Congratulations on securing a place on our MSc International Business programme. We are delighted that you have chosen to study with us and are looking forward to welcoming you to our thriving learning and research community at the University of Liverpool Management School.
My name is Dr Vasilis Gkotsis, I will be your Director of Studies for the MSc International Business programme and am also a lecturer in International Business and Strategic Management.
Over the past 12 years, I have taught in all academic disciplines mainly in the area of International Business. I also hold an MBA and prior to that, I have worked for another 10 years in the industry mostly as an operation manager along with administrative positions earlier in a private college back in Greece. I have also worked as a business development manager here in the UK in a private institution. My return to academia for the last 12 years has comprised a dynamic combination of both worlds: first-class industry experience along with the equivalent level of academic teaching accompanied by research orientation.
I’m looking forward to meeting and getting to know you all as you embark on your master’s education. To get you started, I wanted to share my three top tips for succeeding on the MSc in International Business programme:
1. As you may not be familiar with the field of international business, we suggest you look over the textbooks in international business and start to familiarise yourself with international business terms. Some examples of these textbooks are:
- Hill, C. W. L. (2019). International Business: Competing in the Global Marketplace. 12th Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill
- Peng, M. (2013) Global Strategic Management, 3rd Edition, South Western: Cengage Learning
- Collinson, S., Narula, R. and Rugman, A.M. (2017), International Business. 7th Edition. Pearson.
2. Give yourself time to adjust to self-learning and familiarise yourself with the library resources. The library is your new friend! It is essential for you to learn to access books, articles, and other study resources online. We have the following guide which is specific to ULMS to help get you started here.
3. Read news related to international business, for example, the Brexit negotiations, international trade talks, and issues that influence the business environment such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Think about what they mean for international business.
A few more things you can look forward to taking part in, alongside your programme, are the ULMS ExECS award and the ‘We can work it out’ Master's Consultancy Challenge.
Through the ULMS Extracurricular Engagement, Careers, and Skills Award (ExECS) you can develop skills in the areas of careers and employability, personal development, networking practice, and take part in social and cultural activities. These are areas that ULMS believes will provide you with the skillset and knowledge needed to enhance your student experience.
The Master's Consultancy Challenge is open to all MSc Management School students across all disciplines. It is a fantastic opportunity to work with employers and gain experience of solving a real-world business strategic challenge. Companies that have taken part in previous years include PwC, Santander, Decathlon, Mando, Sysdoc and Chester Zoo. You can watch a short video about the consultancy challenge here.
It is very important that you familiarise yourselves with the following online facilities:
Canvas
This is the Virtual Learning Environment we are going to use throughout the year, so it is important to get the hang of it early in the semester. It is going to include a website for each of the modules you are enrolled to, but also an MSc International Business programme website. Find out more on the student Canvas pages.
Timetable website
Timetables will be released one week before your programme starts, you will be able to access your timetable online.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or if there is anything you would like to discuss.
I look forward to welcoming you soon!
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