MSc Aviation Management

The module is intended to prepare students to critically read and evaluate research within their chosen field of study and then to design a research proposal for their business research project.

This module is core for all MSc Aviation programme students and will support students’ understanding of research-informed practice and research methods. It will prepare them to undertake and to communicate a business research project which links context with theory,evidence and practice.

The module will provide a firm foundation in the philosophical and practical factors that characterise business research. It will provide the opportunity to critically analyse and evaluate recent research studies supporting the development of a research proposal.

It seeks to introduce students to the part that research plays in business development, and the different skills involved, including rigorous investigative techniques, data collection and analysis and the communication methods that may be employed.

Students are introduced to the choices and judgements that have to be made in crafting, executing and evaluating research which provides the essential link between theory and business practice.

The aims of the module are:

1. To introduce students to research philosophy, methodology and design and their application to researching business-related issues in diverse domestic and international contexts.
2. To provide students with the practical skills necessary to design and undertake a postgraduate business research project in a subject of their own choosing
3. To provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate understanding of research through the analysis and evaluation of research studies
4. To formulate a coherent proposal with appropriate aims and objectives and a realistic plan of execution;
5. To foster a critical awareness and deep interest in a management/business topic associated with their subject specialist area and to combine knowledge and analysis acquired in core MSc modules to explore that topic fully;

This module will focus on the concept of e-commerce within aviation management and the impact of the digital age will continue to have on the strategic activities of airlines and airports. The start of the e-commerce revolution was back in 1995 with the first innovators including Alaskan Airlines and British Midland developing their first web site booking engines. Since this time the global online travel sector has grown to generate more than half a trillion dollars in revenue.

This module aims to response to the growth in airline e commerce in all its forms, which is projected to grow significantly as we move into the 21st century. The ‘e’ story is about the continuing evolution of internet-based technologies and the proliferation of new internet based applications.

This development is shifting and enhancing the power of consumers and airlines to a more direct relationship and minimising the power of the power of the intermediaries (travel agents). A particular focus on the new types of airlines and airports that are exploiting the e-commerce agenda and how the legacy carriers are having to adapt to these new sales and marketing dynamics.

The future of the aviation industry is likely to be turbulent as a new wave of technological change and innovation unfolds. This module looks into some of the technologies that airlines are using in order to remain competitive. As social attitudes change and a new generation of travellers come online, there will be increased demands on airlines and airports to adapt their offerings.

The module explores the need for collaboration between people and automated technologies to boost efficiency, effectiveness and enhancement of passenger experience. There is need for the workforce to be flexible and responsive to demands of the fast-changing business environment. There is no doubt that technology is driving the non-aeronautical revenues of airlines and airports.

Like most emergent technologies, the constraints and hurdles will vary but there are issue around the implementation of technology into an existing infrastructure and existing human factors such as workplace procedures and cultures will also be explored.

The module also looks into the increasing automation of the flight deck and the processes and challenges that this produces. The role of pilots is changing from flying aircraft to managing and supervising its systems. Aviation managers should look into ways in which they can use automation to improve safety and reduce costs.

With advancements in technology and changes in learning styles of younger generation of aviation professionals, the design and delivering of training is rapidly changing. The module looks into how airlines and airports can make use of games and simulation to develop greater critical thinking and problem-solving skills of their employees.

The module aims are therefore to evaluate how managers can make use of innovation and new technologies to improve productivity, customer service through digitalisation and also how training effectiveness and safety can be improved by technology. It will also look at how technology is providing airlines and airports with better control over the customer experience and service proposition.

This module will address the critical issue of how current thinking on sustainability will impact on Aviation businesses and organisation. The need to create more sustainable organisations and businesses is fundamental to current and future organisational development strategies, and it is necessary for students to understand the growing influence of the sustainability agenda on industry.

