Executive Education

This module is designed to introduce students to the key concepts in business strategy.

On successful completion of this module students will

• have an in-depth knowledge of strategy;
• be able to conduct a strategic analysis of an organisation, its environment, and its future strategic options;
• understand the fundamentals of formulating an international strategy;
• appreciate some of the key issues associated with strategy implementation;
• critically evaluate current theory and practice on strategy.

Every organisation needs a plan and shared understanding to survive and get to the next level.  Successful organisations build and manage this through the development of a strategy.  This course is designed to introduce managers to the key concepts in business strategy and how it is central to capturing value within organisations.  The course will provide you with an understanding of the fundamentals of strategy and its practical application in a range of different contexts. The development of strategic awareness skills to create and capture value will applied be throughout the course and will form the building blocks for participants to identify how their organisational should be positioned in the context of the global economy.

Day 1  Introduction to Strategy and the tools and frameworks used by managers to examine organisational positioning within its  environment.

Day 2      Key concepts of strategic capability, purpose and choice will be examined in the context of creating and capturing value for the organisation.

Day 3      The implementation of strategy will explored and will consider the impact of the international influences on performance.

Dates: 31 January, 28 February, 21 March, 11^th April

This module aims to enable students to develop knowledge and understanding of individual and group behaviour within organisations, and the core areas of Human Resource Management, and to be able to apply this knowledge and understanding in a range of organisational settings.

Effective managers are not only effective in their use of economic and technical resources,

but also in their management of people. In order to operate effectively, it is important that

managers develop knowledge and understanding of the organisational context, the

foundations of individual behaviour, and relationships between the two. Equipped with this

understanding, and given that many aspects of people management are increasingly being

devolved from Human Resource (HR) specialists to line managers, it is also important that

line managers have the necessary skills to analyse HR issues and implement solutions to

HR problems.

The aim of this programme is to enable managers to acquire knowledge and understanding of

the organisational context, the foundations of individual and group behaviour in the

workplace and the core areas of Human Resource Management (HRM), and to be able to

apply this knowledge and understanding in a range of organisational settings

Day 1 Focuses on the context organisational behaviour and how effective managers can recognise and respond to individual differences fostering high level of motivation within organisations.

Day 2 Leading and managing employees is a challenging yet rewarding role. This session will highlight the different leadership approaches and how to construct, develop and manage effective teams. The session will also focus on practical ways to manage conflict and challenging negotiations within the workplace.

Day 3 Engaging and developing employees is a vital part of the modern workplace. This session will focus on methods used by managers to create a culture to support and develop engaged and high performing employees.

Dates:

In a time of extraordinary uncertainty and exceptional turbulence, the pace of change is bringing new and serious levels of confusion and stress for the leaders of businesses both small and large.

This course focuses on the concept of purpose driven leadership originating in the Harvard Business School with a distinct focus on SMEs (small to medium-sized enterprises) and the improvement in business performance and growth.

• Understand the skillset required to navigate the challenges of leading a business today
• Explore the impact of leadership purpose for business
• See an improvement in professional and personal leadership ability and confidence
• Learn from successful local leaders who have successfully grown their business
• Engage in professional development action planning for future business impact

Professor Karise Hutchinson is author of “Leadership Development for Small Business: The Power of Storytelling” and an affiliate member of the Core Leadership Institute in Harvard.  As a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute, she uses her passion and experience of working with SME business leaders for over 15 years as well as her track record of teaching Masters and MBA level to bring new knowledge and skills to the leaders of SMEs in Northern Ireland.

Day 1:  Leading today
Understanding the challenges of leading on local and global levels
Exploring the correlation between leadership capability and performance (biology and neuroscience perspective with coaching workshop)

Day 2: Purpose driven leadership and growth
Connecting with the why of leading your business
Harnessing the power of storytelling

Day 3:  Learning to lead
Learning from leaders who have grown their business from start-up to success
Engaging in ‘whitespace’ and planning for impact

This module will give you the knowledge and skills to be an effective leader.

You will consider the key theories of leadership and consider their application in the context of leading organisational change.

The future prosperity of advanced economies depends on the ability of their organisations to fully understand what makes their leaders and managers effective and how they might try to develop leadership and management skills and talents. Issues relevant to the changing nature of management and leadership skills required in an era of discontinuous change are examined in this short course. Ultimately this course will equip participants with the leadership skills to take their learning into the organisation and lead change effectively.

The aim of the course is to provide participants with insight on their leadership style and the approaches they may use to manage and lead change and ultimately become more skilled leaders. Participants will be given the opportunity to understand how they can become better leaders and develop skills to allow them to lead themselves and others towards successful outcomes.

The course aims to integrate theory and practice by drawing on relevant theory and connecting it with leaders and managers in a range of case study organisations. In addition participants will discuss the different types of leaders and managers they have encountered.

It is now well recognised that new challenges in the world of business are bringing new and

serious levels of confusion and stress to the leaders of organisations. In a time of

extraordinary uncertainty and exceptional turbulence, successful businesses whether big or

small require all of the leader’s capacity, as well as the shared responsibility of the whole

team to survive and grow. Leadership, defined by many as “the perennial issue in business”

is a challenge that never seems to go away, so it is critical that students are equipped with

the knowledge and understanding to lead with skill in an ever-changing global business

environment.

Day 1      The ‘What’ of Leadership

This session starts with the evolution of leadership and the importance of transformational leadership development.

Day 2      The ‘Why’ of Leadership

The impact of leadership is critical to successful organisations and this session will explore the method used by leaders to connect with purpose, cause and belief.

