MQM1IRG: Investor Relations, Governance and Innovation

Module code: MQM1IRG

Module provider: Marketing and Reputation; Henley Business School

Credits: 20

Level: Postgraduate Masters

When you'll be taught: Full year

Module convenor: Professor Andrew Kakabadse, email: a.kakabadse@henley.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: No placement specified

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students:

Talis reading list:

Last updated: 28 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

Students will learn to better understand the relationship at Board level with Investors. This will include the differences between ownership types - private, family owned, public equity owned, public and charitable structures and their change implications. Ownership structure impact on Board expectations and the effectiveness of Independent Directors will be considered - e.g. Remco; NHS; Universities; MOD; BBC. Students will consider the purpose of the organisation and its strategic choices underpinning the Board agenda. The relationship between Board and Executive in the monitoring and implementation of strategy will be explored, which brings into focus the alignment between Chairman-CEO as critical to setting expectations and incentives for the top team. These internal factors will be supported by contextual understanding of Board/organisation in the wider marketplace - understanding how to engage with global; regional; national and regulatory influences that affect the board. Successful value adding innovation is more likely sustainable as a broader and longer term 'common-good' competitiveness, that calls upon different board characteristics for dealing with the shorter term and self- interest pressures, thus facilitating well considered evidence driven change.  

Aims: 

This module aims to develop an understanding of board level impact e.g. processes; decisions; strategic monitoring of activities; diversity and dynamics as outcomes affecting sustainability between: 

• Internal (Board; Executive; Management; Ownership) 

• External (Regulatory; Competitive; Collaborative; Lobby groups; Society) influences 

• Affecting change (survival and growth of organisation) as innovation

Module learning outcomes

Assessable Learning Outcomes: 

By the end of the module it is expected that the student will be able to: 

• Identify values, strength and weakness characteristics of their own board 

• Recognise how ownership structures influence expectations at the board level 

• Holistically examine the board as at the border with internal (within organisation) and external (beyond organisation) influences 

• Evaluate the board level opportunities for alignment of governance-strategy innovations (change) for longer term sustainability . 

Additional Outcomes: 

To examine and evaluate investor relations, governance and innovation for value adding outcomes at board level by:.  

• Employing the need for broad engagement in developing sustainable innovations successfully. 

• Critically evaluatinge governance-strategy 'common good' competitive opportunities as longer-term sustainable alignment of the organisation within the marketplace through linking IR; governance, diversity and innovation. 

Module content

This module will develop an understanding of multi-level influences and impacts critical to value adding outcomes at board level. Students will better understand nature of the firm within context and board - ownership-stakeholder relations for enabling board to pro-actively lead innovation. Further, students will benefit from understanding broader and more holistic competitive and collaborative opportunities for sustainable innovations on their board.  

This module is designed to allow for multiple delivery points.  

 Content: 

• Investor relations - ownership structures and board directorships 

• Strategic choice and board agenda 

• Chairman-CEO Board alignment for leadership 

• Implementation and monitoring by the board 

• Understanding innovation for survival and growth 

• Global and regional influences 

• Government and regulatory engagement  

• Competitive and collaborative boards for value added  

Global context: 

Private, Public and Third sector boards international governance contexts and at multi-level. 

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The module will be taught by academic staff with practitioner insights, reflective of their specialisms. The will include board level real world experiences of different boards. The lectures will include: 

• PowerPoint presentations, 

• interactive Q&A, 

• Appropriate use of learning technologies where relevant 

• individual exercises 

• group exercises 

• work based and active learning opportunities 

• Problem solving opportunities 

• combining theory and practice to support facilitated learning.  

T&L approaches and exercises will cater to individual needs by including wide ability range questions as part of scaffolding, moving progressively towards more active learning for confident learners.  

Each student will also have opportunity to contribute to their own diary as part of the learning experience.  

Guided Independent Study (GIS) includes preparation and planning for scheduled sessions, pre-reading or research, follow-up work, wider reading, practice or application to practice, understanding learning tools and techniques (e.g. technologies, software and different research methods) - relevant to participants own area of interest or context of study. This also includes completion of assessment tasks e.g. getting access or information, analysing data, evaluating, synthesising and reflecting on the particular case or topic of interest. GIS is normally balanced 50: 50 between pre and post study.  

Study hours

At least 20 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

50% pass mark - Students need to achieve a mark of 50% in each assessment and overall 50% mark to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

This module is subject to the Penalties for late submission for Postgraduate Flexible programmes policy, which can be found at:

https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmissionpgflexible.pdf

The Module Convenor will apply the following penalties to work submitted late:

• where the piece of work is submitted up to one calendar month after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark; 
• where the piece of work is submitted more than one calendar month after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Students are required to work in groups and progressively analyse and develop a case study, producing a flip-chart or power-point presentation. Students are required to present the findings to the cohort and receive feedback from their peers and from the module convenor, towards the writing up of their group case study analysis report. 

Reassessment

Additional costs