Proposed Graduate Program • Madrid, Spain

Master of Business Administration in Strategic Management
and Business Innovation

Focus University Institute’s MBA in Strategic Management and Business Innovation prepares professionals to analyze business challenges, develop practical innovations and lead responsible change. Its nine courses integrate strategy, finance, marketing, leadership, economic analysis and market intelligence through applied case studies and a consulting capstone.

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Program Overview

The curriculum uses nine complementary courses rather than assembling unrelated electives.

Distinctive features

  • A balance of global and domestic/regional perspectives
  • Decision-oriented economics
  • Practical commercial intelligence
  • Responsible digital and AI capability
  • A substantial applied consulting experience

Market intelligence in this program

Market intelligence is not treated as synonymous with database engineering or campaign analytics. Students learn to define an intelligence question, evaluate sources, triangulate evidence and explain its commercial implications.

Institution
Focus University Institute
Location
Madrid, Spain
Language
English-language delivery

Vision, Mission & Values

Vision

To develop thoughtful business leaders who turn strategic insight and innovation into responsible, lasting value for organizations and society.

Mission

To prepare adaptable, globally minded professionals to make sound business decisions, develop viable innovations and lead organizational change through rigorous inquiry, practical experience and responsible judgment.

Values of the program

  • Critical judgment

    Challenge assumptions, compare alternatives and distinguish evidence from opinion.

  • Innovation with purpose

    Pursue useful, feasible improvements rather than novelty alone.

  • Integrity and accountability

    Be transparent about evidence, conflicts, limitations and the use of technology.

  • Empathy and intercultural respect

    Listen to different perspectives and adapt communication without stereotyping.

  • Sustainable value

    Consider economic, social, environmental and governance consequences.

  • Learning agility

    Reflect, seek feedback and renew knowledge as conditions change.

Learning Outcomes

All outcomes are assessed through observable graduate-level work rather than completion or attendance alone.

Program learning outcomes

  1. 1

    Strategic and economic judgment

    Critically integrate strategic, economic and financial analysis to evaluate complex business conditions, compare alternatives and justify viable organizational decisions.

    Primary ILO alignmentILO 1ILO 3

  2. 2

    Innovation and digital business

    Design, test and evaluate innovative business models and digital-business solutions using evidence, responsible technology and sustainable-value principles.

    Primary ILO alignmentILO 2ILO 3ILO 7

  3. 3

    Market and commercial intelligence

    Evaluate customer, competitor, industry and domestic/regional market evidence to produce reliable commercial intelligence and defensible marketing or growth recommendations.

    Primary ILO alignmentILO 1ILO 3ILO 6

  4. 4

    Responsible leadership and change

    Lead inclusive organizational transformation by evaluating ethical, social, cultural and environmental consequences, engaging stakeholders and supporting learning and adaptability.

    Primary ILO alignmentILO 4ILO 5ILO 6ILO 7

  5. 5

    Intercultural professional communication

    Construct, adapt and defend professional arguments; communicate, collaborate and negotiate effectively across cultural, linguistic and organizational contexts.

    Primary ILO alignmentILO 4ILO 6

  6. 6

    Applied inquiry and implementation

    Design and conduct responsible applied business inquiry, critically appraise evidence and defend feasible recommendations, implementation plans and measures of performance.

    Primary ILO alignmentILO 1ILO 2ILO 3ILO 4ILO 5

Outcome progression and evidence

I
Introduced or established at graduate level
R
Reinforced through applied work
M
Terminal mastery assessed
·
Not marked in the progression map

A course may contribute indirectly to a PLO even where not every CLO maps to it. Course-level CLO mappings identify the primary links. The capstone provides terminal evidence for all six PLOs; this does not mean other course assessments are optional.

Program outcome progression by course, in the full-time study sequence
Course P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6
FMBA 701 I/R I I/R I R I/R
FMBA 704 I/R · not marked I I R R
FMBA 707 I · not marked I R I/R R
FMBA 702 R I/R R R R R
FMBA 703 R R R R R R
FMBA 706 R R · not marked R R R
FMBA 708 R R R R R R
FMBA 709 R R R R R R
FMBA 705 M M M M M M

Curriculum and Delivery Sequence

Program duration: one year (12 months), organized into three 14-week teaching terms. The detailed calendar accommodates teaching, assessment, breaks and term transitions within the one-year duration.

