Prog Spec -Joint Eng Mgt MBA Rev 280212

Prog Spec -Joint eng mgt MBA Rev 280212.doc

UNIVERSITY OF BRADFORDSchool of ManagementProgramme/course title: Masters in Business Administration (MBA)

Awarding and teaching institution: / Joint award
University of Bradford and Perugia
Final award: / Masters in Business Administration (MBA) [Framework for Higher Education Qualifications level M]
Programme title:
Pathway: / Masters in Business Administration
Engineering Management
General Management
Programme accredited by: / AMBA accreditationpending
EQUIS
Duration: / Full-time: 1 year
UCAS code:
Date produced: / 28th January 2011
Last updated : / 28th February2012

Introduction

In accordance with the University’s mission ‘Making Knowledge Work’, the School of Management aims to provide programmes that educate individuals as managers and business specialists, and thereby improve the quality of management as a profession.

The School’s first MBA programme was launched on a full-time basisin 1975 and is one of the oldest MBA programmes in the UK. Currently, in addition to theFull-time course, the School offers Executive Part-time, Executive Modular,Distance LearningandAcceleratedversions of the MBA programme.

All versions share a common structure and content and differ only in the form of assessment and delivery mechanism used. The Bradford MBA consists of 3 distinct stages (see below for further details) representing 1800 hours of study, through which students accrue the 180 UK credits necessary for the award of a Master’s degree.

Bradford/Perugia MBA

The Bradford/Perugia programme, delivered in Spoleto, Italy,is based on the Bradford Full-timeMBA programme and includes an engineering management and a general management pathway.

Students taking the engineering management pathway will undertake a number of specialist engineering management modules, delivered in Spoleto. Consequently, this pathway would be of particular interest to those interested in pursuing a management career in the manufacturing or engineering sector.

The General Business pathway does not require students to take a prescribed list of specialist modules;instead students can choose to take any of the specialist modules available at Spoleto or Bradford (see Appendix A for pathways).

Deliveryis typically in weekly blocks scheduled to provide time for reflection, personal study, group activities and assessments. Some modules may also be delivered across the semester. Classes are normally scheduled during the working week, complemented with shorter periods of evening and weekend workingdepending on the subject being studied and where it is being delivered, i.e. Spoleto or Bradford. Opportunities to participate in student exchanges with partner institutions are available and encouraged.

On successful completion of the Bradford/Perugia programmestudents will normally have the opportunity to undertake a three month internship with a participating organisation.

Joint award

Students completing the Bradford/Perugia programmewill be eligible for a joint award from the University of Perugia and the University of Bradford. Details of the University of Bradford’s (UoB) Regulations Governing Taught Courses are available:

Under this arrangement, each institution is responsible for the delivery of a specified proportion of the degree, with the School of Management responsible for delivering a minimum of 100 of the 180 credits necessary for the award (see below for details of programme content). The modules delivered by each institution aresubject to annual review and agreement by the two institutions. The School of Management has overall responsibility for the quality assurance of all components of the degree and in particular, for ensuring consistency and equivalence across institutions.The School of Management operates a grading system which is applied to all assessments on the Bradford/Perugia programme.

Programme Aims

The aim of the Bradford MBA is to developmanagementprofessionals equipped with the knowledge, skills and expertise to provide the strategic leadership necessary to effect the transformational change to create and maintain a sustainable business future for national and international organisations.

The engineering pathway is concerned with developing management professionals who can provide effective and ethical leadership in manufacturing and engineering organisations that operate in a global context.

The general management pathway is concerned with developing management professionals who can provide effective and ethical leadership in business.

Programme Learning Outcomes

On Successful completion of the programme, you will be able to:

Knowledge and Understanding

• Demonstrate a systemic and critical understanding of management knowledge and awareness of contemporary business issues, and current research and practice in business administration;
• Demonstrate a broad but rigorous understanding of the concepts, constructs and frameworks applicable to business administration and of the tools and techniques used to support decision making;
• Demonstrate specialist knowledge of international business activities and the practical implications cultural differences can bring to business conducted across national boundaries.

Discipline Skills

• Critically appraise current research and advanced scholarship in management to support the formulation of solutions to contemporary business problems;

• Critically evaluate and develop investigative designs that will facilitate the collection of data to support the construction and presentation of business cases;

• Exercise a personal and critical understanding of sustainability and to be able to make business decisions, taking into account the complexity of the sustainability agenda in its broadest sense;

Personal transferable skills

• Show adaptability and originality in tackling and solving problems, and the ability to work cooperatively with others and provide ethical leadership in bringing about strategic transformational change;
• Exercise personal initiative and responsibility in effecting solutions to complex strategic business problems surrounding by uncertain business intelligence and incomplete data;
• Assess ongoing professional and career development needs and to take action to maintain the knowledge and skills required to practice.

Curriculum

The programme

Delivered in three stages, the first of these stages covers the core modules which introduce students to the functional disciplines of management. Core modules provide the knowledge, skills and techniques that are fundamental to the area of management and provide the foundations for stage 2 of the programme. In addition to these core modules, students work on a Personal Development Plan (PDP), which begins in the induction and is assessed at the end of the taught programme.

