Master of MBA Business Administration (International)
ObjectivesIf you want an MBA that will repay your investment many times over, the Portsmouth MBA is for you. It marks you out as a well-informed, effective manager, able to analyse and solve complex business problems. Quite simply, it equips you to fulfil your own ambitions. The Portsmouth MBA programme is intellectually stimulating, challenging, relevant and rewarding: it has a dramatic effect on the lives of graduates. It's an MBA that will serve you as a practical management guide as well as a passport to enhance personal effectiveness. We have one of the longest-running programmes in the UK and it is specifically designed to enhance your career by developing strategic and decision-making capabilities, giving you the underpinning knowledge necessary for leadership roles. The Portsmouth MBA Programme is accredited by the Association of MBAs (AMBA). This provides an important external assurance of the quality, standards and reputation of the programme and Portsmouth Business School. The Business School is recognised as a leading centre for Business and Management Research (in the top 20% of UK Business Schools), and is a Centre of Excellence by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and the Chartered Quality Institute (CQI). Portsmouth is one of the liveliest cities on the south coast of England, a forward-looking, cosmopolitan city that has excellent international and national transport links. The MBA International cohort is truly cosmopolitan with individuals from 17 countries around the world on the full time MBA International programme, whilst the part time on-campus MBA Executive route attracts inspirational senior managers in the UK. We think you'll like it here.
Academic titleMaster of MBA Business Administration (International)
Course descriptionPart 1
Knowledge and Skills
The first part of the MBA programme is designed to build a foundation of knowledge and skills in business and management. It introduces our applied problem-solving and integrated approach to learning.
The structure of this part includes the directly taught, largely discipline-based subjects, such as marketing and finance, along with the opportunity for you to apply and integrate the knowledge gained in seminar-based small group work.
These exercises are based on relevant case studies, including several requiring application to your own organization (past or present), to enable you to develop your diagnostic, decision-making and implementation skills.
Management Functions Unit
This unit explores the management functions (finance, marketing and operations) and how they influence and improve the overall management of an organization.
Finance provides the concepts and techniques underpinning both financial and management accounting. The unit will also include topics such as capital expenditure appraisal, interpretation of accounts and financial reporting issues.
Marketing explores consumer and organizational buyer behaviour, the marketing mix, distribution policy issues, relationship marketing and marketing fornot-for-profit organizations.
Operations Management considers innovation in the design of products and services, techniques for the control of operations, such as supply chain management and quality management and techniques for improving operations.
Business Context / International Business Context Unit
The unit aims to relate behavioural, economic and legal concepts to the management of organizations and the contexts in which they operate. The economic perspective examines the micro and macro economic environments and explores the relevance of these to the organization. The social and political context is also covered, looking into issues such as political systems, education, globalization, business ethics and social responsibility.
Law looks at the English legal system and its relationship with EU law. In particular, contract law and employment law are explored in detail.
Organizational Behaviour and Managing Human Resources examines concepts from the behavioural sciences, including groups, leadership, motivation, organization design and culture; and explores their implications for the workplace.
The International Business Context unit (MBA International Programme) does not include the legal element. Instead it explores the cross-cultural elements of Organizational Behaviour and the international aspects of Economics in more detail.
Integrative Management / International Integrative Management Unit
This unit introduces activity based learning (in particular, the case study method and problem-solving) to explore the interdependencies and application of different academic frameworks and concepts to managerial contexts. The learning strategy is group-based and emphasises the integration of disciplines from the Business Context and Management Functions units. The Development Centre and the first residential, where team-building and leadership capabilities are established, form part of this unit.
The International Integrative Management unit (MBA International Programme) emphasises the international dimension of management.
Development Centre Activity
A Development Centre is held early in the first semester and provides a series of activities to encourage self-awareness and establish personal strategies for effective learning and management competencies. This process will allow you to prepare your own leadership development plan and consider the implications for your learning on the MBA programme.
Leadership and Team-building Residential
As a second step in the Development Centre process, a leadership and team-building residential is held over a two-day period at a local venue. This involves teams competing in a Business Project, along with other activities to explore the realities of building and leading multi-cultural teams.
Master Classes
You will be expected to complete a minimum of eight Master Classes during the MBA programme. These offer the opportunity to gain specialist knowledge and skills. Additional workshops will be held in order to facilitate the integration and application of the knowledge gained in the Master Classes in an organizational context.
The Master Classes involve intensive study and exercises as well as active debate of the issues. The classes may also include MBA Alumni.
Many of the Master Classes can be undertaken at any time during the programme, though some may only be taken after completion of core units. These classes are programmed in advance for specific days (including Saturdays) or evenings, where possible, to extend attendance opportunities.
Examples of Master Classes
Risk Management
Excellence Model
Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility
Creativity and Innovation
International Market Entry *
Crisis Management
Entrepreneurship
Lean Decision
Strategic Information
Ethics and Governance
Corporate Finance
Stress and Bullying
International CrossCultural Management *
Organization Development
* Compulsory for MBA International
These Master Classes will change to reflect topical issues and leading-edge research and management thinking.
