International Management
with American Business Studies
Dr Jiajia Liu
Programme Director
Congratulations!
Welcome!
• Welcome to Manchester
• Welcome to MBS
• And welcome to IMABS!
• One of MBS’s flagship programmes
University of Manchester
• History: University of Manchester created by bringing together The Victoria
University of Manchester (established in 1851) and UMIST (established in
1824).
• The largest single-site university in the UK
• 39,000 students and 10,400 staff
• Part of the “Russell Group” of elite (red brick) research-intensive UK universities
• In the REF assessment exercise the university came 3rd (after Cambridge and
Oxford) in terms of research
• 25 Nobel Prize winners have either studied or connected some of their work to
the University of Manchester.
2010 Nobel Prize (Graphene)
Professor Alan Turing
Professor Brian Cox
Manchester Business School
• MBS is the largest campus-based school in the UK
• 2,000+ students, 200+ teaching staff
• We support a further 3,500 students worldwide through centres in Brazil, China,
Hong Kong, UAE, Singapore and the USA.
• MBS is part of a small and select group of institutions worldwide that is
accredited by all three major bodies - AACSB International, AMBA and EQUIS.
Programme Director:
Contact Details
Dr Jiajia Liu
Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Asian Business and Organisation Studies
Programme Director, International Management
Programme Director, International Management with American Business Studies
Room: E14, MBS East
Manchester Business School
University of Manchester
Phone: 0161 306 3523
Email: Jiajia.liu@mbs.ac.uk
Office Consultation Times: Each Wednesday: 10am to 12 midday
Who are
you?
Introduce yourself to the people on either side of you:
•What’s your name?
•Where do you come from?
•What are you interested in?
•Tell them an interesting fact/story about you!
What is IMABS all about?
The IMABS programme aims to:
1. enable students to acquire state of the art knowledge and understanding of the
field of management with a specialisation in the international aspects of
management
2. promote the exchange of students between the home and carefully chosen
overseas partners to enable students to experience management teaching and
learning within a different cultural environment to that of the home institution
3. provide an educational experience both at home and overseas which will
facilitate and promote students’ intellectual development and life-long learning
skills
4. promote critical awareness of the merits and complexities of management,
especially in an international context, and to inculcate an appreciation of the
association between theory and practice
5. appraise students of important new developments in the field of management
6. enable students to develop appropriate practical and transferable skills
7. provide a high quality management programme in the home institution and
access to a high quality management programme abroad.
IMABS Learning Outcomes
A. Knowledge and Understanding
A1. Understand the ‘core’ disciplines of the field of management (e.g. accounting, economics,
marketing, operations management)
A2. Understand subject specific theories, ideas, issues and practices relating to general management
and to international aspects of management
A3. Understand management as a dynamic field, as located in a complex historical, social and
international context
A4. Understand developments in business and management.
B. Intellectual Skills and Other Attributes
B1. Apply higher-level cognitive skills, including analysis, synthesis and evaluation.
B2. Utilise both qualitative and quantitative problem-solving skills.
B3. Address arguments/ideas through multiple perspectives.
B4. Identify inter-relationships between the subject matter of management and integrate these as a
coherent whole.
C. Practical and Transferable/Key Skills (generic)
C1. Articulate ideas and arguments with clarity, conciseness and rigour both orally and in writing.
C2. Learn independently
C3. Manage time and prioritise workloads
C4. Use IT skills
C5. Operate effectively as a member of a group or team.
C6. Operate effectively in an overseas environment.
Programme Structure
•
The programme is studied over four years full-time, the third year in an overseas
partner institution in the US or Canada.
•
Students take course units worth a total of 120 credits per year at MBS, and a
broadly equivalent workload in the overseas partner.
•
YEAR 1: The first year of the programme is a foundation year in which you learn the
basic disciplines and try out subjects to assist with optional course choices for the
second and final year.
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YEAR 2: In the second year, students take a compulsory full year (20 credits) course
unit that covers the economic, financial and legal systems of North America, and also
includes business and labour history.
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In addition, students take a further 20 credits of designated international courses as
well as management courses to achieve 120 credits.
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YEAR 3: The third year is spent abroad at a partner institution studying business and
management in the US or Canada - Students will commit 75% of their study to the
study of management and business and the remaining 25% may be taken in cultural
or language options.
•
YEAR 4: In the final year students study course units amounting to a total of 120
credits from the MBS Management menu, at least 60 credits of which should be
selected from the list of approved internationally focused course units.
