Objectives | Structure and Duration | Course Curriculum | Assessment Methods | Graduation and Degree | Commencement Date | Entry Requirements | Application Procedure | Enquiry

The Master of Business Administration (Strathclyde Business School) is an internationally recognised management qualification aimed at talented, ambitious and well-qualified people with solid business experience.
In particular it:

Self-Development:

The Strathclyde MBA is based on collaborative learning – students share work experience, knowledge, understanding and skills. While the Strathclyde MBA draws on a number of specialist areas, we do not aim to train specialists. Rather, our purpose is to develop you in diverse areas of management. The MBA will shape and guide you as reflective, open-thinking, adaptive learners. This is facilitated through enhanced understanding of the interplay of theory and practice in management. The structure and content of the Strathclyde MBA reflect all these aims.

The Strathclyde MBA is a 180-credit programme comprising four stages, namely; The Reflective Practitioner, Making the Business Work, Strategic Management for Sustainable Success and Personal Development.

The Strathclyde MBA can be completed in 2 years part – time. However, students will normally take 2.5 years to complete and are given up to 6 years to complete the MBA (inclusive of Project).

The Learning Manager
Governance
Managing

Financial & Management Accounting – 10 credits
Finance & Financial Management – 10 credits
Operations Management – 10 credits
Managing People in Organizations – 10 credits
Marketing Management – 10 credits
Analytical Support for Decision Making – 10 credits

Exploring the International Business Environment – 10 credits
Strategy Analysis & Evaluation – 10 credits
Making Strategy – 10 credits

Strategic Consulting in Practice – 10 credits
2 elective units – 20 credits
Project (inc. Project Methodology) – 40 credits

The programme semesters are delivered in blocks of six months as below. Within each semester a group of subjects will be offered at our centre. The semester starts in October and in April each year. It is important you recognise that the programmes shown are intended as illustrative in order to indicate the minimum time that is required to complete the MBA degree programme.

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Students who commence the MBA programme in October will proceed through the programme in the following manner:

PROGRAMME A – OCTOBER INTAKE
SEMESTER 1 – OCT
Marketing Management (E)
Financial & Management Accounting (E)
Finance & Financial Management (E)
Exploring the International Business Environment
Programme Seminar
SEMESTER 2- APR
Operations Management (E)
Analytical Support for Decision Making (E)
Managing People in Organizations (E)
Governance
The Learning Manager

SEMESTER 3 – OCT
Managing
Strategy Analysis & Evaluation
Making Strategy
Strategic Consulting in Practice
Project Methodology

SEMESTER 4- APR
Elective subject 1
Elective subject 2
Project

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Students who commence the MBA programme in April will proceed through the programme in the following manner:

SEMESTER 1 – APR
Operations Management (E)
Analytical Support for Decision Making (E)
Managing People in Organizations (E)
Governance
Programme Seminar
The Learning Manager

SEMESTER 2 – OCT
Marketing Management (E)
Financial & Management Accounting (E)
Finance & Financial Management (E)
Exploring The International Business Environment

SEMESTER 3 – APR
Elective subject 1
Elective subject 2
Project Methodology
Project

SEMESTER 4- OCT
Managing
Strategy Analysis & Evaluation
Making Strategy
Strategic Consulting in Practice

Class title: The Learning Manager, Managing and Governance
Credits 20

Class aims
The class aims to develop the managerial capabilities of students in three ways:

The class will facilitate development of knowledge of:
The Learning Manager

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Class title: Finance and Financial Management
Credits 10

Class aims
The primary aims of the Finance and Financial Management class are to develop an understanding of the principles of finance and financial decision taking, the nature of financial markets and institutions, and corporate financial theory. Corporate financial theory addresses two basic questions. How should a company evaluate proposals to invest in additional assets (the investment decision)? And secondly, how should the funds be raised to finance the purchase these assets (the financing decision)? The class will develop the understanding relevant for answering these questions.

