International Master s Programme in Business and Technology

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1 International Master s Programme in Business and Technology The Course Programme in more Detail The contents of 8 study modules are presented in detail below to give an overview of the courses. Introduction to Business and Business Communication This module introduces students to international business environment and business communication, and helps the transition from the engineering world to the management world. The module consists of the following courses: Basics of Industrial Management Business English Speech Communication and Negotiation Skills Finnish for Beginners The programme starts with a two-week intensive course providing students with an overview of management and leadership in today s international, technology-driven business world. The aim is to ensure that students have a holistic view on business management forming a good starting point for other courses. Business English further enhances students understanding on business terminology and business discourse. The interdisciplinary nature of the more advanced courses and the strong collaboration within the teachers also enhance student s English skills. English is an important tool for managers and the courses also prepare students for managerial discourse. In line with business English, speech communication and negotiation skills are important skills for every manager. In order to help students settle in Finland, students are required to take one Finnish course. However, many students end up continuing their studies it is easier to build personal networks and understand the Finnish society with some basic Finnish skills. However, the programme emphasizes fluent business English.

2 Managing Global Customer-Supplier Relationships One customer-supplier relationship has two parties: the buyer and the seller. To manage such relationships successfully, both parties have to understand the needs of the other. This is why our programme integrates sourcing and marketing management into one programme. This module forms the core of our programme and includes the following courses: Managing Operative Sales and Sourcing in Global B2B Markets Supply Chain Management Business Market Management Managerial Finance for Sales and Sourcing Logistics Strategies and Outsourcing Business in Networks INTOPIA Business Simulation Game This module starts with basic level courses on sales and sourcing management to ensure that our students have both theoretical and practical understanding on operative B2B purchase-delivery processes. The courses then evolve into more advanced-level courses on sales and marketing as well as sourcing management. Management of Innovation course integrates technology sourcing and industrial marketing to the product development processes sales and sourcing are both very important areas when developing product and service packages attractive to customers. Managers today work through numbers and, hence, managers need to be financially literate. Some of the above courses also link financial issues to the management and development of sales and sourcing processes both at operative and strategic levels. Managerial finance is also embedded in many other courses of our programme! The programme culminates in INTOPIA Business Simluation Game, in which students spend four weeks managing their own companies and doing business with each other. This course provides students with the opportunity to combine all the management knowledge they have gained during their studies in a business game!

3 Technology Management in Global Business Networks The special emphasis on technology-driven environment means that it is important to understand how different technologies or products create customer value and how new business models are changing the ways companies do business. The different practices and tools for technology management and product development processes are essential virtues for any manager with engineering background. This will be enhanced from managerial perspective through the following courses: Technology Management Management of Innovations Technology Strategy In today s global business environment, to manage product and market development, it is important to understand and analyze the evolutionary patterns of different technologies, technology diffusion to new markets and market segments as well as social shaping of technology. New technologies are created by people and, hence, the development process is impacted by peoples opinions, beliefs and prejudices making the process complex to manage. Furthermore, technologies and solutions used in one area are impacting technologies in other areas and, therefore, managers need to have systemic view on technology and its development HD televisions would be useless without HD movies!

4 Business Information Management Information is power! Managers need relevant and up-to-date information to make decisions. Furthermore, successful innovations whether related to business concepts, markets or products are increasingly based on acquiring new knowledge or analyzing existing information in innovative ways. This is why our students will take the following courses on knowledge and information management: Basics of Information and Knowledge Management Management Information Systems This module ensures that students are able to analyze information and knowledge management both from the business and technology perspectives and acknowledge the significance of information and knowledge management to the organizations and information society in general. These courses emphasize the management perspective on the role different information systems play in organizational settings and how they support and add value to different managerial activities. Sometimes very simple, yet novel, analyses based on some data mining or even existing information can provide young managers with significant informal power within business organizations.

5 Business Competence and Leadership Skills in Multi-Cultural Context Every organization appreciates people with leadership skills. However, leadership can mean at least two things. First, it refers to the fact that a leader is able to identify targets and objectives for the organization. Second, it refers to the capabilities to make other people work for the common goal. Business development professionals have even more challenging work. They develop targets for their own organization but, in addition to the people within their organization, they also have to influence the people working for their customers or suppliers. To ensure successful career in business development, the knowledge on marketing and sourcing strategies must be complemented with a wide variety of perspectives on management and leadership. This will be done through some more general management and leadership courses: Strategic Management Corporate Organizations and Leadership Management of Project Business Strategic management teaches our students the basic tools to analyze the business environment and the tools managers can use when identifying targets and objectives. Corporate organization and leadership skills, on the other hand, gives students tools to lead people. Business Management Cases, then, is a larger entity connecting these two areas together. This course is an inter-disciplinary management course connecting the different management areas together, preparing students for the INTOPIA business simulation game and real world.

6 Research Methodology and Reporting Skills Our MSc programme includes Master s Thesis and students are, therefore, prepared for it. Master s Thesis requires basic understanding on scientific research. However, scientific research, in the end, is wellconsidered argumentation (both written and oral) based on systematic data gathering. Interestingly, argumentation and systematic problem solving are very important virtues also in the management world! Our programme includes two courses focusing on research methods and writing skills: Academic Writing and Research Methodologies in Management Sciences I Academic Writing and Research Methodologies in Management Sciences II The first course focuses on building or research reports and the use of existing literature, with the special emphasis on development of conceptual frameworks suitable for analyzing different managerial problems and issues. Despite the focus on literature research, many of the topics students write their research papers on are actually given by companies and students work on these issues together with the managers. The latter course focuses on practice-oriented, empirical research. The company projects provide empirical material that is used for the research papers written as a part of this course, making the process itself very similar to the one of writing a Master s Thesis. The best papers of both courses are published in our publication series (Select Graduate Papers) and used as teaching material. In addition to preparing student for their Master s Thesis work, these courses are important to make students familiar with writing reports that help them sell their ideas within business organizations. Fluent writing (reports, s ) is an important tool for managers to get their things done, especially in larger organizations and business networks.

7 Optional Studies A student can freely select courses depending on their interests to complete the degree. Courses may include additional management studies, language courses or technical courses, depending on student s personal interests. TUT has also very good collaboration with University of Tampere and, students are also able to choose some of their courses to complement their degree. Master s Thesis To complete the Master s Degree in Technology, students are required to write a Master s Thesis. It is a comprehensive study written individually after finishing all the courses in the programme. The topic of the thesis is related to the students major subject. A Master's thesis may be a theoretical or an empirical study, it usually combines theory with practical data analysis. Most of the students at TUT write their Master's Thesis for a company. This kind of collaboration with companies gives students valuable experience in testing their skills in an empirical environment, as well as the opportunity to expand their social and professional network. Collaboration can be very fruitful as it often gives students an opportunity to get an employment after graduation.