Business Psychology MSc — 2027 entry

Assessment in the workplace is carried out for a variety of purposes, for example recruitment and selection, performance management and diagnosis of training and development needs. This module covers foundations of psychological assessment (reliability, validity, and fairness), core theories of individual differences (e.g. personality, cognitive ability, emotions) and their application in organizational practice. The main emphasis in the coverage of practice is recruitment and selection.

In this module, we will describe and explain the environmental context of the practice of HRM. Specifically, we will explore, identify, and understand organizational responses to the business environment. A primary organizational response to managing uncertainty inherent in the business environment is the adoption and implementation of a competitive or business strategy. From an HR perspective, this entails the adoption of a strategic perspective to the management of employees in order to create the human resource capability to implement this business strategy and ultimately create sustained competitive advantage. The module is therefore intended to provide students with a holistic understanding of the changing organizational contexts that have significant effect on the HR function. Topics covered include the global economy, political, social, legal, demographic and technological developments as they define the competitive environment of organisations and their implications for the HR function. The module is therefore designed to equip a range of students who are seeking to develop a career in HR with the knowledge, competencies, and analytical skills to pursue a career in HR up to a senior managerial role.

The world-wide political and economic liberalization and continuous technology improvement in the last three decades have brought unprecedented flows of goods, services, labour and capital across national boundaries. International business today comprises a larger and ever-growing portion of the world’s business and global events and competition affects almost all companies. A company operating internationally will engage in modes of business that are different from those it is accustomed to domestically. International business management is the process of applying management concepts, theories, and techniques in a multinational environment so that firms can become and remain international in scope. Moreover, a comparative view of management and organization in internationally operating firms is provided to understand these processes in detail.

Business operates in both a market and a nonmarket environment, the latter being the space where the formal and informal rules governing market competition are set and enforced. A successful corporate strategy aligns the firm's capabilities with the demands of both its market and nonmarket environment. This module systematically examines the political, regulatory, societal, cultural, and natural factors that shape a business' nonmarket environment. Students learn how to analyse and proactively manage the nonmarket environment through integrated market and nonmarket strategies.

MANM006 provides students with an introduction to human resource development (HRD).  It explores the topic from a variety of perspectives through the use of relevant theories, current research and business and organizational practice.  The module is aligned closely with the core text book which has been written specifically for this module and in alignment with the CIPD curriculum and learning outcomes: Sadler-Smith, E  (2022) Human Resource Development: From Theory into Practice.  London: SAGE.

In this module, students develop a holistic understanding of the theory and tools for Entrepreneurship which has a particular relevance in the context of the Digital Economy.  This begins with a discussion of key concepts around the Entrepreneur, Opportunity Recognition and the Entrepreneurial Process.  In turn, students review key elements for a start-up including resources, the founding team and business modelling.  Finally, we look at scaling strategies in the Digital Economy including a range of different business models where start-ups create, deliver and capture value.  The Digital Economy enables these innovative business models.    For assessment, students research and apply Key Entrepreneurship Topics to case studies and then critically evaluate the scaling strategy for a designated emerging-growth companies in the Digital Economy using Entrepreneurship theory, Digital Economy theory and a business model framework.

This module introduces students to the main principles of accounting and finance and demonstrates the importance of these to management decision making

Consumer Behaviour is evident in everyday life, therefore knowledge and understanding of this subject can be beneficial to personal decision-making as well as to marketing and strategy formulation, both in offline and online environments. The module Perspectives on Consumer Behaviour deals with a range of theoretical, practical techniques in understanding and researching consumer consumption behaviour and how such an understanding can be used to create successful and viable marketing strategies. This module gives students the opportunity to explore theories and leading-edge research findings and apply knowledge by conducting small group discussion and/or activities. Thus, reflective, and critical applications of relevant behavioural, cognitive, and socio-cultural approaches to consumption are discussed.