Full-Time Business Administration – (MBA)

Contents

Below you will find the programme outline depicting course activities. While the structure is set, we offer full flexibility in regards to modelling individual student solutions for electives, internships and thesis.

Please note that a personal development and leadership programme will run for all participants throughout the programme at a personal as well as group level. During this ongoing programme your strong personal characteristics will be explored and refined whereas weaknesses will be assessed and turned into strengths.

The programme begins 1 September and runs for 12 months.

Industrial Economics

At the core of modern managerial thinking and decision making you will find Industrial Economics.Industrial Economics gives you the expertise to analyse and reflect on the strategic position of a business, the market interaction, and the opportunities and constraints of a sector.

The course focuses on the microeconomic-level and will introduce you to standard microeconomic tools dealing with productivity, efficiency, marginal calculus, profit maximization, market structure, understanding of sectors, strategic interaction, regulation of sectors, and behaviour of competitors. In continuation hereof the course also covers central national and international policies of importance to managerial decision makers.

Strategy and Business

The course encompasses both internal (HRM, organisational behaviour, management) and external (strategy) aspects of organizing. It aims to enable you to analyse the organisation as a unit in the cross-field between individuals in the organisation and the environment in which the organisation operates.

Using theoretical inspiration from a number of interrelated fields such as (social)psychology, sociology, economics, ethnography and philosophy, this course presents a vast number of theories, models and terms suited for analyzing organizational behavior and strategic perspectives.

These areas provide insight into how it is possible to evaluate and manage behavior of individuals and groups to obtain greater performance both at the individual, team and corporate level.

Marketing Management

In order to survive, a company must be able to develop products or services that are competitive. This includes implementing successful pricing, communication and distribution strategies as well as being able to create and maintain long-term relationships with customers. Creating sustainable value for customers is a complex process to manage, therefore this course aims to enable participants make sound marketing decisions in the context of general management.

Marketing management is a core course in the Full-Time MBA Programme. The focus of the course is how to achieve growth through innovation and the development of sustainable customer relationships. Therefore the course deals with:

• the understanding of markets (psychology of buying, knowing your customers and competitors, positioning for growth
• creating value (innovation, communication, pricing, distribution)
• managing sustainable customer relationships (from products to services to experiences, customer lifetime value, CRM systems and business intelligence)
• marketing in a complex environment (global competition, the challenges of limited resources)

Accounting, Finance and Logistics

This course will enable participants to make sound financial, investment, and logistic decisions in the context of general management.

The focus of the course is on achieving growth through innovation, financial planning, rational investment decisions, risk and performance management and the development of a sustainable value chain in cooperation with key suppliers.

Main issues

Accounting

• Financial statements: profit and loss-statement, balance sheet, and cash flow
• Financial statement analysis
• Management Accounting for decision making
• Profitability Analysis
• Budgeting as a tool for management

Finance

• Financial planning
• Expected return and risks in investment decisions
• Investement decisions and their environmental impact
• Cash Management
• Capital structure
• Risk management

Logistics

• Supply Chain Management
• Opportunities and constraints in the value chain system
• Integration of business partners: structures, processes, and leadership aspects
• Outsourcing
• Framework and planning concepts used in sales and production functions (MRP, Just-In-Time, Lean)

Personal development

Personal development is an integrated part of the Full-Time MBA Programme. The aim is to provide participants with a theoretical understanding of personal, interpersonal, and leadership competencies as they relate to various life and work situations, but also to provide participants with practical knowledge and the tools needed to develop these competencies in themselves as well as others.

Concrete action plans aimed at developing specific competencies appropriate for each participant's personality traits will be created. To facilitate the competency development process the course will apply principles from action and experimental learning as well as Appreciate Inquiry.
Main issues include:

• personality as it relates to personal, interpersonal and leadership competencies
• self-awareness
• self-assessment
• personal and interpersonal communication
• conflict and stress management
• influence
• ethics
• self-management, including motivation, time management
• action and Experimental Learning as tools for competency development
• Appreciate Inquiry as a tool for personal and organizational change and development

Project on sustainable business strategies

The aim of the project is to develop strategies that are sustainable both in the short term and long term. The project can be based on a particular industry or a company and must contain profound analyses based on an academic approach, but the focus, however, must be on practical solutions for the business.

The project consists of two parts:

• part 1 is a three-day seminar on how to set up a sustainable business strategy
• part 2 consists of a written report

Electives

The Full-Time MBA gives you the opportunity to choose from a variety of electives. There will be special electives for the Full-Time MBA Programme. Some electives may be offered jointly with our other MBA programmes. Finally, you can take courses at one of our 200 partner universities.

Electives must revolve around at least one of the following issues:

• Globalisation
• Innovation/Entrepreneurship
• Sustainability and CSR

Electives may differ from year to year and will require a sufficient number of participating students. Examples of previously offered electives are:

• Firms Strategic Responses to Business Cycles and Economic Growth
• Negotiation in Organizations: Structure, Tactics and Process
• CSR Management and Communication
• Corporate Finance
• Tools of Corporate Foresight
• Change and Innovation Management

The decision regarding which electives to offer will be made each year.

Internship

The purpose of the internship is to give you the opportunity to obtain a deeper understanding of a specific area. Often the internship is used as a starting point for the final thesis, but this is not mandatory.

An internship includes

• A stay in a company
• An internship report (max 3 pages) on the academic outcome of the internship

The duration of an internship is approximately 4-6 weeks. Due to the short stay in the company it will be impossible to practice your ability to manage other people, but it is an excellent opportunity to observe the management process and to network with a Scandinavian company. Depending on the company and the subject of your thesis, it may be possible to focus your thesis on a current challenge for the company.

It is your responsibility to find an internship, however, AU Career will be happy to assist you in your search with their strong network of contacts and professional advice. In addition, we have a network of highly skilled alumni who might also be able to help you. AU Alumni will be happy to get you started.Please note that the internship is unpaid.

Final MBA Project

The final project in the Full-Time MBA Programme, the MBA Project, counts one fourth of the entire programme (15 ECTS). It brings into play the qualifications and competences that you have gained as a student throughout the programme.

Thesis The topic of the thesis can emanate from issues that the student has been working with during the internship, but this is not mandatory.

The topic of the thesis can be in any area of interests, but it must relate to the content of the Full-Time MBA Programme. It is important that the topic is situated in a clear managerial perspective and that any conclusions are based on sound analyses of the topic.

Accreditation

EQUIS and AACSB: Proof of high quality and international focus

EQUIS and AACSB are the leading international quality systems for assessing, improving and accrediting institutions of higher education within the field of management and business administration. In order to live up to these accreditations, ASB must not only demonstrate that we are capable of high-quality performance, but also that our activities are internationally oriented. The accreditations are also proof that we have achieved a good balance between high academic quality and professional relevance through close collaboration with the national and international business communities.

Funding details

Scholarships are available upon application. These may be partial or full scholarships. The scholarship applications will be reviewed by the dean's office and awarded to the most qualified applicant.

The criteria for receiving a scholarship will be an overall evaluation of the applicant's:

• potential to succeed from the programme

• past academic performance

• test scores

• personal economic situation