International Business Management MSc
2 Years Full-Time | September Start

In this module you will learn about a comprehensive range of research methods and business analytics techniques. This will equip you with the knowledge and practical skills necessary for you to conduct research at Masters’ level and prepare you to complete a Master’s Dissertation, Consultancy Project or Management Enquiry. By the end of the module you will know how to apply both quantitative and qualitative data collection and business analysis techniques. In quantitative techniques you will learn about sampling, questionnaire design, statistical inference, and hypothesis testing while qualitative techniques covered will include methods such as interviewing and focus groups. Analysis methods such as content analysis and thematic analysis will also be covered. In addition, you will gain some understanding of research philosophy (positivism and interpretivism) and research ethics and you will be able to write a research proposal to bring these ideas together.
Furthermore, this module will provide clear, critical, and analysis of data, you will also be able to consider the use of analytics implementation skills, where you will be introduced to analytics software such as SPSS. SPSS statistics analysis is one of the powerful solutions that is designed to help businesses and researchers to solve problems by various methods (geospatial analysis, predictive analytics and hypothesis testing).

Owing to changing migration patterns and digital media, we live in an increasingly global society. Whilst posing many opportunities for business, the decision to internationalise a company’s offering involves as range of complex business decisions. In this module, you will explore how marketing practices can be applied to global business, and in doing so develop a thorough commercial appreciation of the complexities of marketing across nations.

The module is broadly composed of three themes:

• The Global Consumer: Consumers across the globe differ on a wide range of factors, including education levels, cultural norms, religious beliefs and wider lifestyle preferences. You will be introduced to some of these core differences, explore how cultural values differ across regions and the emergence of a global consumer culture. You will also explore how consumers tend to favour products from certain countries based on principles of country-of-origin and national identity.

• International Marketing Strategy: This theme will introduce you to the various market entry strategies utilised by organisations, including export, intermediate and hierarchical modes. Here you will explore the complexities of the global marketing environment (encapsulating political and economic differences) and developing international buyer-seller relationships.

• Global Marketing Decisions: Once an organisation chooses to internationalise, you will explore the range of marketing decisions that need to be made, including queries over product, pricing, marketing communications and branding. As part of this, you will be introduced to the ‘standardisation versus adaptation’ debate, which considers whether organisations should offer identical offerings across markets or implement a more tailored approach.

This module addresses global contemporary operations and supply chain issues, challenges, strategies and tools and will develop you as an active learner. The mission of this module is three-folded:

1. This module aims to provide you with an underpinning knowledge about supply chain and operations improvement, whilst investigating the ongoing developments in theory and practice within the global context. You will learn strategic theories and gain knowledge associated with performance improvement inside, outside and beyond the organisations that enable value chain strategies to be put in place. The key themes include:
• Global Operations and Supply Chain Strategy
• Quality Management Models, Strategies and Systems
• Industry 4.0
• Robotic Process Automation
• Service Operations Improvement
• Performance Measurement and Benchmarking
• Process Improvement strategies
• Lean Management
• Location Management
• Supplier Development
• Global Supply Chain issues
• Process and product Design
• Postponement
• Global Logistics and Transport

2. This module aims at developing your practical problem solving skills in the global operations and supply chain context by analysing contemporary issues through interactive case study analysis in each of the weekly seminars. You will have opportunity to analyse cases relevant to the various theoretical themes and discuss with your tutor, fellow students and team members to answer the relevant questions with the facilitation of your seminar tutor. Your development in linking theory into practice is supported by regular seminar-based analysis of contemporary case studies that align to the different theoretical themes presented in the modules through the lectures. This practical seminar work further supports your development in team-based research and underpins the module’s assessment activities.

3. This research-informed module also aims at developing your research skills. You will have opportunity to learn more about critical reading and writing of peer reviewed academic journal articles individually and with your seminar group. You will develop your team-based research skills including collaboration, research framework development and oral presentation.

On completing this module, you will be able to demonstrate your developed capability to analyse global operations and supply chain issues, underpinned by relevant knowledge and be able to implement suitable improvement strategies and tools.

