Core Courses

The MSc in International Management offers five core courses, of which two; ‘International Strategy’ and ‘International Management & Organisation’ are compulsory. The three remaining courses – of which you must follow at least two – each offer a deeper understanding of a functional area of business and management.

 International Strategy: From domestic company to global player  
How firms internationalise, and how multinational companies create and sustain competitive advantage in an international marketplace are the subjects of this first core course. Students learn how they, as future managers, can assist companies in their internationalisation process, for example by targeting and selecting new markets, or by evaluating, designing and implementing entry strategies. Students also develop an awareness of the potential issues and problems involved in the implementation of an internationalisation process such as host government policy, knowledge transfer, and interfirm collaboration. 

 Management Challenges in International Organisations: Gaining international competitive advantage through people  
As organisations move from domestic to global business arenas, a key lever at their disposal in terms of achieving competitive advantage is the effective management of human resources. Managing international human resources and shaping the behaviour of a global workforce are complex and challenging tasks. This second core course explores these complexities and challenges, and helps students to understand optimising human talent in a global business setting. 

 Global Supply Chain Management: Improving the multinational’s operations  
Companies moving into new, international markets need to prepare their supply chain for the new challenge. Many companies are finding that effective management of the supply chain brings a competitive advantage so this sector is becoming a more high-profile, demanding and complex task. In this course, students will investigate how multinational companies deal with the challenges of expanding product variety, short product life cycles, increasing outsourcing, globalisation of business and continuous advances in information technology. 

 Multinational Financial Management: What the CFO of a multinational company should know  
Evaluation and financing of companies operating internationally requires an expertise in international opportunities and a deep understanding of global capital markets, exchange rates, tax rules, and legal and institutional complexities. Financial management also includes assisting in international capital expenditure, acquisition decisions, and developing effective management control systems. This course provides an analytic framework for understanding how the financial management of multinational companies deals with these issues in order to create and sustain value across borders. 

 Global Marketing: Serving the worldwide consumer  
Key global marketing strategy issues includes analysing the behaviour of global consumers and companies. In this course, you will gain an appreciation of the basic strategic issues involved in segmenting markets, targeting markets and market positioning in an international arena. Students will learn how to evaluate product development, pricing strategies, marketing communications, and distribution management in order to successfully implement an international marketing strategy.