MBA Defence

• Edith Wilkinson

The aim of this module is to generate critical understanding of the key concepts, tools and theories associated with Risk Management, and the ability to appraise their application within the public and private defence sector.

The module will comprise a combination of plenary lectures and discussions, case studies and practical exercises, addressing: 

• The emergence and growth of Risk Management
• Concepts, tools, theories and processes of Risk Management
• Psychology and Risk Management
• Fields related to Risk Management, including Business Continuity, Health & Safety, Disaster Management, Resilience, Complexity Management and Managing under Uncertainty
• The concept of a Risk Management system
• Defence policy and capabilities as probability and impact reduction measures with risk management at the national level
• Risk Management within the governmental defence sector: distinctions between the defence operational and non-operational spaces
• Risk Management within the private sector supporting defence
• Assessing the effectiveness of Risk Management within defence

On successful completion of this module, you should be able to:

1. Critical awareness of the fundamentals of Risk Management thought, addressing concepts, tools and theories, including Risk Appetite and Enterprise Risk Management;
2. Appreciation of the role of individual and group psychology in the application of Risk Management thought and processes;
3. Understanding of the links of Risk Management thought to related literature addressing Business Continuity, Disaster Management, Health & Safety, Crisis Management, Resilience , Complexity Management and Management under Uncertainty;
4. Assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the evolving operation of Risk Management within the governmental and private sectors associated with defence.

• Dr Iftikhar Zaidi

To provide a foundation for the application of knowledge and understanding of change leadership and change management to defence and the wider security sector.

The module comprises a combination of plenary lectures and discussions, case studies and practical exercises, addressing:

• leadership in defence and the public sector;
• the public sector post ‘New Public Management’, its similarities and differences with the private sector;
• theories and models for leading and managing change in a defence context;
• managing transitions and the role of organisational culture; and ethical and gender considerations in leading change.

On successful completion of this module, you should be able to:

1. Demonstrate conceptual knowledge of change management and change leadership in the public sector;
2. Critique contemporary change theories and models and evaluate their relevance and risk when applied in the defence context;
3. Identify resistance to change in the defence and demonstrate ability to develop context and culture rich approaches to change;
4. Appraise moral and ethical contexts in change leadership in defence;
5. Critically assess a particular aspect of change within defence through a case study and make recommendation for theory and practice.

• Professor Ron Matthews

To integrate theoretical principles with the practical aspects of Defence Management. This will be achieved by in-depth specialised study of a selected Defence Management topic of professional significance, with guidance from a project supervisor (normally based at Shrivenham).

Students will select a relevant topic of study, and will be assigned a supervisor with relevant knowledge and experience. Students can work independently or form small groups.

On successful completion of this module, you should be able to:

1. Relate management theory and concepts to evidence and practice in the Defence sector.
2. Demonstrate an awareness of the strategic management context in which Defence decisions occur.
3. Critically appraise relevant policy literature, and use with respect to the specified field of study.
4. Have developed and delivered your specific personal learning outcomes for the project (agreed with your supervisor).
5. Conduct an independent advanced research project, including a literature review, and a critical evaluation of the specified topic.
6. Plan a research investigation based on a real world study, using and applying appropriate research methods.
7. Write clearly and effectively, meeting approved criteria for formal presentation of a project.

To allow students to critically evaluate defence portfolio and programme management principles and practices and assess opportunities for future improvement.

The module will comprise a combination of plenary lectures and discussions, case studies and practical exercises.  The overarching approach to learning will be problem-based and experiential.  Key curriculum topics will include:

• Generic Portfolio Management (with reference to MoP)
• Portfolio Management in Defence (with reference to Defence Operating Model)
• Programme Management (with reference to MSP)
• Bodies of Knowledge and Methodologies (APM, PRINCE, MSP, MoP)
• Introduction to Defence Capability Management
• Evaluation of Defence ‘Develop’ and ‘Deliver’ capability management functions
• People Skills & Multi-cultural Management

On successful completion of this module, you should be able to:

1. Distinguish between a project, a programme and a portfolio and recognise the key success factors and management issues associated with each.
2. Describe key sources of professional knowledge, guidance and standards (including Bodies of Knowledge (APM, PMI), Methods (PRINCE2) Management of Portfolios (MoP) & Managing Successful Programmes (MSP).
3. Critique the defence sector (MOD) approach to portfolio and programme management in the context of defence capability and business change.
4. Apply P3M principles, processes, tools and techniques with an awareness of their challenges and limitations.
5. Appraise defence projects and programmes regarding key success factors.

• Professor Ron Matthews

To apply economic and financial principles to the defence context, critically evaluating their contribution to the efficient management of resources in the UK and global defence environments.

