MSc International Management Timetables and Modules

Michaelmas Term	Hilary Term	Trinity Term
International HRM Cross Cultural Management International Entrepreneurship	Global Brand Management International Business Strategy - Theory International Management in Context Ethical and Privacy Issues in Business Data International Business Strategy - Practice	International Consultancy Project  -  this project allows students to showcase the knowledge they have gained and enhance their career potential by specialising in a particular area.

 

Electives (choose four in total over two terms)

• Project Management 
• Global Supply Chain Management 
• Economics for Global Markets
• International Marketing 
• Applied International Strategy 
• International Digital Marketing
• International Sales
• International Trade and Business
• Research Methods

Module Descriptions

International Business Strategy - Practice (5 ECTS)
Having successfully completed this module, the student should be able to:

• Understand and explore international business dynamics;
• Assess the complex character of global business, barriers and opportunities;
• Interpret global competitive and political forces;
• Understand the different types of international or global business;
• Recognize the critical success factors in internationalising a business;
• Appreciate the different organisational forms applicable;
• Develop appropriate market expansion strategies;
• Assess internationalisation readiness;
• Appraise market entry modes and channels;
• Understand a “Born Global” strategy;
• Develop related leadership capabilities in an international context;
• Interpret international business cultures better.

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International Business Strategy - Theory (5 ECTS)

Having successfully completed this module, the student should be able to:

• Diagnose analyse an international business’s strategic activities from the manager's perspective in the context of an ever-changing international/global operating environment
• Identify and understand the sociocultural, economic and political factors of globalization that impact upon international/global business strategy and global value chains (GVCs)
• Identify emerging trends in the global business environment and in particular appreciate the special strategic and relational considerations when conducting business in Asia describe and explain the motives for firms to internationalise, the advantages that may accrue from internationalisation and overseas operations and the market entry options and location decisions and attractiveness appreciate the operations and strategies of multinational enterprises and their subsidiaries and SMEs, international new ventures and born globals.

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Global Brand Management (5 ECTS)

Having successfully completed this module, the student should be able to: 

• Understand and articulate the role of brand in contemporary organizations, business systems and societies
• Demonstrate a systematic understanding of the principles of strategic brand management including implementation strategies
• Critically appraise the issues in managing a portfolio of brands 
• Understand the characteristics and management of brand equity and brand value. 
• Creatively extrapolate theoretical and strategic issues in branding to the real world of individual brands through the submission of a brand portfolio.

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Economics for Global Markets (5 ECTS)
Having successfully completed this module, the student should be able to:

• Apply economic approach to analysis in evaluating investment and production strategies and decisions made by markets participants in a specific market setting or under specific policy constraints, including in considering the effects of exogenous and endogenous shocks to the economy on consumers and producers;
• Apply economic thinking to analysis of government policies relating to economics, and specific industries and markets;
• Deploy economic analysis tools acquired during the course to explain and understand business cycle dynamics and evolution of growth, GDP and GNP, as well as other components of the National Accounts;
• Describe and understand the role of individual preferences, production strategies and investment choices, as well as technology and R&D in defining market economies and market outcomes;
• Be able to relate lessons learned from the key economic shocks of our times (the Global Financial Crisis, the Great Recession, the Eurozone crises and the Secular Stagnation) to analysis of the corporate strategies and decisions relating to production, investment and operations strategies.

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International Entrepreneurship (5 ECTS)

Having successfully completed this module, the student will be able to: 

• Understand the fundamental concepts, theories and practices in the field of international entrepreneurship
• Assess opportunities and challenges for entrepreneurs seeking to engage in international markets and when internationalising their business 
• Develop a critical understanding of the internationalisation process of an entrepreneurial firm 
• Build problem solving, theory based approaches to internationalisation planning and implementation 
• Advance independent and collaborative skills in cross-cultural teams to design and deliver strategic recommendations for international entrepreneurial firms

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Cross Cultural Management (5 ECTS)

On successful completion of this course, students will be able to: 

• Analyse and critique theory and research on national cultures, and to convert theory and research into practice.
• Critically appreciate cross-cultural awareness and cross-cultural management. 
• Apply an understanding of cultural and institutional differences to evaluate the challenges and opportunities of doing business in different countries.
• Explicate the implications of cultural similarities and difference for managerial behaviour such as managing and leading within and across cultural divides.
• Develop cross-cultural awareness/ competence to work effectively in a different cultural setting  and/or manage and collaborate in cross-cultural teams
• Discuss a range of international management practices and how culture impacts upon them. For example: motivation, cross-cultural communication and decision-making, negotiation and trust.

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International HRM (5 ECTS)

Having successfully completed this module, students will be able to:

• Understand the core elements of high-performance work systems (HPWS) and the mechanism through which they are associated with employee attitudes and behaviour and in aggregate organizational performance. 
• Understand how HRM strategies are shaped by and developed in response to internal and external environmental factors.
• Critically evaluate the aims and objectives of the HRM function in organisations and how these are met in practice.
• Promote professionalism and an ethical approach to HRM practices in organisations.
• Discuss the market and competitive environments of organisations and how organisational leaders and the HR function respond to them.
• Discuss globalisation and international forces and how they shape and impact on HR strategies and HR practices.
• Critically evaluate main challenges in International HRM.

