Degree of Master of Science (120 credits) with a major in Business Administration

Programme aims
This programme aims to equip students with the competencies required to become effective leaders in diverse business contexts (such as different industries and types of organizations) and diverse intercultural settings. The programme emphasizes renewal to successfully meet the rapidly changing challenges of dynamic, globalized markets and competitive environments, while at the same time providing them with the ability to anchor business activities in the local context - thus responding to global and local demands. Consideration is made to socially responsible and ethical management as the way forward into the future.

General aims
Second cycle education shall essentially build on the knowledge students acquire in first cycle education or corresponding knowledge. Second cycle education shall involve a deepening of knowledge, skills and abilities relative to first cycle education and, in addition to what applies to first cycle education, shall

• further develop the students’ ability to independently integrate and use knowledge,
• develop the students’ ability to deal with complex phenomena, issues and situations, and
• develop the students’ potential for professional activities that demand considerable independence or for research and development work.

Programme specific learning goals
Knowledge and Understanding
Graduates of the programme will have a general knowledge and understanding of business administration principles and a specialised and considerably deep knowledge in certain areas of the field.
Corresponding Objectives:

Graduates of the programme will be able to

• demonstrate knowledge and understanding in business administration, including both broad knowledge in the field of business administration and a considerable degree of specialised knowledge of certain areas of the field;
• demonstrate considerably deep insight into current research and development work in global management;
• demonstrate specialised methodological knowledge in business administration and specifically related to global managementt; and
• demonstrate understanding of issues ofglobal management and how they can be interpreted with different theoretical approaches.

Skills and Abilities
Graduates of the programme will have acquired the skills to integrate knowledge critically and systematically and to analyse complex issues encountered for a career that includes management activities, and be effective communicators of activities associated with these skills in a global context.
Corresponding Objectives:

Graduates of the programme will be able to

• demonstrate an ability to integrate knowledge critically and systematically and analyse, assess and deal with complex phenomena, issues and situations associated with global management , even with limited information;
• demonstrate the ability to identify and formulate issues critically, independently and creatively as well as to plan and, using appropriate research methods, undertake advanced tasks within predetermined time frames so as to contribute to the development of knowledge and evaluate this work;
• demonstrate an ability in speech and writing to report clearly on management issues and discuss their conclusions and the knowledge and arguments on which they are based, in dialogue with different national and international audiences; and
• demonstrate the skills required for participation in research and development work or to work independently in other advanced contexts, including in academic research related to global management.

Judgement and Approach
Graduates of the programme will understand the scientific, social, ethical, and personal responsibility aspects of practical work and research in business administration, including the role, use, and development of knowledge and the ethical aspects and possibilities of scientific endeavour.
Corresponding Objectives:

Graduates of the programme will be able to

• demonstrate an ability to make assessments in business administration, taking into account relevant scientific, societal and ethical issues and also demonstrate awareness of ethical aspects in research and development work;
• demonstrate insight into the possibilities and limitations of science/research, its role in society and people's responsibility for how it is used; and
• demonstrate an ability to identify their personal need for further knowledge and to take responsibility for developing their knowledge.

Mission driven

Graduates of the programme will be equipped to contribute to the advancement of business practice in a global environment, with particular emphasis on aspects of Ownership, and/or Entrepreneurship and/or Renewal.
Corresponding Objectives:

Graduates of the programme will be able to:

• solve problems and exercise leadership skills in a global environment and diverse intercultural settings.
• demonstrate in-depth knowledge about management of business renewal.
• explain how different forms of ownership affect management processes.

The above is in accordance with the intended learning outcomes set for a two-year master's degree in the Swedish Higher Education Ordinance and JIBS mission.

The master’s programme Global Management (Two Years) provides a deepening education in the field of business administration for those already holding a bachelor´s degree and having a substantial amount of business administration education in their undergraduate studies.

The programme provides its students with special skills to successfully meet the rapidly changing challenges of dynamic, globalized markets and competitive environments, while at the same time providing them with the ability to anchor business activities in the local context - thus responding to global and local demands.

The programme is designed to equip students with the competencies required to become effective leaders in diverse business contexts (such as different industries and types of organizations) and diverse intercultural settings. Consideration is made to socially responsible and ethical management as the way forward into the future.

The programme starts the course Managing Responsibly for Corporate Sustainability develops a comprehensive understanding of and current discourses on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and related issues. The course builds on previous courses and emphasizes "responsible in action" by translating the meaning of CSR and its different aspects into management practice and strategy in international contexts suitable for the students` future professional careers.

In parallel, the course Advanced Leadership builds on a set of theoretical perspectives about leadership covering key themes from sociology and psychology such as power, identity, strategy, change, crisis, gender, and ethics in order to foster professional and personal responsibilities as a leader in a global context.