IMABS Year One
Semester 1: 6 x 10 credit compulsory courses
 BMAN10001: Economic Principles: Microeconomics
 BMAN10621M: Fundamentals of Financial Reporting
 BMAN10881: Analysing Organisations 1
 BMAN10101: Marketing Foundations
 BMAN10821: Quantitative Methods for Business and Management 1
 BMAN10780: Business and Management Skills (including practice essay) – full
year course
IMABS Year One
Semester 2: 6 x 10 credit compulsory courses
 BMAN10892: Analysing Organisations 2
 BMAN10862: Case Studies in Management
 BMAN10522M: Financial Decision Making (M)
 BMAN10632M: Fundamentals of Management Accounting (M)
 BMAN10872: Introduction to Work Psychology
 BMAN10732: Quantitative Methods for Business and Management 2
 Maths Revision sessions are available throughout both semesters for support
with QM1 and QM2
 English language support sessions are available throughout the academic year
 Students wishing to take specialised finance courses must take BMAN10522
IMABS Year Two
• Students must pass the first year to proceed to the second year!
• Students take American Society and Economy (20 credits) which covers the
economic, financial and legal systems of North America, and also includes
business and labour history.
• You also take a further 20 credits of designated international courses.
• You choose additional management courses to make up 120 credits for the
year.
• Availability of options changes from year to year and pre-requisites/co-requisites
apply.
• It is important that you achieve good grades during your first two years. In
particular, passing the first year is essential and your performance may be taken
into account during the allocation process.
• You also continue with your Personal Development Plan.
Exchange Year - Your Choices
• IMABS meeting soon to explain the process of selecting the
overseas university you will be visiting
• Early in your second year, you will be given the names and number
of places of each of our exchange partners
• You then have two weeks to research the possibilities and express
your preferred destinations – so start thinking in advance!
• It is essential that you are flexible in terms of your exchange
destination
– Investigate what is on offer at a wide number of destinations!
– Approach the investigation with an open-mind, and think about what this
means for your CV and your career
Exchange Year
• Allocation of students to exchange partners is carried out by
myself in October of your second year
• Allocation will be based on:
– Your expressed preferences
– A statement of your expectations of the exchange year
– AND your First Year Results (average at least 50%)…
• I endeavour to ensure that all students go to their most preferred
institutions.
– This is greatly helped by flexibility on your part
– AND students being knowledgeable about the full range of destinations.
Partner Universities
IMABS
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W P Carey School of Business, Arizona State University, Arizona, USA
Babson College, Wellesley, Massachusetts, USA
Saunder School of Business, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
Haskayne School of Business, The University of Calgary, Canada
Goizueta Business School, Emory University, Atlanta, USA
Warrington College of Business Administration, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA
HEC, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
The University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA
DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Desautels Faculty of Management, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
The University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA
The Stern School of Business, New York University, USA
Fisher College of Business, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
Queen’s School of Business, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
The Richard Ivey School of Business, The University of Western Ontario, Canada
UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA
Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
Michael G Foster School of Business, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA
The College of William & Mary, Virginia, USA
Schulich School of Business, York University, Toronto, Canada
Said about Exchange (IMABS):
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“A brilliant year in a fantastic city. One of the best experiences of my life.”
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“Fun, fast and spontaneous; it was an experience I will NEVER forget, and I wish I
could do it all again!”
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Caroline Hodgson, Ohio State, Columbus, USA
“Friends for life, once in a lifetime teaching, a great institution…possibly the best year
of my life!”
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Ushma Mistry, Queen’s, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
“Absolutely indescribable…best friends and unforgettable memories for life.”
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Greg Russell, HEC, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Ben Collins, William and Mary, Virginia, USA
“Amazing experience I will never forget I’ve learnt so much and been given so many
opportunities, I would recommend studying abroad to anybody.”
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Dean Tempest, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA
The Value of the Exchange Year
• "The UK develops some great talent. It attracts some of the best from around
the world. We will recruit that talent but to remain competitive we want to see
more UK graduates developing a global perspective through international
experience. They will have to work with global clients and mix with a range of
people from different cultures. They have to be at home with cultural
differences."
– Keith Dugdale, Head of Global Recruitment, KPMG
• "This (…) is a wake-up call for students and parents. You'll get further in life if
you travel overseas to study or gain work experience. In today's turbulent
times it is more important than ever for every graduate to demonstrate an
international dimension to their thinking, and there is no better way to
demonstrate this than to study or work for a period overseas.“
– Will Archer, director of i-graduate
Exchange Year
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75% of this must be in management-related subjects
The remaining 25% can be taken in cultural or language options
Course options must be agreed with me in advance
Students should not choose level one (i.e. first year) courses as part
of your business/management subjects.
