Management MSc

• Dr Lakshmy Subramanian

To introduce the concepts and techniques associated with Managerial Economics, i.e., Microeconomics (e.g. market analysis, price theory, rationality) and Macroeconomics (e.g. inflation, exchange rates and interest rates).

The initial few sessions are spent on discussion of the main concepts that serve the basis for the understanding of Economics and the business environment.

There is extensive discussion about the properties associated with different market structures and levels of competition.

The students are then introduced to important elements regarding the interplay between management and the firm’s objectives and this is followed by a comprehensive discussion about business strategy that builds on what was previously delivered and, as a consequence, the investigation of economic implications for a firm.

One important element of the corporate strategy relates to decisions about pricing, and this is discussed in great detail.

Finally, the remaining sessions are devoted to discussion of the concepts and ideas in macroeconomics which have a direct relevance to organisations.

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

1. Employ economic reasoning when making choices in the use of resources.
2. Evaluate the importance of marginal analysis and diminishing returns in the context of business and consumer decisions.
3. Assess the various objectives which different firms may pursue and the consequent impact on managerial decisions, including those relating to price and output levels.
4. Analyse both the external environment and the internal capabilities of a firm and understand the forces shaping the firm’s competitive environment.
5. Critically evaluate the importance of developments in the macro economy and explore their impact on management and business performance.

• Professor Richard Kwiatkowski

Organisations are run by and for people, and the success or failure of an organisation depends on the people in that organisation. It is rarely an absence of planning that causes organisational difficulties; rather it is the failure of management in understanding and managing complex personal and interpersonal systems that can lead to significant problems. Similarly, an acute and critical understanding of these dynamic relationships can lead to profound and enduring success and benefit for the individual, the team, the organisation and wider society.

Success in management, particularly at senior levels in organisations, depends on understanding organisations, the people in them and the relationship between the internal and external environments within which they exist, and in ensuring that they work effectively.

In this module students will be introduced to various aspects of people and organisations. This module combines models, theories and ideas from organisational behaviour, psychology, and sociology in order to provide students with a basic understanding in recognising, understanding and utilising what has been termed the "human factor" in organisations; including ways of conceptualising organisations and how people behave within them. We shall consider the impact of the external environment, and address notions of organisational change.

This module is necessarily an introduction; further suggestions of reading and of consequent activities will be provided.

It may also be that students will wish to undertake a project in this area; several of the faculty involved will be pleased to discuss this with you.

• Diversity
• Individual and Organisational Change
• Leadership
• Learning
• Managing People
• Organisational Culture
• Organisational Change
• Personality
• Understanding and working in teams

1. Understand and apply a number of different ways of conceptualising people in organisations - for instance, communication, culture, diversity, leadership, politics, management and change.
2. Assess and demonstrate the importance of relationships at work, for instance considering group dynamics, effective teams and leadership.
3. Critically engage with various relevant models, theories and ideas in order to enhance your personal capability, this may include the identification of gaps in knowledge, skills, and competence.
4. Explicitly make links to insights gained in the module regarding your personal and professional development agenda, based on sound data and experience reflectively applied to your future job role.

• Professor Andrew Angus

Business analysts are frequently asked to gather, review and analyse business and industry data to produce robust, meaningful recommendations to senior managers.  This requires the combination of a range of knowledge, skills and behaviours.  For instance, the selection of quality data, building reliable databases and models, applying statistical models, deriving and communicating meaning from the findings.

The principles of business analytics:

• Research design,
• Planning a management project and formulating management questions,
• Data analysis using quantitative techniques,
• Principles of artificial intelligence, applications and challenges.

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

1. 1 Critically evaluate the theoretical principles that underpin a range of analytical techniques.
2. 2 Appraise the usefulness of different data analytics methods for inferring meaning from business data.
3. 3 Create and communicate robust recommendations based on evidence and a critical assessment of options.
4. 4 Assess the main concepts and paradigms of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and critically examine AI-enabled applications in different sectors.

