Structure of the specialisation

The Executive MBA with specialisation in Seafood Management is for people who want to pursue a career in the seafood industry or related industries, where the need for strong management skills and sustainable innovation is increasingly important to succeed in a highly competitive environment.

  • Goals for the specialisation

    Goals for the specialisation

    This specialisation of the Executive MBA programme provides in-depth knowledge and expertise across key areas such as economics, strategy, management, innovation, finance, and accounting. The specialisation integrates theoretical and practical applications, focuses on problem-based learning, and features engagement and networking among faculty members and experienced classmates.

    The specialisation intends to

    • give students a broad, general curriculum with a strong focus on the seafood industry, its challenges and opportunities. Technology, sustainability and a global perspective are therefore main themes throughout the specialisation.
    • give students breadth and depth through coursework that is topical, relevant and tailored to address the critical issues of the seafood industry today and in the future.
    • give students the opportunity to interact in class as well as in modern distance learning settings. Furthermore, the specialisation includes training sessions on soft skills such as negotiations, communication and intercultural competence.

    The group of participants is small and carefully selected, as we aim to bring together people from different regions and different parts of the global seafood industry, representing a broad set of expertise and experiences. This facilitates learning, stimulates discussions, and provides diverse perspectives on relevant business problems. This network element is an important learning factor, both during the programme and after its completion.

  • Learning outcome

    Learning outcome

    After completing the specialisation, candidates are expected to have achieved the following overall learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

    Knowledge

    The candidate has

    • deep understanding of key business disciplines, such as economics, strategy, international business, management, marketing, accounting, and finance, and can apply essential elements to the seafood industry and beyond.
    • thorough knowledge of the distinguishing features of the seafood industry and the managerial implications of operating in natural resource-based industries.
    • advanced knowledge on how key models and principles can be applied to new problems and business challenges.
    • thorough understanding on how to use new technologies in general, and in the form of digitization in particular, for the benefit of an organization.
    • an understanding of the role of technological and societal trends for the seafood industry, and knows how to organize for, develop and implement innovations in an organization.
    • knowledge on the importance of sustainability for the seafood industry and in the general economy.

    Skills

    The candidate is capable of

    • demonstrating advanced critical thinking and can employ appropriate analytical models and apply critical reasoning processes to evaluate evidence, select among alternatives, and generate creative options promoting effective decision making in general and within the seafood industry.
    • applying research-based management tools to practical business challenges.
    • using advanced analysis methods to evaluate the profitability of business decisions.
    • independently managing business projects within the seafood industry and beyond according to the current professional and ethical standards.

    General competence

    The candidate

    • can use appropriate leadership skills and styles, collaborate well with others across cultures and different backgrounds, and effectively and appropriately structure teamwork.
    • understands the importance of behaving ethically and responsibly in their professional lives, and they recognize and can frame responses to sustainability challenges and opportunities in both their organizations and their communities.
    • possess effective communication skills and can write business documents and speak in groups and in public in a clear, concise, and analytical manner using business terminology.
    • can contribute to innovation projects.
  • The structure and organisation of the programme with specialisation in Seafood Management

    The structure and organisation of the programme with specialisation in Seafood Management

    The specialisation is an experience-based part time study (90 ECTS) that is taught over a period of two years. It includes physical sessions, as well as digital seminars. and an independent work of 30 ECTS (master’s thesis).  The master’s thesis is written under academic supervision.

    The specialisation consists of six modules.

    Each module includes a five-day module meeting, digital preparation, repetition classes and distance learning elements. The preparation and repetition classes will be digital meetings of 4 hours duration and will take place in the weeks between the meetings. Total there will be around six meetings for each module.

    Two of the modules will also include three-day case-working meetings in hybrid form for which students can decide themselves whether they want to attend in class or online. These meetings will be case-based in small groups where students work on a particular problem and present their solution to the whole group in the end of the session.

    Four of the meetings take place at NHH and two meetings take place at collaborating educational institutions abroad.

    The specialisation combines traditional lecturing with case-based approaches, elements of flipped classroom approaches and online learning technologies. This approach facilitates broad international participation from around the world. The specialisation builds on problem-based learning and each modules’ learning experience will have focus on a specific problem.

    We complement the academic content with sessions on soft-skill development, such as for instance presentation and negotiation training.

  • Assessment

    Assessment

    Students are assessed both individually and in groups during the programme. During each module, students must participate in the module meeting and complete distance-learning assignments. Each module demands either submit either individual home assignment or a group work. In addition, students must submit their MBA thesis at the end of the programme.

  • Distance-learning assignments

    Distance-learning assignments

    Distance-learning assignments

    During each module, students must solve assignments related to the modules’ content. The assignments aim to prepare and repeat and will be discussed during the preparation and repetition meetings.