Students are advised not to take courses that they intend to take in
the final year of the programme at MBS.
Work placements will not count for credit, whatever the local
regulations and expectations.
You pay no fees to the exchange partner
Fees payable to Manchester University for this year vary
You must pass ALL subjects to progress to the final year of IMABS
The grade for your exchange year does not affect your overall
degree classification
Take a break!
If you’ve got any questions on
what we’ve covered so far,
please come and ask
Assessment and
Progression
Degree weightings
• First year – need to pass to proceed to second year
– Marks do not count towards degree classification, but do appear on
a transcript of marks.
– IM and IMABS students have to achieve a grade of 50% for their
first year to remain on these degree programmes
– Marks may be important when applying for internships/ work
experience
– Marks also determine which overseas institution you go to during
your exchange year!
• Second year – worth one third of your degree mark (i.e. 33%)
• Final year – worth two thirds of your degree mark (i.e. 67%)
Degree Classification
•
The first year average does not contribute to the degree classification which is
currently 33/67% second/final year.
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Pass everything (40%+ in 120 credits)
Pass 40%+ in 80 credits and a “compensatable fail” (30-39%) in 40 credits
If you fail 40 credits or more (<40%) = compensation and reassessment
If you fail any course below 30% = reassessment
•
Resits take place in August. They are not a ‘second chance’ to gain better grades,
only the chance to gain credits lost
•
Important to attend classes and engagement with studies including preparation for
lectures and interacting at seminars
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Prizes – there are several programme prizes for high achieving students at the end of
each year.
Progression
Pass everything
(40%+ in 120 credits)
Pass 40%+ in 80 credits and a
“compensatable fail” (30-39%) in
40 credits
Year 1
Year 2
Fail 40 credits or more below
40% = Compensation and
Reassessment
If you fail any course below 30%
= Reassessment.
Note: You can be reassessed in courses up
to a maximum of 80 credits
Additional requirements for the
BSc (Hons) in IM and IMABS
• The candidate must normally attain an overall average of 50% or
higher in year 1 of the programme to continue on the BSc (Hons) IM
or IMABS route.
• Failure to satisfy the examiners in these requirements will result in
the student being transferred to the BSc (Hons) Management
programme at the end of year 1 and assessed according to the
normal rules for that programme.
• Students with fails and multiple compensated marks on their
transcripts are at risk of not being accepted by partner institutions for
the third year study abroad element of the IM or IMABS programme.
• In such cases, students will progress as candidates for the BSc
(Hons) Management programme according to the normal rules for
that programme.
Assessment: What to Expect
• Semester 1 exams take place in January
• Semester 2 exams take place in May/June
• Some courses are assessed by exam only, some by coursework
and exams and some by coursework only.
It is your responsibility to check your coursework
deadlines and your exam dates, times and venues!
The Full Version is called the Progression Rules
Full details of progression rules can be found at;
https://ughandbook.portals.mbs.ac.uk/Portals/0/Docs/my-programme/coursechoices/IMABS%20Programme%20Specification.pdf
Full Details on the IM programme (structure, programme specification, course
specifications, etc.) can be found at;
https://ughandbook.portals.mbs.ac.uk/Myprogramme/Coursechoicesprogrammestructu
res/Programmestructures.aspx
Resits
Resits take place in
Resits are for
August in Manchester
progression only. They are not a second
chance to get a better mark
fail resits
may
If you
you
be allowed to take additional courses in
your second year, may have to retake exams and wait a year to join the second
year, or be
excluded from the university
Approaches to teaching
and learning
• University teaching is different from school/college:
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Some very large lectures
Some small group seminars/workshops
A range of teaching styles
Lecturers, senior lecturers, professors, graduate teaching
assistants (GTAs), seminar leaders
• You are expected to be an independent learner
• You are responsible for your own learning
Attendance and Engagement
You are expected to attend all
scheduled teaching session (lectures,
seminars, workshops etc)
You are expected to engage in all
scheduled teaching session (lectures,
seminars, workshops etc)
You are expected to avoid any
behaviour that would interfere with the
learning and engagement of others.
Seminar attendance will be monitored, and spot checks
may be conducted in lectures.
