Postgraduate Business Studies 2014-2015

This course focuses on the economics of business allowing students to understand the economics that underlie a whole host of business issues. The course will cover the functioning of markets, consumer behaviour, pricing, production and costing problems, monopoly and the business implications of inflation, economic growth and economic policy.

The focus of this course is not people but processes, not outside the organisation but within. Operations transform materials, information and customers to create goods and services using staff and facilities. Their strategic objectives differ and guide how they define their processes. We study process types from projects and jobs to batches and mass goods and services. We explore layout: how to arrange facilities and staff. We see how capacity and inventory reconcile demand and output and explore lean processes, supply chains, quality, improvement, projects, risk and resilience. Prepare for both critical discussion of theory and application (operationalisation), including calculation.

This course develops a mathematical and statistical ‘toolbox’ for PGT students in the Business School.  These tools will useful in understanding and implementing research in business- and economics-related fields both during a student’s academic career as well as after graduation.  The first part of the course covers basic mathematical models common across these fields.  The second part of the course develops standard data analysis methods, including multivariate regression.  The final part of the course examines shortcomings in the standard model and describes ways of overcoming those shortcomings.

The fact that money (and understanding money) really matters in business and all managers need to understand issues like cashflow and profit might depress you, but it is true. Financial viability of customers? Deciding on the likely financial viability of a project? Reporting to shareholders about performance? Does the word “sustainable” appear in a finance dictionary? All questions we will try and address.

Business Strategy covers a broad range of topics that come under the general heading of “Business Strategy” / “Strategic Management”. The course introduces participants to concepts, frameworks and models that are useful in providing explanations of how companies operate with respect to goal setting, understanding their competitive landscape, assessing opportunities,  managing own capabilities, coordinating their activities with other companies, and competing to create value for customers. The course is interactive in nature, applying a learning-by-doing method involving students taking on roles as part of a series of simulation exercises. 

This course provides an introduction to academic and industry real estate research and includes interpretation and discussion of contemporary real estate research issues. The course includes the design and implementation of a research project: topic choice, methodology and method, bibliographical tools and literature review, qualitative and quantitative research techniques and ethical issues.

Students will gain an understanding of what financial information is for and how it is controlled by government, the stock exchanges and other institutions. Students will explore financial accounting assumptions and conventions. They will develop their technical knowledge and skills to enable them to record business transactions and prepare financial statements. Finally, students will be introduced to financial statement analysis and the calculation of key metrics. This will allow them to explore how accounting information is used by stock market participants and the impact on users of current developments and issues in accounting practice, governance and standards.

This module aims to examine the legal and professional environment of property.  The module introduces key concepts from property law to explain the framework within which property can be held, used and traded. Planning law and policy is considered as part of the regulatory system through which land use and development are promoted and/or controlled.

The course focuses on Scots law and institutions but students have the opportunity, where appropriate, to bring draw upon their own comparative perspectives.

This course covers the legal basis of land tenure; land registration; property ownership; landlord and tenant relationships; obligations and restrictions, and planning.

The course will cover the main elements of Microeconomic Theory together with how this underpins the macro economy, covering consumer theory, how consumers choose under constraint of a budget, to generate demands. How this theory can be used to consider the welfare effects of price changes will be considered. The problem of production will be examined to understand the supply, and the demand and supply side will be drawn together to consider market structure.  How the theory can be used to identify market supplies and demands  from empirical data will be examined.

 

This course introduces students to basic financial concepts before moving on to introduce students to a number of areas of corporate finance including investment appraisal decisions, examining capital structure theory, the financing decisions of the firm, and corporate restructuring. The main aim of the course is to equip students with good analytical skills in order to understand the implications of corporate financing decisions by understanding why companies behave the way they do with respect to financing choices and how this interacts with the real world financial markets, and to enable students to understand the theoretical underpinnings of corporate finance theory.

The course introduces the mathematics of valuation and investment and considers the principles underlying basic valuation and investment formulae. The distinguishing characteristics of the bond, equity and property market are critiqued. The five property valuation methods are discussed via a series of lectures supplemented by tutorials/workshops in which valuation problem-solving tasks are discussed, with an emphasis on the investment method of valuation. While the focus is on real estate, the course seeks to raise awareness of the range of investment opportunities. The course seeks to develop good numeracy and analytical skills.

