H11PW

People, Work and

Organisations Syllabus
Course Aim
The aim of the People, Work and Organisations course is
for students to develop a detailed appreciation of factors
influencing how people behave at work and how these
link to performance. The course focuses on understanding
individual differences, how these differences affect group
dynamics and how organisational factors affect individual
behaviour. At its core, the course aims to equip students
with the skills and knowledge to positively impact on
individual, team and organisational performance in a
variety of dynamic organisational contexts.

Edinburgh Business School / HP11PW

H11PW People,
People,Work
Workand
andOrganisations
Organisations 2
Contents
Course Synopsis 4

Course Learning Outcomes 4

Course Structure
Module 1: Understanding Behaviour
in Organisations 5
Module 2: Individual Differences 5-6
Module 3: Motivation and Engagement 6
Module 4: Work Group Dynamics 6-7
Module 5: Power, Politics and Conflicts 7
Module 6: Designing Effective Organisations 7-8
Module 7: Organisational Culture 8
Module 8: Organisational Change 8

Assessment 9

Edinburgh Business School / HP11PW

H11PW People,
People,Work
Workand
andOrganisations
Organisations 3
Course Synopsis
The course examines a range of ideas that provide insights into how people behave at work and provide
managers with the opportunity to apply theoretical principles to real life organisational issues.

These include understanding why people behave the way they do, what motivates people at work, how to
develop and manage effective teams in diverse settings, how to design an effective structure and create a
stimulating organisational culture, how to drive organisational change and leverage social networks,
among others.

The course is divided into eight modules which introduce the key schools of thought in organisational
behaviour (OB) before exploring how human behaviour at work is affected by individual, team and
organisational factors. The course concludes with a detailed case study that allows students to draw on
their knowledge of organisational behaviour and recommend interventions to improve performance.
Throughout the course, students are encouraged to think critically about their role as managers and to
reflect on their practice in light of relevant theory.

Course Learning Outcomes

On completion of this course students will be able to:

 Show critical awareness of historical, current and future developments in the field of OB
 Appreciate how the organisational context is influenced by social, political, cultural, technological
and environmental factors
 Explain the factors that affect workplace behaviour taking into account individual differences, group
dynamics and organisational culture and design
 Apply an understanding of workplace behaviour to diverse organisational contexts

 Analyse workplace scenarios and recommend individual, group or organisational level interventions
to improve performance

 Critically evaluate the role of management and how management behaviour can impact on
individual, team and organisation performance
 Reflect on their own behaviour at work and the impact of their behaviour on others

Edinburgh Business School / HP11PW People,Work

H11PW People, Workand
andOrganisations
Organisations 4
Course Structure
The course is divided into eight learning modules as follows:

Modules covered are:

 Understanding behaviour in organisations
 Individual differences
 Motivation and engagement
 Work group dynamics
 Power, politics and conflict
 Designing effective organisations
 Organisational culture
 Organisational change

Module 1: Understanding Behaviour in Organisations

The aim of this module is to provide students with an introduction to organisational behaviour as a
discipline, introduce some key perspectives on workplace behaviour and highlight the importance of
understanding behaviour for those managing within organisations.
At the end of this module students will be able to:

 Define organisational behaviour

 Outline the key developments in OB as a discipline
 Analyse the changing nature of organisations and organisational behaviour

Topics covered are as follows.

 What is organisational behaviour?

 The relationship between OB and management
 Key schools of thought (Classical school, Human Relations school, contemporary)
 Contemporary influences on the world of work
 Managing a global workforce
 Managing in the 21st century

Module 2: Individual Differences

The aim of this module is to introduce students to differences in individual behaviour, how these impact on
organisations and the contribution of diversity to organisational performance. Personality theory and
personality testing will be the starting point of our examination of individual behaviour, followed by an
exploration of concepts such as attitudes, values, and perceptions.
At the end of this module students will be able to:
Understand individual differences and how they impact on behaviour in organisations
 Evaluate the utility of personality testing in the workplace
 Critically discuss the role of effective diversity management in organisational performance.

Edinburgh Business School / HP11PW People, Work and Organisations 5

Topics covered are as follows:

 What affects our behaviour at work

 Personality and personality assessment
 Emotional intelligence
 Attitudes and values
 Perception and the perceptual process
 Managing diversity
 Neurodiversity
 Psychological Capital

Module 3: Motivation and Engagement

The aim of this module is explore the concept of workplace motivation and provide an understanding of
the organisational factors and practices that may impact upon employee satisfaction, motivation and, in
turn, performance in the organisation.
At the end of this module students will be able to:

 Describe the differences between theories of workplace motivation

 Understand how performance management and reward systems impact upon individual motivation
and performance
 Recognise how job design systems affect employee motivation

Topics covered are as follows:

 Theories of motivation
 Reward and motivation
 Job design
 Job crafting
 Performance management
 Work engagement
 Job Demand-Resources model

Module 4: Work Group Dynamics

The aim of this module is to identify and explore what a group is and what makes a group a team. This
module will look at why individuals feel the need to gather in groups and explore ways in which
organisations promote teams and team-working. Having explored these general areas, we will then move
on to looking into types of groups and teams and the stages of group development. The module will also
discuss modern approaches to group working such as virtual teams before concluding by considering
whether all team work is positive for both the individual and the organisation.
At the end of this module students will be able to:

 Discriminate between different types of groups and teams

 Appreciate the importance of teams for an organisation
Understand the dynamics of group performance, effectiveness and cohesiveness

Edinburgh Business School / HP11PW People, Work and Organisations 6

Topics covered are as follows:

 The difference between groups and teams

 Formal and Informal groups
 Stages of Team development
 Building effective, cohesive teams
 Contemporary approaches to team working
 The downsides of team working

Module 5: Power, Politics and Conflict

The aim of this module is to offer definitions of power, politics and conflict within organisations and help
students understand mechanisms of power executions within organisations. It also provides students with
analytical tools to help them understand culture-specific situations and equip them to better manage
change and conflict at work.
At the end of this module students will be able to:

 Identify different sources of power and understand the concept of powerlessness

 Understand the relationship between power, politics and organisational change
 Recognise that an understanding of culture-specific situations could help organisations better
manage conflict

Topics covered are as follows:

 Organisations as complex political systems

 The different bases of individual and organisational power
 Organisational politics
 Managing organisational politics
 Organisational conflict
 Managing conflict

Module 6: Designing Effective Organisations

The aim of this module is to consider why it is important to understand organisational design and look at
how different types of structures can drive individual and team behaviour as well as organisational
performance. We will explore how theories and practice of structuring organisations have evolved in
response to the changing environment before considering how organisations might be designed in future.
At the end of this module students will be able to:

 Describe the elements that interplay when designing organisations;

 Explain the major factors that influence structural design;
 Compare and contrast different types of organisational structure.

