The module starts with an induction to the programme and introduction to teaching and learning management knowledge and skills. The module covers individual and group behaviours in organisations; general management at operational and strategic levels; leadership in and out of organisations; strategic human resource management system; interpersonal relations and communications; and managing change.

This module covers managing resources, systems and processes in organisations, including planning and design, production and operations, marketing, and sales/distribution of goods and services; managing innovation, including creativity, intrapreneurial and entrepreneurial behaviour, enterprise development and intellectual property.

This module covers financing of organisations, financial management, managerial applications of accounting and micro-and macro-economics; principles and practices of strategy, strategy formulation and planned and incremental approaches to decision making, business level strategy and competitive advantage, corporate level strategy and portfolio management; ethics, corporate governance, social responsibility and sustainability and their impact on management.

When completing the non-credit bearing Learning and Professional Development Portfolio, as you progress through your studies, you will produce a structured collection of evidence and reflection that supports and documents your learning and development. The portfolio is both a tool and a product of learning.

As a tool, the portfolio helps you learn to record, reflect on and take responsibility for managing your development. As a product, the Portfolio allows you to substantiate your CV, job/promotion application, selection interview, or performance appraisal/professional development review to current or prospective employers and to demonstrate continuing professional development for the purposes of membership in or licensing by a professional body.

You will submit your portfolio at the end of each of the first four modules on the programme and will be required to pass the module in order to progress to the final module. You will be supported in your work on the Portfolio by your personal tutor, who will provide you with guidance and regular feedback. Submission of your portfolio is required although you are not required to ‘pass’ it at each stage.

You will then submit your final portfolio as a pre-requisite before progressing on to the Organisational Research and Consultancy Methods module and the MBA Project. A pass grade must be achieved for your Learning and Professional Development portfolio before you can start your MBA project.

Organisations depend on thorough research and the processes of collecting and interpreting information to inform crucial decisions tantamount to success.

This module enables you to explore a management issue in practice and make critically informed recommendations based on the theories, concepts and frameworks that have been learnt throughout the MBA.

You’ll become an independent and reflective researcher, able to assess your own personal skills and research abilities. There is a choice between a traditional dissertation, an in-company project, business research or a business-start up plan, depending on your strengths and career ambitions. The MBA project is often the most challenging and rewarding part of the programme.

Topics covered

• Introduction to business research
• Strategies for finding and developing topics
• Finding and critiquing literature
• Project management and planning
• Data collection types and techniques
• Data analysis
• Ethical issues in research
• Writing up research
• Research communication and dissemination

This module provides an in-depth engagement with a wide range of current marketing concepts, issues and challenges. The two key dimensions are: how to organise and manage marketing relationships and supply chains in both consumer and business-to-business contexts; and, to understand and operationalise effective programmes for communications, promotion and stakeholder engagement activities. In modern business administration these two dimensions are co-ordinated and implemented through effective and sustainable strategic brand management processes which underpin the basis for the development of brand equity, brand value and competitive positioning.

Finance plays a central role in the survival, growth and development of a corporation. It is an essential dimension of most corporate policy decisions and involves an understanding of the practices of the short term and long term capital markets. Alternative sources of finance are associated with different risks, which need to be identified, managed and mitigated when managers make strategic decisions such as whether or not to merge with or acquire another company. Another important set of decisions which require an understanding of finance involves the choice of capital structure and dividend policy. Financial innovation is rapid with new alternative sources of finance coming to the market. Managers, especially of SMEs, need to know about these new sources along with the risks associated with them.

Many organisations declare that ‘people are our most important asset’, and human resource managers often contend that they take an increasingly strategic role in organisations. However, other organisations have achieved success through business models which emphasise low levels of investment in their workers.

The aim of this module is to examine the extent to which Human Resource Management can be considered to be a strategic business function. Through an examination of the employment relationship, including recruitment and selection, training and development, motivation and reward, and performance and change management, you’ll analyse the different approaches that organisations take to managing their people.

Are you ready to navigate the world of big data and business analytics?  This module is designed to empower you with crucial data-driven decision-making skills.

You will gain a solid understanding of big data sources, their management and manipulation in business contexts – a key learning outcome for modern professionals.  Our interactive multimedia study guide and recorded online lectures will enable you to grasp contemporary data analysis theory conceptually and critically

You’ll delve into the world of information systems that support decision-making processes, gaining a comprehensive understanding of their roles and impact.  Through real-world case studies, you will learn to appraise the scholarship in the field, enhancing your ability to make informed, data-driven decisions.  Our online seminars and learning resources offer you an engaging platform where you’ll learn to analyse a big data set and effectively communicate your findings to a business audience.  This is integral in today’s data-driven business environment.

Through exploring intelligent business information systems, you will gain a critical understanding of the relevant theories and techniques.  This knowledge will equip you to analyse contemporary issues and devise solutions, linking directly to your learning outcomes.  You will be provided with a robust methodology for the interrogation, utilization and presentation of data.  Through a range of practical exercises, you will learn how to formulate, justify and defend an appropriate methodology, a crucial skills in the field of data analysis.

You will also apply for your knowledge to real-world problems.  You’ll utilize various datasets to develop and operationalise an appropriate methodology for investigating problems in the field of data analysis.