Cardiff Business School MBA Programme pot

A Global School in the UK The faculty of Cardiff Business School come from 28 countries, our current students come from 60 countries and our alumni represent 120 countries, reflecting th

Cardiff Business School

MBA Programme

70% of the School’s research is ranked either ‘world-leading’ or

‘internationally excellent’ The School is ranked 2nd in the UK in terms of the proportion of its research which is ‘world-leading’ (the highest possible category) The School uses research-led teaching across its full portfolio of Specialist Masters programmes This means that our faculty members teach students the cutting-edge expertise needed to forge a successful career

Source: Times Higher Education

Research Assessment Exercise 2008

01

A Reputation for Excellence

Cardiff Business School is ranked 4th in the UK for its research

excellence The School has recently become a member of both the

American-based AACSB International, The Association to Advance

Collegiate Schools of Business and of the European Foundation for

Management Development (EFMD – EQUIS)

A Global School in the UK

The faculty of Cardiff Business School come from 28 countries, our

current students come from 60 countries and our alumni represent

120 countries, reflecting the School’s global approach to its work and

its international stature

The School’s international reputation allows faculty and institutional

collaboration with other leading universities overseas

World Class Faculty

The School attracts world-class faculty who occupy key positions

in their respective fields, in the leading international business and

research associations and membership bodies Faculty are on the

editorial review boards of many of the leading academic journals

Recognition for Outstanding Research

The School is ranked 2nd in the UK for the amount of its research

which is ‘world-leading’ – second only to London Business School

At the Frontier of Business Decision Making

The School makes a useful contribution to both policy and practice

on a local, national and international level, with research informing

organisations such as the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the

United Nations, the Treasury, the Department for Trade and Industry

and the Department for Communities and Local Government, and

working on consultation projects for blue-chip, global firms

An Excellent Learning Environment

Postgraduate students join a community of over 1000 postgraduates

specialising in Taught Masters programmes and our MBA The diversity

of our student body directly informs teaching and experiences are

shared from all over the globe

In excess of £160 million has been invested to provide modern and

well-equipped facilities, ensuring a first-class environment in which to

live and study A brand-new, state-of-the-art Trading Room is available

to all our students, giving them practical expertise in the financial

markets

Cardiff is one of the few UK universities to provide a dedicated

facility for postgraduate students The Graduate Centre offers

additional academic and social facilities and a centre for the broader

postgraduate community

Excellence in Teaching

In the last Teaching Quality Assessment exercise, teaching at Cardiff Business School was assessed as ‘excellent’ Our knowledge, experience and research underpins teaching on all of our postgraduate programmes, informing our students of valuable ideas and practices at the frontier of global business developments

A Career Head-startGraduates of the School are placed on excellent career tracks across the range of business and management careers in firms and government organizations Regular recruiters of our students, to name a few, include KPMG, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte, HSBC, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley and Unilever

One of the Best Universities in the UKThe School is part of Cardiff University, itself a Russell Group institution (the UK’s equivalent to the North American Ivy League)

An Attractive LocationThe University is based in and around Cardiff’s magnificent city centre, alongside the National Museum and Galleries of Wales, and boasts much fine parkland A compact campus means that the town centre, Students’ Union, Business School and Halls of Residence are in easy walking distance of each other

The Capital City AdvantageThe fastest growing capital in Europe, Cardiff is two hours by train from London and was recently named the most desirable city in which to live and work in the UK This dynamic city boasts the Millennium Stadium, the National Assembly for Wales, the cultural Wales Millennium Centre and hosts major sporting events, world class concerts, film festivals and much more Both the coastline and mountain ranges of Wales can be easily explored from the capital

Introducing Cardiff Business School

01 Students outside the Julian Hodge Building.

01

Cardiff Business School: An Education for Life

Here at Cardiff we have been providing a business education for some 140 years: a heritage of which we are proud and through which

we have developed a reputation as one of the leading business and management schools in the UK

Our purpose at Cardiff Business School is to provide an education for life We give our students the analytical and business skills that will stay with them for a lifetime, helping them to progress in their careers and contribute to society

We are currently ranked 4th in the UK for the quality of our research, according to the Research Assessment Exercise undertaken by the