This course aims to provide an overview of basic economic models and recent developments regarding the working of real estate markets and urban land markets. The course is intended to enable students

i)  To examine real estate as a set of linked markets, functionally divided between use, investment and development

ii) To understand the dynamics of specific types of real estate markets and appreciate real estate market modelling approaches

iii) To understand the location patterns of land use within urban areas and regional development

iv)  To understand the role that regulations and planning play in real estate markets

The course will apply theoretical and practical content to explore the key concepts of marketing management to provide students with an understanding of planning, coordinating and controlling marketing activities. It aims to take students understanding beyond what has been labelled as a transaction-based approach to a relationship-based approach. As such the aim is to provide students with an understanding of the role of marketing in establishing, developing and maintaining relationships for mutual gain. This will be achieved through a combination of lectures, seminars, simulations and directed private study.

Innovation is at the forefront of much of the current economic and political debate to improve the competitiveness of economies and firms. This course will focus on the role of new product development in enabling firms to generate competitive advantage, and the types of problems faced by firms in their innovation management. In particular this course blends the perspectives of marketing, design and manufacturing into a single approach to product development. It provides students with an appreciation for the realities of industrial practice and introduces sets of product development methods that can be put into immediate practice on development projects.

The consulting industry is a global business which employs 3 million people and generates revenues of $300 billion a year. The Financial Times reported that the consulting industry “…needs to recruit 300,000 – 500,000 people a year.” To fill the vacancies created by turnover. This course seeks to give its students an opportunity of access or progression within this global industry.

While traditional courses in this area rely on traditional, valuable, teaching methods this course takes the approach that learning has many components. It emphasises experience and interaction as well as traditional teaching. This combination better supporting the courses outcomes.

Business Strategy covers a broad range of topics that come under the general heading of “Business Strategy” / “Strategic Management”. The course introduces participants to concepts, frameworks and models that are useful in providing explanations of how companies operate with respect to goal setting, understanding their competitive landscape, assessing opportunities,  managing own capabilities, coordinating their activities with other companies, and competing to create value for customers. The course is interactive in nature, applying a learning-by-doing method involving students taking on roles as part of a series of simulation exercises. 

The Value and Markets course is designed to allow participants to investigate key theories that underpin views about marketing. On the course delegates will be introduced to different approaches, theories and techniques utilised in marketing planning and marketing management. For example, delegates will be introduced to topics including; the characteristics of buyers and buyer behaviour (decision processes and roles), the marketing mix (product, price, place, promotion), services marketing, implementation and control, relationship marketing and international marketing.   

This course aims to equip delegates with a detailed understanding of project management techniques and related operations management concepts such as risk and resilience, location, and quality that are important to the energy industries. Included in this are the 3Ps, project roles and governance, scope,  the project business case, organisational structures, breakdown structure, scheduling, resource management, earned value management, project leadership and communication.

 

This course discusses the world petroleum market in the context of overall energy markets.  The main features of the evolving petroleum market are analysed including examination of the Hotelling model and Hubbert curve.  Oil price determination is discussed with detailed consideration of the special characteristics of the demand and supply curves in the industry.  The role of OPEC in the market is examined, including discussion of the various models of OPEC behaviour and the determinants of its market power.  The economics of climate change and the place of renewable energy in the wider energy market is discussed.

 

This course ensure students understand why companies behave the way they do with respect to financing choices and how this interacts with financial markets, with particular reference to the petroleum and energy industries.  The course covers Investment Appraisal Techniques Employed in Petroleum Industry, Risk Analysis, Portfolio Theory and the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM)

This course provides an in-depth examination of real estate markets in Europe, North America, the Asia-Pacific and the transitional/developing world. The course begins with an introduction to trade theory and foreign investment before focusing on specific real estate markets and analyzing institutional differences between them and how these differences impact risk, costs and return on investment. The course includes in-depth field study in Europe in which students examine a specific real estate market and create an investment strategy designed specifically to the target market.

