The Global Strategy unit provides the opportunity to understand the principles of strategic management and apply these principles within the twin contexts of a global competitive environment and the innovative forces that are re-defining the fashion organisation. In considering these the unit will provide tools and perspectives available to organise analysis, identify strategic challenges, and design an organisational response. These issues will be explored through a global lens, where diversities within cultural, legal and operational still exist, and where technology could disrupt existing organisational convention. The unit will engage with these issues using case studies, input from key speakers, and from your own business perspectives.
The Strategic Financial Management unit introduces candidates to the financial aspects of running a business and how the management of various forms of capital is critical in the formulation of successful strategies. It is important to trace different kinds of decisions from the strategic to the operational by reviewing and being able to interpret financial statements, budgets and the impact that these different decisions may have on the financial bottom line. You will examine how finance and accounting interact and learn how to tackle the main financial problems you may encounter. You will also be able to understand and analyse the accounts of different fashion companies.
The Product Portfolio Management unit reflects that fashion products are by nature cyclical, subject to trends and wider socio-economical influences. Yet a fashion company needs to manage the creation of a product line in a strategic way that transcends short-term fluctuations and reflects a conscious longer-term direction. In parallel to this, the complex nature of the fashion industry is explored to re-define ways in which we create and develop fashion using flexible collaborative networks for global markets. The unit explores how 'Product' (be it an entirely new design concept, the development of a whole range or even a service), needs to be created in a manner that is congruent with corporate objectives and values, whilst fashion ranges can be viewed as a portfolio of investments yielding varying returns according to desirability and demand.
The Strategic Branding & Marketing Management unit critically examines the main principles of brand management within a global fashion context. In conjunction with an understanding of the fundaments of consumer behaviour, you will have the opportunity to view the fields of branding and marketing in a holistic manner, examining them both from a strategic and operational perspective. Broader corporate objectives need to be aligned with market positioning and branding strategies, so that they maximise performance by using resources effectively. You will have the opportunity to explore the interdependence and impact of these factors on business performance via the use of case studies, analysis of theoretical frameworks and discussions with industry practitioners.
The Innovative Business Management unit reviews how businesses innovate in the management of the paradoxical relationship between wealth creation and the wider societal context. Within a complex global economy, issues of ownership, control and accountability provide the context for corporate governance. This vital element of business organisation aligns interests of various stakeholders, such as shareholders, management, employees and external partners, to ensure that interests are expressed, aligned and reconciled. These stakeholder relationships are more than an economic exchange. They must also consider social and political interests in people management, legal frameworks and environmental sustainability.
The Global Supply Chain & Distribution unit explores vertical integration, alternative supply chain strategies, their impact on critical paths and delivery to market. You will consider alternative distribution routes, their costs and benefits, and the emergence of e-retailing, ethical issues and sustainability. The development of multiple new routes to market, such as the emergence of e-retailing, has created new levels of complexity in supply chain management that require the simultaneous application of analytical thinking and the delivery of creative solutions. The unit is concerned with flow of product covering both sourcing and delivery of product to customers, enabling you to evaluate business problems and opportunities arising from buying and merchandising activity across the fashion retailing sector.
The Consultancy Project is a significant piece of work that allows you the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills you have acquired over the course. The project will require you to undertake a rigorous synthesising of practical research activity supported by an academic context. The project focus will reflect a strategic management intervention to current business opportunity and provide realistic implementation recommendations. You may reflect any of the subject areas covered over the course and choose to apply the project to a specific organisation, including your own company or a start-up business. The final submission will need to demonstrate a systematic understanding of contemporary academic thinking and professional problem-solving in the management spectrum, with an advanced level of application of both practical skills and theory.
