Course description
What is the Strathclyde MIM?
The Master of International Management is a high-level specialist programme designed to provide students with the capabilities and confidence to operate successfully as international executives in a global environment.
The programme has breadth in giving knowledge and developing abilities, building international expertise in the main areas of business such as strategy, marketing, finance and human resource management. Development of further critical skills for international business is achieved by working within international teams and dealing with the differences and discovering similarities between cultures. The programme attracts a wide ranging and diverse mix of international students, with 20 different nationalities currently represented on the course.
Benefits include:
* International management know-how and skills Unlike other international management programmes, the Strathclyde Masters focuses strongly on core international management expertise, and especially cross-cultural management.
* Practical skills in how to do business abroad Students will prepare business plans relating to company entry into a new market outside their home country; and projects on the practicalities of doing business in a foreign environment.
* Business communications Students study language (English in the case of Chinese and other non-native English speakers; Chinese for English-speaking students) and other business communication skills. The latter includes cultural awareness, social skills and business etiquette, as well as expertise in report writing, presentation, interviewing, and negotiation.
* Cultural understanding and networking skills and opportunities Students obtain synergistic benefits in cultural understanding and networking from working with other high potential and highly motivated colleagues from around the world. Students apply theory to practice in operating within multicultural teams.
* Customisation of programme to students' own interests Students can build a focus area customised to their own interests, through appropriate selection of electives and dissertation study.
* Research support and research opportunities The strong academic credentials of the degree are underpinned by the research programmes of Strathclyde International Business Unit.
Stage 1
Foundations:
Rationale of Foundations of International Management
This introductory block of 4 modules is designed to provide an understanding of the fundamentals of International Strategy, International Marketing, International Finance and International HRM. The modules represent a core building block for the Masters programme as a whole; and are aimed to give all programme participants a shared and common level of understanding of the major topic areas within these international management subjects.
Aside from developing a common understanding, study of these modules will assist programme participants to appreciate the learning processes for the overall programme. International Strategy comprises 16 hours lectures / discussions, and the other three modules 12 hours lectures / discussions. Participants will be provided with a core text for each module which will form the basis for clearly guided self-study.
International Strategy
This gives an overall understanding of the needs, contexts and processes of strategic management in an international context, and will present some of the most commonly applied approaches. It will also introduce some specifically international dimensions of strategy which will be further developed in the core module International Business - Global and Local Perspectives. International Marketing
International Marketing represents one of the key areas of international business, knowledge of which has become critically important in the face of deepening globalisation and liberalisation of markets, along with the ever urgent need to identify and satisfy global customers. The aim of the module is to provide programme participants with the critical knowledge/understanding required of marketing managers seeking to develop branded goods and services in an increasingly globalized business context. Accordingly classes will review, explore and apply the key components of brand conception and development strategy in addition to local market management
International Finance
Understanding the basic concepts of international finance is a key component for the successful operation of a firm in an international business environment. Some of the fundamental concepts of international finance developed in this module will provide a framework for the programme as a whole. The module will review and highlight the major areas of international finance, namely the main issues in global financial management, the mechanics of the foreign exchange markets, how trade is financed, and foreign investment decisions.
International Human Resource Management
HRM as a key element in the successful operation of international business firms. Appreciate the role of HRM in creating sustainable competitive advantage in international firms; domestic and international HRM; the key HRM challenges facing international firms, including expatriate management.
Fundamentals:
Cross Cultural Management
This core module aims to develop the awareness, skills and knowledge required by managers seeking to work abroad as international executives. The module aims to build on participants' understanding of the Foundations of International Management by increasing awareness and understanding of the soft skills in international management, particularly those relating to cross-cultural management. The module is also closely integrated with International Business: Global and Local Perspectives.
The class has three main parts:
* Part 1 focuses on conceptual notions of culture. The meaning of culture is explored by drawing on a range of national culture models and studies. These frameworks can be applied not only to national culture, but also to other cultural spheres - regional, industry, corporate and functional / professional.
