Executive Master of Business Administration

Transcription

1 Programme Syllabus for Executive Master of Business Administration 60 higher education credits Second Cycle Established by the Faculty Board of the School of Business, Economics and Law, University of Gothenburg, on August 28, 2007 and last revised on September 18, 2015 (G 2015/493). Graduate School School of Business, Economics and Law at University of Gothenburg Vasagatan 1, PO Box 695, SE Göteborg, Sweden ;

2 1. Decision and Guidelines The study programme for the Executive Master of Business Administration, 60 higher education credits, was established by the Faculty Board of the School of Business, Economics and Law 28 August 2007 and last revised on September 18, 2015 (G 2015/493). The programme syllabus applies as from autumn term General Objectives According to the Swedish Higher Education Act (HEA) (HEA, Ch. 1:9), education at the second cycle is to comprise a deepening of knowledge, skills and abilities in comparison to basic education and must, in addition to what holds for the latter, further develop the students' ability to integrate and utilize knowledge independently, develop the students' ability to deal with complex phenomena, issues and situations, and improve the students' qualifications for professional activity, which places great demands on independence, or for research and development work. The general qualifications for a Degree of Master (60 hec) are stated in the Higher Education Ordinance. 3. Programme Specific Objectives (learning outcomes) After completing the programme, the student shall; Have acquired a holistic view of companies and business administration as well as insights into the interplay between individuals, companies and society with a specific focus on the Nordic and Asian contexts, organizations and management. Possess knowledge of theories and concepts in the respective subject areas and an ability to connect these with practical situations, specifically related to the Nordic and Asian contexts. Have fostered an analytical and critical attitude toward theories, trends and phenomena in the area of management Have acquired skills in searching and evaluating scientific information within the field of business and management studies. 4. Organisation The programme is organised by the School of Executive Education at the School of Business, Economics and Law at the University of Gothenburg. A programme director is responsible for the operative control of the programme.

3 The courses in the programme are provided by the Graduate School at the School of Business, Economics and Law. In addition to our own faculty, the programme also draws on resources from various international partner universities. To secure the scientific content, courses are approved by the involved departments. Each course is coordinated by a course coordinator. 5. Programme Disposition and Content The programme is oriented towards general management and gives the participants insight into the subject of business administration and management issues. The programme is divided into four main sections: (1) Core courses; (2) Feature courses; (3) Elective courses; and (4) Thesis. The core and the feature sections include a number of interrelated courses, which in turn consist of various modules. 1 higher education credit (hec) corresponds to 1 European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) credit. The programme concludes with a final thesis work (15 (hec). Sections 1-3 conclude with a session entitled Reflecting on Management Practice (ROMP). These sessions are intended to reflect on the ideas and thoughts of the previous section and to further the participants' personal development using a variety of learning methods focusing their own experiences and sensemaking processes. Below follows a short presentation of the courses, modules and the final thesis work. CORE COURSES Strategy, Process and Structure in Organizations, 6 hec The Strategic Management module (2 hec) covers the most important analytical approaches that are used to make business strategy decisions and the process through which these decisions are made and most importantly implemented. Through cases of which many discuss the challenges faced and solutions chosen by Indian firms and firms from other Asian countries and lectures often comparing the Indian and Swedish contexts this module deals with essential issues related to the strategic management of a firm such as industry and competitive analysis with a particular emphasis on industry structural change and competitive dynamics. Furthermore, by highlighting the question of how to generate and sustain competitive advantage, strategic management issues are discussed both on a business as well as on functional levels. The Organizational Structure and Culture module (2 hec) focuses on the ability to understand and diagnose organizations from two related perspectives. First, the module covers the principles and features of organizational structure, analyzing the evolution of different types of organizational designs - functional, divisional and multi-dimensional - in various settings, and exploring their advantages and disadvantages. Second, the module explores the cultural properties of organizations with an

