International Trade And Monetary Policy

This unit aims:

• To assess the theory of international trade, exploring how countries exchange goods and services, manage international migration, and facilitate foreign direct investment flows.
• To investigate why nations and blocs/alliances/unions implement restrictions or regulations on international trade, and analyse the economic welfare implications of such policies.
• To analyse the operations of international and European monetary systems by investigating both recent advancements and challenges.
• To explore real-world issues like balance of payments problems, causes of exchange rate movements, and the impacts of economic connections between countries.

Strategy

The aims of the Unit are: 

• To enable students to develop a critical and informed understanding of the business environment in which organisations operate and of the business opportunities.
• To equip students with a range of tools and concepts of strategic analysis and business modelling that will enable them to assess the strategic position of business organisations.
• To develop strategic thinking and vision that can be utilised in formulating strategies, evaluating options and implementing strategic decisions

Capstone

The aims of the Unit are:

• To bring theory and practice together to formulate a topic of your choice relevant to your field of study
• To provide you with the opportunity to explore a topic and appreciate the importance of literature review in the learning process
• To reflect on research methodology and implement the suitable approach for the selected research
• To enhance skills in time-management, research management, project organisation and decision-making for a relevant research outcome
• To apply and reflect on the practicalities of research including access to sources and ethical consideration

Strategic Management

This unit covers the field of strategy-making and strategic management. You will consider current issues and challenges facing directors, senior managers and entrepreneurs in guiding the long-term development of organisations. The objectives of organisations and the means of achieving these objectives through the mobilisation and deployment of assets and resources and the integration of the various functions of the organisation will be the focus of the unit.

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.

Data Modelling, Management And Governance

Managing data is an area of crucial importance in any field. Its application facilitates the rational decision making process that is the basis for successful operations within any environment. To this extent, the purpose of this unit is to discuss how data should be managed during its lifecycle through a mixture of relevant topics. This includes development tools and basic techniques for data capture, modelling, storing and retrieval to serve as the mechanisms for making effective and efficient use of available data.  The approach will be based on exploring basic applied principles and practices to enable students to develop an information system as a solution to a problem for a particular field of application. These are fully informed from practices employed in small to middle and, middle to large sized companies.

The primary aim of the unit is:

• To advance students by applying a range of both theoretical and practical issues involved in data modelling and management techniques in order to develop appropriate relational database systems for managing data within a chosen field of interest.

Therefore, the objectives involved are as follows:

• To review the underlying theory of databases including data modelling and management techniques
• To critically appreciate and exploit available methods and techniques used for data modelling and management purposes
• To develop the student’s awareness of and ability to select and apply appropriate tools and techniques for building relevant database systems
• To effectively demonstrate good practice in database development by using industry standard software
• Develop problem solving skills in being able to select the best possible e-Governance solution for a given "real-world" context
• To critically review the role of XML (Extensible Markup Language) schemas and ontologies in facilitating data governance
• To enable students to gain an up-to-date knowledge by applying data modelling and management tools in their chosen field of application

Personal Professional Development

This unit aims to help you to gain the full benefit of your extended Master’s programme by supporting you in preparing for employment and career progression. You should develop realistic awareness of the challenges and opportunities that exist within the employment market place and how to successfully present yourself and navigate your future career.

Scheduled coaching and reflection will support you in realising your ambitions. Participants have an equal partnership and control. You set and own the goals and shape your development.

It provides you with key tools of research and learning at the overarching / meta level in terms of skills and behaviours including those of self-knowledge, reflective practice, working collaboratively, enhanced problem solving and building a personal brand.

Through Executive Coaching and Action Learning Sets, Your Professional Future allows you to tailor your own development through whatever routes are appropriate and anchors these achievements in reflective practice.

The unit aims and objectives are captured specifically in the reflective professional development plan the students develop by the end of this unit.

Computer Networks And Security

This unit introduces core computer networking and information security concepts to those who need a foundation in the subjects. It is relevant for a wide range of career pathways - from business and risk management, software development, to cyber and data security and sciences.

Learners will be shown the fundamentals of how computer networks operate and the essential principles of cybersecurity. 

Developing Independent Research

In this unit you will learn what goes into a research proposal and application, the rudiments of good research design at masters level and beyond. 

The unit examines the processes of authentication, verification, dissemination of knowledge through scholarly publishing. You will learn about contemporary debates over access and peer review, impact evaluation (citations, H-index, etc), revenue models and research funding.

Completion of this unit will support your ability to critically evaluate research data and to present your conclusions to a professional standard.

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.