Strategic Branding and Stakeholder Management MSc with Integrated Placement (15 months/24 months)

Course content

What will you study on the MA Strategic Branding and Stakeholder Communication with Integrated Placement (15 months/24 months)?

The course begins by providing the core subjects of branding, focusing on strategy, stakeholders and communication, so as to embed a core understanding of the field. With this core knowledge you will progress onto two compulsory modules into the essential topics of analytics and digital, as well as two further optional modules which allow you to extend your understanding in areas of particular interest. Finally you will complete a dissertation project on a topic of interest that you select.

The aim of the module is to equip students with the key skills required for the strategic management of brands. The module introduces students to the core concepts of branding and provides a wide range of analytical tools and frameworks for the analysis of brands.

The module aims to equip students with the key skills for understanding the complexities involved in stakeholder and communication theories. It introduces students to issues such as strategic planning and campaign management, research and measurement, media relations and employee communication. The module provides a critical context in which to analyse current developments in stakeholder and communication theories.

The aim of this module is to develop students' ability to measure, predict, and critically evaluate key performance indicators of brands. Students will collect and analyse data, and then prepare reports and communicate the results of the data analysis in order to assist decision-making and strategy development.

The aim of this module is to develop students' systematic knowledge and skills for understanding the complexity of the new digital landscape. The module provides a critical context in which to analyse the current digital developments in E-marketing. In particular, the module will facilitate students’ learning of e-marketing models, social media and e-tailing in order to produce a coherent digital marketing strategy.

You will gain a solid grounding in the theory and practice of Public Relations and develop intellectual abilities, skills and knowledge needed to strategically manage the reputation of brands and organisations, add value to your commercial success and support your goals. You will examine the most effective use of PR tools such as media relations when looking at managing public perceptions during moments of organisational or individual crisis; as well as develop specific skills of storytelling and writing for media across traditional and digital media channels. You will then explore the wider cultural and societal landscape in which PR operates, touching on areas such as celebrity, power and the impact of globalisation. The content will build upon the knowledge and skills from core modules and will appeal to those seeking to explore opportunities of employment within PR and communications related organisations.

The module aims to equip students with to equip students with the key skills for managing corporate and organisational brands. It introduces students to the concepts and practice of corporate branding in a wide range of geographic and industry settings whilst providing a critical context in which to apply different research approaches to corporate and organisational branding, such as case studies, focus groups, and expert interviews. The module further introduces students to the related issues of corporate identity, corporate reputation and brand heritage.

The aim of this module is to develop students' systematic knowledge and skills in the subject of innovation theory for marketing. In particular, the module will introduce students to issues such as strategic planning and innovation management, dynamic capabilities, market-driven and market driving, and will equip students with the key skills for taking a visionary approach and embedding innovation to deal with the challenges of the a fast moving marketplace, to produce a coherent marketing strategy embedding innovation and achieve a consistent innovation narrative.

The ability to communicate in culturally diverse settings has become a key prerequisite of successful global brands. Although there is a worldwide convergence of technology, media and financial systems, globalisation has not consistently produced globally uniform consumers; global brands often encounter unfamiliar challenges in specific regions or parts of the world. This module examines the discipline of cross-cultural communications in relation to global marketing. It is concerned with the development, implementation and evaluation of marketing communication activities across a diverse range of cultural settings. You will consider how cultural values influence, and can be reflected in, global communication programs. Message creation, execution and the available vehicles of message distribution will be evaluated across different cultural contexts. Through exposure to a wide range of real-life examples, you will be able to design comprehensive communication solutions to boost brand shares globally.

This module aims to assist students to develop an understanding of the research process and to conduct research leading to successful completion of their dissertation. It enables students to demonstrate proficiency in relation to scoping the issue(s)/problems, consideration of appropriate literature, collection and analysis of data, and developing specific recommendations or conclusions in relation to the research project.

As part of this course, you can do an optional three month or one year industry placement. Programmes with integral placements give you the opportunity to apply the skills you have learned throughout your studies in a practical environment. You will be earning a full time salary and will learn skills that can't be taught in a classroom at University. During the placement, you will be able to gain further insight into industrial practice that you can take forward into your individual project and into your future career.

You will undertake your placement after completing your taught modules and project. During the placement, you will be assigned an academic supervisor, who will maintain direct contact with you. You will be able to access online materials at the University as well as other physical resources as appropriate. You will maintain a placement log for the day-to-day activities and submit a final report once the placement comes to an end.

Although the placement is not guaranteed, the University maintains links with a wide network of organisations who offer placement opportunities. The University will also provide you with full support to help you secure a placement, from job application to the interview.

In order to qualify for the placement period you must have passed all modules in the semesters preceding the placement.

You can find more information about this course in the programme specification. Optional modules are not offered on every course. If we have insufficient numbers of students interested in an optional module, or there are staffing changes which affect the teaching, it may not be offered. If an optional module will not run, we will advise you after the module selection period when numbers are confirmed, or at the earliest time that the programme team make the decision not to run the module, and help you choose an alternative module.