The CASS Master of Business Administration (MBA) Program

Program objective

With the increasing globalization of markets coupled with the information revolution more and more companies are becoming acutely aware of the importance of efficient management of change as the basis for competitive advantage in the global marketplace. The CASS MBA is a rigorous academic program of study aimed at preparing graduates to assume positions of responsibility at both the middle and upper management levels. The program is offered jointly with IAE Business School, University of Nice-Sopia Antipolis, France. This two year (four-semester) full-time program is designed with an international and multi-cultural perspective in mind. The working language is English and it aims to draw participants from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds across the globe. Successful completion of the program requires 120 European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) credits. Each semester of study amounts to 30 ECTS credits. Participants who have successfully completed all the requirements of the program will be awarded the MBA degree by the University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis, France. A description of the admission requirements, program structure, curriculum, and courses is provided below.

Admission requirements

To be admitted to the program applicants must fulfill the following criteria:

• Hold a Bachelor's degree (in any field) or an equivalent qualification.
• Have a minimum of two years professional work experience. Applicants who do not have the requisite professional work experience but on the other hand show strong evidence of academic promise (as demonstrated by the level of grades obtained in their undergraduate and/or postgraduate degree programs) will also be considered for admission.
• Have an excellent command of the English language (both written and spoken). For non-native speakers we require acceptable levels of language tests such as TOEFL (550), IELT (6.0 or above) or equivalent tests.

Program structure

• Complete all the required courses in the first and second year of the program
• Choose one Major area and complete all the required and elective courses
• Complete a research project in the first year of the program
• Submit and orally defend the MBA research project in the final year of the program.

Faculty

Faculty of the MBA program includes:

• Faculty of CASS Europe
• Faculty of partner universities
• Affiliate international faculty and experts
• Professionals from the world of business and industry.

Program curriculum

First Year Courses

Second Year Courses + Electives

Course description

Marketing Management

The module introduces the basic concepts and practices of modern marketing as applied in a wide variety of settings, including: product and service firms, consumer and business markets, profit and non-profit organizations, domestic, international, and global firms, as well as small, medium sized, and large businesses. A practical and managerial approach to marketing is adopted throughout the course. Cases are used throughout the module in order to illustrate managerial relevance. Topics covered include: the nature of marketing, the environment of marketing; marketing, understanding the relation between marketing and strategy, society and ethical behavior, marketing strategy, global competition and international marketing strategy, consumer behavior, industrial purchasing and buyer behavior, market segmentation, targeting, and positioning strategies, market communication and promotion strategy.

Strategic Management

The basic objectives are to provide students with a better understanding of strategic business decisions, and to help them to develop the competencies necessary for an active role in the strategy process. In this regard the principles and practice of Strategic management are addressed in the course. Unlike other courses that focus primarily on the functional aspect of a company’s operations, Strategic Management assumes a much broader perspective. The focus is on the company, its industry and competitive environment, its long-term direction and strategy, its resources and capabilities, and its prospects for success. In this module, the basic concepts and tools of strategic analysis will be presented in an integrated approach and applied to real business contexts.

Managerial Economics

The module is designed to integrate economic theory and management science so as to provide a practical approach to management decision-making in both the private and public sectors of the economy. The module allows the student, the future manager, to be acquainted with the basic concepts of economic thinking while at the same time providing him/her with a practical approach to management decision-making. Topics covered include: the methodology of economic analysis, the nature of managerial economics and behavior of the firm, optimization techniques in the decision environment, demand, production and cost, profit planning and control, output and price decisions in different market structures, and the economic role of government.

Managerial Accounting

The course is an introduction to terminology, concepts, problem solving, and techniques in Accounting and Finance. Important areas to be discussed include: understanding financial statements, basic analysis of financial statements, budgeting, working capital management, capital budgeting, long-term debts, and capital funding. The course introduces financial management theories and practices, and designed to provide students with the analytical tools and techniques used in financial accounting as applied to complex business situations.

Organizational Behavior

The aim of the course is to help the student develop an integrated approach to organization. A related, and equally important, objective is to help students think logically and clearly about problems of organization and strategic change, and to develop their ability to constantly improve their skills as a consequence of accumulated experience. At the end of this course it is expected that every student will be able to function at the leading edge of practice in organization design. The course is organized into three segments covering: fundamental perspectives on organizational design, managing change in organizational design, future forms, current issues and applications.