Class title: Financial Management Accounting
Credits 10

Class aims
The unit is designed to provide an understanding of accounting that is essential for any manager and to develop the ability to use accounting information, especially for decision taking purposes. The focus will be on understanding the nature and limitations of the information provided in the financial reports and to ensure that managers appreciate the significance of the financial implications of any decisions or policy initiation being proposed.

No previous knowledge of the subject matter is assumed and the emphasis will be on the needs of managers who are not specialists in accounting and finance. However, the class will also provide the basis required to undertake the more specialised optional classes in accounting.

Class title: Operations Management
Credits 10

Class aims
Companies are under increasingly intensive competition. Often within global markets where there is not only local domestic competition but increasingly from other able global competitors. To succeed, organisations must produce value. Value is delivered by an organisation’s operations. Operations comprises not only of physical assets but also people. Operations Management is the management of these assets in order to provide customer value and sustainable competitive advantage.

The aims of this course are to introduce you to the operations function, in service and manufacturing organisations, as the transformation of system inputs to value-added outputs; to address key aspects of design, quality, planning and control of operations systems, and to provide an understanding of the operations function in a global context. To help you understand the purpose and need for an operations strategy and recognise operations issues in problem situations. In other words, to help you be a better manager.

Class title: Marketing Management
Credits 10

Class Aims
Marketing Management introduces major marketing concepts and techniques and the marketing planning process. This includes exploration of what marketing is, understanding of marketing orientation and buyer behaviour. The development of an appropriate marketing strategy for an organisation will be emphasised to enable the manager to make important marketing decisions. The changing role of marketing, within and between organisations, will be studied incorporating information technology, new organisational structures and different forms of market relationships.

Class title: Managing People in Organizations
Credits 10

Class Aims
The purpose of this unit is to facilitate students in taking a reflective look at the critical issues confronting organisations: How do they function and why? What are the modern problems they face, and how do they respond to them? How do they influence individual behaviour and vice versa? Organisational Behaviour (OB) is the academic corpus of knowledge that has been produced by social scientists investigating the preceding questions (and others like them). Human Resource Management (HRM) is the study of professional and strategic practices which seek to implement an understanding of OB in the organisational context. These areas of study are integrated in the Managing People in Organisations (MPIO) unit.

Specifically, OB is concerned with the study of human behaviour (both at the individual and group level) within formal organisations, and the study of the behaviour of organisations as distinctive social entities. HRM is concerned with the guiding philosophy of employment in an organisation and practices such as recruitment, performance management, development and reward.

The aims of the unit are to provide you with a repertoire of concepts, which will enhance your understanding of contemporary organisational events and processes so that you can make judgements about your behaviour, and that of others, and can, seek to influence organisational phenomena effectively. In addition, the purpose is to provide an understanding of modern organisations in terms of the management of people, the strategies and processes of HRM, and to provide the basis for a critical review of HRM systems and techniques.

In summary the core objectives are:

Class title: Analytical Support for Decision Making
Credits 10

Class Aims
The broad aims of the class are to develop skills in the effective practice of business analysis through the application of basic tools and techniques and to develop an appreciation of the issues which may require careful management if the decisions made are to be based upon valid data and models.
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Class title: Exploring the International Business Environment
Credits 10

Class aims
The class aims to help students understand and become comfortable with the ambiguity and uncertainty in an organisation’s business (or contextual) environment. The subjects covered in EIBE include geo-politics, macro-economics, ethics, law and culture as well as understanding the relationship and influences of political factors, and economic and ecological factors, societal factors, and technological factors (widely recognized as PEST).

By embracing and exploring ambiguity and uncertainty in these subjects the intent is to help students identify and understand the dynamics and drivers of external-driven change faced by the (case) organisation. Such understanding is important as a key aspect of anticipatory organisational learning. Anticipatory organisational learning requires students to understand and think about the impact of external business (or contextual) factors to support future oriented individual and organisational strategic thinking and policy development. Such an approach views diversity, divergence and conflict between different factors as a natural state that should not be dealt with by reductionist and/or exclusive approaches.