Day 3      The ‘How’ Of Leadership

The final session examines that building blocks of effective leadership, from unlocking patterns of thinking to communicating through the power of storytelling to effect real change in organisations adapting to dynamic cultural, political and economic dimensions.

Dates: 01 February, 01 March, 22 March, 12 April*

The core activity of any organisation is its operations and organisational performance is determined by the quality of operations management. This course focuses on the decisions that managers need to take with regard to operations management; these include designing the appropriate operation for the business, planning and controlling operations activities and managing operational performance.

In the dynamic environment in which businesses operate the importance of business improvement cannot be ignored.

Customer focus through streamlining of value chains is imperative.

It presents challenges in terms of how we classify, relate to and manage the internal and external chain of customers.

The ability to remove costs, optimise value creation, understand the competencies, and effectively reconfigure the organisation in the context of a continuous improvement philosophy is crucial.

The core activity of any organisation is its operations, and organisational performance is determined by the quality of operations management. This short-course focuses on the decisions that managers need to take with regard to operations management; and these include designing the appropriate operation for the business, planning & controlling operations activities and managing operational performance.

Day 1      Project management is a key focus of this session and particular focus will be given to the importance of reconciling operations management with the overall business strategy.

Day 2      This session will examine key techniques used by managers to ensure effective operations management using a process-based approach, process analysis and design, capacity management and understanding the impact of variability.

Day 3      The final day will focus on the importance of inventory management, systems dynamics, quality management, lean operations to ensure operational excellence and business improvement.

Dates: 31 January, 28 February, 21 March, 11th April

This module aims to provide students with an understanding of digital transformation in a range of organisational contexts.

On successful completion of the module, a student will be able to:

• assess how digital technologies can disrupt industries by transforming industry value chains, patterns of demand and competitive pressures;
• understand how digital technologies and frameworks can be applied in a digital transformation strategy;
• understand the organisational and people capabilities required to support and implement a digital transformation strategy; and
• critically evaluate current practice and theory on digital transformation.

This introductory module in executive coaching and mentoring affords participants the opportunity to further their knowledge and understanding of the coaching, mentoring and other associated literature.

They will also be guided in a process of exploring themselves and their motivations and creating a personal development agenda to assist them to become reflective coach/mentor practitioners.

This applied module focuses on the importance of understanding and analysing the key determinants for international competitiveness.

Viewed from the strategic management process, the module will provide holistic view of the topic with applied experiential learning opportunities focusing on the importance of key stakeholder collaborations to drive and sustain competitiveness at a firm, industry, regional and national level.

This exciting new short course is concerned not only with government policy but also with the roles that firms, industry associations, universities, and other institutions play in competitiveness. In modern international competition, each of these institutions has an important role that is constantly shifting as a result of the dynamic business environment. Moreover, the process of creating and sustaining an economic strategy for a nation or region is a daunting challenge. The course explores not only theory and policy, but also the organisational structures, institutional structures, and change processes required for sustained improvements in competitiveness.

This short course has been developed in association with Harvard Business School and is closely based on the Harvard Business School Microeconomics of Competitiveness (MOC) module. Elements of the MOC module form the basis of this one, but additionally, a strong regional perspective has been incorporated using a range of experienced and expert guest speakers to show clearly how the theoretical concepts can underpin and inform the practical application.

This Marketing module focuses on the challenges management faces in developing and implementing both a marketing philosophy and successful marketing programmes.

The critical importance of marketing arises from its role as the boundary function between the organisation and the marketplace.

Changes in the market require changes from the company; changes made by the company create changes in the market.

Marketing is concerned with managing this ever-changing relationship.

Ulster University Business School has partnered with Digital DNA to create a course, Digital Ready Leaders, that blends together academic models and practical industry intuition from some of the sharpest, most successful business minds. The Digital Ready Leaders course is recognised as a leading qualification with the opportunity to learn while you work in a tailored programme suited to professionals.

A Unique Approach
Digital Ready Leaders offers a unique opportunity to gain comprehensive insight from industry experts alongside academic theory. This blended learning allows students to diversify their experience by seeing firsthand how businesses implement digital technology in their workplace. A range of theory based classes and visits to digital ready organisations helps you realise the opportunities technology can bring to your own organisation.

The mini MBA has been designed for those in decision making positions who may have no formal business or management qualification, but who would like to acquire a broad knowledge of business functions.
The overall aim of the mini MBA is to educate individuals as managers and business specialists, adding value through an integrated and critical understanding of management and organisations, and developing those transferable and intellectual skills that are essential for successful general and strategic management in both private and public sector organisations.  Subject areas covered on the course are:

Days 1 & 2 People and Leadership

• Leadership
• People and Performance
• Coaching

Day 3 Accounting and Finance

Day3 will cover a wide range of business and finance topics including understanding the language used in business finance, financial statements, cash flow, cash versus profit, interpreting the numbers, the role of audit, insolvency, costing and much more.   Delivered by accountants with business experience along with practical examples and business simulations, Day 3 will leave you with the confidence not only to understand the financials but to interpret them and ask the right questions.

Day 4 Innovation

Subject areas covered include:

• Drivers of Innovation
• Types of innovation
• 4 Ps of innovation
• The Innovation Matrix
• Impact of Innovation
• Future of Innovation

Day 5 Strategy & Change

This day will introduce models of strategy and how organisations successfully implement change policies in order to achieve their intended strategic direction.

• Understand and practice basic strategic analysis tools
• Understand why businesses fail
• Be aware of the hurdles when making strategic choices
• Practice implementing strategy