Operations Management

The module introduces operations as a functional area of management and helps the student understand the link with other functional areas of the firm. Participants will learn about the acquisition and allocation of resources to support the production and delivery of goods and services. Both manufacturing and service sectors are covered in the module. Topics covered include: Understanding the context and challenges of operations management, contemporary issues in operations management, total quality management, lean production management, Just-in-time approaches and business process re-engineering, case studies.

Human Resources Management

The overall goal of this module is to prepare the manager to utilize the human assets of the organization in a manner that maximizes his/her contributions to organizational performance. Emphasis will be placed on understanding differences and similarities of individuals and a variety of groups, with careful examination of individual and group values, attitudes, and behaviors. Equipped with this understanding, the manager should be able to operate comfortably and successfully in today's complex workplace. Emphasis will be placed on the international and multicultural dimensions of HRM.

International Business Law

The course provides an overview of the most important treaties and laws (e.g.. anti trust), including both US and Europe. It gives an insight into the main international contract law issues, basics and relevant issues for international managers. Gives an overview of corporate laws, discusses different types of legal entities and their establishment Other themes address include: the basics of contract, Product liability, transport regulations, competition issues, specific contracts for software, patent and know how; Main features of employment contracts and related HR issues, and the establishment of company subsidiaries in different geographical regions of the world.

Global Information and International Marketing

The course focuses on the alignment of the firm’s international marketing strategy and its information technology strategy in order to maximize its Organizational Learning and Knowledge Management abilities at the global level. Topics addressed include : the scope and challenges of international marketing, information technology as enabler of successful international marketing, the international business environment, the impact of culture on international marketing, assessing international market opportunities, developing international marketing strategies, the role of information systems and technology in successful international marketing.

Intercultural Management

The course is aimed at stimulating the intercultural sensitivity, understanding and managing cultural differences in international business. The following topics will be addressed: principles of cultures and mentalities, fundamental elements of intercultural management, working in an international context, getting to know international cultures.

Corporate Development

The course focuses on the following topics: Measurement of corporate success, responsibility of the corporate officers for corporate development, Shareholders relations, the corporate plan, the development plan, different forms of development, in-house organization of development, development strategy, use and management of outside advisers, company evaluation, negotiation, and post-acquisition management.

Entrepreneurship in the Global Market

The objective of the course is to understand the world of entrepreneurship and its impact on the global economy. The course aims at aiding the student understand the nature and management of entrepreneurship. The following topics will be thoroughly dealt with in the course: the impact of the entrepreneur in the world of business, entrepreneurship and management, description of some strategies of entrepreneurs, practical cases and exercises.

Global Information and B2B Marketing

The core of a successful business-to-business (B-to-B) marketing operation is an understanding of what constitutes value to the customer, creating and delivering that value and managing relations with both supplier and customer. The course examines B-to-B marketing issues within the European and international environments focusing on the contribution of e-enabled aspects of these activities. Specifically, the course shall address issues related to marketing strategy and planning, organizations as customers, strategic analysis of industry and markets, market and marketing research and intelligence, selecting a business market and managing the business product portfolio. All of these issues are addressed with the strategic aim of establishing a sustainable, profitable competitive advantage in a business marketing world increasingly subject to the forces of globalization.

Innovation and Change management in Global Business

Managers must have a deep understanding of how innovation works, and how people interact with changed circumstances. Implementation of new ideas, new strategies and new technology is one of the most complex of any organization’s tasks. This course introduces the student to the perspective of innovation and change in the modern information age. It highlights the tools and techniques necessary to ensure success when bringing new processes and different strategies into an organization.

International Business

The course presents selected topics in International Business. Topics covered include: the nature and scope of international business, the framework for international transactions, global business strategy, and multinational operations management.

Global e-Business

Electronic commerce and supporting technologies are evolving at such rapid pace that it is difficult to comprehend the basic principles fuelling this revolution. As a result, many managers are unclear on how their companies can survive and thrive in this new global cyber-environment. Recently, a number of business ventures and some transformations of traditional processes have been shedding more light on best practices, possibilities, and opportunities in e-business and electronic trading. The course will introduce participants to the recent developments in this field thus providing them with an in-depth understanding of the business opportunities as well as the strategic and management issues that companies face in the e-world. More specifically, the course will analyze the impact of electronic commerce on business and marketplace transformation in the global market environment.

