management and change management).
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to conduct informed discussion and analysis of the concepts of service operations: context, management, design, market-driven improvement and organisation.
Skills:
Intellectual skills - Paradigmatic and theoretical approaches to service operations management (T&A).
Professional skills - Service Process Design, Analysis and Improvement; Service Quality Analysis and Improvement (T, F, A).
Practical skills - Analyse present state and determine future improvement strategies for service operations in multiple contexts(T, F, A). In the coursework assessment, students will conduct analysis of the market, strategy and operation of a service business and present recommendations for future improvement to the management of the business.
Content:
Introduction to service operations; nature of services; market-led operations, service-quality, online service quality, lean thinking, operational process and quality improvement, and service workforce management.

MN50205: Project management

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 2
Assessment: EX50CW50
Requisites:
Aims: This unit aims to introduce students to the theory and reality of managing projects.
Learning Outcomes:
On completing the unit, students should be able to:
1. Demonstrate the economic importance of project management and the extensive scope of the subject area;
2. Apply the concepts employed in project management at strategic, systems and operational levels in managing a project of moderate complexity;
3. Develop a contingency model of project management;
4. Recognise the knowledge and skills required for successful project management in organisations;
5. Identify career paths as a Project Management Professional.
Skills:
The analysis of case material and the nature of the course and associated literature, is intended to encourage analytical and thinking skills. The unit covers issues of both professional and personal interest, and these skills are developed through the 'action project' in particular. The application of these skills (and tools and techniques) and the reflection of the group and individuals on their performance, is assessed through the group report and individual learning statements.
Content:
The context of project management, its structures (focusing on 4D & 7S models of the subject) and evolution are introduced. Key topics then include strategy deployment through projects and project strategy, from strategy to planning, overview and detail models of planning, project execution and control, and process development. The learning outcomes and skills are developed through lectures, discussion of case material and through a project carried out by the students.

MN50213: Strategic planning and evaluation in higher education

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:

Aims & Learning Objectives:
To enable participants: 1 Understand the conceptual basis of strategic planning and evaluation in a higher education context. 2 Analyse the characteristics of planning processes and evaluation processes appropriate for particular organisational and cultural settings. 3 Evaluate the emerging strategic planning agendas for higher education institutions in early part of 21st century.
Content:
* Models of national systems and the capacities for institutional change: changing patterns of state-university relationships; autonomy - accountability balance; state planning; funding regimes; charters.
* Institutional cultures and models and associated leadership behaviour patterns: the entrepreneurial and adaptive university.
* Environmental trends and agendas for institutional change: ramifications for institutional policy and development.
* Emergence of strategic planning and evaluation in higher education: stages in its evolution.
* Models of strategic planning and policy formation in higher education: the planning cycle.
* Autonomy and accountability: actors and players at various levels in strategic planning process: micro-politics of planning.
* Institutional mission, vision, positioning and identity in a diversified system.
* Assessment of institutional effectiveness and quality: definitions; conceptual frameworks; performance indicators.
* Budgeting process and resource allocation models.
* Interface between planning and other organisational processes: operational planning and implementation.
* Planning and evaluation as instruments of organisational social change: the limits of planning.
* New information technologies and their application for strategic planning, education research planning and administration.

MN50214: Higher education governance, organisation and management

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:

Aims & Learning Objectives:
To enable participants to: 1. Understand the nature of governance, organisation and management in the higher education sector. 2. Analyse and compare the various forms of governance, organisation and management across nations and between the state and private institutions. 3. Assess the appropriateness of various forms of leadership and organisation in a rapidly changing economic and political environment, and different settings.
Content:
* Models of national systems and the capacities for institutional change: changing patterns of state-university relationships; autonomy - accountability balance; state planning; funding regimes; charters.
* Institutional cultures and models and associated leadership behaviour patterns: the entrepreneurial and adaptive university.
* Environmental trends and agendas for institutional change: ramifications for institutional policy and development.
* Models of institutional governance in the light of different cultural settings, and in relation to environmental trends and agendas for institutional change: governing bodies; rectorates/executives; roles of deans, professional staffs and the administration.
* Interface with stakeholders: definition; types and dynamics of university- stakeholder relationships; corporate providers; dynamics of institutional consortia.
* Centralisation and devolution: factors, principles; implications for central and faculty management information and monitoring.
* Changing patterns in academic structures.
* Budgetary process and resource allocation models.
* Corporate management of functional areas of university administration, including finance and resources, extended relations and institutional advancement, resource, information.
* University as a learning organisation.
* New information technologies and their application for strategic planning, education research planning and administration.

MN50215: Finance and resource management in higher education

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:

Aims & Learning Objectives:
To enable participants to: 1. Understand the way in which resources influence the academic policies and strategic management of institutions. 2. Analyse and compare the financial operations of institutions including the provision of financial and human resource. 3. Evaluate the processes of financial and human resource assessment and control and the investment and return of institutional assets and future capacity needs. 4. Relate the resource management needs and allocations to the needs of academe including teaching, research, scholarship and social aspirations.
Content:
* Models of national systems and the capacities for institutional change: changing patterns of state-university relationships; autonomy - accountability balance; state planning; funding regimes; charters.
* Institutional cultures and models and associated leadership behaviour patterns: the entrepreneurial and adaptive university.
* Environmental trends and agendas for institutional change: ramifications for institutional policy and development.
* Macro issues in the funding of higher education in different settings, and the ramifications for university strategy
* Sources of university income: governmental and market; diversity, buoyancy and durability.
* Characteristics of entrepreneurial universities and the generation of contract income; venture capital, intellectual property issues.
* Financial strategies.
* Value for money/efficiency/effectiveness: performance indicators and their use.
* Managing financial reduction.
* Budgetary process and resource allocation models.
* Issues in financial control: devolved and centralised systems; audit and accountability.
* Issues in capital financing: loans and repayment; private capital.
* Privatisation of university operations - economic, financial, social, academic and ethnical dimensions.
* New information technologies and their application for strategic planning, education research planning and administration.

MN50216: Techniques for strategic consultancy

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW 100%
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN50164 or take MN50117 or take MN50256
Aims: To allow MBA students aspiring to consulting in strategy to experience the capacity and limitations of the structured techniques used in strategic analysis. By the end of the course students should be confident in the use of structured methods for business systems representation and analysis and for the generation and evaluation of strategic options.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* Make effective use of the taught process and techniques in real-world problems
* Manage and organise a team working on a real problem;
* Make convincing and succinct presentations of consultancy results.
Skills:
The following skills will be tested, facilitated and assessed:
Intellectual skills
* the facility to apply subject-specific knowledge into a range of complex situations, taking into account the overall implications for the other areas of the business;
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in management;
* the ability to acquire and analyse data, information and situations; to evaluate relevance and validity, and to synthesise it in the context of topical business problems;
* an understanding of appropriate research and methodological techniques that allow detailed investigation into topical business issues and ability to use these skills to produce professional, critical reports in business and management.
Professional Practical skills
* evaluate the current standing of an organization and practically contribute to the attainment of their company's strategies and objectives;
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate;
* be self-directed and able to act autonomously in planning and implementing projects at professional levels.
Transferable/Key skills
* ability to conduct in-depth research into management and business issues.
Personal/Interpersonal
* an ability to manage and work in international teams with an awareness of issues such as culture, gender, etc., to identify learning/working styles and to use these to the benefit of the individual and the team;
* the facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas; preparation and production of effective business plans and reports.
Content:
The course will consist of specific examination and practical of the following topics:
* Qualitative system dynamics including analysis by politicised influence diagrams
* Scenario techniques
* The 'TOWS and Strategies' technique
* Viable Firm Matrices
* Congruence and resource analysis
* Force Field Analysis.

MN50217: Modular MBA projects workshop

Credits: 0
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Assessment:
Requisites:

Aims & Learning Objectives:
This workshop aims to prepare students for the process of planning and undertaking their final dissertation or project.
Content:
Before attending the workshop, students will be sent a copy of Project Guidelines. These guidelines include the structure of a proposal that students will use to help them plan and communicate their project ideas. Students will come to the workshop with a draft proposal of their planned final project. The nature of participants' proposals will shape the nature and depth of subjects covered. The workshop will start by going through the guidelines in detail. This part of the workshop will cover issues such as: the nature of suitable projects, working with other students, involving their organisation, developing their project idea, the role of a supervisor, time management and research ethics. Beyond discussing the guidelines will be a set of core topics and a set of optional topics. The core topics will include: the nature and forces that shape research methodology; the use of different methodological approaches; the concepts of validity, reliability and generalisability; locating and evaluating secondary data; the role of theory in project work; sampling theory; quantitative and qualitative data analysis; and the use of different software packages to capture and analyse qualitative and quantitative data. The optional topics will typically be devoted to the practicalities of undertaking specific research techniques. These topics will be tackled depending upon the demand of workshop participants. Optional topics could include specific techniques under the broad headings of: qualitative interviewing; observation techniques; survey techniques; and experimental techniques. A month after the course, students will be expected to submit a revised proposal and be ready to start their projects.

MN50219: Risk management

Credits: 3
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW 75%, CW 25%
Requisites:
Aims: The aim of this course is to give students a basic understanding of the principles of risk management and their application.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* Define the risk profile of a company;
* Develop an enterprise risk policy;
* Have a broad understanding of the risk management function in a company.
Skills:

Intellectual Skills
* the facility to apply subject-specific knowledge into a range of complex situations, taking into account the overall implications for the other areas of the business;TFA
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in management;F
* the ability to acquire and analyse data, information and situations; to evaluate relevance and validity, and to synthesise it in the context of topical business problems;FA
* an understanding of appropriate research and methodological techniques that allow detailed investigation into topical business issues and ability to use these skills to produce professional, critical reports in business and management.A
Professional Practical Skills
* evaluate the current standing of an organization and practically contribute to the attainment of their company's strategies and objectives;TFA
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate;A
* be self-directed and able to act autonomously in planning and implementing projects at professional levels.A
Transferable/Key Skills
* ability to recognise ethical corporate/social responsibility issues and to manage in light of these issues;Not covered
* ability to conduct in-depth research into management and business issues.FA
Personal/Interpersonal
* the facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas; preparation and production of effective business plans and reports.FA
Content:
In the last three decades companies have been more and more exposed to risks. Increased volatility in foreign exchange markets, interest rates and the stock market, increased costs arising from possible environmental damages and the threat of law suits for deficient products has made it even more important for companies to prevent losses they are not able to bear. Risk Management has therefore gained importance. In this course we will explore the basics of risk management. Besides financial risks, other risks like environmental risks or operational risks are also covered. The focus will be to give the non-specialist an understanding of the principles of risk management and how to apply them to facilitate managerial decisions. Topics covered include: corporate perception of business risk, understanding business risk trough decision trees, management and risk management, the risk management process, understanding business risks through simulation models, risk control and ownership, operational risk, contingency planning and disaster recovery, strategic risk and sustainable development, he new role of risk managers.

MN50223: Supervised written project [PG Certificate in Higher Education Management]

Credits: 12
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:

Aims & Learning Objectives:
To enable participants: 1. To apply concepts, techniques and skills acquired during the taught programmes in solving a practical problem in their institution. 2. Develop their skills of planning and executing an original investigation alongside their skills of analysis and synthesis. 3. Evaluate the practical worth of existing management theories and develop these where appropriate.

MN50226: The business environment

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
Aims: Any successful organisation will have a keen awareness of the environment within which it is operating. This unit looks at the general workings of the economy, the business opportunities available and the incentives, or otherwise, created by government. In particular, it looks at competitor behaviour and methods of maintaining competitive advantage. This, in turn, means looking ahead and seeking to understand national, international and global developments.
Learning Outcomes:
On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:
i. understand the economic, national and international issues that have a direct bearing on the performance of an organisation.
ii. appreciate the importance of both customers and competitors.
iii. utilise theories, concepts and ideas in order to analyse the opportunities and threats facing an organisation both today and in the future.
iv. understand the importance of a multi-disciplinary approach to decision making.
Skills:
Students will have at least three years of professional career experience and, generally, be in full-time employment. Consequently, the following overall transferable skills will be enhanced by this unit (and the other five units making up the Postgraduate Certificate in Engineering Management).
* Ability to design and complete a personal programme of study (F)
* Ability to research learning material (F)
* Team working with colleagues and communications skills(F)
* Ability to apply reflective learning to their company and own personal circumstances (F)
* Ability to challenge the status quo and find innovative solutions to business problems (F)
Against this background, this unit will encourage particularly:
* The intellectual skill to think clearly and logically about a range of contemporary business issues (T,F,A)
* The professional skill to apply basic economic concepts to the structure of the industrial and commercial environment (F,A)
* The key ability to exercise independent judgement and construct a reasoned argument in support of recommended action. (F,A)
Content:
1. The Economy
1.1. Trade and money
1.2. Economic theories
1.3. Demand side management in practice
1.4. Supply side management in practice
1.5. The knowledge driven economy
2. Seeking competitive advantage
2.1. Recent UK performance trends
2.2. Contributions of different types of organisation
2.3. Private v. public ownership
2.4. Customer pull and technology push
2.5. Assessing competitive forces
3. Maintaining competitive advantage
3.1. Life cycle concept
3.2. Assets, competencies and capabilities
3.3. EU development
3.4. Drivers of modern globalisation
3.5. Options for maintaining competitive advantage