UK government In terms of the proportion of research categorised as

‘world-leading’, we are 2nd in the UK

Our faculty members bring their research expertise to the classroom The knowledge, experience and research of my colleagues underpins the teaching on all of our postgraduate programmes, informing our students of valuable ideas and practices at the frontier

of global business developments

The School is constantly developing We were among the first to provide a Master of Business Administration programme some 28 years ago and continue to update and to innovate within our suite of postgraduate degree programmes, equipping tomorrow’s business people with cutting-edge expertise

Our programmes challenge students academically whilst giving them the knowledge needed to succeed in a global business arena

We provide dedicated careers support throughout the course of your studies and once you graduate Facilities like the School’s Trading Room help to enhance your skills, and our annual careers programme gives you the opportunity to network with recruiters from leading international firms We have also recently established

a new employability centre that will allow our students to compete effectively for the best jobs

As a postgraduate student at Cardiff Business School, you will contribute to a vibrant community of over a thousand graduates from over 60 countries In addition to the seminars, lectures and workshops you attend as part of your programme, you will be invited to attend guest lectures given by the internationally renowned scholars and policy makers who visit us The whole spectrum of activities offered by the Students’ Union and Graduate Centre will be open to you to enjoy, and all of the resources of Cardiff University will benefit you both when you study with us and when you become one of our alumni when you leave

Our students find living and studying in Cardiff, itself a friendly and prospering city, to be both rewarding and enjoyable I hope that this brochure provides you with the information that you need to join us

at Cardiff I wish you every success with your studies and look forward

to welcoming you to our School in the future

Professor George BoyneDean

03 Welcome from the Dean

04 Learning with Us

06 Introducing the Cardiff MBA Programme

07 MBA Programme Structure

08 The MBA Programme

14 Cardiff: The University

16 Cardiff: The City

26 The Faculty of Cardiff Business School

27 Applying to Cardiff Business School

Contents

03

01 Students enjoy the sunshine outside Main Building.

02 The Aberconway Building

03 Professor George Boyne.

02

Why Cardiff Business School? Learning with Us

Learning with Us

An Innovative Programme

Cardiff Business School continually re-evaluates its programmes to

ensure that they cater for the requirements of tomorrow’s business

leaders The Cardiff MBA programme is designed to provide present

and aspiring managers with the cutting-edge tools and techniques

that will enable them to deal with the challenges, complexities and

dynamism of an increasingly volatile global

business environment

Excellent Teaching

In the most recent Teaching Quality Assessment performed

by the UK government, teaching at Cardiff Business School was

assessed as ‘Excellent’ You will be taught in the way that best suits

your programme, ranging from lectures, seminars and tutorials to

industry visits Case-based teaching will allow you to work with

real-life examples of contemporary business practice, drawn from

the activities of internationally renowned organisations Small group

work enables you to develop your skills of teamwork and helps you to

understand the dynamics of intra organisational groups

A thriving, stimulating environment

As a student of CBS you’ll become a member of a thriving

postgraduate community 1000 postgraduate students join us every

year from a range of backgrounds and with experience of different

cultures and working environments The opportunities to extend

your learning are endless, from accessing dedicated postgraduate

resources to attending guest lectures and seminars given by speakers

of international repute Facilities such as our new Trading Room give

you the opportunity to learn practical skills to put you ahead in the

career marketplace

A Global PerspectiveCardiff Business School is a global school located within the UK and as such aims to give our students a global perspective Our programmes are designed with this internationalisation in mind and focus on preparing you for a multicultural business environment, equipping you with the skills you’ll need to succeed within it

A supportive networkBefore you arrive in Cardiff, you will be assigned a faculty member who will act as your Personal Tutor, onhand to help with any academic issues you might encounter during your studies and to supervise your progress A dedicated Student Support and Disability Officer

is available within the School to advise on matters such as finance, regulations and to help you navigate the support services available both within and outside the University

A view to the futureWhilst our programmes will provide you with the business knowledge needed for you to excel in your chosen area of business, we also provide a range of career services dedicated to helping you find graduate employment after graduation

