Welcome to the Business School! We are delighted that you’ve chosen us for Postgraduate studies in Business and Management. We look forward to working with you over the coming year to help you realise your academic and professional goals for this course

Christ Church Business School is a caring and supportive community. As your course Director, I will welcome you in person on your first day and your lecturers will guide you through the details of your course content. You will also make friends for life, as we make sure you have lots of opportunities to meet other students.

 

Employability

We care about developing your employability skills from day one. All courses at Christ Church are aligned to our Future 360 Framework for Developing Enterprising, Professional Graduates (2019-2024). To enhance your employability the Careers and Enterprise Hub provides a wide range of services and activities supporting this framework including:

1:1 careers guidance appointments

Online resources i.e. AI and other tools to support your career development and job success

Advice on writing CVs, personal statements and cover letters

Regular online and on-campus workshops and events including job fairs

Courses leading to Microsoft accreditation etc.

Bursaries to assist with travel and other expenses related to gaining work experience

Volunteering and part-time job opportunities with Unitemps

and much more…

 

Support & Wellbeing

Importantly, we care about you as a person, your wellbeing, and your success. We make sure we have time for you, and we provide a large number of resources to support you with your finances, your mental health and your study skills. We will be with you every step of the way!

 

You can stay up to date with what's happening in our Faculty with the Faculty Instagram page 

 

It is important to have a keen interest in world events. The preparation required is to listen to the mainstream news, read high-quality newspapers/ or magazines, and be as aware as you possibly can of current world events and major international business affairs. You might want to start getting your core texts and read the first chapters to get you engaged. See the recommended reading list that includes introductory e-books (only few pounds per book) to the topics that you will be studying in an international context: marketing, globalisation, leadership, entrepreneurship….).

Your tutors will be using a range of blended learning techniques and technologies to support your learning. To become more familiar with the use of these technologies, please see our software and online services.

Referencing systems used in CCCU Literature references during your programme should be made according to the Harvard system. For help and support please make yourself familiar with Cite Them Right.

Before your welcome session from the Course Team – please create a “mindmap” – a visual diagram of your interests and goals and bring with you to your virtual induction . You can use an old fashioned paper or any software (eg. Powerpoint/word/genially etc).

Our campus is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and we look after it with care. It has wonderfully maintained open spaces and gardens to stroll in and meet with friends. It is situated in the heart of the city and everything you need for a convenient student life is within very close walking distance.

On MSc International Business you will have the opportunity to study and work directly with members of the Kent community and contribute to the development of this dynamic and enterprising region. Moreover, there are many international projects and partnerships that you could get engaged with.

 

Community

On the social side, the Student Union (CCSU) has a huge range of clubs and societies – all of which have unique social calendars of their own and offer endless opportunities to make lifelong friends and discover new hobbies. And you can always create your own society and cultivate your own community!

We understand that you may be nervous about your first few weeks on campus but rest assured - you'll be joining a nurturing and supportive environment where diversity, equality and individuality are part of everything we do. Take a look at the Community pages and the CCSU website for further details of what’s on and how to get involved.

If you are an International Student joining us then please see our International Student Support pages for further information and guidance.

We look forward to seeing you at your welcome session during welcome week (w.c. 20th January 2025). Details of this will be found in your Welcome schedule. Teaching then starts the following week. Visit the Welcome Hub to find everything you need as a new postgraduate student.

 

It is very good practice to understand the news and what is happening in the world. It will help with your studies and it will help you perform better at interview. Why not start by spending five minutes each day reading BBC Business News? Then, when you get to the Business School, you can make the most of your free subscription to the Financial Times.

Understanding how you think and learn:  Just as people demonstrate different personalities in social situations, there are various theories that suggest that we have preferences in how we approach new information and experiences. Read this chapter and reflect on yourself as an individual learner – what do you do well, what do you find more challenging?

Living and Studying in the UK: Are you an international student worried about your English, or saying and doing the 'right’ thing in situations which are strange to you? Mike Courtney & Xiangping Du provide information on the areas that might have you concerned, from communication issues, to food and even climate!

To support your transition into postgraduate studies the following book will provide invaluable support, Davies, M. (2022) Study Skills for International Postgraduates, Bloomsbury Academic.

“A very short introduction” series – if you are new to business, marketing and management.

All available to purchase as e-books via VitalSource

Allen, R.C., 2011. Global economic history: a very short introduction (Vol. 282). Oxford University Press.

Grint, K., 2010. Leadership: A very short introduction (Vol. 237). Oxford University Press.

Hendry, J., 2013. Management: A very short introduction (Vol. 368). Oxford University Press.

Steger, M.B., 2017. Globalization: A very short introduction(Vol. 86). Oxford University Press.

Westhead, P. and Wright, M., 2013. Entrepreneurship: A very short introduction. Oxford University Press.

Selected module Textbooks: (please see module blackboards for core-text details – this is just a selection for your references)

• Global Economics and International Finance:

Hill, C.W.L. (2017) International business : competing in the global marketplace. McGraw-Hill Education. (eds.2014 is available on BB in pdf)

Valdez, S. and Molyneux, P. (2015) An Introduction to Global Financial Markets. 6th ed. Palgrave Macmillan.

• Entrepreneurship

Bessant, J. and Tidd, J (2015) Innovation and Entrepreneurship. 3rd ed. Chichester: Wiley.

Blundel, R., Lockett, N. and Wang, C., (2017) . Exploring entrepreneurship. Sage

Hisrich, R. (2015) International Entrepreneurship: Starting, Developing and Managing a Global Venture. California: Sage Publications Inc.

• Intercultural Leadership, Employability and Personal Development

Bratton, J. ed. (2020). Organizational leadership. SAGE Publications Limited.

Roe, K., (2020). Leadership: Practice and perspectives. Oxford University Press.

• Strategy and Globalisation

Clegg, Stewart & Schweitzer, Jochen & Pitelis, Christos & Whittle, Andrea. (2019). Strategy: Theory and Practice.3rd Edition, Sage Publishing.

Johnson, G., Whittington, R., Scholes, K., Angwin, D. and Regner, P. (2017) Exploring Strategy. 11th Edition, Pearson.

• International Business Communication and Marketing

Cateora, P.R., Meyer, R.B.M.F., Gilly, M.C. and Graham, J.L. (2020) International marketing. McGraw-Hill Education

Hill, C.W.L. (2019) International business : competing in the global marketplace. McGraw-Hill.

• International Human Resource Management

Brewster, C., Houldsworth, E., Sparrow, P. and Vernon, G., 2023. International Human Resource Management. Kogan Page Publishers.

Rees, G. and Smith, P. eds., 2017. Strategic human resource management: An international perspective. Sage.

• Market Research/Research Methods

Bell, E., Bryman, A. and Harley, B., (2018). Business research methods. Oxford university press.

Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. (2023) Research methods for Business Students. Harlow: Financial Times Prentice Hall. (E-book version available for previous version)

For all modules:

Skills for Study

This is based on the work of expert Stella Cottrell, international bestselling author of The Study Skills Handbook. It delivers cost effective study skills support for your students. Skills for Study uses the best of e-learning technology and the advantages of an interactive platform to engage and develop learners.