MN50228: Financial management

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Assessment: EX100
Requisites:
Aims: The understanding and management of any organisation requires particular attention to financial performance. This unit aims to make candidates fluent in the use of accounting terminology and able to compile and interpret financial statements. The unit also provides an insight into the role of accounting and management information for decision-making and control. Project appraisal techniques are evaluated.
Learning Outcomes:
On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to: i. describe concisely the proper use of financial statements for limited companies and construct elementary company accounts; ii. use ratio analysis as a preliminary means of benchmarking; iii. use the financial accounting techniques of the syllabus for performance planning and control; iv. evaluate the business merits of alternative engineering projects; v. demonstrate the ability to communicate with other business disciplines using conventional management accounting terminology; vi. present a business case, using financial accounting evidence, to justify any engineering endeavour.
Skills:
Students will have at least three years of professional career experience and, generally, be in full-time employment. Consequently, the following overall transferable skills will be enhanced by this unit (and the other five units making up the Postgraduate Certificate in Engineering Management).
* Ability to design and complete a personal programme of study;
* Ability to research learning material;
* Team working with colleagues and communications skills;
* Ability to apply reflective learning to their company and own personal circumstances;
* Ability to challenge the status quo and find innovative solutions to business problems. Against this background, this unit will encourage particularly:
* The intellectual skill to integrate new knowledge with past experience and effectively apply it to future programmes of work;
* The professional skill to analyse operational issues both within and outside the organisation;
* The key ability to propose new business projects and business operations based on sound financial principles.
Content:
1. The Objectives of Management Accounting
1.1. Information for managerial decisions
1.2. Planning
1.3. Controlling revenues and costs
1.4. Coordination

2. Accounting Principles and Concepts

3. Examination of the main Financial Statements

3.1. The Balance Sheet
3.2. The Profit and Loss Account
3.3. Funds Flow Analysis
3.4. The difference between cash flows and profits
3.5. Accounting ratios (as preliminary means of benchmarking)

4. Decision Making Using Accounting Information

4.1. Pricing
4.2. Cost Clarification
4.3. Break-even analysis
4.4. Absorption and marginal costing
4.5. Activity, job and batch costing
4.6. Contribution to profit and overhead cost
4.7. Overhead recovery

5. Planning and Control

5.1. Responsibility costing and budgetary control
5.2. Standard revenue, cost and variance analysis
5.3. Stock control and purchasing
5.4. Credit control
5.5. Production efficiency and productivity

6. Capital Budgeting

6.1. Cash flow forecasting
6.2. Control of working capital expenditure
6.3. Control of fixed capital expenditure

7. Capital Investment Appraisal Techniques

7.1. Payback period
7.2. The Accounting Return on Investment Method
7.3. Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) analysis
7.4. The effects of taxation and inflation
7.5. The effects of uncertainty and risk

8. Cost/Benefit Analysis

9. The Cost of Capital

9.1. The effects of 'gearing'
9.2. The appropriate forms of finance.


MN50231: Marketing management

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Assessment: EX100
Requisites:
Aims: This unit provides an understanding of the role and practice of marketing as an organisational philosophy and management activity. It explains the nature, context and application of marketing concepts and theories and explores a range of techniques suited to engineering and technology based industries. The relationship between commercial activities and other organisation functions is explored. Throughout, the constant need for customer focus is emphasised.
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this unit, students should be able to: i. appreciate the vital role of the marketing discipline in any organisation; ii. specify the requirements for effective marketing for a range of organisations; iii. identify and apply appropriate theories, techniques and methods for analysing an organisation's relationship with the marketplace and for formulating appropriate strategy; iv. discuss marketing tactics and decision making in a complex, rapidly moving environment.
Skills:
Students will have at least three years of professional career experience and, generally, be in full-time employment. Consequently, the following overall transferable skills will be enhanced by this unit (and the other five units making up the Postgraduate Certificate in Engineering Management).
* Ability to design and complete a personal programme of study;
* Ability to research learning material;
* Team working with colleagues and communications skills;
* Ability to apply reflective learning to their company and own personal circumstances;
* Ability to challenge the status quo and find innovative solutions to business problems. Against this background, this unit will encourage particularly:
* The intellectual ability to evaluate and interpret new information and engage in problem solving, thereby demonstrating a capacity to think clearly and logically about future business opportunities;
* The professional skill to conduct analysis using quantitative and qualitative data;
* The key ability to present a business case and debate its value with colleagues from other disciplines.
Content:

1. Marketing Uncovered

1.1. What is marketing?
1.1.1. Definitions of Marketing
1.1.2. Marketing as a business concept
1.1.3. Customer Value
1.1.4. The Value Proposition
1.2. The Customer
1.2.1. Customer buying behaviour
1.2.2. Needs, wants and motivations & Perception
1.2.3. Defining the business we are in
1.2.4. The business buyer & DMU
1.3. The Market
1.3.1. Understanding the market environment (PEST)
1.3.2. Market Blurring
1.3.3. Value in the market
1.3.4. Market Research and the marketing information system (MkIS)
1.4. Marketing in context
1.4.1. Consumer (B2C) Marketing
1.4.2. Business to Business (B2B) Marketing
1.4.3. Services Marketing
1.4.4. International Marketing
1.5. Marketing & the Organisation
1.5.1. Organisational culture
1.5.2. Non-marketing orientations
1.5.3. Barriers to marketing
1.5.4. Internal marketing

2. Marketing Strategy

2.1. Introduction, Marketing Objectives & Strategy
2.1.1. The marketing Audit (SWOT)
2.1.2. Setting marketing objectives
2.1.3. Marketing strategy
2.2. Market Segmentation & Targeting
2.2.1. Defining a segment
2.2.2. Identifying segments
2.2.3. Prioritising segments
2.2.4. Marketing to segments
2.3. Branding & Positioning
2.3.1. Defining a brand
2.3.2. Making a brand
2.3.3. Growing, nurturing and valuing a brand
2.3.4. Breaking a brand
2.4. Customer Retention
2.4.1. The importance of retentioon
2.4.2. Identifying profitable customers
2.4.3. Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
2.4.4. Customers, Retention and organisational barriers
2.5. Marketing Metrics
2.5.1. Identifying the organisation's key performance measures
2.5.2. Measuring the effects of marketing
2.5.3. Obtaining the data needed
2.5.4. Reporting on the effectiveness of marketing

3. Marketing Tactics

3.1. Introduction, The Product-Market Match
3.1.1. Product and Services
3.1.2. The Product Life Cycle
3.1.3. Portfolio management
3.1.4. New product development & Innovation
3.2. Pricing & Distribution
3.2.1. Pricing and communications
3.2.2. Pricing methods
3.2.3. Market entry methods
3.2.4. Market distribution
3.3. People & Process
3.3.1. People and the marketing mix
3.3.2. Service
3.3.3. Transaction
3.3.4. Operations management & Marketing
3.4. Promotion
3.4.1. Setting promotion objectives
3.4.2. Above-the-line promotion
3.4.3. Below-the-line promotion
3.4.4. Personal selling
3.5. Marketing Planning & Control
3.5.1. The marketing plan
3.5.2. The planning process
3.5.3. Evaluation methods
3.5.4. Controlling implementation.

MN50233: Operations management

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Assessment: EX100
Requisites:
Aims: This unit studies the ways in which any type of organisation must marshal and manage both internal and external resources in order to operate as a successful business. The performance of the organisation is then explored, using theories and techniques for managing work quality and minimising unproductive activities. Looking ahead, the concepts of continuous and breakthrough performance improvements are investigated and debated.
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this unit, students should be able to:
i. analyse key business processes within any organisation;
ii. appreciate the role of the supply chain and the need to optimise the balance between internal and external activities;
iii. measure productivity and analyse the causes of non-productive activities;
iv. apply benchmarking techniques in order to prioritise areas for improvement and manage the moves towards best practices;
v. appreciate available improvement methodologies and their selection;
vi. be aware of suitable approaches to the management of change.
Skills:
Students will have at least three years of professional career experience and, generally, be in full-time employment. Consequently, the following overall transferable skills will be enhanced by this unit (and the other five units making up the Postgraduate Certificate in Engineering Management).
* Ability to design and complete a personal programme of study;
* Ability to research learning material;
* Team working with colleagues and communications skills;
* Ability to apply reflective learning to their company and own personal circumstances;
* Ability to challenge the status quo and find innovative solutions to business problems. Against this background, this unit will encourage particularly:
* The intellectual skill to evaluate and interpret information and engage in problem solving, thereby demonstrating a capacity to think clearly and logically about business processes;
* The professional skill to select and apply appropriate analytical techniques objectively and access data from a wide range of sources;
* The key ability to present, debate and agree a business case for changing process management methods.
Content:

1. Marshalling resources

1.1. The role of the operations manager
1.1.1. Types of operations: manufacturing and services
1.1.2. Direct responsibilities of operations managers
1.1.3. The transformation process
1.1.4. Contribution to strategic objectives of the organisation
1.2. Supply chain management
1.2.1. Trends in supply chain management
1.2.2. Porter's value chain
1.2.3. Consideration of value added
1.2.4. Retaining expertise: the informed buyer
1.3. Internal trading
1.3.1. Concept of internal trading
1.3.2. Formal procedures?
1.3.3. Funny money and real money
1.3.4. The living business plan
1.4. Process management and the customer
1.4.1. The design process
1.4.2. Concurrent engineering
1.4.3. Quality Function Deployment
1.4.4. Organising resources
1.5. Functional management and organisation capabilities
1.5.1. Development of new skills
1.5.2. Professional support
1.5.3. Organising resources
1.5.4. Assessing capabilities

2. Performing

2.1. Planning and control
2.1.1. How much planning and control is needed?
2.1.2. Capacity planning
2.1.3. Scheduling theory
2.1.4. Inventory planning
2.2. Measuring productivity
2.2.1. Capital
2.2.2. Labour
2.2.3. Materials
2.2.4. Facilities
2.3. Support services
2.3.1. Marketing and sales
2.3.2. Research and development
2.3.3. Human resources
2.3.4. Accounting and finance
2.4. Failure prevention
2.4.1. Failure detection and analysis (FMEA)
2.4.2. Improving operational reliability
2.4.3. Recovery
2.4.4. Business continuity
2.5. Waste management
2.5.1. Definitions
2.5.2. Just-In-Time
2.5.3. Materials Requirement Planning
2.5.4. Recycling

3. Improving

3.1. Priorities for improvement
3.1.1. Cost-benefit analysis
3.1.2. Decision making
3.1.3. Breakthrough v. continuous
3.1.4. External influences
3.2. Benchmarking and best practices
3.2.1. Concept of benchmarking: process benchmarking
3.2.2. Business Excellence Model
3.2.3. Design of benchmarking programmes
3.2.4. Internal and external performance measurement
3.3. Continuous improvements
3.3.1. Quality control
3.3.2. Quality assurance
3.3.3. Total Quality Management
3.3.4. Leadership and culture
3.4. Starting again
3.4.1. Concept of business process redesign
3.4.2. Mapping and redesigning processes
3.4.3. Introducing changes
3.4.4. Successes and failure
3.5. Introducing improvements
3.5.1. Negotiating skills
3.5.2. Change management
3.5.3. Empowerment
3.5.4. Encouraging, yet managing, innovation.

MN50236: Human resource management

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
Aims: The aim of this unit is to develop a clear understanding of how organisations function and how people can be managed effectively to achieve business success. The dynamic role of human resources management will be developed through analysis of real problems. Key concepts will be introduced and related to business practice and changes in the external environment. This will provide a background for the acquisition of skills in manpower planning, appraisal and selection, and training and development.
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this unit, students should be able to:
i. understand the theories of personal, group and organisation motivation and the vital role of effective leadership;
ii. understand organisational principles and structures, assess the appropriateness of them and recognise their relevance in the process of organisational development;
iii. show how culture and leadership style influence the effectiveness of an organisation;
iv. demonstrate an understanding of the aims, stages, techniques and information requirements of human resource planning and evaluation policies and procedures to achieve those plans;
v. assess the knowledge and skills needed by managers to effectively control relations in the workplace;
vi. identify the need for organisational change and methods for bringing it about;
vii. contribute to the formulation of training and developmental programmes.
Skills:
Students will have at least three years of professional career experience and, generally, be in full-time employment. Consequently, the following overall transferable skills will be enhanced by this unit (and the other five units making up the Postgraduate Certificate in Engineering Management).
* Ability to design and complete a personal programme of study;
* Ability to research learning material;
* Team working with colleagues and communications skills;
* Ability to apply reflective learning to their company and own personal circumstances;
* Ability to challenge the status quo and find innovative solutions to business problems. Against this background, this unit will encourage particularly:
* The intellectual skill to analyse human resource and organisation issues objectively and rigorously;
* The professional skill to introduce change within organisations efficiently and effectively;
* The key ability to understand people and their motivations whilst focused on business objectives.
Content:

1. Understanding Organisational Members

1.1. Understanding oneself and others
1.1.1. Personality and tests
1.1.2. Perceptions and communication
1.1.3. Reflective learning
1.1.4. Strategies for personal change
1.2. Theories of motivation
1.2.1. Content theories
1.2.2. Process theories
1.2.3. Evolving theories
1.2.4. Assumptions of theories and implications for managers
1.3. Groups and Teams
1.3.1. Group types and group dynamics
1.3.2. Teams and team roles
1.3.3. Diversity: gender, race, age
1.3.4. High performance teams and international teams
1.4. Leadership
1.4.1. Theories and styles
1.4.2. Personal leadership
1.4.3. Leading teams
1.4.4. Power, authority and influence in the workplace

2. Understanding Organisational Influences

2.1. Culture
2.1.1. Definition and influence on employee behaviour
2.1.2. Models and analysis of organisational culture
2.1.3. Factors that influence culture
2.1.4. Changing or consolidating cultures
2.2. Structure
2.2.1. The purpose of structure
2.2.2. The various forms of structure and their classification
2.2.3. Differentiation
2.2.4. Integration
2.3. Performannce
2.3.1. Factors contributing to organisational performance
2.3.2. Measures of success at meeting goals and objectives
2.3.3. Organisational growth
2.3.4. Organisational conflict
2.4. Change
2.4.1. Drivers for change
2.4.2. Resistance to change
2.4.3. Developing change strategies
2.4.4. Organisational learning

3. Human Resource Systems and Strategies

3.1. The role of HRM
3.1.1. History of HRM and differing perspectives
3.1.2. Changing patterns of employment
3.1.3. Developing advantage through HRM policies
3.1.4. HRM models for planning and international comparisons
3.2. Human resource planning
3.2.1. Job analysis, specification and description
3.2.2. Recruitment methods
3.2.3. The selection process
3.3. Managing the resource
3.3.1. Training and development
3.3.2. Assessment and appraisal techniques
3.3.3. Job design and performance
3.3.4. Reward systems
3.3.5. Retention and severance
3.4. Welfare & legislative framework
3.4.1. Tradition welfare function
3.4.2. New models for welfare
3.4.3. Health & Safety legislation
3.4.4. Employment legislation.

