LLM International Business - Masters of Laws

Course Overview

In these interesting times where globalisation and disenfranchisement of established political, social and legal order are taking place across domestic, regional and global economic and trade sectors, conducting business internationally is becoming fraught with increasingly conflicting set of rules, agreements, regulations and practices. The constantly shifting landscape means that domestic businesses as well as those that operate transnationally needs administrators and managers who are able to understand, plan and implement strategies and practices that meets their specific needs. To understand global interconnectedness of economies, markets and industries within which transnational corporations compete, an individual would require a high degree of knowledge and understanding of the municipal, regional and international customs, practices and laws. Such an individual would also require a certain set of communication skills to draft, present, negotiate, moot and write in a disciplined way.

LLM International Business programme therefore aims to provide such knowledge and understanding as well as the skills to non-law graduates especially those with business and management backgrounds as well as those with law degrees through an advanced study and assessment of laws within subject areas and issues that are rooted in the international business and management environment.

The assessment strategy for the modules and for the programme as a whole complies with the requirements of Cardiff Metropolitan University regulations contained in the Academic Handbook. Within these regulations, specific requirements are set out such as the required threshold for passing and failing modules and assessments, progression and the operation of the examination boards. Whilst there will be periodic formative assessments to enable students to gain detailed feedback on the tasks set, where possible, summative assessments for the modules will be based on current live issues in the industry with the aims of developing knowledge and understanding in the subject matter as well as reflecting the need for enhanced set of specialist skills to be developed and in particular, oral skills. Thus whilst there are no examinations, students will be required to write extensive legal arguments in the form of legal essays, draft case notes and pleas, and undertake presentation, negotiation and mooting.

The programme aims to equip individuals with the fundamentals of international business, through development of legal knowledge and skills, which will enable them to operate efficiently and lawfully as managers, entrepreneurs and specialist practitioners. It provides disciplined legal context to individual's business knowledge and experience in meeting the demands placed upon them in a highly competitive global commercial environment. The programme therefore opens a broad range of enhanced employment opportunities in business, management and administration across private and public sectors, including NGOs and international organisations. Specifically LLM in International Business has proven to be a value-added qualification for business graduates who wishes to enter employment where regulatory compliance is needed in the areas of HR, marketing, legal, finance related businesses such as insurers and reinsurers, export/import and other supply chain organisations involved with international trade. Previous graduates have entered multinational corporations as managers and administrators and indeed a few that were legally qualified before undertaking this programme have been able to enter into commercial chancery litigation and advisory practice areas.