Part 2
Strategic Management
The focus of the second part of the programme is strategic management – an aspect of organizational life characterised by complexity and uncertainty.
You will learn how to develop and critically review relevant frameworks to enable you to meet these challenges. This process will allow you to explore the managerial competencies required to lead and facilitate strategic change and to understand contemporary organizational challenges.
Strategy and Change Unit
This pivotal unit adopts a multi-disciplinary perspective and seeks to present and evaluate some of the key components involved in the strategic management of organizations in a complex and chaotic global environment. The unit content addresses key issues that shape organizations, their strategic orientation and transformation.
Course material emphasises a study of strategic management, corporate challenges and change management within an increasingly knowledge-based economy. A holistic and contingency perspective to the challenges faced by corporate managers is developed through a problem-oriented approach.
Management Decisions and Research Methods Unit
This unit explores quantitative approaches to decision analysis and information systems and provides detailed guidance for planning and undertaking an effective management research project. The material covered includes research perspectives, strategies and design, quantitative and qualitative research techniques and analysis.
Strategic Leadership Unit
The focus of this unit is to develop course members' analytical and decision making skills in complex strategic situations. This is facilitated by applying academic frameworks explored in the Strategy and Change unit to a variety of corporate organizational contexts. This approach achieves a holistic and systematic understanding and application to tackling the complexities of strategic leadership.
Group based learning forms a significant feature of this unit and is accompanied with company visits, external corporate speakers and the European residential.
European Residential
A week-long residential aims to incorporate an applied European perspective into the MBA. The focus on management in an international context takes place at a European location in association with European Business School colleagues.
The programme provides delegates with organizational visits and international strategic management talks which consider challenges of international management in the context of the European Union, its frameworks and policies.
Consultancy and Business Innovation Unit
During this unit you will develop your consultancy skills with a strategic Consultancy and Business Innovation Project with a host organization. This team-based assignment also provides an opportunity to directly assist senior management in finding innovative yet realistic solutions to their current and future strategic challenges.
In carrying out this project you will usually be working at Board level, often directly with the CEO/Managing Director. A member of the MBA academic team will act as project supervisor.
We have been operating these projects since 2001 and they have been highly successful for the organizations involved. Course members consider this assignment to be one of the most rewarding experiences on the MBA programme.
Master Classes
You will be expected to complete a minimum of eight Master Classes during the MBA programme. These offer the opportunity to gain specialist knowledge and skills. Additional workshops will be held in order to facilitate the integration and application of the knowledge gained in the Master Classes in an organizational context.
The Master Classes involve intensive study and exercises as well as active debate of the issues. The classes may also include MBA Alumni.
Many of the Master Classes can be undertaken at any time during the programme, though some may only be taken after completion of core units. These classes are programmed in advance for specific days (including Saturdays) or evenings, where possible, to extend attendance opportunities.
Examples of Master Classes
Risk Management
Excellence Model
Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility
Creativity and Innovation
International Market Entry *
Crisis Management
Entrepreneurship
Lean Decision
Strategic Information
Ethics and Governance
Corporate Finance
Stress and Bullying
International CrossCultural Management *
Organization Development
* Compulsory for MBA International
These Master Classes will change to reflect topical issues and leading-edge research and management thinking.
Part 3
Consultancy and Business Innovation Unit
During this unit you will develop your consultancy skills with a strategic Consultancy and Business Innovation Project with a host organization. This team-based assignment also provides an opportunity to directly assist senior management in finding innovative yet realistic solutions to their current and future strategic challenges.
In carrying out this project you will usually be working at Board level, often directly with the CEO/Managing Director. A member of the MBA academic team will act as project supervisor.
We have been operating these projects since 2001 and they have been highly successful for the organizations involved. Course members consider this assignment to be one of the most rewarding experiences on the MBA programme.
Master Classes
You will be expected to complete a minimum of eight Master Classes during the MBA programme. These offer the opportunity to gain specialist knowledge and skills. Additional workshops will be held in order to facilitate the integration and application of the knowledge gained in the Master Classes in an organizational context.
The Master Classes involve intensive study and exercises as well as active debate of the issues. The classes may also include MBA Alumni.
Many of the Master Classes can be undertaken at any time during the programme, though some may only be taken after completion of core units. These classes are programmed in advance for specific days (including Saturdays) or evenings, where possible, to extend attendance opportunities.
Examples of Master Classes
Risk Management
Excellence Model
Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility
Creativity and Innovation
International Market Entry *
Crisis Management
Entrepreneurship
Lean Decision
Strategic Information
Ethics and Governance
Corporate Finance
Stress and Bullying
International CrossCultural Management *
Organization Development
* Compulsory for MBA International
These Master Classes will change to reflect topical issues and leading-edge research and management thinking.
Research Project
The final part of the programme concentrates on research into an appropriate strategic management topic. You will be given guidance in research methods, before you carry out the necessary independent research, which will be under the supervision of a specialist member of the academic staff.
Many course members undertake their research project within their current organization. Full time course members often carry out their project with their most recent organization, or with one introduced in the earlier stages of the MBA programme. We encourage this because it highlights the relevance and practical application of your studies.
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