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Edinburgh Business School MBA Programme Structure

The Programme comprises 7 compulsory core courses and a number of elective courses.
Students must successfully complete the 7 core courses (see course descriptors below) and 2
elective courses to be eligible for the award of Master of Business Administration.
Information on the full range of elective courses available (in the English language) is available
at: http://www.ebsglobal.net/programmes/courses

Students have the opportunity to study for an MBA with a Specialism in one of five subject
areas: Finance, Marketing, Human Resource Management, Strategic Planning and Oil & Gas
Management. To qualify for the award of MBA with a Specialism students must successfully
complete the 7 core courses plus 4 elective courses from the designated group.

Accounting

Getting to grips with balance sheets

This essential introduction will help you dig deep into your company accounts. It will help you
discover the true cost of your products and determine how much to charge for them. And it
will help you make effective decisions through proven financial and management accounting
techniques.

Profit and loss accounts and balance sheets can tell you so much about the financial strength
of an organisation. But you have to know what you are looking for. This essential introduction
to the vital discipline of accounting will help you dig deep into your company accounts. It will
help you discover the true cost of your products and therefore determine how much to charge
for them.

And it will help you make effective decisions based on a thorough understanding of financial
and management accounting techniques plus their strengths and weaknesses.

Topics Covered

 An introduction to accounting and the accounting equation.


 The profit and loss account.
 The balance sheet.
 The cash flow statement.
 Framework for financial reporting.
 Interpretation of financial statements.
 Emerging issues and managerial options in reporting.
 An introduction to cost and management accounting.
 Cost characteristics and behaviour.
 Allocating costs to jobs and processes.
 Costs for decision making.
 Budgeting.
 Standard costing.
 Accounting for divisions.
 Investment decisions.
 New developments in management accounting.
Economics

Understanding economic principles and practices

It’s vital that business managers have a good grasp of economic principles. This course will
help business executives to predict changes in market conditions, understand competitive
forces and allocate resources efficiently.

Topics covered

 Economic concepts, issues and tools.


 An overview of economics, demand and supply.
 The market, economic efficiency, organisation of industries.
 Public goods, externalities, income distribution.
 International sector, macroeconomics.
 Income distribution, potential output, circular flow of income.
 A simple model of income determination.
 An expanded model of income determination.
 Fiscal policy, money, the central bank and monetary policy.
 The quantity theory and the Keynesian theory of money.
 Integration of the real and monetary sectors of the economy.
 Inflation and unemployment, the world economy.

Finance

The principles and techniques of financial analysis

Providing a clear grasp of the financial tools you’ll need to generate net present values figures
and understand the principles of financial analysis and quality trade-offs, as well as project
management techniques.

Topics covered

 Basic ideas, scope and tools of finance.


 Fundamentals of company investment decisions.
 Earnings, profit and cash flow.
 Investment decisions using weighted average cost of capital.
 Estimating cash flows for investment projects.
 Applications of company investment analysis.
 Risk and company investment decisions.
 Company dividend policy.
 Company capital structure.
 Working capital management.
 International financial management.
 Options, agency, derivatives and financial engineering.
Marketing

Marketing for business success

In highly competitive markets the success or failure of a product or service may be determined
by the marketing decisions you take. This course will help you make the right ones.

Topics covered

 The marketing management process.


 Corporate strategies and their marketing implications.
 Business strategies and their marketing implications.
 Environmental analysis: tools to identify attractive markets.
 Industry analysis and competitive advantage.
 Understanding consumer buying behaviour.
 Understanding organisational markets and buying behaviour.
 Measuring market opportunities: forecasting and market research.
 Market segmentation and target marketing.
 Positioning.
 Product decisions.
 Pricing decisions.
 Distribution channel decisions.
 Integrated promotion decisions.
 Marketing strategies for new market entries.
 Marketing strategies for growth markets.
 Marketing strategies for mature and declining markets.
 Organising and planning for effective implementation.
 Measuring and delivering marketing performance.

Organisational Behaviour

Making a better workplace

Organisational Behaviour examines the structures of our workplaces and looks at ways in
which they can be improved. It addresses issues such as workforce motivation, incentives,
team building and office environments and how we can best manage the dynamics of
organisational change.

Topics covered

 Basics of organisational behaviour related to management.


 Stress and well-being at work.
 Contemporary theories of motivation.
 Organisational control and reward systems.
 Job design and employee reactions to work.
 Workgroup dynamics and group-based problem solving.
 Influence processes in organisations: power, politics, leadership.
 Organisational design and new service-driven organisations.
 Managing transitions: organisational culture and change.
Project Management

Keeping your project on the right track

Implementing organisational change can be seen as a project in its own right, with time, cost
and quality trade-offs. This course provides you with the project management tools and
techniques that, first, identify the processes involved, then sets out how you go about
achieving them.

Topics covered

 Individuals and team issues.


 Project risk management.
 Project management.
 Organisational structures and standards.
 Project time planning and control.
 Project cost planning and control.
 Project quality management.