You will develop your understanding of academic conventions in UK higher education aligned to your level of study, including expectations around critical analysis, structure, argumentation, evidencing, and referencing. The module focuses on developing communication strategies that will help you express your ideas clearly and coherently in written assignments and spoken activities. You will also reflect on your current academic and language skills and develop strategies for development ahead of your assessments.

This module examines worldwide integration of economic, political, and socio-cultural aspects of business in order to explore and understand the impact of globalisation on countries, organizations, and individuals. You will develop a world-view of the global marketplace. You will learn how knowledge and understanding of the global environment affect business functions. Special consideration is given to key issues in ethics, global social responsibility and technology. You will also gain essential knowledge of international business management and will learn how to evaluate challenges of organisational functioning in the global economy. You will be engaged in the analysis of the wider impact of individual and organisational decision making with respect to the business environments in major world markets. The aim of the module is to introduce you to the main International Business (IB) theories relating to external environment analysis and demonstrate how they can be used to inform strategic decisions.
You will also engage with key issues pertinent to the global business environment today, particularly as it pertains to recognising global shifts in political and culture as well as developments in emerging economies and least developed countries.

This 20-credit core module is delivered during the first semester of the MSc International Business Management and is aimed at you if you have prior business and management academic experience.

The aim of the module is to build on your prior academic knowledge of business management and explores the new post-recession economic and business environment. It aims to develop your academic knowledge and professional skills in evaluating sustainable strategic options for international organisations seeking competitive advantage through innovation. Contemporary but also traditional strategy formulation theoretical frameworks are presented within the module to develop you as critical thinkers and future practitioners.

The module is designed around five pillars: (i) developments in the new (post-global recession) economic and business environment; (ii) strategic options for international growth; (iii) innovation; (iv) leadership and change within an international/global business model; and (v) sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR).

This is a 20-credit module running in the second semester of the MSc Business with programme and is developed for those of you who have prior awareness of entrepreneurship and seek a deeper understanding of contemporary issues of entrepreneurship and small business subjects. The aim of the module is to introduce you to the main theoretical concepts of entrepreneurship and small business – Entrepreneurship Characteristics; Creativity; Risk and Strategic Options; Technology Innovation; Networks; Sustainability; Orientation – and show how each can contribute to the activities, success or otherwise of entrepreneurship. On completion of the module you will be able to demonstrate critical thinking skills suitable for strategic leadership roles adept at organisational change and innovation and utilise oral, written and communication skills. The content of the module comprises of a range of components which are listed below.

Entrepreneurship
Introduction to the module; Entrepreneurship; context; entrepreneurial revolution; influences; Differences between entrepreneurs & owner-managers’; characteristics and traits, skills; stakeholders; models of entrepreneurship and critical thinking & summative assessment guidance.

Strategies & Models of Entrepreneurship
The Entrepreneurial Environment, Entrepreneurial Strategies; Objectives and Competitive Advantage; Entrepreneurial Productivity & Performance.

Characteristics and Activities of Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship Traits and Behaviour; Motivations and Values; Growth & Skills; Entrepreneurial Leadership Skills; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Culture; Structure & Control; Types of Entrepreneurs including Social and Civic Entrepreneurs.

Entrepreneurship Technology & Innovation
Role of technology innovation & Change; Technology Industries Leadership; High Tech; HEI-SME knowledge interactions; Entrepreneurial State; Benefits & Limitations of Open Innovation and Business Clusters, Creativity and Knowledge; Diffusion and Adoption.

Entrepreneurial Networks and Open Innovation
Understanding Social Networks and their contribution to Entrepreneurship. Weak and Strong Ties; Enterprise Partnerships & Policy; Public Entrepreneurship; Business Ventures; Motivation & Engagement.

Public Sector Entrepreneurship
Social Innovation; Public Sector Entrepreneurs; Regional Policy.

International Entrepreneurship
Globalisation & International Entrepreneurship; International Start-up; Models of Internationalisation; Influence of Networks and Learning Theories.

Entrepreneurial Orientation
Entrepreneurial Synergies ; Psychological Orientation ; Gender in Entrepreneurship.