Edinburgh Business School / HP11PW People, Work and Organisations 7

Topics covered are as follows:

 STAR model of organisation design

 Features of organisation structures
 The importance of social networks
 Bureaucratic and contingency approaches
 Types of structures – vertical, horizontal and boundaryless organisations

Module 7: Organisational Culture

The aim of this module is to examine the effect of organisational culture on workplace behaviour, explore
whether culture can be managed and understand the challenges of changing culture.
At the end of this module students will be able to:

 Describe key features of organisational culture

 Explain how organisational culture affects workplace behaviour
 Identify levers that can be used to influence organisational culture
Topics covered are as follows:

 Features of organisational culture

 Theories and typologies of culture
 Can culture be managed?
 Changing organisational culture
 Leading cultural change
 Organisational culture and ethics

Module 8: Organisational Change

The aim of this module is to explore different types of organisational changes, how people respond to
change and how to effectively make change happen.
At the end of this module students will be able to:

 Compare and contrast approaches to understanding change

 Critique models of change management
 Describe factors influencing the successful management of change

Topics covered are as follows:

 Factors triggering the need for change

 Change management models
 Emergent versus planned change
 The human aspects of change
 Contemporary approaches to managing change
 Leading change initiatives

Edinburgh Business School / HP11PW People, Work and Organisations 8

Assessment
The course is assessed by final examination, accounting for 100% of the overall mark. A case study will
be released to students prior to the exam. The exam will consist of a consultancy report relating to the
case study, and two essay questions from a choice of three.
The paper is in two sections:

Section Exam %

I Consultancy report 60

II Essay questions worth 20 marks each 40

TOTAL 100

Edinburgh Business School / HP11PW People, Work and Organisations 9

H11DP
Delivering Successful
Projects syllabus
Course Aim
The aim of Delivering Successful Projects course is to
equip students with the necessary skills to conceive of,
plan, control and deliver projects, for enabling successful
realisation of business objectives, through the use of the
practical framework of project management.

Edinburgh Business School / H11DP Delivering Successful Projects 2

Contents
Course Synopsis 4

Course Learning Outcomes 4

Course Structure 5
Module 1: Projects and Project Management 5
Module 2: The Project Manager 5
Module 3: From Strategy to Project 6
Module 4: Human Resourcing – Structuring and Managing Project Teams 6-7
Module 5: Risk Management 7
Module 6: Time Management 7-8
Module 7: Financial and Cost Management 8
Module 8: Quarterly and Performance Management 8
Module 9: Project Closure and Evaluation 9

Assessment 10

3
Course Synopsis
The course equips managers and business professionals with knowledge, understanding and skills to
manage projects using integrative concepts, tools and techniques.

The course starts by setting the mind-set for project decision-making, followed by obtaining fundamental
concepts of the project management discipline and how it assists organisations with materialising their
strategic and change objectives, considering multi success criteria, together with the concepts of
programmes and portfolios. The setting of projects in the organisational context is discussed, followed by
leadership and behavioural aspects of human resources of how the project manager and the project team
work. The main project success criteria time-cost performance jointly with risk and risk management as
major elements of effective project and business management are examined. Detailed qualitative and
quantitative planning and control practical processes of time, cost and performance are discussed, such as
time and cost estimating, trade-off, monitoring and reporting. The project work termination, where the
project is closed is then connects back to the strategic intent via benefits realisation, project final
evaluation and reporting. The course then present with some current advanced topics that trend the
project management profession, such as the project management office function, ethics, sustainability and
agile project management.

Course Learning Outcomes

On completion of this course students will be able to:

• Explain the principles, concepts, theory and future trends of modern project management;
• Critically analyse and evaluate complex business problems to propose robust and sustainable project
based solutions;
• Demonstrate an applied understanding of project management skills to address issues and enable
strategic benefits realisation;
• Demonstrate an ability to implement the plan, manage change and successfully achieve project
objectives;
• Show critical awareness of and the ability to apply current project management tools and techniques
to plan a project based solution;
• Proactively assess and manage business systems improvements;
• Implement and realise a single definable project solution, by balancing multiple, sometime conflicting,
objectives in ways that are accountable and achievable; and
• Propose appropriate solutions for managing multidisciplinary stakeholders and complex scenarios
under conditions of risk, uncertainty and change.

Edinburgh Business School / H11DP Delivering Successful Projects 4

Course Structure
The course is broken down into nine learning modules as follows:

Module 1: Projects and Project Management

The aim of this module is to provide students with an introduction to the concept of project management,
what it is used for and how it relates to business objectives in the overall organisational context.
At the end of this module students will be able to:

• Debate the definitions and characteristics of projects and project management;

• Demonstrate an applied understanding of project management as a managerial discipline driven by
strategic intent;
• Differentiate between project success and project management success;
• Explain how projects are decided upon;
• Explain why business projects should be driven by strategic intent;
• Explain the potential business benefit of projects;
• Articulate issues and challenges in the project environment;
• Critically evaluate how project practice supports the goal of sustainability; and
Know the historical origin of project management.
Topics covered are as follows:

• The characteristics of projects;

• The importance of projects;
• Project Lifecycle;
• The characteristics of project management;
• Determinants of project success;
• The history and future trends of project management; and
• Sustainability in project management.

Module 2: The Project Manager

The aim of this module is to set the understanding that project management is a responsible leadership of
ideas and people, by expanding on the project manager's role both as manager and a leader, backed up by
the project sponsor while acting in a professional ethical way.
At the end of this module students will be able to:

• Demonstrate an applied understanding of the characteristics required of a project manager to lead a

project effectively;
• Explain why project management needs leadership;
• Articulate the concept, position and role of the project manager as manager and leader;
• Consider the benefits of ethics in project management; and

Edinburgh Business School / H11DP Delivering Successful Projects 5

• Explain the concept, role and responsibilities of the project sponsor.
Topics covered are as follows:

• The role of the project manager;

• The skills required by the project manager;
• The way project managers lead projects and achieve cross-functional cooperation;
• The ethical conduct of project practitioners; and
• The concept of the project sponsor.

Module 3: From Strategy to Project

The aim of this module is to equip students with a critical understanding of the setting of a project in the
organisational environment, how it is generated, how it is justified, how it is link to strategic portfolio and
programme activities of the organisation and finally, how it is actually starting.
At the end of this module students will be able to:

• Use information to evaluate the environment in which projects are set;

• Articulate the relationship between projects and strategy, portfolio and programme;
• Demonstrate an applied understanding of how a project is selected, initiated and justified; se a
modern framework to define and differentiate between projects.

Topics covered are as follows:

• Project conceptualisation and the organisational context it is set in;

• Establishing project goals;
• Projects selection;
• Projects, programmes and portfolios;
• Project conceptual development and authorisation.

Module 4: Human Resourcing – Structuring and Managing Project Teams

The aim of this module is develop students’ understanding of how a project operates in an organisational
setting, how the project stakeholders are managed, how the project team work and what does the project
management office do.
At the end of this module students will be able to:

• Differentiate between project organisational structures;

• Demonstrate an applied understanding of the process carried out by the project manager in order to
obtain human resources and identify stakeholders and team members;
• Contrast the relevant project team concepts and leadership challenges such as communications and
motivation; and
• Critically evaluate the characteristics of the Project Management Office (PMO).

Edinburgh Business School / H11DP Delivering Successful Projects 6

Topics covered are as follows:

• Project structures;
• Projects and organisational culture
• The project team – characteristics, reasons for failure, stages in group development, virtual teams;
• The Project Management Office (PMO);
• Stakeholder management.

Module 5: Risk Management

The aim of this module is to provide an overview of risk management as an integral part of the work of the
project and the importance of contracts in managing project risks.
At the end of this module students will be able to:

• Critically analyse the concept of risk management and why it is important;

• Develop critical awareness of how decisions are made under conditions of certainty, risk and
uncertainty;
• Critically articulate the characteristics of contracts and appreciate their importance in project and risk
management; and
Implement a risk management system.
Topics covered are as follows:

• Introduction to risk;
• Decisions and risk;
• Developing and using a risk management system;
• Risks and contracts.

Module 6: Time Management

The aim of this module is to discuss time management as an integral part of the project.
At the end of this module students will be able to:

• Critically evaluate the concepts of project time planning, scheduling and control;
• Calculate and interpret the duration of activities using deterministic and probabilistic approaches;
• Critically assess the concept of project acceleration and generate and present trade-off scenarios; and
• Critically evaluate the characteristics of agile Project management.