MN50238: Project management

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Assessment: EX100
Requisites:
Aims: In this unit, the context of project management, its structures and evolution are introduced. Key topics then include project definition, objectives, planning and control under conditions of uncertainty. Management of the risks arising from uncertainty is addressed in detail. Quality is also fully addressed. Strategic aspects include contract conditions, contract management and dispute resolution. Integration of project management disciplines with general management disciplines are examined through other management topics, such as human factors, organisational issues, and team operations.
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this unit, students should be able to:
i. demonstrate a wide range of generic skills required for successful project management;
ii. plan, organise, monitor and control all phases of a project under conditions of uncertainty;
iii. demonstrate an understanding of best practice in the management of projects both in the UK and overseas;
iv. take a strategic approach to project management and to relate project management to the broader general management and business context.
Skills:
Students will have at least three years of professional career experience and, generally, be in full-time employment. Consequently, the following overall transferable skills will be enhanced by this unit (and the other five units making up the Postgraduate Certificate in Engineering Management).
* Ability to design and complete a personal programme of study;
* Ability to research learning material;
* Team working with colleagues and communications skills;
* Ability to apply reflective learning to their company and own personal circumstances;
* Ability to challenge the status quo and find innovative solutions to business problems. Against this background, this unit will encourage particularly:
* The intellectual skill to evaluate and interpret information and engage in problem solving, hereby demonstrating a capacity to think clearly and logically about project objectives;
* The professional skill to collect and analyse data in order to understand a complex situation and make rational decisions;
* The key ability to understand and analyse team dynamics and lead an effective team. Content:

1. Designing the project

1.1. Project Concepts
1.1.1. Feasibility studies
1.1.2. Project definition
1.1.3. Project proposals
1.1.4. Trade-offs between cost, time and function
1.1.5. The Business Case and its approval
1.2. Project Planning
1.2.1. Work Breakdown Structure
1.2.2. Networks
1.2.3. Gantt Charts
1.2.4. Milestone Charts
1.3. Project Control
1.3.1. Earned Value Analysis
1.3.2. Reporting
1.3.3. Data quality
1.4. Project Close
1.4.1. Project review
1.4.2. Post-project audit
1.4.3. Reasons for project success and failure
1.4.4. Lessons learned

2. Setting up the contract

2.1. Financial Appraisal
2.1.1. Project Cash Flow
2.1.2. Project estimating
2.1.3. Life cycle costing
2.1.4. Sources of finance
2.1.5. Criteria for authorisation
2.2. Contract Strategy
2.2.1. Contract types and options
2.2.2. Choice of contract conditions
2.2.3. Payment options
2.2.4. Contract award
2.2.5. Contract administration
2.2.6. Incentives and penalties
2.3. Managing Uncertainty
2.3.1. Basic statistics
2.3.2. PERT
2.3.3. Risk identification
2.3.4. Options for risk management
2.3.5. Management of residual risk
2.4. Value Analysis
2.4.1. Value chains
2.4.2. Adding value to the project

3. Running the project

3.1. Quality
3.1.1. Inspection, quality assurance and TQM
3.1.2. Culture of quality
3.1.3. Customer satisfaction
3.1.4. Elimination of waste
3.1.5. Continuous improvement
3.2. Project Organisation
3.2.1. Functional, matrix and task force structures
3.2.2. Choices to suit project objectives
3.2.3. Supply chain management
3.2.4. Collaborative working arrangements
3.2.5. Communication and conflict
3.2.6. Team building and team dynamics
3.3. Dispute Resolution
3.3.1. Causes of conflict
3.3.2. Alternative Dispute Resolution
3.3.3. Negotiation
3.4. Project Implementation
3.4.1. Project execution plan
3.4.2. Management of change
3.4.3. Software selection
3.4.4. Software management.

MN50242: Future business: strategic issues & new practice in social & environmental responsibility

Credits: 3
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:

Aims & Learning Objectives:
By the end of the course students will have:
* An appreciation of changing conceptual frameworks underlying the implicit contract between business and society
* An understanding of the current and future challenges being faced by businesses as they negotiate their relationship with their physical and social environments in fast changing conditions, and the key strategic questions these pose
* An understanding of the practices which are developing as companies attempt to respond to these challenges, and their sometimes contradictory effects.
Content:
This course focuses on the ways in which an increasing number of companies are attempting to address these challenges through developing forms of social and environmental responsibility in their business. Moving beyond a reactive and defensive mode to the challenges raised by NGOs, forward-thinking business have begun respond by building cross-sectoral links and enhancing their internal capacity to engage in social arenas in way that enhance their business. Case study examples will include Shell's involvement in Nigeria, Nike's struggles to satisfy its critics on its labour-right practices, the bio-tech company Novo Nordisk's innovative work with stakeholder dialogues, and the involvement of companies in the UN's Global Compact.

MN50244: Knowledge management: theory & application

Credits: 3
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW 100%
Requisites:
Aims: Knowledge management is a newly emerging business model, which addresses the need to appreciate human and intellectual capital as core resources within a knowledge economy. This module will enable students to develop a comprehensive understanding of the nature of business or organisational knowledge as well as the processes within the organisation that facilitate the management of knowledge. Current organisational practice will be shared by reviewing success stories in this emerging field.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the course students will be able to:
* Apply the main theories and perspectives on Knowledge Management;
* Identify appropriate knowledge management strategies in diverse environments;
* Demonstrate an understanding of how various approaches to knowledge management can be integrated.
Skills:
Intellectual skills
* Theoretical comparison and application (taught)
* Analytical skills (taught)
* Knowledge mapping (taught)
* the facility to apply subject-specific knowledge into a range of complex situations, taking into account the overall implications for the other areas of the business; T/A
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in management; T/F/A
* the ability to acquire and analyse data, information and situations; to evaluate relevance and validity, and to synthesise it in the context of topical business problems; F/A
* an understanding of appropriate research and methodological techniques that allow detailed investigation into topical business issues and ability to use these skills to produce professional, critical reports in business and management. T/F/A
Professional Practical skills
* evaluate the current standing of an organization and practically contribute to the attainment of their company's strategies and objectives; T/A
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate; F
* be self-directed and able to act autonomously in planning and implementing projects at professional levels. F
Transferable/Key skills
* an ability to develop a holistic perspective on an organization and an understanding of how the different functions relate to one another; T/F/A
* ability to conduct in-depth research into management and business issues. T/F/A
* Knowledge strategy development (facilitated)
* Case presentation (facilitated)
Personal/Interpersonal
* the facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas; preparation and production of effective business plans and reports. F
Content:
The course will consist of the following topics:
* An introduction to the understanding of organisational knowledge;
* Organising for knowledge management;
* Mapping of knowledge (System Based Knowledge Management);
* Knowledge management as a process;
* The enablers of knowledge management;
* Barriers to knowledge management;
* Knowledge management strategies.
Teaching methods will reflect the Knowledge Management Process by drawing on students' experience to make sense of theory and finally by integrating new frameworks into case-based applications.

MN50246: Managing product and service innovation

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN50163
Aims: This module aims to equip students with an understanding of the skills required to manage product innovation at operational and strategic level. It will explore how firms can create market advantage, increase revenues and reduce costs, and enhance competitiveness through product innovation. The module will also explore the more practical mechanisms used for the commercial potential of product innovations - such as platforms - and managing multifunctional teams from early conceptual idea-generation through to product launch.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit students should be able to:
* Identify best practice in managing product innovation across multiple sectors, such as benchmarking.
* Appreciate the commercial potential of key product innovations, such as platforms.
* Understand the issues faced by mature firms in ensuring flow of new product innovation and methods of tackling this, such as intrapreneurship and new venturing.
* Apply basic tools and methodologies which are used to enhance product innovation.
Skills:
Intellectual skills
* the facility to apply subject-specific knowledge into a range of complex situations, taking into account the overall implications for the other areas of the business (T)
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in management (T)
* the ability to acquire and analyse data, information and situations; to evaluate relevance and validity, and to synthesise it in the context of topical business problems (T/F)
Professional Practical skills
* evaluate the current standing of an organization and practically contribute to the attainment of their company's strategies and objectives (F)
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate (F)
Transferable/Key skills
* an openness and capacity to continue learning with the ability to reflect on earlier knowledge and practice and integrate the new with past experience and effectively apply it to the present situations (T/F)
Personal/Interpersonal
* an ability to manage and work in international teams with an awareness of issues such as culture, gender, etc., to identify learning/working styles and to use these to the benefit of the individual and the team (F)
* the facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas; preparation and production of effective business plans and reports (A)
Content:
Explores how firms are able to develop new products/services that are differentiated from their competitors and how firms can out-perform their competitors, whether measured in terms of market share, profitability and growth, or market capitalisation. Examines the inherently difficult and risky process involved, and explores the reasons why most new technologies fail to be translated into products/services, and why most new products/services are not commercial successes. Specifically, examines the factors that increase the likely success of new products/services, the use of practical development processes and tools, and proven strategies for development and commercialisation. The module includes concepts of product planning; regulatory and political environment in which innovation takes place and issues concerned with licensing of products.

MN50249: Competitive environment

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Academic Year
Assessment: EX100
Requisites:

Aims & Learning Objectives:
The aims of this unit are to provide students with an understanding of the basic economic concepts and methodological approaches available to assess the extent and nature of competition in the specific market/industry environments in which firms conduct their business. The learning objectives are for students to: a. Become proficient at analysing specific industry situations by contributing actively to class discussions and, through careful preparation. b. Be able to apply basic economic concepts to: analyse the structure of industry; determine the key drivers of industry profitability, and conceptually understand how the firm may be influenced by and seek to influence the extent and nature of competition in its market environment.
Content:
Topics include: identifying the scope of the industry/market; the economic characteristics of the industry; the key drivers of profitability; and the dynamics of competition in different industrial settings. Case studies and readings will be used to develop understanding of chosen areas.

MN50250: Financial management

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Academic Year
Assessment: EX100
Requisites:

Aims & Learning Objectives:
The aims of this unit are to provide students with the knowledge and understanding of the uses and management of accounting and finance.The learning objectives are for students to: a. Be critically aware of where the Finance and Accounting activities fit into a business; b. Be able to practically contribute to the attainment of a company's financial and business strategies and objectives.
Content:
Financial Management: financing decisions- sources and costs of capital, capital structure and optimal financial policy, investment decisions- capital budgeting, risk and uncertainty, capital rationing , market valuation and working capital management.Financial Control: the nature of control, cost control, the behavioural aspects of financial control systems. Financial control in the context of broader aspects of organisational control for different elements of the business and different types of business. Understanding the accounts, profit and loss and balance sheets.

MN50251: Marketing management

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Academic Year
Assessment: EX100
Requisites:

Aims & Learning Objectives:
The aims of this unit are to provide students with an understanding of the concepts, analyses and activities that comprise marketing management.The learning objectives are for students to: a. Be critically aware of the role and practice of marketing as a management function and organisational philosophy. b. Acquire the necessary skills in assessing and solving marketing problems.
Content:
People often define marketing as advertising - a highly visible activity by which organisations try to "persuade" consumers to purchase their products and services. Marketing is more than simply advertising, it involves identifying customers needs and wants and satisfying these with the right product, at the right price, available through the right distribution channels and promoted in ways that motivate and maximise purchases. These decisions constitute the "marketing mix". Together with analysis of the external environment, customers and competitors, these compose the main activities of marketing management and are the focus of this module.

MN50252: Operations management

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Academic Year
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
Aims: The aims of the unit are to provide students with a fundamental understanding to the key areas of operations management in both the service and product contexts.
Learning Outcomes:
The learning outcomes will facilitate the students critical awareness of the relationship between operations strategy and business strategy and provide the necessary skills to analyse operational issues at a strategic level in both service and manufacturing environments.
Skills:
* Intellectual Skills - Proactively synergise operational context with knowledge based cognition (F)
* Professional Skills - Process Design, Analysis and Improvement; Service Quality Analysis and Improvement (T, A)
* Practical Skills - Process Design, Analysis and Improvement; Service Quality Analysis and Improvement (T, A)
Content:
This unit focuses on the process involved in efficiently and effectively transforming inputs (labour, capital, materials etc) into useful outputs (i.e. goods and services). The unit places approximately equal emphasis on service and manufacturing operations. Managerial issues are studied through the discussion of theoretical concepts and application in real world situations. Topics to be covered include: the role of operations management and operations strategy, process choice, (process) quality, lean thinking, service operations management, service-quality, online service quality and service improvement strategies.

MN50253: Organizing & managing people

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Academic Year
Assessment: CW50EX50
Requisites:
Aims: The aims of this unit are to provide students with knowledge of the fundamental principles of organizational behaviour and human resource management. The learning objectives are for students to: a. Develop a systematic understanding and practical skills of the management and development of people in organizations. b. Evaluate and integrate HR and OB theory and practice.
Learning Outcomes:
Part 1:
* To provide an introduction to organisational behaviour.
* To create an understanding of what an organisation is, paying specific attention to organisational models, design and structure.
* To understand how external relationships and partnerships in the networks of an organization influence management practices.
* To introduce the concept of organisational culture and how this links with people management.
* To develop an appreciation for organisational processes such as organisational change, learning and development. Part 2:
* To provide an introduction to human resource management and strategies.
* To understand management attitudes to unions and their potential strategies.
* To understand the concepts of diversity and equal opportunities.
* To understand the concept of human resource planning.
* To understand key issues in performance management.
Skills:
* Organisational analysis;
* Development of processes that could facilitate organisational learning and knowledge sharing;
* Awareness of dynamic elements that may influence organisational behaviour;
* Debate key issues in human resource management and appreciate a range of views;
* Examine and analyse case studies in human resource management in order to present well-reasoned conclusions;
* Devising and critiquing a system that relates pay to individual performance.
Content:
The unit is in two parts. Part One is devoted to the principles of Organisational Behaviour. Part Two focuses on Human Resource Management. Part One will provide an introduction to organisational behaviour, providing conceptual frameworks and perspectives for understanding and analysing some key issues concerning the behaviour and management of people in organisations. The programme will explore this topic in a variety of ways, principally: lectures, class and group discussions, case studies and videos. Students will be encouraged to relate work experiences to the frameworks and activities in this course. The programme will explore topics such as management control and dilemmas, motivation and human nature/s, orientations to work, organisation structures and cultures, and diversity in organisations. Part Two concerns Human Resource Management and covers the key issues and decision points in selecting and motivating employees and providing them with opportunities to participate. Five topics are covered: recruitment and selection, performance management with a particular focus on appraisal, reward systems, equal opportunities and lastly trade unions and employee voice systems.

