In this programme you will be invited to develop your understanding of creative organisations, teams, value creation, and markets within the global creative economy. We encourage you to consider a creative approach to management and a managed approach to creativity, which can then be applied to a range of scenarios and industries.
You will also develop your understanding of intellectual property and its strategic and regulatory significance within the creative and media industries. This course will invite you to critically reflect on the theories and ideas that shape industry practice, and help you to tackle the real challenges of running a creative business.
Core modules
Major Project
The Centre for Cultural and Media Policy Studies is an interdisciplinary centre for teaching and research in the fields of cultural and media policy and the creative industries. The commitment to interdisciplinarity is reflected in our Major Projects, where you will be encouraged to draw on approaches from across the humanities and social sciences in producing your work. Successful projects can emerge from creative engagement with scholarly debates, from the design and analysis of original empirical work, or from some combination of these. This openness of approach is also reflected in how Major Project research can be represented.
Creativity and Organisation
The module examines the internal organisational dynamic of the creative business, from financial planning and human resource management to organisational theory. The module is divided into three parts. The first part examines the definition and creation of ‘value’ in the creative and media industries and relates this to issues in financial management. The second part examines the organisational structure of creative and media businesses. The third part examines strategic planning, incorporating a critique of ‘scientific’ approaches to management and planning and a search for alternative models for strategic planning for small creative enterprises.
Managing Intellectual Property
Intellectual property is the currency of creative and media enterprises. In this module you will examine the legal, policy and commercial mechanisms through which intellectual property is managed. Management refers to the exploitation and protection of intellectual property both by organisations and individuals and at the level of government policy and legislation. You will explore the conflicts between different legal, commercial and political imperatives for managing intellectual property through case studies, seminars and presentations by visiting experts.
Research Design
This module aims to prepare you for your Major Project, which is a substantial piece of independent research on a topic of your choice. The module will equip you with a broad understanding of relevant research methods from which to select an appropriate approach for your own project. It will introduce you to ethical dimensions of research. It will equip you to write an effective proposal (including research questions, rationale, explanation and justification of research methods, identifying relevant literature and data sources).
By the end of the module, you should be ready to submit your proposal and be equipped with a broad understanding of research methods in the cultural, creative and media industries field.
Optional modules
Optional modules can vary from year to year. Example optional modules may include:
- Marketing and Markets
- Cultural Entrepreneurship
- The Global Audience
All students will take a total of 3 option modules which also includes their course specific applied management module. The bespoke applied management module for this MA is Creative Business Project. This module gives you the opportunity to apply your learning in practice- or industry-related contexts.