Topics covered are as follows:

• Concept of planning in projects;

• Use of work breakdown structure and work logic evaluation;
• Key scheduling terminology;
• Scheduling process;
• Precedence diagrams;

Edinburgh Business School / H11DP Delivering Successful Projects 7

• Deterministic and probabilistic duration estimating;
• Calculation of early and late completion times and float;
• Calculation of CPM and PERT networks;
• Trade-off and rescheduling using crashing technique;
• Acceleration when damages are involved;
• Demonstration of project management tools, such as MS-Project; and
• The use of Agile approach in time and overall project management.

Module 7: Financial and Cost Management

The aim of this module is to discuss cost management as an integral part of the project work.
At the end of this module students will be able to:

• Critically evaluate the concepts of cost estimating and project budgeting;

• Apply the concept and structure of project cost planning and control systems; and
• Carry out earned value analysis (EVA) and reporting.

Topics covered are as follows:

• Control cycles model;

• Cost types and headings;
• Cost estimation;
• Budgeting;
• Project cost control;
• Earned value analysis; and
• Project performance monitoring and reporting.

Module 8: Quality and Performance Management

The aim of this module is to provide an overview of the importance of quality, or performance
management in projects.
At the end of this module students will be able to:

• Critically evaluate the concepts of quality and quality management;

• Explain the project quality management system; and
• Apply quality management tools.

Topics covered are as follows:

• Concept of quality and standard;

• Cost and value of quality;
• Concept of quality management;
• Quality management system; and
• Quality tools and techniques.

Edinburgh Business School / H11DP Delivering Successful Projects 8

Module 9: Project Closure and Evaluation
The aim of this module is to provide an overview of the final part of the project work (or project lifecycle),
where the project has to be properly closed (finished), inspected against its goal and objectives and
handed-over to the client to start operating and performing the objectives of which it was initiated for.
At the end of this module students will be able to:

• Explain the project closure stages;

• Demonstrate an applied understanding of the challenges of handing over a project;
• Conduct final project evaluation, reporting and lessons learned; and
• Develop critical awareness of the connection between project completion and strategy.

Topics covered are as follows:

• Types of project closure;

• Benefits realisation; and
• Project evaluation and final report.

Edinburgh Business School / H11DP Delivering Successful Projects 9

Assessment
The course is assessed by final examination, accounting for 100% of the overall mark. The exam is closed
book. There is no choice in the selection of questions to be answered.
The paper is in three sections:

Section Exam %

I 20 multiple choice questions each worth two marks. 40

II Two essay based question each worth 20 marks, based 40

on a case study.

III Four short essay based questions each worth five 20

marks, based on scenarios.

TOTAL 100

Edinburgh Business School / H11DP Delivering Successful Projects 10

H11LT
Leadership Theory and
Practice Syllabus
Course Aim
The Leadership Theory and Practice course aims to
develop in students a critical appreciation of leadership
theory and the role of leadership in practice in a range of
organisational, social and cultural contexts.

Edinburgh Business School / H11DP

H11LT Leadership
Delivering Successful
Theory andProjects
Practce 2
Contents
Course Synopsis 4

Course Learning Outcomes 4

Course Structure
Module 1: Introduction to Leadership 5
Module 2: Traditional and Contigency Leadership Approaches 5
Module 3: Approaches to Leadership 6
Module 4: Post-heroic Leadership 6
Module 5: Leadership Context 7
Module 6: Leadership, Gender and Culture 7
Module 7: Leadership and Ethics 7
Module 8: Developing Leadership 8

Assessment 8

Edinburgh Business School / H11LT Leadership Theory and Practce 3

Course Synopsis
The course critically examines the concept of leadership in organisations, explores major theoretical
developments in how leadership is understood and provides opportunities for managers to reflect on
real-life leadership issues.

The course is divided into eight modules. Having explored what we mean by ‘leadership’ in the first
module, the course then considers key developments in leadership theories and how they apply to modern
organisations. Leadership is enacted differently depending on the context, and the course hones in on
some example settings for practice, including creative industries and projects, to explore alternative
approaches to leading. The role of leadership in setting and shaping organisational strategy is also
explored, and contemporary issues of gender, culture and ethics are discussed. The course ends by
considering how leaders and leadership can be developed and provides insights into current trends and
future directions.

Course Learning Outcomes

On completion of this course students will be able to:

 Demonstrate an integrated awareness of leadership theory and its link to business practice

 Propose appropriate leadership styles and approaches through evaluation of dynamic leadership
situations and contexts

 Develop a critical understanding of how different cultural and structural contexts can impact the
agents of leadership

 Understand the role of effective leadership in organisational strategy

 Apply diverse skills and approaches associated with leadership in a variety of organisational, social and
cultural situations and contexts

 Critically evaluate complex ideas, concepts and issues relating to leadership

 Develop practical, ethically-informed leadership skills that can be applied in a range of situations

Edinburgh Business School / H11LT Leadership Theory and Practce 4

Course Structure
The course is broken down into eight learning modules as follows:

 Introduction to leadership
 Traditional and contingency leadership approaches
 Modern theories of leadership
 Post-heroic leadership
 Leadership in contexts
 Leadership, gender and culture
 Leadership and ethics
 Developing leadership

Module 1: Introduction to Leadership

The aim of this module is to introduce the concept of leadership and to explore the ongoing debates
around what we understand leadership to be, and what leadership does in organisations.
At the end of this module students will be able to:

 Explore the challenges of defining leadership

 Debate the differences between leadership and management
 Understand the importance of leadership in organisations

Topics covered are as follows.

 How leaders motivate and influence others

 Where is leadership?
 Leadership and management
 Defining leadership

Module 2: Traditional and Contingency Leadership Approaches

The aim of this module is to trace how our understanding of leadership has developed over time from the
early view of leadership as the preserve of a ‘great man’ to the continual popularity of the perspective that
leadership is a way of behaving that can be learned. It goes on to explore how leadership behaviour is
contingent on factors such as the context, the goal to be achieved and the relationship between leader and
follower.
At the end of this module students will be able to:

 Explain the historical development of trait and behavioural leadership theories

 Critically examine the relevance of these theories for today’s organisations
 Reflect on their own personality and behaviours in terms of leadership capabilities
 Describe four contingency theories of leadership
 Critically examine the relevance of these theories for today’s organisations

Edinburgh
Edinburgh Business
Business School
School // H11DP Delivering Successful
H11LT Leadership Theory andProjects
Practce 5
Topics covered are as follows:

 Types of leadership
 Personality and trait theories
 Behavioural and style theories
 Situational leadership

Module 3: Modern Approaches to Leadership

The aim of this module is to examine influential theories that remain dominant today.

At the end of this module students will be able to:

 Describe modern leadership theories

 Critically examine the relevance of these theories for today’s organisations
 Apply understanding of leadership theories to a real-life case study

Topics covered are as follows:

 Transactional leadership and Transformational leadership

 Servant leadership
 Charismatic leadership
 Authentic leadership

Module 4: Post-heroic Leadership

The aim of this module is to challenge the mainstream view that leadership resides in an individual and to
explore different ways of thinking about leadership as a collective activity, as relational, as process and as
practice.
At the end of this module students will be able to:

 Critically examine the concept of the heroic leader

 Describe alternative perspectives on leadership
 Reflexively consider their understanding of what leadership is and does in organisations

Topics covered are as follows:

 Challenging the notion of heroic leaders

 Collective approaches to leadership
 Leadership as a process
 Leadership as practice

Edinburgh Business School / H11LT Leadership Theory and Practce 6

Module 5: Leadership Contexts
The aim of this module is to examine how the practice of leadership differs depending on the leadership
context. The module starts by considering how leadership contributes to strategic success before
considering two contrasting contexts in which leadership might be particularly challenging, leading in
creative industries and leading projects.
At the end of this module students will be able to:

 Explain the criticality of leadership in delivering strategy

 Describe the leadership challenges faced in differing contexts
 Debate the view that there is ‘one right way to lead’ Topics covered are as follows:

 The relationship between leadership and strategy

 Entrepreneurial leadership
 Leadership in creative industries
 Project leadership

Module 6: Leadership, Gender and Culture

The aim of this module is to examine some current debates on the demographics of leadership. It also
explores the need for cognizance of diversity in organisations.
At the end of this module students will be able to:

 Critically discuss contemporary approaches to understanding how gender can impact leadership
 Analyse views on gender and leadership
 Debate approaches to leadership in different cultural contexts

Topics covered are as follows:

 Leadership style and gender

 Leadership and diversity
 Cultural influences on leadership

Module 7: Leadership and Ethics

The aim of this module is to examine some current debates on ethics and leadership that take a more
critical view of leadership and question the implicit ‘goodness’ of the concept.
At the end of this module students will be able to:

 Understand the concepts of ethics and ethical relativism

 Explore ideas around ethical and toxic leadership
 Relate critical thinking in ethics and leadership in different contexts

Topics covered are as follows:

 Leadership and ethics

 Ethical relativism
 Ethics and business

Edinburgh
Edinburgh Business
Business School
School // H11DP Delivering Successful
H11LT Leadership Theory andProjects
Practce 7
Module 8: Developing Leadership
The aim of this module is to consider how different conceptions of leadership affect how leadership can be
effectively developed in organisations and to explore current trends in both leader and leadership
development.
At the end of this module students will be able to:

 Explain the difference between developing leaders and developing leadership

 Critique different approaches to leadership development
 Reflect on their own development as leaders

Topics covered are as follows:

 History of leadership development

 Developing leaders
 Limitations of leader development
 Developing leadership
 Being a 21st century leader

Assessment
The course is assessed by final examination, accounting for 100% of the overall mark. The exam is closed
book.
The paper is in two sections:

Section Exam %

I One mandatory question on reflections of a leader, 33.3

selected by the student, linking theory to their practice

II Two questions from a selection on any of the topics 66.6

covered in the course

TOTAL 100

Edinburgh Business School / H11LT Leadership Theory and Practce 8

H11EB
Economics for Business
Syllabus
Course Aim
The aim of the Economics for Business course is to
develop in students a systematic approach to decision-
making and the ability to recognise, use and interpret
economic information from both within the organisation
and the wider environment.

Edinburgh Business
Edinburgh Business School
School // H11FM
H11DP
H11LT Leadership
Delivering Successful
Theory and
Financial Decision Projects
Practce
Management 2
Contents
Course Synopsis 4

Course Learning Outcomes 4

Course Structure 5
Module 1: The Role of Economics in Business 5
Module 2: The Market Mechanism 5
Module 3: Demand 6
Module 4: Supply 6
Module 5: Market Structure 7
Module 6: Factor Markets 7
Module 7: The Role of Government 7-8
Module 8: The Macroeconomic Environment 8
Module 9: Macroeconomic Policy 8-9
Module 10: International Trade and Globalisation 9
Module 11: Research Activity 9

Assessment 10

Edinburgh
Edinburgh Business
Business School
School // H11LT
H11FMLeadership Theory and
Financial Decision Practce
Management 3
Course Synopsis
The course provides managers with an overview of relevant economic issues in a business context. The
course starts by outlining fundamental economic concepts and examining the workings of the market
system. Different market structures and their impact on organisations are reviewed and the role of
government in the economy is examined. Relevant aspects of the macroeconomy are introduced with a
focus on business impact and decision-making. This is followed by an exposition of international economic
issues. The course ends with a research activity that will pull all the strands of the course together, and
prepare students fully for the assessment.

Course Learning Outcomes

On completion of this course students will be able to:
 Apply economic criteria for efficient resource allocation to a diverse range of dynamic business
situations.
 Analyse changing market conditions in terms of supply, demand and possible government intervention
and formulate appropriate and sustainable organisational responses.
 Propose appropriate economic solutions that draw on a robust, critical awareness of the role of
information in the market economy.
 Evaluate and apply appropriate approaches to economic challenges in relation to social and private
costs, taxation and government regulation.
 Propose relevant pricing and market strategies for a variety of market structures and in the presence of
market failures.
 Recommend appropriate courses of action to deal with economic uncertainty, through evaluation of
changes in macroeconomic variables and policy-making.
 Use diverse forms of economic information from both the environment and the organisation to
evaluate and propose solutions to business problems.

Course Structure
The course is broken down into 11 learning modules as follows:

Module 1: The Role of Economics in Business

The aim of this module is to provide students with an introduction to economics as a discipline, introduce
some key concepts and highlight the subject’s relevance to business.
At the end of this module students will be able to:
 Identify the role of economics in business
 Apply simple analytical tools such as opportunity cost and marginal analysis
 Understand the structure of economics as a field

Edinburgh Business School / H11EB Economics for Business 4

Topics covered are as follows.
 Scarcity and choice
 Opportunity cost
 Marginal analysis
 Rational and irrational behaviour
 Transaction costs
 The principal agent problem
 Levels of analysis – micro, macro and international
 Development of economic thinking

Module 2: The Market Mechanism

The aim of this module is to equip students with a critical understanding of how markets operate and the
way in which supply and demand determine and produce changes in price and quantity over time.
At the end of this module students will be able to:
 Determine the impact of changes in underlying factors on the market forces of supply and demand
 Use supply and demand analysis to interpret changes to market conditions

Topics covered are as follows:

 Demand characteristics and determinants
 Supply characteristics and determinants
 Ceteris paribus
 Market equilibrium
 Shifts in market equilibrium

Module 3: Demand

The aim of this module is develop students’ understanding of the nature of demand, review a number of
key economic theories related to consumer behaviour and demonstrate how organisations can use this
information to their advantage.
At the end of this module students will be able to:
 Determine the nature of price and income elasticity for different types of goods and use this to
interpret the impact of price changes on the organisation
 Use a critical awareness of a number of economic perspectives on consumer behaviour to predict and
interpret the actions of individual buyers

Topics covered are as follows:

 Price elasticity of demand
 Income elasticity of demand

Edinburgh
Edinburgh Business
Business School
School // H11DP Delivering Successful
H11EB Economics Projects
for Business 5
 Consumer choice theory
 Consumer surplus
 Asymmetric information
 Moral hazard
 Adverse selection

Module 4: Supply

The aim of this module is to provide an overview of the theory of the firm and some alternative views in
order to demonstrate how contemporary organisations behave and make supply decisions.
At the end of this module students will be able to:
 Understand how costs, revenues and profit levels affect the behaviour of firms
 Critically appraise neoclassical and more recent theories of the firm for relevance to organisational
decision-making

Topics covered are as follows:

 The supply curve
 Producer surplus
 Productivity
 Costs
 Revenues
 Profit maximisation
 Price elasticity of supply
 Behavioural theories of the firm
 Growth maximisation
 Profit satisficing

Module 5: Market Structure

The aim of this module is to understand the market structure in which a business operates, with the market
structure being defined as the level of competition within an industry.
At the end of this module students will be able to:
 Identify different types of market structures
 Understand how the interrelationships between buyers and sellers affect profits.
 Predict likely outcomes from price changes and how it will impact revenues and profitability.

Topics covered are as follows:

 Perfect Competition
 Monopoly
 Monopolistic Competition
 Oligopoly

Edinburgh Business School / H11EB Economics for Business 6

 Pricing Strategies

Module 6: Factor Markets

The aim of this module is to provide students with an understanding of the demands of firms. In order to
provide goods and services, firms need workers (Labour) and finance (Capital).
At the end of this module students will be able to:
 Understand firms’ demand for labour.
 Determine how wage rates are set in the market.
 Understand firms’ demand for capital.
 Determine how firms make decisions on investment and where they can source the finance needed.

