Course Specification ward Semester Code - The Key Features of your Course 7.1 Course Specificat

Section 7 The Key Features of your Course 7.1 Course Specification

7.1 Course Specification ward Semester Code

Section One: ABOUT THE COURSE

1 Name of course and highest award Master of Business Administration

[click to select highest award]

MBA 2 Level of highest award (according to FHEQ) Level 7 (PG)

3 Possible Interim Awards PG Dip/Cert

4 Awarding/validating institution London Metropolitan University 5 Teaching institution(s) London Metropolitan University 6 Total credit for course (for highest award) 180

7 Faculty responsible Faculty of Business and Law

8 Mode of attendance Autumn start Full time/ Part Time

Spring start Full time/ Part Time Other

9 About the course and its strategy towards teaching and learning and towards blended learning.

Please include details of access to learning facilities, including flexible/open-learning spaces within the Faculty.

The MBA is an experiental orientated programme. Students’ learning is initiated and directed through formal contact time with the teaching team in lectures and seminars. The MBA students develop their learning through activities organised in class and outside formal teaching time. As mature individuals they are expected to develop their competences through reading, writing, problem-solving and other tasks outside class. Critical thinking is developed throughout the course.

The structure and design of the course enable experienced applicants without formal

management qualifications to progress from certificate level through diploma level to achieve the MBA.

The MBA pedagogy is based on the concept of The Critical Reflective Practitioner. Students relate the theoretical content of the course to their own experience and vice versa - critical thinking is developed throughout the course. It is also based on emphasising the importance of responsible management, both in terms of wider social responsibility and in terms of acting ethically and with integrity in dealing with a multitude of stakeholder groups.

The students also develop their learning collectively through group activities organised in class and via the ‘virtual classroom’ enabled by Weblearn / Blackboard, which will take place outside of formal teaching time. Mature motivated students will be able to take advantage of this to develop their skills and learning through reading. problem solving and discussion with their peers outside of formal classes.

10 Course aims. Course aims are broad statements of intent and should be written to show how the content of the course meets the aims. Where a course sits within a framework the course aims should incorporate framework aims.

The MBA aims to enable its graduates to:

1. Develop an understanding of key business functions of organisations and the external environment in which business operates;

2. Apply and evaluate forms of business analysis in a variety of contexts;

3. Identify and assess strategic challenges faced by modern organisations and articulate ways in which these challenges can be met;

4. Acquire a range of cognitive and transferable professional, management and leadership skills, that emphasise social responsibility and which include intellectual, inter-personal, and applied decision-making skills;

5. Undertake personal, academic and professional development and develop the capacity for life-long learning and career-building;

11 Course learning outcomes. Learning outcomes are statements of what a student is expected to understand or be able to do after completing the process of learning.

Knowledge and understanding

Upon successful completion of the MBA, students will be able to:

1. Develop an understanding of key business functions of organisations and the external environment in which business operates

2. Articulate core business concepts, theories and models and use these tools to analyse

business problems in a variety of contexts, demonstrating an awareness of ethical dimensions of business decision-making;

3. Identify and evaluate strategic choices facing business organisations and make ethically informed strategic decisions and plans for the implementation of change;

Cognitive/intellectual skills

By the end of the course the students are expected to develop higher order skills reflected in their ability to:

1. Apply intellectual skills and critical reasoning with particular emphasis on the development of the higher order skills of analysis and evaluation of concepts and models relevant in business decision-making;

2. Be able to relate theory to the student’s own practice and work environment

3. Undertake independent research and use acquired knowledge to analyse and evaluate specific issues and problems in business;

4. Demonstrate self-awareness and general study skills, problem solving, working with others, communication, self-management, self-presentation and decision-making.