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International Management in Context: IRW (5 ECTS)
Experiential learning from real world activities and exposures to culture and business systems in a foreign environment.

Having completed this module, the student should be able to:

• Demonstrate an appreciation of the key challenges that arise for international managers in foreign contexts
• Exhibit awareness of the principles and theories of cross-cultural sensitivity and empathy that underpin successful international management
• Appreciate critical international assignment issues in a foreign environment and acknowledge the requirement for appropriate preparation
• Provide insights into particular characteristics of an economy, market, supply chains and production systems
• Distinguish between formative and reflective learning approaches

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Project Management (5 ECTS)
This course explores the role of project management in improving organisational performance and exposes participants to the methods of planning and implementing projects. The course develops an appreciation of the project management context, the process as it occurs, and the key techniques required for successful project delivery. This will enable participants to develop a practical knowledge of project management as well as the tools and techniques commonly used in the discipline. Students who complete the course will be able to better understand the project management environment and any projects they work on in their future careers.
 
 Having successfully completed this module, students should be able to:

• Articulate the role of project management in the modern organisation;
• Understand the project management process and project life-cycle;
• Utilise the major methods and approaches to project management, and the specific techniques required to successfully deliver a project;
• Appreciate the unique nature of international projects;
• Make accurate use of the frameworks and models covered in the course, applying them to a wide range of situations;
• Incorporate learning from other subject areas into the project management framework;
• Demonstrate how project requirements vary across contexts and the implications for the project manager.

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Global Supply Chain Management (5 ECTS)

Having successfully completed this module, the student should be able to: 

• Demonstrate an awareness of the key processes in a supply chain and how these are linked together by product, financial and information flows;
• Understand and apply a range of models concerning these flows to specific business cases;
• Demonstrate an awareness of the impact of supply chain activity beyond profit to the wider economy and society; 
• Analyse the operational risk profile of different supply chain configurations;
• Propose an international sourcing and inventory management approach to achieve a given strategic objective.

Satisfactory completion of this module will contribute to the development of the following key skills:

• Ability to analyse global supply chain designs and discriminate between effective and ineffective designs;
• Familiarity with optimisation techniques to improve supply chain designs.

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Ethical & Privacy Issues in Business Data (5 ECTS)

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to core theoretical concepts of ethical business as well as of corporate sustainability and responsibility (CSR). After discussing the relevance of ethical business for theory and practice this course proceeds by elaborating on key theoretical concepts of ethical business and CSR. This includes understanding the relation between business and ethics, defining relevant terms and constructs as well as distinguishing between multiple levels of analysis in an international context. Next, the course focuses on a critical discussion of several theoretical approaches to ethical business and CSR. Since ethical business ultimately aims at influencing business practice, the course then focuses on the practical implementation of ethical business in multinational corporations.

Having successfully participated in this module, students will:

• Understand the critical role and fundamental concepts of management (i.e., ethical business, corporate sustainability and responsibility, stakeholder management, multi-stakeholder governance, stakeholder value creation)
• Develop innovative approaches to new and existing business problems (i.e., solving ethical challenges through stakeholder-oriented, responsible management practices)
• Integrate functional areas of management when analyzing business problems (i.e., the interrelations between sourcing, accounting and CSR)
• Identify relevant business problems and opportunities (i.e., ethical, economic, social, environmental and political aspects of global business)
• Employ appropriate methodologies to solve decision problems (i.e., tools and frameworks for ethical decision-making and problem-solving)
• Demonstrate effective fundamental professional oral communications skills (i.e., group presentations and discussions in class)
• Demonstrate effective fundamental professional written communications skills (through several written short essays on selected topics)
• Take initiative to substantially contribute to the team effort (through group presentations on selected topics and class discussions)
• Work effectively in a diverse team environment to generate an appropriate solution for a real-world business problem (through group presentations as well as case studies in class)

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International Digital Marketing (5 ECTS)
Having successfully completed tis module, the students will be able to:

• Understand the impact and influence that digital marketing channels have on consumer behaviour and experience in an omnichannel world.
• Understand key digital marketing concepts and apply these in the development of a digital marketing strategy.
• Critically examine international digital marketing strategies.
• Devise and develop digital marketing strategies for international markets (For B2B and B2C products).
• Appraise digital marketing strategies and their impact on business goals. 