Topics covered are as follows:

 Perfect Labour Markets
 Imperfect Labour Markets
 The Supply and Demand for Labour
 Wage Rates
 Capital Rent
 Capital Investment

Module 7: The Role of Government

The aim of this module is to look at how and when governments may intervene in the market; and how
these interventions will affect the behaviour of a firm.
At the end of this module students will be able to:
 Understand the circumstances in which governments may intervene in the market mechanism.
 Critically appraise the different techniques that governments use to resolve market failures and income
inequalities.

Topics covered are as follows:

 Market Failures
o Imperfect Markets
o Externalities
o Public Goods
 Government Intervention
o Taxes and Subsidies
o Regulations and Price Controls
o Nationalisation and Privatisation
 Income Distribution

Module 8: The Macroeconomic Environment

Edinburgh
Edinburgh Business
Business School
School // H11DP Delivering Successful
H11EB Economics Projects
for Business 7
The aim of this module is to explain the macroeconomic environment and how it will affect the decision
making of the firm.
At the end of this module students will be able to:
 Understand how the macroeconomic environment is made up of many macroeconomic variables that
are all interrelated.
 Critically appraise the different macroeconomic scenarios and generate appropriate responses for the
firm.

Topics covered are as follows:

 Economic Growth
 Unemployment
 Inflation
 The Circular Flow of Income
 The Multiplier
 Aggregate Demand
 Aggregate Supply
 Balance of Payments
 Government Budget

Module 9: Macroeconomic Policy

The aim of this module is to provide an overview of the different approaches that governments can take to
steer the economy.
At the end of this module students will be able to:
 Critique the fiscal policy undertaken by government to boost or restrict an economy, how those
decisions impact a firm, and how to react.
 Critically appraise the money supply and interest rate decisions made and provide relevant responses
for firms to take in response.
 Understand how Supply-Side policies can increase productivity, competition and innovation in the
wider economy.

Topics covered are as follows:

 Fiscal Policy
o Government Spending
o Taxation
 Monetary Policy
o Interest Rates
o Money Supply
 Supply-Side Policy

Module 10: International Trade and Globalisation

The aim of this module is to provide an understanding of international trade. This ranges from
import/export of goods and services to setting up production facilities abroad.

Edinburgh Business School / H11EB Economics for Business 8

At the end of this module students will be able to:
 Understand how businesses are affected by international trade.
 Appraise the advantages and disadvantages of free trade amidst fears of job losses around the world.

Topics covered are as follows:

 Absolute Advantage
 Comparative Advantage
 The Advantages and Disadvantages of Trade
 Protectionism
 Globalisation
 Trading Blocs

Module 11: Research Activity

The aim of this module is to bring all the aspects of the course together.
At the end of this module students will be able to:

 Apply the knowledge learned during the course to a business of their choice.

All topics from Module 1-10 will be included. Students will be able to use the integrative case study
provided with every module as a template for their own research. The assessment will be based around this
research.

Assessment
The course is assessed by final examination, accounting for 100% of the overall mark. The exam is closed
book. There is no choice in the selection of questions to be answered.

The paper is in two sections:

Section Exam %

I 20 Multiple choice questions each worth two 40

marks.

Edinburgh
Edinburgh Business
Business School
School // H11DP Delivering Successful
H11EB Economics Projects
for Business 9
 II Six essay questions each worth 10 marks. Candidates 60
apply theory from the course to business situations.

TOTAL 100

Edinburgh Business School / H11EB Economics for Business 10

H11SM
Strategic Marketing
Course Aim
The Strategic Marketing course aims to provide students
with the necessary tools and frameworks to enable them
to make proactive marketing decisions that take best
advantage of the conditions in which the firm finds itself.

Edinburgh Business School / H11SM Delivering Successful Projects 2

Contents
Course Synopsis 5

Course Learning Outcomes 5

Course Structure
Module 1: Marketing management for a turbulent era 5
Module 2: The marketing fit with corporate and business strategies 5
Module 3: Capturing key Marketing environmental insights 6
Module 4: Customer insights and customer connections 6
Module 5: Capturing marketing insights for demand measurement 7
Module 6: Market segmentation and target marketing 7
Module 7: Branding and positioning 7
Module 8: Marketing strategies for competitive and market scenarios 8
Module 9: The integrated marketing mix 9
Module 10: Organising, planning, delivering and measuring market performance 9

Assessment 10

3
Course Synopsis
Strategic marketing can be defined as “Obtaining, marshalling, deploying, controlling and assessing the
effectiveness of organisational marketing resources in order to deliver the organisational mission, vision,
values and objectives in its chosen product/markets’’.

So, the philosophy underlying this course is that marketing-oriented companies put customers first, are
geared for long term success and that this orientation must be championed by top management and
infused throughout the whole organisation. In addition to this overall culture, strategic marketing requires
knowledge, skills and competencies in a range of techniques such as strategic analysis and planning,
implementation, via a number of integrated and synergistic marketing functions and activities and
marketing control, aided by an array of marketing metrics and digital developments. This course aims to
provide students with a strong grasp of both the strategic elements of establishing a long-term customer
orientation and the operational techniques that are required of marketing managers to implement a
strategic marketing orientation successfully.

Course Learning Outcomes

On completion of this course students will be able to:

• Demonstrate a strategic, global and ethically informed understanding of the marketing management
process, taking account of established and emerging practices in digital marketing
• Show critical awareness of the analytical processes used to evaluate market opportunities and
propose appropriate marketing strategies to achieve competitive advantage in a variety of global and
dynamic market contexts.
• Understand the activities and organisational structures, including networking and partnerships,
required to implement, monitor and measure the performance of marketing strategies.
• Use evidence-based and data mining techniques to creatively segment and target markets as well as
position products/ services against market needs and competitive offerings.
• Develop integrated marketing strategies as well as evaluate and propose appropriate activities and
organisational structures to implement and control the chosen strategy effectively.
• Ability to undertake structured, critical analysis of marketing problems and opportunities and develop
appropriate marketing strategies in a variety of contexts.
• Ability to propose, plan and integrate creative marketing programmes.
• Use a range of verbal, numerical and graphical data to formulate, implement and measure the success
of marketing strategies.

Edinburgh Business School / H11SM Strategic Marketing 4

Course Structure
The course is broken down into 10 learning modules as follows:

Module 1: Marketing management for a turbulent era

The aim of this module is to define Marketing, Strategic Marketing and the Marketing Management
process, explore the concept, scope and implementation of marketing and how, in the 21st century,
marketing has to evolve to face up to the new realities, brought about by changes in the environment e.g.
technology and increasing consumer sophistication.

At the end of this module students will be able to:

• Understand what is involved in the marketing concept

• Take account of the rapid changes in the marketing environment

• Understand the many marketing stakeholders

• Implement strategic marketing via the strategic marketing management process

Topics covered are as follows.

• Marketing; the new realities

• Connecting with customers

• Marketing stakeholders

• The Strategic Marketing Management Process

Module 2: The marketing fit with corporate and business strategies

The aim of this module is to equip students with a critical understanding of the corporate and business
level context of marketing strategy.