• Introduction:What is Defence Economics?
• The Defence Market
• Acquisition Cost Escalation
• Revolutions in Defence Finance
• Defence 'and' Development
• Defence-Industrial Sovereignty: Contemporary Relevance?
• Technology-Sharing and regional/Global Consortia
• International Arms Market
• Technology Transfer through Defence Offset

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

1. Compare the principal theoretical and practical issues influencing the allocation of scarce defence resources within the defence sector, between the defence and civil sectors, and across the international defence community.
2. Analyse the complexities and challenges associated with competition in UK Defence Economy.
3. Evaluate the underlying economic drivers underpinning change processes in the global defence context.
4. Apply skills and technical ability to thus act as informed customers in financial dealings within the Department and between the Department and external stakeholders.
5. Apply the skills and knowledge that will benefit the framing of appropriate government (MoD) and commercial policies in such fields as exports, defence-industrial investment, technology transfer, arms production collaboration and European/US defence-related corporate mergers and acquisition.
6. Explain the process of defence globalisation, particularly its potential negative impact on defence-industrial sovereignty.

• Dr Matthias Nnadi

The module looks at both financial and management accounting. You will be provided with a thorough understanding of company accounts, how they are construed and how to interpret them. Further to this, you will look at and understand the key issues in management accounting from the point of view of business leaders needing to make practical decisions in their organisation.

 

The module covers:

• The fundamental accounting documents: income statement, statement of financial position and cash flow statement.
• Consolidation of the accounts of companies with subsidiaries.
• Interpretation of accounts through ratio analysis.
• Cost/volume/profit analysis and breakeven.
• Allocation of overhead costs.
• Budgeting and variance analysis.
• Divisional performance.
• Transfer pricing.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

• Demonstrate a systematic understanding of the fundamental principles of financial accounting.
• Describe how subsidiary accounts are consolidated.
• Prepare key financial statements from basic information.
• Analyse and interpret company accounts.
• Classify different types of costs and conduct break even analysis.
• Prepare budgets and interpret variances from budget.
• Evaluate divisional performance and different transfer pricing methods.

• Professor David Grayson, CBE

The module will provide you with an introduction to the challenges faced by leaders in developing and sustaining organisations. In particular the module will focus on the challenges presented by the context and environment in which they operate.

The module covers:

• The changing context of work in a globalised world.
• National cultures.
• International employment relations.
• The global sustainability crisis, sustainable development and the implications for business.
• Corporate responsibility: identifying what are the most material social environmental and economic impacts that companies have.
• Change management for corporate responsibility and sustainability.
• Diversity and inclusion.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

• Develop knowledge and understanding of challenges presented by the external context in which organisations operate.
• Develop knowledge and understanding of how these contextual factors influence leadership practices.
• Understand sustainable development and what it means for business transformation.
• Apply knowledge and understanding about contextual challenges to leadership behaviour.
• Appreciate how sustainability considerations affect organisational design and policy decisions.

• Professor Ron Matthews

The module will provide you with a contextual, theoretical, and policy-oriented awareness of the economic and financial aspects of defence. You will examine the contributions that defence finance, defence industrial strategy, technological advancement and competitive and cooperative structures have made in the shaping of the 21st Century global defence eco-system.

The module will provide you with a contextual, theoretical, and policy-oriented awareness of the economic and financial aspects of defence. You will examine the contributions that defence finance, defence industrial strategy, technological advancement and competitive and cooperative structures have made in the shaping of the 21st Century global defence eco-system.

The module covers:

• Introduction: what is defence economics?
• The defence market.
• Revolutions in military affairs.
• Revolutions in defence finance.
• Defence and development.
• The dynamics of defence industrialisation.
• International arms collaboration.
• The global arms market.
• Technology transfer through defence offsets.
• Defence industrial strategy.
  
  

As a result of this module, you will be able to:

• Appreciate the rationale and nature of the contemporary defence-industrial transformation.
• Evaluate the two-way economic impact in civil-military relationships.
• Understand and analyse the inherent contradictions between maintenance of sovereign defence-industrial capability and open trade in defence equipment.
• Demonstrate awareness of the theory and process of partnering in defence, including public-private partnerships, arms collaboration, integrated acquisition project management, civil-military relations and science and technology partnerships.
• Examine the important policy nuances associated with the progressive integration of the battle and business spaces, particularly in light of incessant defence globalisation pressure.
• Analyse the nature and dynamics of technology-development, sharing and transfer.

The module focuses on the development of effective leadership, with self-awareness highlighted as an essential requirement.  You will therefore develop an awareness of yourself and others in team contexts.  

The module covers:

• An introduction to leadership and management; history, current views, future developments.
• Introduction to self awareness as a key foundation of leadership identity.
• Practical and theoretical input on a variety of individual differences and their impact including: learning personality, intelligence, diversity and inclusion, critical thinking, resilience, and evolutionary and neurological perspectives.
• Giving and receiving feedback and practical implications for performance.
• Theoretical and practical aspects of the leader’s role both in self motivation and motivating a team.
• Emotional intelligence development through awareness of self and other.
• Personal constructs as a way of understanding the interpersonal context within and between organisations.
• Introduction to organisational culture: the importance of ‘fit.’
• Personal values and ethics, leading with integrity.
• Practical aspects of self in relation to social context: team behaviour and team dynamics, leading and collaborating in real time with others.
• An introduction to persuasion and negotiation.
• Organisational politics.
• Leading teams effectively: transformational and transactional behaviour.
• Receiving feedback and planning next steps in the leading and learning process.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