* Part 2 examines how national culture influences management practice. In particular the focus will be on the influence of national culture on the development and transfer of a wide range of HRM practices e.g. How do human resource management practices differ across countries and why? What are the possible underlying cultural reasons for these differences? The influence of national culture on aspects of organization structure will also be examined. A range of areas in international management will be reviewed including leadership, decision-making, work and motivation, and negotiating across cultures.
* Part 3 focuses on how to manage cultural differences more effectively. The emphasis will be on how individuals, teams and organizations manage these cultural differences. A key theme will be comparative management, analysing the similarities and differences between management and business systems across countries and between different types of enterprise (including comparative Chinese management systems).
International Business
Gain a detailed knowledge of how and why firms pursue international business. Understand the internationalisation of business, the way that firms grow internationally, how they structure their operations, their market entry modes and how they gain advantage from their international spread. More than this, use this knowledge to examine real companies, diagnose their international business problems and devise strategies for their international growth and development. Present coherent recommendations to the senior management as if you were a consultant or manager at the business.
Practice:
Business Communications
The class aims to develop the skills to assist students to succeed as managers in an international environment. These skills relate to linguistic competence, but also to other aspects of cross-cultural competence in business-related formal and informal situations. The interactive and business communication skills developed in this class will support students in their degree studies as well as in the subsequent work situation.
The aims concerning linguistic capabilities will differ according to the language taught:
* English. In the case of (mainly) Chinese students, the aim will be to improve spoken fluency, accuracy and communication skills to the level required for effective interaction in business and social environments, in addition to strengthening study skills. It will aim to raise the level of English proficiency from advanced to near native-speaker competence. Critical elements will concern pronunciation problems specific to particular learners, and grammatical accuracy in writing. Commonly, the non-native speakers will attend at least one module of the Pre-sessional English and Academic Study Skills before embarking on their degree course.
* Chinese (Putonghua). For English speakers, the aim will be to develop language ability to enable students to communicate and survive in certain business and social situations, including some conversational skills; and to develop listening and some reading and writing skills.
Developing a Business Plan:
This class will provide an understanding of the process of developing a business plan - a fundamental management tool. It will require that you select a specific market and create a business plan for one company intending to operate in that market. Normally, it is expected that your business plan should consist of a new venture, operating through a new start up business. We may permit you to orient your plan around a joint venture.
Doing Business Abroad
Participants will examine the practical details of doing business in a country that is foreign to them. Using and integrating material from the first semester core classes in a practical way, participants will prepare a detailed operational plan for setting up and managing a business in a foreign country. Building on, alongside and integrated with, the Developing a Business Plan module, it will examine how to implement the business plan presented in that module, considering, for example, the political, economic, cultural, institutional and legal influences on doing that business in that specific foreign country, considering the necessary decisions in each aspect and area of the proposed business.
Stage 2
Electives:
The second stage of the programme allows students to build a focused area of study to suit their own interests. Four elective classes are chosen from a list which may include:
* Planning and Managing the Global Enterprise
* Research Seminar in International Management
* The World Trade Organisation
* Management Consulting: A Global Perspective
* Currency Risk Management and Derivatives
* Finance for International Managers
* International Corporate Reporting
* International Entrepreneurship
* Advances in International HRM
* Economic Development in China and the Pacific Rim
* The Multinational Subsidiary
* Management of International Relationships
* E-Commerce
* Leadership: A Global Perspective
Stage 3
Dissertation:
The dissertation is a major individual piece of work which can be completed in variety of ways. For example, dissertations can examine large or small international and multinational companies, public policies and institutions and their impact on industries, or differing management approaches.
Throughout the process of competing the MIM dissertation, students are assigned an individual academic supervisor, who will provide instruction and advice on topic selection, literature review, employment of research methods, data analysis, interpretation and discussion of findings and the final writing up of the report.
Many MIM students have used the dissertation as a stepping stone towards Doctoral research. The strong academic credentials of the MIM programme are supplemented by the internationally recognised research in international management undertaken by the Strathclyde International Business Unit.