At the end of this module students will be able to:

• Critically understand the synergy between corporate, strategic marketing and marketing planning

• Construct a strategic marketing plan for a variety of marketing situations

Topics covered are as follows:

• Levels of strategy

• How marketing delivers to corporate strategy decisions

• Business unit strategy decisions

• The strategic marketing plan- a blueprint for action including marketing software

Edinburgh Business School / H11SM Strategic Marketing 5

Module 3: Capturing key Marketing environmental insights
The aim of this module is to describe the key marketing environmental factors which an organisation has
to monitor, capture and analyse to inform one of the components of the ‘analysis’ part of strategic
marketing planning i.e. ‘Environmental analysis’.
At the end of this module students will be able to:

• Understand how vital it is to capture key micro/macro environmental insights to inform marketing
planning
• Be equipped with a number of tools and techniques to perform environmental analysis.
• Apply the tools and techniques of marketing environmental analyses to a variety of marketing
situations

Topics covered are as follows:

• Overview of the marketing intelligence system
• Assessing competition
• Environmental (macro) analysis
• Critical success factors
• Anticipating and responding to environmental change
• How big data can be used in environmental analysis and drive marketing strategy

Module 4: Customer insights and customer connections

The aim of this module is to equip students with a critical understanding of the mental and social
processes individual consumers go through when making purchase decisions, the individual and
environmental factors which affect those decisions and to understand business markets and their buying
behaviour.
At the end of this module students will be able to:

• Understand how to generate customer insight and better connect with customers in today’s
competitive environment.
• Critically understand that consumer behaviour can be explored from many angles.
• Understand the differences between individual buying behaviour and business buying behaviour are
discussed.
• Understand the ideas behind building customer value, loyalty and relationships
• Apply models of consumer behaviour to a variety of marketing situations

Topics covered are as follows:

• Defining the customer

• Cultural, social and personal influences on consumer behaviour
• Psychological processes
• B2B/Government purchase decision process
• Connecting with consumers, B2B and B2C, and building relationships and loyalty

Edinburgh Business School / H11SM Strategic Marketing 6

Module 5: Capturing marketing insights for demand measurement
The aim of this module is to equip students with a critical understanding of the Marketing Information
System and evidence-based forecasting techniques and to gain insight into the process by which
innovative products diffuse into the market over time.
At the end of this module students will be able to:

• Understand the role of the Marketing Information System

• Critically understand the difference between traditional and new forecasting techniques
• Understand and use different evidence based forecasting techniques
• Understand the role of Marketing Research
• Apply marketing research concepts to a variety of marketing situation

Topics covered are as follows:

• How an MIS system helps capture Marketing Insights
• Traditional forecasting approaches to forecasting current and future demand
• New forecasting approaches to current and future demand
• The role of Marketing Research
• Applications of Marketing Research
• Using technology to capture marketing insights

Module 6: Market segmentation and target marketing

The aim of this module is to equip students with a critical understanding of the relationship between
segmentation, targeting and positioning, the growing importance and benefits of segmentation and how
to identify market segments and the requirements for effective segmentation.
At the end of this module students will be able to:

• Market segmentation and target marketing in today’s global economy

• Traditional approaches to market segmentation and targeting
• New approaches to market segmentation and targeting
• Targeting strategies for different market objectives
• Global market segmentation

Topics covered are as follows:

• Market segmentation and target marketing in today’s global economy
• Traditional approaches to market segmentation and targeting
• New approaches to market segmentation and targeting
• Targeting strategies for different market objectives
• Global market segmentation

Module 7: Branding and positioning

The aim of this module is to equip students with a critical understanding of the concept of branding and
positioning and how marketers undertake branding and positioning to gain strategic advantage.

Edinburgh Business School / H11SM Strategic Marketing 7

At the end of this module students will be able to:

• Understand the concepts of branding and positioning

• Understand the process of managing brands and positioning to gain strategic advantage
• Apply the concepts of branding and positioning in a variety of situations

Topics covered are as follows:

• Differentiation: Creating Brand equity

• Digital and global brand management
• Brand management tools
• Managing the brand: positioning

Module 8: Marketing strategies for competitive and market scenarios

The aim of this module is to describe the key strategic marketing options available to an organisation,
dependent on the stage of market growth and the competitive position.

At the end of this module students will be able to:

• Critically understand the many strategic marketing options available to organisations, dependent on
their competitive position or stage(s) in market development
• Apply the relevant marketing strategy in order to gain a competitive advantage

Topics covered are as follows:

• Growing the core competencies
• Marketing Strategies for market leaders, followers and challengers
• Marketing over the Product Life-Cycle
• Marketing strategies for slow growth economies
• Marketing strategies in strategic alliances, networks and hollow corporations

Module 9: The integrated marketing mix

This module aims to equip students with a critical understanding of the integrated marketing mix process
including the product management process, service decisions, the price setting process; channel design
and channel management, and integrated marketing communications programmes
At the end of this module students will be able to:

• Identify the process and processes involved in developing, implementing and evaluating an integrated
marketing mix
• Identify and critically describe the many elements of the integrated marketing mix
• Design and apply an integrated marketing mix for any type of organisation and marketing situation
• Critically appraise the many marketing mix options available to marketers

Edinburgh Business School / H11SM Strategic Marketing 8

Topics covered are as follows:
• Product/service strategy decisions
• Managing product lines
• New product development process decisions-traditional and new
• Setting prices
• Pricing adaptations to the market
• Multi-form firm marketing channels
• Designing integrated distribution channels
• Designing integrated distribution channels traditional and new approaches
• Channel management decisions
• Developing an integrated marketing communications plan
• The traditional communications mix
• The new communications mix- managing digital communications: online, social media and mobile
applications
• Measuring integrated communications effectiveness via digital dashboards and tracking

Module 10 : Organising, planning, delivering and measuring market performance

This module aims to equip students with a critical understanding of the competencies, internal processes
and organisational structures required to implement marketing strategy effectively and consider how to
design strategic monitoring systems to ensure marketing strategies remain in sync with the changing
market and competitive environment.

At the end of this module students will be able to:

• Understand the structures required to deliver a strategic marketing plan
• Critically appraise the internal resources and competencies required to deliver a strategic
• marketing plan
• Understand and apply a range of marketing metrics in order to measure and deliver
• marketing performance

Topics covered are as follows:

• Factors for implementing different strategies
• Organisational processes and structures for implementing different strategies
• Designing the plan, do, measure and control cycle
• Marketing metrics and analytics
• Periodic assessment of marketing performance: the traditional marketing audit
• Measuring and delivering marketing performance
• Technology driven marketing metrics

Edinburgh Business School / H11SM Strategic Marketing 9

Assessment
The course is assessed by final examination, accounting for 100% of the overall mark. The exam is closed
book. There is no choice in the selection of questions to be answered.
In this exam, you will prepare a Strategic Marketing Plan (SMP) for an organisation of your choice. This
could be for your own organisation or it could be for an organisation you are familiar with. You will
complete the plan to a template comprising four sections which together make up a cohesive SMP. There
will be a checklist of points in each section, all of which must be addressed:

Section Exam %

I Analysis 30

II Planning 30

III Implementation 30

IIII Feedback and Control which together make up a 10

cohesive SMP.

TOTAL 100

To bring authenticity to the assessment, in the exam you will be given an unforeseen 'last minute' scenario
which you must take account of in your SMP.

To help you write your SMP in the exam, you are allowed to bring notes with you. Notes must be no more
than two sides only of A4 paper (handwritten or typed) and will be checked at the exam centre before
starting your exam.

Edinburgh Business School / H11SM Strategic Marketing 10

H11FM
Financial Decision
Making Syllabus
Course Aim
The Financial Decision Making course aims to provide
students with a set of accounting and financial tools that
enables them to interpret and critique financial
information from a variety of sources and to make
informed and effective financial decisions that directly
impact company operations.

