MBA - Master of Business Administration

This is a 30-credit workshop capstone running at the end of year 2 of the programme. The two-day workshop will cover four main areas of learning: philosophies of knowledge, common qualitative methodologies for business, qualitative methods, and qualitative research ethics.
The first day will be split into two parts. This first part will extensively cover debates surrounding what is ‘science’ and the philosophies of knowledge underpinning different kinds of qualitative inquiry. The second part will include an in-depth discussion of three key qualitative methodologies - case study, grounded theory, and phenomenology – to examine the philosophical underpinnings, research aims/capacities, and the means of implementing each in research.

The second day will start with experiential learning whereby students will be introduced and then practice engaging with different qualitative methods in groups. Following which, students will discuss what it was like and what they learned among different approaches. The workshop will end with a discussion around issues of researcher positionality and ethics in qualitative research. Over the two-days, you will consider the applications of qualitative approaches for your own research with organizations and in the field/discipline.

Branding and digital marketing are two crucial tools for business success as they help establish a strong online presence, enhance brand recognition, and build customer relationships. They enable businesses to develop ideas that encourage the evaluation and critical analysis of various strategies to meet the demands of different industrial sectors.

Taking the above into consideration, this module will encourage you to explore how firms use digital marketing strategies including situational analysis, objectives and KPIs, strategy models and implementation, SEO, paid search, social media marketing, email and display advertising, Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO). Further, you will also learn on different brand-related strategies including identities, image, personality, positioning, architectures, and equity. These tools will help the students to address the ongoing issues which firms face when developing, designing, and delivering strategies that are useful for firms’ survival in today’s digital world, as well as producing and delivering products and brands effectively and efficiently. With this in mind, you will learn the following:

• Introduction to Digital Marketing: This will be an introductory session where we explore the concept of digital marketing, its essentials, and strategy models, implementations, challenges and opportunities.
• Digital Marketing Strategy: This session will address the situational analysis, models of digital marketing, KPIs and objectives, and SOSTAC model to understand the digital strategy.
• Search Engine Optimisation (SEO): Students will go through a thorough understanding of SEO, its operations, different keyword planners and how to evaluate a web page using different techniques. Paid search, such as social media marketing and pay-per-click will also be explored in this session.
• Email and Display Advertising: This session will focus on email marketing techniques, email copywriting, and how to stay away from landing in the spam folder. Furthermore, we will also discuss the display and banner advertising techniques.
• Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO): The students will be introduced to the CRO, i.e. how to enhance the conversion from existing customers and what the techniques are.
• Introduction to Branding: This will be an introductory session where we explore the concept of branding, including its history, significance, challenges, and opportunities.
• Brand Identity, Image, Personality, and Equity: This session will cover brand identity, image, personality, and equity, highlighting their importance and presenting a few relevant theoretical models.
• Brand Positioning: Students will be introduced to the STP (Segmentation, Targeting, Positioning) framework. The discussion will also cover brand positioning guidelines and criteria.
• Brand Elements: This interaction will focus on brand element tactics. It will cover different types of brand elements and the criteria that firms use to introduce them to the market.
• Brand Architecture and Extensions: Students will learn about various types of brand architectures and extension strategies that contribute to a brand's success. The session will also highlight the significance of each approach.

On Data-driven Strategic Leadership, you will develop the knowledge and skills needed to harness data analytics to frame, evaluate, and implement strategic decisions across private, public, and third sector contexts. Drawing on the programme’s five guiding themes (advocacy, plurality, sustainability, inclusivity, and accountability), the module explores: the economics of data as a strategic asset, predictive and prescriptive analytics for decision making under uncertainty, and the governance frameworks that keep algorithmic practices transparent, fair, and socially responsible.
You will learn to critically evaluate the provenance, quality, and biases of big-data sets, small-data observations, and streaming metrics, and to assess how these shape strategic options in diverse sector contexts. Through interactive analytics labs, live dashboards, and sector-specific cases, you will practise framing strategic questions, choosing the right analytical methods, and translating quantitative results into actionable recommendations.
The module also equips you with the skills to design innovative business models and governance frameworks that balance profit, public interest, and social value, ensuring diverse stakeholder voices are heard. Through case studies, interactive exercises, and group projects, you will develop practical strategies for effective stakeholder engagement and communication, embedding ethical practices in decision-making across sectors.

This module provides an overview of the mind-set, methods, and activities that support entrepreneurship and innovation. Entrepreneurial actors, whether occurring in an independent, corporate or social context, operate within a unique set of circumstances involving the entrepreneur / team, an opportunity, and the identification and marshalling of key resources needed to capture the opportunity. All of this must be done in the context surrounding the opportunity. The module takes an experimental and experiential approach where students develop a viable business model whilst critically reflecting upon the relevance of entrepreneurship and innovation upon their career and relevance to a chosen organisation.

This module focuses on how organisations are being transformed through digital technologies. In this module you will explore the complex and dynamic interplay between rapid technological change and the opportunities and challenges that this creates for organisations. These challenges and opportunities reflect whether the organisation is commercial in nature, governmental or in the third sector. As such, you will gain an understanding of how organisational context and characteristics shape how digital technologies are adopted. You will be introduced to the wide array of stakeholders that play a role in the digital transformation of organisations, and how digital technologies are developed within a global marketplace increasingly influenced by geopolitical considerations. Key topics you will be introduced to include digital business models, the economics of digital technologies, regulatory environment and ecosystems.

You will be introduced to case studies in this module drawn from business, government and third-sector use of digital technologies. These illustrate the challenges encountered, as well as the transformational nature of digital technologies. You will work in groups to investigate the dynamics of technological change and the nature of its transformational impact on the private, government and third sectors.