MBA in Strategy and Management

MBA in Strategy and Management is a forward-looking and future oriented management education. Management involves making decisions based on complex conditions and having a good understanding of global, national and local environments, governance information and their own business activities. Managers must make assessments based on strategic economic analysis. The MBA in Strategy and Management addresses topics such as global perspectives, strategic management decisions, economic consequences, leadership and project management from a change perspective. The student selects a specialization.

The first semester of the programme consists of an introduction to the global, the European and the national landscape of the public and private sectors, strategic decisions for leaders and the consequences thereof. The second semester consists of specialized management topics focusing on how management can change and develop their business or public sector. The third and fourth semesters are composed of specializations the student can choose from, with advanced topics within the chosen specialization. The fifth and sixth semesters consist of the final master thesis with an independently defined theme and method.

Specialization Strategy and Governance, Bodø

Organizations operate in a rapidly changing world where new framework conditions create uncertainty for policymakers. This causes a need for innovation regarding the link between strategy and governance and the value chains. Strategic work in organizations should not only increase the adaptability of changes in the environment, but should also increase the degree of proactive governance, i.e. management's ability to deal with changing framework conditions and develop strategies so that the organization can meet expected changes in the environment. Then the strategies must be embedded in management systems for dynamic and proactive management. The specialization courses in strategy and management provide knowledge of how leaders of different enterprises can develop such proactive management systems in their organizations and how the logistics system can build up under these systems.

Specialization Management, Bodø

Managers in both private and public sectors greatly influence the development and the future of their organizations through decisions, strategies and the influence of others. The purpose of management is to achieve positive results by building an organization of people working together towards common goals. Management is an advocacy process that takes place between managers and employees to achieve these goals. Management is often explained based on the manager's specific individual characteristics and behavior, employee opinion and attitudes in relation to the manager and management, as well as the context in which the influence process takes place.

The transition to a globalized knowledge society, increased focus on sustainability and the green shift, an exponential technological development, as well as new generations of employees entering the working world. These are drivers that contribute to increased change, turbulence, complexity and uncertainty, and where competitive benefits are at best temporary. This creates both increasing dynamics and demanding environments. Simultaneously, new opportunities are opening up where the need for new management approaches, new strategies and new business models has never been greater. It's about the ability to build a continuous stream of temporary benefits.

The key to a continuous stream of temporary benefits lies in that organizations are able to create value for their users, customers, their employees, and thereby also values for their owners. To succeed with this value creation, managers can no longer solely use traditional leadership, but need a number of new management approaches adapted to the context in which they will manage. The knowledge associated with designing and leading organizations with great change capacity will be crucial.

This specialization provides knowledge of how management should act in a world that is changing, with challenges, but also where the opportunity is great.

Specialization Innovation, Stjørdal

This specialization consists of the courses Digital Innovation and Innovation Management. In a world of increasing market dynamics, political shifts, environmental challenges and ever faster technological development, the established activities of organizations are constantly being challenged. Both private, public and voluntary enterprises must therefore develop their ability to discover new opportunities, make knowledge-based, strategic decisions and implement these in practice.

The specialization is especially aimed at students with work experience who want to build knowledge about what characterizes organizations that succeed in meeting change, how we can lead innovation processes and how we can discover opportunities in the future. We use analytical frameworks and theory from the field of innovation and strategy to understand organizations' opportunities in the face of external change. The learning activities focus on giving students the opportunity to utilize theories in a positive way in real companies.

Specialization Relationship Management, Stjørdal

All types of organizations depend on collaborating with other organizations, both in the private and the public sector. Strategic leadership involves getting organizations to interact well. Key management tasks are to motivate employees to perform and interact in the interface with other people and organizations. Relationship management and communication skills become important from this perspective. Interactions, collaborations and value creations between different organizations are often delivered in projects, including the oil and energy industry, health sector, construction and public sector. The specialization in relationship management provides knowledge on how managers and project managers can promote a good cooperative climate between them through relationships, for example, using relationship contracts, relationship development processes and interaction models.

The teaching is organized with 2 x 2 day sessions in each course, and two courses per semester, which means eight days each semester. The sessions are carried out on weekdays in daytime. The study model is adapted for part-time students, accordingly students will complete 90 credits in three years.