4 emphasis on the sources, development and impact of cultural rules that govern organizational life. In conclusion, the module deals with the interaction between structure and culture, their relationship to various organizational outcomes, highlighting the managerial implications. The cases, examples and stories presented as part of the course often address and highlight differences between the Nordic and Middle Eastern contexts. The Management Accounting module (2 hec) has its point of departure in profitability- and value- based models, and illustrates how these must work hand in hand with the company's operations and strategy. The module covers areas such as company formation, divisionalisation, and decentralization of economic responsibility both in hierarchical and/or process-oriented organizations, as well as highlights the use of strategic maps and score cards when emphasizing on core activities. The module further embraces efficiency models and emphasizes companies' control processes, as well as information and systems for control. Theory is combined with practical examples from the Nordic countries and cases, placing strong emphasis on integration of business know- how and management accounting. Quantitative and Qualitative Methods, 4 hec The Quantitative Methods module (2 hec) is designed to provide participants with the main concepts and tools involved in quantitative research methods. These include topics such as variables (conceptualization, levels), measurement (construct validity and reliability), research design (experiments, quasi experiments, and surveys), sampling, data handling, and course analyses. The module enhances not only the participants' ability to conduct a quantitative study independently, but also gives them the necessary understanding to critically evaluate a study conducted by others. Both skills are critical for effective management. The Qualitative Methods module (2 hec) develops the participants' ability to understand qualitative research methods and to apply them to the investigation of issues related to organizations and work. The module explores the underlying logic and principles of qualitative research and helps participants develop competence in the three main qualitative methods: participant-observation, interviewing and content analysis. The discussions as part of the two modules on method are driven by contrasting examples and experiences from Sweden and the Middle East. Organizational Behaviour and Leadership, 2 hec The first part - Organizational Behavior - deals with the variety of competing theories on human action and, subsequently, on management in organizations. Emphasis is placed on how learning takes place in organizations and how we can conceptualize and understand learning and competence at work. The ideas and theories are related to the practice in the participants' home organizations, at times addressing issues faced by these organizations subunits in Asia

5 The second part - Leadership - comprises different aspects of leadership and group interplay with the primary aim of increasing the participants' insights in their own leadership and attitudes as group members. Another aim is to contribute to the development of a learning climate in the programme through training of joint reflection and feedback. Within the framework of a comprehensive goal description, the content is designed largely according to the participants' own interests in knowledge in the subject area. Accounting and Corporate Finance, 4 hec The Accounting module (2 hec) provides the participants with an overview of different legal requirements affecting financial accounting, and their interaction. This includes IFRS, US GAAP, Sarbanes-Oxley Act, as well as local requirements in different jurisdictions. Further, the module covers the role of accounting in various situations, such as periodic reporting to stock markets and creditors, mergers and acquisitions, and stock offerings. The module focuses on issues facing both reporting companies and accounting users in those situations. The module among other things also highlights the accounting solutions chosen by Swedish firms and confronts those with preferred solutions in other international contexts. The Corporate Finance module (2 hec) takes it starting point in the argument that correct analyses of economic information are decisive for companies' success. The module presents methods which support the decision-makers analyses. On the basis of both accounting information and internal financial data, participants carry out quantitative assessments in regard to risk and profit. During the module, companies' investment decisions, risks, cash handling and balance sheets are analyzed. The module builds upon guest lectures and group work concerning case companies with the objective to convey competence, with direct usefulness for financial decision-making in the participants' own organizations. Most of the cases offer the participants the opportunity to compare their own often Nordicexperiences with financial challenges of, and solutions chosen by, Indian firms. Marketing and Supply Chain Management, 4 hec The Marketing module (2 hec) presents the cornerstones on which marketing rests, in the form of concepts, models and theories. Different approaches for gathering information, strategic planning and cultivation of markets are illuminated. Among other aspects treated in the module are business and marketing plans, methods for strategic analysis, strategies for improvement of market position and market segmenting, products and trademarks, as well as direct working towards the market. Most business results in a series of physical flows of products. The module on Supply Chain Management (2 hec) focuses on the planning and execution of these flows as well as on the inter-organizational relationships along the value chains. Functional activities covered in the module include production planning, physical distribution, logistics service provision and freight transport. The module further

6 deals with the logistics effects of globalization and how to mitigate the environmental impacts of freight transport. The module is held in China and emphasizes China s supply chain management challenges and solutions. Furthermore, the module compares these challenges and solutions to a Nordic context. Human Resource Management, 2 hec As organizations are becoming more knowledge-intensive, talented people are becoming a source of competitive advantage. Successful companies devote efforts on developing the organization's collective and individual competence. The HR department is thus a crucial support function for the organization and Human Resource Management is a key activity for every leader. This module focuses on the strategic role of Human Resource Management, including the value adding and performing aspects of HRM practices, employment relations, and the organizing of HR. activities. Along with globalization, outsourcing and global labour markets, Human Resource Management must have an international outlook- a perspective taken in the module. In this global outlook, the module particularly emphasizes Human Resource Management challenges experienced, and solution chosen, by Nordic firms when establishing activities in Asia. IT Governance, 2 hec Information technology is an integrated element of most companies. In the last couple of decades the role of IT has changed into -what today is a natural prerequisite for most aspects of successful business. To gain full momentum from IT, the governance structures of IT must be controlled from the business side. This entails that the business managers of the company benefit from strengthening their IT-related competence. In this module, participants are introduced to modem ways of organizing the IT function, methods for investment evaluation and processes that secure the realization of business benefits from IT. Applied Financial Economics, 4 hec The course Applied Financial Economics consists of two modules: Applied Economics (2hec) and Financial Markets (2 hec). The module Applied Economics (2 hec) employing empirical examples from a Nordic, Asian as well as African context - will discuss a number of basic models in economics. These will be related to different business situations where they provide insights for managers to better understand and manage business situations. The module Financial Markets (2 hec) takes off from the argument that for a market economy to work, it is important that capital can be moved both in space and time. The movement of capital is governed by the financial markets like stock exchanges and currency exchanges. These markets let buyers and sellers of capital to meet. The module gives an overview of the financial markets and the financial institutions (e.g. banks). The module further explains how the financial markets can be used by companies to finance investments, manage risk and invest excess capital. Participants are given the opportunity to compare their own often Nordic-