Alumni benefitsOur relationship with our students doesn’t end when they graduate Cardiff Business School increasingly provides networking and social opportunities for graduates when they leave us through our growing number of alumni chapters and industry-specific groups An online alumni portal provides jobs boards, discussion forums and the opportunities to post profiles to enable global networking

We hold events both in the UK and other countries worldwide

We keep our graduates up-to-date with developments at the School

through our magazine Synergy, which is available to alumni for use in

sharing their news with their contemporaries

04

02

01

01 Students working at Cardiff Business School.

02 Main Building.

03 The School provides excellent library facilities.

04

The Cardiff MBA

‘new outlooks…’

01 The Aberconway Building.

02 Resource Centre, Main Building.

03 04 The annual MBA dinner

An Introduction

Turning theory in practice

A truly international programme with practical outputs, the Cardiff

MBA will equip you with the insight into business practice you need

for your future in a changing global environment

A thorough grounding in business theory

The programme will provide you with detailed knowledge of the

theories at the core of business management You can choose one of

five specialist pathways or select your own combination of electives

for a general MBA that reflects your particular interests and strengths

Practical experience of business processes

As part of the MBA programme you will complete an integrated

business plan, with input from experienced external business

practitioners Rather than complete a traditional dissertation, the

course concludes with a business project This gives you the chance

to showcase your theoretical knowledge in a simulated, practical

environment

An education for life

As well as equipping you with the knowledge foundation you need to

excel in the business world, the MBA will develop your interpersonal

skills, your business intuition, your sense of entrepreneurship and your

ability to tackle everyday challenges, within a supportive environment

of friendly competition and collaboration

The MBA will provide you with:

6 pathways to choose from:

and Operations Management and Logistics

Pathways are structured so that you can choose carefully-packaged

subject combinations to develop knowledge in specific areas of

business, linked to that chosen in the Application phase

The Cardiff MBA recognises that today’s business managers need

to have a broad and thorough understanding of all the key global business issues as well as expertise within their chosen business sphere The MBA will allow you to explore, analyse and apply both general and function-specific theories, concepts and techniques to the challenges and complexities that you will face in your career

Phase 1

Foundation – September to DecemberDesigned to give you a strong grounding in the basics of business management, the Foundation phase introduces you to the core components that make organisations function You’ll understand the resources that an organisation requires, the processes that control organizational operations and the approaches through which organisations relate to their internal and external environments

It also develops the study skills you will need to complete your MBA study successfully

The Cardiff MBA

‘Like most international students, I was a little apprehensive about studying abroad But the multicultural environment makes Cardiff one of the most desirable cities to live in

The Business School has an international reputation, excellent library facilities and a good teaching staff.’

Mitali Chitre

08

The Programme

The Cardiff MBA

‘Like most international students, I was a little apprehensive about studying abroad But the multicultural environment makes Cardiff one of the most desirable cities to live in

The Business School has an international reputation, excellent library facilities and a good teaching staff.’

Mitali Chitre

The Cardiff MBA programme consists of a set of core subjects

studied in the Foundation and Application stage, a choice of

optional pathways and an individual Business Project

During the Application Stage, students will undertake a Business

Plan that is group based, giving you the opportunity to develop

team working skills

Assessment by external business leaders will give you an opportunity

to test your ideas and to develop further understanding of the

Marketing and Strategy Pathway

1 Lead Elective (core)

• Marketing Research + 2 Electives from:

• Advances in Strategic Management

• Consumer Behaviour

• Global Marketing

• E-Business+ Business Project in a Marketing and Strategy area

Human Resource Management Pathway

1 Lead Elective (core)

• Strategic HRM + 2 Electives from:

• International Management

• Management Consulting

• Management of Change

• Management in Emerging Economies+ Business Project in a HRM area

Specialisation Stage – Core

Marketing Research

Specialisation Stage – Electives

2 Electives: Two from Advances in Strategic

Management, Consumer Behaviour, Global Marketing and E-Business

Specialisation Stage – Project

Business Project in a Marketing and Strategy area

Specialisation Stage – Project

Business Project in an Operations Management/Logistics area

Specialisation Stage – Electives

2 Electives: International Sustainable

Business, Purchasing Logistics and Materials Management

Specialisation Stage – Core

Strategic Operations Management

Operations Management and Logistics Pathway

Marketing and Strategy Pathway

The opportunity to specialise…

Increasingly, MBA students want to focus their studies on specific areas of business and management

