Management (Sustainable Leadership) MSc

Semester one

Managing organisations and organisational behaviour - 10 credits

This module takes a multi-disciplinary approach to developing knowledge, insights, and skills relevant to managing organisations and organisational behaviour. The purpose of the module is to introduce you to the foundations of management, developing an understanding of the role of management and leadership in the 21st century and considerations of different approaches to management and leadership in organisations. The module will offer an introduction to the core concepts of organisational behaviour, emphasising importance of equality, diversity and inclusion and working in teams in the contemporary workplace together with key conceptual frameworks such as the psychological contract, which helps explore worker motivation and commitment.

Operations Management Fundamentals - 10 credits

This module helps you to gain conceptual, analytical, and practical insights into the effective management of operations in both the manufacturing and the service industries. The module will provide a foundation for understanding the key principles and practices of operations management and how they apply to real-world business situations. There are case studies and real-world examples throughout the module to help with the application of theoretical concepts to practical situations.

Finance for Managers - 10 credits

This module is designed to support you in critically evaluating internal and external financial information and to use this to appraise corporate performance and strategy. Specifically, you will gain a general understanding of financial theories, concepts, tools and techniques that help and support financial decision making; and, demonstrate an understanding of, and the specialised skills to enable you to carry out, corporate analyses.

Marketing Fundamentals - 10 credits

This module offers an introduction to the fundamentals and key principles of marketing. The module focuses on reflecting critically on the nature of marketing and its role in understanding, responding to and creating customer needs; fostering a heightened critical awareness of both the extent of marketing’s scope and key contemporary marketing issues; to explore the complexity of the marketing environment and develop knowledge and understanding of the implications of external and internal factors on marketing decision making; and, to apply appropriate academic theories, frameworks, models and tools in order to develop suitable marketing responses to organisational problems.

Strategic Management - 10 credits

The challenge of strategic management is to be able to understand the complex issues facing organisations and then develop the capability for long-term organisational success. The module aims to develop an understanding of what strategy is, why it is needed, and the analysis organisations use to try to put strategy into practice; and to identify and analyse the factors that influence, and indeed may determine, an organisation’s strategic position and direction.

Data and Decision Making for Managers - 10 credits

The purpose of this module is to introduce the way that digitalisation impacts and is impacted by management in the 21st century. The module helps to develop an understanding of the scope and depth of the use of technology as part of the management function, whilst exploring its creative possibilities in supporting managers make better informed decisions and supporting leaders in identifying and realising organisational goals. It will include an introduction to the way that technology is used to support decisions making, new developments in technology and the ethical dimensions of information use in organisations.

Semester two

Sustainability transitions - 10 credits

This module is designed to give students an in-depth understanding of the complexities of sustainability transitions, their implications for management practice, and an insight into the policies and strategies made by multiple stakeholders within their ecosystems. The focus is on examining the actions and interactions of key stakeholders through the theoretical lenses of multi-stakeholder ecosystems, complex adaptive systems, networks, and organisational fields. The aim of the module is to develop an understanding of the changes taking place in the global economy in light of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and support future decision-makers to formulate strategies and implement the necessary changes required to achieve transitions to sustainability.

Climate Solutions for a Net Zero Future - 10 credits

This module builds on the ever-increasing awareness of the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to control climate change (i.e. reduce global warming) and to transition to a low-carbon society. The main aim of this module is to develop climate literacy and climate leadership, and improve understanding of how to embed high-impact climate solutions in organisations.

Social Value and Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance - 10 credits

This module develops knowledge, skills and understanding of the key concepts and practical tools relevant for co-creation and analysis of (i) Social Value, and (ii) Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG). The module aims are to develop and share critical knowledge and understanding of theories and conceptual frameworks relevant to social value and ESG nationally and internationally; and to develop skills to critically evaluate data on social value and ESG within different types of organisations through practising the application of different frameworks, tools and techniques to inform managerial decision-making in considering, co-creating, and reporting on social value and ESG.

Contemporary Management Studies - 10 credits

This module considers a range of contemporary issues and introduces different academic lenses to critique what management is about, and what it is to be a manager. At the core of the module is Systems Theory which aims to provide a rich and thoughtful framework to explore the different aspects of management.

Responsible and Sustainable Management - 10 credits

The purpose of this module is to develop the insights, capacities and skills to create and maintain responsible and sustainable business practices. The main aims of the module are to create sustainable mind-sets; develop an understanding of the interface between ethics, CSR corporate governance and integrated sustainability; foster a critical understanding of values, ethical decision making and responsible stakeholder management; and, cultivate a multidisciplinary insights into the requirements of socially responsible business operations across the value chain.

Understanding Business in the Global Context - 10 credits

You will gain international experience either in person by undertaking an overseas study tour or virtually using a Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) approach with students from an international host institution. The module aims to develop a critical understanding of the complexity of operating as a contemporary manager in a global context. The international focus of this module will support an appreciation of the challenges different environments generate to business, individuals and societies.

Managing People in a Global Context - 10 credits

This module takes a multi-disciplinary approach to develop knowledge, insights, and skills relevant to the management and leadership of people in a global context. At the heart of the module sits ideas around cross-cultural working, facilitated by modern technology and virtual teamwork, and hence the module helps you to develop digital skills as well as soft skills required for managing people in the contemporary workplace. The module takes a practice based approach, thus facilitating learning in a real world context.

Semester three

In your final semester you'll take on a experiential project, giving you a fantastic opportunity to use the theories and knowledge you've gained to produce a challenging, meaningful piece of work. Projects include:

Consultancy Experience Project (40 credits)

Working as part of a team, you will undertake focused research, developing your professional skills, applying theory and skills you have learnt during your course to manage a complex project and deliver results in a real business situation. You will learn and apply valuable project management tools and concepts whilst exploring the requirements of an effective consultancy team and assessment expectations.

At the end of the project, you will present your findings to the client and will be required to reflect on your personal development. This is undertaken in the form of secondary research around a focused topic.

In-Company Experience Project (40 credits)

This module is designed to give you the opportunity to apply theory from the course to a substantial, live project undertaken on an in-company experience project of seven weeks or more. Usually in an organisation identified by NBS or partner institution, the project and associated brief will be relevant to this course and will support your learning and development.

The project will involve focused research, developing a range of professional skills relating to working with others, managing a complex project and delivering results in a real business situation. You will also learn project management tools and concepts. At the end of the project individual assessments will require you to reflect on their personal development.

Business Research Project (40 credits)

This project is a more traditional piece of independent research, creating an academic research paper, presentation and methodological reflection. Because we believe experiential learning is so important, this project is only available to students with significant prior work experience or a desire to progress to a PhD. For more information about semester three options please visit our Experiential Projects page.

Ongoing learning

Throughout the year you will also study the following modules which will help you understand how to manage your own continuous personal and professional development (PPD).

Professional Practice (10 credits)

The purpose of the module is to increase your understanding of your own personal and professional development needs to enhance your business acumen and improve your employability. The module utilises a series of taught sessions to help you explore the human side of enterprise and deploys a series of diagnostics tests to help you evaluate yourself and develop an individual action plan. It will combine teaching with individual and group mentoring to help you execute your plan.

The module also promotes engagement with internal and external workshops, lectures, experiential learning opportunities and extra-curricular events to help you expand your knowledge and skills, whilst challenging your attitudes and behaviours. You will gain a deeper understanding of the importance of continuous professional development from the perspective of professional bodies, such as the CMI, CIM, APM and SPE.