In stage two, students study a number of specialist modules that build on the core modules taught in the previous phase of the programme. The range and availability in this phase varies each year according to demand and the availability of specialist faculty. All programmes are subject to annual review, which determines which modules will be available. The degree of choice also depends on the programme pathway. During this stage students also take modules in Strategic Management, which is an integrative module and Business Research, which provides students with the knowledge and techniques to undertake the management project.

The third and final stage of the programme involves the completion of two additional specialist topics and a management project. The management project requires students to apply their knowledge and expertise to real and challenging organisational issues. These may be suggested by the student, i.e. could be based on previous experience or anticipated future business engagement, or be a project proposed by a local enterprise/organisation.

Sustainability and ethical management is a central tenet of the Bradford MBA. Consequently, students can expect to be confronted by these issues throughout the programme. Foundation modules encourage students to reflect on how the performance of core management activities such as operations, marketing and human resource management impact on the environment, society and the economy, e.g. through purchasing decisions, marketing strategies and recruitmentpolicies, etc. In the second phase of the programme, electives designed to develop specialisms provide students with the opportunity to explore their emerging understanding in more detail, e.g. by studying material recovery mechanisms in supply chains and considering the role of consumer behaviour in sustainable business models. Additionally, specialist modules in CSR and Sustainable Operations are available to those seeking to focus on this facet of business.

Specialism

The Bradford MBA provides opportunities for students to study a range of specialist topics, e.g. in finance, marketing, operations and human resources (see Appendix B for indicative list of electives) and to develop expertise in these through a management project that addresses real business issues. The Bradford/Perugia MBA programme provides an engineering management theme to the Bradford MBA programme portfolio, whereby students electing to follow this pathway study modules that are essential and relevant to the contemporary manufacturing sectors. Students on the general management pathway have the opportunity to choose the area in which they would like to specialise.

Irrespective of the focus adopted, all students are expected to acquire the knowledge and understanding, and the competences and skills necessary to undertake a strategic management leadership role on their return to the commercial world.

Stageone: postgraduate certificate

On completion of 60 credits, students will be eligible for the award of Postgraduate Certificate in Business and Management. The School of Management modules studied are shown below:

Module Code / Module Title / Type / Credits / Level / Study period
MAN4101M / Business Economics / C / 10 / M / Oct – Dec
MAN4055M / Business Accounting / C / 10 / M / Oct – Dec
MAN4045M / Marketing / C / 10 / M / Oct – Dec
MAN4050M / Operations Management / C / 10 / M / Oct – Dec
MAN4230M / Managing People / C / 10 / M / Oct – Dec
MAN4071M / Corporate Finance / C / 10 / M / Jan – Mar

During this phase, students will attend a series of compulsory workshops and effective learning sessions that provide essential knowledge and transferable skills in matters such as team working, synthesising information, formulating solution and presentation skills, etc., as well as inculcating life-long learning, e.g. through personal and professional development; this is considered an essential aspect of developing professional managers capable of maintaining the necessary knowledge and skills to practice.

Stage two: postgraduate diploma

On completion of 120 credits, students are eligible for the award of Postgraduate Diploma in Business Management. Two 10 credit mandatory modules are delivered by the School of Management. The remaining 40 credits are delivered by the University of Perugia and the School of Management depending on the pathway taken; the modules currently available at Spoleto are:

Module Code / Module Title / Type / Credits / Level / Study period
MAN4094M / Strategic Management / C / 10 / M / Jan – Mar
MAN4214M / Business Research / C / 10 / M / Jan – Mar
PER01PM / Project Management / EM/GM / 4 ITA / M / Mar – Jul
PER02QL / Quality, Lean and Six Sigma / EM / 4 ITA / M / Mar – Jul
PER03IS / Management Information Systems / EM/GM / 4 ITA / M / Mar – Jul
PER04MT / Manufacturing Technology in Product Development / EM / 4 ITA / M / Mar– Jul
PER05MD / Manufacturing Systems and Supply Chain Design / EM / 4 ITA / M / Mar - Jul
PER06KM / Knowledge Management for Performance Improvements / EM/GM / 4ITA / M / Mar - Jul
MAN4016M / Entrepreneurship / GM / 10 / M / Mar - Jul
MAN4057M / Capital Markets and Investment / GM / 10 / M / Mar - Jul
MAN4002or
MAN 4001M / Managing Change or Managerial Leadership / GM / 10 / M / Mar - Jul

Students taking the general management pathway can choose to take electives available at Bradford (see Appendix B) or at partner institutions as part of the student exchange programme.

Stage three: masters

On completion of 180 credits,students will be eligible for the award of Masters in Business Administration (MBA). 20 credits are delivered by the University of Perugia or the School of Management depending on the pathway taken;the remaining 40 credits are accrued through completion of the capstone management project:

Module Code / Module Title / Type / Credits / Level / Study period
MAN4068Q / MBA Management Project (15,000 words) / C / 40 / M / July - Sep

In addition to the assessed components of the programme, there areseveral skills-based non-assessed courses available to students. All students are encouraged to take advantage of opportunities to attend sessions on study and presentation skills in order to assist with the preparation of assignments, reports and other coursework.

