MSc Business and Management

BEAM045: Accounting for International Managers

Summary:

Managers are constantly making decisions which have financial consequences:

• How much to charge for X?
• How much does Y cost to make?
• How much profit could be made if...?
• Should there be investment in this new venture, product, or market?

Questions are always being asked by a wide range of stakeholders:

• How successful is the business?
• Should I invest in it?
• Work for it?
• Buy from it?
• Sell to it?
• Lend to it?

Management and financial accounting information support internal and external business decision-making by all those with an interest and influence.

BEAM045 recognises that good managers need to be able to appreciate and use a variety of accounting information and techniques with professional scepticism in business decision-making.

This module also introduces and encourages skills in providing and professionally communicating content that is relevant and understandable to a range of non-financial clients.

Additional Information:

Internationalisation:

• The concepts and techniques explored in this module have global application; Learning is undertaken in an international context, and you are encouraged to share knowledge and experiences from your own and other countries.

Ethics and Corporate Responsibility:

• These are embedded within all topics studied: concepts and techniques are taught to reflect that it is the responsibility of all organisations to make ethical financial decisions and actions, and to provide financial information so that stakeholders can make their own informed decisions.

Employability:

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BEAM052: Corporate Governance and Finance

Summary:
The module bridges the gap between corporate finance and corporate governance. It introduces the concept of corporate governance, discusses its theoretical underpinnings, and details the role of various internal and external governance mechanisms in addressing agency problems arising in modern corporations. The module also highlights the differences between governance systems across the world. The course material is based on seminal readings as well as more recent academic research in the area and it demonstrates the relevance of corporate governance issues to both business and policy makers. The teaching is organised in the form of lectures and smaller-group seminars.

Additional Information:
Internationalisation
Cross-country differences between governance systems around the world are one of the key issues the module focuses on. In particular, the syllabus highlights the variation in relevance and prevalence of various corporate governance mechanisms in different legal systems.

Sustainability
All of the resources for this module (except for the core textbook) are in electronic form only. The syllabus covers some aspects of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and its relevance for corporate governance while discussing emerging topics in corporate governance.

Employability
Students learn to apply insights from the recent academic literature in the context of real-life governance problems. They also develop their skills in team-working, presentation, and independent thinking in this module.

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BEMM114: Managing Operations

Summary:

The aim of the module is to introduce you to the importance of the operations functions of an organisation and how operations performance can impact on the success of the whole organisation. The module discusses the role played by operations managers in setting an operations strategy through which products and services can be designed and delivered. The module focusses not only on systems, processes and facilities in the production and flow of goods and services, but also on the general principles an organisation can use to guide its decision-making. Particular attention is given to operational objectives, capacity management, project management and the process choice decisions facing organisations in pursuit of 'delighting' the ever demanding customer; the customer who today typically expects; quality, value for money, and consistently excellent customer service.

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BEMM264: Current Issues in International Business

The focus of this module is to engage you with a variety of issues pertinent to International Business Managers. Drawing from cross-disciplinary scholars from different fields such as Marketing, Finance, Management, Leadership, and Economics, we will explore International Business Issues from a variety of stakeholder perspectives. This module enables you to learn from experts within their respective fields of study that use current research and thinking in International Business. The seminars are specifically designed to train students to look at business problems from a variety of different perspectives that ultimately inform organisational decision-making and strategy.

You will be guided by a single module coordinator/lecturer who will lead each session and invite guest speakers. The aim here is to help you make connections between your previous experiences, business practice and cross-cultural perspectives. You will learn how to take a cross-disciplinary perspective on international business issues and integrate them into your own worldview. Through a series of lectures/workshops and interactive discussions we will equip you with international practice-based knowledge that you can take into the workplace.

This module enables you to learn from a variety of examples of current research and thinking in International Business through attending and engaging in a programme of research seminars led by leading academic scholars. Because there is no 'one way' to approach International Business, we will draw from a range of different business disciplines, which include accounting, marketing, economics, leadership, and management to provide you with a cross-disciplinary perspective on International Business issues. This module simulates real issues in International Business, which are essential tools for understanding and applying International Business strategy and essential to knowledge production. The aims are to:

• explore current debates in International Business by actively experiencing research presentations, offering you opportunities to interact with researchers and build knowledge
• develop your understanding of International Business research via exposure to research seminars, which include both formal and informal interaction.

The assignment is designed to:

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BEMM384: International Business Plan

The International Business Plan Experience is designed as a cap-stone course that will help you to integrate the knowledge that you have gained over the course of terms one and two and apply that knowledge towards a Business Plan model. Building from the foundational and applied knowledge that you have developed over terms one and two from the disciplines of Marketing, Accounting , Management, Leadership , , Entrepreneurship, and International Business, you will be offered the opportunity to write an individual business plan. This project will use an applied, simulated, data-driven approach to understanding an international business issue. This practice-based approach will help to equip you with the skills research consultants and brand managers use in developing international business strategy.

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BEMM800: Foundations to Business Communication

This module is designed to support your transition to postgraduate level study in the use and practice of communication skills around your programme assessments. This module will provide you with key foundational communication skills in reading and writing that you can take into your other courses on the programme as well as into future business employment. A core focus of this module is to help you develop foundational knowledge in critical reading and writing skills. As a critical reader, you will learn how to evaluate academic writing, and how researchers communicate a coherent and convincing argument. As a critical writer, you will learn techniques on how to develop and position your own arguments. As part of this experience, you will learn how to leverage academic scholarship within your work.

One challenge faced by all new postgraduate students is acclimating to a new programme of study. Students are required to quickly calibrate their existing communication knowledge base with programme expectations in order address any potential skills gap. The problem is that students often do not realise how significant their communication skills gap is until after they have completed a full-term of study. This post-reflective form of student practice means that students often complete a full-term of study before understanding areas that they need to address.

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BEMM820: Organisational Behaviour

This module explores the dynamics of behaviour in an organisation. It will address how to identify and understand behavioural patterns and how to develop skills in managing this behaviour in ourselves and others. Understanding behaviour is fundamental to effective management and personal development. Organisational behaviour (OB) pervades all other activities in an organisation as long as people are involved in it. This module will examine our everyday understanding of behaviour and explore new insights into OB in a theoretical and practical manner. No prior study of OB is required.

• Provide students with an understanding of behavioural theories in the context of organisations, at the individual, group and organisational level.
• Enable students to translate behaviour theory into practice, through applied work
• Develop student's confidence in assessing and managing their own behaviour and the behaviour of others that they can take into the workplace.

This module runs in Term 2 (Spring Term) for January starters only.

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