  1. Term 1

    14 weeks

    Builds strategic, financial and intercultural foundations

    Term workload
    9 credits / 18 ECTS / 450 hours
    Per teaching week
    Approximately 32 learner hours

  2. Term 2

    14 weeks

    Develops innovation, marketing and leadership

    Term workload
    9 credits / 18 ECTS / 450 hours
    Per teaching week
    Approximately 32 learner hours

  3. Term 3

    14 weeks

    Integrates economics, commercial intelligence and the supervised capstone

    Term workload
    12 credits / 24 ECTS / 600 hours
    Per teaching week
    Approximately 43 learner hours

Term workloads are average total learning hours, not classroom hours.

Credit and workload

Each standard course 3 credits / 6 ECTS / 150 learner hours

45 hours of scheduled teaching, structured interaction and assessed presentations

105 hours of reading, research, analysis and project work

The integrative capstone 6 credits / 12 ECTS / 300 learner hours

90 scheduled hours of seminars, supervised studios, consultations and defence

210 hours of independent research and project work

30
Credits
60
ECTS
450
Scheduled hours
1,050
Independent hours

The ECTS workload is calculated at 25 learner hours per credit. Credit transfer and recognition depend on the receiving institution’s policies.

Academic progression

  • Before the capstone, students must successfully complete the six foundation/development courses and obtain project-scope approval.

  • Economics and commercial intelligence may be taken concurrently with the capstone.

  • Students may reuse an organizational context across courses, but not resubmit substantially the same assessed work without explicit permission and clear identification of the new contribution.

Course Outlines

Each course has a 14-week sequence connecting conceptual learning, applied activity and assessment.

Term 1

FMBA 701 Global Business Strategy and International Market Context Term 1 · 3 credits / 6 ECTS / 150 learner hours

This course develops students’ ability to diagnose global business environments, evaluate international market conditions, and formulate strategic responses for organizations operating across borders. Spain provides the learning location, but cases and applications are global, including North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and emerging markets. Students examine institutions, competition, capabilities, geopolitical risk, digital platforms, sustainability pressures, and cross-cultural execution challenges.

Responsible AI application

AI is used as a strategy-support tool for environmental scanning, scenario generation, competitor mapping, and structured critique. Students must verify AI-generated claims against credible sources and disclose AI assistance.

Final applied project

Select a real organization and compare entry, growth or repositioning in two international markets. Produce an executive decision dossier of approximately 3,500 to 4,500 words, an evidence-and-assumptions register and a concise board presentation. Evaluate at least three defensible strategic options, including a do-not-proceed option, and recommend a preferred option with implementation responsibilities, milestones, risks and decision triggers. The 10 to 12 minute presentation is followed by an individual question period.

Preparation / prerequisites

Admission; pre-entry foundation diagnostic in business, quantitative reasoning and academic writing.

Course learning outcomes

  1. CLO 1Analyze global business environments using institutional, economic, competitive, technological, and stakeholder evidence.Primary PLO links: P1, P3
  2. CLO 2Evaluate international market opportunities and risks using structured strategic frameworks.Primary PLO links: P1, P3
  3. CLO 3Assess how firms build capabilities and business models for cross-border growth.Primary PLO links: P1, P2
  4. CLO 4Apply critical thinking to strategy choices under uncertainty, complexity, and ethical constraint.Primary PLO links: P1, P4
  5. CLO 5Communicate a global strategy recommendation through professional written and oral formats.Primary PLO links: P5, P6

Assessment structure

  • Professional participation and preparation10%
  • Three applied briefs / analytical labs15%
  • Independent midterm decision memo20%
  • Project milestone and professional presentation15%
  • Global strategy decision dossier and oral defence40%

Final project rubric

  • Strategic diagnosis and evidence25
  • Options and capability/market fit20
  • Risk, ethics and stakeholder judgment15
  • Implementation and financial logic15
  • Individual oral defence25

Scheduled learning 45 hours · independent/applied learning 105 hours

FMBA 704 Financial Management, Investment Evaluation, and Business Viability Term 1 · 3 credits / 6 ECTS / 150 learner hours

This course equips MBA students to interpret financial information, evaluate business viability, and support managerial decisions with disciplined financial analysis. Students study financial statements, budgeting, working capital, investment evaluation, valuation logic, risk, funding, and responsible use of financial and digital decision tools. The emphasis is on managerial judgment, communication, and ethical use of financial evidence.

Responsible AI application

AI is not a primary course theme, but students may use approved digital tools for spreadsheet checking, sensitivity review, and financial explanation support with verification and disclosure.

Final applied project

Evaluate a specified investment, expansion or organizational viability decision using a professional report of approximately 3,000 to 4,000 words and an auditable spreadsheet model. Include a base case, downside case and a transparent break-even or switching-value analysis. Conclude with a defensible proceed, redesign or reject recommendation and decision triggers. Deliver a 10 to 12 minute executive briefing and individually defend the model; automated outputs cannot substitute for understanding.

