MBA

Course Structure

MBA Course Structure Stage 1 - Distance Learning MBA Course Structure Stage 2 - Distance Learning MBA Course Structure Stage 3 - Distance Learning MBA Course Structure Stage 4 - Distance Learning
The Modules
Stage 1
  • Foundations of Professional Knowledge and Skills: provides requisite quantitative awareness, analysis of the production of “knowledge” within management, encourages students to begin developing personal skills necessary for academic and business environments.
  • Organisational Behaviour: Examines organisational culture, motivation, groups and organisation, organizational development, human resource issues, structure and work organization.
  • Accounting for Managers: Accounting information for decision making, planning and control; cost and activity management; the budgeting process; performance appraisal; investment appraisal.
  • Marketing Design and Operations: Examines integration of marketing and product design, strategy and product marketing, identifying new markets from product innovation, marketing and product delivery.
  • Strategy, Business Information and Analysis: Examines the nature of strategy, the role of rationality, learning and the organisation, managing risks, competitive advantage, creating strategic objectives.
Stage 2
  • Corporate Finance: The firm; equity; debt; derivatives, the cost of capital, off-balance-sheet finance, gearing and dividend decisions, company valuation and asset pricing; portfolio management and capital markets, takeovers, mergers and corporate re-structuring.
  • Business Ethics in a Global Context: What are ethics? Why are ethics important? Traditional examinations of ethics, a ‘new’ ethics, legitimacy and corporate life, corporate social responsibility.
Stage 3

Two electives will normally be undertaken. The following list provides examples of Electives currently offered to candidates:

  • Project Management for IT
  • Managing Information: Technology and Systems
  • International Organisational Behaviour
  • Public Finance
  • International Finance and Globalisation
  • Fixing Futures: Trading and Other Narratives
  • Accounting representations: Public and Private Sector
  • Branding and Communication
  • Business-to-Business Marketing and Supply Chain Management
  • Knowledge Management
  • Managing Diversity
  • A Critical Inquiry into Consultancy
  • Critical Perspectives on Corporations and Consumers
  • Critical Approaches to HRM
  • Alternative Economies
  • The Future of Work
  • Marketing of Services
  • Consumption, Society and Culture
  • Total Quality Management
  • Information Technology in Marketing
  • International Marketing
  • Retail Marketing
  • Employee Relations
  • Strategic Human Resource Management
  • Benchmarking
  • Shakespeare and Management
  • Developments in Business Finance
  • Performance Measurement: Quantitative Approaches
  • Investment and Portfolio Analysis

Note: the availability of Electives may change from year to year.

Specialist Options

Candidates who wish to focus on a chosen subject may obtain a specialist MBA in:

  • MBA (Employee Relations)
  • MBA (Finance)
  • MBA (Information Technology Management)
  • MBA (Marketing)
  • MBA (Quality Management)
Stage 4

After reviewing a range of alternative research methods candidates will undertake a dissertation which will provide them with an opportunity to examine, in depth, a topic or problem of particular relevance to their own interests and work.

During the course of the project process you will identify an appropriate management issue, apply theoretical knowledge to a particular organizational situation in order to produce realistic and critically informed analysis. This stage of the MBA provides an opportunity for you to integrate and inter-relate concepts, techniques and competencies acquired in the course of the programme.

The first stage is the production of a short proposal outlining your intended area of research.

The dissertation will be of 15,000 words in length. You will be expected to demonstrate:

  • initiative and capacity for setting up the problem in a tractable form;
  • an understanding of research methods;
  • application of relevant analytical and problem solving skills;
  • logical argument and clear report writing.