MN50254: Management information systems

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Academic Year
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
Aims: The unit examines, from a general management perspective, how information technology (IT) enables organizations to conduct business in radically different and more effective ways. New electronic market places and exchanges are being created, new channels of supply and distribution are emerging that threaten not just the competitive position of firms but their very survival. The aim of this unit is to provide students with a better understanding of the influence of 21st century technologies, such as the Internet, on business decisions. Case studies are used to encourage students to reflect on the opportunities and challenges of conducting business in a networked economy.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* display a sound understanding of the impact of IT on industries and markets
* be able to analyze how firms can exploit IT for competitive advantage
* be able to analyze and critique an organization's information system strategy
* be able to identify threats and risks to day-to-day IT operations and their implications for business operations
* display a sound understanding of how the IT operation should be organized to support the business (e.g., which IT functions should be performed inside the firm and which might be outsourced)
* be able to discuss and evaluate the implications of the networked economy and virtual organizations
* be able to apply management models, and reflect critically on the usefulness of those models on IS practices.
Skills:
Intellectual Skills
* a systematic understanding of organisations, the internal and external context in which they operate and how they can be effectively managed (TA);
* the facility to apply subject-specific knowledge into a range of complex situations, taking into account the overall implications for the other areas of the business (TFA);
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in management (FA);
* a conceptual understanding of theoretical concepts and frameworks that enables the student to meaningfully link theory and practice and the ability to critically appraise both theory and practice (TFA).
Professional Practical Skills
* evaluate the current standing of an organization and practically contribute to the attainment of that company's information strategies and objectives (A);
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate (F);
* apply practical IS planning tools and methods at strategic and tactical levels (TFA)
* be self-directed and able to act autonomously in planning and implementing projects at professional levels (F).
Transferable/Key Skills
* an openness and capacity to continue learning with the ability to reflect on earlier knowledge and practice and integrate the new with past experience and effectively apply it to the present situations (TFA);
* an appreciation and in-depth understanding of the resources and competences required for successful cross-functional management in organisations including enterprise skills (TA);
* ability to conduct in-depth research into management and business issues (FA).
Personal/Interpersonal
* an ability to manage and work in teams with an awareness of issues such as culture, gender, working styles etc. and to use these to the benefit of the individual and the team (F);
* the facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas; preparation and production of effective business plans and reports (FA).
Content:
This unit addresses information technology (IT) and information systems (IS) from a general management perspective, rather than a technical perspective. The key areas addressed are:
* Creating business advantage with IT: the impact of IT on strategic decision-making;
* Developing business and e-business models
* Building networked business: value networks and virtual organizations;
* Managing the IT infrastructure: internetworking infrastructure, aassuring reliable and secure IT services;
* Organizing and leading the IT operation: IS implementation, IS outsourcing.

MN50255: Managing change

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Academic Year
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:

Aims & Learning Objectives:
The aims of this unit are to provide students with a basic understanding of the theory and practice of change management in organisations.The learning objectives are for students to: a. Gain a systematic understanding of a number of concepts, models and perspectives of change management. b. Develop the practical skills required to diagnose and intervene in the change process. c. Be able to meaningfully link theory and practice in the context of understanding and changing organisations in contemporary society.
Content:
The course comprises 10 three hour sessions that consider a particular perspective on change, ie. Cultural, political, structural; and/or a particular aspect of the change process such as 'tuning in' (diagnosis), working through (implementation) and leading change. The course will develop a critical and constructive approach to poular (ie. Guru and consultancy led) approaches to change with the intention of developing a theory of good practice and a practice of good theory. To this end, teaching will involve a number of media including lecture, video, exercise and case material.

MN50256: Business strategy

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Academic Year
Assessment: EX100
Requisites:

Aims & Learning Objectives:
The aims of the unit are to provide students with an understanding of how strategists proactively shape the mission, objectives and strategies of their organisations within prevailing environmental and organisational constraintsThe learning objectives are for students to: a. Gain systematic understanding of the theoretical insights and methodological approaches available to interpret and develop the competitive strategic position of the enterprise under complexity and uncertainty. b. Become proficient at analysing specific situations using appropriate conceptual models allied to pragmatic, well-reasoned judgements with respect to the content of strategies and feasibility of implementation by contributing actively to class discussions and through careful preparation.
Content:
Topics include: the nature of corporate objectives and mission statements; analysing operating performance; the competitive market/industry environment; sources of rivalry; the value chain; assessing opportunities and threats; the development and application of core competences; strategies in growth, maturity and in declining sectors; managing ambiguity and complexity in the multi-firm (global) corporate environment. Case studies and readings are used to explore and interpret issues.

MN50257: International business management

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Academic Year
Assessment: EX50CW50
Requisites:
Aims: The aims of this unit are to provide students with an understanding of the nature of international business and the multinational enterprise.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit students should:
a. Be able to critically evaluate and analyse international trade and foreign direct investment activities.
b. Gain a critical awareness and appreciation of overseas business environments and global competitive strategy.
Skills:
Intellectual skills
* a systematic understanding of organisations, the internal and external context in which they operate and how they can be effectively managed (T/F/A)
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in management (F)
* a conceptual understanding of theoretical concepts and frameworks that enables the student to meaningfully link theory and practice and the ability to critically appraise both theory and practice (F/A)
* an understanding of appropriate research and methodological techniques that allow detailed investigation into topical business issues and ability to use these skills to produce professional, critical reports in business and management (F)
Professional Practical skills
* assess and further develop the strategic position of their organization under conditions of complexity and uncertainty (F)
* evaluate the current standing of an organization and practically contribute to the attainment of their company's strategies and objectives (F)
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate (F)
* be self-directed and able to act autonomously in planning and implementing projects at professional levels (F)
Transferable/Key skills
* an ability to develop a holistic perspective on an organization and an understanding of how the different functions relate to one another (T/F)
* an appreciation and in-depth understanding of the resources and competences required for successful cross-functional management in organisations including enterprise skills (F)
* ability to conduct in-depth research into management and business issues (F/A)
Personal/Interpersonal
* the facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas; preparation and production of effective business plans and reports (F).
Content:
Topics include: The globalization of business and the global business environment. Cross-national institutional environments. International trade and foreign direct investment. International business strategies and international management.

MN50258: International finance & risk management

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Academic Year
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:

Aims & Learning Objectives:
The aims of this unit are to provide participants with an understanding of the financial and business risks that arise when a company or organisation starts to trade overseas either through import/export or with a physical presence. The learning objectives are for students to: i) Have a systematic understanding of how the international financial markets work, the interrelationships and the language involved. ii) Gain the skills to identify risks in a company, including:interpreting results from a risk management system, using a risk management system to formulate their objectives with respect to risks, applying methods to manage individual risks, understanding the concept of enterprise wide risk management and corporate governance. iii) Understand the principles of risk management.
Content:
The course will look at: i) Foreign Exchange Risk Management, how it arises and how it may be managed, the instruments involved and how to evaluate between them. ii) Interest Rate Risk Management, how it arises and how it may be managed and the instruments involved and how to evaluate between them. iii) International Cash Management, the objectives and techniques. iv) International Investment Appraisal. v) Strategic implications of the risks involved. vi) Evaluate the impact of environmental and operational risks. To aid the above the course will cover -defining risk-measuring risk and its impact. vii) Using Value at Risk (VaR) to actively manage risks.

MN50259: Project management

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Academic Year
Assessment: CW50EX50
Requisites:

Aims & Learning Objectives:
The aims of this unit are to provide students with an understanding of the concepts employed in project management at strategic, systems and operational levels. The learning objectives are for students to: 1. Become critically aware of the economic importance of project management and the extensive scope of the subject area; 2. Gain practical experience in the development of a contingency model of project management; 3. Have a systematic understanding of the knowledge and practical skills required for successful project management in organisations.
Content:
Topics include: The context of project management, its structures (focusing on 3D & 7S models of the subject) and evolution are introduced. Key topics then include strategy deployment through projects and project strategy, from strategy to planning, overview and detail models of planning, project execution and control, and process development. The learning objectives are addressed through lectures, discussion of case material and through a project carried out by the students.

MN50260: Strategic human resource management

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Academic Year
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:

Aims & Learning Objectives:
The aims of this unit are to provide students with knowledge and understanding of the fundamental features of human resource management and the contribution of HRM to organisational performance. The learning objectives are for students to: 1. Conceptually understand the link between between human resource manegent and the competitive strategies of the firm. 2. Be critically aware of the political constraints that influence HR strategies.
Content:
This focuses on the critical questions of the link between the management of people and the competitive strategies of the firm in the short and medium term. It looks closely at the links between 'people management' and organisation performance or effectiveness. The underlying purpose of strategic human resource management is seen in terms of the pursuit of effectiveness/efficiency, flexibility, and social legitimacy. This latter becomes especially important in setting the organisation within the political system (eg the EU). Thus firms cannot be seen as entirely free agents in their choice of HR strategies but they do have choice within constraints. This is especially important in the context of European HRM and especially within Greece. Topics covered will be: Best practice or best fit, HR architecture, the HR implications of the Resource Based View of the firm, knowledge management, strategic partnerships, employee involvement, advances in reward theory and practice, the HR implications of deregulation and privatisation and contemporary issues in European HRM.

MN50261: Judgment & analysis in managerial decision making

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Academic Year
Assessment: CW 100%
Requisites:

Aims & Learning Objectives:
The aims of this unit are to provide students with an understanding of how the use of structured approaches to tackling complex decisions can improve the decision making process. The learning objectives are for students to gain the practical skills and knowledge on the uses of structured approaches that will enable them: to yield insights into the nature of decision problems; to identify appropriate course of action; to improve communication within decision making teams and groups; to foster creativity and provide a documented and defensible rationale for a selected course of action.
Content:
This is an essentially practical module, which will be accessible to all students, irrespective of their previous statistical and mathematical knowledge. The methods covered have all been successfully applied by leading companies and other organisations at both tactical and strategic levels. The main topics of the module include: i) Structuring complex decision problems; ii) Psychological biases in decision making; iii) Decision making under risk and uncertainty; iv) Managing risk; v) Decisions involving multiple objectives; vi) Scenarios and scenario planning; vii) Group decision making and negotiation.

MN50262: New product development & launch

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Academic Year
Assessment: CW 100%
Requisites:

Aims & Learning Objectives:
The aims of this unit are to provide students with the knowledge and understanding of the new product development and launch process. The learning objectives are for students to: a. Become competent with a set of tools and methodologies for product development and launch decisions. b. Be able to evaluate the information requirements for NPD. c. Be critically aware of the role of multiple functions in creating a new product.
Content:
This course is designed to explore the development and launch of new products. It will examine a number of ways of 'hearing' the voice of the customer and then translating this information into new product decisions and communication programmes. The course will also take a comparative look at different communication modes from mass advertising to newer methods such as direct marketing and internet marketing for launching new products.

MN50263: Leadership in organizations & groups

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Academic Year
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:

Aims & Learning Objectives:
The aims of this unit are to provide students with knowledge and understanding of models, frameworks and theory of leadership in organizations and groups.The learning objectives are for students to: a. Be able to bring theory and practice together through a mixture of lectures, cases, videos, exercises and discussion. b. Develop a critical awareness of how leading and following is enacted in different kinds of settings and its implications.
Content:
Starting from the question of 'why would anyone want to be led by you?', this elective would first encourage participants to consider what they contribute to their organizations, leadership and their expectations of others. Developing from this awareness of personal leadership, participants will then explore models, frameworks and the literature of leadership (and followership) at all organizational levels from 'front line', small group to senior executive and board level leadership. The first part of the unity will explore leadership in organizations, with particular relevance to organizational culture and change. The second part will focus on practice and theory in small groups and teams.

MN50264: Going global

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Academic Year
Assessment: ES100
Requisites:

Aims & Learning Objectives:
The aims of unit are to provide students with an understanding of the management and control of international operations. The learning objectives are for students to: a. Be able to operate and make decisions in overseas business environments. b. Be able to critically assess market entry decisions and conceptually understand the role of corporate strategy in the international business environment.
Content:
Topics include: The foreign direct investment decision; planned and incremental approaches. Country risk analysis and environmental scanning (political, economic, social). Managing and controlling operations in different cultural contexts. (e.g. technology transfer, the role of language, expatriate management, networks and supplier relationships). Regionalism and international business; technology and international business; political and social environment of international business. The course will be supported by appropriate case material (e.g. Balkans, China, European Union).

MN50265: Dissertation / Project MBA

Credits: 18
Level: Masters
Dissertation period
Assessment: DS100
Requisites:

Aims & Learning Objectives:
The aims of this unit are to provide students with the knowledge and ability to conduct research into specific management and business issues. The learning objectives are: a. To develop the students' ability to carry out a research project in depth, either individually or in a group, b. To ensure the student's command in depth of at least one particular field of management.
Content:
Dissertations: Dissertations will be carried out individually or in self-selected groups of up to three students, under supervision by a member of academic staff, in self-selected groups of up to three students. Dissertations will involve desk and/or field research appropriate to their aim and may employ quantitative, qualitative or a mixture of research methods for the analysis of the material. It will be the students' responsibility to choose their research area, organise their research activities and negotiate access with other organisations if required. Projects: Projects will be carried out individually or in self-selected groups of up to three students, under supervision by a member of academic staff. In addition to literature study and field research, projects will also involve an appropriate piece of action learning. Students will plan, organise and carry out an event, a function or a series of management-type interventions which will yield some of their field material for action-learning. It will be the students' responsibility to conceive and organise projects, negotiating access with other organisations as required. Both dissertations and projects should reflect the application of principles learnt in the year three modules as well as those covered in years one and two.