Preparation / prerequisites

Admission; spreadsheet and accounting foundation diagnostic; bridging support where needed.

Course learning outcomes

  1. CLO 1Interpret financial statements and key performance indicators for managerial decision-making.Primary PLO links: P1
  2. CLO 2Evaluate business viability using budgeting, cash-flow analysis, investment criteria, and risk assessment.Primary PLO links: P1
  3. CLO 3Apply financial-management concepts to funding, growth, working capital, and strategic resource decisions.Primary PLO links: P1, P6
  4. CLO 4Use digital and analytical tools responsibly to support financial judgment without replacing professional accountability.Primary PLO links: P1, P4
  5. CLO 5Communicate financial recommendations clearly to managerial and non-specialist audiences.Primary PLO links: P5, P6

Assessment structure

  • Professional participation and preparation10%
  • Three applied briefs / analytical labs15%
  • Independent midterm decision memo20%
  • Project milestone and professional presentation15%
  • Investment and business viability recommendation and oral defence40%

Final project rubric

  • Data, assumptions and spreadsheet integrity25
  • Financial analysis and interpretation20
  • Risk, sensitivity and alternatives15
  • Strategic recommendation and implementation15
  • Individual oral defence25

Scheduled learning 45 hours · independent/applied learning 105 hours

FMBA 707 Intercultural Business Communication Term 1 · 3 credits / 6 ECTS / 150 learner hours

This graduate course develops evidence-based, ethical and inclusive communication for strategic management and business innovation in culturally and linguistically diverse environments. Students examine identity, power, context and organizational culture without reducing individuals to national stereotypes; analyse stakeholders and communication barriers; adapt written, oral and digital business messages; and practise intercultural conflict management and negotiation.

Final applied project

As a group, prepare a 2,500 to 3,000 word case analysis using a case study provided by the teaching professor. Alternatively, an intercultural research report of about 4,000 words may be considered. Both options include a presentation. Citations and a bibliography are required and are not included in the word count. There are important AI limitations in this assignment; consult with your professor. No final examination.

Preparation / prerequisites

Admission to the MBA or permission of the program director. Graduate-level academic writing and source-evaluation readiness recommended.

Course learning outcomes

  1. CLO 1Analyse intercultural business communication problems using cultural self-reflection, audience evidence, organizational context and critical evaluation of cultural frameworks without stereotyping.Primary PLO links: P5, P6
  2. CLO 2Design clear, ethical and accessible written, oral and digital business messages adapted to stakeholders with different cultural, linguistic and professional expectations.Primary PLO links: P5
  3. CLO 3Demonstrate inclusive listening, feedback, facilitation and collaboration in multicultural and digitally mediated business interactions, evaluating power and language asymmetries.Primary PLO links: P4, P5
  4. CLO 4Evaluate and apply intercultural negotiation and conflict-management strategies, justifying choices through stakeholder interests, ethical responsibilities and observed interaction evidence.Primary PLO links: P4, P5
  5. CLO 5Develop and defend a feasible intercultural communication and negotiation plan using responsible applied inquiry, implementation measures and reflective evaluation of limitations.Primary PLO links: P5, P6

Assessment structure

  • Intercultural communication and negotiation labs10%
  • Three intercultural business communication briefs15%
  • Individual midterm case analysis20%
  • Intercultural negotiation simulation and project milestone15%
  • Group case analysis or intercultural research report and presentation40%

Final project rubric

  • Understanding of the case or research topic25
  • Intercultural analysis and application of course concepts20
  • Conclusions and recommendations15
  • Report clarity, citations and bibliography15
  • Group presentation25

Scheduled learning 45 hours · independent/applied learning 105 hours

Term 2

FMBA 702 Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Business Model Design Term 2 · 3 credits / 6 ECTS / 150 learner hours

This course prepares students to identify opportunities, design business models, and develop innovation proposals for new or existing organizations. Students examine entrepreneurship, customer discovery, value propositions, experimentation, business-model design, scaling, responsible innovation, and sustainable value creation. The course emphasizes practical design, evidence, and critical judgment rather than a single startup ideology.

Responsible AI application

AI is used as an innovation-support tool for ideation, customer-discovery planning, prototype feedback, assumption testing, and business-model stress testing. Students must evaluate bias, feasibility, and evidence quality.

Final applied project

Develop an innovation or venture proposal addressing a demonstrable organizational or customer problem. Submit a 3,500 to 4,500 word equivalent portfolio containing a problem-evidence synthesis, value proposition, business model, experiment or prototype, test results, unit-economics assumptions and a responsible implementation plan. At least one feasible validation activity must challenge a critical assumption. Explain whether to launch, pivot, defer or reject the proposed model. Present a 10 to 12 minute investor or management pitch and individually defend the evidence, commercial feasibility and stakeholder consequences.