• Understand and evaluate a range of relevant theoretical models relating to management and leadership, including psychological approaches, and leadership development.
• Apply knowledge of important individual differences to interpersonal interactions.
• Outline and evaluate key aspects of team membership which impact effective group working, including strengths and weaknesses.
• Contrast the rhetorical approach of organisations to diversity and inclusion with the reality of structures and processes affecting minority groups.
• Assess and adapt individual behaviour with respect to a range of management and leadership styles, competencies and attributes.
• Develop an initial understanding of applied ethics as a prerequisite to leading ethically.
• Create an initial understanding of ‘sustainability’ as applied to the people of the organisation.
• Understand and appreciate the organisational context and the key role of the human factor within it: an introduction to leading people.
• Understand complexity in leadership theory, where people are seen as dynamic agents in complex interrelation with each other and other entities.

• Professor Catarina Figueira

The module, as part of the MBA Programme will provide the depth and rigor necessary to properly understand and analyse real world business situations. You will be able to operate as a successful manager by gaining an insight into economic thinking, in particular a clear understanding of efficiency and the working of markets. By looking at organisational behaviour, personal development and strategy, you will draw on microeconomic theories in order to gain insights in to how people are motivated and markets work.

The module covers:

1. An introduction to the core microeconomic concepts of demand, revenue, costs and profits.   

2. The firm and the creation of value

3. Focusing on the firm itself; its role in dealing with uncertainty and the contribution its internal structure makes to strategic opportunities and competitive advantage. Various market structures and alternative explanations of firms’ objectives are explored as well as the issues that determine them.  

4. The ways in which owners seek to ensure their interests are paramount and the ways in which internal control and reward systems deliver efficiency. The purpose is to integrate organisational and economic theory in order to explain why the rate at which firms grow and profitability vary.   

5. Capturing value from the market

6. Examines the strategic behaviour of firms influenced by alternative market structures.  Market structures and market power are related concepts and this section of the module largely focuses on oligopolistic markets and the behaviours such firms engage in to achieve competitive advantage.   

7. Markets for capital and natural resources.

8. Throughout the module traditional microeconomic models are combined with game theory and reality is further enhanced by an emphasis on uncertainty and the role of governments.   

• Dr Stephanie Hussels

The module will promote productive and self-sustaining entrepreneurship. It provides you with a rigorous grounding in business analysis of entrepreneurship in order to prepare for the risky, uncertain, and challenging environment for new business ventures. It also requires you to immerse yourself in the real life experience of launching new ventures. Therefore, you will be required to either start your own business or contribute to the development of another venture while on the course.

The module will include:

• Entrepreneurial risk, performance and environment.
• Business planning techniques and their application in entrepreneurial ventures.
• Venture strategy in dynamic markets.
• Protecting and securing intellectual capital: intellectual property rights and antitrust law.
• Start-ups and resources to exploit a profit opportunity.
• The evolution of the venture and managing growth.
• Financial management for new ventures: financing a start-up.
• The entrepreneurial financing process: buying and selling a venture.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

• Understand the key stages and challenges involved in identifying opportunities and strategies for business start ups.
• Manage and finance the early stages of new venture development and growth.
• Evaluate, research, write, and present business plans using their knowledge of the entrepreneurial process.

• Dr Andrea Moro

The module will equip you with effective financial tools, while at the same time enhancing your ability to evaluate and understand the reasons for resistance that the application of these tools may bring about from within the organisation. You will discuss and understand the debate regarding the objective of the firm and consider the implications of growing demands relating to social performance for the process of financial decision making.

The module covers:

• Appraising capital investment projects.
• Financing a business.
• Corporate finance, including the cost of capital, sources of finance, capital structure and dividend policy.
• Valuation.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

• Describe how the finance function fits in with the rest of the firm’s functions and with its overall objective.
• Acknowledge the conflicts of interests that may arise between the firm’s various stakeholders and have a handle on how these may be mitigated.
• Compare and contrast alternative capital budgeting techniques and the underlying factors that determine their usage in practice by various types of organisation.
• Examine key concepts in finance including the time value of money, risk and return and the opportunity cost of capital.
• Appraise the importance of effective management of working capital and the cash operating cycle.
• Analyse the factors that need to be considered in making financing decisions including those related to borrowing and dividend policy.
• Organise data for capital investment project appraisals and analyse the results, including the preparation and interpretation of cash forecasts.
• Analyse investment risk using techniques such as sensitivity analysis or scenario analysis.
• Deal with complications in capital budgeting that arise due to factors such as inflation, taxation or capital rationing.
• Estimate the cost of equity, cost of debt and the weighted average cost of capital.
• Assess financial leverage using both income and capital measures.
• Carry out simple valuations of shares, bonds and whole companies.

• Professor Joe Nellis

The main aim of this module is to help tomorrow’s business leaders develop a deeper understanding of the impact of developments in the wider macroeconomic environment – at the national and international levels – on strategic planning and management.

The module is based on a number of core models and empirical research. 