The School offers different optional pathways: Marketing and Strategy, Accounting and Finance, Human Resource Management,

01 The Julian Hodge lecture theatre.

02 Cardiff Business School grounds

Accounting and Finance Pathway

Specialisation Stage – Core

Corporate Governance

Specialisation Stage – Electives

2 Electives: Managerial Finance and

Multinational Financial Management

Specialisation Stage – Project

Business Project in an Accounting and Finance area

Human Resource Management Pathway

Specialisation Stage – Core

Strategic HRM

Specialisation Stage – Electives

2 Electives: Two from International HRM,

Management Consulting, Management

of Change and Management in Emerging Economies

Specialisation Stage – Project

Business Project in a HRM area

01 The Julian Hodge lecture theatre.

02 Cardiff Business School grounds

• International Sustainable Business

• Lean Operations

+ Business Project in an Operations Management/Logistics area

International Management Pathway

1 Lead Elective (core)

• International Management+ 2 Electives from:

Phase 3

Specialisation Stage – April to June

Choose one pathway from the six pathways below:

The opportunity to specialise…

The school offers different optional pathways: Marketing and Strategy,

Human Resource Management, Accounting and Finance, Operations

Management and Logistics, and International Management

Accounting and Finance Pathway

1 Lead Elective (core)

• Corporate Governance

+ 2 Electives:

• Managerial Finance

• Multinational Financial Management

+ Business Project in an Accounting

and Finance area

›

10 The MBA Programme www.cardiff.ac.uk/carbs

The Cardiff MBA

The Programme

‘The Business Plan has been a fantastic opportunity to roll our sleeves up and put theories into practice with very little guidance Being given the chance to pitch out ideas to successful entrepreneurs and answer direct questions from them is certainly a test of nerves and has made it a very memorable experience.‘

Daniel Jermin

03

Phase 1

Foundation – September to December

Designed to give you a strong grounding in the basics of business

management, the Foundation phase introduces you to the core

components that make organisations function You’ll understand the

resources that an organisation requires, the processes that control

organizational operations, and the approaches through which

organizations relate to their international and external environments

It also develops the skills you will need to complete your MBA study

successfully (For topics covered see page 8).

Phase 2

Application – January to March

The Application phase provides you with the opportunity to advance

your thinking and knowledge by developing and applying the core

themes studied in the Foundation phase This phase focuses on the

strategic business context, the development of organisational human

capital, the management of the marketing function and the analysis

and control of financial and business operations

Business Plan

You will undertake a business plan that is group based, giving you

the opportunity to develop team working skills You will work in

an international, multicultural team where you will solve complex

business problems, integrating the skills and knowledge gained

in other modules Each member of the group takes on a formal

leadership role for a period The task requires groups to identify and

plan the first five years of a start up business The group business plan

will involve input from external business mentors, giving you the

opportunity to test your ideas and to develop further understanding

of the dynamics of businesses Judges in previous years have

included the senior managers from Golley Slater, Eversheds, the Welsh

Government and the Cardiff Devils

A list of topics covered in the application stage can be found on

or from a combination of pathways

Phase 4

The Business ProjectReplacing the traditional dissertation, the Business Project provides the opportunity to test the theories you have learnt in a simulated, practical environment Knowledge from across the subjects studied

in the Foundation and Application phases will be integrated within this project, the final part of the Specialisation period Teaching faculty from across the Academic Sections of the School will be involved in the project part of the programme

You will be supported by a member of faculty who will act as your internal project mentor throughout the duration of the project

01 Tutorial session at Cardiff Business School.

02 Students have access to a number

of 24 hour computing facilities

03 The University boasts excellent library and resource facilities.

04 Students benefit from state-of-the-art IT facilities.

‘In a one-year programme, Cardiff Business School has done a tremendous job because I personally believe the methodology of combining theory with practical case studies is very well-balanced.’

