MBA

The module explores strategy as a disputed field and emphasises the need to understand cultural, social and ethical issues as well as economic factors that underpin the development of strategy in organisations. It trains students to develop the ability to engage more fully with the strategic discourse of their own and other organisations. The module will provide critical examination of tools, models and concepts for implementing sustainability strategies and policies in businesses and organisations. It will review current and evolving ideas and concepts in the context of drivers for business change required in order to respond to pressing sustainability and responsibility challenges. The module will investigate practices, innovations and evolving ideas for embedding sustainability and will emphasize in developing sore competencies through Knowledge Management and Learning Organisation theories.

This module focuses on developing individual leadership skills with a particular emphasis on maximizing creativity at the individual, team, and organizational levels. Sessions will examine a range of current leadership theories, including transformational leadership, illustrated with examples and integrated with practical exercises. In addition to the theoretical foundations, there is a strong emphasis on personal development. Students will assess their own leadership style using established measures and use relevant theory to write an action plan to guide their own professional development. The assignment will require application of theory and critical analysis to aid development of leadership skills and style.

The module provides a critical review of the concepts of business ethics, corporate social responsibility, and stakeholder management and enables students to analyse, evaluate, and formulate business decisions in the light of ethical and societal considerations. Particular emphasis is put on current corporate practice and recent regulatory developments in order to provide the students with an up – to- date understanding of the fast –moving field. The module draws on and engages with the ongoing debate concerning the role of business organisations as future generators of ‘sustainable value’ for business and society at large. This is then placed in the context of functional discipline areas through topics such as accounting standards, corporate governance, green marketing, social entrepreneurship, employee wellbeing, sustainable innovation and global supply-chain management. The implications of these principles for student’s own leadership practices are considered, introducing the concept of ‘responsible leadership’ from different organisational, national, cultural and ethical perspectives.

The module introduces students to the concepts and function of both entrepreneurship and innovation within organisations and nations today. Entrepreneurship is defined using the management approach as a characteristic pattern of management behaviour which has innovation outcomes. Entrepreneurship is a pattern of behaviour capable of application to all types of organisation – public sector, not-for-profit and commercial organisations. Every organisation requires innovation expressed as a need to introduce and “make new things happen” for one reason or another. It might be to create profit and wealth; alternatively it might involve social innovation of benefit to a particular community. Both are required by an economy to ensure the prosperity and well-being of its citizens. The module particularly addresses entrepreneurial capability and the development of enterprising skills and knowledge in the areas of creativity, information seeking and analysis, planning, and networking within the entrepreneurship arena or community.

This module has been developed in order to explore current challenges for managers working with and within public and non-profit organisations, and to support managers in developing a tool kit to address these issues.

The essence of Planning and Control in managing a business concerns decisions about plans on operations, people, services etc and how to control the efficiency and effectiveness of those plans and of the people involved in the application process. You will study all these areas via a number of case studies, after having been introduced to the theoretical frameworks, concepts and principals associated with these actions.

The modules aim is to introduce students to issues of securing knowledge about the human behaviours in work places through the design of research projects, collection and analysis of data, and presentation of results. The module focuses on skills and knowledge necessary for the successful completion of a research project.

The dissertation enables students to specialise in an area of interest by conducting an independent, in-depth research project, guided by research-active tutors. Students will evaluate and synthesise research philosophies, develop research strategies, conduct research using secondary and/or primary sources and analyse their findings in relation to existing theories. The dissertation is of interest to potential future employers, demonstrating critical abilities, research expertise and business knowledge. It can also prompt student interest in conducting further research, whether in a consultancy role or in continued academic research at PhD level.