Dr Ian Robson
Director of Executive Programmes
Dr Ian Robson is the Director of Executive Programmes.
Ian has worked in leadership roles in a number of Universities in the UK, joining the University of Dundee from Glasgow Caledonian University where he was Dean of the Business School. He formerly led a strategic initiative at the University of St Andrews in which the prestigious Gateway building was acquired and the School of Management was created.
Ian has a particular interest in leadership and innovation in dynamic environments across a variety of sectors. His research concerns whole systems perspectives of innovation and the role entrepreneurial leaders play in facilitating adaptive behaviour among strategically important teams within organisations.
He has worked with a wide range of businesses including public and private sector organisations, concerned with knowledge based products, services and manufactured products. He has consulted with global companies such as Bosch and Saab, has worked with public sector bodies such as the National Health Service and Scottish Enterprise and has worked with a multitude of SME’s within the context of strategic development.
Ian has worked in educational institutions across Europe and in the United States. He has a strong track record in postgraduate and post-experience programme design. His role as Director of Executive Programmes will initially be concerned with developing the postgraduate portfolio in the Postgraduate School of Management and Policy, especially in the sectors of Education, Health, Water, Energy and Infrastructure.
Research
His current research is in the global telecommunications industry and focuses on strategic leadership challenges in the face of transformational technology changes.
Teaching
Business Strategy in the Extractive Industries (On-Campus)
The main objective of the course is to provide an inter-disciplinary framework for the strategic analysis of firms and markets in the extractive industries. Drawing on core topics in the MBA curriculum, in particular on the Strategic Planning module, this module uses the field of corporate strategy to provide a series of opportunities for integrated analysis of strategies applied in the extractive industries.
Leadership and Decision Making (On-Campus)
The aim of this module is to develop a critical insight into the role, responsibilities and competences of leadership within the oil and gas business contexts. The module further seeks to create a critical awareness of current theory and practice in leadership and decision making.
Stakeholder Management and Business Ethics (On-Campus)
The aim of this module is to develop a critical insight into the key concepts and theories of business ethics. The module further seeks to create a practical insight into the application of stakeholder management to oil and gas business contexts.
Strategic Management & Organisational Analysis (On-Campus)
This module will encourage a critical and reflexive orientation to the understanding of successful approaches to strategic management and organisational analysis and develop understanding of the requirements for effective executive and organisational analyses and decision making in an increasingly complex and uncertain business environment. The module will develop an appreciation of basic concepts and essential strategic and organisational management tools for understanding data and analysing decisions. Students will learn the analytic skills needed to accomplish, defend and critique a business analysis.