• Dr Joshua Haist

This module is concerned with managing the organisation’s key resource – the people who work for it. It aims to help learners understand how effective people management can contribute to develop and sustain organisations. The module aims to develop an insight into the complexities of managing people in a changing environment. The focus of the module is to help learners understand the relationship between people management and organisational performance, including managerial roles, and sustainability challenges, emphasising the crucial links and responsibilities of line managers.

The module will provide an introduction to the main activities associated with resourcing, developing and day–to-day management of people in organisations. It is not the intention of the module to develop human resource management specialists, but rather to provide a general introduction to the people management issues that concern all managers.

The module will draw on key academic contributions in the broad field of people management, including current research being carried out by faculty in the School of Management. Throughout the module, sessions will be highly interactive in order to develop critical insight and core skills in the people management field.

• Strategic People Management
• The Changing World of Work
• Talent Sourcing
• Talent Development and Succession Planning
• Managing Performance
• Rewards and Remuneration
• Employment Relations
• Employment Law
• Building a People Strategy

1. Evaluate the contribution people resources make to developing and sustaining organisations.
2. Have a critical appreciation of the role, responsibility and scope of people management activities.
3. Apply and evaluate a complex range of established models and factors which influence choices made in people management.
4. Undertake critical analyses of a range of people management issues and be able to make considered, informed proposals to address them.
5. Design people management strategies and critically explore their relationship with business strategies.

• Professor Catarina Figueira

This module recognises that professional effectiveness is not limited to individual performance. Working with others - leading teams, influencing stakeholders, navigating conflict and building collaborative relationships across diverse cultural and organisational contexts - is at the heart of what employers expect of managers, analysts, finance professionals, supply chain leaders, procurement specialists and marketers. The module accordingly gives substantial attention to leadership development, emotional intelligence, negotiation and the interpersonal dynamics of professional life. Storytelling - the ability to structure and deliver a compelling professional narrative - is treated as a distinct and teachable skill that connects self-awareness to effective communication in interviews, pitches and stakeholder interactions alike.

• Self-assessment, professional identity
• Sector landscape
• Professional application materials
• Navigating the selection process
• Interview excellence
• Leadership, commercial awareness and project management
• Digital professionalism, ethics and inclusion
• Professional communication, negotiation, networking and career planning.

1. Synthesise personal attributes, strengths, values and skill gaps into a coherent professional identity and personal value proposition aligned with their target sector, by constructing a Professional Portfolio with actionable short- and medium-term career goals.
2. Produce professionally targeted application materials and prepare for postgraduate role selection formats, applying structured frameworks to evidence personal strengths and experience.
3. Appraise a range of professional communication techniques and leadership behaviours, to convey information persuasively and enable effective collaboration in diverse team settings.
4. Analyse current trends shaping their target professional sector, using structured problem-solving, decision-making and demonstrating the ethical awareness and principled judgement expected of professionals in their field.
5. Critically reflect on personal professional development needs and commitments to professional conduct, resilience, commercial curiosity and inclusive practice.

• Dr Mehdi Safavi

Strategic Management is concerned with the future direction of the organisation and finding and sustaining best fit with its environment - determining its scope, establishing objectives and formulating strategies to achieve them. In order to do this, strategic thinking must understand the needs and priorities of the organisation, to anticipate and react to changes in the organisation's environment, to identify and harness the organisation’s most advantageous resources and capabilities, and to account for all stakeholders who are impacted by the organisation's practices. Incorporating a systems thinking approach to organisations and their environments, this module emphasizes the strategic significance of societal contexts and the broader ecological sphere.

Strategic Management is a dynamic, interdisciplinary, thought-provoking subject and activity. It is part science and part art. It is both analytic and creative. There is no one best way to approach strategy, no 'one size fits all'. Context is king. We learn how to develop bespoke strategies befitting different forms of organisation across various contexts. The aim of this module is to build confidence in undertaking these strategic activities, so that distinctive Cranfield learners can form and communicate a credible and believable view of an organisation’s future direction.

• Introduction to the ‘elements of strategy'.
• Strategic planning and emergent strategy.
• Introduction to Positioning Strategy.
• Resource-Based-View of Strategy.
• Positioning Strategy.
• Corporate Level strategy and diversification (horizontal and vertical).
• The strategic importance of integrating all three environments when seeking long term competitive advantage – bringing contemporary concerns of CSR, sustainability and resilience into the teaching of sustained competitive advantage.
• Formative assessment and feedback on WIP group presentations.
• Knowledge into action - group-based role play simulation designed around scenario planning.

