MSc International Sport Management

Global Sustainable Sports Operations Making a sports arena or stadium sustainable in the long term, requires insight into the different aspects of sustainable development policies and how these affect the sports industries. This module is focused on the strategic management of stadiums and aims to develop your understanding of sustainable policies and how they influence the decision-making process. The module will introduce you to a wide range of sustainable development policies and event management principles in the context of the global sports industry. At the end of this module, you will have a greater understanding of sports operation management, event management and sustainable strategies. Managing Global Strategy The world economy is becoming less predictable and less stable. Events over the last decade will define the events of the coming decade. This module seeks to arm you with the tools, the critical thinking and the practical skills you need to compete in the global economy of the third decade of the Twenty-First Century. Ultimately, strategy and strategic management are about achieving the long-term aims and objectives of the organisation, whilst taking in to account changes in both the macro and micro environment alongside shifts in emerging economies e.g. BRICS and their potential impact in the sports market place. Whilst there are many theorists writing in this area, there are a limited few, with practical strategic senior management experience, especially in the area of global sport. The purpose of this module is to ready you for the challenges of management and senior management, not just to be able to make, but to be able to understand why decisions are made. More importantly, with an over-arching and long embedded theme of illuminating strategy through strategic decision analysis, the successful student will learn how to make the best decisions based on solid evidence. This is a practical focused module, offering you skills and knowledge from the real world of business with theoretical underpinning. You will learn how to produce effective decision analysis tools, how to justify choices and decisions whilst considering, and debating, the inadequacies of existing theories. You will discover best practice from varied and disparate industries and will self-discover how these exemplars can be implemented in football and sport. Thus the ultimate aim of this module is to produce the highly effective and efficient senior management necessary to take football and sport into the third decade of the 21st century with all its challenges. Global Sports Marketing and Digital Communications Globalisation is profoundly impacting the sports industry as a direct result of increased exposure through broadcasting and social media. Many sports brands are increasingly targeting overseas markets to reach new fans and customers, develop new revenue streams and gain competitive advantage. However, navigating such opportunities and threats posed by new international markets calls for an acute understanding of national culture and the effective use of both traditional and digital marketing techniques. This course explores the key principles and practices involved with identifying new markets and creating a winning marketing strategy for successful new market entry. It also addresses how digital and social media communications strategies have revolutionised the connection and conversation between sports brands and consumers. Global Sports Leadership Leadership is a fundamental element of both sport and business operating in a dynamic global arena. On this module you will review and conceptualise different approaches to leadership from both an applied and theoretical perspective to allow you to analyse critical incidents in order to judge organisational leadership performance. You will be able to apply leadership theory to examples from industry professionals who have experience of leading teams in a sporting setting. Cross-cultural leadership underpins many of the behaviours and skills discussed within the leadership framework, alongside diversity and inclusion, strategic leadership, communication and reflection. The module allows you to take responsibility for your own leadership development and effectiveness through the development of an e-portfolio and skills audit, alongside exposure to sports leaders from the global network of partners contributing to the live case studies. Applied Professional Project This module will advance your research and critical thinking skills, and support you in applying these to the sport industry and its associated workplace environments. This module aims to prepare you for research, reflective, and evidence-based development, important for your future career and higher study where applicable. The undertaking of an applied project will give you the opportunity to develop your problem-solving skills regarding topical issues in your area of interest, whilst also allowing you to evidence your academic ability and knowledge. By completing this project and consulting with your tutor, you will establish expertise in an applied area of interest, aiming to have real impact on the relevant industry. This module will give you a live insight into sport business issues. You will gain a thorough practice-based understanding of project design, conduct and action. As a result, you will be able to design and manage an applied project, and show potential to contribute to academic knowledge and industry practice – making you highly desirable for potential employers. Contemporary Issues in Sport (Distance) When working in the dynamic sports industry, it is essential to understand the wide variety of issues that are important to the business and management of sport, without neglecting the implications of our actions as managers on the wider sports population. This module offers an engaging, informative, yet challenging introduction to some of the most pressing contemporary issues in sport. The module aims to provide you with a critical awareness of contemporary issues in sport by examining a number of topics ranging from global issues such as corruption, gambling and commercialisation, to national issues of gender, sexuality, racism and women in sport. You will develop an understanding of these issues by being empowered to formulate personal opinion underpinned by theoretical evidence in the format of assessed seminar discussions. Listening skills, alongside verbal reasoning will also be developed in order to develop critical understanding of relatively complex themes that affect both the sports industry and society as a whole. Entrepreneurship in Sport As a sport business professional, you will be immersed in an industry that is full of potential for growth and innovation. Perhaps you will feel there is a better way of conducting business, perhaps you feel there should be a different way to approaching a specific activity; or perhaps you just prefer to have your own business, in which case this module is for you. From business model development to presentation skills, this module will provide you with essential skills to succeed as an entrepreneur in the sport industry. Not only that it will also cover the fundamental aspects and areas you should consider in order to best approach the world and the life of an entrepreneur in the sport industry.