Throughout, the emphasis is on the “real world” – theory is included only as an aid to developing a deeper understanding of the practical problems and policy challenges in the context of strategy formulation and analysis of the forces driving change in the external business and economic environment.

The first set of sessions serve as a foundation, explaining:  how economic activity is measured and interpreted;  the main macroeconomic flows;  what determines the level and changes in national income as well as the meaning of inflationary and deflationary gaps.  The following sessions focus on management of the domestic economy including fiscal policy, monetary policy, economic growth and supply-side policies. International aspects of the macroeconomy are then examined in detail covering:  the balance of payments account, trade policy, exchange-rate regimes and the various exchange-rate policy choices available to countries.  The final session brings together the core concepts and explains the causes of business cycles.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

1. Critique the importance and implications of national and international macroeconomic trends and forecasts as a basis for strategic decision making by business leaders.
2. Describe the drivers of economic activity at the national and international macroeconomic levels and the implications for economic growth.
3. Evaluate the goals (and conflicts) of macroeconomic management including sustainability of growth, low and stable inflation, a stable currency coupled with a “sustainable” international trade position and full employment.
4. Critique the policy tools used by governments and central banks in their efforts to manage the economy including: fiscal policy, monetary policy, supply-side policies, trade and exchange rate policies.
5. Demonstrate practical skills and confidence in preparing an economic situational report for a country as an essential input into the strategic planning process by business leaders.

• Professor Emma Parry

This module will provide you with the opportunity to place your learning in the context of a global perspective by visiting a foreign country and within it a number of organisations. The course offers the opportunity to explore issues around diversity, sustainability and corporate responsibility as they affect organisations and society in the host country. You will be equipped with the knowledge of how different businesses are using the tools and techniques taught on the MBA Programme to cope with specific national issues and more generally the process of globalisation.  

You will choose from a list of countries drawn up by the School of Management e.g. China, Japan, Ghana, etc. The visits generally start with a day at a partner business school where you will receive a number of lectures on issues such as the state of the economy, employment practices and business culture. The rest of the week is devoted to hosted visits to commercial and public sector organisations, during the days and a number of additional events such as meetings with journalists, politicians and alumni during the evenings. The hosted visits normally involve a presentation by senior officials and possibly a tour of facilities. Most importantly, you will be given the opportunity to ask questions relating to aspects of the organisation and in many cases the visit also affords opportunities for networking and employment.   

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

• Demonstrate a balanced view of the key political, social and economic drivers of the country you visit.
• Appreciate how the country visited and its businesses are attempting to maintain and build competitive advantage in response to domestic circumstances and the process of globalisation.
• Engage in meaningful discussions and debate with a range of individuals involved in the local business scene.
• Understand political, social, economic and business issues in different cultures.
• Demonstrate familiarity with and sensitivity to the differences between business practices and attitudes across cultures.
• Appreciate how the learning gained on the MBA programme can be applied to organisational issues in a foreign country and alternative business cultures.
• Understand and be familiar with the advantages and disadvantages of a particular country’s industrial structure, workforce skills and government policies.
• Improve personal development by exposure to and awareness of different international working environments.
• Appreciate diversity and inter-disciplinarity by providing an opportunity to integrate learning across cultures and functional areas.
• Refine different behaviours adapted to the cultural context in which you are operating.
• Learn across cultures and functional areas.

Leadership is a central concept and practice in organisations. However what leadership is and what leaders do is subject to intense debate. Traditionally leadership has been seen as tripod of leaders, followers and shared goals and leadership was developed through introspection. In this module leadership will be conceptualised as an outcome of direction, alignment and commitment and will be developed through outsight by practising leadership in different settings and contexts. This module explores how leadership can be developed through practice. It does so by using a blend of research-based insights and experiential teaching methods. Learners are developed as resourceful stewards of leadership.

The module covers: 

• Leading in the 21st Century 
• Crisis Management 
• Press Conference 
• Resilience & Leadership 
• Strategic Mindfulness
• Enacting Leadership

On successful completion of this module a student should be able to:

• Define different approaches to leadership in contemporary organisations through having engaged with the leadership literature and through having experienced different leadership approaches 
• Critically evaluate different leadership practices in theory and in application to generate a personally meaningful perspective of leadership 
• Develop leadership capabilities at multiple levels in organisations by drawing on practical experiences gained

• John Algar

Project Management Introduction (PMI) demonstrates how management respects no boundaries (either in terms of functional silos – departments, etc. or theoretical disciplines). PMI provides additional opportunities to practice personal communication skills, and generally the module provides a basis for personal development and increased confidence and self-awareness.

The central aims of this module are to develop an introductory understanding of:

• The fundamental principles of project management applied in the contemporary environment of enterprise projects.
• The application of the main techniques and processes of project management in a team-based application of the planning/execution/control cycle.