This course applies the principles of valuation to more complex real world examples. Topics covered include rent reviews, compulsory purchase, property investment, property development and national and local taxation. Students are encouraged to critique traditional approaches to valuation and to consider contemporary alternatives. Numeracy and analytical skills are further developed along with expertise in the use of Excel.  In addition, the course also covers professional surveying practice, including ethics, and stimulates discussion on contemporary issues and debates in the real estate industry.

This course examines theories and issues relevant to portfolio analysis. Themes include: risk and return; investment motives; the application of modern portfolio theory (including the Capital Asset Pricing Model); information and market efficiency; portfolio analysis and asset pricing; bonds and equities; real estate and derivative markets.

Whether you are intending to manage other people or be responsible for HR functions in a company, this course is intended for you.

You will learn the theories that are the basis for good practice, the skills that are required to put them across and the employment law which governs what we are expected to achieve with our people

This course is run by tutors who have been experienced managers themselves and it will prepare you to pursue a career in management confident and competent to carry out what is expected of you

The goal of this course is to deepen and broaden students' understanding and develop their analytical skills regarding investment decisions under uncertainty and the value of flexibility and information. The course will introduce relevant concepts from economics and finance such as decision trees, the Black-Scholes equation and the binomial option pricing model and discuss how these concepts may be applied to assess investments with applications related to the energy industry such as the development of an oil lease.

Much of this course is devoted to petroleum policies.  Concepts of economic rents from petroleum exploitation and the various mechanisms by which the rents can be collected by the state are discussed, including production sharing and service contracts.  Licensing policies, including relinquishment terms, pricing, procurement, domestic market obligations, the role of state oil companies, and depletion policy are examined.  The Oil Fund concept and the issue of oil and gas security of supply are discussed.  State and private ownership and control of gas acquisition, transmission and distribution to customers are examined.  The economics of CO2 capture and storage is discussed.

 

The course aims to equip students with the analytical skills required to understand the principles underpinning firms’ business strategies and the nature of the trade-offs that they face in making business decisions in the national and international environment and how these trade-offs are affected by the nature of market competition and by technology. At the end of the course, students will be able to understand and analyse why companies behave the way they do with respect to: (i) the boundaries of the firm, (ii) their positioning in the market, (iii) their interaction with competitors and (iv) their internationalisation strategy.

The concepts of change and innovation have never been more topical, especially given the commercial context of fierce business competition, shorter product life cycles and more demanding customers.  Increasingly, long-term commercial success is based on an ability to manage change, to act creatively and to promote innovation.  These processes interconnect and overlap and often present major challenges to modern organizations.  We address these issues through providing detailed case illustrations ranging from the workplace to the wider business market.  Learning is encouraged through interaction, reading, investigation, video and case analysis, and critical discussion. 

The course introduces students to concepts of portfolio management and recent developments regarding real estate investment vehicles. The course takes a financial economics viewpoint and places real estate investments within this context. The course covers such important aspects as securitization of initially illiquid real estate assets, the management of building portfolios and the use of index swap contracts for risk management purposes. The course discusses also real option theory and applies it to land development and the pricing of lease contracts.

This course aims to provide students with the quantitative skills to undertake extended investigation of financial data and assist in financial decision making. It introduces various standard time series techniques such as univariate and multivariate time series modelling, unit root tests, and volatility modelling. Particularly emphasis is on intuitive discussions of the methods, and practical examples and applications are also included.

The course aims to instill knowledge but, much more importantly, stimulate students’ thinking about the major challenges within different health systems and the options for the health services management. Furthermore, it aims to take a genuinely international perspective on health care, providing knowledge of different health care systems and encouraging comparison and critique. It covers a wide variety of topics including an overview of the health systems around the world, the effects of social inequalities on health inequalities and their repercussions for social policy and issues of public health policy towards tobacco, alcohol and obesity.

This course introduces management accounting and the difference between this strand of accounting and that studied in the BU5031 module.  It develops in students the ability to apply complex problem-solving techniques in the planning, control and decision-making process.  It shows how quantitative methods and analytical techniques can be applied in management accounting solutions to management problems.  The course seeks to develop in students an understanding the organisational context as well as the nature of management accounting information.  The focus is to enhance students’ problem-solving and communication skills, and develop their ability to select and apply appropriate techniques in specific contexts.