1. Identify the key questions and critically analyse the associated challenges to be addressed in formulating an organisation’s competitive strategy.
2. Create ways for organisations to sustain competitive advantage, building on a detailed understanding of how an organisation and its leaders can harness its internal resources and capabilities and react appropriately to changes in its external environment.
3. Appraise and differentiate between corporate and competitive (business-level) strategies and reflect on the roles of leaders in strategic change.
4. Critically apply a range of tools and techniques to illuminate the key questions of competitive strategy: tools of environmental analysis include PESTEL and Porter’s 5 Forces; tools of internal analysis include the Strategic Asset Audit and the ‘Three Tests’ for identifying core competencies; tools for corporate and business level strategic decision making include the Corporate Parenting Matrix and the Boston Consultancy Group Matrix.

• Dr Matthias Nnadi

The aim of the Accounting and Finance module is to introduce a number of traditional and contemporary accounting approaches that will increase the visibility of financial information and support management decision making. It aims to integrate basic financial knowledge in the management of a business organisation.

• Accounting rules and preparation of a company balance sheet
• Income statement and adjustments
• Statement of cashflows
• Measuring financial performance using ratio analysis
• ESG reporting
• Company budgets
• Variance analysis
• Sources of finance
• Cost of equity/debts
• Capital investment decisions

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

1. Explain fundamental accounting rules and their applications in the management of a business organisation.
2. Apply financial principles in the decision-making process.
3. Measure financial performance using ratio analysis.
4. Prepare organisational budgets and analyse any variances.
5. Examine the cost and sources of business finance and their implications in investment decisions.

• Dr Joshua Haist

The module is primarily designed to provide you with an understanding of what is required to undertake successful academic studies and to conduct research in business contexts considering that todays’ managers:

• are paid to make decisions
• are expected to make ‘informed’ decisions (i.e. based on evidence)
• are evaluated on the basis of the outcomes from their decisions

Therefore, understanding the process of producing evidence will ensure you have the core skills to inform management decisions.

Introduction to evidence-based management

• Study skills
• The elements of evidence-based management
• Uses and misuses of generative AI

Conducting research in management

• Defining management problems
• Reviewing the literature

Understanding and evaluating qualitative research methods

• Interviews and focus groups in qualitative research
• Qualitative data analysis

Understanding and evaluating quantitative research methods

• Designing questionnaires and conducting surveys
• Quantitative data analysis
• Presenting research evidence & academic writing
• Translating data into information to support management decisions

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

1. Critically evaluate evidence to inform management decisions.
2. Assess and select appropriate methods of qualitative and quantitative data collection to gather a varied range of evidence to support decision.
3. Choose and apply appropriate methods of qualitative and quantitative data analysis to gain insights from data and explore the implications of decisions.
4. Access different sources of evidence to gain a comprehensive and critically reflective understanding of organisational issues.
5. Design and formulate high quality academic and business documents employing critical, evidence-based thinking.

• Professor Michael Dickmann

Many people work internationally and/or in highly diverse settings in multicultural teams. Leaders who can understand their own cultural values, norms and preference, who are able to recognise and interact successfully with people from other cultures have an advantage in our globalised world. In short, cultural understanding, adaptability and intelligence are highly advantageous. This module explores management and leadership issues arising from working with different cultures in a domestic or international context and enables students to more successfully manage a range of cross-cultural challenges. It does so using a blend of practical examples, research-based theories and experiential teaching methods.

Watch video: An introduction to the Effective Cross-Cultural Management module

This module has the following elements:

• General Cultural Frameworks and Theories – Analysing Basic Assumptions and the Impact on Cross-Cultural Management.
• The Key Culture Writers – Evaluating the Differences.
• Improving Cross-Cultural Communication – Avoiding the Pitfalls.
• Effective Cross-Cultural Career and Talent Management – Designing Leadership Development for Global Work.
• Appropriate Behaviours and Positive Emotions – Managing cross-cultural adjustment processes.
• Organisational Structures of MNCs – Analysing Cross-National Strategies, Structures and Decision-Processes.
• Applying the Insights – Improving Cross-Cultural Negotiations.
  Reflection - Key Criticisms to Cultural Frameworks and Personal Takeaways.

