MBA Programme Content
The Strathclyde MBA in Athens has two intakes per year, one starting in April and the other in October.
The programme is launched with an initial intensive seminar (Strategic Leadership Development).
This is followed by regular two or three day seminars (about twice a month, on a weekend and one evening per week). You can stay 100% in your job while you are doing the Strathclyde MBA.
Participants are required to complete a range of preparatory tasks and readings both from published materials and materials specially commissioned by Strathclyde Business School before seminars. In each subject, the seminars are led by faculty from the University of Strathclyde Business School and will focus on the key theories, principles, case studies, and practical applications of the area under discussion.
Module 1: Responsible Leadership
Strategic Leadership Development
Strategic Leadership Development is designed to be a reflective leadership journey for each MBA student, in which a personal portfolio is constructed to track and action-plan personal strategic leadership development outcomes arising from the MBA experience.
You’ll explore the trends and future directions of strategic leadership in organisations through expert speakers, cases, careers and development initiatives, industrial visits and engagement activities.
Leading a Sustainable Organisation
This module will explore the nature of organisations from multiple perspectives and how to nurture a high-performance organisation by addressing:
- structure and design
- culture
- politics and processes
- organisational behaviour
- the role of the workforce
Organisational studies, organisational behaviour and human resource management will be examined through the perspective of sustainability.
You’ll consider the role of the leader in setting the vision, shaping the environment and supporting change. You’ll also explore how to create sustainable workplaces that attract and retain talent and ensure the health and wellbeing of employees.
Grand Challenges of Corporate Governance
This module takes a systems approach to corporate governance. It examines at an institutional level the culture, context and compliance to global and regional governance best practice and the benefits thereof.
The module examines the key contemporary factors that are challenging boards of directors and the options for dealing with them to help create sustainable organisations that have a positive impact on shareholder and wider stakeholder groups.
You’ll be asked to critically analyse the implications for organisations of governance ‘grand challenges’ – specifically related to:
- risk
- ethics
- social and environmental impact
- options for quantifying impact, sustainability, and globalisation
Module 2: Strategy in Practice
Applied Strategic Management
Most strategic decisions are made in the face of uncertainty about the future. The module introduces ways of making decisions under uncertainty about the future business environment and evaluates and provides practical experience in scenario thinking as a team-based method.
The module presents the Intuitive Logics scenario method and gives students practical experience. Developing the skills of scenario thinking is a strong underpinning practical part of the class.
Digital Transformation & Technological Innovation
In this module, you’ll examine the role of digital disruption, digital maturity, and digital initiatives in shaping organisational outcomes. You’ll also learn how technological innovation can create value through digital transformation.
Economic Analysis for Strategists
Markets can often be highly complex and judgement can be clouded by this complexity. By taking an approach based on microeconomic analysis, you’ll learn to undertake a rigorous and “emotionless” approach to analysing opportunities in existing and new markets, and the potential these hold.
This provides an alternative but complementary perspective on the assessment of business activity, looking externally, rather than internally, at the consequences which are influenced by the nature of demand and the behaviour of competitors.
Module 3: Building Capabilities
Entrepreneurial Thinking & Practice
This module will examine the entrepreneurial mindset and ways to bring creativity to bear in pursuit of new sources of value creation.
You’ll compare attitudes and practices across national and organisational cultures. Entrepreneurial Thinking and Practice may be delivered online or in-person depending on programme variant.
Business Intelligence & Data Analytics
This module will teach methods for collecting data, how to conduct quantitative analysis and translate the outcomes into actionable insights that might inform business decision making, resource allocation and investment choices.
You’ll consider a range of data from market, financial and customer analysis to operational performance factors, and learn how to present information in accessible formats for different audiences.
Marketing & Brand Management
In this module you’ill examine the concept of marketing and how it operates within consumer, business-to-business, service and public organisations. You’ll examine the underlying concepts and frameworks that help organisations to design appropriate strategies.
Operations & Project Management
You’ll explore the principles of contemporary operations and project management in this module. In doing so, you’ll evaluate the inherent tension between managing ‘business as usual’ and change. You’ll also examine how these systems of management can contribute to the strategic success of their organisation.
Accounting & Financial Management
This module will teach you the language and methods of managerial and financial accounting. You’ll learn about the key processes and criteria of financial decision-making.
Module 4: MBA Project
The capstone element of the Strathclyde MBA is the project, which will showcase your learning and allow you to examine an issue of your choice over an extended period of time.
You can opt to write a research dissertation, put together an entrepreneurial business plan or undertake a consultancy project.
The MBA project will enable you to put into practice the knowledge and skills you have developed throughout the MBA experience, and allow you to showcase the learning you have gained.
Management Research Thesis
You’ll complete a traditional research project and identify implications for practice. Assessment for this option is based on a dissertation.
Consultancy Project
With this option, you’ll undertake a project that delivers operational cost improvement, enhanced customer experience or a transformed business model within an existing organisation. Assessment is based on an extensive client project report and final client presentation.
Entrepreneurial Business Project
You’ll undertake an entrepreneurial project, leading to the submission of a business plan as part of the final assessment.
As you progress through the Strathclyde MBA academics work with you to help you ‘personalise’ the learning and development, and ensure that the overall experience is highly experiential and relevant to current business practice.
In the final instructional phase of the Strathclyde MBA, the “personalised” element is realised via a range of possibilities and choices in our elective classes, and the final MBA project.
MBA Programme Content – Elective classes
With a pool of over 120 academic experts across a wide range of specialist departments in Strathclyde Business School we’re able to offer more than 20 different electives all taught by subject specialists.
A highlight of the Strathclyde MBA calendar is the annual MBA Summer School, which takes place in Glasgow in May and June.
The summer school is open to all study routes of the MBA who have reached elective study stage. It’s a wonderful opportunity to study your elective choices alongside a group of like-minded international colleagues.
For those unable to attend the summer school elective classes are also offered at our international centres.
To reflect both the latest challenges facing business and the latest insights from our world-leading research the range of electives is revised annually.