The course will combine theory with practical examples in order to explore the key concepts of consumer behaviour: The consumer as an individual (understanding motivations, psychographics, demographics and cognitive processes) and social and group aspects of consumer behaviour (the role of friends, family and reference groups). The interactive nature of the course and portfolio of assessment will encourage students to reflect on their own experiences as consumers and develop their critical evaluation skills. This course will be useful for those interested in marketing and market research careers.

Through a combination of lectures, tutorials, workshops, debates and in-course assessment, this course encourages students to critically reflect upon: Social theory and its relevance to marketing communications; Concepts and contemporary thought within the practice of marketing communication; expressive practice.

Like football, this course is a game of two halves. The first half is financial analysis and builds your ability to analyse companies and think about the implications of financial performance for investors. We will be using Datastream and the ThomsonReuters Eikon system. In the second half we will think about the setting of international accounting standards – the system and the principles behind the IFRS’s.

Like football, this course is a game of two halves. The first half is financial analysis and builds your ability to analyse companies and think about the implications of financial performance for investors. We will be using Datastream and the ThomsonReuters Eikon system. In the second half we will think about how stockmarkets work and how they are regulated.

This course is about business development and the application of new business models. Increasingly companies have to radically rethink the way they do business if they are to remain competitive. To do this organisations need to be prepared to analyse and challenge their current business models. Through a practical business development project and the analysis of case companies you will be encouraged to explore the tools, techniques and theories used by successful business developers. The course will be especially useful for those interested in strengthening their skills for identifying and evaluating business opportunities.

This course applies the principles of valuation to more complex real world examples. Topics covered include rent reviews, compulsory purchase, property investment, property development and national taxation. Students are encouraged to critique traditional approaches to valuation and to consider contemporary alternatives. Numeracy and analytical skills are further developed along with expertise in the use of Excel.  In addition, the course also covers professional surveying practice, including ethics, and stimulates discussion on contemporary issues and debates in the real estate industry.

HRM underpins all that we seek to achieve when working with other people. It includes employment law, personal skills, and the knowledge to assess what is the right approach to the many challenges that face managers every day. This course is run by tutors who have that knowledge, skill and experience. It includes fine tuning your skills in role play which extend through presentations, interviews, and negotiation to achieve success. At the end of the course you will feel confident to face the challenges of management, and convince a prospective employer of your competence and ability.

This course introduces students to what is involved in undertaking business research in practice. Within lectures, tutorials and workshops students will develop an understanding of: Information retrieval and critical analysis; Philosophical issues in the construction of knowledge; Accessing and gathering quantitative and qualitative data; Data analysis; Student/Supervisor expectations.

This course provides an opportunity to explore and develop an understanding of your own leadership behaviour. Through seminars, group activities and discussions we investigate how personality, past experience, current situations and culture shape the way each of us behave in a leadership role. Using this information as a starting point we then explore how different leadership theories and approaches can be used as frameworks for developing a deeper understanding of leadership behaviour. You will also have an opportunity to try out a range of practical tools and techniques to assist you in the development of your own approach to leadership. 

Different approaches and theoretical models are examined ranging from scholastic attempts to develop robust theoretical explanations of complex change processes through to more practitioner-friendly recipes that set out prescriptive step sequences for the successful management of change. Theories and framework are examined within the context of broader and more abstract philosophical debates about the nature of existence as well as the methodological positioning of key pieces of research and the practical fieldwork issues of studying change over time.  Ontology, epistemology and the relationship between theory and practice are all outlined and discussed through open dialogue and interactive class sessions.

If you do not wish to undertake the IFRS certificate, then you will be choosing this course. This is designed for those seeking a more theoretical rather than professional edge to their MSc. You will be teamed with a member of faculty to develop a literature review of a mutually agreed area of accounting research.

If you do not wish to undertake the CFA exam, then you will be choosing this course. This is designed for those seeking a more theoretical rather than professional edge to their MSc. You will be teamed with a member of faculty to develop a literature review of a mutually agreed area of finance research.

