Units of Study

Strategy and Entrepreneurship

How can managers understand their environment, industry, resources and capabilities to achieve business success? This unit explores different levels of strategy, including corporate and business-level strategy for both established and start-up ventures. Strategy is, fundamentally, about making choices and deliberately choosing to be different. Strategic management seeks to understand how these choices and differences can (and sometimes cannot) create sustainable and exceptional value for shareholders, customers, employees and other related stakeholders. Questions to be addressed include: How can market opportunities be reviewed and understood? How can creativity and opportunity be harnessed across all phases of start-up, growth and maturity? How does a firm (or individual) build and develop resources and capabilities in a global and local competitive environment? When is collaboration preferable to competition? How can risk and uncertainty be evaluated and managed? The unit will highlight the challenges of strategic implementation as well as analysis and planning. Insights from entrepreneurial practice and theory will be integrated throughout the unit, with problem-based learning anchoring the teaching program. Students will work on 'real' corporate problems and questions, with group-based project work providing the opportunity to apply theory in practice.

Managerial Economics

An understanding of economics is an important element of any advanced management curriculum. This unit of study introduces students to economic concepts that can be used to help understand both the context for business and management and the analysis and development of business strategies. The unit of study addresses three (3) main areas: the macroeconomic context for business, economic concepts underpinning competitive strategies, and economic concepts that relate to the internal functioning of organisations. As such it provides an important foundation for many of the other units of study in the MMgt.

Accounting and Financial Management

This unit of study focuses on the theory and practice of financial decision making and financial management within organisations. Its subject matter includes a review of the economic logic of financial decisions, drawing on the modern theories of finance and management accounting. Among the topics covered are capital budgeting, costing for pricing, real options valuation, and all of the other fundamental elements of financial decision making. The unit of study emphasizes decision making within a management context. This requires an understanding of not only economic principles but also broader behavioural and organisational considerations. The objective of the unit of study is to balance the need for quantitative and qualitative management tools. The philosophy of the subject is that in a sophisticated organisation, these are inseparable essentials of successful financial management.

Managing People and Organisations

This unit provides students with insights into the management of people and organisational processes. It explores the functions of management and the critical role of effective human resource management and leadership of the business enterprise. Key managerial decisions covered include: attracting and retaining an effective workforce; developing teamwork; organisational design; promoting an effective organisational culture; managing organisational change and innovation; and the central role of leadership in all areas of the business enterprise.

International and Cross-cultural Management

What distinguishes successful from unsuccessful managers when doing business internationally? Most importantly, successful managers will understand and be responsive to the institutional environment in which they are operating as well as the organisational resources and capabilities at their command. They must know the "rules of the game". In this context, local cultural, ethical, and social factors play a significant role. Managers need to know how to interact successfully with people from other cultures both within and outside their organisations. An understanding of cultural differences and how to manage such differences is thus critical to effective international management. In particular, managers need to be aware of and sensitive to different management and leadership styles around the world, be able to make informed decisions about effective communications internationally, be able to lead successful international negotiations, be able to creatively manage global teams, and to have the ability to develop successful global careers for themselves and others in their organisation. This unit of study explores these issues using theory, empirical evidence, case studies, role plays and group projects to both enlighten and challenge participants.

Corporate Governance and Regulation

The focus of this unit of study is on systems of corporate governance and the processes of accountability through which they are effected and effective. The unit examines the roles of key institutions through which governance is effected; boards of directors and within these executive and non-executive directors, investors and pension funds, analysts, regulators and the media. It will also look at the very different national systems of corporate governance that exist around the world. The course will provide students with the key conceptual frameworks through which corporate governance has been studied; agency theory, stakeholder theory, stewardship theory, resource dependence theory and theories of accountability and governance. It will look at emergent issues within corporate governance including the emergence of new standards in relation to corporate social responsibility, the conduct of multi-nationals, and contrasting theories of international convergence or path-dependence in relation to corporate governance in both developed and emergent economies.

Supply Chain and Operations Management

Logistics and operations management is one of the foundation blocks of any successful business. Unless an organisation can manage and coordinate the movement of materials, information and cash through its business, and those of partner organisations, it is unlikely to outperform its competitors. Furthermore organisations rarely compete as fully integrated organisations; typically they are part of increasingly interdependent networks. The operational discipline of the successful organisation is responsible for developing and managing its operational response to market opportunities, and supply chain management is key to a successful response. This unit provides an understanding of these two important concepts. It offers in depth examination of both concepts, then demonstrates how together they contribute towards a strategically effective and operationally efficient organisation.

Marketing Management in the Global Environment

A core skill for managers in an increasingly competitive world is applying marketing principles within the context of the international marketplace. This unit is designed to equip students with key decision-making tools, helping them answer critical questions about managing the marketing effort in the global market place. The course introduces fundamental marketing concepts and theories, and demonstrates their practical application within the international arena. Topics include market and competitive analysis, market segmentation and product positioning, brand and product management, pricing issues, integrated marketing communications, measuring return on marketing investment, and managing the internal organisation and external relationships responsible for successful implementation. Case studies and industry guests are used to illustrate concepts and their practical application.

Business Project Part A and B

The MMGT business project, which comprises two units of study, is designed to provide students with a real life learning experience and to provide assurance of learning for the program as a whole. Students will work in small groups of four or five and partner with a real organisation over a six week period to provide solutions to a real business problem identified in consultation with the partner organisations. Projects will range from social entrepreneurship programs, where students work with community groups and NGOs, through to consultancy projects for large multinational corporations. Projects will be overseen by a specifically appointed academic coordinator and students will also have access to business mentors throughout the project. Students will be required to make a presentation and provide a written report to that client, and to make a presentation and provide a written report to their academic and student peers. Students will be assessed on the extent to which they were able to apply theories and concepts developed across the entire MMgt course and the extent to which they demonstrated having mastered the learning objectives of the program.