A range of beginner, intermediate and advanced level language courses are available at the University of Bradford and can be arranged at the University of Perugia on request.

The curriculum may change, subject to the University's course approval, monitoring and review procedures.

Learning, Teaching and Assessment Strategies

The Bradford MBA programme aims to integrate applied and theoretical knowledge with assessment processes that test knowledge, application and analysis of the disciplines.

Teaching on the programme comprises a combination of formal lectures, group discussions, tutorials, seminars, directed reading and personal research. Case study analysis and discussion is used widely to contextualise the learning and the application of techniques. Students are assigned to small study groups for this purpose, which encourage participative learning, provides experience of working with people from different cultures and helps develop leadership, organisational and project management skills.

Each module represents approximately 100 hours' study time of which typically 30 hours is contact time with the course tutor(s). One or more texts provide the basis for most modules but students are encouraged to develop their understanding by making use of the School’s library and online facilities to undertake personal research.

Additionally, a detailed manual is provided with each module which includes details of the preparatory work required. Additional support materials – cases, video clips, audio recording, lecture notes/slides, etc. are also provided via the School’s VLE.

Personal Development Planning is integral to the programme. This process starts during the Induction period where students undertake a skills audit to help identify development needs and provide a framework on which to plan, manage and demonstrate learning. A programme of workshops, seminars and tutorials are provided throughout the programme to offer formative feedback and assistance in the development of the PDP. The portfolio, which is non-credit bearing is a compulsory element of the course.

To effectively assess whether a student has achieved a module’s learning outcomes a combination of assessment approaches are typically used on the Bradford MBA, e.g. group work and presentations may be used to assess a student’s leadership and communication skills and ability to make a convincing business case; individual assignments and written reports may be used to assess a student’s ability to conduct personal research, to make sense of and synthesise current research and advanced scholarship, to critically evaluate options and present solutions; case studies and business simulations may be used to assess a student’s understanding of a body of knowledge, the ability to make business decisions with incomplete information and to work as an effective team member; whilst the project is used to assess a student’s overall capacity to apply learning in realistic situations and develop original solutions to complex problems. Because, each module will support several learning outcomes, multiple methods of assessment may be applied in each module.

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)

The University of Bradford is committed to providing its students with opportunities to learn about sustainable development (SD). The School of Management sees sustainable development as a key business issue and recognises the need for all its graduatesto be aware of sustainable development issues, and to understand the way in which their discipline and professional practice can impact on sustainability. The School is working to explicitly integrate ESD into its Learning Teaching and Assessment strategy; in the current EQUIS accreditation documentation the following is stated - as a School we are:“committing ourselves to the principles of education for sustainable development within the curriculum, in line with the University's position as an 'Ecoversity'’ (p5)

In the context of Ecoversity and the University’s commitment to ESD, the School has reflected on the issues confronting management education and practice related to SD and has concluded that, where possible and appropriate, there is pedagogic value in incorporating ESD throughout the programme’s modules. This approach supports the programme’s emphasis on developing philosophical understanding, critical thinking and research as a method of problem solving.

The key issues that are emphasized under ESD have been developed through a curriculum review process, referenced against the UNESCO framework for ESD. The key issues, drawn from the UNESCO framework for ESD, are:

• Respect for the dignity and human rights of all people throughout the world and a commitment to social and economic justice for all
• Respect for the human rights of future generations and a commitment to intergenerational responsibility
• Respect for cultural diversity and a commitment to build locally and globally a culture of tolerance, non-violence and peace
• Respect and care for the greater community of life in all its diversity which involves the protection and restoration of the Earth's ecosystems.

These represent the foundations on which critical thinking is developed. Many of the programme’s lecturers and supervisors are critical management theorists, whose goal is to root out the (often unthinking) oppression, indignities and injustices that feature in organisational life. For students working and managing organisations, how their activities contribute to SD is brought into focus by addressing these issues in their taught modules and in their personal research. Throughout, a critical approach to SD is adopted and students are encouraged to consider the nuances of the SD statements, the contradictory research evidence that surrounds the SD debates, and how theories and knowledge become legitimised.

The University’s policy on SD, the School of Management’s policy, and the UNESCO statement are in the Programme Handbook.

Assessment Regulations

This Programme conforms to the standard University Assessment Regulations for Postgraduate Programmes which are available at the following link:

The School operates a non-numerical assessment system. All assessments (coursework and examination) for Bradford taught modules are graded as below:

ADPass with Distinction

BPass with Merit

CPass

DMarginal Fail

EFPoor Fail

Supplementary assessment is required for any assessment graded at EF. A maximum of 20 credits at grade D can be condoned without the need for supplementary assessment. To gain a Masters degree all subjects should be completed at Pass level or not more than 20 credits condoned as Marginal fails (D). A D grade in the Management Project cannot be condoned, a Pass grade or above is required.