    Home assignment

    At the end of the four modules, students must submit an assignment that is based on the content of the module.

  • MBA thesis

    MBA thesis

    As part of four of the modules, students must write an independent paper where they apply the insights, methods, and skills they have acquired in the respective module to analyse a company or organization of their choice. The paper is due at the end of each module.

    By the end of the specialisation, each student should merge the four papers into a unified and coherent text, the MBA thesis. The complete thesis of 30 ECTS is due towards the end of the programme.

  • Module 1: The seafood industry in a global context – economics, markets and sustainable resource management

    Module 1: The seafood industry in a global context – economics, markets and sustainable resource management

    Session location: Bergen, Norway

    The first module puts the seafood industry in a global context and presents the economic framework for modelling and analysing markets related to seafood. The module gives an introduction of the specialisation and of the industry. One part is primarily descriptive and historical, as it describes the broader industry context and shows how the seafood industry has evolved over time. A second part introduces relevant economic models and discusses how to apply them to analyse the seafood industry. First, we review economic models for understanding and analysing the economic environment of an industry and a firm, including basic macroeconomics and microeconomic models of competition, markets, innovation, and consumer and producer behaviour. Second, we look at the basics of resource and environmental economics, which are key elements for a complete understanding of seafood markets. Finally, we put the components together and illustrate how one can use various analyses of seafood markets to explain and predict market outcomes. This module focuses particularly on economics, markets, regulations, and sustainability.

  • Module 2: Innovation and technology

    Module 2: Innovation and technology

    Session location: Bergen, Norway

    The second module looks at how firms can develop capabilities for continuous change and innovation. We examine the innovative process and discuss what managers can do to facilitate innovation. We look at the whole innovative process, starting with creativity, continuing with growing and innovation and ending with profiting from innovation. We discuss existing theories on development of innovations, including design thinking, managing of innovation, and organizational structures and processes that facilitate radical and continuous change and innovation. We probe the dynamics of such processes, discuss how firms can develop a capacity for change and explore common traps that can cause change efforts to fail.

    Finally, we take a look at some particular technologies and how they may affect the seafood industry. In particular, we discuss data science with its buzzwords “big data” and “artificial intelligence” and include coding sessions.

  • Module 3: Strategic analysis and sustainable business models

    Module 3: Strategic analysis and sustainable business models

    Session location: Americas/Europe

    The third module ties the analyses of the external environment to strategic decision-making. We discuss the industry characteristics identified in module 1 in a strategic perspective with emphasis on how regulatory, political and cultural conditions influence financial performance in an industry and the strategic options available to a firm. The module presents strategic alternatives at both the corporate and business-unit levels and introduces innovative business models for the seafood industry and other relevant industries. The module also explores how firms can identify, develop and make use of resources and capabilities that will enable them to create sustainable competitive advantage. The module presents models for analysing, rationalizing, and organizing value creation processes and introduces value chain analysis as a way of understanding strategic and organizational choices, particularly tied to make-or-buy decisions. Module 3 also explores the connection between strategic thinking and sustainability, with emphasize on business-model opportunities to respond to current environmental and social challenges.

  • Module 4: Management control and marketing

    Module 4: Management control and marketing

    Session location: Bergen, Norway

    This module starts with how organizations are managed. It discusses not only the inherent agency conflict of organizations but also how different expertise and dispersed knowledge within a company can be used efficiently. We discuss how corporations can be organized, how incentives can be aligned to the goals of the company and how information can be efficiently communicated within an organization.

    The second part of the module is on marketing. Marketing is an integral part of a company’s road to success, as every business must successfully market its products and services. The module offers the basics of marketing, which covers fundamental concepts, theories, and frameworks in marketing.

  • Module 5: Leadership and international management

    Module 5: Leadership and international management

    Session location: Asia

    The fifth module is on international management, more specifically, on executing strategy in a global corporation. The module covers the basics of leadership, which includes an introduction to the major theories and styles of leadership. In addition, the module covers global strategy, which deals with how to identify and evaluate strategic options in a global context; international economics, including how to analyse the activities and factors that drive costs and revenues internationally, and how to design an effective global organization and manage geographically dispersed employees and activities. In this module, we also look at various decision-making processes and how culture plays into this, and we discuss the effects of culture on cross-cultural collaboration and communication.

  • Module 6: Finance and accounting

    Module 6: Finance and accounting

    Session location: Bergen, Norway

    The final module introduces finance and accounting; two essential management tools that are critical for sound strategic decision-making. The basics of finance and accounting part focuses on understanding financial statements, gaining knowledge about various types of financing options, learning how to read and analyse balance sheets and assess cash flows, and how to set up and evaluate investment analysis