Preparation / prerequisites

FMBA 701 completed; FMBA 704 completed or equivalent preparation.

Course learning outcomes

  1. CLO 1Identify business opportunities using evidence from customers, markets, technologies, and social needs.Primary PLO links: P2, P3
  2. CLO 2Design and compare business models that create economic and responsible long-term value.Primary PLO links: P2, P3
  3. CLO 3Apply experimentation, prototyping, and validation methods to reduce uncertainty.Primary PLO links: P1, P2
  4. CLO 4Evaluate ethical, sustainability, financial, and operational implications of innovation decisions.Primary PLO links: P2, P4
  5. CLO 5Present a coherent innovation or venture proposal supported by evidence and implementation logic.Primary PLO links: P5, P6

Assessment structure

  • Professional participation and preparation10%
  • Three applied briefs / analytical labs15%
  • Independent midterm decision memo20%
  • Project milestone and professional presentation15%
  • Innovation and venture validation portfolio and oral defence40%

Final project rubric

  • Problem evidence and validation quality25
  • Innovation and business-model coherence20
  • Commercial and financial feasibility15
  • Responsible implementation and learning design15
  • Individual oral defence25

Scheduled learning 45 hours · independent/applied learning 105 hours

FMBA 703 Digital Marketing, Branding, and Customer Analytics Term 2 · 3 credits / 6 ECTS / 150 learner hours

This course develops students’ ability to design marketing strategies for global and digitally mediated markets. Students integrate customer insight, segmentation, brand positioning, digital channels, analytics, customer experience, responsible data use, and performance measurement. The course uses global cases and adapts marketing decisions to culture, sector, technology, and ethical context.

Responsible AI application

AI is used as a marketing-support tool for segmentation hypotheses, persona critique, content testing, analytics interpretation, and campaign diagnostics. Students must address privacy, bias, cultural fit, and responsible personalization.

Final applied project

Develop a 3,500 to 4,500 word marketing plan for a defined organization, product or service and specified audience. Include a customer-evidence audit, segmentation and positioning rationale, brand diagnosis, customer-journey map, channel choices, campaign prototype, budget and measurement dashboard. Show how success metrics connect to organizational objectives rather than relying on attention or reach alone. Submit a 10 to 12 minute management presentation, answer individual questions and provide an auditable source and tool-use register.

Preparation / prerequisites

FMBA 701 completed; FMBA 707 completed.

Course learning outcomes

  1. CLO 1Analyze customer, market, competitor, and digital-channel evidence to identify strategic marketing opportunities.Primary PLO links: P3
  2. CLO 2Develop segmentation, targeting, positioning, and branding strategies for diverse global audiences.Primary PLO links: P3
  3. CLO 3Use customer analytics and performance metrics responsibly to support marketing decisions.Primary PLO links: P2, P3
  4. CLO 4Evaluate ethical, cultural, privacy, and sustainability issues in digital marketing and brand management.Primary PLO links: P3, P4
  5. CLO 5Produce a professional marketing strategy and growth plan with evidence-based recommendations.Primary PLO links: P5, P6

Assessment structure

  • Professional participation and preparation10%
  • Three applied briefs / analytical labs15%
  • Independent midterm decision memo20%
  • Project milestone and professional presentation15%
  • Evidence-based marketing and growth plan and oral defence40%

Final project rubric

  • Customer evidence and market diagnosis25
  • Positioning, brand and channel coherence20
  • Budget, analytics and measurement logic15
  • Ethics, accessibility and cultural fit15
  • Individual oral defence25

Scheduled learning 45 hours · independent/applied learning 105 hours

FMBA 706 Leadership, Organizational Transformation and the Future of Work Term 2 · 3 credits / 6 ECTS / 150 learner hours

This course examines how leaders guide organizational change and respond to the changing nature of work. Students apply organizational behaviour, workforce strategy and systems thinking to develop practical transformation plans, emphasizing inclusive leadership, responsible technology use, employee well-being and sustainability. The course concludes with an applied report and individual oral defence.

Final applied project

Individually produce a 3,500 to 4,500 word applied leadership and organizational transformation report for an approved organization, business unit or bounded ecosystem using lawful, non-confidential evidence. The report includes future-of-work scenarios and human-AI task/skills design, reskilling/redeployment and just-transition safeguards, and a complete AI Usage Statement. Present a 12 to 15 minute executive briefing using 10 to 12 accessible slides or equivalent, followed by 5 to 10 minutes of individual oral defence. No final examination.

Preparation / prerequisites

Admission to the MBA or permission of the program director. Prior study of business strategy and research literacy is recommended.

