The introductory part of the module provides an induction to the Leicester MBA programme. In this section you’ll learn what, why and how you’ll study in the programme, and the Leicester MBA values and expectations. You’ll learn how to navigate our virtual learning environment, interact with tutors and students, and access resources to support your study. You’ll assess different approaches to learning and apply them to develop your own study skills, and develop an appropriate study plan to meet the programme’s expectations. The rest of the module is devoted to learning how to manage people. All managers would agree that managing people effectively is an important ingredient of personal and organisational effectiveness. Managing people and interpersonal relationships requires both knowledge and skills. Common sense, practical experience, and good intuition may be helpful, but they are not sufficient. Fortunately, there is a vast amount of scientific research that can be used to enhance the effective management of people and improve interpersonal skills. In this module, you’ll learn what this evidence tells us about managing people and how to use this evidence to analyse (and solve) people problems. There will also be opportunities to hone your managerial skills, such as leading, working in teams, and making decisions. You’ll learn how to develop specific people management activities within the context of employment relationships, known collectively as Human Resource Management.

Success increasingly demands the nurturing of a culture which can efficiently harness value creation processes across all areas of organisational life. Value needs to be co-created at every step of the transformation process, from an initial idea through to its eventual diffusion into the marketplace. This module maps the value co-creation process throughout all of its decisive stages of operations, innovation, and marketing insight. The module draws upon and integrates concepts from across the fields of operations management, innovation, entrepreneurship and marketing. It will provide you with a range of strategy perspectives and operational toolkits, so you can turn good ideas into great products and services that facilitate superior value propositions for all stakeholders, including customers.

Strategic decisions lie at the heart of many of the challenges that confront the senior managers of any organisation. A rapidly changing, complex, ambiguous, and highly uncertain environment can threaten its performance. Managers need to be able to think strategically in order to respond effectively to these challenges, whilst at the same time embracing the opportunities that change presents. Effective strategic thinking assures the sustainable survival of the organisation in the long run. Thinking strategically requires frameworks that will shape these decisions, which can be found in the disciplines of economics and accountancy. In particular knowledge about demand, costs, pricing, the measurement of financial performance and the macro trends taking place in the wider decision environment will be explored. A strategic perspective, however, moves beyond these narrow knowledge bases and seeks to use them to establish policies and core competences that will assure the sustainability of the organisation in the long run. The purpose and values of any organisation extend beyond the narrow goal directed behaviour of performance maximisation. Consideration of the impact of the activities of the organisation on the wider physical and social environments is also important, as too are the effects that management decisions have upon employees, customers and other stakeholders. Evaluation of the means chosen is as important as the goals of an organisation. This module will provide you with the skills necessary for thinking strategically, along with the critical skills that are required to evaluate the foundations of many current strategic practices.

In this module you’ll collate and present a learning and professional development portfolio, i.e. a structured collection of evidence, reflection and critical analysis, which supports and documents your learning and development towards the intended learning outcomes of the programme. Specific items for the portfolio will come from your work in the first four modules (the three core modules and your option module) and your engagement in the Career Management and Development Programme if you are on the Leicester MBA. If you are studying on the PG Certificate in Business Administration this will come from your two modules. Working on the portfolio will help you to record, reflect on and take responsibility for managing your learning and professional development, and engage with the feedback from peers and tutors. It will also help you develop the skills of discussing and evidencing your competencies to substantiate your CV, job application, selection interview or performance appraisal review. The portfolio will contribute to your career management and your development as a life-long learner.

Organisations depend on thorough research and the processes of collecting and interpreting information to inform crucial decisions tantamount to success. This module enables you to explore a management issue in practice and make critically informed recommendations based on the theories, concepts and frameworks that have been learnt throughout the MBA. You’ll become an independent and reflective researcher, able to assess your own personal skills and research abilities. There is a choice between a traditional dissertation, an in-company project, business research or a business-start up plan, depending on your strengths and career ambitions. The MBA project is often the most challenging and rewarding part of the programme.