Hamza Javaid

04

Elective modules

Advances in Strategic Marketing

This module explores the nature of contemporary strategic marketing

to promote a deeper critical understanding of conventional strategy

approaches and emergent ideas arising from new paradigm

challenges Creativity is applied to engender innovation in strategy,

existing ‘Western’ strategy frameworks are challenged, and risk,

implementation, knowledge and time are examined as key drivers in

creating 21st century strategies

Consumer Behaviour

This module builds on the knowledge gained from the core Marketing

module by providing an insight into why consumers behave

the way they do, including the psychological, social and cultural

underpinnings of consumer choice A good understanding of the

main influences that affect consumers is essential to managers, since

most marketing activity is based on beliefs about buyer behaviour

The aim of the module is to provide participants with a critical

knowledge of the relevant buyer behaviour theories, enabling them

to develop successful marketing strategies

Corporate Governance

This module analyses the conflicts of interests that may emerge in

corporations These conflicts of interests include those between

the providers of finance and the management, those between

the shareholders and stakeholders, and those between different

types of shareholders such as the large controlling shareholder and

the minority shareholders The module reviews a range of ways of

preventing or mitigating these conflicts of interests The module

adopts a strong international perspective

Electronic Business

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have transformed both the way in which businesses now operate internally and the way in which businesses interact with other businesses and their customers Electronic business is the term used to describe this interest in the transformation potential of ICT to increase the performance of business This module focuses on the key business issues associated with eBusiness and eCommerce and develops sufficient understanding of the technical issues to enable the student

to discern the significance of ICTs to modern business

of market research and information utilisation in global marketing strategy and global marketing strategy in the new millennium

International Management

The aim of this module is to provide students with an understanding

of the key cultural, national and organizational issues that impact

on the management function in a global business environment Active involvement in seminars, case-analyses and discussion groups will enable discipline specific intellectual and transferable skills to

be developed

International Sustainable Business

The module examines the way in which business is responding to the challenges posed by recognition of the need to become sustainable Among the topics covered are: sustainability as a concept; life-cycle analysis; industrial ecology; ecological foot-printing; corporate social responsibility; the sustainable consumption and production movement; and bio-mimicry The module reviews policy measures affecting business and sustainability, and provides case studies of the more sustainable businesses currently trading Examples will be drawn from a wide range of industries

Elective modules continue overleaf…

12 The MBA Programme www.cardiff.ac.uk/carbs

The Cardiff MBA

The Programme continued

‘The Cardiff MBA is a comprehensive, well-organised and exciting experience

As an international student, one gets to interact with colleagues of diverse cultures and professional backgrounds This broadens the scope of learning and provides

an international business perspective The faculty is always eager to help in both academic and personal matters Cardiff as a city provides both top-quality education and a vibrant student life.’

Mohammad Fahad Shahid

Elective modules continued from previous page

Lean Operations

This module aims to enable students to develop a comprehensive

understanding of the techniques involved in Lean Operations and

value stream management The student will examine lean tools and

techniques - the concepts, practice and the competitive benefit of

continuously improving processes and value stream management

We then examine how to take these lean tools and techniques and

adapt them to achieve a lean enterprise and develop the international

and global supply chains

The elective aims to synthesise the academic ‘theory’ with a strong

appreciation of how to use the lean tools and techniques to develop

the value streams encountered in all businesses

Management Consulting

The Management Consulting module provides students with practical

skills for the consulting world by engaging them with real-life

consulting dilemmas

The module is based on a series of cases from the lecturer’s

extensive consulting experience and tutorials from the leading

management consultancies around the world The course uses the

Harvard Business School ‘Case Method’ which is deployed by most

major consulting firms when recruiting candidates

Management in Emerging Economies

Management in Emerging Economies provides students with a

practical insight into the fast-growing Southern economies that are

changing the face of the global economy Throughout the world,

companies from formerly marginalized economies are finding

and exploiting market niches and transforming both their own

countries and the traditional picture of multinational development

The module looks at the keys to success at the corporate, national

and international policy levels It examines why some development

approaches succeed and others do not, and explores some of the

challenges faced by operators in emerging and developing economies

Management of Change

The aim of the elective is to describe and analyse the way organisations change and the role of managers in change processes Students will be introduced to relevant theories and practices relating to change management and utilize various case studies and other exercises to put these to use The elective focuses on how to diagnose the problems associated with major changes in organisations, combines understanding of major theories of change with recently developed techniques of change management, and critically appraises the relevance of a variety of change management approaches to different sectors of the economy Students are encouraged to conceive the role of manager as ‘reflective practitioner’ and question their own underlying assumptions and much