EIBE takes students to the point of understanding the contextual drivers of change. Such understanding is critical to helping organisation’s navigate to achieve their strategic goals. The link is then made to SAE and MS which explore organisational processes for developing and implementing strategic change at whatever level of the organisation that a student finds himself/ herself operating.

Class title: Strategy, Analysis and Evaluation
Credits 10

Class aims
The class aims to develop students’ ability to work as managers within modern, complex organisational environments by providing them with structured opportunities to explore and understand the major management and economic theories, as well as the language of strategy and strategic management. SAE introduces alternative strategic frameworks in which to critically analyse organisations’ and their strategies, the forces within their contextual and transactional environments that influence strategy. In addition, SAE will help students’ to analyse a range of strategic options and business strategies and policies that are proposed to be adopted by organisations, relating these to the concept of the business idea (their theory of success) sustainable competitive advantage as key to strategic adaptation.

By achieving these aims SAE will help students understand and work with the impact of organisational ambiguity and uncertainty; the dynamics of organisations and how they can be analysed in the context of their corporate, competitive and contextual environments, with the intent of supporting organisational adaptation. SAE takes students to the point of making clear and helpful recommendations to the Chief Executive.

Students are expected to apply their learning from EIBE into SAE. SAE is strategy development specific, whereas EIBE is much more exploratory and open-ended in nature. The link is then made to MS which explores organisational processes for implementation and strategic change at whatever level of the organisation that a student finds himself/ herself operating.

Class title: Making Strategy
Credits 10

Class aims
The class aims to develop students’ ability to make strategies for their own department, operating unit, SBU, in contrast to servicing a Chief Executive. It seeks to introduce in theory and practice the principles of negotiating strategy in a small management team.
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Class title: Strategic Consulting in Practice
Credits 10

Class aims
The class aims:

Class title: Electives
Credits 10

You will require to complete 2 elective subjects. You may choose a combination from a particular subject area, hence developing your understanding of a subject to a greater depth, or you can choose electives from different subject streams according to your personal interest. There is an extensive list of academically-approved elective classes, which is up-dated each year. The following list is a selection of the most popular classes offered at the most recent Electives Summer School. We also offer a number of elective classes at our International Centres.

Please note that elective classes are offered by subject specialists, who, in exceptional circumstances (e.g. illness, resignation), may be unable to deliver a class. Should this happen we will make every effort to find a replacement lecturer, but this cannot be guaranteed. Equally, a class may be cancelled if the number of students due to attend is insufficient for the meeting to be educationally viable. In either case we will notify you as soon as a cancellation becomes known, but the possibility of such cancellation should be borne in mind when making travel arrangements, as the School will not accept responsibility for travel costs.

Class title: MBA Project
Credits 40

Class aims
The primary aim of the project is to create deep learning in an area of management chosen by the student. A variety of options are available regarding both subject and method of exploration, for example undertaking an applied managerial project, investigative hypothesis testing, investigative theory deducing or action research.

Project Methodology is specifically aimed at developing an understanding of alternative approaches to undertaking investigative projects and to better equip students to decide on their approach to the MBA Project.
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The programme is delivered by means of open learning materials, textbooks issued by the Strathclyde with tutorials and seminars conducted by Local Counsellors and/or Strathclyde University staff. In each subject, you will be expected to complete assignments which are usually included in the final assessment and there are examinations for subjects marked with (E).