1. Critically evaluate and apply the key cultural frameworks in order to operate with appropriate sensitivity and responsiveness in cross-cultural situations.
2. Create appropriate negotiation approaches to exercise influence and persuasion in cross-cultural management situations and to assert viewpoints in a culturally sensitive way, avoiding offence and misunderstanding.
3. Recognise and appraise the limitations of their own cross-cultural knowledge and capabilities and critically assess how to tackle those limitations and to evaluate their own cultural adjustment approaches.
4. Devise an effective talent management approach geared to create leaders with cultural intelligence. Critically analyse the advantages and limitations of culture research.

• Dr Monica Franco-Santos

This is an integrative module allowing students to develop management consulting skills and apply their learning in a practical manner. It will use the insights generated through ECC to explore the cultural nuances of the company/national culture relevant to the case company. Students will work in their consulting teams and will role-play as a management consulting team, competing against the other teams. All teams will address the same business challenge: a genuine business issue in a particular company. Students will have a set of taught sessions on the ‘art and craft’ of management consulting. In parallel, they will work with their consulting teams to address the case company business challenge. They will engage with the problem; gather the relevant data; use appropriate tools/frameworks and propose innovative, pragmatic and achievable solutions.

This module comprises conceptual knowledge about the foundations of management consulting and practical knowledge developed through a consulting project for a real organisation which every year is chosen by the module leader. The module includes teaching and feedback sessions focused on the following:

• Consulting skills
• Listening and questioning
• Communication
• Persuasion
• Evidence-based problem solving
• Critical thinking
• Teamworking
• Consulting process
• Diagnostic phase
• Data collection and analysis phase
• Design phase
• Implementation phase
• Education phase.

1. Identify and critically examine managerial problems and provide innovative ideas based on evidence to address them.
2. Explain and critically assess relevant processes, concepts and methods involved in management consulting projects.
3. Practice critical thinking to diagnose problems and design potential solutions.
4. Present ideas effectively to an audience of business executives.

• Dr Marwa Tourky

A crucial competence for marketers is marketing strategy: in simple terms, analysing how the target market divides into segments, which of these segments are key targets for the firm, what the firm’s value proposition to each segment is, and what financial results can be expected over a planning period of typically 1-3 years. This module teaches Cranfield’s world-leading step-by-step process for developing such a marketing strategy and documenting it in a marketing plan.

• Strategic marketing in context  
• The strategic marketing planning process  
• Mission statements and organisational objectives  
• The Marketing Audit and analytical tools  
• Market maps and market segmentation  
• SWOT analysis  
• The Directional Policy Matrix  
• Marketing objectives and strategies  
• Product, promotion and pricing strategy.  

On completing this module, the following outcomes will have been achieved, and students will be able to:

Understand the evolution and role of marketing and be able to evaluate the characteristics of a customer-centric organization.

Select and critically reflect on a series of marketing strategy tools and techniques which are applied to business opportunities and problems.

Have a critical understanding of the construction and evaluation of a strategic marketing plan.

• Dr Zimu Xu

The aim of the course is to provide students with knowledge and skills relevant for the management of new ventures across the entrepreneurial life cycle. The course will also act to prepare students who want to undertake an internship for a new venture as part of their thesis on the MSc in Management.

Global sustainability challenges are shaping the way organisations operate in the 21st century. Businesses and organisations are under increasing pressure from multiple stakeholders (for e.g. shareholders, customers, employees, society) to manage their positive and negative impacts with clear responsibility and strategic intent. Leading organisations are choosing to respond to these challenges by generating sustainable value propositions to ultimately drive competitive advantage. For many this has meant re-engaging at the level of purpose and re-addressing their role in wider society and for human well-being.