MN50269: Employee relations

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 2
Assessment: ES100
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN50174
Aims: The course aims to provide students with an understanding of the main features of employee relations in both the UK, and the wider international environment, and to explore the practical aspects of managing employee relations in unionised and non unionised settings.
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the unit, the student should be able to achieve:
* A systematic understanding of the theory and context of employee relations in the UK;
* A sound awareness of the place of UK employee relations within the wider international setting;
* A sophisticated appreciation of the interplay between the key parties in employee relations;
* An understanding of the importance of collective and individual negotiating processes;
* A systematic understanding of the range of techniques in unionised and non unionised environments for setting the employment relationship.
Skills:
* Application of theory to practical issues (T and A)
* Debate key issues critically (T and A)
* Group work (T)
* Data searching (F)
* Practical skills such as negotiating skills (F).
Content:
* Employee Relations in context
* Parties to the employment relationship- managers, employee representatives and the state
* The future of TUs
*Direct and indirect involvement
* Employee Relations in the Public sector
* Conflict and the role of the state
* European regulation
* Negotiation.

MN50272: Data, models and decisions

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 1
Assessment: EX 100%
Requisites:
Aims: This unit will show how the effectiveness of management decision making can be enhanced by the application of statistical / mathematical methods to data and by formulating quantitative models of decision problems.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* recognise situations that are amenable to quantitative analysis and modelling,
* carry out such analyses and interpret and communicate their results
* evaluate the strengths and limitations of applications of quantitative methods
* communicate effectively with specialists in statistics and business modelling.
Skills:
Intellectual skills
* a knowledge and understanding of the uses and limitations of quantitative methods for providing information and evaluating options in an uncertain business environment; T, A
* the ability to acquire and analyse data, information and situations; to evaluate relevance and validity, and to synthesise it in the context of topical business problems; T, A
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in management; F
* the ability to acquire and analyse data, information and situations; to evaluate relevance and validity, and to synthesise it in the context of topical business problems; T,A
* a conceptual understanding of theoretical concepts and frameworks that enables the student to meaningfully link theory and practice and the ability to critically appraise both theory and practice. T,A
Professional Practical skills
* apply practical decision-making methods and tools at both tactical and strategic levels T,A
Transferable/Key skills
* an openness and capacity to continue learning with the ability to reflect on earlier knowledge and practice and integrate the new with past experience and effectively apply it to the present situations. F
Content:
The approach will be practically orientated and the material, delivered by a mixture of lectures, practical class and seminar, will be accessible and relevant to students with a variety of backgrounds and interests. Data collection; Descriptive statistics; Inferential statistics; Risk and uncertainty; Correlation and regression; Forecasting methods; Simulation and optimisation models.

MN50273: Commercial law

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW 100%
Requisites:
Aims: The course is designed to equip participants with an understanding of the implications of law for businesses. It is focussed on common commercial practice and the law in the context of the wider business world.
Learning Outcomes:
Students will understand the legal framework within which businesses operate and the legal liabilities that can arise. By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* Understand the implications of contractual formation, validity and enforceability
* Understand the effect of contractual negotiations, breach and waiver.
* Understand the types of business entity and their liability.
* Understand key common usages in commercial contracts, including international trade terms and their legal effect.
* Understand the key implications of employment law.
* Understand non-contractual liability of businesses.
Skills:
Participants will be able to analyse and understand the content of commercial contracts and their ramifications, comprehend the liabilities of businesses with the potential risks which can arise, and develop the skills with which to avoid most problems, or, where necessary, know how to deal with problems once they have arisen.
Intellectual skills - T
* the facility to apply legal principles into a range of common business situations;
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in law;
* the ability to analyse legal material and situations; to evaluate relevance and validity, and to synthesise it in the context of topical business problems;
* an understanding of methodological techniques that allow detailed analysis of the legal implications of business issues and ability to use these skills in management.
Professional Practical skills - F
* evaluate the implications of contractual terms and other issues of civil liability
* understand and implement effectively the relevant procedures in respect of legal liability which should be adopted for good business practice;
* be aware of the risk areas and the steps which can be taken to avoid risk or limit liability.
Transferable/Key skills - A
* ability to appreciate and include the legal implications in the decision-making and management process both within and in the external relations of a business.
Personal/Interpersonal - A
* the facility to communicate legal requirements, including devising and explaining good practice in the legal context.
Content:
The course outlines the legal framework: the courts, terminology, sources and types of law. Contract law is examined from the basic principles through to detailed commercial contracts and their implications, including the network of supporting contracts which is usually involved, and their special characteristics, such as: payments (covering bills of exchange, documentary credits, etc); carriage or goods; insurance; and intellectual property. The nature of different types of business entity: companies and partnerships, and the individuals who are involved with such businesses, are examined, and the liabilities that arise. Some ancillary areas are also considered, such as competition law, arbitration, and legal responsibilities outside of contract, such as negligence and product liability.

MN50274: Employee resourcing

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 2
Assessment: ES100
Requisites:
Aims: The course aims to examine the range of methods & approaches used by employers in resourcing their organisations in such a way as to enable them to meet their key goals. It also aims to help develop some skills in key resourcing activities.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to achieve:
* An understanding of the rationale for employee resourcing, including the theoretical issues underpinning employee resourcing;
* An appreciation of the contextual nature of employee resourcing in the UK and within the wider international environment;
* An understanding of current practice & developments in employee resourcing;
* An understanding of the legal obligations governing the use of employee resourcing strategies, polices and procedures;
* Debate some contemporary issues in employee resourcing.
Skills:
* Understanding theory and current practice in employee resourcing issues (T)
* Case study analysis (T and F)
* Skills based work (F)
* Group work (A)
Content:
Employee resourcing in context, HR Planning, recruitment, selection, performance management, performance appraisal, absence, turnover, retention, dismissal and redundancy, flexibility, equal opportunities, managing people in international organisations. Although the course will focus on employee resourcing from a UK perspective, aspects of international employee resourcing will be introduced throughout the course.

MN50285: Data analysis for marketing decisions

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW50EX50
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN50167
Aims: To provide an introduction to some advanced techniques of quantitative data analysis which have a direct application to marketing and management research. To develop an understanding of such techniques, enabling students to appraise the quality of research findings as presented, for instance, by a marketing research agency. To provide practice in solving marketing and managerial problems.
Learning Outcomes:
Students will have the knowledge and confidence to manage and/or undertake large scale quantitative analyses utilising a range of multivariate statistical techniques.
Skills:
Practical knowledge of the application of a range of multivariate techniques will be taught and assessed. Prior basic-level statistical skills and use of SPSS are assumed.
Content:
Managers typically find themselves in the position of information overload. It is no longer a case of needing to undertake a market research survey, more a case of how to analyse the data at hand. In view of the widespread availability of statistical packages and computers, we address two questions: 1. How to decide which statistical procedures are suitable for which purposes and, 2. How to interpret the subsequent results. We are not primarily concerned with the complex formulae that underlie the statistical methods, those calculations are left up to the computer. The applications will be based on specifically generated data sets and include the use of cluster analysis for purposes of market segmentation, principal components analysis for purposes of positioning etc.

MN50286: Brand creation & development

Credits: 3
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW 100%
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN50110
Aims: To create an understanding of the new product development process, from a marketing perspective. To create awareness of the main marketing strategies and decisions involved in the first stages of NPD. To built awareness of the research methodologies and approaches in the creation and development of new brands.
Learning Outcomes:
Competence with a set of tools and methodologies for brand development decisions. Confidence in abilities to create and manage a new brand.
Skills:
Ability to apply theory to practice; critical thinking and creativity; establishing criteria; formulating and solving NPD problems.
Content:
This course is designed to explore the creation and development of new products. Essentially, the focus is on marketing's role in the new product development process, whether this involves an entirely new product or the development of an existing brand. It will examine a number of ways of 'hearing' the voice of the customer and then translating this information into brand decisions.

MN50287: Integration module

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
Aims: Students will be given the opportunity to bring together some of the concepts and theoretical approaches covered in Year One of the course. The aim is to encourage them to experience the essential interrelationships between the focused studies experienced so far on the course and the need for a broader approach to management challenges in a variety of "real world" based settings. These will be derived from case studies and debates about current business and economic affairs.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the module the students should be better able to understand the interdependent nature of disciplines, departments and divisions of an organisation handling operational and strategic activities. Leaving problems in the hands of a specialist department may not produce a satisfactory set of outcomes. They will also have the opportunity to further develop their capacity for gathering, synthesising and analysing data against the backdrop of a large case study. In so doing they will bring together a variety of specialist inputs, allocate to them appropriately weighted priorities and from the outputs to distil apposite solutions to business problems. They will also consider some aspects of the generalist approaches to management and its relationship to "systems" management. They will gain experience of using some of the frameworks that purport to help general managers to take a balanced and, where appropriate, a rational view of problem situations. Also they will revisit the issues and practices of working in multi-disciplinary, ad hoc teams.
Skills:
* Data searching, (F)(A)
* Gaining an understanding of what senior level practitioners do when facing management challenges beset by complexity, ambiguity and paradox. (F)(A)
* Consideration of case studies and references to current industrial developments as reported in the business press. (F)
* Self help group work is encouraged and feedback is given.
* Communication and presentation skills. (F)(A)
Content:
Key topics covered include some of the frameworks associated with taking a broad and balanced view of a business or the task of a NFP or public sector organisation. These include the 7 S framework and Balanced Scorecard. Due attention will be paid to not only building on the subjects taught in Year One but also the developing knowledge gained by the students as Year Two studies progress. Two major case studies will be used to create a suitable learning platform.

MN50288: Organisations in context: the CSR challenge

Credits: 3
Level: Masters
Academic Year
Modular: no specific semester
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW75PR25
Requisites:
Aims: The course offers an overview of the changing global context of business with a particular focus on new business challenges and opportunities related to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Specific aims of the course are to:
* Provide students with an understanding and appreciation of the strategic challenges and opportunities currently facing companies in their efforts to link successful business practice and innovation with broader social, environmental and ethical concerns
* Offer students creative perspectives on the evolving relationship between business and a wider range of stakeholders locally and globally.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the course students will have developed:
* An ability to apply a critical analysis to the changing frameworks underlying the implicit contract between business and society and the application of these frameworks to the forming of corporate strategy.
* Understanding of the current and future challenges and opportunities being faced by businesses as they negotiate their relationship with their physical and social environments in fast changing conditions
* Identification, discussion and analysis of the key questions these business challenges and opportunities pose for corporate action, strategies and purposes
* A critical awareness of the new practices and business opportunities which are developing as companies attempt to respond to these challenges, and their sometimes contradictory effects.
Skills:

* Stakeholder thinking (T, F, A)
* Cross-sector collaboration (T, F, A)
* Communication, negotiation, and group problem-solving skills (F, A)
* Ability to connect emerging strategic challenges with understanding of individual managerial action (F).
Content:
This course focuses on the ways in which an increasing number of companies are attempting to address new challenges from diverse stakeholders by developing socially and environmentally responsible business and management practices. Moving beyond a reactive and defensive mode to the challenges raised by NGOs and other critics, forward-thinking business have begun to respond by building cross-sectoral links and enhancing their internal capacity to engage in social arenas in ways that enhance and sometimes transform their business. Particular topics to be covered include:
* Changing global context of business
* Competing expectations and demands of stakeholders
* Increasing importance of brand integrity and corporate reputation in risk assessment and management
* Emergence of creative multi-stakeholder CSR initiatives in various sectors and contexts
* Expansion of social and environmental auditing, reporting and verification processes, and related indices and regulatory reporting requirements
* Corporate responses to social and environmental issues in supply chains
* Corporate responses to HIV/AIDS
* Criticisms of CSR and arguments, campaigns and initiatives on mandatory corporate accountability
* The role of investors, and changing arguments about financial case for CSR and emergence of systemic thinking and action by companies and investors
Some theoretical perspectives will be offered, and considerable attention will be devoted to allowing students to discuss and reflect upon practical challenges faced by business.

MN50289: Leadership and governance of organisations

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW 100%
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN50138 or take MN50146 or take MN50236
Aims: This unit aims to provide students with awareness, knowledge and understanding of key issues in theory and practice of leadership and governance of (and in) organizations.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the unit, students should have developed an understanding of key criteria, important contextual issues and relevant frameworks for understanding and evaluating leadership and governance in/of organizations, and against which board and corporate performance at this level are judged.
Skills:
Intellectual Skills (T/A)
* a systematic understanding of organizations and their analysis, the internal and external context in which they operate and how they may be in/effectively led, governed and managed by small groups of people eg. board, top management team etc;
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in leadership and governance of organizations and organizing;
* the ability to acquire and analyse data, information and situations; to evaluate relevance and validity; and to synthesise this in the context of topical business problems;
* a conceptual understanding of theoretical concepts and frameworks that enables the student to integrate, as well critically appraise, both theory and practice.
Professional Practical Skills (F)
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate;
* be self-directed and able to act effectively in planning and implementing projects at professional levels.
Transferable/Key Skills (F/A)
* ability to reflect on and continue to learn from theory and practice of leadership and governance of organizing/ organizations;
* ability to conduct in-depth research into management and business issues;
* awareness of issues such as culture and context, personal working styles and decision making which influence effective performance and to use these to benefit both individual and 'team';
* the facility to incorporate subject specific knowledge into organizational situations with an appreciation of their practical implications for leadership and governance; and
* the facility to communicate including preparing and presenting ideas to others.
Content:
Leadership is considered an essential ingredient for successful organizations and organizing: so also is governance. Against this backdrop, the unit aims to make sense of the exercise of influence by which 'things are made to happen' and are 'controlled' at senior levels of organizing. Drawing on classic and contemporary theory/literature and business illustrations as well as exercises and videos, this unit will explore where leadership and governance come together with strategic, financial, legal and human resource issues in the decision making group called the board which holds ultimate (moral) responsibility for corporate performance and control. Necessarily, the unit will consider both external/ contextual (eg. rules vs. principles etc) and internal/ cultural issues which impact on behaviour at this level, to develop an integrative appreciation of leadership (both individual and collective) and governance in the directing of organizations. Starting from the question of whether or not boards actually 'do' leadership, this unit will explore a number of significant themes, including board and director roles and responsibilities, key organizational stakeholders/ shareholders and accountability, risk behaviour and decision making, remuneration and succession planning, performance and board / director evaluation.

