Course description
MSc
The MSc in International Management offered by Oxford Brookes Business School is a well-established course of study that has proved of great value to graduating students both in their career development and in giving them a wide vision of the realities of the world of international business. Students from over 60 countries have been represented on the course, thus ensuring a diverse cross-cultural environment for learning.
The course is designed primarily for students with a first degree or equivalent in virtually any subject who are seeking careers in international organisations or further research studies.
The design of the course is innovative in many ways, including:
* integration of the functional areas of business to give a broad understanding of the opportunities and challenges in international business
* learning about management and personal development through active projects, both individually and in groups
* introduction to research methods and approaches essential to a master’s degree and valuable in future business consultancy projects.
Course content
The MSc in International Management is academically rigorous, but is designed to ensure that students from all kinds of cultures, often with widely different educational experiences, can succeed.
The following should enable potential students to appreciate what each module element of the course offers in terms of learning outcomes:
International Management Competencies provides opportunities for developing students' cognitive, affective, behavioural and technical business skills that will enhance their effectiveness when operating in an international context. It enables students to identify the influence of cross-cultural factors on interpersonal dynamics, select appropriate management and leadership styles given cultural constraints and provide a framework in which students will be able to decide upon appropriate and credible problem analysis and decision-making strategies.
Principles of Strategic Management looks at the essential principles associated with international management, especially those relating to the initial stages of involvement in international business. It examines the decisions that have been taken by international managers from an integrated functional perspective, against the dynamic global environment in which those decisions are made.
Environment of the International Manager: Politico-Economic Dimensions focuses on examining the issues concerning the management of the external environment of organisations. The module concentrates on considerations of major trends and debates in the external environment of the international business and on the ecological and ethical environment of the business.
Principles of Financial Accounting and Statistics provides an opportunity for students to develop core competencies in accounting, basic statistics and their integration in business decision making. The purpose of this module is to develop an understanding of financial and quantitative information relevant to middle or senior managers.
Strategic Management Practices builds on the principles introduced in Semester 1 and primarily looks at their application to the functional areas of business. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of the international manager in making short- and long-term decisions relating to the setting up and long-term management of overseas operations and relationships with headquarters.
Corporate Social Responsibility examines the impact on organisations of the external environment with regard to sustainability. It provides students with the opportunity to extend their learning into specific aspects of international management within which issues associated with environmental sustainability and ethics are becoming increasingly important.
Research Methods and Dissertation The dissertation, incorporating a research methods module, is a key component of a master's degree. It gives you the opportunity to explore an area of interest, and students are encouraged to choose topics that will be valuable in their future careers. Undertaking effective management research, and being reflective on the process, is often a requirement of senior management as well as being a requirement at master's level. On this module, students are allocated a supervisor who will work with them, providing guidance and advice throughout the process.
In addition to the core modules outlined above, you will, subject to availability, be able to select an additional module during Semester 2. These additional modules are often run in conjunction with other master's programmes in the Business School, allowing you to study alongside students studying other aspects of management. The list of elective subjects includes:
* The Management of Innovation and Change
* Management and Organisational Learning
* Global Market Development
* Regional Studies: Developing Economies of Asia, Africa and Latin America
* Regional Studies: Pacific Rim
* Regional Studies: Western and Eastern Europe
* EU Employment Law for Managers.
Teaching, learning and assessment
Much of the teaching on the course takes the form of interactive workshops, but there are also lectures from staff and visiting speakers.
Lectures, discussions, role-play exercises, learning packages and seminars are linked with selected case studies and assessments to strengthen your practical analysis and decision-making skills. You will have the opportunity to develop your skills in team working through structured syndicate work and group assignments.
Quality
The reputation of the Business School is underpinned through membership of and programme accreditations received from the Association of MBAs, the Association of Business Schools, and professional associations such as the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, and the European Foundation for Management Development. The Business School is, therefore, widely regarded as one of the best within its peer group.
The Business School's programmes benefit from rigorous quality assurance procedures and regularly receive excellent feedback from external examiners, employers, students and professional bodies. In 2005 Business and Management achieved ‘Broad Confidence’, the best possible result, in the discipline audit trail as part of the Quality Assurance Agency Institutional Audit.
Many students who graduate from Business School programmes go on to achieve high status in the industry of their choice.
The Business School has an active programme of research based around four key research areas:
* accounting, governance and accountability
* human resource management and organisational behaviour
* international strategy and policy
* marketing and operations.
In addition, there are three cross-area themes:
* hospitality, leisure and tourism management
* entrepreneurship
* small and medium-sized enterprises.
The School maintains a rigorous and dynamic doctoral programme leading to the higher degrees of MPhil and PhD. Postgraduate students join a supportive, friendly and multicultural research environment. They have access to dedicated research suites providing workspaces, computers and storage, and a range of supporting activities, such as seminars and an annual residential research methods programme.
Teaching staff are primarily those academics from within the Business School with research and/or in-depth practical experience of international management issues. Visiting speakers from business and industry, local government, and consultancies and research bodies provide further input.