Taking a strategic turn from the first two leadership courses, students then take the course Global Strategy, which aims to introduce students to the complexity of the modern business environment. The course emphasizes the dynamic and connected nature of modern business, noting the interaction of international firms with contemporary trends – and the interplay of trends with one another. Students are provided with tools to identify and analyse trends and are given the opportunity to conduct a deeper study of a particular issue or set of issues.

In parallel, the course Advanced Research Methods in Global Management adds knowledge and skills for scientific investigations. The course includes both qualitative and quantitative research methods to prepare students for their master thesis projects as well as more generally for the task of creating new knowledge as well as to collect and evaluate information.

In the second semester, students will take the course Managing a Multinational, which focuses on issues surrounding the operationalisation of strategies introduced in the preceding Global Strategy course. Students will be tasked with analysing and proposing solutions to real life business cases on contemporary challenges and opportunities in multinational organizations from both subsidiary and head office perspectives.

In parallel, the course Corporate Entrepreneurship and Strategic Renewal picks up on the challenges of strategic and organizational change. It introduces the topic of entrepreneurship in established organizations, both in terms of state-of-the-art research findings and of a course project conducted for a company in need of business renewal and of reviving its entrepreneurial spirit.

Students will then take the course Global Marketing Management, which takes marketing management principles into the global context by integrating theoretical foundations of marketing management and practical application through company-based projects.

The course Family Business Development is studied in parallel, which draws on the world-class research conducted at JIBS’ Centre of Family Enterprise and Ownership (CeFEO). It introduces aspects of strategic entrepreneurship in family-owned and owner-managed companies, the predominant type of companies in most countries worldwide.

In the second year, the programme aims to further deepen the students’ competencies in business administration, focusing on developing their analytical skills and requiring more independent and critical research in the area of management.

The third semester consists of 30 elective credits and gives the opportunity for students to build a custom-made profile in composition of course package and choice of university. The recommendation is to select master level courses within the specialisation, but some complimentary topics might be relevant given students’ personal preferences and career plans. Students should choose courses within the fields of business administration, economics, statistics, economic geography, commercial law, informatics, and language. For international exchange, students choose the courses at a partner university in coordination with JIBS faculty, and accreditation of the courses is also conducted by JIBS faculty. An option to international exchange is to stay at JIBS during the third semester with the same limitation on types of courses as there are for students studying abroad. The elective semester at JIBS can include an academic internship of 7.5 or 15 credits as part of the course package. These internship activities provide further relevant practical insights and are complemented throughout with guided academic reflections relating the activities to relevant readings to advance the students in becoming reflective practitioners.

The fourth and last semester consists of a 30-credit thesis course. The thesis in business administration should cover a topic of global management. All courses of the programme provide deep theoretical knowledge and contemporary research findings but in various ways also connect this to practice such as through guest lecturers from industry, study visits, live cases, and projects.

All courses are taught in English. Since Jönköping International Business School (JIBS) has an exchange programme including many partner universities, and the fact that this master´s programme and a number of other master’s programmes at JIBS are open to students from around the world, the courses have a diverse international participation of students. The international atmosphere is reinforced with international subject matter in this programme, in particular, management in an international environment and management challenges in response to globalization.

The education is meant to prepare the students for management positions that require responses to globalization and that require interactions in very diverse environments. The education is also meant to prepare students for research in management, possibly within doctoral studies.

Course Name	Credits	Main field of study	Specialised in	Course Code
Advanced Leadership	7.5	Business Administration	A1N	MGSR23
Advanced Research Methods in Global Management	7.5	Business Administration	A1N	JRGR26
Corporate Entrepreneurship and Strategic Renewal	7.5	Business Administration	A1N	JCER27
Family Business Development	7.5	Business Administration	A1N	JFBR21
Global Marketing Management	7.5	Business Administration	A1N	JGLR22
Global Strategy	7.5	Business Administration	A1N	JGSR21
Managing a Multinational	7.5	Business Administration	A1N	JMUR23
Managing Responsibly for Corporate Sustainability	7.5	Business Administration	A1N	JMSR20
Master Thesis in Business Administration (Two Years)	30	Business Administration	A2E	JMBV27

Course Name	Credits	Main field of study	Specialised in	Course Code
Advanced Supply Chain Management 1 1	7.5	Business Administration	A1N	JA1R26
Advanced Supply Chain Management 2: Integration and Alliances 1	7.5	Business Administration	A1F	JA2S26
Entrepreneurship in Context 1	7.5	Business Administration	A1N	JEXR23
Marketing Communications in a Digital World 1	7.5	Business Administration	A1N	JMCR22

1) For all 2-year master programmes, in the autumn of the 2nd year students have options for courses either at JIBS or through exchange. The elective courses noted during this period are default courses at JIBS if the students do not participate in exchange, academic internship or actively select other courses. The default courses at the optional semester are subject to change.