Becoming a Certified Financial Analyst charter holder is the aspiration of every finance industry professional. This course covers the CFA syllabus courtesy of our friends from FitchLearning who will teach you week by week and prepare you for the CFA level 1 exam. You will also write an essay reflecting on professional and academic approaches to finance

This widely recognised certificate-level learning and assessment programme will give you the guidance and knowledge to fully understand and apply IFRSs. The ICAEW programme is self-taught using on-line and manual materials, supplied by BPP, but supported by regular contact with University of Aberdeen staff to address any specific problem areas. By the end of the course students should be able to understand and apply IFRSs principles, concepts and knowledge in a commercial setting.

This course is based upon the analysis of Globalization and the process of internationalisation from comparative business and socio-economic perspectives. Students will learn about inter alia the role of large and small businesses in the contemporary international environment; transition economies and new EU member states; the process and modes of privatization; the role of supra-national organizations; cultural dimensions of international businesses; international trade; the role of social capital.  To support the lecture themes, there are case studies, and written assessed assignment focusing upon the internationalization of a business.   

The capstone of your programme. A significant individual piece of work showing your ability to think, research, organise and analyse. You will work with a member of faculty to develop a proposal that you will then turn into 10,000 words of reality!

This course aims to allow students to bring together their knowledge, learning and understanding gathered from across the modules studied. Students are required to choose an appropriate topic, and place it in the context of an appropriate body of literature and identify key concepts, ideas and definitions pertaining to the topic and its development. Students will select appropriate methodology to support the paper and organize empirical and theoretical material observing relevant academic conventions. The work will present a logical and cogent argument in support of conclusions drawn from material consulted.

This compulsory element of the Masters degree in Petroleum, Energy Economics & Finance is the final stage of the degree programme.

This is one of four courses that comprise the Asian Cities module.  Students travel to six Asian cities (Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai, Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo) over approximately thirty days in July. This intense program involves daily meetings and seminars with key real estate investment and development professionals. Participants will complete four case studies based on current development projects and investment scenarios in four of six cities visited. This program follows a rigorous schedule with students engaged in site visits, lectures, discussions and seminars for upwards of 8 hours a day, 5 days a week over the month long course.

This is one of four courses that comprise the Asian Cities module.  Students travel to six Asian cities (Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai, Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo) over approximately thirty days in July. This intense program involves daily meetings and seminars with key real estate investment and development professionals. Participants will complete four case studies based on current development projects and investment scenarios in four of six cities visited. This program follows a rigorous schedule with students engaged in site visits, lectures, discussions and seminars for upwards of 8 hours a day, 5 days a week over the month long course.

This is one of four courses that comprise the Asian Cities module.  Students travel to six Asian cities (Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai, Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo) over approximately thirty days in July. This intense program involves daily meetings and seminars with key real estate investment and development professionals. Participants will complete four case studies based on current development projects and investment scenarios in four of six cities visited. This program follows a rigorous schedule with students engaged in site visits, lectures, discussions and seminars for upwards of 8 hours a day, 5 days a week over the month long course.

This is one of four courses that comprise the Asian Cities module.  Students travel to six Asian cities (Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai, Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo) over approximately thirty days in July. This intense program involves daily meetings and seminars with key real estate investment and development professionals. Participants will complete four case studies based on current development projects and investment scenarios in four of six cities visited. This program follows a rigorous schedule with students engaged in site visits, lectures, discussions and seminars for upwards of 8 hours a day, 5 days a week over the month long course.

The dissertation is an independent piece of work.  The choice of topic is largely your own but approval must be obtained from the course coordinator and your dissertation supervisor. The dissertation should contain a large degree of original work and allow you to demonstrate in depth the skills and knowledge you have acquired on the MSc. The dissertation should be around 15000 words in length. You will be expected to show competence for independent work and to demonstrate a clear definition of the problem or subject area to be studied and the formulation and expression of a logical, workable solution.  

The generation of novel, useful ideas and their translation and uptake enables organizations to explore more creative ways for achieving their objectives and securing strategic competitive advantage.  Creativity is a process that occurs within society, it is part of individual and group activities and cannot be fully understood without a broader understanding of the dynamic contextual interplay between our social life experiences and our attention to various business tasks and organizational activities.  In our focus on business organizations, the course aims to improve understanding and insight into the dynamic and interconnected nature of organizational creativity and change.

This course enables students to develop a nuanced understanding of a topic of their choice that is related to marketing management and to create an individual piece of research.