Strategic Planning

Setting objectives, creating strategies

Successful business planning needs objectives to be set and strategies to be created,


implemented and measured. This course will help you think effectively and use the strategic
process to develop a sound understanding of the business opportunities and challenges you
face.

Topics covered

 Introduction to strategy, planning and structure.


 Modelling the strategic planning process.
 Company objectives.
 The company and the economy.
 The company and the market.
 Internal analysis of the company.
 Making choices among strategies.
 Implementing and evaluating strategy.
The electives available are:

Alliances and Partnerships


Competitive Strategy
Consumer Behaviour
Corporate Governance
Credit Risk Management
Derivatives
Developing Effective Managers and Leaders
Employee Relations
Employee Resourcing
Finance for the Oil & Gas Industry
Financial Risk Management
Human Resource Development
Human Resource Management
Influence
International Marketing
Leadership
Making Strategies Work
Managing People in Changing Contexts
Managing People in Global Markets
Managing Personal Competencies
Marketing Channels
Marketing Communications
Marketing Research
Mergers and Acquisitions
Negotiation
Performance Management
Practical History of Financial Markets
Project Management for the Oil & Gas Industry
Principles of Retailing
Research Methods for Business and Management
Quantitative Methods
Sales Force Management
Services Marketing
Strategic Negotiation*
Strategic Negotiation for the Oil & Gas Industry*
Strategic Planning for the Oil & Gas Industry
Strategic Risk Management

*Only one of these electives can count towards the general MBA.
Requirements for the award of an MBA

Requirements Course Designations


Core Elective
Alliances and Partnerships
Competitive Strategy
Accounting Consumer Behaviour
Economics Corporate Governance
Finance Credit Risk Management
Marketing Derivatives
MBA Organisational Behaviour Developing Effective Managers and Leaders
Project Management Employee Relations
Passes in 9 courses Strategic Planning Employee Resourcing
Finance for the Oil & Gas Industry
7 Core Courses Financial Risk Management
2 Electives Human Resource Development
Human Resource Management
Influence
International Marketing
Leadership
Postgraduate Making Strategies Work
Diploma in Managing People in Changing Contexts
Business Managing People in Global Markets
Administration Managing Personal Competencies
Marketing Channels
Passes in 6 courses, Marketing Communications
at least one of which Marketing Research
is core Mergers and Acquisitions
Negotiation
Performance Management
Practical History of Financial Markets
Postgraduate Project Management for the Oil & Gas Industry
Certificate in Principles of Retailing
Business Research Methods for Business and Management
Administration Quantitative Methods
Sales Force Management
Passes in 3 courses, Services Marketing
at least one of which Strategic Negotiation*
is core. Strategic Negotiation for the Oil & Gas Industry*
Strategic Planning for the Oil & Gas Industry
Strategic Risk Management

* Only one of these electives can count towards the general MBA
Requirements for the award of an MBA with a Specialism

Requirements Course Designations


Core Courses
Accounting
Passes in 11 Economics
courses Finance
Marketing
7 Core Courses Organisational Behaviour
Project Management
Strategic Planning

Designated Electives for Specialisms


Human Resource Marketing Oil & Gas Finance Strategic
Management Management Planning
Developing Consumer Finance for the Oil Corporate Alliances &
Effective Managers Behaviour and Gas Industry Governance Partnerships
and Leaders
4 Electives from International Project Credit Risk Competitive
the relevant Employee Relations Marketing Management for Management Strategy
designated list the Oil and Gas
Employee Marketing Industry Derivatives Corporate
Resourcing Channels Governance
Strategic Financial Risk
Human Resource Marketing Negotiation for the Management Leadership
Development Communications Oil and Gas
Industry Mergers and Making
Human Resource Marketing Acquisitions Strategies Work
Management* Research Strategic Planning
for the Oil and Gas Practical History of Mergers and
Influence Negotiation Industry Financial Markets Acquisitions

Managing People in Quantitative Quantitative Strategic


Changing Contexts Methods Methods Negotiation

Managing People in Principles of Strategic Risk


Global Markets Retailing Management

Managing Personal Sales Force


Competencies Management

Negotiation Services Marketing

Performance
Management

*HRM compulsory
for specialism.
Recommendations for Order of Study for the MBA

The Edinburgh Business School MBA offers a high level of flexibility with regards to order of
study. However, Edinburgh Business School offers some strong recommendations in this area.

Starting the Programme

Where possible, it is advantageous to start with the following subjects:

 Organisational Behaviour

 Economics

 Accounting

 Marketing

Project Management

Project Management is a ‘stand-alone’ subject – it can slot in where required, but is best
scheduled towards the end of the programme.

Economics, Accounting & Finance

Economics and Accounting should be studied before Finance.

Strategic Planning

Strategic Planning is the ‘capstone’ course and should be studied at the end of the
programme.

Electives

Elective subjects can be scheduled where required, but specialist subjects should follow on
from the relevant core – for example Finance should precede Financial Risk Management.

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