OWT.100: Management and Organisation in Context

• Terms Taught: Michaelmas Term Only.
• US Credits: 4 Semester Credits
• ECTS Credits: 8 ECTS
• Pre-requisites: None

Course Description

This module provides a foundation for the study of management and organisation in contemporary society. It aims to place the themes in their cultural and historical contexts by examining the ways in which ideas about organising and managing have developed. The module critically examines the way in which management knowledge is created and diffused, including within the Management School curriculum. As such, it aims to prepare students for their participation in the field of management and organisation studies.

The module also introduces students to the historical roots of current management ideas, considering the emergence of management as a function and profession and the elaboration of thinking on organisations that has taken place over the last 150 years. Early thinking on management such as Taylorism, bureaucracy and systems theory are explored historically but are also related to contemporary thinking and practice in organisations.

The module is taught through lectures and workshops, and assessed through one coursework assessment and one examination. Emphasis is placed on the learning process as this is one of the first HE modules the student will have encountered so a reflective and critical approach is nurtured. By the end of the module the students should be well prepared for independent learning at the appropriate level and have a good understanding of the HE process and their place within the field of organisation and management studies. They should be able to reflect upon their own learning needs and be able to take steps to develop their capabilities and employability skills.

Educational Aims

On completion of this course the following learning outcomes are expected.

• You will learn some basic concepts in social theory and learn to use them in order to make sense of contemporary society, management and organisation;
• You will become familiar with important approaches in management;
• You will question the scientific status of management and develop awareness of the process by which scientific knowledge is produced and reflect on the purpose of studying management and organisation.
• You will develop critical reading and writing skills;
• You will 'learn to learn': you will develop the capacity to learn autonomously;
• You will develop your capacity to make sense of, and evaluate, contemporary management and organisation;
• You will begin to develop employability skills in communication, team working, problem solving and self-management.

Outline Syllabus

• Introduction to the Module - a critical approach to management
• Scientific Management
• Human Relations
• Bureaucracy
• Contemporary Developments in Management

Assessment Proportions

• Coursework: 100% (1 x 1,500 word essay).

OWT.101: Management, Organisations and Work: Key Issues and Debates

• Terms Taught: Lent / Summer Terms only.
• US Credits: 6 Semester Credits
• ECTS Credits: 12 ECTS
• Pre-requisites: None

Course Description

This module aims to provide you with a broad introduction to management covering a wide range of topics that are relevant to work, business and organisations. The module begins by locating organizations, work and technology in a broad historical context. It considers the meaning of work and different debates regarding alienation. It then introduces the concept of culture and considers how organizations might be analysed as cultures and the implications of culture management for employees. The module is constructed to encourage you to think critically and to reflect upon taken-for-granted assumptions about the world of work and management's role in relation to it. As a means to achieve this, the second part of the course explores the contemporary issue of human resource management and development which fundamentally contributes to the development of employee-engaged and productive organisations. The final part of the module continues the theme of encouraging critical reflection and explores key issues and debates related to gig economy and sustainability that are intimately related to management. Many of these debates and issues will be explored in greater depth in subsequent OWT modules (e.g. OWT.223 Human Resource Management, OWT.226 Management and Information Technology, and OWT.229 Business Ethics).

Educational Aims

The objectives of the course are:

• To offer an introduction to and understanding of issues, debates and preoccupations in contemporary work and human resource management, organisation theory and analysis, technology and organisation, and business ethics;
• To provide a broad, critical and practical analysis of how the social sciences contribute to understanding management and organisational behaviour;
• To develop your ability to relate contemporary management and organisation issues to theoretical frameworks; and
• To enhance your capacity to reflect on and develop insights into the relationship between individuals, groups, organisations and society.

By the end of the course you should have:

• Been introduced to four major fields of study for analysing management and organisations
• Developed essay writing/argumentation skills
• Worked in a group that fostered collective learning
• Developed your academic skills

Outline Syllabus

• Introduction and key module skills
• Human Resource Management and Development
• Organisation Behaviour
• Technology in Work and Management
• Sustainability and Ethics in Management and Work

Assessment Proportions

• Exam: 100%

OWT.221: Organisational Psychology

• Terms Taught: Michaelmas Term Only.
• US Credits: 4 Semester Credits.
• ECTS Credits: 7.5 ECTS
• Pre-requisites: Must have completed coursework equivalent to: OWT.100, OWT.101, MNGT110, or MNGT120.

Course Description

This course is concerned with major theories in social and organisational psychology and related social sciences that have guided the organisation and design of work. The first part of the course will focus on psychological approaches to the understanding of work with emphasis upon individual personality and motivation. The second part will focus on leadership, group processes and social identity in the workplace.

In this module students should develop an understanding of the importance of the role of psychology in the development of people management techniques and practices. They will also develop an understanding of the historical development of psychology, with specific reference to the relevance of psychological expertise to the effective management of organisations.

Educational Aims

Educational Aims: Subject Specific: Knowledge, Understanding and Skills

Students should have an understanding of the historical development of psychology, with specific reference to the relevance of psychological expertise to the effective management of organisations. Theories of individual difference, motivation, leadership and work groups are discussed in relation to working and managing within organisations.

Educational Aims: General: Knowledge, Understanding and Skills

Outline Syllabus

• Week 1: Introduction to the course / The origins of psychology as a science
• Week 2: The study of individual differences
• Week 3: Psychometrics and the concept of personality
• Week 4: Rational economic motivation
• Week 5: Goal setting theory
• Week 6: Positive psychology
• Week 7: Leadership
• Week 8: Introduction to work groups - Socio-technical systems / autonomous work groups
• Week 9: Social identity and work
• Week 10: Course overview and revision session

Assessment Proportions

• 100% Coursework - 2,000 word essay.