Course learning outcomes

  1. CLO 1Diagnose organizational and future-of-work challenges using leadership, human-resource management, organizational behaviour, systems, culture, structure, stakeholder and ethical evidence.Primary PLO links: P4, P6
  2. CLO 2Evaluate and demonstrate responsible leadership, influence, collaboration, conflict engagement, psychological safety, inclusion and intercultural communication in diverse and distributed work settings.Primary PLO links: P4, P5
  3. CLO 3Assess technological, demographic, economic and social trends and redesign tasks, skills and human-AI collaboration for value, dignity, equity, well-being and accountability.Primary PLO links: P2, P4
  4. CLO 4Design evidence-based leadership and workforce-transition strategies that integrate business innovation with decarbonization, circularity, responsible production, job quality, participation and a just transition.Primary PLO links: P2, P4, P6
  5. CLO 5Defend a feasible organizational transformation through stakeholder collaboration, culture and capability change, responsible AI, measurable outcomes, adaptive implementation and reflective leadership practice.Primary PLO links: P4, P5, P6

Assessment structure

  • Leadership, collaboration and reflection labs10%
  • Three organizational diagnosis and change briefs15%
  • Individual midterm case analysis20%
  • Change leadership simulation and project milestone15%
  • Applied leadership and organizational transformation report and oral defence40%

Final project rubric

  • Organizational diagnosis, theoretical integration and evidence integrity25
  • Responsible leadership, stakeholder inclusion, future-of-work and human-AI design20
  • Change architecture, sustainability/just transition, workforce and resource feasibility15
  • Measures, adaptive learning, leadership reflection and professional written communication15
  • Individual oral defence25

Scheduled learning 45 hours · independent/applied learning 105 hours

Term 3

FMBA 708 Advanced Topics in Business and Economics Term 3 · 3 credits / 6 ECTS / 150 learner hours

This graduate course develops economic reasoning for strategic decisions under competition, technological change, and uncertainty. Students integrate managerial microeconomics, industrial organization, behavioral economics, institutional analysis, and macroeconomic transmission to explain why business outcomes differ across firms and environments. Students will study and analyze economic trends and geopolitical models. The principal output is an individual economic strategy decision dossier with a transparent analytical model and a defended recommendation.

Final applied project

Individually advise one identifiable organization on a bounded strategic decision, such as capacity expansion, vertical integration, platform participation, or automation. Define a 24 to 36 month decision horizon and compare the status quo with at least two feasible alternatives. Submit a 3,000 to 3,500 word economic strategy dossier, a two-page executive memo, a reproducible spreadsheet or documented code, and a source-and-assumptions register. Test a baseline and two adverse or contrasting scenarios and identify a threshold that would reverse the recommendation. Deliver a 10-minute executive presentation and a 5-minute individual defense in Week 14.

Preparation / prerequisites

Admission to the MBA; prior graduate study or demonstrated equivalent competence in business strategy and financial management. Working knowledge of introductory microeconomics, descriptive statistics, and spreadsheet modeling. A diagnostic and open-resource refresher precede Week 1; no calculus prerequisite.

Course learning outcomes

  1. CLO 1Evaluate competing economic and strategic theories to explain a business decision, specifying each theory’s assumptions, boundary conditions, and testable implications.Primary PLO links: P1
  2. CLO 2Construct and interpret quantitative models of demand, costs, strategic interaction, and investment choice, testing the sensitivity of recommendations to uncertain parameters.Primary PLO links: P1, P6
  3. CLO 3Assess how macroeconomic shocks, institutions, regulation, and technological change alter a firm’s competitive position and feasible strategic responses.Primary PLO links: P1, P2
  4. CLO 4Compare strategic alternatives using efficiency, distributional, environmental, and ethical criteria, explicitly identifying stakeholder trade-offs and implementation constraints.Primary PLO links: P1, P4
  5. CLO 5Defend an evidence-based economic strategy recommendation through a reproducible analytical dossier and an executive oral defense that acknowledges limitations and counterarguments.Primary PLO links: P5, P6

Assessment structure

  • Economic evidence clinics and analytic critique10%
  • Economic decision brief portfolio15%
  • Individual midterm economic case20%
  • Economic strategy model milestone15%
  • Individual economic strategy dossier and defense40%

Final project rubric

  • Economic theoretical diagnosis and comparison of mechanisms25
  • Quantitative model accuracy, sensitivity, and decision thresholds20
  • Macroeconomic, institutional, ethical, and stakeholder evaluation15
  • Feasible strategic recommendation and implementation decision logic15
  • Individual oral defence25

