This course provides an opportunity for students to establish or advance their understanding of research through critical exploration of research language, ethics, and approaches. The course will prepare students for research thesis I & II that they will undertake later in the program. The course introduces the language of research, ethical principles and challenges, and the elements of the research process within quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches. Participants will use these theoretical underpinnings to begin to critically review the literature relevant to their field or interests and determine how research findings are useful in informing their understanding of their environment (work, social, local, global).

This course focuses on the principles, methodologies, and tools of quality management needed for business excellence in today's competitive environment. It explores quality management systems (QMS), quality improvement tools, and the relationship between quality management approaches and organizational culture. Students will learn to assess the effectiveness of QMS strategies in enhancing operational efficiency, customer satisfaction, and overall performance using quantitative and qualitative metrics. They also create comprehensive quality improvement plans tailored to specific organizational needs, enabling them to lead successful initiatives and drive sustainable excellence. The course presents various implementations within business cases.

This course provides a comprehensive exploration of principles, methodologies, and tools for fostering excellence in various industries. Students will analyze and evaluate business excellence frameworks, assess the strategic importance of business excellence, and use real-world UAE case studies to illustrate its transformative impact. The course also evaluates the alignment of business excellence principles with organizational goals, culture, and values. The course further examines the impact of business excellence practices on key performance indicators (KPIs) and enables students to develop a comprehensive implementation plan. This approach empowers students to drive positive change and achieve long-term success.

"Digital Excellence" is a course that equips students with the knowledge and skills essentials of digital business. It emphasizes the understanding of digital ecosystem towards implementing transformative digital strategies.  The course provides fundamentals of modern digital business environment encompassing digital workspace that optimizes enterprise applications. With emphasis on emerging technologies that include AI, big data, and blockchain, it delves into digital platforms to drive business innovation. Through case studies, students will explore digital innovation, disruption, and the imperative of digital transformation as experienced in various industries. These will provide business insights on organizational business models, digital operations, and common success and challenges. Such knowledge is essential towards business excellence that emphasizes measuring, monitoring, and controlling of business key performance indicators. The course culminates in proposing digital transformation strategies with consideration on project management as well as change management.

Managing operations and supply chain is vital to every type of organization, for it is only through effective and efficient utilization of resources that an organization can be successful in the long term. In today’s fast-paced business world, supply chain and operation managers must appreciate the integration of operations and supply chain on the organization, employees, and customers. Priority focus areas include the linkages between supply chain processes and operations design, business strategy, and globalization. This course aims to develop a critical understanding of operations management and supply chain strategy in organizational performance and competitiveness. It will build knowledge of operations and supply chain management principles and concepts and critically appraise how they can be applied across different organizational functions.

The course "Strategic Management Principles" offers a comprehensive understanding of strategic management concepts, theories, and models. It covers decision-making at various organizational levels, including corporate, business, and operational. Students learn to evaluate strategic decisions and their impact on outcomes, and develop skills to formulate management strategies. By the end of the course, students will have a deep understanding of strategic management principles and the ability to apply them in diverse contexts, enabling them to drive organizational success and business excellence.