On completion of this module, you should be able to:

• Develop an Executive Summary (a concise one page overview of the project) linking the project to higher level organisational objectives.
• Scope the project by creating a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).
• Identify key task sequences and the critical path using network (logic) diagramming.
• Set up a graphical representation of the schedule using the bar chart (Gantt), and track progress against the baseline schedule.
• Use knowledge of resource availability to adjust schedules (resource levelling) and establish realistic milestones, lead times and deadlines.
• Recognise appropriate levels of detail for the scoping and scheduling process, the change management, the progress reporting requirements and the delivery.
• Develop and manage budgets and cash flow for a project.
• Have used Earned Value techniques to assess achievement and produce forecasts.
• Brief and manage consultant project staff on behalf of your organisation.

• Dr Richard Schoenberg

Strategic Management is concerned with the future direction of the organisation; determining its scope, establishing objectives and formulating strategies to achieve them. In order to do this, leaders must understand the needs and priorities of the organisation’s stakeholders, anticipate and react to changes in the organisation's environment and harness and develop the organisation’s internal resources and capabilities.  The overriding aim of this module is to build students confidence in undertaking these activities, so that as leaders they can form and communicate a credible and believable view of their organisation’s future direction and scope.  

 The module will cover:

• We begin by examining the different levels of strategy and the joint importance of strategy content and strategy process.
• We then explore strategic management at the business unit level, introducing the notions of industry analysis, resources and capabilities and sustainable competitive advantage.
• We then turn to corporate level strategy, dealing with issues such as parenting advantage, corporate value creation logics and modes of corporate development.
• Finally we address the challenge of how strategies can be turned into action and the particular role of strategic leadership within this.
• Throughout the module a range of tools and techniques for strategic analysis and choice will be introduced.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

1. Describe the key issues and concepts involved in formulating both competitive and corporate strategies.
2. Appraise and differentiate between corporate, business unit and functional strategies.
3. Evaluate strategic challenges facing organisations.
4. Think strategically and confidently in making strategic decisions.
5. Critically apply practical skills and use various strategic management concepts and techniques.

This module will prepare you for general management responsibilities by focussing on the input of the marketing perspective across all functions. You will be presented with a strategic perspective of marketing, understanding the needs and wants of customers as a guide to direct the organisation.

The module will cover:

• Marketing from a value-driven perspective, considering how the assets of the organisation can be used to create and deliver value to customers and shareholders.
• The role of strategic marketing and the means whereby high level strategy can be implemented by way of a marketing plan.
• The nature of markets as the basis for the creation and delivery of value to customers and shareholders.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

• Evaluate the organisation-wide implications of being a market-oriented and customer-led organisation and its impact on management and business performance.
• Apply marketing theories, tools and frameworks to business opportunities and problems.
• Understand the key elements of the marketing mix and customer management.
• Write and defend a strategic marketing plan.

This module will help you to develop a theoretical and practical skill base of strategic operations management including its key concepts, as well as the main tools and techniques used by a variety of organisations in different sectors of activity.

The module covers:

• The strategic role and contribution of operations.
• The process and content of operations strategy.
• Process design and layout.
• Managing the process experience.
• Tools and techniques of process improvement.
• Capacity management.
• Inventory management; lean and agile operations.
• Quality management and improvement.
• People in operations.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

• Develop an operations strategy for organisations, identifying key operational performance criteria for each area of its activities.
• Evaluate the operations contribution to the development and implementation of successful business strategy.
• Appraise the critical issues faced by different organisations; demonstrate how to select the priorities for operational performance improvement and plan the means to bring about that improvement.
• Identify key issues in the management of change in operations through understanding the critical transitions of both processes and people.

• Dr Stephanie Hussels

This European competition, hosted by a different business school each year, requires you to act as a venture capitalist. You must go through the entire Venture Capital investment process including reviewing real business plans, conducting due diligence, creating term sheets and negotiation with the real entrepreneurs in a very condensed time period. Cranfield sends one team every year to the European Regional final.

The module covers:

• The venture capital industry: players, expected returns and cost of capital.
• Venture capital due diligence: process and content.
• Company valuation: intrinsic and relative.
• Fundamentals of term sheets: theory and practice.
• Negotiating a deal: an entrepreneurs and investors perspective.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

• Describe and appraise the current status of the venture capital industry.
• Conduct due diligence on early stage ventures.
• Prepare and evaluate term sheets.
• Valuate young companies.
• Negotiate an investment deal with early stage entrepreneurs.

• Professor Joe Nellis

The Business Law module will provide students with an understanding of the processes by which legal rules are applied in both the public and the business sectors.

The module covers:

• The Legal Framework
  • Common law and equity.
  • Judge-made law.
  • Statute law.
  • Regulations and directives of the European Union.
  • The structure and powers of the civil courts in England and Wales.
• Liability for Providing Negligent Advice
• An Outline of Aspects of Law of Contract of Particular Relevance to the Executive and Director
  • Creation of the contract.
  • Relative importance of contractual terms.
  • Clauses of limiting liability for breach.
• Forms of Business Association
  • The Legal consequences of forming a limited company, an LLP or an unlimited partnership.
• Aspects of Contract Law in France and Germany.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

• Provide a managerial understanding of the legal system and thought processes.
• Recognise and manage the pitfalls in giving professional advice including liability for negligent advice.
• Describe key elements of contract relevant to managers.
• Examine and appreciate the legal consequences of forming a partnership or a registered company.
• Distinguish the similarities and differences in approach between the Common Law legal system and those based on Roman Law.

