Performance Achievement Planning

This short course is a professional development course that is designed to support all PG students in the University of Bedfordshire Business School to enhance their employability and develop a professional profile through their journey in the Masters. The specific aims are to:

1. Enhance students’ professional, personal development and communication skills.  
2. To support students to evidence how their experience at masters level has contributed to the development of their professional profile as required after graduation.
3. To support students to develop the necessary academic skill required for successful completion of postgraduate research

Brand Communication And Reputation Management

The central aim of this Unit is to provide you with a thorough understanding of the role that Communications plays within the marketing strategy of any organisation and be able to critically analyse and reflect upon the relationship between buyer behaviour and the development of a Marketing Communications Strategy. The unit will enable you to understand the main functions of the marketing communications mix including key areas of integrated marketing communications systems: public relations, advertising, and digital media. In addition, the unit will seek to develop a critical appreciation of the role of Public Relations and Digital Marketing as a key tool for ‘reputation management’ and the mechanisms for developing successful digital campaigns.

Intercultural Business Competencies

Aims:

• To appraise and develop writing and written communication skills appropriate to a manager

• To evaluate team building and interpersonal skills and critically analyse and employ non-verbal and verbal communication and listening skills

• To integrate cultural frameworks with theories from other disciplines in producing a justification for propositions or ventures

• To investigate developments in international business, focusing on issues of polarity, dependence and interdependence in respect of socialization processes and interaction rules that foster a normative basis for interdependency

• To critically evaluate personal models of effectiveness in management contexts

• To identify, reflect upon and evidence key areas for your personal development

Relevance:

International business demands managing strategies in international markets, with considerations of interdependencies of intercultural competence in managing differences in interpersonal interactions, which is key for successful business operations.

In this unit you will evaluate the major dimensions of the international markets and the different strategies. You will explore the application of oral and written communication theories within the context of a technological and international business environment. Additionally, you will demonstrate expertise in formulating and evaluating business strategies for different business environments.

Emphasis is placed on developing your competences as an international manager. You will determine key aspects of the work environment and its implications for interactive work behaviour.

Excellent high performing international marketing managers exhibit self-awareness and engage in decision making with an understanding of their own and others’ capabilities. These abilities enable visionary approaches to problem solving and effective development of others. This unit gives you the opportunity to better understand your personal performance, get insight into working in international markets and across cultures, manage yourself effectively and become a more reflective learner.

This will help prepare you for the ever-changing and increasingly global working environment.

Marketing And The Digital Future

Digital marketing has become an increasingly vital ingredient for business success. Organisations that neglect their digital marketing activities and operations are doomed to failure.

Digital platforms are not only revolutionising marketing, but creating new business models and new methods of social interaction. This unit explores the effects on management, business, economics, sociology and ethics. 

For organisations some of the key questions are: what do my customers want; how do potential and actual customers view my offering; how do I make my product or service different; how much shall I charge for it and where/how do I 'talk about' it and make it available?

All of these questions are of course posed in a context of competition and in a political, economic, socio-cultural and technological framework that is constantly evolving. The motto for organisations often is 'change or die'. A key component of any digital marketing is the ability to communicate effectively online via social media, thus bringing together new technological developments as well as economic, sociological and political changes combined with the extent to which academic theory matches practice.

The unit therefore aims to engage you with a critical understanding of 21st century digital marketing and communication in practice.

Strategy And Brand Management

In today’s global economy a strategic approach is vital for both companies and organisations in order to compete and reach their goals. The unit introduces you to the marketing strategy concept at functional and corporate levels by critically reviewing theoretical models as well as practical associations. Following the premise of the brand as a main strategic asset, the unit will guide you through brand management by identifying the brand as the knowledge bridge between the costumer and the company.

Business Dissertation

Aims:

• To bring theory and practice together to formulate a  topic of your interest whether it is a research-oriented topic or a more clinical topic that is relevant to the context of business and conduct research on your choice of topic relevant to your field of study
• To stimulate you to reflect on issues critically and to identify aspects that need further research
• To provide you with the opportunity to explore a topic and appreciate the importance of literature review in the learning process
• To critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of other people’s research to formulate your own study
• To enhance skills in time-management, research management, project organisation and decision-making
• To apply and reflect on the practicalities of research including access to sources and ethical considerations

Relevance

An important aim of a Master’s degree is to master and apply your knowledge and skills independently so that you can successfully carry out research. This dissertation provides you with the opportunity for sustained independent study that builds on your research proposal and represents the culmination of your Master’s level studies.