Scheduled learning 45 hours · independent/applied learning 105 hours

FMBA 709 Business Trends, Commercial Intelligence for Domestic and Regional Markets Term 3 · 3 credits / 6 ECTS / 150 learner hours

This applied graduate course develops commercial intelligence that supports domestic growth and regional market decisions. Students translate an executive decision into key intelligence questions, design a lawful collection plan, and evaluate public, statistical, industry, and organizational evidence. They compare a defined domestic market with two locations in an explicitly bounded regional market, examining demand, competitors, channels, business trends, digital readiness, and operating risks. Ethical practice includes privacy protection, transparent uncertainty, culturally informed interpretation, and disclosure of artificial intelligence assistance. The culminating product is an intelligence dossier with a defensible proceed, pilot, defer, or decline recommendation and a monitoring plan.

Distinct from economics and marketing

Unlike the economics course, this course emphasizes collection, triangulation, and decision-ready research products rather than theoretical modeling; unlike digital marketing, it does not design advertising, media budgets, brand campaigns, or promotional content.

Final applied project

Individually prepare commercial intelligence for one organization considering growth in a defined product or service category. Compare its domestic market with two locations in one explicitly bounded region over a 24-month decision horizon. Deliver a 3,000 to 3,500 word intelligence dossier, a two-page executive brief, an accessible dashboard with four to six indicators, a reproducible calculation workbook, and a dated evidence register linking every material claim to its source. Triangulate at least ten substantive sources across three independent source families and profile at least three competitors. Recommend proceed, pilot, defer, or decline. Submit a 10-minute executive briefing and complete a 5-minute individual defense.

Preparation / prerequisites

Admission to the MBA; prior graduate study or demonstrated equivalent competence in business strategy and applied research fundamentals. Basic spreadsheet, descriptive statistics, and business writing proficiency. FMBA 708 is recommended but not required; its economic theory is not retaught.

Course learning outcomes

  1. CLO 1Formulate decision-focused intelligence questions and a feasible, lawful collection plan specifying market boundaries, source priorities, research ethics, and evidence gaps.Primary PLO links: P3, P6
  2. CLO 2Collect, document, and triangulate domestic and regional market evidence, evaluating source independence, comparability, bias, timeliness, and confidence.Primary PLO links: P3, P6
  3. CLO 3Produce reproducible market-size estimates, competitor profiles, and comparative market assessments that distinguish observed facts, analytical judgments, and uncertainty.Primary PLO links: P3, P6
  4. CLO 4Evaluate business and digital trends alongside regulatory, operational, environmental, and geopolitical risks to construct scenarios and actionable early-warning indicators.Primary PLO links: P2, P3, P4
  5. CLO 5Defend a feasible commercial recommendation through an accessible executive intelligence dossier, dashboard, and culturally appropriate stakeholder briefing with a monitoring plan.Primary PLO links: P3, P5, P6

Assessment structure

  • Source clinics and analytic challenge record10%
  • Commercial intelligence brief portfolio15%
  • Individual midterm intelligence case20%
  • Intelligence evidence and dashboard milestone15%
  • Individual commercial intelligence dossier and briefing40%

Final project rubric

  • Decision-focused research design, lawful collection, and ethical practice25
  • Source quality, independence, traceability, and domestic-regional comparability20
  • Market estimates, competitor analysis, scenario products, and uncertainty calibration15
  • Feasible commercial recommendation, risk response, and monitoring triggers15
  • Individual oral defence25

Scheduled learning 45 hours · independent/applied learning 105 hours

FMBA 705 Digital Business Environment and Applied Consulting Project Term 3 · integrative capstone · 6 credits / 12 ECTS / 300 learner hours

This integrative course prepares students to analyze digital business environments and complete a practical consulting-style project. Students examine digital transformation, responsible AI, cybersecurity awareness, data governance, platform competition, organizational change, stakeholder analysis, and professional consulting methods. The final project asks students to diagnose a real or simulated organizational challenge and propose an implementable solution. In this program it is the terminal integrative capstone, with 300 total learner hours and individual demonstration of all six program learning outcomes.

Responsible AI application

AI is used as a managerial and consulting tool for problem diagnosis, process mapping, stakeholder analysis, knowledge synthesis, responsible automation assessment, and recommendation drafting. Students must apply human oversight and risk controls.

Final applied project

Complete a supervised individual consulting project of approximately 8,000 to 10,000 words plus appendices, an executive brief and a 15 to 20 minute oral defence. Capstone scope, milestones and workload

Preparation / prerequisites

All six Term 1 and 2 courses completed; FMBA 708 and FMBA 709 completed or taken concurrently; approved project scope and supervisor.

