In an ever-changing global business and economic environment, studying business from an international perspective is vital if you want to work across international boundaries and potentially satisfy your ambition of working in high profile multinational companies such as Google, Apple, Amazon, General Electric, PwC and many others!
Why I chose to study International Business Management
After my graduation in Italy and 2 years of experience in Marketing in the Chamber of Commerce, I decided to move forward and be more competitive. Therefore I flew to Newcastle University Business School and got back to studying again, to enrich my knowledge, international experience, and CV.
My short working experience taught me that working across countries is a necessity for most firms today. Indeed, there is a growing need for Business and Management graduates with an international perspective, speaking different languages and experiencing different cultures, who become capable of operating effectively in a globalised world. This concerns not only senior managers, but employees at all levels that have to interact with international customers and suppliers, partners, or international colleagues.
I started to appreciate my course after 7 months (I know that’s a long time!). That’s not to say I didn’t like it before, I enjoyed it mainly because it was what I had decided to do and the course covered what I was interested in. But after a longer period, I fully embraced it and realised its potential as a meaningful way to reach my professional goal.
About the Course
Except from all the literature and academic theories we have to digest, we also have lots of workshops, seminars, group projects and assignments. Some of these require us to pretend to be real consultants and practitioners in the industry. In summary, we learn to study, interpret, analyse, think, and react as if we were already working in the world of business.
For example, we were given a company which was interested in exporting its Gin to Scandinavia, reaching new customers, suppliers, capital, and investments. The company needed someone to help it decide in which country to export to first, in which way to export, and how much money to spend. We had to start deep and detailed market research and come up with a plan which the company would consider.
We were also asked to create our own start up business, thinking about an idea to implement, with customer value, and a vision and mission statement. We had to create our customer persona, look for investors, do interviews, and create our business plan. My group and I were so motivated when coming up with these ideas, we want to actually start the business in real life!
Things to consider
What made me afraid before starting the course was my lack of economic studies, but the course is designed for graduates with no previous business knowledge who want to transfer their skills into business. It focuses on all aspects of international business, including international accounting, business economics, managing organisations, and the essentials of international marketing.
The MSc is designed to equip students with the essential knowledge and skills required for working effectively across different national contexts, and in a range of business and management roles.
So, if you are thinking about becoming part of the next generation of business consultants, working across regions and countries, travelling for more than 100 hours per year around the world, starting your own business; or you want to focus more on marketing, becoming a specialist in branding and product management, or working in human resources; International business Management is the course for you!