This module outlines the major sustainability challenges and explores the capabilities organisations require to respond positively to them. It will engage students in gaining a better understanding of how actions by different organisations can be best configured to promote responsible and sustainable strategies. In doing so, it will demand students (as future managers and leaders) to reflect on the long-standing debates like whether or not ‘the business of business, is still business?

• Dr Abdelkader Aoufi

To provide the participant with an understanding of the Operations Management task and its contribution to organisational competitiveness.

An introduction to Managing Operations

• Strategic role of operations
• 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
• Managing product and service innovation
• People in operations
• Sustainable Operations and Supply Chain
• Sustainability Study Route

1. Examine the different types of operations employed by organisations and their distinctive characteristics.
2. Analyse the capabilities of different types of operation including the trade-offs involved.
3. Critically assess and select the priorities for operational performance improvement and how to implement them.

• Dr Marwa Tourky

A crucial competence for marketers is marketing strategy: in simple terms, analysing how the target market divides into segments, which of these segments are key targets for the firm, what the firm’s value proposition to each segment is, and what financial results can be expected over a planning period of typically 1-3 years. This module teaches Cranfield’s world-leading step-by-step process for developing such a marketing strategy and documenting it in a marketing plan.

• Strategic marketing in context  
• The strategic marketing planning process  
• Mission statements and organisational objectives  
• The Marketing Audit and analytical tools  
• Market maps and market segmentation  
• SWOT analysis  
• The Directional Policy Matrix  
• Marketing objectives and strategies  
• Product, promotion and pricing strategy.  

On completing this module, the following outcomes will have been achieved, and students will be able to:

Understand the evolution and role of marketing and be able to evaluate the characteristics of a customer-centric organization.

Select and critically reflect on a series of marketing strategy tools and techniques which are applied to business opportunities and problems.

Have a critical understanding of the construction and evaluation of a strategic marketing plan.

Global sustainability challenges are shaping the way organisations operate in the 21st century. Businesses and organisations are under increasing pressure from multiple stakeholders (for e.g. shareholders, customers, employees, society) to manage their positive and negative impacts with clear responsibility and strategic intent. Leading organisations are choosing to respond to these challenges by generating sustainable value propositions to ultimately drive competitive advantage. For many this has meant re-engaging at the level of purpose and re-addressing their role in wider society and for human well-being.

This module outlines the major sustainability challenges and explores the capabilities organisations require to respond positively to them. It will engage students in gaining a better understanding of how actions by different organisations can be best configured to promote responsible and sustainable strategies. In doing so, it will demand students (as future managers and leaders) to reflect on the long-standing debates like whether or not ‘the business of business, is still business?

• Emmeline Cooper

The aim of the Green and Sustainable Finance module is to develop students’ awareness of the ways in which finance and financial services are increasingly integrated into and central to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) criteria and in supporting sustainable economic growth. In particular, the module is designed to deliver insight into the role finance can and must play in the transition to a more sustainable economy as well as of the wider national and international regulatory and enabling frameworks.

• Introduction to (sustainable finance)
• Green finance and financial instruments
• Responsible/impact investing
• Reinventing capitalism
• Understanding risk
• Environmental valuation
• Development finance and social investment
• Role of the public sector
• Green and sustainable FinTech: e.g. blockchain, financial instruments etc.

1. Describe the drivers, strategic implications, risks and opportunities posed by social and environmental challenges for financial systems, including the associated and emergent regulatory framework, financial and capital markets, asset management, public sector policy formation and investment decisions.
2. Describe and critique the emerging theories and practice of sustainable finance and investment as a basis for transition to a more sustainable economy.
3. Critique the existing financial system, policy tools, the ethics of business and finance in society and potential for positive social and environmental impact.
4. Demonstrate practical skills and confidence in understanding key green finance principles, how these are applied in the evaluation and analysis of organisational sustainability and applied to devise mitigation strategies.
5. Understand and explain the vision of green and sustainable finance, its associated products and services and the opportunities and challenges for mainstreaming green finance.