This influence takes on many forms, from government policies and international agreements to the measuring the impacts of organisational practices on the ecology and communities. It is clear that in the future, organisations, businesses, communities and individuals will be expected to understand and take responsibility for their economic, environmental and social impacts

This module aims to examine the current and future challenges, it will equip students with knowledge to deal with the challenge of creating sustainable forms of business that operate within ecological and socio-economic limits.

It will explore the sustainability context, and how business practices will need to evolve to reflect the realities of operating within a globalised trading system that is striving to apply sustainability principles. This is an important area of increasing scrutiny for airlines
and airports

This core module supports the development of the learner through their engagement with Leadership and Strategic Management theory and further develops their on-going leadership skills through the application of theory to practice. It will also prepare and develop them for an organisational leadership and/or management role. Key features of the module are an emphasis on effectiveness in a leadership role together with doing this in a socially and ethically responsible manner.

The module draws on a wide-range of academic research and professional experience. It introduces core leadership and strategic management concepts and encourages students to develop a critical, analytical approach to solving work-based leadership/ management issues. Students will develop an awareness of different theoretical perspectives so that the complexity of managerial work is explored rigorously. The module aims to explores a range of strategic and operational perspectives through academic research and an examination of work-based issues. It encourages students to adopt a reflective approach on current practice and critique academic theory in relation to their future leadership and management development. This module contains a strong experiential learning approach.

This module aims to stimulate the student’s critical awareness and application of key leadership and strategic management theories to their own practice and develop their ability to evaluate current practice in the light of relevant academic theories. It is expected that students will develop an increased awareness of the impact and influence of leaders and their own leadership development.

This module aims to stimulate the student’s critical awareness and application of key leadership and strategic management theories to their own practice and develop their ability to evaluate current practice in the light of relevant academic theories. It is expected that students will develop an increased awareness of the impact and influence of leaders and their own leadership development.

This module also introduces the student to an understanding of the role of commercial planning in a digital age as critical to profitable airline operations. Air routes are the life blood of airlines and assessing catchment areas and aircraft operations to satisfy demand is absolutely critical to airline and airport development.

This module introduces the vital appreciation of the management of airline costs as a key management skill for commercial airline managers. The airline industry in particular is highly volatile because of the complex costs of production of the service and is subject to violent external shocks on a regular basis. A sound financial strategy is therefore vital to airline survival and the module introduces techniques and tools to assess the steps to take for long term profitability.

The module aims are therefore to evaluate the complex range of financial issues that airline managers have to address to ensure a sustainable business in the long term and how to manage the critical aspects of negative financial exposure that are common in the sector.

The module will equip the student with an understanding of the complexities of managing projects in an uncertain world. The student will become familiar with the project business case, the detailed planning and the use of ‘WBS’ and the ’OBS’, resources issues and their management, the timeline, budgeting and cash flow, risk and uncertainty, issues concerning multiple projects as well as the eventual monitoring and control of the project through methods of tracking and monitoring.

The student will study methods of managing people in the project with appropriate models of leadership, team behaviours and motivation and methods of conflict management and/or resolution.

This module builds on the module entitled Research Methods for Aviation Management, where students will have identified a suitable topic for research and produced a research proposal.

Students will demonstrate an understanding the sector and the significance of issues within it via high level analysis, assimilation and interpretation of key information and statistics.

Students are expected, via independent research, to develop an awareness of the importance of rigorous investigative techniques, standards of data collection and analysis in business decision making.

Students are to produce a project based, consultative post-graduate report and a summary of the research undertaken. Both documents should be to a professional standard and suitable for both an academic and business audience.

Aims:

1. To undertake, with the necessary supervision, an independent, project based consultative report based on an agreed proposal. This should be an investigation into an organisational or sector issue with the aim of making strategically soundrecommendations for the future of the organisation or sector.
2. To foster a critical awareness and deep understanding of an aviation topic and to combine knowledge and analysis acquired in core MSc modules to explore that topic fully
3. To enable students to communicate the purpose, method, findings and recommendations of the research in an accessible, engaging and professional manner both as a report and in summary form