Objectives
This course is a unique interdisciplinary degree focusing on the latest thinking in comparative international management. Unlike other masters courses that also focus on fields of international business studies, this course emphasises the exploration of implications of divergent international arenas to multinational firms in a comparative manner. Furthermore, it provides students with the key skills of international business consulting (such as framing international business problems, writing business reports and preparing for interviews). The course is aimed at graduates who are interested in pursuing a career in the area of business analysis and development, including business consulting, as well as candidates who seek a pathway to a research degree in the field of international management and comparative studies. Following completion of semester 2, you undertake a client-facing project with an external client organisation (internship). This, although unpaid, provides you with the opportunity to apply your learning to real business problems, gain valuable experience of working with a reputed, real client and create networking opportunities.
Course description
Course description
This course is a unique interdisciplinary degree focusing on the latest thinking in comparative international management. Unlike other masters courses that also focus on fields of international business studies, this course emphasises the exploration of implications of divergent international arenas to multinational firms in a comparative manner. Furthermore, it provides students with the key skills of international business consulting (such as framing international business problems, writing business reports and preparing for interviews).
The course is aimed at graduates who are interested in pursuing a career in the area of business analysis and development, including business consulting, as well as candidates who seek a pathway to a research degree in the field of international management and comparative studies.
Following completion of semester 2, you undertake a client-facing project with an external client organisation (internship). This, although unpaid, provides you with the opportunity to apply your learning to real business problems, gain valuable experience of working with a reputed, real client and create networking opportunities.
Module details
The course combines core units and a choice of other units. The core units are built around the problems of international management, the operation of multinational enterprises, comparative business analysis and the skills necessary to work efficiently in a international business environment. The optional courses allow you to specialise in particular aspects of international management and business analysis.
Typical compulsory and optional course units may include: Managing Internationally across Business Systems; Global Politics and Global Business; Research Methods for Organisations; Analysis of Business Structures; Managing Internationally across Business Systems; Management of International Change; Global Business Strategy; Technology, Innovation Management and Business Strategy; International Human Resource Management; and International Trade and Capital Flows.
During the summer period, you carry out a client-facing project with an external organisation. This part of the course is closely related to the Manchester Method that enables you to experience experiential learning and helps you to become a reflective practitioner or manager. You will have the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills learnt during the first two semesters, enhance your skills while working with a major real life client and work as part of a team. The result of this project will be presented as a research report/dissertation.
Alternatively, you may undertake an academic dissertation on a subject of your choice. Your supervisor will help you to define the scope of the research and advise, guide and support you through the process. Finally, you may be given the option of a group project. Individuals will be required to write a reflective learning journal while undertaking the project. This alternative was piloted in 2006/7 and will be reviewed for 2007/8 academic year.
Courses
MBus Global business Analysis – Course structure
The course combines core (compulsory) course units and a choice of other course units.
The core units are built around the problems of international management, the operation of
multinational enterprises, comparative business analysis and the skills necessary to work
efficiently in a international business environment. The optional courses allow you to
specialise in particular aspects of international management and business analysis.
These core units include, for example:
• Managing Internationally across Business Systems (30 credits)
This unit is the cornerstone of the course running over two semesters. It aims to show
you how firms and markets are organised differently across the world, to explain why
these differences have developed and how they are likely to change, and to examine
how firms from different business systems develop different strategies and
competences. It will analyse the implications of these influences on the way in which
multinational firms manage their subsidiaries, transfer knowledge and key assets and
organise their workforce. It will also enable you to understand how and why different
business environments encourage firms to behave in different ways, and manage
accordingly.
• Global Politics and Global Business (15 credits)
More formally, the course aims to examine exactly what is the connection between
global politics and global business. It looks at some of the most important factors,
institutions and processes and studies the political environment of business.
• Analysis of Business Structures (15 credits)
This course unit aims to introduce you to the main ideas involved in the economic
analysis of business institutions. It focuses on the economics of organisational
architecture. It also explores the relations between organisational strategy and
organisational architecture. Some attention is paid to comparing economic
approaches to organisational analysis with alternative approaches.
• Researh Methods for Organisations (15 credits)
The client-facing project with an external business organisation is a major part of the
programme and must be completed in a relatively short time. It is critical that you are
well prepared for this challenge and that you proceed quickly along the right track.
The course unit will prepare candidates to do just that. It will also provide you with a
methodological framework of long lasting value through your career. The course will
help you find and use primary and secondary literature, data or other material. It will
show you how to carry out business interviews and surveys and the ways in which
these can be analysed and presented in the most effective ways. The unit will also
provide you with the skill of presenting your findings in a business report appropriate
for a major business client or for your senior managers.
The optional courses allows students to specialise in particular aspects of international
management and business analysis (each worth 15 credits), such as:
• Technology, Innovation Management and Business Strategy
This course unit will consider the ways in which firms develop and implement
technology strategy and manage their technological and innovative capabilities in
support of business objectives. Through theoretical and empirical material and the
analysis of a series of case studies, the module will familiarise you with the issues
that arise in the formulation of company technology strategy, the management of
technology and its integration with business strategy.
• International Human Resource Management
This course unit aims to develop an understanding of the international and
comparative factors (such as national culture legislation) that shape human resource
management It will provide insight into the role of corporate HR functions and their
contribution to business strategy and build functional knowledge of the main
developments in the management of expatriates and other forms of international
manager, as organisations move towards global HR service provision, global
knowledge management and international partnerships.
• Management of International change
The course unit aims to review current ideas and practices on the what, why and how
of managing change in contemporary organisations and social systems in general. In
particular, the course will examine issues and dilemmas facing those managing
change.
• Global Business Strategy
The focus of this course unit will be on understanding the main strategic issues that
organisations face when they decide to go global. Specifically the course unit will
focus on three inter-related areas: understanding global strategic analysis;
formulation of a global strategy; and sources of competitive advantage in a given
company.
• International Trade and Capital Flows
The purpose of this course unit is to survey the basics of international trade and
finance and to examine the effects of various international economic policies on
domestic and world business relations.
Summer period (60 credits)
Client-facing group project with an external organisation. This part of the course is closely
related to the Manchester Method that enables students to experience experimental learning
and helps you to become a reflective practitioner or manager.
During this period, you will have the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills learnt
during the first two semesters, enhance your skills while working with a major real life client
and work as part of a team. The result of this project will have to be presented as a research
report/dissertation.
Alternatively, you may undertake an academic dissertation on a subject of your choice. Your
supervisor will help you to define the scope of the research and advise, guide and support
you through the process.
Or finally, you may be given the option of a group project. Individuals will be required to write
a reflective learning journal while undertaking the project. A pilot for this alternative has been
run in 2006/7 and will be reviewed for 2007/8 academic year.
Recent project reports include -
- A European market entry strategy for a research, technology and publishing service
- Creating a formalised network of distributors across the North West with the aim of
creating a wider customer base in the region and reducing distribution costs
- Competitor analysis to develop new strategic models for external clients
- Developing a strategic business plan for a new line of service to consider viabiity of
the service offering
- Evaluation of options for utilising potential products, licensing and trade sales for an
accelerated growth strategy
- Collating and analysing data or measuring and identifying new opportunities of
international export promotion (technical assistance, grants)
The three-month project, although unpaid, provides you with the opportunity to apply your
learning to real business problems, gain valuable work experience and develop networking
opportunities. Client-facing projects have included top brand names such as Unilever; ICI;
United Utilities and Asda among many others.
