SWAGºÏ¼¯

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).

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.

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.

This module aims to provide students with the ability to analyse and present relevant data that will support evidence-based decision making.

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 Management is concerned with the direction and scope of the organisation and finding best fit with its environment. This involves determining the purpose of the organisation, establishing objectives and formulating strategies to achieve those objectives. It predominantly explores how an organisation positions itself with regard to its changing environment, and in particular its competitors, in order to gain and sustain competitive advantage. This means that strategic management considers how an organisation’s internal resources and capabilities can be developed to meet the changing demands of customers, in such a way as to achieve the expectations and objectives of its stakeholders. As part of this consideration of the organisation’s stakeholders and environment, strategic management should take into account wider societal and ecological contexts as significant factors. The module establishes themes of social equality, ethics and sustainability as core concerns of strategic management.

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.

The module is primarily designed to provide students 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 students have the core skills to inform management decisions.

Many people work internationally and/or in highly diverse settings in multicultural teams. Leaders who are able to 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. Crucially, this module enables students to perform better in their internships as they are extremely likely to work in highly diverse teams.

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 is key to enhance the students’ ability to analyse management challenges, to use consulting insights and processes effectively in order to perform better during their company-based internships.

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. Emphasis will be given to digital marketing approaches and implications.

No prior knowledge of the subject is assumed.

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?

In many organisations, projects are the units of work by which the organisation operates, and value is delivered. This module aims to provide learners with a comprehensive understanding of project management theories, tools, and techniques to work within complex environments. Through practical exercises, case studies, and real-world examples, this module fosters critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities necessary for managing projects efficiently. Project management skills are essential because they offer diverse competencies that are valuable in any professional setting.

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

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. Emphasis will be given to digital marketing approaches and implications.

No prior knowledge of the subject is assumed.

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?

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.

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.

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. Emphasis will be given to digital marketing approaches and implications.

No prior knowledge of the subject is assumed.

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?

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.

In an ever fast changing environment, developing a positive organisational culture is key to organisational success. This module is primarily designed to respond to the need for organisations to build organisational cultures that are agile, foster inclusion, ethical approaches and collaboration among the members of the organisation. This module will also support students in understanding approaches to managing change and organisational transformation in relation to driving cultural change.

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.

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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.

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.

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).

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.