• Professor Phil Longhurst

Environmental sustainability is a main board issue.  General managers need to be able to navigate this agenda broadly, and their internal specialist officers, whether in regulatory affairs, sustainability, CSR, risk governance, procurement or finance may need to become intelligent customers for professional advice on environmental matters or experts in their own right.  This module is a postgraduate ‘primer’ for the aspiring general manager.  It seeks to equip you with:

- The business case for reducing environmental impacts – termed sustainability, as viewed through various lenses including resource security, risk management, regulatory compliance, and supply chain management.
- Case studies and critical reflections that contextualise good environmental governance from various business sectors.
- An overview of environmental analytics and decision tools, e.g. life cycle analysis, environmental risk assessment, environmental impact assessment, carbon and water foot-printing etc. that are used increasingly to evidence good environmental performance.
- A summary of key technologies for the treatment of water, wastewater, waste, soil and air emissions, their general performance characteristics and principles of operation.

An update of current sustainability paradigms, including design for sustainability, the ‘circular economy’, smarter environmental regulation, sustainable manufacturing and their implications for business.

1. Explain and give examples of relationships between technology, governance and decision analytics as they relate to the environmental sustainability agenda.
2. Evaluate and use tools and techniques for technology and strategy appraisal, explaining their advantages, disadvantages and data requirements.
3. Explain the key challenges presented by the use of the term sustainability as a concept in business.
4. Demonstrate awareness of some of the current thinking on environmental technology trends, business analytics that relate to the environment, and the strategic environmental agenda on resource security within a written proposal.
5. Participate in critically reviewing environmental advice that can support business decisions.

• Dr Marwa Tourky

A crucial competence for marketers is marketing strategy: in simple terms, analysing how the target market divides into segments, which of these segments are key targets for the firm, what the firm’s value proposition to each segment is, and what financial results can be expected over a planning period of typically 1-3 years. This module teaches Cranfield’s world-leading step-by-step process for developing such a marketing strategy and documenting it in a marketing plan.

• Strategic marketing in context  
• The strategic marketing planning process  
• Mission statements and organisational objectives  
• The Marketing Audit and analytical tools  
• Market maps and market segmentation  
• SWOT analysis  
• The Directional Policy Matrix  
• Marketing objectives and strategies  
• Product, promotion and pricing strategy.  

On completing this module, the following outcomes will have been achieved, and students will be able to:

Understand the evolution and role of marketing and be able to evaluate the characteristics of a customer-centric organization.

Select and critically reflect on a series of marketing strategy tools and techniques which are applied to business opportunities and problems.

Have a critical understanding of the construction and evaluation of a strategic marketing plan.

• Dr Zimu Xu

The aim of the course is to provide students with knowledge and skills relevant for the management of new ventures across the entrepreneurial life cycle. The course will also act to prepare students who want to undertake an internship for a new venture as part of their thesis on the MSc in Management.

The aim of this elective is to familiarise students with entrepreneurial finance principles.

It provides students with an overview of the different sources of funding available across the entrepreneurial life cycle. It equips them with clear guidelines on which type should be adopted at which stage.

During class, we will cover debt and equity funding, as well as new emerging alternatives such as crowdfunding.

Moreover, students will learn a variety of techniques for early-stage business valuation, and how to prepare a term sheet.

This is a very practical module, enabling students to assess business plans and develop a funding strategy for an entrepreneurial venture.

During and between classes students will be required to research information and complete application exercises.

Family businesses make numerous, critical contributions to the economy and to family well-being both in terms of money income and such intangibles as time, flexibility, control, and personal expertise - if they work. When they don't, family businesses can be difficult to manage, painful experiences at best. The path to success for any business can follow many routes. Family businesses add the complexities of family life to business challenges, expanding the range of issues, personalities, needs and potential solutions for every decision. Knowing something about family types, communication patterns, managerial styles and the amount of support members can expect from their families may be as important to beginning entrepreneurs as knowing how to reach a market or managing cash flow.

The course addresses aspects of managing an established family business, on a day-to-day basis and planning for succession to the next generation: values, life cycles, growth strategies, succession, conflict resolution, governance and cultural change. Family business issues of new companies are a small part of the course content; because there are other modules in the MSc Entrepreneurship and Management programme that concern entrepreneurship and small business management, this module will enable students to run their family businesses in an entrepreneurial manner.