MN50293: MRes dissertation

Credits: 30
Level: Masters
Dissertation period
Assessment: DS100
Requisites:
Aims: To support students, within an active research community, identify a feasible research question, relate it to relevant literature and develop a cogent and coherent argument that addresses the research question.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the unit, the students should be able to demonstrate the skills listed below.
Skills:
Knowledge and Understanding
* demonstrate a good knowledge of the literature on the chosen research question
* present independent analysis, argument and/or application of theory in a coherent fashion
Intellectual skills
* define a researchable question/focus
* integrate evidence to support arguments
* appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of existing literature
* develop and present a detailed argument in an original or stimulating way
Professional practice skills
* identify and access relevant information sources
* understand and apply in a correct fashion key research presentation skills such as referencing, bibliographical information, comprehensible tables and diagrams
* demonstrate good computing skills
* communicate arguments in a coherent and interesting manner
Transferable/Key Skills:
* apply research management skills such as time and resource planning and monitoring, archiving of data
* develop good writing, presentation and dissemination skills, including the use of Internet-based tools
* competency in the presentation of research findings.
Content:
Any area of research for which an adequate level of supervision is available can be offered.

MN50294: Approaches to management and organisational research

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 1
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
Aims: To equip students with an understanding of the issues, approaches and conceptual basis for researchers studying management, organisations and the context of enterprise management.
Learning Outcomes:
Knowledge and Understanding
* Appreciate the common and different issues facing researchers seeking to examine management and organisation from the perspective of different functional areas and disciplines.
* Understand the interrelationships between different research areas in management and the environment of organisations and the conceptual underpinnings.
Skills:
* Be able to analyse management, organisations and their environments using a variety of conceptual approaches.
* Be able to examine different functional areas and processes within organisations.
* Understand how the examination of different aspects of management and organisation can be integrated.
* Be able to conduct research in a range of managerial and organisational settings.
* Be able to assess the methodological requirements for research in different aspects of management and its context.
* Recognise how research approaches are developed in response to particular questions of research in management and organisation.
* Recognise the cultural context of the design, conduct, analysis and interpretation of research in management and organisation.
Content:
The unit will comprise
1. Core lectures on current and emerging issues in management and the organisational environment.
2. Seminars on the history, development and structure of management and organisational research.
3. Seminars and Case Study sessions in which students examine particular issues and management problems from a variety of different perspectives.
4. Seminars in which students discuss set articles illustrating major themes in management and organisational research.

MN50295: Teamworking and communications

Credits: 3
Level: Masters
Semester: 1
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
Only available to students on the PG Cert in Management (QinetiQ). Aims: Students will be able to apply key team working concepts to their roles their organization. Another aim of the unit is to improve the personal effectiveness of the students in business situations: this will include presentational skills as well as negotiation and other interpersonal skills.
Learning Outcomes:
Successful completion of this unit should result in participants who are confident in their styles of interaction with peers and others in the organization and who can communicate a complex business case to a demanding audience.
Skills:

* Critical thinking - facilitated
* Research skills - facilitated and assessed
* Business awareness - facilitated and assessed
* Personal skills such as public speaking and writing - developed.
Content:
The unit would start from the question of how intelligent professionals communicate with each other and develop effective team working. The unit will have some theoretical input, mainly classic issues and theory on teamwork - but also examples from organizational experience. However, a key element of this unit is to develop effective group working and leadership skills. Personal effectiveness also forms a central theme in this unit. Practical elements may include: effective public speaking; how to conduct a business meeting; and personal time management.

MN50296: Financial management

Credits: 3
Level: Masters
Semester: 1
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
Only available to students on the PG Cert in Management (QinetiQ). Aims: The aim of this course is to equip students with knowledge of finance and accounting sufficient to: 1. understand aspects of these areas to which they are exposed as non-specialists, particularly in terms of how these areas drive management practices and systems, 2. support their development as part of the general management function, and 3. appreciate how specialist activities in these areas can contribute to the attainment of a company's financial and business strategies and objectives.
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of the course students should be able to: 1. explain the purpose and content of the principal financial statements of a company, and apply analytical techniques to interpret them, 2. explain the uses of key management accounting techniques in the support of business decision-making and control, 3. discuss issues in financial management and explain their significance to a business, and 4. apply the course content in the interpretation of observed business and management practices.
Skills:
* Critical thinking - facilitated
* Research skills - facilitated
* Business awareness - facilitated and assessed
* Preparing and understanding financial data - facilitated and assessed
Content:
This unit will expose participants to key aspects of finance and accounting and case studies will be drawn where possible from practices and systems used at in their organization. The material will be structured under the following broad headings:
1. Business concepts: corporate legal identity, relationship with shareholders, shareholder value, profit maximisation.
2. Basic financial accounting: purpose and content of the principal financial statements.
3. Specific issues in financial reporting: Concept of consolidation, measurement and valuation issues, with particular reference to depreciation, costing and profit recognition in long-term contracts, and treatment of research and development expenditure.
4. Regulation of financial reporting: Roles of accounting standards, auditors (internal and external) and corporate governance principles.
5. Analysis and interpretation of corporate reports: Need for critical appraisal, ratio analysis and its limitations.
6. Output costing: Types of costs, need for cost assignment, methods available for assignment (traditional and activity-based).
7. Management control systems: Responsibility centres and controllability, budgeting and performance assessment, including variance analysis, particularly in the context of the service sector.
8. Capital investment decisions: Stages in the investment process, issues in project appraisal, e.g. cost and revenue relevance, methods of appraisal and their comparison.
9. Types of finance and capital structure: Types of finance and their markets, the role of working capital management in short-term finance, dividend policy and its effect on company value, debt policy and its effect on the weighted-average cost of capital.
10. Basics of managing financial risk: Types of risk, particularly foreign exchange and other types of risk arising from cross-border trade, and outline of methods for management.

MN50297: Project management

Credits: 3
Level: Masters
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
Only available to students on the PG Cert in Management (QinetiQ)
Aims: The aim of the unit is to prepare students for project management tasks within their organization. Thus, the students will be introduced to key tools of project management. They will be able to apply these in their workplaces.
Learning Outcomes:
Successful completion of this unit will give a demonstrable improvement in participants' ability to contribute to large project activities and to lead smaller ones according to their experience and level of responsibility.
Skills:
* Critical thinking - facilitated
* Research skills - facilitated and assessed
* Business awareness - facilitated and assessed
Content:
This unit combines the School of Management's excellent capability in operations, and unique approach to Project Management - the Beyond the Gantt Chart approach. This unit will introduce a strategy-driven process for managing repetitive tasks and projects, with the objective of securing competitive advantage through these processes. Both are rooted in the waste elimination and defect-prevention philosophies of world-class, lean or agile organizations, using the automotive, electronics and retail-supply sectors as the benchmark. These sectors have seen quantum improvements in performance in the last fifteen years through the approach to their management. The unit builds from the basics of task and Project Management, through to consideration of world-class issues of performance, and the changes that are being adopted in the defence sector to meet these needs.

MN50298: Knowledge management

Credits: 3
Level: Masters
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN50295
Only available to students on PG Cert in Management (QinetiQ).
Aims: To introduce key concepts of knowledge management.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the unit, delegates will understand the important human resource issues confronting organizations, and be able to apply various techniques to manage this.
Skills:
* Critical thinking - facilitated
* Research skills - facilitated and assessed
* Business awareness - facilitated and assessed
* Interpersonal skills - developed
Content:
Knowledge management is a newly emerging business model, which addresses the need to appreciate human and intellectual capital as core resources within a knowledge economy. This unit will enable graduates to develop a comprehensive understanding of the nature of business knowledge as well as the processes within the organisation that facilitate the management of knowledge. Here we will pay attention to the management of knowledge workers as well as their tacit and explicit knowledge. Graduates will also have an opportunity to put knowledge management theory into practice by applying these principles to an integrative case study.

MN50299: Innovation and creativity

Credits: 3
Level: Masters
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN50297
Aims: To help delegates understand the role of creativity and innovation in a business context - and give students skills and tools to enhance innovation within their organization.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit participants should be able to understand the relationship between their own creative input and their organization's business system, so as to produce a more focused and relevant activity in this critical area of operations.
Skills:
* Critical thinking and creativity - facilitated
* Research skills - facilitated and assessed
* Business awareness - facilitated and assessed
Content:
An important element of high technology business success is the ability to engender creativity in employees, but also to direct that creative energy in line with company goals. This unit will do that by addressing means by which creativity can be institutionalized within a firm or other organization. A key intellectual underpinning of the unit will be the view of the firm as a constantly evolving organism, required to react to changes in its environment. Topics will include sessions on the relationship of research and development to other corporate functions; ways to structure innovative activity; and creating appropriate incentives for creative activity.

MN50300: Quality management and product development

Credits: 3
Level: Masters
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
Only available to students on the PG Cert in Management (QinetiQ).
Aims: To introduce students to the key tools and techniques associated with operations management - as well as the process of new product development. Students will understand the place of Operations and Quality Management within the broader business context and its relationship to the successful development of new products.
Learning Outcomes:
Participants completing this unit will understand the key tools for the development and implementation of quality programmes, and will understand how to apply these to their own work projects.
Skills:
* Critical thinking - facilitated
* Research skills - facilitated and assessed
* Business awareness - facilitated and assessed.
Content:
This unit integrates two key parts of quality performance - the substance of the product and the management of both expectations and perceptions. It is a unit that straddles the two disciplines of Operations Management and Marketing. The approach is one of Strategic Quality Management - described as 'Total Quality Management but with a brain.' Using quality as a key performance indicator and based around the European Foundation for Quality Management model, the unit covers the development of quality practices over the past 70 years.

MN50301: Decision making and risk management

Credits: 3
Level: Masters
Semester: 1
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN50300
Aims: The aim of this unit is to help students understand how decision-making theories and tools are applied in a business context.
Learning Outcomes:
Successful completion of this unit will yield a capacity to use powerful formal and semi-formal decision support methods in practical situations, allowing structuring of thought and action-directed analysis.
Skills:
* Critical thinking - facilitated
* Numeracy skills - facilitated
* Research skills - facilitated and assessed
* Business awareness - facilitated and assessed.
Content:
This unit will develop delegates' decision-making competences by introducing them to both quantitative and qualitative approaches to decision-making. The unit will also make extensive use of case material to show how various decision-making techniques can be applied to business situations. Case work will also help the graduates become comfortable with the important, tacit and contextual aspects of decision-making. Topics will include: decision making by individuals; dangers associated with group decision making; formal models for supporting decisions; the importance of uncertainty and asymmetrical information for decision-making; qualitative support systems, such as cognitive mapping or Qualitative System Dynamics (QSD); the role of creativity in decision-making. These methods are specifically designed for use by persons of a scientific and technical background and build on the system thinking skills commonly held by such graduates, allowing them to address a wider class of problems.

MN50302: The commercialisation process

Credits: 3
Level: Masters
Semester: 1
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN50296
Aims: This unit aims to teach students about the practical, legal and functional issues surrounding taking a product to market. By the end of the unit students will understand both the complex processes associated with commercialization, and the tools and skills required for success.
Learning Outcomes:
Students will understand how to conduct market research, develop bids and secure follow-on business.
Skills:

* Critical thinking - facilitated
* Research skills - facilitated and assessed
* Business awareness (especially those associated with the external business environment) - facilitated and assessed
Content:
Commercialization involves both external and internal influences. In respect of the former, completing this unit will enable delegates to understand the relation of the firm with its primary competitors and, specifically, how innovation is translated into profitable product. This process is not simply contained within the firm; any thorough commercialization process requires a keen understanding of the economic, political and social environment the firm is situated in and, relatedly, a sophisticated understanding of competing firms. Thus, topics in this unit will include: strategic analysis; managing relationships with suppliers and customers; regulatory frameworks and how they affect an organization. The internal aspects of commercialization are the second component. One of the issues to be addressed is organizational politics: marshalling support for a proposal, reading situations, developing a sense of timing and judgement are important personal qualities to develop.

MN50303: In-company placement (Year 1)

Credits: 3
Level: Masters
Academic Year
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
Only available to students on the PG Cert in Management (QinetiQ).
Aims: This unit aims to act as an integration unit for the programme and as such will expose students to the range of functions across the business. Students will be expected to understand how components of the business interact with each other.
Learning Outcomes:
Students will emerge able to apply theories and utilize tools across a range of business functions. They will understand the inter-relationships among business units.
Skills:
* Critical thinking - facilitated
* Research skills - facilitated and assessed
* Business awareness - facilitated and assessed.
Content:
The unit is work-based. Students prepare logbooks where they record and reflect on how material on the programme was applied in their job. They are expected to show how their learning enabled them to become more effective managers.

MN50304: In-company placement (Year 2)

Credits: 3
Level: Masters
Academic Year
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
Only available to students on the PG Cert in Management (QinetiQ).
Aims: This unit aims to act as an integration unit for the programme and as such will expose students to the range of functions across the business. Students will be expected to understand how components of the business interact with each other.
Learning Outcomes:
Students will emerge able to apply theories and utilize tools across a range of business functions. They will understand the inter-relationships among business units.
Skills:
* Critical thinking - facilitated
* Research skills - facilitated and assessed
* Business awareness - facilitated and assessed.
Content:
The unit is work-based. Students prepare logbooks where they record and reflect on how material on the programme was applied in their job. They are expected to show how their learning enabled them to become more effective managers.