Managing People in the Information Age

A key to successful leadership in any organization involves managing people. And with the increasing globalization of markets coupled with the advent of modern information technology successful managing of human resources becomes the key to success. Successful management of human resources involves a variety of activities such as: deciding on your staff needs, how to fill these positions within budget, recruiting, orienting and training employees, and ensuring they perform well. HR management also includes managing employee benefits and compensation, employee records, legal issues and relations with unions. All of these issues will be addressed in this course within the overall context of the information age.

Market Oriented Leadership

The course is an in-depth, integrative study of selected topics in leadership. These include: negotiation and conflict management, human resources policies and procedures, project management and performance measurement. Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to: present theories of negotiation and conflict management, compare and contrast human resources policies, define, initiate, and implement a plan for project management, initiate, implement, and evaluate a plan for performance management, apply appropriate written and oral skills, technology and ethical leadership skills in organizational settings.

Global Supply Chain Management

The course addresses the strategic aspects of purchasing and supply chain management with a particular focus on the global business environment. Topics covered include: approaches to strategic management, relationship between corporate strategy and purchasing and supply chain management strategy, strategic management of quality and materials flow, strategic management of costs and added value, strategic management of supplier relationships, developments in strategic purchasing and supply chain management practice.

Managing Innovation in Supply Chain Networks

Despite the fact that companies have, for some time now, realized that the future is as much about supply chain collaboration as it is about competition, most companies focus their supply chain collaboration on production rather than innovation. This module identifies the potential benefits as well as the risks associated with involving, or ‘partnering’ with suppliers and customers for innovative projects. Adopting a network approach to ‘partnering’, it identifies the critical success factors for managing the involvement of entire networks of suppliers and customers in innovation. It highlights a set of key processes that companies can apply to manage their networks of suppliers and customers in innovation, exploring appropriate strategies for effectively capitalizing on suppliers’ and customers’ competencies and technologies.

Global Logistics and Operations Management

The concept of integrated operations management and logistics is introduced in this module as a key process for success in the international business environment. The objective is to acquaint the student with the use of logistics management theory and techniques for analyzing and controlling global manufacturing and operations management systems. The module examines information systems technology that supports modern supply chain operations at the global level including: planning systems, management executions systems, and transaction processing systems used in the creation and delivery of goods and services. Project management tools used for systems implementation and the integration of processes, systems, organizations and enterprise strategy will be covered in the module. Similarly, integrated functions of global logistics within the supply chain such as transportation, warehousing, materials handling, packaging, inventory control, customer service and logistics information system will be studied.

Total Quality Management in Global Business

The course examines the concept of Total Quality Management (TQM) in the modern organization and assesses the role of information technology in effectively implementing a TQM strategy in the global market. The aim is to familiarize the student with quality philosophy, techniques and application in a modern enterprise. Topics covered include: fundamentals of TQM, customer-oriented product development, quality management systems. The student will be able to learn the various tools of TQM such as quality functions development, cost effective design, as well the cost of quality, Keizen, process management, ISO 9001:2000, case studies.

Information Systems for Management

The course examines the current techniques and practice of effective information systems management in the global marketplace. Analysis of emerging technologies with application to business processes is thoroughly examined. The course also looks at the role of management in effectively implementing a management information systems strategy in the organization. The course also reviews the range and impact of information systems and technology that are used in business, followed by a focus on end-user systems to support management decisions. Each topic is accompanied with a set of hands-on practice problems illustrating typical business applications.

Innovation and Technology Management

The course addresses fundamental issues in the management of information technology. Students will learn how to identify, acquire and implement new information technology to sustain an organization’s competitive strategy. Participants will also learn how to plan IT options to address important competitive needs of the organization. Other themes covered include: market driven and technology driven product development, risk management, successful leadership models, effective IT management techniques and styles, team approaches to problem solving, competitive analysis and distribution strategies within the market place.

MBA Research Project

The research project represents a total of 8 ECTS credits. Participants are free to choose the theme of their research project as long as this is within their area of concentration. The project is completed in the last semester of the program. It must be based on either a company consultancy assignment of three months or an internship of a similar duration in an organization. The project is to be defended in front of a panel comprising faculty members from CASS and the University of Nice, France.