Practical/transferable skills including employability

By the end of the course, students will have developed practical/transferable skills that will enhance their employability. They will be able to:

1. Demonstrate strategies and methods which provide independent learning capabilities required for continuing professional development and which demonstrate initiative and personal

responsibility;

2. Work within time and other constrained environments, requiring the need to be selective and precise and to make informed decisions;

3. Produce reports and give oral presentations to a professional level;

4. Work effectively in groups and demonstrate management and leadership, team-working, planning, communication, influencing and other “soft” skills.

Subject-Specific Practical Skills

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

1. Link theoretical and quantitative knowledge and analytical skills to practice in business

organisations;

2. Communicate complex ideas and analysis in business through written and oral expositions;

3. Design, plan, organise and deliver an individual research report reflecting professional standards;

4. Interpret and present business information effectively in a variety of contexts.

Indicative learning and teaching hours for the course. Learning hours comprise face-to-face and virtual contact hours plus self-managed and directed learning and time spent on placements.

Please give an indication of the percentage of anticipated learning hours for the course at each level, taking into account core modules and indicative options. Students should note that these figures may change depending on the exact combination of options taken.

Method Description and percentage of learning hours

Scheduled learning and teaching TOTAL LEARNING HOURS FOR THE

COURSE 1,800

13 Describe the arrangements for promoting reflective learning/personal development planning on this course

Reflective learning and personal development are developed on all modules in the MBA, and are among the most important features of the course. Reflective learning will be supported by Weblearn, and includes a ‘communicable place’, or site in which the students can exchange ideas, subject their work to peer scrutiny and interact with their tutors.

The Consultancy Project in the Masters stage of the course requires students to carry out independent work and encourages them to reflect on what they have learned from the preceding modules taken. The Project brings together different themes from the course to produce a balanced and professional business report. The seminar activity during this module further develops students’ interpersonal and presentational skills.

14 Description of course and its structure. Around 150 words, written to be accessible to a lay audience, to be used for marketing purposes. Identify the course’s distinctive features (and unique selling point). What is the pattern of delivery?

This course is designed for graduates who wish to acquire a strong background in strategic leadership and management development. The course aims to develop critical reflective practitioners and is informed by a strong ethos of ethical management and leadership and to a commitment to the principles of responsible management

The course views management in a holistic way, and is taught through modules that emphasise themes and adopts an integrated, multi-disciplinary perspective. It is also developmental, structured around stages. The first, the Post Graduate Certificate in Leadership and Management, creates an entry point for students without prior business or management qualifications. It is a generic introductory course based on two integrated modules.

‘Creating Managing Resources for Value’ locates business operations within the context of rapid and unpredictable change and explores the ways in which managers seek to combine these to secure value creation for organisations. ‘Fundamentals of Management and Leadership’

explores the notion of what it means to be a manager and a leader, analysing these concepts in depth exposing course members to the latest ideas and thinking in managing and leading complex organisations in turbulent operating environments.

Students progress to the Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration based on a further two modules, ‘Developing Organisational Capabilities’ and ‘Change Management and Consultancy’. There is a final taught module ‘Advances in Strategy’ and a consultancy-based project leading to the MBA award.

The structure of the course is as follows:

Post graduate Certificate in Leadership and Management Two 30 credit modules:

1) MN7123 Creating and Managing Resources for Value

30 credits

2) MN7121 Fundamentals of Management and Leadership

30 credits

Post graduate Diploma in Business Administration Two 30 credit modules:

3) MN7124 Developing Organisational Capabilities

30 credits

4) MN7127 Change Management and Consultancy

30 credits

MBA Structure

15 Teaching site(s) for course

city [click to select location] [click to select location]

16 PSRB accreditations (where relevant) n/a 17 Exemptions from Professional Body

examinations (where relevant)

n/a 18 Principal QAA Subject Benchmark Statement

(where relevant)

The course complies with the QAA Subject Benchmark for generalist Masters

programmes in Business and Management.

