Introduction

Bulgaria’s membership of the European Union opens up unprecedented opportunities for international business. The new developments in that area require new competences. In order to address this issue, we are offering a franchised Master’s program in International Business, provided by our long-standing partner, the University of Portsmouth Business School in the United Kingdom. Successful completion of the program will lead to an internationally recognized Master’s degree from that institution.

Aim of the program

The program is designed for individuals who wish to obtain an international business postgraduate degree so that they have the knowledge, skills, and confidence to work in a range of professional contexts in an international business environment.

The aim of this program is to prepare career entry students for employment in their chosen discipline by providing them with a sound academic understanding of international business contexts and Master’s level knowledge and skills in business. In addition, the program focuses on the use of the English language for successful cross-cultural communication.

On successful completion of the program, graduates will have a considerable range of skills. They will be familiar with the international economic environment in which business is carried out as well as being able to understand the mechanisms that determine trade flows, exchange rate movements, the institutional details of economic integration, and monetary policy. They will also have acquired practical skills in financial analysis, marketing, strategic management, and cross-cultural communication. Thus, graduates will be fully equipped for employment in a well-performing international company of any size.

Program structure

The program consists of three sequential stages each of which lasts one semester.

Stage 1: from October to January
• Business Economics
• English Language (Cross-Cultural Communication)
• Research Methods
• Accounting and Financial Analysis

Stage 2: from February to June
• International Strategic Management
• Global Marketing
• English Language (Cross-Cultural Communication)
• Option (Cross Cultural Marketing Communication or European Union Law)

Stage 3: from June to September
Dissertation - a 14,000 word paper on an independently researched topic of the student’s own choosing in the business area.

Delivery of the program

All tuition is in English. The lecturers are Bulgarian and British faculty with significant teaching experience in the field of international business.

Teaching is primarily by lectures and seminars, although computer practical workshops are used where relevant. Classes are conveniently scheduled in evenings and during weekends.

The dissertation provides the opportunity for students to initiate, design and conduct a small piece of research and is largely student-centered learning, although students have an experienced dissertation supervisor who is available for individual meetings on a regular basis.

Courses are assessed in a variety of ways, normally via coursework or examination. The assessment format is exactly the same as in the UK. All papers are marked anonymously in Sofia, then sent to the Portsmouth Business School for a second assessment. The quality of the delivery of the program is supervised by the Portsmouth Business School and relevant external supervisory bodies in Britain.

A BRIEF COURSE OUTLINE

Research Methods (Economics)
Economic and social research - an introduction. Review of research methodologies in economics and the social sciences. Contemporary documents and academic journals online. Undertaking a literature search and review. Data collection by surveys. Statistical software. Basic techniques of data presentation and analysis. Qualitative research methods. Research ethics. Writing a dissertation/research report.

English Language (Cross-Cultural Communication)
Single dimension models of national culture. Multiple dimension models of national culture. The relationship between language, communication and culture, and the importance of these for communicative appropriateness. Non-verbal communication and how this differs across cultures. National culture and corporate culture and their importance for the international manager. The relative importance of relationship building across cultures. Motivation across cultures. Presentation skills.

Business Economics
Neoclassical versus modern theories of the firm, resource-based and evolutionary models of the firm. Supply side microeconomics of business, value creation and value added production costs and production functions, economies of scale, and economies of scope. The operation of the market, market forces and market equilibrium, and sources of market failure. Competitiveness and determinants of factors affecting business competitiveness. The economics of incentives and contracts. The capabilities approach to the performance of the firm. The resource-based view of competitive advantage. Mergers, acquisitions, and the scope of the firm. Competition policy and the legislative environment of the firm. The theory and practice of regulation.

Accounting and Financial Analysis
Introduction to accounting and its role. Basic financial statements - balance sheet and profit and loss account. Cash flow statements. Company financial reporting. Regulatory framework of accounting. Ratio analysis. Predicting corporate failure. Takeover and mergers.

International Strategic Management
The nature of strategy and strategic decision making processes. The basis of competitive advantage: positioning, capabilities and business strategy in national and international contexts. Managing strategic change processes, organization development and strategy intervention, strategy and change agents expertise. Managing innovation and knowledge management. Current strategic management issues in national and international organizations.

Global Marketing
Introduction: distinguishing international marketing from global marketing and from exporting. Trading blocs, patterns of trade within world markets. The role of GATT, WTO. Researching international markets: prospects and analysis. Qualitative and quantitative indicators, secondary data, data bases. International MR agencies. problems of filed research and interviewing. Culture: definition, dimensions (high versus low context cultures), impacts of culture on international advertising, labeling, brand names, negotiation and business etiquette. International product development: issues of quality, shortening life cycles, target cost management. Global products. Product standardization versus adaptation. International pricing methods and link to pricing and competitiveness. International retailing and the Internet. Global segmentation. Market entry. International promotion. Globalization.

Cross-Cultural Marketing Communication
This unit should help students with an interest in international trade to establish international coherence by linking international marketing communication theory and the application of foreign language use and skills. The typical common ground would be an international advertising theory versus the role of transition and cultural adaptation. Knowledge of marketing principles is a pre-requisite, unless students are prepared to invest in the necessary background reading. All students taking this unit are expected to speak at least two languages as this is an assessment requirement.