This section specifies the criteria by which you will be assessed on the MBA. The MBA programme is divided into 4 stages with modules, classes and assessment elements defined as follows:

Module	Subjects	Credits	Assessment Element
Making the Business Work	Operations Management (OM)	10	50% CW + 50% EXAM
	Managing People in Organisations (MPIO)	10	50% CW + 50% EXAM
	Analytical Support for Decision Making	10	50% CW + 50% EXAM
The Reflective Practitioner	Governance (40% weightage)	10	100% CW
	Managing (60% weightage)		100% CW
The Reflective Practitioner	The Learning Manager**	10	Workshop – Pass/Fail
	Programme Seminar **		Workshop – Pass/Fail

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Module	Subjects	Credits	Assessment Element
Making the Business Work	Financial & Management Accounting (FMA)	10	50% CW + 50% EXAM
	Finance & Financial Management (FFM)	10	50% CW + 50% EXAM
	Marketing Management (MM)	10	50% CW + 50% EXAM
Strategic Management for Sustainable Success	Exploring the International Business Environment (EIBE)	10	100% CW

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Module	Subjects	Credits	Assessment Element
Personal Development	Elective #1	10	100% CW
	Elective #2	10	100% CW
	Project (inc. Project Methodology)Project Methodology**	40	100% CW

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Module	Subjects	Credits	Assessment Element
Strategic Management for Sustainable Success	Strategy, Analysis & Evaluation (SAE)	10	100% CW
	Making Strategy	10	100% CW
Personal Development	Strategic Consulting in Practice**	10	100% CW Workshop – Pass/Fail

To pass a class where there is an exam, you are required to achieve an exam mark of 40% and above

* For EIBE and SAE – all assignments must be passed at 50% or above.

Students must first be eligible to sit an examination prior to registering. To be eligible a student must have:

There are two examination periods in an academic year:

All examination scripts are marked by University staff. The results are released after the Board of Examiners’ meeting in June (March exams) and in November (August exams)
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Upon the successful completion of the programme, graduates will be awarded the Master of Business Adminstration by University of Strathclyde.

Graduates have the option of graduating on campus at Strathclyde or attend the presentation ceremony in Singapore.

2 intakes a year.

The standard requirements* for entry to the MBA programme are as follows:

Application Fee of SGD 75 for Singaporeans and Singapore PR or SGD 107 for Foreigners is payable.

Please email us your CV so that we can arrange for a phone interview for you with Strathclyde Business School. Application fee is non-refundable.

Please go to the following webpage to put in your application online. Click on “Apply for Oct 2011 entry to part time MBA Business Administration (Admission Code: MBA 5)”.

For Apr 2012 Intake
Please go to the following webpage to put in your application online. Click on “Apply for Apr 2012 entry to part time MBA Business Administration (Admission Code: MBA 5)”.

Be prepared to answer the following questions: (we suggest you answer the following questions on a word document first and copy and paste your answers to the respective questions when you log in to submit your application)

1) Academic Performance (Do you feel your academic performance to date is an accurate reflection of your ability? If not, why not? (Max 100 words))

2) Provide a list of your extra-curricular activities in college, community and professional activities, in order of importance to you.

3) In no more than 100 words, please provide a critical self-assessment

4) What plans do you have if you are not accepted to The University of Strathclyde Business School?

5) Please explain your reasons for requesting exemption from TOEFL/IELTS test as part of your application (normally its because you have been educated in English)

6) The following 3 Essay Questions (no more than 500 words for each question)

Question 1 : Discuss an event or process from your work experience which has contributed to your personal/professional development, under the following headings:

i) Briefly describe the event or process.

ii) How were you involved and how did you respond?

iii) What were the outcomes?

iv) What did you learn that you could realistically apply in the future?

Question 2: What are your aims for your future career development? How will the Strathclyde MBA assist you in achieving your aims?

Question 3: Describe how your work experience could be used as a source of information for your learning and for contribution of group discussions.

1) Certificates and Transcripts (Academic & Professional)

2) CV

3) 2 References (we can provide you with the Reference template)

4) Digital Photo (high resolution)

Ms. Tricia Lim
Tel : 6586 2382
Email : tricialim@ymca.edu.sg

Mr. Sean Tan
Tel : 6586 2378
Email : seantan@ymca.edu.sg

University website : http://www.strath.ac.uk/management/mba/
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