• Professor Ruth Bender

This module follows on from the Corporate Financial Strategy element. Whereas the previous course introduced you to corporate financial strategy, this module takes that further by applying the principles to transactions such as flotations, acquisitions and private equity.

Company-based projects allow you to apply your learning in a real business environment, get experience in a sector of interest, gain international exposure and can support your career progression. You can source a project yourself, use the school's alumni network or dedicated Career Development Services to help you find the right organisation.

The module covers:

• Corporate governance
• Initial public offerings
• Acquisitions
• Private equity
• Turnarounds
• Integrated case studies.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

• Evaluate the impact of good or bad corporate governance on a company’s financial strategy.
• Appreciate and discuss the reasons a company might choose to float on a recognised stock exchange, and understand the alternatives.
• Identify the key financial aspects of a proposed acquisition, and understand how to structure such a deal. 
• Appreciate how synergies are identified and valued.
• Plan and structure a private equity transaction and appreciate how private equity differs from venture capital.
• Identify appropriate financial strategies for a business facing a decline or turnaround.
• Assess financial transactions reported in the financial press, and comment critically on why they are being undertaken and whether, in your opinion, they are likely to add value to shareholders.
• Value companies and identify and distinguish value creation strategies from value destructing ones.
• Structure private equity transactions.

This module extends the learning from the core course, to cover the basics of financial strategy for corporates, in terms of their financing structures and needs. An understanding of finance is necessary in making most business decisions.  This module is primarily designed to equip an MBA who goes on to become a general manager with knowledge about finance and financial markets in order to help the business meet its objectives.

- An introduction to financial strategy
- Financial instruments
- Managing foreign exchange exposure
- Forecasting
- Advanced investment appraisal
- Advanced valuation technique

On successful completion of this module a student should be able to:

1. Describe how a company’s financial choices can be used to enhance its business strategy, and thus its value.  
2. Evaluate the different types of financial instrument and the financing alternatives available to a business, given the strategic and operational constraints.
3. Apply and appreciate the way in which a company’s financial management can be used to add value to the execution of its business strategy.
4. Assess the issues a business faces when dealing with foreign currencies, and the strategies it can use to minimise its currency risk.
5. Deeper knowledge of investment appraisal tools (such as Modified IRR).
6. Evaluate the financial requirements of a business or a potential business strategy.
7. Apply and adjust valuation methods to various types of business (e.g. start-ups or financial institutions).
8. Prepare a suite of cash flow forecasts using Excel.
9. Compare the benefits and costs of alternative hedging techniques and make a decision as to the preferred strategy.

• Michael Bernon

This module recognises the development of supply chain management as a set of practices and methods, aimed at managing and coordinating the entire supply network from raw materials to the eventual end user and to provide the means by which an operation can create capabilities beyond those it can develop alone. You will develop a critical understanding of how supply chain practice can deliver maximum and sustainable value for the least possible total cost.  

The module covers:

Supply chain competiveness and shareholder value

• Creating superior value through the supply chain.
• The link between supply chain and shareholder value.
• Competing through the supply chain - Wal Mart case study.

Integrated planning (S&OP)

• Forrester effect – business simulation.
• Matching supply and demand.

Strategic sourcing

• Portfolio and spend analysis.
• Buyer-supplier power balance.
• Off-shore/near sourcing - total landed costs.

Integrated manufacturing systems design

• The emerging role of manufacturing in global supply chains.
• Forms of postponement and designing for agility.
• Models of integration with suppliers.

Role of in/outsourcing

• Functional outsourcing through to supply chain orchestration.
• Unilever: The journey back in-house.
• Li & Fung.

Sustainability

• A framework for managing supply chains more sustainably.
• Measuring sustainability performance.
• Emerging sustainable supply chain practices.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

• Identify the role and contribution of supply chain management to gaining and sustaining competitive advantage.
• Apply knowledge gained of the concepts and methods relating to the creation of value along the supply chain.
• Analyse the inherent supply chain trade-offs at stake both internally and externally to the organisation.
• Apply different supply chain and product design strategies to deliver product /service variety while minimising lead time and costs.
• Illustrate and evaluate differentiated supply chain strategies in order to meet different demand characteristics.
• Criticise and debate real life strategies driving value through the supply chain.
• Appreciate and judge the role and impact that supply chain management plays in developing responsible and sustainable economic practices.

• Dr Stephanie Hussels

The module will develop your understanding of the terms and likely expectations of various types and sources of financing in the context of the entrepreneurial process. You will recognise where an idea has been developed into an opportunity and business plan so as to understand how entrepreneurs acquire resources, finance the acquisition process, and then manage and operate the endeavour.