7 experiences of financial markets, with the Asian financial systems and institutions. FEATURE COURSES International Business and Development, 4 hec With a starting-point in the increasing globalization with ever more internationalized trade and production, the module on International Business (2 hec) deals with companies' internationalisation and the threats and opportunities involved in being active on a global scale. Topics covered include driving forces of internationalisation, the economic and political world order, and international environment analysis. Participants are also introduced to international companies' strategic and organizational problems, where concrete issues such as the dilemma of local adaptation and global integration, handling of knowledge transfer, and crosscultural communication are analyzed and discussed. The module particularly emphasizes strategic and organizational challenges of Swedish firms when establishing activities in Asia, especially India and China. The International Development module (2 hec) discusses the extensive, continuously occurring processes of change in globalised industry in a historical perspective with innovation theory as a point of departure. Constant change is nothing new, which makes it possible to learn how corresponding processes have taken place in companies, industries and social systems earlier during the 20th century. Special emphasis is laid on the consequences of industrial transformation. Several industrial examples are given, but the transformation of urban structures is also treated. The module makes use of primarily international examples fetched from an Asian context, including Japan, China and India. Corporate Social Responsibility, 2 hec It is becoming increasingly important for organisations to integrate both societal and environmental considerations when they are doing business. An increasing number of companies embark on pro-active agendas that promote diversity, engagement in society, fair trade and carbon dioxide reduction. This module gives an overview of international policies regarding ethics, human rights, diversity, labour laws and environmental protection. The module also shows how not at least Nordic organisations establish and manage their own policies in an international context with an emphasis on experiences made in an Asian context. Commercial Law, 2 hec The module on Corporate Law aims to give the participants fundamental knowledge of the playing rules of business law, and primarily how they influence the challenges and opportunities that arise in management, business development and entrepreneurship. Particular emphasis is placed on how knowledge of the law constitutes tools for creating business. Areas treated are commercial contract law, law on the sale of goods, intellectual property law, labor law, insolvency law and fair trade legislation. After completing the module, participants will have a basis of legal rules that can be applied when making strategic business decisions. As part of the

8 course Swedish legislation is compared to legislation in other countries in Europe and Asia. Innovation and Intellectual Property Management, 4 hec Emphasizing the heightened requirements of renewal, flexibility and customer adaptation that have brought companies' learning and knowledge development into focus, the Innovation Management module (2 hec) discusses different approaches many of those anchored in a Nordic understanding of value creation - to the realization of ideas and developmental ambitions, and how one carries out large structural changes and creates conditions for innovation and renewal. Opportunities are given to study knowledge based business development, innovation work, and their consequences for organizing. The Intellectual Property Management module (2 hec) provides an introduction to the fundamentals of intellectual assets, property, and capital from a business context in relation to both the material and intellectual value chain. In particular the concept of the knowledge economy will be discussed in relation to the transformation of industry towards modem knowledge- based business models and a global shift from developed to developing Asian countries, where value propositions increasingly require early intellectual asset and property considerations as an essential precondition to successful commercialization. An understanding of the firm as part of a network of interfaces towards development partners, market actors, capital markets, regulators, etc. is advanced from a knowledge-based business perspective -where both R&D and commercial processes must become increasingly managed as transactions of intellectual property. Additionally the module initiates a discussion towards a framework for the management of value creation through innovations, markets, and ventures founded on building blocks of intellectual assets and property that are expanded on in the context of 'open innovation' and organizational renewal. Creative Leadership and Change Management, 4 hec The Creative Leadership module (2 hec) is derived from the observation that on the one hand all too often managers are stuck with daily operations and they have little time to think of new ideas. On the other hand, it is known that competitive advantage often stems from original thinking. Therefore, the module takes a closer look at creativity and creative management with the goal of encouraging participants to think "outside the box". The module also explains how to build organizations that by their design allow for creative thinking. Practical cases from creative companies are demonstrated. Being taught in India, the module is heavily inspired and anchored in Asian philosophy in general and an Indian view on the self in particular. The Change Management module (2 hec) departs from the idea that contemporary business environments contain challenges that result in an increasing pace, volume and complexity of organizational change. It is often the case that competitive advantage is less a matter of determining the right strategy than of implementing change faster and more smoothly than competitors. Most organizations, whether