Edinburgh Business
Edinburgh Business School
School // H11FM
H11DP
H11LT Leadership
Delivering Successful
Theory and
Financial Decision Projects
Practce
Management 2
Contents
Course Synopsis 4

Course Structure 5
Module 1: The Financial Landscape 5-6
Module 2: Financial Accounting 6
Module 3: Working Capital Management 6-7
Module 4: Management Accounting 7
Module 5: Budgeting 7
Module 6: Financial Tools 8
Module 7:Capital Budgeting and Investment Appraisal 8
Module 7: Financing, Payout Policy and Management 8-9

Assessment 9

Edinburgh
Edinburgh Business
Business School
School // H11LT
H11FMLeadership Theory and
Financial Decision Practce
Management 3
Course Synopsis
The course provides a practical approach to the crucial accounting and finance issues that affect
organisations in today’s business environment. First, to contextualise, the course describes ‘the financial
landscape’. The course then examines the application of financial and management accounting ‘tools’
relevant to critical financial decisions, including key performance indicators, breakeven analysis, working
capital management techniques and the budgeting process. This is followed by a consideration of financial
management and the decisions faced by organisations on investment (what projects), finance (what type
of finance) and dividend (pay or retain) and how an organisation analyses and takes action on each of
those decisions. The course concludes with an introduction to exchange rate and interest rate risk
management.

Course Learning Outcomes

On completion of this course students will be able to:

 Develop an applied understanding of finance and accounting concepts relevant to general

management roles.
 Critically analyse external financial statements and make informed decisions through the identification
and application of appropriate KPIs
 Evaluate management accounting decision-making techniques and apply them in relevant internal and
external situations
 Develop a critical awareness of the time value of money, risk, future returns and the capital
investment decision
 Engage effectively in management discussions on finance and accounting issues
 Make informed, reasoned and sustainable decisions on capital investment programmes
 Critically analyse and propose reasoned solutions to questions of capital allocation, retention and
distribution

Edinburgh
Edinburgh Business
Business School
School // H11LT
H11FMLeadership Theory and
Financial Decision Practce
Management 4
Course Structure
The course is broken down into 8 learning modules as follows:

Module 1: The Financial Landscape

The aim of this module is to introduce students to the key features of financial accounting, management
accounting and financial management and how these three aspects inter-link within the stakeholder,
economic and financial markets background within which they function

At the end of this module students will be able to:

 appreciate the financial landscape and how it impacts on finance, accounting and financial
management
 identify key stakeholders in an organisation and its financial objectives
 critically analyse the checks and balances on corporate financial activity including the role of the board
of directors and the audit process

Topics covered are as follows.

 How a business works

 Overview of financial accounting, management accounting and financial management
 Profit versus cash
 Economic environment
 Financial markets
 Stakeholders
 Checks and balances on corporate financial activity
 Accounting, finance and ethics

Module 2: Financial Accounting

The aim of this module is to equip students with the critical knowledge to be able to critically analyse and
interpret external corporate financial statements
At the end of this module students will be able to:

 understand and analyse an organisation's income statement, statement of financial position and
historic cash flow statement and provide comment on the organisation’s performance, its assets and
liabilities and its cash position
 compile and interpret a cash flow statement using the information provided by the income statement
and statement of financial position
 Calculate a range of relevant ratios from a company's financial statements, interpret and analyse them
and provide a meaningful commentary on the financial performance of a business, using the calculated
ratios to illustrate it

Topics covered are as follows:

 Recording transactions

Edinburgh
Edinburgh Business
Business School
School // H11DP
H11FM Delivering Successful
Financial Decision Projects
Management 5
 Building a set of financial statements
 Reporting performance
 Reporting financial position
 Reporting cash flows
 Subjective issues in financial statements
 Interpreting financial performance and position

Module 3: Working Capital Management

The aim of this module is to enable students to identify, analyse and critically assess an organisation’s
management of the key components and elements of working capital
At the end of this module students will be able to:

 Identify the particular components of working capital in any given scenario

 Apply and evaluate a variety of techniques used to manage the different components of working
capital
 Determine, analyse and interpret the adequacy of working capital elements at different levels of
business activity
 Critically evaluate how an organisation finances its working capital requirement

Topics covered are as follows:

 Working capital overview and definitions

 Inventory management
 Receivables management
 Payables management
 Cash management
 Working capital funding strategies

Module 4: Management Accounting

The aim of this module is to equip students with a critical knowledge and understanding of key
management accounting techniques and how to select and apply these in making informed decisions in
both internal end external business scenarios.
At the end of this module students will be able to:

 Explain and apply relevant costing principles in a decision-making scenario

 Calculate and evaluate the breakeven position for an organisation
 Identify scare resources and apply limiting factor analysis in a given scenario
 Apply appropriate methods of overhead allocation
 Develop a critical understanding and application of target and life-cycle costing techniques

Topics covered are as follows:

 Relevant costs for decision making

Edinburgh
Edinburgh Business
Business School
School // H11LT
H11FMLeadership Theory and
Financial Decision Practce
Management 6
 Cost-volume-profit (CVP) and breakeven analysis
 Cost management and allocating overheads
 Life-cycle costing
 Target costing

Module 5: Budgeting
The aim of this module is to equip students with an understanding of the budgeting process and the
preparation and use of profit and cash forecasts to make critical business decisions and introduces various
means of measuring performance
At the end of this module students will be able to:

 Evaluate appropriate budgeting systems in a given scenario

 Apply critical quantitative techniques, such as learning curves, in the budget process
 Identify the critical numeric components of a budget and how to compile these into profit budget and
cash budgets
 Develop a critical understanding of the budget control process and calculate appropriate variances
between budgeted and actual results

Topics covered are as follows:

 Types of budgeting systems

 Quantitative forecasting techniques
 Budget compilation
 The control process
 ‘Beyond budgeting’

Module 6: Financial Tools

The aim of this module is to equip students with a thorough understanding of the fundamental financial
tools and valuation techniques required in the capital investment appraisal process
At the end of this module students will be able to:

 Calculate, analyse and interpret the basic financial appraisal techniques of accounting rate of return
and payback period
 Understand and apply discounting techniques in a financial appraisal scenario
 Calculate the cost of equity, the cost of debt and the weighted average cost of capital and apply these
in a financial appraisal scenario
Topics covered are as follows:

 Basic financial appraisal techniques

 Use of discounting techniques
 Required rate of return and cost of capital

Module 7: Capital Budgeting and Investment Appraisal

Edinburgh
Edinburgh Business
Business School
School // H11DP
H11FM Delivering Successful
Financial Decision Projects
Management 7
The aim of this module is to provide students with a critical knowledge of the capital budgeting process in
order to allow them to make informed, reasoned and sustainable capital investment decisions
At the end of this module students will be able to:

 Demonstrate a critical understanding of the long-term investment appraisal process

 Identify, calculate and apply the relevant cash flows and cost of capital in an investment appraisal
scenario
 Develop a critical understanding of the impacts of taxation, inflation and working capital on the cash
flows used in capital investment appraisal
 Identify and apply appropriate risk and uncertainty measures in the investment appraisal process

Topics covered are as follows:

 The capital investment appraisal process

 Estimating the numbers required
 Risk and uncertainty

Module 8: Financing, Payout Policy and Risk Management

The aim of this module is to provide students with the key knowledge and understanding of capital
structure, dividend policy and currency/interest rate risks to enable them to propose reasoned solutions to
questions on capital financing, payout decisions and basic risk management.
At the end of this module, students will be able to:

 Identify and discuss short term and long term types of finance
 Develop a critical understanding of the capital structure decision in a commercial organisation
 Assess the impact of both debt and equity finance in a given scenario
 Discuss how a company determines it dividend policy and demonstrate a critical understanding of the
practical influences on the dividend decision
 Assess the exchange rate risks and interest rate risks faced by a commercial organisation
 Identify, apply and evaluate basic methods of foreign currency risk management and interest rate risk
management

Topics covered are as follows:

 Types of finance
 Capital structure
 Dividend policy
 Risk management

Assessment
The course is assessed by final examination, accounting for 100% of the overall mark.

