Modules

First semester

Second semester

    • Leadership and Human Resources Management
    • Corporate Law and Strategy
    • Business Development

    Third semester (Dissertation Stage)

  • Dissertation

 

First semester

Strategic Management and Marketing

Strategic Management and Marketing is an initial module. It is designed to provide a selection of strategic issues that will be developed in more details in this module and in special focus in further modules. The module is aimed at development of a knowledge and critical analysis as well as the practical understanding of the academic theories, frameworks, managerial models and techniques that contribute to contemporary strategic thinking and management. Marketing is another area of potential development of key success factors in the long-term firm development. Therefore due attention is paid to develop understanding of the role and importance of strategic marketing – especially in its international context - by exploring the fundamental principles of this topic. Contemporary viewpoints will be embedded into the module to enable students to be prepared for the practical utilisation of knowledge obtained.

Financial Management

In this module the strategic context of financial management organization will be defined and the methodological foundation of financial management (data, models, techniques) presented. Methodology of the financial strategy of the company and strategic financial plan will be emphasized as well as the possibilities of using management tools for strategic aspects of financial management in business practice.

Information Management

Within this module the nature and trends in management information systems (ICT) will be explained. The students will gain an overview of the use of information systems and their suitability for the enterprise. They will analyze the current state of ICT, critically evaluate it and propose the measures to enhance the current state and to improve the usage of ICT. Students will also understand the importance of information strategy and learn to create it. The whole content will be focused on efficient use of information and communication technologies for business management.

Managing Strategic Change

The module will enable participants to develop an awareness of, and become familiar with, academic theories, frameworks, managerial models and techniques that contribute to concept of learning and changing organisation. The students will be confronted with different approaches to change management. The business ethics will be taken into account. Participants are expected to critically evaluate and apply appropriate strategic modules and techniques which may be relevant when making changes (strategic and operational) within their organization.

Second semester

Risk management

Change and risk are typical features of current business world and both these factors inevitably influence the decision-making process in management, especially when taking account the strategic management. This module therefore aims at achieving the participants´ deep understanding of the nature of risks involved in any managerial decision and the way of risk reduction. The participants will develop an awareness of, and become familiar with, academic theories, frameworks, managerial models and techniques which are related to the problem of the successful risk reduction in implementation not only of company strategy but also of changes to company strategy. Participants will learn to critically evaluate and apply appropriate approaches, techniques and models that can be used in the processes of change management strategies and risk mitigation.

Team Consultancy Project and Project Management

This module offers the opportunity for extending the team working ability of participants to perform within a management team through active participation in the conduct of a group project set in an unfamiliar context. Via the assignment the opportunity to analyse and appraise strategic business issues and to apply appropriate theory in devising, selecting and proposing practical solutions will be provided. Participants will be confronted by situations and issues in subject areas of which the student has limited knowledge or experience. Thus the action learning will be supported and links between project management and the corporate strategies superior to it, measurable objectives and metrics will be exercised. Participants’ personal skills on how to specify goals and benefits of projects and how to deal with specific situations arisen during project work will be developed.

International Strategic Management

This module offers participants to synthetize all previous knowledge and their experience. Working in teams of four to five, participants build an entrepreneurial firm, experiment with strategies, compete with other participants in a virtual business world filled with both tactical and strategic variables, and struggle with business fundamentals and the interplay among marketing, manufacturing, logistics, human resources, finance, accounting, and team management. Participants take control of an enterprise and manage its operations through several decision cycles. Repeatedly, they must analyze a situation on the global marketplace, plan an international strategy to improve it, and then execute that strategy out into the future. They face great uncertainty both from the outside environment and from their own decisions. The students learn to skilfully adjust their strategy as they discover the nature of real-life decisions, conflicts, tradeoffs, and potential outcomes. The module provides students with the skills required to carry out a full situation analysis and use the findings to develop goals, formulate strategy and develop appropriate strategy in the international context. This creates also a unique opportunity to understand the role of leadership within a micro setting, and understanding how work gets done in the face of time-constraints, cash constraints and multiple viewpoints. Students are forced to demonstrate and execute teamwork, interpersonal skills and functional interdependence

Options modules

The options modules allow for further specialisation in the core of the programme. The options are expanding the opportunities for deeper understanding and elaboration of important up-to-date aspects of entrepreneurial and managerial activities of participants.

Three optional modules are offered:

  1. Leadership and Human Resources Management - module is designed to explore the concepts of individual and organisational context of personal learning. It aims at developing the participants’ analytical abilities which are needed by managerial leaders who are expected to make suggestions for future strategic actions and to develop effective ideas for building organisational capacity for strategic action, learning, and innovation. In the module the role of human resource management will be broadly discussed and a set of information needed for understanding of the role of HRM in current dynamically changing environment and its role in the development of sustainable competitive advantage will be provided. The module will enable participants to develop critical understanding of the importance of HRM for achieving a sustainable competitive advantage and company results. Leadership role in the strategic organization structure changes/development will be defined and critically assessed.
  2. Corporate Law and Strategy –This module offers a deep understanding of the context and relationship of strategic management and law. The range of commercial law regulation of the entrepreneur’s activity in the national environment will be analysed as well as the law regulation of the entrepreneur’s activity from the point of EU law. The practical skill of the participants will be developed via analysing of the range of competition and antitrust law regulation of the entrepreneur’s activity in the national environment.
  3. Business Development – in this module the specifics of small businesses will be presented as well as the major attributes of entrepreneurship and the new trends in entrepreneurship in the world today. Strengths and weaknesses of small businesses as well as the barriers to their further development will be critically analysed. Through the analysing of the successful strategies of small businesses both at home and abroad the course participant’s critical understanding of the specifics of family business will be developed. Intercultural skills and awareness of the participants will be enhanced via explanation of the the dimensions of companies' internationalisation and business in different cultures.

Third semester (Dissertation Stage)

Third semester (Dissertation Stage) is the final stage of the taught Masters award structure and consists entirely of a single Master Module worth 60 credits. This module has Core Status and will enable the student to carry out an in – depth advanced study, largely independent of tutor support.

Dissertation

This module is aimed at the theoretical and practical aspects of conducting research in business environment. The participants will be learned to identify the state of scientific knowledge, define benefits for science, practice and the company and how to select a dissertation theme based on these findings. Dissertation module creates an opportunity for a participants to demonstrate the goals, contents, methodology and structure of his/her dissertation in light of the proper literature review and methods of primary research. The module will enhance the participants´ skills in using the appropriate methods of presenting and defending individually completed work. Various techniques of data collection and interpretation as well as the discussion on their use in different conditions will be part of the teaching/learning experience of a student.

Indispensable part of the module is the common meeting called ´Final Check Meeting´ of the all participants and tutors which is held 2 months before the submission date of the Dissertation. At this meeting each participant presents the basic structure of the Dissertation (and the stage of its elaboration). Audience is assessing the up to date state of the elaboration of the dissertations and draws attention to the weak point of the dissertations.

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