Overview Learning Outcomes | Master of Management (MIM)


1. Dublin Descriptors

For the Master of Management the Dublin descriptors are the following.

D1. Knowledge and understanding

The Master of Management offers its participants a thorough knowledge and understanding of management in all its diverse aspects and its applicability to a wide range of practical management situations in global context. This is achieved in four consecutive steps. First the company as an organization and all its stakeholders are discussed as a background setting. Additionally, analytical tools for further analysis of different types of management information are introduced. In a second phase all the functions of management, such as accounting, finance, marketing, human resources and production management are treated in depth and the global dimension is added. Consequently, all this knowledge is combined into an overall vision on global management that integrates these different disciplines into a comprehensive strategic view. In a last phase participants will be challenged to apply all the previous in a concrete management situation (see D2). Transfer of knowledge and understanding is achieved in a variety of interactive ways: lectures with class discussion, use of case studies and business games, preparation by reading recent articles and business literature and exercises, etc.

This can be found in learning objectives L1, L2 and L3.

D2. Applying knowledge and understanding

As already demonstrated by the methods to transfer knowledge, giving participants the opportunity to apply their new insights and ideas to the world of real-life global business, is at the core of the learning goals of the program. This is achieved not only by the learning tools and teaching methods mentioned, but also by direct confrontation with business life. Company visits, guest lectures by and discussions with business people and alumni of the program all add to giving participants a clear insight on how to apply all their recently acquired knowledge and understanding to the world of business and management. In addition the international business project, which is the capstone course of the program, should be given special mention. Participants will work individually (internship) or in teams (team project) during a period of eight weeks, on a full-time basis, on a concrete management assignment provided by a wide range of companies and organizations. These projects give participants the opportunity to apply many of the skills and knowledge they have acquired during the program, to a real-life business situation. They are intensively guided and coached by managers of the participating companies and by faculty of the School. Moreover, these projects usually make a perfect bridge between studying and working, since they often constitute the first working experience in a professional setting for most participants.

Learning objectives L1, L2, L3 and L4, are all relevant in this context.

D3. Making judgments

From the start, participants are challenged to bring in their own opinion and participate fully in class discussions (MGM class split in two). The diverse cultural and educational backgrounds present in the group of participants, ensures a diversity of points of view and ways to tackle managerial discussions. Participants are made to understand to use this confrontation of opinions to achieve a more comprehensive and balanced judgment. Additionally, feedback is given on how to use academic and analytical knowledge to carefully evaluate different management strategies and their implications in a real-life business situation during intermediate meetings and during case discussions in class. Throughout the courses and the final business project, participants are asked to formulate concrete personal and/or team conclusions and to translate these into specific business recommendations. Opinion leaders will often be invited to challenge these recommendations and enter into discussion with the participants.

The aspect of making judgments can be found in learning objectives L1, L2, L3 and L4.

D4. Communication

During the selection of the participants, attention is already paid to the presentation and communication skills of the candidates. To further improve these, special courses and seminars are offered (CMS). A comprehensive course in business communication is part of the program. In this course practical aspects of written and verbal communication in relevant business settings are discussed and put into practice on an individual and a team level. Additionally, participants are given the opportunity to prepare for important communication challenges that they will encounter while applying for a job or when they start a first job. Company recruiters will meet participants for mock interviews and give them feedback. Written resumes will be checked and corrected by human resource professionals. Business negotiations exercises will be made. Team and individual presentations will be commented on, etc. During the evaluation of the business project, communication is an important aspect. The participant or the team of participants will not only be judged on the quality of its written report and verbal presentation, but the whole communication process between the participants, the company and the schools’ project advisor will be part of the final evaluation.

Relevant learning objective: L2.

D5. Learning skills

The Master in Global Management, like all the full-time Master degrees at Antwerp Management School, has taken the development of the skills of its participants to the center of its learning goals. Program-related learning skills are introduced to ensure an efficient and high quality learning experience for the participants. Participants are taught how to work with case-studies, how to write reports in an academically correct way, how to make a good individual or team presentation and basically can receive any type of advice related to improving their daily practical learning skills. Moreover, and based on feedback from companies and other stakeholders, the development of social skills and attitudes like teamwork, leadership, independence, motivation, intercultural awareness, etc. now form an substantial and integrated part of the programs. The most important way to achieve this objective is in the course of Development of Personal Management Talent. Starting from a comprehensive self-assessment, the internationally recognized Thomas International method, participants gradually learn how to improve their personal qualities and skills. This is achieved by means of a teambuilding seminar, a seminar on intercultural awareness, individual review conversations, individual coaching, etc. At the end of the program, a team evaluation and an intensive personal review will monitor and demonstrate the progress that has been achieved in the development of the participants’ skills.

Learning objectives L1, L2, L3 and L4 are demonstrated here.

2. Learning Objectives

The Master of Management aims to provide the participants with a thorough theoretical understanding of Management concepts and the ability to apply these in practice. The following learning objectives (L) and qualifications can be determined:

L 1. Master of Management graduates will gain a multidisciplinary focus on management. This implies that they will gain knowledge into the different management functions, such as accounting, finance, marketing, human resource management, etc. As such, they will be able to integrate these into understanding the development of the organization, thereby being mindful of retaining a balanced decision‐making process. In this way they will also be able to develop cross‐disciplinary links.

L 2. Participants will acquire effective management attitudes. This means that they will develop managerial attitudes such as drive (initiative), entrepreneurship, leadership, willpower and perseverance, self‐control and self‐motivation. Additionally, the students will develop social and communicative abilities in English, leadership, and team spirit in a multi‐cultural and multidisciplinary team, with sense of realism and practicality.

L 3. Graduates will obtain a global perspective. They will be able to evaluate the opportunities and challenges in an ever‐changing context of an internationally operated business. More specifically, they will gain insight into the globalization problem and the European integration and the impact on the way of doing business internationally. Through the multicultural team composition in the class, they will be able to diagnose and acquire cross‐cultural sensitivity.

L 4. The ability to tackle problems and entrepreneurial questions on a scholarly basis is an important learning goal for MGM participants. They will arrive independently and in a team context at formulating a scholarly problem within a company setting, by developing the appropriate research methodology. Participants will acquire and analyze critically the empirical data and the conceptual thinking patterns in order to come to a science‐based understanding. As such, they will develop a critical and scholarly point of view into methods and techniques of management research.