MSc Strategy and Innovation

Maynooth University

The MSc in Strategy and Innovation is suited to participants interested in a career in general management or senior management. It builds on participants’ prior education and or business experience to develop managerial competencies in high level functions of strategy, innovation, leadership and financial management. This is a taught masters programme with a significant applied research project. The format provides participants with an excellent opportunity to learn both in-depth and state-of-the-art content on the taught modules and then apply that new learning in a business consulting, dissertation or placement project. All of the content brings participants up to speed with the latest research on the topics covered and the module facilitators then guide them in the application of that literature to real-word challenges. Successful participants leave the programme with an ability to make a meaningful contribution to organisations at a strategic level.The innovation component of the programme provides participants with a tool kit to analyse business arenas and identify opportunities that can be exploited. Participants will explore innovation processes in organisations while also examining entrepreneurship and how entrepreneurial thinking can shape innovation outcomes. Together with an examination of leadership challenges, participants explore theories of leadership from classic approaches through to contemporary concepts and ideas. These are set in the context of the changing nature of work and society, where the process of leadership and the complex relationships they manage are considered. The financial management aspect of the programme will provide participants, regardless of their experience or education in finance or accounting, with the core skills to read and interpret key financial reports of profit and loss (P&L), balance sheets, and cash flow. Participants will also learn how to evaluate investment decisions and conduct key ratio analysis to gain insights into an organisation’s financial strength. The key strategy section of the programme is taught across two components. The first develops the skills needed to analyse business environments, industries and organisational capabilities in the context of the changing nature of strategy, competition and business models. The second provides an opportunity for guided application of the core strategy concepts to an industry and organisation during the Strategy Live experience.

Faculty of Social Sciences