Course learning outcomes

  1. CLO 1Analyze how digital technologies, data, platforms, AI, and cybersecurity considerations reshape business environments.Primary PLO links: P1, P2
  2. CLO 2Diagnose an organizational or market problem using consulting, research, stakeholder, and evidence-gathering methods.Primary PLO links: P3, P6
  3. CLO 3Develop responsible, feasible, and ethically grounded recommendations for digital or organizational improvement.Primary PLO links: P2, P4, P6
  4. CLO 4Collaborate professionally and manage project scope, evidence, communication, and implementation risk.Primary PLO links: P4, P5, P6
  5. CLO 5Deliver a consulting report and presentation that translate analysis into actionable managerial recommendations.Primary PLO links: P5, P6

Assessment structure

  • Professional participation and preparation10%
  • Three applied briefs / analytical labs15%
  • Independent midterm decision memo20%
  • Project milestone and professional presentation15%
  • Integrative strategic management and business innovation capstone and oral defence40%

Final project rubric

  • Research design and evidence integrity25
  • Integrated strategic and economic analysis20
  • Innovation, financial viability and alternatives15
  • Responsible implementation and evaluation15
  • Individual oral defence25

Scheduled learning 90 hours · independent/applied learning 210 hours

FMBA 705 · 6 credits / 12 ECTS / 300 learner hours

The Consulting Capstone

FMBA 705 is the terminal integrative experience. Its scheduled seminars preserve the digital-business and applied-consulting focus while a parallel supervised inquiry strand builds a substantial individual project.

Digital Business Environment and Applied Consulting Project

The capstone is an applied consulting project that reflects the strategic business focus of the program. Students complete a supervised individual consulting project of approximately 8,000 to 10,000 words plus appendices, an executive brief and a 15 to 20 minute oral defence.

The project addresses an approved organizational challenge with a material digital-business or innovation dimension. It must integrate strategy and economic context, market or commercial evidence, financial viability, stakeholder and intercultural analysis, leadership/change requirements, responsible technology and an implementable recommendation.

The project includes

  • A literature-and-practice evidence review
  • An explicit research design
  • A traceable evidence base
  • An alternatives appraisal
  • A financial or resource model
  • A risk and ethics register
  • An implementation roadmap
  • Outcome indicators

A real organization is preferred where access permits; a rigorous public-data case is equally acceptable. Client permission, data protection and any required ethics clearance precede data collection. Individual authorship and a defensible contribution are required even when access or preliminary evidence gathering is collaborative.

Designated capstone evidence

The project must demonstrate all six PLOs.

  1. PLO 1Strategy and financial/economic alternatives appraisal
  2. PLO 2Validated innovation and responsible digital-business design
  3. PLO 3Traceable market/commercial evidence dossier
  4. PLO 4Stakeholder, ethics and organizational-change implementation plan
  5. PLO 5Professional report, intercultural communication and individual defence
  6. PLO 6Research design, audit trail, recommendation and evaluation framework

Preparation / prerequisites: all six Term 1 and 2 courses completed; FMBA 708 and FMBA 709 completed or taken concurrently; approved project scope and supervisor.

Project milestones

  1. Week 1Initial scope and supervision agreement
  2. By Week 2Methods, access and ethics review, before relevant data collection
  3. By Week 5Evidence and diagnostic review
  4. Week 7Independent research-design/diagnosis memo
  5. Week 10Preliminary findings and options
  6. Week 11Implementation and risk review
  7. Week 12Draft
  8. Week 13Rehearsal and revisions
  9. Week 14Final report and defence

Ethics approval is a precondition, not an assessment reward, and must occur earlier whenever research begins earlier.

Capstone workload

300 learner hours, including the work required for all assessed components.

90 scheduled hours

  • 45 seminar hours
  • 30 supervised studio/consultation hours
  • 15 research/assessment workshop hours

210 independent hours

Approximately:

  • 60 for literature/evidence
  • 60 for analysis
  • 60 for writing/design/modeling
  • 30 for revision and defence preparation

Teaching, Assessment and Grading

Assessment includes independent work and oral verification. Students must submit work that is properly attributed and individually defensible.

Teaching and applied learning

  • Critical reading
  • Cases
  • Comparative analysis
  • Spreadsheet/data labs
  • Innovation workshops
  • Simulations
  • Intercultural negotiation
  • Professional writing
  • Oral defence

Weekly plans state due points by teaching week; students should consult the academic calendar for official dates.

Work-integrated learning

Work-integrated learning means authentic or professionally realistic business tasks embedded in the curriculum. It may use a consenting organization, a public-data organizational case or a carefully designed simulation.

It does not imply that an internship, paid placement, client engagement or employment is guaranteed. Simulated findings and data must be labeled as such, never presented as fieldwork.