9 they are entrepreneurial start-ups or long established Fortune 500 firms, find that they must change or wither. And yet leading organizational change appears difficult, taxing, and in many cases unsuccessful. The perspective on change adopted in this course places great emphasis on the process of initiating and implementing successful change. We discuss change theories, learn to diagnose change needs and examine change cases that illustrate different change efforts in a variety of organizations across a diverse range of business contexts. The exploration of these cases and, through them, the understanding of the complex and intricate nature of change, deepens students' understanding of the challenges, the techniques, and the burdens associated with leading a major change in an organization. The module provides methodologies and tools to diagnose change needs and guide planning and implementation of change programs. It is especially useful for those preparing for careers in management consulting, general management (whether in line or staff positions) and entrepreneurship. Participants are given the opportunity to confront their own often Nordic experiences- with insights from other contexts. Residencies in China and India To promote a global mindset, the Executive MBA programme includes two intensive one-week residencies in India and China. Through company visits, lectures held by faculty from partner universities, as well as cultural programmes, the two residencies allow participants to increase their understanding of India and China. ELECTIVE COURSES Elective course, 1 hec The student will prepare for the thesis by choosing one of the following three elective courses: Global Leadership, Organizational Change or Management Processes. The choice of elective course will allow the student to obtain a solid scientific basis for the thesis work. The courses include literature studies and research-oriented round-table seminars. Emphasis is put on empirical examples from a Nordic and Asian context. THESIS Thesis Work, 15 hec The thesis work is carried out individually mainly during the last section of the programme under the supervision of faculty from the School of Business, Economics and Law. Students will start work on their thesis during the third term. The majority of the work will however be carried out during the fourth term. In exceptional cases it may be carried out in pairs although individual assessment will be made. The thesis is grounded in a practical problem, which the students are to analyse employing the theoretical frameworks introduced as part of the programme.

10 6. Tuition and Examination The programme makes use of a variety of different pedagogical methods including: lectures, group work and individual exercises, cases, reflection, business games, reading and company visits. Co-operation of employers is strongly encouraged and much of the learning will be practically based. As it is typical for an Executive MBA, much of the learning is expected to take place between the participants and ample opportunities for knowledge sharing and collaborative learning will be provided. The language of instruction is English. The pedagogical method is based on work in project groups, whose composition is changed in the course of the programme. The purpose is to connect, as far as possible, the project groups' work in the various courses with the companies which are represented by the participating students. Each course is examined separately by the respective course coordinator through one of the following forms or a combination of them: The participants in a group write a report which is defended during a seminar with other participants and instructors Individual home examinations are given in which theories and concepts from the course literature are used as a basis for analysis of practical problems The participants in a group prepare and conduct/ present a simulated or real operation in practice with application of relevant theories and concepts The modules are graded with Fail (underkänd; U), Pass (godkänd; G) and Pass with distinction (väl godkänd; VG). In case of "Fail", students are given the opportunity to further work on their assignments to achieve a "Pass" grade. 7. Admission Requirements and Selection Process Admission to the programme requires a completed Bachelor's degree of which 90 hec (ECTS) are in one subject including 15 hec (ECTS) of independent work, or a professional degree with at least 180 hec (ECTS) or a corresponding foreign degree or on the grounds of extensive work experience and professional achievement equivalent to a Bachelor s degree. In addition, at least three years of relevant professional experience are required. The participants are accepted after recommendations from their employers on the condition that the requirements of previous knowledge are fulfilled. The above requirements of previous knowledge are for acceptance to the programme. For continued studies within the programme, requirements of previous knowledge apply which are specified for the respective course and are shown by the respective syllabus.

11 8. Certificate and Degree Title Upon completion (receiving the grade of Pass) on all courses included in the programme and the degree project, students will receive a Degree of Master (60 credits) of Business Administration. 9. Programme Evaluation All courses in the programme will be evaluated by the students after completion. The results of the evaluation will function as a guide for the development of the courses and of the programme. 10. Other details The programme is subject to a fee. This fee includes lectures, supervision and all mandatory study literature.