MN50306: Strategic supply: concepts and implementation

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW 100%
Requisites:
Aims: To examine the principles, concepts and approaches employed in strategic procurement and supply management.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* Critically evaluate emerging concepts and principles of supply chain and supply network management and strategy
* Analyse the components of supply strategy at different inter-organisational levels
* Apply appropriate frameworks, models and techniques for developing outsourcing and inter-organisational relationship
* Critically evaluate the concepts and techniques of lean and agile thinking in supply networks, including models of supplier development
* Evaluate the particular challenges of managing procurement and supply in complex public and service sector supply networks
Skills:
Intellectual skills
* Ability to critically evaluate and compare different theories and practices used in strategic supply management (T and A)
* Ability to conceptualise purchasing and supply frameworks and methodologies that enables the student to link theory and practice meaningfully and the ability to appraise critically both theory and practice (T and A)
Professional Practical skills
* Analytical ability to assess and improve the position of purchasing and supply management in a particular organization (F)
* Ability to operate effectively as part of a team (F and A)
* Ability to produce case study analysis under conditions of time pressure (F and A)
* Ability to produce professional, critical business reports using appropriate referencing formats (T, F and A)
* Ability to make presentations in front of an audience (F and A)
Transferable/Key Skills
* Ability to conceptualise the inter-connections between intra- and inter- organisations systems and processes (T and A)
* Ability to conduct in-depth research into business and management issues. (F and A)
* Ability to critically evaluate the significance of different research methodologies and the implications of these on theories and models (T and A).
Content:
The field of purchasing and supply management is becoming increasingly important in today's complex business environment. Whereas purchasing only two decades ago was a purely tactical function it is now rapidly becoming a key strategic responsibility. The recognition of supply chains and networks as vital parts of commercial survival has led to a greatly increased interest in strategic supply management amongst both academics and practitioners.
The 'Strategic Supply: Concepts and Implementation' module aims to evaluate the principles, concepts and approaches employed in strategic procurement and supply management. The focus of the module is especially on analysing and evaluating key inter-organisational issues. When managed strategically, supply relationships can be a critical source of value and innovation. However, in many organisations relationships continue to hide immense amounts of waste due to outdated modes of operation. Consequently, our interest is on how supply relationships can be developed, managed and assessed. Furthermore, the focus is on understanding how relationships are inter-connected within complex supply networks and the problems and opportunities these may provide.

MN50307: Making strategy happen

Credits: 3
Level: Masters
Academic Year
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW 100%
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN50117 or take MN50256 or (take MN50160 and take MN50164)
Aims: This course aims to expose students to the problems encountered in the implementation of strategy. It explores why some strategies fail, even when their formulation is sound. By focusing on the execution of strategy it gives students practical tools and frameworks that can be used to gauge and ensure the likelihood of successful implementation.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* Analyse an organisation's receptivity/readiness for strategic change
* Apply the diagnostic tool, the Change Kaleidoscope, to both prescribe strategy implementation and evaluate past successes and failures
* Apply project management techniques to the management of strategic transition
* Appreciate the complexity of making strategy happen throughout the organisation
* Understand their own personal strategic styles and how that affects their management practice.
Skills:
Intellectual skills - all T, A
* A critical awareness of the current organisational tensions that surround strategy implementation
* The ability to acquire and analyse complex organisational data in order to inform implementation plans
Professional Practical skills - all T, A
* Application of managerial diagnostic tools to current strategic challenges
* Understanding of what data needs to be collected by strategic planning units or senior teams prior to the roll out of a new strategy
* Presentation of such data and analysis in an accessible form to pracititioner audiences, plus proposed solutions and action plans
Transferable/Key skill - F
* Ability to immediately apply course content within a workplace either through running workshops or through acting as an internal consultant to the business
Personal/Interpersonal - F
* The skills required to recognise, hear, appreciate and understand different perspectives on strategic change within organisations
* Skills to understand different approaches to implementation based on personal preferences.
Content:
The course will follow the structure set out in the textbook, Exploring Strategic Change, Prentice Hall, 2nd Edition, by Hope Hailey and Balogun. Course content includes: presentation of a diagnostic tool, the Change Kaleidoscope; a consideration of key contextual features that may enable or constrain strategy implementation; presentation of the different design options available when planning strategy roll out e.g. should it be rolled out top down or bottom up , etc; analysis of live strategic case studies from leading edge companies such as Glaxo Smith Kline with senior practitioner input; consideration of how to sustain and embed strategy at the lowest levels of the organisation. The Myers Briggs Type Indicator will also be used to illustrate how students' personal preferences shape their attitudes towards strategy.

MN50318: Financial accounting 1

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 1
Assessment: EX100
Requisites:
Aims: The aim is to provide students with a systematic and comprehensive understanding of:
* the nature of accounting and accounting theory, including approaches to the formulation of accounting theory,
* conceptual frameworks for financial accounting and reporting,
* the accounting methods and techniques required to prepare the financial statements of a limited liability company, including the more commonly encountered elements,
* the role and mechanisms of regulation for financial reporting, including the role of corporate governance in ensuring the integrity of reported information,
* corporate tax principles, for both direct and indirect taxes using the UK system as a model, and their impact on financial reporting, and
* the role and nature of the external audit and its relationship to internal controls,
and equip students with the ability to apply their understanding in creative problem solving and appraising relevant current issues in academic and practical contexts.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* critically discuss the nature of accounting and approaches to accounting theory formulation,
* evaluate and discuss current theories of accounting,
* based on provided information and exercising judgement in the application of appropriate accounting methods and standards, prepare the financial statements and relevant account notes for a company in a form suitable for publication consistent with extant regulatory requirements,
* discuss issues of judgement and scope in the application of accounting standards,
* explain regulatory mechanisms in a UK context and critically discuss their effectiveness,
* evaluate a company's procedures for complying with the regulatory system for financial reporting and advise on changes where necessary,
* explain the underlying rationale for and principles of the direct and indirect tax systems as they affect corporates in the UK and estimate current and deferred tax provisions, and
* explain the purpose, nature and scope of the audit process, including the concepts of risk identification, materiality and compliance and substantive testing.
Skills:
Intellectual skills
* the ability to appropriately apply a framework of rules, regulations and principles to financial information; TFA
* the ability to interpret financial information. TFA
Professional Practical skills
* the ability to prepare financial reporting information in a form suitable for publication in compliance with regulatory requirements; TFA
* sensitivity to tax and audit issues. FA
Transferable/Key skills
* the ability to manipulate financial data to achieve a specified objective in accordance with rules, regulations and principles. FA
Personal/Interpersonal
* the ability to represent business activities as financial information in a form understandable to users of such information. FA
Content:
* Nature and formulation of accounting theory.
* Conceptual frameworks for financial reporting.
* Double-entry accounting and accounting system records.
* Extraction of the trial balance and preparation of the principal financial statements (Balance Sheet, Profit and Loss Account and Cash Flow Statement) in statutory form.
* Accounting standards and guidance (principally from IFRS's) relating to the more commonly encountered items, e.g. tangible fixed assets, and to the preparation and presentation of single company accounts - their rationale and issues in their application.
* The role and process of the regulatory framework in accounting, including the nature and role of corporate governance.
* Principles of the UK corporation tax and value added tax systems, including the principal adjustments to the accounting result in computing taxable profit or loss. Reliefs for losses. The scope for the incidence of foreign taxation. Accounting for current and deferred taxation.
* The purpose and basis of the audit process: the audit trail and types of audit evidence. Developing audit evidence; consideration of the concepts of materiality and audit risk. The nature of substantive testing. Evaluation of internal controls.

MN50319: Theory of financial decision making

Credits: 6
Level: Certificate
Semester: 1
Assessment: EX70CW30
Requisites:
Aims: This unit is designed to provide the student with a substantial grounding in financial decision-making theory and corporate policy.
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the unit the students will be expected
(a) To evaluate and calculate the appropriate investment appraisal criteria in a multi-period framework.
(b) To understand investor behaviour under uncertainty.
(c) To under the principles of pricing traded securities.
Skills:
1. Numeracy (T/A).
2. Problem-solving (F/A)
3. Critical Thinking (F/A)
4. Time management (F/A).
5. Writing skills (A).
6. Use of IT (F).
Content:
The role of Capital Markets, the Consumption and Investment Decision; Investment Appraisal; The Theory of Choice under Uncertainty; Mean-Variance Theory; Capital Market Equilibrium; Cost of Capital.

MN50320: Asset price dynamics

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 2
Assessment: EX100
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN50326
Aims: The aim is to introduce students to the new field of agent-based computational finance and provide them with an overview of the models and methods used.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* define agent-based modelling and its methodological basis
* critique existing the finance literature and suggest alternative modelling approaches
* understand and explain the main models of agent-based computational finance.
Skills:
Intellectual skills
* the facility to apply subject-specific knowledge into a range of complex situations; TFA
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in finance; F
* the ability to acquire and analyse data, information and situations; to evaluate relevance and validity, and to synthesise it in the context of finance problems; FA
* an understanding of appropriate research and methodological techniques that allow detailed investigation of problems and ability to use these skills to produce professional and critical reports. A
Professional Practical skills
* evaluate the current standing of theories and empirical evidence and suggest improvements to them; TFA
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate; FA
* be self-directed and able to act autonomously in planning and implementing. F
Transferable/Key Skills
* ability to conduct in-depth research into finance problems. FA
Personal/Interpersonal
* the facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas. FA
Content:
Microscopic simulations, minority games, mean-field models, models of local and social interactions, calibration of models, genetic algorithms, zero-intelligence traders.

MN50321: International finance

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 1
Assessment: EX70CW30
Requisites:
Aims: This module aims to provide students with the necessary theoretical and practical tools to understand the, and work in, a multi-currency professional environment.
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this unit, students should be able to:
* Calculate the value of the appropriate pricing instruments available in the foreign exchange markets, dependent upon the risk objectives of agents.
* Develop an understanding of the major theories of exchange rate determination and appreciate the importance of monetary policy in foreign exchange markets.
Skills:
Numeracy (T/A)
Analytical ability (F/A)
Writing skills (A)
Time management (F/A)
Use of IT, notably for information gathering (F/A)
Content:
Fundamentals of international financial markets, spot and forward rate; Foreign exchange futures and options; Currency swaps; Purchasing power parity, the monetary model of exchange rate determination; Monetary policy; International Capital budgeting.

MN50322: Investment management

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 1
Assessment: EX70CW30
Requisites:
Aims: This unit aims to provide the students with an understanding of fundamental principles derived from the theory of finance and show their application in providing solutions of investment problems at the institutional or the personal level.
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the unit students will be expected to be able to:
(i) Carry out the valuation of diverse assets and their related income streams
(ii) Utilise asset management strategies to achieve specific investment goals
(iii) Develop an understanding of the structure and activities of the asset management industry.
Skills:
Numeracy (T/A)
Analytical ability (F/A)
Writing skills (A)
Time management (F/A)
Use of IT, notably for information gathering (F/A)
Content:
Principles of Valuation; Fixed Income Securities; Equity Valuation; Portfolio management and security selection, the behaviour of institutional investors; Capital market dynamics; Market anomalies.

MN50323: Research frontiers in finance

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
Aims: The aim is to introduce students to current research problems in the field of accounting and finance.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* identify possible research topics for their MSc dissertation
* see the limits of the current knowledge in accounting and finance
* evaluate proper methods to increase the knowledge in accounting and finance.
Skills:
Intellectual skills
* the facility to apply subject-specific knowledge into a range of complex situations; TFA
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in finance; AF
* the ability to acquire and analyse data, information and situations; to evaluate relevance and validity, and to synthesise it in the context of finance problems; FA
* an understanding of appropriate research and methodological techniques that allow detailed investigation of problems and ability to use these skills to produce professional and critical reports. TFA
Professional Practical skills
* evaluate the current standing of theories and empirical evidence and suggest improvements for the operation of investment banks; TFA
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate; FA
* be self-directed and able to act autonomously in planning and implementing. F
Transferable/Key skills
* ability to conduct in-depth research into finance problems. FA
Personal/Interpersonal
* the facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas. FA
Content:
Presentations of members of staff and advanced PhD students on their research.

MN50324: Corporate finance

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 2
Assessment: EX70CW30
Requisites:
Aims: This unit aims to provide the students with the theoretical foundations necessary for understanding and analyzing corporate policy.
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the unit students will be expected to be able to:
Understand the importance of information asymmetry and agency costs as determinants of corporate management actions regarding the capital structure of a firm and its dividend policy.
Appreciate the problems that arise in asset evaluation in cases of mergers and acquisition.
Skills:
Numeracy (T/A)
Analytical ability (F/A)
Writing skills (A)
Time management (F/A)
Content:
Information asymmetry and agency theory; Capital structure and the cost of capital; Dividend policy; Mergers and Acquisition; Corporate Re-structring.