The module covers:

• Accounts and notes payable.
• Senior and subordinated debt.
• Preferred and common equity.
• Unusual sources such as leasing and prepayment of revenues.  
• Gels.
• Venture capital.
• Private equity.
• Investment/merchant bankers in a public offering context.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

• Identify and evaluate sources of resources and finance.
• Understand financing techniques.
• Understand finance used to help implement a strategic business plan.
• Understand harvest possibilities and techniques.
• Understand cash flow financing and analysis.
• Recognise opportunity identification.
• Harvest possibilities.

The module will explain the need for deep customer insights in order to achieve breakthrough innovation and also present the limitations of traditional market research.

The module covers:

The role of market research in driving radical innovation

• In new product/service development.
• In driving strategy (e.g. Blue Ocean Strategy).
• In developing the ideas for new business models.

Limitations of traditional methods

• Strengths and weaknesses of focus groups.
• Strengths and weaknesses of surveys.

Tools and techniques for identifying customers’ hidden needs

• Repertory grid technique.
• Lead user technique.
• Ethnographic market research.

Implementing hidden needs approaches

• Combining the methods.
• Overcoming organisational resistance.

Team-based project work.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

• Evaluate the role and importance of market research in enabling radical innovation.
• Demonstrate the skills to design and contract research aimed at developing deep customer insights.

• Professor Patrick Reinmoeller

The module will explore the key management issues faced in formulating and implementing an international business strategy. You will develop the conceptual and practical skills required to formulate and manage the international strategy of an existing business. Taking an integrated approach, you will look at the analysis of international markets and competitive dynamics, the evaluation and selection of alternative market entry strategies, and consider some of the key issues which arise when implementing an international strategy.

The module covers:

• Introduction and multi-level international competition.
• International strategy of ecologies.
• International strategy of companies.
• Internationalisation.
• International strategy in practice: market analysis and selection.
• International strategy in practice: transferability of advantages.
• Succeeding at cross cultural management.
• Entry modes.
• International alliances.
• Cross border mergers and acquisitions.
• Managing a multinational company.
• International strategy in practice: entry mode selection.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

• Understand how to assess the multiple levels of competitiveness and the strategic attractiveness of individual countries and regions, including the conditions that can lead to regional competitive advantage.
• Develop a better understanding of motives and drivers which lead companies to select and implement an international strategy.
• Appreciate the advantages and disadvantages of alternative market entry modes and organisational structures and the appropriate strategic criteria for their selection.
• Recognise the key implementation issues faced by companies expanding internationally, including issues of human resource management and financial co-ordination and control within transnational corporations.
• Develop an understanding of international strategy relevant to working in an international business environment, including an appreciation of national cultural influences and social responsibility.

This module builds on the content of the Integrating Finance with Business Management elective theme and will explore knowledge and tools from an investment point of view. You will discuss theoretical ideas and run workshops that will help you gain hands-on experience of working with data.

The module will cover:

• Principles of investments and introduction to the portfolio theory.
• Capital market theory and asset pricing.
• Workshop on portfolio optimisation.
• Introduction to equity options and equity futures and portfolio hedging.
• Bond valuation and measures of bond price volatility.
• Hedging bond portfolio risks using options and futures.
• Alternative investments.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

• Appreciate the relevant theoretical ideas required in the investment process.
• Understand the practical relevance of investment theory and know about basic derivative instruments such as options and futures.
• Understand how derivatives can be effectively used in hedging equity and bond portfolio risks.
• Appreciate how alternative investments work.

• Dr Richard Schoenberg

The module will equip you with the intellectual and practical skills required to manage mergers and acquisitions effectively in both domestic and international contexts.  It takes an integrated perspective, moving through strategic, financial and regulatory considerations before covering the organisational and human resource issues raised during implementation, including cultural compatibility and the dynamics of building stakeholder support.

The module covers:

• Scene setting: integrative case study.
• Target identification.
• Mergers and acquisition regulation.
• Deal-making considerations.
• Valuation and form of payment.
• Process and cultural integration.
• Integration planning and stakeholder communication: the merger plan simulation.
• A non-executive chairman’s insight into making a public acquisition.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

• Understand the leadership challenges posed by mergers and acquisitions.
• Appreciate the strategic, financial, regulatory and organisational aspects of mergers and acquisitions and how the success of any merger or acquisition depends on taking a cross-functional perspective.
• Understand the key management concepts and recent research relevant to mergers and acquisitions, including the determinants of acquisition outcome and how value can be created through mergers and acquisitions.
• Identify potential acquisition targets, negotiate transactions, and manage the post-acquisition integration phase, including cross-cultural issues and the gaining of stakeholder support.

The module builds from a simple model of project management through to the consideration of the organisational implications of managing multiple programmes. It begins with the analysis of an organisation unable to run a project successfully, and the individual and organisational responses that would have rectified this.

The module begins with an overview of the course, followed by an evaluation of the problem of uncertainty in projects. This is dealt with through a consideration of the model of High Reliability Organisations (HRO) including 5 principle approaches to anticipating, interpreting and responding to an environment characterised by immeasurable uncertainty – a project. The evaluation of these principles will be further deepened and reflected upon in an advanced project management simulation.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

• Describe and critique of the limitations of conventional/deterministic project management.
• Appraise the concept of managerial mindfulness and resilience in the context of project management.
• Relate the main behavioural principles of resilience to a project management context.
• Assess what managers need to understand and do in order to increase the degree of resilience in projects.