conventional wisdom

Managerial Finance

The Managerial Finance module builds upon the Financial Management core module and aims to provide students with a more advanced knowledge and understanding of the theoretical and applied techniques of managerial finance The topics covered are: working capital management and sources of short-term funds; financial strategies; capital investment decisions under conditions

of risk and uncertainty; investment appraisal and capital rationing; inflation and its impact on investment appraisal; portfolio theory and the Capital Asset Pricing Model; mergers and acquisitions; Efficient Market Hypothesis; long term funds and the cost of capital and dividend policy

Multinational Financial Management

The module examines key financial management issues faced by multinational corporations in undertaking international operations Topics covered will include: an introduction to exchange rates and foreign exchange markets; issues involved in raising finance locally and internationally; foreign exchange exposure measurement and management; international derivatives and hedging; foreign direct investment; international investment decision-making processes, project appraisal in global companies; political risk; international working capital management; and international corporate governance

01 02 Lecture facilities at the Julian Hodge Building

03 Main Building.

‘My experience of Cardiff as a cosmopolitan city and the Cardiff MBA is priceless The interaction with people from diverse cultures, and the knowledge acquired from a wide array of subject areas, has made me better equipped for the challenges of the global economy.’

Chioma Mbanugo

03

Elective modules continued from previous page

Marketing Research

The aim of this module is for participants to develop the knowledge

and skills required to design, implement and evaluate commercial

marketing research projects The module will thus equip participants

with the skills required to conduct and appraise qualitative and

quantitative marketing

Strategic Human Resource Management

The aim of the module is to link human resource issues with the

strategies of firms and to deploy an explicitly international approach

The skills learned in the module will be transferable to a range of

managerial activities both within firms and internationally

Strategic Operations Management

The ability to manage businesses correctly and effectively in an

increasingly complex marketplace is of increasing importance to

many organisations Strategic Operations Management provides

students with a highly informative and practical knowledge base

in which to develop, analyse and practise operations management

theory in a range of different operational situations

Through a range of case studies, discussion groups and practical

exercises, this module examines a range of general strategic

operations issues such as: defining a robust operational strategy to

enable company growth; defining customer value and developing

quality systems products and services; re-engineering business

processes in order to become leaner, more agile and responsive to

customer demands; and how Strategic Operations Management

extends into company supply chains in order to achieve a seamless

flow of products and services

Teaching

A key feature of the new Cardiff MBA programme is the emphasis

on case-based teaching and learning Students will work on cases which have been carefully developed to reflect the theoretical issues covered in the individual modules as well as practical business issues and problems

Typically, there will be formal lectures and these will be supplemented by small group teaching, where the key themes from the lectures are discussed in syndicate groups of between 12 and

14 students There will also be the opportunity to attend additional

‘surgeries’ where further support for the quantitative subject areas will

be offered in a small group environment

Assessment The Foundation and Application phases will both be assessed by a combination of assignments and examinations The exception is the group business plan, which is a 7000 word report

The elective modules within the Specialisation phase will be assessed by a combination of assignments, project and examinations.The Business Project of the Specialisation phase will be assessed by

an individual report of 10,000 words

‘Cardiff is surely one of the best deals going: tip-top academically, still not the hardest to get into and a fantastic extra-curricular scene There’s no excuse

to leave with just a degree listed on your CV.’

The Virgin Alternative Guide to British Universities

‘Cardiff has established itself as the front runner in

Welsh higher education…it is a match for most

rivals in teaching and research and the overall

performance is amongst the best in Britain.’

The Times Good University Guide

Why Cardiff Business School? Cardiff: The University

Cardiff: The University

14

Cardiff University is recognised in independent

government assessments as one of the UK’s leading

teaching and research universities

02

01