MN50325: Financial accounting II

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 2
Assessment: EX100
Requisites:
Aims: The aim is to provide students with a systematic and comprehensive understanding of:
* the accounting methods and techniques required to prepare and analyse the financial statements of groups of companies, reflecting the full range of elements encountered in the accounts of public companies, e.g. intangible fixed assets, foreign exchange and derivative instruments,
* international variation in Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and its implications for the analysis and interpretation of accounts,
* the importance of interpreting accounts in the context of the annual report and other sources of information,
* ethical aspects of financial accounting and reporting,
* broader perspectives on corporate accountability, including demands for and the nature of non-financial reporting, and
* current debates and issues in financial accounting that are likely to shape its future development,
and equip students with the ability to apply their understanding in creative problem solving and appraising relevant current issues in academic and practical contexts.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* based on provided information and exercising judgement in the application of appropriate accounting methods, prepare the financial statements and relevant account notes for a group of companies in a form suitable for publication in the annual report consistent with existing regulatory requirements and based on provided information,
* conduct an analysis of financial information provided by a company or its group in order to critically appraise financial performance and position, and other business-relevant matters, including the impact on the valuation of equity,
* using critical judgement of relevance and extant guidelines, prepare information for the Operating and Financial Review (assuming this statement is required from 2005 as currently anticipated),
* discuss issues related to ethics in business and accounting, and issues of corporate accountability,
* discuss current debates and issues in financial accounting and reporting.
Skills:
Intellectual skills
* the ability to appropriately apply a framework of rules, regulations and principles to financial information; TFA
* the ability to interpret financial information; TFA
* the ability to identify issues of controversy in financial accounting and reporting, and discuss them. TFA
Professional Practical skills
* the ability to prepare financial reporting information in a form suitable for publication in compliance with regulatory requirements; TFA
* the ability to analyse financial information and draw business-relevant conclusions; TFA
* sensitivity to potential accounting issues deriving from future developments in business practice and transactions. FA
Transferable/Key skills
* the ability to manipulate financial data to achieve a specified objective in accordance with rules, regulations and principles. TFA
* awareness of ethical and accountability issues for corporate entities. FA
Personal/Interpersonal
* the ability to communicate relatively complex financial information in a form understandable to users of such information. FA
Content:
* Treatment of investments, requirements for consolidation and treatment of associates and joint ventures.
* Preparation of consolidated financial statements, including the statement of total recognised gains and losses, and reconciliations of movements in shareholders funds and of operating profit to operating cash flow.
* Accounting standards and related interpretative statements (principally IFRS's) extant at the time of running in relation to the following: current and deferred taxation, revenue recognition, profit recognition in long-term contracts, employee benefits, foreign exchange, related parties, financial instruments, intangible assets and impairment analysis.
* Financial ratio analysis.
* Required and advisable contents of the OFR and its preparation.
* Sources oof and implications of international variation in GAAP.
* Business ethics and particular considerations for accountants and auditors.
* The accountability of companies and forms of non-financial reporting, particularly social and environmental reporting.
Current debates and issues in financial accounting relevant at the time of running, e.g. prospects of international harmonisation of GAAP.

MN50326: Market microstructure

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 1
Assessment: EX100
Requisites:
Aims: The aim is to introduce students to the area of market microstructure and provide them with an overview of the models and methods used in this field of study.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* define market microstructure and its methodological basis
* critique the existing finance literature
* understand and explain the main models in market microstructure and their limits.
Skills:
Intellectual skills
* the facility to apply subject-specific knowledge into a range of complex situations; TFA
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in finance; F
* the ability to acquire and analyse data, information and situations; to evaluate relevance and validity, and to synthesise it in the context of finance problems; FA
* an understanding of appropriate research and methodological techniques that allow detailed investigation of problems and ability to use these skills to produce professional and critical reports. A
Professional Practical skills
* evaluate the current standing of theories and empirical evidence and suggest improvements to them; TFA
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate; FA
* be self-directed and able to act autonomously in planning and implementing. F
Transferable/Key skills
* ability to conduct in-depth research into finance problems. FA
Personal/Interpersonal
* the facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas. FA
Content:
Choice of market structure, inventory-based models of market making, asymmetric information and adverse selection, auction markets, limit order trading, market transparency.

MN50327: MSc dissertation

Credits: 30
Level: Masters
Dissertation period
Assessment: DS100
Requisites:
Aims: The objective of the dissertation is to bring to bear the techniques and perspectives covered in the taught part of the course upon a specific issue of interest. The dissertation should provide an independent and critical appraisal of an issue, normally (although not always) involving an empirical analysis of the topic being investigated. Although the dissertation is likely to be empirical in nature and will probably involve the use of econometric modelling. In undertaking the dissertation the student, using the analytical skills and techniques she has acquired, sets out to investigate a question/issue/problem of interest. It is the analytical and critical elements that are of value rather than the 'descriptive' perspectives.
Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of the dissertation, students should be able to demonstrate:
1) An understanding and a critical awareness of the relevant theoretical and/or empirical literature on the topic under consideration.
2) Enhanced skills of written communication so that the results/conclusions are clearly communicated to specialist and non-specialist audiences.
3) An enhanced ability to evaluate econometric/statistical techniques and/or methodologies and develop critiques of them and, where appropriate, to propose new hypotheses.
4) Self-direction and originality in the application of theory and techniques, together with a practical understanding of how established techniques of research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in Accounting and Finance.
Skills:
Generic skills: Abstract reasoning; Analysis, deduction and induction; Quantification and design; Framing.
Transferable skills: Written communication and presentation; Numeracy; Use of information technology; Time management and planning; Independent learning ability.

MN50328: Banking

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 2
Assessment: EX100
Requisites:
Aims: The aim of this unit is to provide students with an introduction to the theory of banking.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* analyze the competition between banks
* evaluate the lending contract between banks and their customers
* assess the susceptibility of banks to financial fragility.
Skills:
Intellectual skills
* the facility to apply subject-specific knowledge into a range of complex situations; TFA
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in finance; F
* the ability to acquire and analyse data, information and situations; to evaluate relevance and validity, and to synthesise it in the context of finance problems; FA
* an understanding of appropriate research and methodological techniques that allow detailed investigation of problems and ability to use these skills to produce professional and critical reports. A
Professional Practical skills
* evaluate the current standing of theories and empirical evidence and suggest improvements for the operation of investment banks; TFA
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate; FA
* be self-directed and able to act autonomously in planning and implementing. F
Transferable/Key skills
* ability to conduct in-depth research into finance problems. FA
Personal/Interpersonal
* the facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas. FA
Content:
Reasons for the existence of banks, optimal lending contracts, competition between banks, financial fragility, banking regulation.

MN50329: Quantitative methods

Credits: 0
Level: Masters
Semester: 1
Assessment:
Requisites:
Aims: Students on the MSc come from a variety of undergraduate backgrounds, some with quantitative and others with qualitative emphasis. This non-compulsory unit is aimed at improving the quantitative skills of students from the arts and humanities.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* Undertake basic data manipulation.
* Identify appropriate statistical and algebraic techniques.
* Perform calculations appropriate to content of other units.
Skills:
* Appropriate data manipulation (T)
* Basic quantitative techniques adequate for professional managerial work (T)
Content:
Quantitative skills; some uses and abuses of statistical techniques, presentation of quantitative data, elementary probability, elementary algebra.

MN50330: Risk management

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 2
Assessment: EX100
Requisites:
Aims: The aim is to introduce students to risk management and the methods used therein.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* define risk and how to measure it coherently;
* critique the existing literature on risk management;
* apply risk management to a wide range of problems.
Skills:
Intellectual Skills
* the facility to apply subject-specific knowledge into a range of complex situations; TFA
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in finance; F
* the ability to acquire and analyse data, information and situations; to evaluate relevance and validity, and to synthesise it in the context of finance problems; FA
* an understanding of appropriate research and methodological techniques that allow detailed investigation of problems and ability to use these skills to produce professional and critical reports. A
Professional Practical Skills
* evaluate the current standing of theories and empirical evidence and suggest improvements to them; TFA
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate; FA
* be self-directed and able to act autonomously in planning and implementing. F
Transferable/Key Skills
* ability to conduct in-depth research into finance problems. FA
Personal/Interpersonal
* the facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas. FA
Content:
Risk measurement, Value at Risk, credit risk modelling, capital allocation, integrated risk management.

MN50332: Strategy and human resource management

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN50174 and in taking this unit you cannot take MN30054
Aims: The purpose of the unit is to develop, through shared lectures of one hour per week with undergraduate students on MN30054 and in 6 two hour intensive seminars for MSc students only a clear understanding of the theories and practices in sophisticated organizations linking people management to organizational performance, and the interconnections between business strategies and strategic human resource management. The unit aims to elucidate the connections between, and the tensions within, the requirements of the modern firm in managing people simultaneously to maximize labour productivity, organizational flexibility and social legitimacy.
Learning Outcomes:
Through lectures, videos, case studies and self reflection on employment experiences the unit's learning objectives are to achieve:
* Critical awareness of the contribution of HR systems to business objectives while noting competing HRM goals and the distinction between viability and competitive advantage.
* Thoughtful appreciation of isomorphic pressures and varied business and legislative environments constraining and informing strategic choice in HRM.
* An advanced ability to apply and interpret employee metrics in contemporary organisations.
* Critical evaluation of theories in HRM, their application and utility
* The level of understanding of organisational politics required to become a 'thinking practitioner'.
Skills:
* getting to grips with cognitive complexity T,F.
* analysing qualitative and quantitative data T,F,A.
* verbal reasoning F
* self motivation F.
* integrating theory and practice in written assignments F,A.
* cooperative working with other students F.
* debating and appreciating the views of others F.
Content:
* links between business strategies and HRM
* the goals of HRM
* models of strategic HRM and horizontal/vertical fit.
* the problem of diffusion
* RBV and KBV especially in MNCs
* HR architecture.
* The employee experience of HRM, psychological contracts etc.
* The role of line managers and the gap between espoused and enacted.
* Organisational culture and climate
* The changing roles of HR professionals.

MN50335: Brand communication

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 2
Assessment: EX80CW20
Requisites:
Aims:
* To provide participants with a comprehensive overview of brand communications theory and practice.
* To teach a wide range of advertising and communication models and relate these to models of consumer behaviour
* To review recent psychology learning and show how this relates to new ideas about brand communication
* To outline best practice in brand communication evaluation.
Learning Outcomes:

* Students will become familiar with a range of different models of brand communication, and learn to apply these models to a wide range of existing brand communication campaigns.
* Students will be empowered to apply these models in practical business situations, where development and evaluation of communication campaigns is required.
Skills:

* Presentation Skills - assessed
* Analytical Skills - assessed
* Writing Skills - assessed
* Class participation skills.
Content:
The role of brand communication in influencing brand choice will be critically examined making extensive use of in-class discussion of examples of advertising. The following specific subjects will be covered:
Lecture 1: Introduction to the course
Lecture 2: Practical issues in advertising development
Lecture 3: Review of classic consumer buying behaviour. and early models of advertising
Lecture 4: Cognitive Brand Choice Models, including Cognitive Response Model & Elaboration Likelihood Model
Lecture 4: Simple non-cognitive models, including Classic Conditioning, Operant Conditioning, Brand Conditioning, Hedonic Response Model,.
Lecture 5: Team Assignment Presentations
Lecture 6: Psychology of Learning & Attention
Lecture 7: Psychology of Affective Processing
Lecture 8: Models of Affect and Attention in advertising, including MAC Model & MacInnes Jaworski Model
Lecture 9: Low Attention Processing model
Lecture 10: Advertising Evaluation
Lecture 11: Revision.

MN50336: Marketing practice

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Semester: 2
Assessment: EX70CW30
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN50167 and in taking this unit you cannot take MN30109
Aims: The unit aims at putting marketing theory into practice by examining a number of real-world cases. Specifically, the aims of the unit are: a) to create an understanding of the stratified reality and process of marketing action, b) create awareness of the involved marketing decisions, and c) explore the criteria used to evaluate and monitor marketing activities.
Learning Outcomes:
Competence in dealing with complex marketing situations and knowledge of process of examining real-life phenomena.
Skills:
Ability to apply conceptual tools. (T, F, A); Critical analysis and judgement (F); Problem-solving and implementation skills (T, A); Team-working and presentation skills (A).
Content:
This elective is designed to explore following real-life cases:
Session 1: Managing Brands - S. Mouzas
Session 2: Managing Pricing - D. Ford
Session 3: Dealing with Retailers - S. Mouzas
Session 4: Managing Products - D. Ford
Session 5: Marketing Performance - S. Mouzas
Session 6: Strategic Marketing Decisions - D. Ford.

MN50337: Making strategy happen - challenges and solutions

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Semester: 2
Assessment: CW100
Requisites:
Before taking this unit you must take MN50117 or take MN50256 or (take MN50160 and take MN50164)
Aims: This course aims to expose students to the problems encountered in the implementation of strategy. It explores why some strategies fail, even when their formulation is sound. By focusing on the execution of strategy it gives students practical tools and frameworks that can be used to gauge and ensure the likelihood of successful implementation.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
* Analyse an organisation's receptivity/readiness for strategic change
* Apply the diagnostic tool, the Change Kaleidoscope, to both prescribe strategy implementation and evaluate past successes and failures
* Apply project management techniques to the management of strategic transition
* Appreciate the complexity of making strategy happen throughout the organisation
* Understand their own personal strategic styles and how that affects their management practice
* Understand current issues in change management.
Skills:

Intellectual Skills - all T, A
* A critical awareness of the current organisational tensions that surround strategy implementation
* The ability to acquire and analyse complex organisational data in order to inform implementation plans
Professional Practical Skills - all T, A
* Application of managerial diagnostic tools to current strategic challenges
* Understanding of what data needs to be collected by strategic planning units or senior teams prior to the roll out of a new strategy
* Presentation of such data and analysis in an accessible form to pracititioner audiences, plus proposed solutions and action plans
Transferable/Key Skill - F
* Ability to immediately apply course content within a workplace either through running workshops or through acting as an internal consultant to the business
Personal/Interpersonal - F
* The skills required to recognise, hear, appreciate and understand different perspectives on strategic change within organisations
* Skills to understand different approaches to implementation based on personal preferences
* Leadership competencies in two areas: change agency and change leadership.
Content:
The course will follow the structure set out in the textbook, Exploring Strategic Change, Prentice Hall, 2nd Edition, by Hope Hailey and Balogun. Course content includes: the first two and a half days concentrates on the presentation of a methodology which embraces the cultural web, the Change Kaleidoscope, and transition mapping tools; a consideration of key contextual features that may enable or constrain strategy implementation; presentation of the different design options available when planning strategy roll out e.g. should it be rolled out top down or bottom up , etc. The second half of the course will take a more issue led approach by considering the role of internal change agents, emotions and change, managing emergent strategy, a comparison between strategic change in the private and public sectors, and the final day will consist of a live case study presented by a practitioner. The Myers Briggs Type Indicator will also be used to illustrate how students' personal preferences shape their attitudes towards strategy.

 

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