Timetable
Your timetable will be different each
week
You are responsible for
checking your personal
timetable on the Student
System and making
sure that you are in the
right place at the
right time
H
Academic Advisors
• Every student will be assigned an academic advisor
• An academic advisor is a member of staff who you will get to
know over your first year, and who will remain with you
throughout your time on the programme.
• You will meet your academic advisor every fortnight as part of
the Business and Management Skills course (BMAN10780)
• Your academic advisor will provide you with:
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A point of contact regarding academic issues
Support in developing a personal development plan (PDP)
Feedback on your progress
A reference should you need one for a job, internship or further study
Office hours
• Office hours are times when
academic staff are available to
meet students
• Academic staff should display
their office hours on their
door.
• Course coordinators should
be approached in the first
instance if there is a problem
at the course level (e.g. via
email, phone, after class,
and/or during office hours)
Study Support at MBS
• English Proficiency/Language classes
– If your first language is not English, I would encourage you to attend language
proficiency testing and sign up for English language classes if necessary.
– Further details of this will be covered at Thursday’s induction session.
Information about the language centre is also in your pre-arrival pack.

Study Skills course (BMAN 10780 Business & Management Skills)
 You will be taking a course as part of your degree programme which runs across
both semesters in year one.
 The course will incorporate study skills, academic advisor sessions, library
information and personal development plans.
 As part of the seminar activities students will write a practice essay and will
receive feedback on this.
 Attendance of this course is compulsory and will be monitored.
• Maths Revision Sessions
– Revision sessions available at the end of each semester for students taking
Quantitative Methods for Business and Management 1 and 2.
Study Support at MBS
• IT Skills and Blackboard
– Blackboard is the University-wide virtual learning environment for students and a
virtual blackboard space will be attached to each course.
– Further details on this will be covered later in the induction sessions.
– Students should already have received a handout about this in their arrival pack
and more information can be found on the MBS UG intranet
www.mbs.manchester.ac.uk/intranet/
• Student Representatives
– Please consider being a student representative for the IMABS programme.
– Student reps sit on the Programme Committee and attend the MBS UG Staff
Student Liaison Committee.
– It is essential that you have a voice within Manchester Business School and we
encourage you to put yourself forward for this.
– All interested students should go to the undergraduate office (D20) for a
nomination form.
Expectations at MBS
• Work and Attendance Monitoring
– Attendance at all seminars and workshops is compulsory and will be monitored
via registers.
– If you are unable to attend a class because of illness or other good reason, you
need to complete an ‘absence from class’ form and submit it to the
undergraduate office. Forms are available from the UG office (D20) or can be
downloaded from the MBS UG intranet (www.mbs.manchester.ac.uk/intranet/).
Further details on this are online in the student handbook.
– If you miss 3 or more consecutive seminars or workshops, this will be followed
up by the Assessment and Student Support Centre. We have a duty to make
sure you are still attending classes and do not have any serious problems that
are the cause of non-attendance.
• Medical/Personal problems
– It is vital you tell us if you experience medical, personal or other problems which
have (or may have) an adverse affect on your studies.
– Ideally you should seek help from the MBS UG assessment and student support
centre (headed by Gill Clarke). You may also wish to inform your academic
advisor and/or your programme director.
– Outside of MBS there is a counselling service and other sources of support.
Who To Speak To?
• Your Support Within MBS
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MBS Assessment and Student Support Centre
Undergraduate Office (D20)
Your Academic Advisor
Programme Director: jiajiia.liu@mbs.ac.uk
International Office Susan.Fidalgo@manchester.ac.uk
• Other Sources of Help
– Counselling Service, Nightline, Student Welfare, International Student Welfare
– Details can all be found in your arrival packs
• Feedback
– Your student representatives play a key role in relaying your views to MBS
– You will from time to time be invited by the school to partake in
surveys/questionnaires or focus groups. This is a key form of feedback and I would
strongly encourage you to take part.
– Throughout your courses at MBS, you will receive information on individual or
collective performance.
– Further information in the MBS Undergraduate Welcome Guide.
Get Involved:
Be a Student Representative!
• Student representatives are the voice of
the students on MBS committees
– Staff-student liaison Committee
– Management Programme Committee
– Student Rep Focus Groups
• Nomination forms are available from D20
• Deadline 5th October
Meet current reps at the Student Fair
Final Words
• Enjoy yourself
– but remember, the first year matters…
• There is no gentle run-in…
– Especially for IMABS students!
• Think about being a student rep
– MBS needs you…
• Keep us informed of how you are
– Don’t lose contact with your academic advisor!
• You are responsible for your own learning and the time
management implications of this.
• Make the most of Manchester…