MSc International Business Management

This module will help you to build and develop your knowledge in International Business and Management in an progressive way.

You’ll learn about the four key business functions of:

• Operations
• Finance
• Marketing
• Human Resources.

You’ll build the knowledge and understanding of how the business functions contribute to the success of an organisation and how to gain a competitive advantage.

You will develop knowledge in the area of strategic change management, and innovation. You’ll gain understanding of the organisation and the economic context of the business environment.

Through this module you build your insight into a series of relevant and current topics that represent key issues around innovation and change and the organisational context in modern general management; strategic management, including the critical evaluation of the business and economic environment.

This module is designed to develop your self-awareness as a leader and team player, helping you understand your strengths and weaknesses. You'll gain and improve essential management and leadership skills, while also cultivating reflexivity and an enterprising mindset to better handle uncertainty. The module aims to boost your confidence and ability to effectively articulate your skills for career development and employment, and to enhance your interpersonal communication. We'll explore diverse leadership perspectives on key topics like ethics, EDI, sustainability, technology, and change, equipping you to manage issues of corporate social responsibility and societal wellbeing. Finally, you'll learn to analyse and respond to the impact of environmental forces and social issues on organisations.

You will develop a systematic and critical understanding of knowledge across core functional areas of Business and Management by designing, executing, and evaluating a substantial, practice-based integrated business research project.

You will receive comprehensive training in research and consultancy skills to prepare for this project. Throughout this process you will get continuous support from our tutors, and you will demonstrate a wide range of essential skills including critical analysis, project planning, problem-solving, and both written and oral communication. We ensure that our graduates are fully equipped to tackle real-world Business and Management problems with confidence and professionalism.

You'll examine consumer behaviour in relation to global challenges such as climate change, inequality, poverty, and the wealth gap. Grounded in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 12, you'll explore how consumer choices contribute to and can help address sustainability challenges.

Drawing on behavioural science, psychology, sociology, macro marketing, and ethical consumption theories, you'll analyse digital influence, AI, VR, neuroscience, and misinformation in shaping behaviour. The module also incorporates futurism and creative thinking to reimagine sustainable consumption practices. Through contemporary research and applied analysis, you'll gain insight into the transformative potential of sustainable consumer behaviour for a better future.

You'll focus on developing marketing strategies in a sustainable global world. While learning how to select and apply a range of marketing theories, concepts and approaches in order to inform the decision-making processes involved in developing marketing strategies in a global context.

This module also embraces relevant UN Sustainable Development Goals and their relevance for responsible marketing practitioners. The main aim of this module is to ensure that you'll understand and appreciate the importance of ethical, sustainable, social, cultural and environmental issues in the global marketplace and the profound impact these factors have on marketing practices in a global context.

Explore how digital technologies, big data, and AI-driven tools are transforming modern marketing strategy, execution, and performance measurement. You'll develop skills to apply marketing and competitive positioning frameworks across digital channels, including social, mobile, and emerging platforms.

You'll use an evidence-based decision-making, through marketing analytics, web and app analytics, campaign measurement, and consumer behaviour analysis. You'll learn to extract insights from structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data such as social media, reviews, and search activity. Also you'll examine AI-enabled marketing practices, automation, governance, privacy, and bias, while strengthening your ability to communicate insights through dashboards and executive-level recommendations.

In this module, you’ll understand how to make decisions for businesses under uncertainty and risky conditions. You’ll critically evaluate and apply decision science frameworks while utilising knowledge acquired from the Business Intelligence module. You’ll also develop a critical understanding of how data can be used to simulate situations, which informs management decision making in a range of functions as well as how it creates strategic value. Throughout this module, you’ll be encouraged to engage with contemporary and ethical issues surrounding responsible decision making practices and you’ll engage with the organisational and wider environmental context in which these decisions are made.

Business Intelligence (BI) refers to technologies, applications, and practices for the collection, integration, analysis, and presentation of business information. The purpose of business intelligence is to support better business decision making. In this module, you’ll gain an understanding of the technology of BI and its application to an organisation’s strategies and goals. By using theory and knowledge, you’ll be equipped to extensively apply data and perform statistical and qualitative analyses that help drive business decisions and actions. You’ll also learn the business intelligence techniques and skills to understand, evaluate, and interpret business and performance metrics and tools. All of this will enable you to improve individual and organisational performance, which can be used to update organisational policies and procedures.

In an increasingly globalised business environment, the ability of organisations to identify, and then to manage, supply networks and individual chains of supply have grown in its significance.

In this module you will learn about the key elements and activities within Procurement and Supply Chain management, how this function supports the wider organisation and its objectives, and how these activities can be managed to ensure the optimal outcome.

You will build your knowledge of upstream and downstream relationships with suppliers and customers are managed effectively to ensure value is added whilst controlling costs and ultimately satisfying the customer.

The purpose of this intensive experiential learning module is to enable students to gain project and consultancy experience working in cross-cultural teams. Students can work on a real problem within a client organisation. A series of workshops are held on consultancy and projects, building on previous learning in your studies. In the module students will apply their understanding of management in relation to specific organisational problems. By participating in this module, students will develop their practical problem-solving skills as well as communication and ability to work in cross-cultural teams.

This module details the various asset classes that investors might consider in forming portfolios. You'll gain hands-on experience of building a diversified portfolio, hedging using derivatives, and analysing its performance and risk using the Bloomberg terminal.

The fundamentals you'll learn in this module will be particularly beneficial for a career in asset management, investment banking, and wealth management. Your primary focus will be on building an equity and bond portfolio, although other asset classes will also be introduced to you.

Explore the role of financial markets and institutions in connecting providers and users of funds within global financial systems. You'll examine different types of securities, their risk-return characteristics, and their functions in managing or hedging risk. Key topics include asset pricing, market efficiency, and critiques of the efficient market hypothesis.

You'll analyse how globalisation, technological innovation, and regulatory reforms have transformed financial institutions and systems. You'll conclude with a critical evaluation of financial sector regulation and its effectiveness in addressing contemporary challenges. An international perspective is emphasised throughout, comparing regulatory approaches in OECD nations and countries from the global South.

This module examines a range of international organisations and their different purposes. Your studies will focus on multinational companies, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the European Union and other similar organisations such as the UN. These institutions influence and relate to the operations of global businesses. You will also explore the political, economic and social environments in which international organisations function and the challenges they face. Leading business executives and subject experts will be invited to speak to you.

This non-credit-bearing module focuses on developing the academic writing and reading skills required when undertaking postgraduate level study.

It will help you develop your understanding of key features of successful academic writing, including how to integrate sources to support arguments, how to demonstrate critical thinking and how to address assessment tasks effectively. Critical reading and research skills are also developed as well as Critical AI Literacy. It is particularly suitable for postgraduate students who have had little or no previous Academic English training or study experience in a UK university.

You'll expand your enterprise skills in the context of the workplace. The focus will be on building your intrapreneurial mindsets during your paid industrial placement, with opportunities at a range of UK-based companies of all sizes, from micro firms to Multinationals. This will help you to develop the curiosity, creativity, vision and resilience to be successful in a variety of organisations. You'll draw on the OBBS Golden Thread and Brookes attributes embedded within your degree, for you to be a change agent on your placement, so you drive innovation in one or more of the following areas: ethical business behaviour, inclusivity, responsible management, sustainability, digitalisation and internationalisation. Drawing on on your research skills you'll propose evidence based innovative solutions to your industrial placement organisations’ challenges.