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International Marketing (5 ECTS)
Having successfully completed this module, students should be able to:

• Identify and critically assess the nature and scope of International Marketing in Global Markets and the impact of socio-cultural and political issues on international marketing strategy
• To examine the forces of globalisation and the underlying philosophy of globalism
• To identify the different problems faced in selecting international markets and investigate the most appropriate and effective entry strategies for the different modes of entry into global markets
• To evaluate and design a customer-driven International Marketing Strategy based in sustainable marketing concepts to solve specific product/service, promotion, pricing and distribution problems and to develop the appropriate response strategies to gain maximum competitive advantage
• To apply international marketing concepts using company case scenarios to develop participants’ conceptual and analytical skills to enhance their strategic thinking by developing an appropriate response to a number of critical issues relating to a real market situation

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Negotiation Theory (5 ECTS)
Having successfully completed this module, the student should be able to:

• Recognise, define and describe different types of negotiation;
• Identify and describe core negotiation elements and common negotiation tactics;
• Analyse and evaluate negotiation processes and outcomes, and formulate and communicate actionable improvement approaches;
• Identify intra-personal, inter-personal and contextual factors that can contribute and detract from effective negotiations;
• Execute literature-based research into specific negotiation issues;
• Comprehensively plan and prepare interpersonal and team-based negotiations.

Applied International Strategy (5 ECTS)
Having successfully completed this module, the student should be able to:

• Describe the strategy/marketing planning process;
• Develop a team plan of action;
• Conduct a strategic analysis of product and market data;
• Interpret market/product analysis and propose actions;
• Evaluate the effectiveness of team activities and recommend adjustments;
• Construct a strategic marketing plan across multiple cycles;
• Recognise time, resource, and knowledge constraints that affect strategic planning;
• Assess the impact of team dynamics on performance.

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International Trade and Business (5 ECTS)

The purpose of the course is to delineate economic thinking from its restrictive traditional understanding. Through analyzing the anthropological and social origins of certain economic phenomenon, this course will show how the economics driving trade, in all its forms, need not be obfuscated using complex and rigid economic modelling, but rather can be understood of by simply looking at one another, our interactions, our history and our collective existence.

The course will take us through a series of real-life examples which substantiate the humanistic nature of money, trade and the subject of economics. Taking us on a journey from the French Revolution, Tasmania, and the economics of gossip, to the protectionism of Donald Trump and the current war in Ukraine, this course hopes to provide students with a non-conventional perspective on economic events.

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International Sales (5 ECTS)

This module will examine sales and sales management and the use of tools and application of these tools and we will explore international sales as well as the changes in sales which may happen as a result of C19. It will focus on understanding the core elements of sales and sales management as a function within an organisation. The fundamentals form the basis of understanding the evolution of sales to include the impact of data in prospecting, qualification and closing sales and how the application of technology e.g. ERP CRM tools and Social Selling, impacts the relationships with external and internal stakeholders. There will be a particular focus on the relationship between Sales and Marketing with reflections on inside sales, campaign alignment and social selling. This is not a marketing class but one focussed on sales

Having successfully completed this module, the student should be able to:

• Understanding of the Core Elements of the Sales Function and the constituent models of engagement, e.g. inside sales, outbound marketing, account management, enterprise sales.
• Identify how to apply the differing management models of Sales Groups: Inside Sales, Outbound Marketing, Sales Support, Enterprise Sales, and use of tools such as CRM and Social Selling and methodologies such as Miller Heiman, SPIN Selling and Challenger Sales.
• Recognising team and individual skills and behaviours required in a sales environment. This will also include reflecting on Motivation and Reward of staff.
• Examine and apply the factors of international management to market development, building appropriate sales organisations, cultural appreciation and practical examples
• Understand how to position an appropriate sales mix within the strategic context of the firm

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International Consultancy Project (30 ECTS)

A capstone project for the programme, students work in teams to apply the techniques and knowledge acquired from the taught modules to a managerial problem of real-world social, strategic or economic concern. This allows students to gain experience in areas of genuine organisational consequence, while at the same time acquiring practical work skills, along with the investigative and analytical skills to facilitate the pursuit of a career in international management.

Student teams conduct an in-depth exploration of a challenging problem or opportunity in international business management, including the generation of feasible solutions in real companies. The primary function of the Project is to provide an actionable solution to a particular problem or task mutually agreed between your team and the company, through initial analysis by the team or specified directly by the host company.

Projects will cover a wide spectrum of international business issues for a diverse range of firms. Examples include strategic interventions, globalisation issues, feasibility studies, international market entry strategy, global business planning, or change management. Client firms include MNCs, large indigenous firms, global organisations, public sector agencies, financial institutions and high-potential start-ups.

Having successfully completed this module, the student should be able to:

• Contribute to resolving a significant issue for the host company by analysing the business environment, the organization’s strategy, capabilities, values and culture.
• Apply appropriate tools and frameworks in diagnosing and exploring these issues.
• Demonstrate their capability to be effective management practitioners, with a good understanding of the practical aspects of work life, including presentation and communication skills.
• Demonstrate a clear ability to be an effective member of a high-performance team and exercise sound judgment when confronted with significant constraints (e.g. time deficits, information deficits).
• Evaluate their own capabilities as an international practitioner and build related leadership and management skills.

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