There is no choice in the selection of questions to be answered. The paper is in three sections:

Edinburgh
Edinburgh Business
Business School
School // H11LT
H11FMLeadership Theory and
Financial Decision Practce
Management 8
 Section Exam %

I 20 multiple choice questions worth two marks each 40

II One mini-scenario with 5 questions worth 2 marks each 10

III Two scenario based case studies, mix of numeric and 50

narrative assessment, worth 50 marks in total (either
25+25 or 20+30)

TOTAL 100

Edinburgh
Edinburgh Business
Business School
School // H11DP
H11FM Delivering Successful
Financial Decision Projects
Management 9
Developing and Executing
Strategy
Course Syllabus
H11SD Developing and Executing Strategy Course Syllabus

Course Aim

Developing and Executing Strategy is the capstone course in the MBA programme. The course encourages
students to think and operate at the strategic level in a range of dynamic settings through integration of ideas
across core business disciplines.

Course Synopsis

This course covers the core areas of strategic management and uses the general management setting to
integrate ideas across the core discipl8ines covered in other MBA core courses. The course begins by
examining the evolution of management and academic thinking around strategy and strategic management
over the past 50 years, reviews the diversity of contemporary strategy theory and practice and examines the
role of strategy in the management of different types of organisations. The course then examines a variety
of aspects of strategy, such as strategic intent, analysis, strategic options and implementation. At each stage
the links with other management disciplines, such as leadership, organisational behaviour, economics,
marketing and finance are considered. Finally an integrative framework for strategic decision-making is
presented, which facilitates a holistic approach to complex business and management issues.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this course you will be able to:

 Demonstrate the ability to identify and critically evaluate complex business situations and make
informed judgements using a multidisciplinary strategic framework.
 Identify and use a range of verbal, numerical and graphical sources to formulate strategic decisions.
 Show critical awareness of contemporary theory in the strategic management field and be able to
relate to current organisational practice.

Developing and Executing Strategy Course Syllabus

P a g e |1
Course Structure

The course is broken down into 7 learning modules as follows:

Module 1: Introduction to Strategy and Strategists

The aim of this module is to provide students with an overview of strategic management as an academic
discipline and a field of practice, provide an outline of the different aspects of strategy that will be covered
during the course and demonstrate how the key management disciplines that make up the MBA core can
be integrated into a strategic decision-making framework.

At the end of this module students will be able to:

 Explain the development of strategic management theory and practice over time
 Evaluate the role of different management disciplines such as economics, finance, marketing,
people management and leadership in developing their strategic intelligence
 Understand the role of strategy in organisations and the difference between strategic and
operational issues

Topics covered are as follows.

 Studying Strategic Management

 Strategy in relation to the other MBA core courses
 Defining Strategy
 The evolution of theory and practice in Strategic Management
 Strategy in different settings
 Course framework for Developing and Executing Strategy

Module 2: Strategic Intent

The aim of this module is to examine the development of strategic intent, identify the required
components of strategy statements and examine contemporary issues such as ethics and corporate social
responsibility.

At the end of this module students will be able to:

 Identify the key required components of a strategy statement

 Critically evaluate organisational strategies in terms of their stated intent, intended outcomes and
logical consistency
 Understand the role of ethics and social responsibility in framing organisational purpose

Topics covered are as follows.

Identifying and articulating an organisation’s purpose

 Mission, vision and values

H11SD: Developing and Executing Strategy Course Syllabus

  Articulating strategic intent
 Corporate social responsibility
 Sustainability and ethics

Module 3: Strategic Issue Diagnosis

The aim of this module is to introduce strategic analysis by addressing common strategic issues in
organisations and providing tools and frameworks for diagnosing them.

At the end of this module students will be able to:

 Identify a number of common strategic issues in organisations

 Use and select from a number of strategy tools and frameworks to diagnose strategic issues and
predict likely outcomes
 Propose and justify short and medium term solutions to common strategic issues

Topics covered are as follows.

 Business Issues
o Industry life cycles
o Organisation life cycles
 Cultural Issues
o The cultural web
o Culture classifications
 Governance and Political Issues
o Ownership vs Control
o Shareholders vs Stakeholders

Module 4: Interpreting and Analysing the Environment

The aim of this module is to demonstrate how the environment external to an organisation can be
conceptualised, scanned and analysed in order to identify opportunities and threats, and inform both
strategic and operational decision-making.

At the end of this module students will be able to:

 Understand a variety of approaches to identifying and conceptualising issues in in the external

environment
 Conduct analysis of external issues and evaluate opportunities and threats in the environment

Topics covered are as follows.

 The environment – objects vs attributes vs perception

 Scanning and sources of information

H11SD: Developing and Executing Strategy Course Syllabus

  Scenario development and planning
 PEST analysis
 Strategic groups
 Segmentation
 Structural analysis of industries

Module 5: Interpreting and Analysing the Organisation

The aim of this module is provide tools and techniques that can be used to look inside organisations and
identify strengths, weaknesses and sources of competitive advantage.

At the end of this module students will be able to:

 Analyse the internal environment of an organisation using a variety of multidisciplinary tools to

identify sources of competitive advantage
 Propose solutions to internal structural, financial or cultural issues that take advantage of an
organisation’s resources and capabilities

Topics covered are as follows.

 The value chain

 Value systems
 Economies of scale and scope
 Generating synergy
 Financial analysis
 Resources and capabilities analysis
 Dynamic capabilities
 SWOT analysis

Module 6: Generating, Selecting and Evaluating Strategic Options

This module provides students with a taxonomy of strategy options that can be used to generate and
sustain competitive advantage and a variety of methods for selection and evaluation of strategic choices.

At the end of this module students will be able to:

 Describe the hierarchy of strategic options in terms of corporate and business decisions, strategic
directions and methods
 Analyse and evaluate existing company strategies, identify and rectify misalignment
 Propose structured and clearly justified strategic roadmaps for the future and evaluate their
eventual outcomes

Topics covered are as follows.

H11SD: Developing and Executing Strategy Course Syllabus

  Aims and tactics
 Strategic Directions
 Strategy directions
 Strategy methods
 Strategy evaluation

Module 7: Executing Strategy

The aim of this module is to examine how strategy is delivered in practice. Research shows that many
strategies are well-formulated but poorly implemented. This module demonstrates the challenges of
implementation and reviews issues that need to be considered when moving from developing the logic of
strategy to making things happen.

At the end of this module students will be able to:

 Identify implementation challenges in organisations

 Analyse and evaluate strategies for their viability and propose methods of implementation
appropriate for different organisational settings

Topics covered are as follows.

 Strategy execution in practice

 The strategy cycle
 Structures and systems
 Managing change
 Evaluating performance

Assessment

The course is assessed by a three-hour examination, which accounts for 100% of the overall course mark.
The pass mark is 50% and there is no choice in the selection of questions to be answered. The exam is
designed to test your achievement of the learning outcomes listed above.

The examination will be based on a pre-announced company case study, which will be released online two
weeks prior to the examination date. You will be provided with a brief history of a company and some links
to external resources with further information and will be expected to conduct your own independent
research on the company and its activities prior to the examination itself.
You will be permitted to bring one piece of A4 paper into the examination with your own notes.
In the exam you will be asked three questions, each marked out of 100, covering different aspects of company
strategy as follows:
1. Strategy Past and Present: you will be asked to analyse the company’s existing strategy using
appropriate tools and techniques.

H11SD: Developing and Executing Strategy Course Syllabus

 2. Strategy Futures: you will be presented some kind of scenario facing the company and will be
required to develop a coherent and justified strategy for the future.
3. Strategy Theory and Practice: you will be asked a question about some aspect of strategy theory and
will be required to relate this to both your own experience and the situation facing the case study
company.

H11SD: Developing and Executing Strategy Course Syllabus