Accounting and Finance for Managers

15 credits
Autumn teaching, year 1

This module is designed as an introduction for non-financial managers to comparative international accounting and financial reporting and analysis within the context of converging standards. No prior knowledge of accounting procedures is assumed or required. As part of the module, you will produce a business financial analysis report.

Business and Project Management

15 credits
Autumn teaching, year 1

This module addresses wider business and project management issues which affect the technological and engineering environment. Some of these issues include: principles of strategic management, project management and planning, the business environment, auditing and control, organisational structure, business legislation, resource management, global markets and supply and forecasting.

Corporate Governance and Social Responsibility

15 credits
Spring teaching, year 1

This module enables you to investigate the systems of controls within a company, the relationship between company management and stakeholder groups, and the social accountability and responsibilities that a corporation holds towards different stakeholders. You will examine these issues in the context of three major challenges to contemporary businesses: globalisation, sustainability and corporate citizenship.

The module covers the development and theoretical aspects of corporate governance, stakeholder management approaches to corporate governance and social responsibility, business ethics management, national and international regulatory frameworks, socially responsible investment, and international corporate governance. You will engage with the practical assessment tools for corporate governance and responsibility and consider the importance of policy and practice through case studies, documentaries and guest speakers. The case studies used will include those developed specifically for the module, and those from the textbooks.

Global Business

15 credits
Autumn teaching, year 1

The module will widen the perspective of aspiring managers regarding the strategic implications of global change and facilitate more informed strategic planning and implementation within companies. The module is introductory and wide ranging in scope. A balance is sought between theory and practice with seminars placing an emphasis on contemporary case studies.

Managing Complex Projects, Products and Systems

15 credits
Spring teaching, year 1

During this module you will address three central issues:

Organisational capabilities: how organisational forms and capabilities in project management, systems integration and software engineering are essential in the design and production of CoPS. Special emphasis is given to project management capabilities.

Models of innovation: how industrial structures, product life cycles and innovation management in CoPS differ from the conventional model of innovation often based on the mass production of consumer goods.

Firm strategy: how firms are changing their strategic positions, building new service capabilities and creating customer-centric organisations to provide bundles of products and services as integrated solutions to their customer's needs.

Managing Innovation

30 credits
Autumn teaching, year 1

This course equips you with the knowledge to understand, and the skills to manage, innovation at operational and strategic levels. The management of innovation is inherently interdisciplinary and multi-functional, so we aim here to provide you with an integrative approach to the management of innovation. Specifically, we aim to integrate the management of market, technological and organisational change to improve the competitiveness of firms and effectiveness of other organisations. You will explore the argument that the process of innovation management is essentially generic, although organisation, technological and market specific factors will constrain choices and actions.

Managing Intellectual Property

15 credits
Spring teaching, year 1

Protecting intellectual assets has become a key success factor for organisations in the knowledge-based economy.This module provides the knowledge and tools for managing intellectual property (IP), and how best to deploy and appropriate these to create value from the perspective of both private and public-sector organisations.

More specifically, you will gain an understanding of IP strategies and approaches in multinational corporations, small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as universities and research institutes. You will learn about patents and copyrights as instruments to protect IP, as well as develop an understanding of less formal, alternative approaches.

Marketing Management

15 credits
Autumn teaching, year 1

Gone are the stable markets of yesteryear. Today's markets are characterised by rapidly changing customers' wants, accelerating pace of technological advances, and intensifying competition, presenting major challenges for both incumbent and upstart enterprises alike. For most organisations, marketing is a major determinant of success. This module is designed to help you develop an appreciation of the role of marketing and the management of marketing functions in the modern organisation. The impact of marketing and the contribution of marketing to organisational performance in the dynamic, globally competitive markets of today will be addressed. The module will also focus on what being market-oriented really means in practice to organisations operating in manufacturing and service industries, as well as in profit and non-profit enterprises.

The module will introduce you to the theories, concepts, models, techniques and current best-practices for developing and implementing marketing strategies and actions. Marketing decision-making should not take place in a vacuum, and this course will familiarise you with the components of market analysis and strategy development with respect to the organisation, its customers, competitors and collaborators. There will also be indepth coverage of marketing implementation and control issues through the concept of the integrated marketing mix: the product/service offering and customer service, communications, pricing and channels.

Research Methods

15 credits
Spring teaching, year 1

The main aims of this module are to introduce a range of research methods for the collection and analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data, to advance your analytic research skills through practical experience, and to develop your skills in reading and evaluating journal articles and research papers.

The main topics to be covered are: literature reviews, searches and referencing; social science research; case study research - comparative and longitudinal methods; survey research; basic concepts in statistical analysis; goodness-of-fit tests & contingency tables - correlation analysis; simple comparative tests; ANOVA: one-way and RCB designs; two-variable regression and multiple regression.

Research Project (Managing Innovation & Projects)

30 credits
Summer teaching, year 1

You undertake an independent business analysis report, offering you the opportunity to pursue selected issues in greater depth.

Risk Management

15 credits
Spring teaching, year 1

This module addresses the various aspects involved in the management of risks in project and operational business environment. Such aspects include: factors from the external and internal (relative to the project, firm and industry) environment that contribute to the emergence and escalation of risks; the processes required to manage those risks and the tools and methods applied to identify, assess and control risks. The management of stakeholders plays a central role in the characterisation of risk events and in their associated impacts once such events occur.

Strategic Management - Business Mgmnt Course

15 credits
Spring teaching, year 1

This module aims to give you a strong grasp of the issues, tools and theoretical perspectives underlying the practice of strategy and its links with management. Using a combination of theory, practice and cases you will learn how to apply principles of strategy to companies.

The module begins by covering key skills and tools for strategic analysis. These include tools for analysing a firm's macroenvironment and competitive environment, as well as an organisation's own resources and capabilities. It then provides an in-depth summary of the strategy process as it is used by managers, and then discusses the range of theoretical perspectives that inform our understanding of this process.

The Business Context in East Asia

15 credits
Spring teaching, year 1

The main aims of this module are to explore the international business environment in East Asia, to provide an overview of the various East Asian economies, their interrelationship, and their importance in the world economy, and to examine the lessons which may be drawn both from the economic success of the East Asian economies, and from the Asian financial crisis.

The Business Context in Europe

15 credits
Spring teaching, year 1

The main aims of this module are to explore the international business environment in Europe, and to provide an overview of the various European economies, their inter-relationships, and their importance in the world economy.

Attention will be paid not just to the major member-states of the EU, but also to newer member-states and other European economies.