A shared assessment pattern

All nine courses use the same weighting, with assessment tasks named for each course.

Week 7
Individual midterm
Week 14
Final applied project and presentation; no final exam
  1. 10%Participation, labs or clinics
  2. 15%Three applied briefs
  3. 20%Individual midterm
  4. 15%Project milestone
  5. 40%Final applied project

Every final project rubric totals 100 points. In eight courses, 25 of those points go to an individual oral defence: command of evidence, reasoning, response to challenge and professional communication. In FMBA 707 the same 25 points go to a group presentation.

Graduate grading

Graduate passing standard: at least B- / 80% overall in every course. Grades below 80% do not earn graduate credit in this program. The minimum passing grade for the overall program is B- / 80%; passing every course at B- meets the program’s grade requirement. The capstone must pass its report and individual defence at B- standard.

GPA uses credit weighting. Ranges refer to percentage grades expressed as whole numbers; an unrounded 79.5 should not be assumed to meet the 80% passing threshold. Students should consult the academic regulations for grade conversion, rounding, progression, reassessment, appeals and maximum-completion rules.

Graduate grading scale
Letter Percentage Grade points Graduate credit
A94 to 1004.0Yes
A-90 to 933.7Yes
B+87 to 893.3Yes
B83 to 863.0Yes
B-80 to 822.7Yes
C+77 to 792.3No
C73 to 762.0No
FBelow 730.0No

Admissions and Student Support

Admissions

  • A recognized bachelor’s degree is required for admission.
  • Admissions decisions consider academic readiness, motivation, relevant experience and the ability to complete graduate-level independent work.
  • Work experience is beneficial.
  • Admission is subject to Focus University Institute’s general admission requirements and procedures.

Academic preparation

FMBA 701
Pre-entry foundation diagnostic in business, quantitative reasoning and academic writing.
FMBA 704
Spreadsheet and accounting foundation diagnostic; bridging support where needed.
FMBA 708
A diagnostic and open-resource refresher precede Week 1; no calculus prerequisite.
FMBA 709
Public datasets and supplied cases provide a complete pathway without a client, paid intelligence platform, or primary participant recruitment.

Student support

Students should consult Focus University Institute for information about induction, academic advising, writing and quantitative support, learning-platform access, library resources, research-methods guidance, accessibility adjustments and contacts for wellbeing, complaints and emergencies.

Accessibility adjustments remove barriers while preserving the essential learning outcomes and professional standards being assessed.

Students should consult the academic regulations for attendance and engagement, extensions, late submissions, academic integrity, permitted collaboration, appeals and mitigating circumstances.

Learning resources

Learning resources include open textbooks, official datasets, public institutional reports and library-supported readings. Commercial references are optional unless an accessible, affordable route is available.

Instructors specify the editions, chapters and weekly readings; students should check access before purchasing materials.

Graduate Profile and Career Progression

Graduates should be able to frame ambiguous problems, recognize limits in the available evidence, work productively across cultural differences and lead ethically under uncertainty.

Professional progression may include

  • Strategy or business analyst
  • Market-intelligence analyst
  • Innovation/project coordinator
  • Business-development specialist
  • Marketing strategist
  • Consulting associate
  • Entrepreneur

Experienced learners

Experienced learners may progress toward management or transformation-lead roles.

Executive roles

Executive roles are longer-term possibilities dependent on prior experience and performance, not promised entry outcomes.

Program Document

Master of Business Administration in Strategic Management and Business Innovation

Complete program architecture and nine course outlines

Program Developer: Luis Fernando (Lou) Villalba, PhD., EdD.

Word document (.docx) · 1.1 MB

Download (.docx)

Contents

  1. 1Program identity
  2. 2Curriculum rationale and graduate profile
  3. 3Vision, mission and values
  4. 4Admissions and academic preparation
  5. 5Institutional and program learning outcomes
  6. 6Credit, workload and course architecture
  7. 7Delivery sequence and academic progression
  8. 8Teaching, applied learning and responsible technology
  9. 9Assessment and graduate grading
  10. 10Capstone governance and integration
  11. 11Student support, academic integrity and learning resources
  12. 12Program outcome progression and evidence
  13. 13Nine full course outlines

Each course outline sets out the course identity and learning design, course description, course learning outcomes and program alignment, assessment structure, final applied project and rubric, a fourteen-week teaching and applied-learning schedule, and learning resources and accessible alternatives.

Program Developer

Luis Fernando (Lou) Villalba, PhD., EdD.

In partnership with Alluvion Games

THIS MOCK WEBSITE IS FOR DEMO PURPOSES ONLY • THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL WEBSITE.

This landing page is for discussions and comments on a possible / proposed program.