Arab Open University’s Faculty of Business Studies (FBS) is non-traditional in approach, creative in application, and unique in perspective. FBS is the Arab World’s most comprehensive Blended learning business school, offering the full spectrum of business and management education options from single courses to bachelor’s and master’s degrees- all delivered with the flexibility, accessibility and quality that students expect from AOU leading blended learning university. The FBS prepares students for careers through British educational experience consolidating top notch scholarly challenge and ethical professional practice.
The FACULTY OF BUSINESS STUDIES AIMS TO:
- Provide students with the knowledge to succeed in their chosen field and ensure the development of skills in problem solving, ethical decision making, communication, teamwork, and leadership.
- Increase students' abilities and confidence to handle managerial, financial and administrative activities.
- Enable students understand how key forces like the economy, the state and the system influence and interact with business.
- Teach students how to apply the most recent and innovative developments in systems thinking to areas such as information systems, organizational change and professional practice.
- Acquire and provide knowledge about the different approaches to the analysis and explanation of business problems; how to set targets and plan how to achieve them.
- Attract and retain faculty dedicated to education, scholarship and the mission of the FBS.
- Attract and develop outstanding students who are dedicated to intellectual excellence.
- Produce primarily basic research with supporting efforts in applied and pedagogical research that contributes to and complements the mission of AOU.
- Develop the skills of independent learning through activities of face to face and distance learning.
- Provide opportunities for continued involvement, education, and professional growth of its graduates.
Offered Programmes
1) Bachelor of Arts (BA) -Business StudiesThis programme provides general understanding of business organisations, their key elements and wider considerations. Students will be able to analyse how businesses develop strategies, handle risk and take decisions, and they will have an insight into essential business functions such as marketing, accounting and finance. They will have relevant and practical skills, numerical studies, thinking and accountancy skills.
The degree in each track is an innovative and accessible introduction to the world of business that equips students to follow a number of career paths:
Accounting
The accounting track aims at giving students the skills needed for measuring and analyzing financial information used basically by managers, investors, tax authorities and decision makers for the purpose of resource allocation and distribution within enterprises, organizations, and governments.
Business Administration graduates in the field of accounting have a broad range of challenging and rewarding job opportunities in the accounting of businesses and organizations in the public and/or private sectors.
Economics
The economics track aims at improving the students' proficiency in the field of economic analysis and at strengthening their understanding of economic changes in addition to appreciating their influence on the business sector. It also aims to develop the students' ability to describe and evaluate the economic behavior of households, businesses and markets.Business Administration graduates in the field of Economics have a broad range of job opportunities in financial institutions, government, NGOs (non-government organizations), banks, and in private Lebanese or regional enterprises.
Finance & Micro-Finance
The Finance & micro-Finance track aims to provide students with an understanding of the financial sector of an economy, the role and services provided by the main financial institutions and markets, and an understanding of how international corporate financial decisions are made. students will also gain an understanding of economics as a social theory, and an understanding of the main principles of economic analysis and their organizational and policy implications. The program also aims to develop students' specialist skills in Finance and microfinance. students will acquire relevant and practical skills in numerical and financial analysis, and they will develop their critical thinking skills.
Business Administration graduates in the field of finance have a wide range of challenging and rewarding job opportunities at financial institutions, financial markets and banks.
Human Resources Management
The Human Resources Management track will provide the students with a general understanding of business organizations, their key elements, wider considerations such as environments, markets and processes, and how all these work together. Students will be able to analyze how businesses develop strategies, handle risk and take decisions.
Business Administration graduates in the field of Human Resources Management have a broad range of job opportunities in service, commercial and industrial firms as HR specialists, HR officers and training and development officers.
Management
The business studies in management track aims at giving students the needed skills for managing investments through an organized behavior which takes into consideration the principles of financial management and organization for public and private sector enterprises.
Business Administration graduates in the field of Management have a broad range of job opportunities in service, commercial and industrial firms as project managers, business advisors and administrators.
Marketing
The marketing track aims at giving students the required skills necessary for discovering the needs and desires of customers in order to develop a group of products or services capable of satisfying those needs and of insuring a good profit for the organization within an acceptable time frame through the focus on marketing tools such as the product, distribution, promotion and price.
Business Administration graduates in the field of Marketing have a broad range of challenging and rewarding job opportunities in private and public organizations as marketing executive, marketing researcher, media planner, etc.
Systems
The systems track aims at teaching students the skills needed to improve the process of administrative decision making. It also aims to improve the students' abilities to apply systems' thinking and practices for managing and solving complexities in accordance with the administrative requirements.
Business Administration graduates in the systems field have a wide range of job opportunities in service, commercial and industrial firms as project managers, Business systems analysts, business advisors and administrators.
2) Master 's in Business
Administration (MBA)
Our internationally recognised MBA is a career development programme for those who have significant relevant post-graduation work experience. The main emphasis of the programme is on leadership through strategic management. While the academic level is masters, there is a strong practical and professional orientation to the curriculum. With an international emphasis and global reputation, our MBA programme is highly attractive for all ambitious executives. It is provided through the below tracks:
Master in Business Administration - General
This internationally recognized MBA is designed for practicing managers aspiring to higher positions. The emphasis for your learning is directly rooted in management practice – the 'master' in the degree title signifies your 'mastery' of the art and science of management. To achieve this level of capability the program concentrates on strategic analysis, interdisciplinary skills, intellectual stimulation and independent judgment and builds these upon a solid foundation of core disciplines, including human resource management, organizational behavior, accounting and finance, marketing and operations.
You will learn to analyze, synthesize and evaluate a wide range of situations within the broad framework of organizations, their external context and internal management. Among these you will look at economic, environmental, social and technological change issues, corporate governance, markets and customers, managing resources and operations, financing organizations, management and development of people, developing information technologies for application in business and management within a global knowledge-based economy, and development of appropriate business policies and strategies within a changing context to meet stakeholder interest.
Master in Business Administration - Finance
The MBA in Finance will equip students with necessary skills to analyze and solve complex amorphous business finance problems. In addition, graduates will be able to communicate their finance related findings and will develop the skills to implement them effectively and efficiently. Students will also develop strong relational capacities and will be able to relate commendably with a range of finance related topics.
Master in Business Administration - Human Resource Management
The MBA in Human Resource Management offers an in-depth understanding of human resource (HR) management combined with a broader understanding of the organizational and management context within which HR management specialists must operate. It combines an emphasis on the development of HR management strategies with opportunities to develop specialist skills essential for practitioners. It is suitable for those who are at the start of their career as an HR professional or who aspire to enter the HR profession and it is also relevant to the experienced manager/HR professional with a degree who wants to gain a postgraduate qualification. The qualification provides a route to professional membership of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and students following this route are expected to be student members of CIPD throughout their studies.
Throughout the program you will be encouraged to explore the strategic choices available to organizations in relation to human resource management and development. You will also consider international examples of human resource management and some aspects of comparative HR practice which will help to prepare you to work in the global economy. There will be a strong emphasis on practice-based learning so that you will be asked to evaluate research and theory and consider its relevance to practice. Training is also provided in academic and research skills, as preparation for further study and research in the field of HR management.