Management

MA Management

The courses aim to develop the business and managerial acumen of graduates and people in the workplace looking to advance their career. They will engage students in the development of a wide range of practical skills that are highly desirable and necessary for career development in today’s workplace. The combination of practical management skills and contemporary academic knowledge will enhance both new graduates’ employability and current employees’ prospects for career advancement locally, nationally and internationally.

Typical Modules

• Management and Leadership
• Marketing
• Financial Management
• Strategic Management
• Human Resource Management
• eCommerce

Programme Specification

Programme Aims
The main educational aims of the programme are:

• to enhance lifelong learning skills and personal development to enable students to work with self direction, originality and to contribute to business and society at large;
• to enable students to undertake advanced study of organisations, their management and the changing external context in which they operate;
• to develop students’ ability to apply knowledge and understanding of business and management to complex issues, both systematically and creatively, to improve business and management practices;
• to enhance students’ transferable skills of research, interpretation, critical evaluation and their ability to turn theory into practice;
• to develop students’ intellectual skills, including critical reasoning, analysis, creativity and reflection;
• to prepare students for a career or career development in business and management by developing professional skills;
• to prepare students for research or further study in the field of business and management;
• to develop master's level knowledge and skills in business and management subjects to enhance students’ employability and the utility of their first discipline.

Programme Outcomes
Knowledge and understanding

• Relevant knowledge and understanding of organisations, their diversity and the external context in which they operate and how they are managed.
• The processes, procedures and practices for effective leadership and management of organisations.
• Managing and responding to change and consideration of the future of organisations and the external contexts in which they operate.
• Interconnections and interrelationships between management functions, decision making and the external context.
• The functions, cultures, purposes, structures and behaviour of organisations.
• The external environment and its effects at local, national and international levels upon the strategy, behaviour, management and sustainability of organisations.
• The management of contemporary issues relevant to both internal and external contexts.
• The critical application of models, frameworks, theories and techniques to the advancement of management practices.
• Communication and information technology (CIT) - comprehension and use of relevant CIT for application in business and management.
• Business innovation, creativity and enterprise development.

Cognitive Skills

• Being able to think critically and be creative: manage the creative processes in self and others; organise thoughts, analyse, synthesise and critically appraise. This includes the capability to identify assumptions, evaluate statements in terms of evidence, detect false logic or reasoning, identify implicit values, define terms adequately and generalise appropriately.
• Being able to solve complex problems and make decisions: establish criteria, using appropriate decision-making techniques including identifying, formulating and solving business problems; and the ability to create, identify and evaluate options; the ability to implement and review decisions.
• The ability to conduct research into business and management issues either individually or as part of a team through research design, data collection, analysis, synthesis and reporting.
• Using information and knowledge effectively: scanning and organising data, synthesising and analysing in order to abstract meaning from information and to share knowledge.

Practical Skills

• Effective performance within team environments and the ability to recognise and utilise individuals' contributions in group processes and to negotiate and persuade or influence others; team selection, delegation, development and management.
• Leadership and performance management: selecting appropriate leadership style for different situations; setting targets, motivating, monitoring performance, coaching and mentoring.
• Ability to recognise and address ethical dilemmas and corporate social responsibility issues, applying ethical and organisational values to situations and choices.

Transferable Skills

• Numeracy and quantitative skills including the development and use of relevant business models.
• Effective use of Communication and Information Technology.
• Effective two-way communication: listening, effective oral and written communication of complex ideas and arguments, using a range of media, including the preparation of business reports.
• High personal effectiveness: critical self-awareness, self-reflection and self management; time management; sensitivity to diversity in people and different situations and the ability to continue to learn through reflection on practice and experience.