6) MN7P35 Consultancy based project

40 Credits 5) MN7131 Advances in Strategy

20 credits

(taken alongside MN7124 & MN7127)

http://www.qaa.ac.uk/Publications/InformationAn dGuidance/Pages/Subject-benchmark- statement-Masters-degrees-in-business-and-management.aspx

19 Other external reference points

20 Expected length of course Full Time 12 months

Part Time 24 month

Other (please specify)

21 Admissions requirements, to be demonstrated through certificated or experiential learning (around 30 words)

Applicants with prior relevant business and management qualifications may enter the Diploma or Masters stages, subject to approval. The Universities APEL/AP(E)L regulations will apply.

Consideration for admission will be given to European students with 240 ECTS credits

22 Details of organised work experience, work based learning, sandwich year or year abroad available during the course (if applicable)

23 Other external links providing expertise/experience available during the course

The course draws on the expertise of LMBS Visiting Professors, who are invited to contribute to the MBA by giving presentations on particular topics. LMBS/University also has external links with other business and finance practitioners in the City and elsewhere in the UK. These links give rise to University and LMBS public lectures, external speaker seminars and other meetings of interest to postgraduate students. These events throughout the course provide opportunities for students to gain knowledge and experience from outside the University.

Within the Faculty there are a series of regular staff seminars provided by the different subject areas including economics, finance, management and human resources. The University’s research centres, the Centre for Progressive Leadership, is the focus for research which underpins the pedagogic and theoretical developments of the course. This centre provides opportunities for students to engage in wider research issues at the forefront of knowledge.

24 Arrangements on the course for careers education, information and guidance

The University’s Careers Development and Employment Service, which is a university-wide resource, is available to students. It provides information about labour market opportunities and career development to all students.

In addition, students are encouraged to participate in extra-curricular activities through the LMBS

“Get Involved” framework which encourages and facilitates students involvement in peer support, receiving mentoring, volunteering, student societies and national competitions/

activities including the IBM University Business Challenge, Princes Trust and SIFE.

Guest speakers bring students into contact with business managers from both national and international organisations. In addition, students are encouraged to participate in extra-curricular activities through the LMBS “Get Involved” framework which encourages and

facilitates students involvement in peer support, receiving mentoring, volunteering, student societies and national competitions/ activities including the IBM University Business Challenge, Princes Trust and SIFE. Students are also encouraged to join LMBS Societies which include Business, Accountancy, Economics and Investment societies.

25 Career, employability and opportunities for continuing professional development. Around 35 words, written in language which is as accessible as possible to a lay audience, to be used for marketing purposes. Should include examples of potential career destinations and how the skills and abilities gained through the course contribute to career development.

Taking the course will open up a wide range of career opportunities enabling graduates to progress their careers in commercial international companies, public sector organisations or the voluntary sector.

Section Two: COURSE STRUCTURE AND ASSESSMENT 26 Course assessment strategy

A range of assessment methods are used across the course, reflecting the range of learning outcomes and the diversity of learning styles amongst students. The assessment methods are designed to measure the achievement of learning outcomes and to foster the

development of the range of skills and competences set out above.

Normally coursework will be based on the application of theory to the students work environment, but the use of business simulations, presentations and case studies will be used where appropriate. Group work is used in modules where co-operative and /or leadership skills are being developed.

Priority is given to methods of assessment consistent with timely formative feedback, either in the development stage of the work or as soon as possible after the assessment has been completed.

27 Course Structure Diagram (Please refer to supplementary table for clearer idea of course structure)

Module Title Status Credits Notes

autumn

d (15

MN7131 Advances in Strategy Core 20

summer

28 Mapping matrix of modules delivering the course learning outcomes

Course learning outcome (list all) Met by module aim/learning outcome (list all relevant module titles)

Knowledge and understanding

Develop an understanding of key business functions of organisations and the external environment in which business operates

Creating and Managing Resources for Value Fundamentals of management and leadership

Articulate core business concepts, theories and models and use these tools to analyse business problems in a variety of contexts, demonstrating an

awareness of ethical dimensions of business decision-making;