• Dr Clive Savory

The module will demonstrate the importance of innovation to organisations in the private and public sectors, and in manufacturing and service. You will understand the key dimensions of innovation, including new products, services and new business model innovation. Further to this, you will recognise how innovation can be managed using leading-edge tools and techniques and will be provided with experience of the key challenges that teams face in developing new products.

The module will cover:

• Understanding innovation: What it is and the role it plays within an organisation.
• The dimensions of innovation: product innovation; service innovation; process innovation; innovation in organisations and business processes.
• The degrees of innovation: radical, disruptive, and incremental.
• How innovation can be managed - models of innovation and innovation management.
• The innovation pentathlon as a framework for innovation management.
• Creating customer-focused ideas: understanding customers’ hidden needs through enhanced methods for market research. Creativity techniques to stimulate original approaches to solve the customer’s problems.
• Prioritisation: selecting and managing the portfolio. Methods for assessing the technical, market and financial risks of innovation projects. 
• Creating novel processes to maximise the effectiveness of management decision-making.
• Implementation and new product development: how to define and quickly implement concepts for new products, services and processes.
• People and organisation: building a culture of innovation. Hiring, developing and motivating individuals, teams, and networks to bolster innovation output.
• Recognising cultural, political and cognitive barriers to innovation. Supporting organisational learning. Creating innovation networks.
• Developing an innovation strategy: technology management and disruptive innovation. Understanding innovation and determining suitable performance measures. Sources of innovation: internal and external.
• Auditing innovation performance: determining how innovative an organisation is, both in terms of its output of new products and services and its internal processes.
• Boosting innovation performance: designing and launching programmes to improve an organisation’s capability to innovate.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

• Describe key concepts and issues in innovation and will be able to identify the potential for product service, process, and business model innovation within an organisation and/or network.
• Compare and contrast strengths and weaknesses of an organisation in terms of its innovation management and performance.
• Evaluate and apply key tools, techniques and approaches to managing innovation and the ability to critically select and apply these in actual business situations.
• Judge the challenges in managing new product development.

The module will address different types of negotiation in various contexts. The emphasis will be on integrative approaches to negotiation, where parties aim to reach mutually satisfactory agreements. This will often depend on the negotiator’s ability to identify and create sources of mutual value, and to establish fair standards to distribute this value. You will be provided with an approach to negotiation that blends strong analytical and planning techniques with interpersonal and individual skills.  

The module covers:

Negotiation Planning I

• Negotiation preparation.
• Stating proposals.
• Exchanging and bargaining.
• Reaching agreement.

Negotiation Planning II

• Different contexts both micro and macro.
• Setting the parameters.
• Using preparation tools.
• One to one negotiation.

Price Negotiation

• Expected negotiation outcomes.
• Identifying each party’s interests and priorities in potential agreements.
• Behaviors adopted when negotiating.

Intra-organisational Negotiation and Decision Making

• The special circumstances of upper echelon negotiations.
• Selection of appropriate approaches.
• Achieving goals in group processes.

Employment Terms and Conditions

• Stages when negotiating employment.
• Defining key personal priorities.
• Addressing the Salary question.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

• Define the expected negotiation outcomes.
• Identify each party’s interests and priorities in a potential agreement.
• Calculate the importance and cost of concessions for each party.
• Critically evaluate the achievements of outcomes and why these were/were not achieved.
• Understand how states of mind such as level of self-confidence, focus and motivation affect the negotiation process.
• Adopt tactics for influencing and persuading others.
• Manage pressure and self-control more effectively.
• Understand the behaviours you adopt when negotiating and the likely emotional and cognitive underpinnings of these behaviours.

• Professor Frank Horwitz

The module provides an understanding of strategic approaches to managing people and an awareness of a range of issues which have strategic significance for Human Resource Management (HRM) departments and managers in general. You will develop the ability to apply theoretical understanding in a global context, and a base of relevant skills in strategic human resource management.  The module also explores the key concepts as well as the main tools and techniques of strategic HRM used by organisations and its leaders.

The module covers:

• Aligning business and HR strategies.
• HRM configurations in a global context.
• Employment relations in an international environment.
• Regional HRM patterns.
• HRM and flexibility.
• HRM and organisational crises.
• Managing the global workforce.
• HRM and the future.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

• Critically review how different business strategies influence the choice of people management strategies, structures and processes.
• Compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of different HR strategies, structures and processes.
• Appraise and contrast various employment relations systems operating in different countries and the scope for global regulation.
• Examine regional HRM patterns and evaluate the different implications for international management.
• Evaluate the implications of key HR challenges with regards to flexibility, global management and the preparation for/responses to crises.
• Appraise the critical issues faced by multinational and other organisations.
• Be sensitised to a variety of key challenges in relation to flexible and effective global HR management.
• Demonstrate the ability to engage in HR configurational planning and global career management using both organisational and individual perspectives.