Critical Thinking Skills
The module seeks to foster your critical thinking, analytical, synthesis and reflection skills through developing your awareness of contemporary issues of entrepreneurship and small business to ensure a critical appreciation of the entrepreneurship and small business field of study.

In this module, you will gain a detailed understanding of international trade and the economic environment within which international businesses operate. The module will provide you with the opportunity to review both traditional and modern theories of international trade, discuss sources of international finance and analyse the impacts of international trade and finance in diverse contexts. In addition, this module aims to provide you with the skills necessary to discuss and critically appraise policy issues related to these issues. The module will cover relevant theories of trade and you will be supported in investigating their application to real world contexts. This will be combined with analyses of international and domestic trade flows, institutions governing trade, exchange rates and finance flows. By the end of the module, you will be able to apply the acquired skills to discuss and critically appraise policy issues related to the international trade of goods and services.

The module provides students with an understanding of concepts, theories, and frameworks that are relevant to strategic decision making, the dynamics of global strategy, and enhanced performance in international business. The module combines theoretical and managerial insights on international business strategy to provide knowledge and understanding of what happens in complex international business settings. The module content will cover core international business concepts, and strategic options available to managers. It will also cover strategic decision making in relation to functional areas and how to improve business performance across borders. Students will develop knowledge and ability to critically analyses and apply models of international business strategy to cross-border operations.

In this module, students will analyse the organisation of international business activities across countries and consider how these global connections shape development in host / home markets. The module focuses on key business actors, including multinational enterprises (MNEs), governments, SMEs and multilateral institutions operating across borders. In the module, students will critically examine the processes and impacts of foreign direct investment and trade; explore the theoretical foundations of international businesses as policy and development actors; evaluate how MNEs and other international business actors can profitably harness opportunities in host economies and contribute towards addressing vital development challenges.

The module overviews the past three hundred years of global economic and business history and in providing students with the context necessary to acquire an in-depth understanding of the global business environment, is related to some of the key themes explored within the rest of the International Business Management course. In particular, we will examine various political economic systems – capitalism, socialism, colonialism and imperialism – and their divergent experiences of economic development. We will also examine the evolution of the governing institutions of the global economy such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the World Trade Organisation – understanding the origins of these institutions is key to understanding how they function today – and how business has interacted with national and supra-national entities.
Through the course’s Learning and Teaching activities, students will become familiar with interpreting a varied range of quantitative and qualitative evidence, and to synthesise them into coherent analysis. A research-rich module is underpinned by the faculty’s world-leading research in business and economic history.

In this module, you will study the concept of place, culture and creativity in cities worldwide.
Our contention is that people make places, and to an extent, places make people. In the module, students explore how spaces become meaningful places for leisure and consumption around the world as a result of what people (tourists, entrepreneurs, residents, policymakers, captains of industry) do. Students will be introduced to concepts on place-making, including the creation of contemporary bohemia / neo-bohemian cultural quarters aimed at the and day to night-time economy alongside creative and heritage industries, and cultural performances. Some of the themes to be studied include the significance of placemaking as cultural production and consumption, from the glossy, large-scale mega-development of event spaces, concert halls and sports grounds to more grass-roots community engaged bohemian entrepreneurs and sole operators.

This module engages you in personal and professional development in order that you develop and hone your teamworking, management and leadership skills, capabilities and attributes, and in so doing, enhance your employability. On this module, you will not only prepare for your first job after you graduate but also kickstart your commitment to life-long personal and professional learning. In the first part of the module, you will be supported in a self-analysis by a range of activities, including the completion of self-administered tool-kits to demonstrate an increased self-awareness and self-understanding. This will also involve applying theoretical frameworks and researching contemporary literature for a more in-depth understanding of self. A key outcome of this process is how you will be able to exploit this development in order to lead, and manage, more effectively in your future careers. The second part of the module contains activities which enable you to build on your self-analysis and explore further your strengths, weaknesses and areas for development in the context of your career development plans. . Furthermore, you will use your understanding of self to help you to understand the key issues and specific challenges that you face, with your skills profile, in relation to your employability prospects in your target profession/industry/sector. This will also include the development of knowledge into the global graduate market, (including routes such as self-employment and developing your career with an existing employer) drawing upon local, national and international examples.