Global megatrends such as globalisation, digitisation, demographic changes, and technological changes are impacting international business strategy in the 21st century. This module has been designed to enable you to gain a comprehensive understanding of the major challenges and opportunities associated with the formulation and implementation of contemporary international business strategies. You'll be encouraged to interrogate the contextual, contemporary, political, technological, and economic concepts and theories that shape international business strategy. You'll gain the skills to think critically and consider how to address global ‘wicked problems’ that are not amenable to off-the-shelf solutions. This module will examine how global companies negotiate key strategic issues in volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous contexts. You'll be ready to comprehend and respond to global challenges in international strategic management; prepare for a career in international and multinational companies, or NGOs and SMEs with an international outlook; and focus on sustainability and ethics in marketing, human resources management or operations management and global sourcing departments.
View the full module definitionInternational businesses operate across a range of different jurisdictions and managers of these organisations will need to be aware of the legal and financial regulations that will govern their businesses. This module will give you the tools, skills, and knowledge to drive decision making in globalised businesses in the context of international trade, legal systems, and financial constraints. Business leaders are required to develop higher level management skills, especially critical evaluation and decision making within national, international, and global contexts, to respond effectively to challenges within constantly changing operating environments, considering factors such as political climate, economics, social factors, technological developments, changes to legal regulations and ensuring the business remains sustainable going forward. Global and capital markets are dynamic and business leaders will need the tools to analyse and manage the risks in these markets when undertaking the raising of finance and foreign currency transactions to grow businesses and take advantage of global entrepreneurial opportunities. Capital resources must be invested effectively to deliver the best returns for shareholders, whilst at the same time reducing uncertainty and risk. The choice of investment projects is crucial to achieving these aims alongside evaluating proposed merger and acquisition activity. This is underlined by the fact that senior managers should act with integrity in all their decision-making; consider ethical principles, for example, the role of trade in supporting gender equality; and abide by international legislation. Therefore, you will also learn about international sale of goods contracts, the management of risk and transfer of title when transporting goods by sea, and the duties of carriers. Finally, you will develop your knowledge around international trading and contract law, and how to resolve disputes.
In today’s international marketplace, organisations are using all available resources and processes to create a sustainable advantage. This module will help you develop a global mindset to manage complex operations across national borders. Organisations are under considerable pressure to transform multiple resources from worldwide supply chains into products and services. This module brings together a range of service and manufacturing principles and philosophies to help you build a blended, global approach to operations management. Important concepts such as logistics, managing performance across borders, process design, procurement, global HRM and stakeholder management are discussed and will help you understand how organisations can use their operations management to develop strategic competitive advantage within their market.
View the full module definitionSustainability poses a considerable challenge to global supply chains, which are inherently complex and involve many partners. This module explores the concept of being sustainable in a supply chain context: both in internal processes and decisions, but also in the wider supply network considering the role of responsible procurement strategy. The concept of triple bottom line, which considers the financial, social, and environmental effect of business, is explored before turning to how to manage the immediate and eventual environmental effects of products and processes associated with converting raw materials into final products. Therefore, lifecycle management is studied and sustainable strategies and practices across core supply chain activities, including procurement, production; logistics, packaging, warehousing, and distribution. Transportation/logistics is often seen one of the most significant factors in environmental sustainability. Hence, transport mode, planning and routing processes are evaluated in the supply chain context. There is practical consideration of the effect of transport mode decisions on: cost, speed, convenience, and environment. Organisations and supply chains must respond to the pressures for environmental sustainability as corporate social responsibility and legislation begin to take hold. There is focus on how environmental impact will need to be monitored, as well as, more proactive practices such as the recycling, reclamation, remanufacturing and reverse logistics are being adopted. Closed loop supply chains and the associated activities of integrated waste management and reverse logistics are explored. The module also draws on the contextual issues, including: regulatory and legal frameworks, European and Global UN agreements, which continue to exert increasing pressure on supply chains to manage and improve environment impact. Consideration and application of carbon management ideas is also discussed. Overall, the module seeks to provide a contemporary view of sustainability and the future implications for managing supply chains.
View the full module definitionThis consultancy module gives you the opportunity to review a significant real-life problem for a client organisation and develop meaningful managerial recommendations through a subject specific lens of your choice, relating to international business management. This project supports you to become an independent learner who can raise significant and meaningful questions in relation to your specialism of international business management from given evidence. You will also demonstrate depth of knowledge as you develop solutions to problems that arise in professional practice. It will test your ability to draw meaningful and justifiable conclusions from information which may be complex or contradictory, with the capability to develop new approaches to changing situations and contribute to the development of best practice. You will start the consultancy project as part of a team as you explore the case and research material and will deliver your initial thoughts as a group through an oral presentation, gaining feedback from the Client. You will then demonstrate your ability to work independently at a higher level by continuing your analysis and preparing an elegant written report synthesising your research findings and managerial recommendations. You will evaluate your work from the perspective of an autonomous reflective learner.
View the full module definition