• Professor Michael Dickmann

In essence this module is concerned with how organizations attract, select and manage the careers of ‘talent’ and how HR professionals can conduct career peer-coaching.

It aims to help participants understand how effective talent sourcing and career management can contribute to developing and sustaining organisations. The focus of the module will be concerned with helping participants understand the role of sourcing and career management in ensuring that organizations acquire the ‘talent’ they need to be successful. In addition, it enables participants to acquire and practice career coaching skills. The module aims to develop an insight into the complexities of sourcing talent and managing careers in a changing environment.

The module will draw on key academic contributions in the broad field of talent and career management, including current research being carried out by faculty in the School of Management.



View video: An introduction to the Talent Sourcing and Career Management module

• Dr Monica Franco-Santos

The enabling of people’s motivation and performance at work is a critical function of managers and HR professionals. Organisations invest a lot of money, time and energy developing policies, procedures and interventions that influence what people do and how well they do it. Performance management is often associated with performance appraisals, but it also includes other practices such as goal setting, performance measuring, performance reviewing, performance development and rewards. This module aims to provide students with the knowledge and skills to be able to critically assess the role, value and consequences of people performance management and reward systems.

For many organisations the nature and quality of the relationships it has with its people is crucial to success. The aim of this module is to explore the nature of this relationship, the factors which influence how it operates and how it can be managed effectively to maximise mutual benefit. The module will also examine relevant legislation and policy recommendations.

• Dr Joshua Haist

The module will review and analyse the current and future challenges that organisations face in line with the latest changes/trends affecting the workplace. The module will discuss the crucial role played by HR in supporting organisations towards the achievement of their strategic goals and the importance of leveraging on the latest technological developments to adopt more efficient people management approaches.

The module will draw on key contributions in the field of e-HRM and new ways of organising, including current research being carried out by faculty in the School of Management.

• Professor Michael Dickmann

The aim of the project module is to train students to undertake a major company-based project that is informed by a literature search, evaluation, integration and application to a specified topic with organisational relevance. In addition, this gives students hands-on experience of management issues and encourages them to explore managerial challenges in-depth and to develop valuable insights and/or recommendations. Overall, this part aims to demonstrate an ability to gather evidence in relation to a management challenge, to apply management knowledge, skills, and analytical abilities to real-world problems, to critically synthesise data and to develop recommendations.

Specific topics may be agreed between students and supervisors based on the project brief that is initially suggested by the internship organisation. Students and their supervisors will jointly determine the project topic(s). Generic questions in relation to the student’s Part 1 topic and the internship may include:

- How does the student’s work support value creation? What are the key current challenges that the student’s work entails? What recommendations can the student draw up to improve the situation?
- How do the activities in the student’s placement unit link to the business strategy? Which value processes are particularly important and how are these interlinked with other business areas? What recommendations can the student develop to improve how the unit supports the business strategy.
- Conducting appropriate analyses (e.g. PESTEL or Extended SWOT) of the student’s placement unit, what would the student recommend to prepare the activities of this unit for the future? What other supporting factors/resources should be in place?

Towards the end of the internship or after completing the internship the student engages in a self-assessment activity. This section concentrates on reflective learning and includes individual self-reflection. It aims to demonstrate an ability to reflect on the student’s own progress and to develop ideas how to improve the student’s personal skills, abilities and management insights. In addition, students have the chance to improve their career planning. In this section, students are expected to:

- Provide background to the Internship Experience (Present a clear and brief description of the internship experience. The description could be based on a number of critical incidents that took place during the internship period).
-Indicate critical thinking and reflective learning (Demonstrate examination of the learning process, showing what learning occurred, how learning occurred, and how newly acquired knowledge or learning altered existing knowledge)
-Examine and analyse the career implications of the in-company learning (Provide evidence of use of learning to examine, evaluate and plan for new actions or responses beyond the internship experience in future managerial careers).

• Professor Michael Dickmann

The aim of the project is for the student to demonstrate an ability to undertake a substantial piece of independent work wherein the student sets the research objective, determines how it is best researched, plans and executes an appropriate method, determines the findings and discusses them in the context of a theoretical framework relevant to the topic.