Introduction

At the dawn of the new millennium, we can’t help but wonder which type of organisations are likely to thrive in this new era. Business trends such as increased global competition, new technologies, shorter product life cycles and escalating client expectations are forcing modern organisations to contemplate their future competitiveness. The criteria that once governed corporate excellence have slipped away – relentless change has become the norm.

Innovation continues to result in an endless stream of new products, services and markets. Only one sustainable competitive advantage remains in modern business a workforce consisting of individuals who posses a superior level of relevant knowledge and skills. World-class organisations differentiate themselves through knowledge workers who are less skilled and more knowledge-based, analytical thinkers, problem solvers and individuals who succeed in providing the market with innovative products and services.

Organisations and individuals who continue to learn and adapt to their environment will thrive in this new era. Because knowledge has become the most valued corporate asset in the global economy, intellectual capital holds the key to business success in the 21^st century. And when intellectual capital is the single most important ingredient of corporate performance, a culture of continuous learning becomes imperative – on an individual and organisational scale.

Appropriate business strategies is acknowledged as a key indicator of future business success. Unfortunately, the process of acquiring, retaining and developing the broad range of human capabilities required to implement these strategies is often ignored. In the words of Christopher Bartlett and Sumatra Goshel, "The problem with many of today’s leading organisations is that they are incapable of carrying out the sophisticated strategies they have developed … their strategic thinking has far outdistanced their organisational capabilities. Reconciling the disparity between strategic thinking and the capability to execute strategy is the pre-eminent challenge for human resource development today and in the foreseeable future."

There is a wealth of talent and experience in management today. And today, more than ever before, whether it is in management, in manufacturing and production, in the creative arts and other areas of human endeavour, talent and experience without the disciplined framework of formal training is rarely enough.

For many years, formal training through the Master of Business Administration degree has been, and continues to be, the qualification for management career development.

Our aims is to offer the premier management qualification for financial specialists worldwide. The programme has been designed specifically for this purpose through the cooperation of the world-renowned Manchester Business School and the School of Accounting, Banking and Economics at the University of Wales, Bangor, one of Europe’s leading University departments in banking and finance studies.

This MBA is a programme for financial managers and, through its range of option courses, specialists in the financial services sector.

Since its inception in 1992 the programme has met with remarkable international success. That most important group of people, our students, endorse the high quality of the course.

DIRECTOR – MBA PROGRAMME