OWT.223: Human Resource Management

• Terms Taught: Michaelmas Term Only.
• US Credits: 4 Semester Credits.
• ECTS Credits: 7.5 ECTS
• Pre-requisites: Must have completed coursework equivalent to: OWT.100, OWT.101, or MNGT110.

Course Description

Human Resource Management is that part of management that happens to everyone, all the time. Nobody can escape HRM. We are all human resources and, therefore, it should not be a surprise that HRM has become very much a reflection of us - we find in HRM our own conceptions of ourselves, of work and of life in the 21st Century. The aim of this module is to understand how HRM is done and why we manage people in the ways we do.

The module introduces and analyses HRM as a complex part of management today in all organisations. OWT.223 examines aspects of employability, of performativity, performance management and of work motivations as key ingredients for the management of people in contemporary corporations, large or small, private or public. For you and your employability, it will be essential to understand what is going on in HRM and how this is done. You will have to be able to grasp the fundamental question of work: what is worth doing in the context of contemporary work? What is asked of you, and how do you have answer in return?

Also, it is essential to remember that every manager is always a human resource manager: they have to know how to recruit, how to communicate decisions and how to understand people and their motivation to work, how to think about individuals and teams, and about all the psychological and social aspects of work. No effective and respectable manager or executive can be a poor manager of people.

Educational Aims

The central aim of this module is to enable students to develop a good understanding of how Human Resource Management functions in organisations and society today. We will use materials whose aim is to familiarise participants with the historical circumstances in which HRM emerged as a central element of contemporary management. We aim to explain how HRM is related to new forms of organisational cultures and structures, but also how it is related and determined by contemporary culture as a whole. We will examine how employability, recruitment and selection, performance management, motivation and other aspects of HRM are all practices that affect all of us - and not just at work. We will also examine how HRM is, in turn, affected by us too, by the values of our culture today. We will seek to understand how HRM uses contemporary cultural fashions and topics in the management of work.

In this module, students should also exercise and develop some of the fundamental capacities of competent study and professional work for the future:

• reading swiftly and retentively;
• listening carefully to material delivered in lectures and seminars;
• sharpening up skills of accurate and selective note-taking from lectures and various sources;
• developing the skills to record and utilise illuminating quotations and apt examples;
• expressing views and arguments in clear, articulate, correct and vivid English prose - taking careful note of, and acting duly upon, comments on the quality of expression;
• striving for correct writing in the English language - spelling, grammar, and use of punctuation;
• responding positively to, and incorporating into your on-going work, the suggestions for improvement offered by lecturers;
• delivering written work of high professional word-processes appearance with strict punctuality;
• being strictly punctual for classes and appointments with the lecturers. This means being self-disciplined: organising work and tasks systematically and independently.

Outline Syllabus

Week 1: Introduction to course organisation and major themes

Week 2: HRM in perspective I: The rise of HRM

Week 3: HRM in perspective II: Central Themes

Week 4: Recruitment and Selection I: Employability and Contemporary Work

Week 5: Recruitment and Selection II: Employability and Graduate Management Schemes - Case Study

Week 6: Performance management I: Work and the New Economy

Week 7: Performance management II: Performance Management Systems and Cases

Week 8: Performance management III: Performance Management Systems and Cases

Week 9: Self-actualisation, Work Motivation and HRM in the 21st Century

Week 10: Performance, Work and Self-actualisation in the 21st Century

Assessment Proportions

100% Coursework - 1 x 2,500 word essay

OWT.224: Human Resource Development

• Terms Taught: Lent / Summer Terms Only.
• US Credits: 4 Semester Credits.
• ECTS Credits: 7.5 ECTS
• Pre-requisites: Must have completed a course equivalent to: OWT.100, OWT.101, or MNGT110.

Course Description

Human Resource Development (HRD) is a dynamic and evolving area that is part of Human Resource Management (HRM). This module follows on from OWT 223 and assumes the centrality of the 'self' in managerial discourses. Where HRM focuses on a wide range of processes that deal with the needs and activities of 'people' in an organisation, within those processes HRD in the new economy is concerned with the theory and practice related to training, learning and development for both the benefit of individuals and the organisation. In 1989 McLagan proposed that HRD comprises of three main areas: Training and Development; Organisational Development and Career Development. This module will take McLagan's three themes and offer a contemporary look at the tensions that occur when human resources (people) are exhorted through particular managerial discourses.

Educational Aims

Educational Aims: Subject Specific: Knowledge, Understanding and Skills

On completion of this module students should be able to:

Discuss the relationship between HRD and/or workplace learning within the context of contemporary management practices, e.g. the knowledge economy.

Critically analyse the relationship between different types of knowledge used within contemporary organisations.

Discuss different modes of analysing learning and development in everyday organisational life and practice.

Discuss the changing nature of careers within the knowledge economy.

Educational Aims: General: Knowledge, Understanding and Skills

During this module students will use and develop a number of transferable skills including:

Participation in group debates in an effective manner, ensuring their argument is well reasoned and heard.

Work as part of a team in order to complete tasks.

Produce written, systematically argued responses to given questions within a given word limit.

Outline Syllabus

Week 11: Introduction to HRD

Week 12: Diversity and Equality Management

Week 13: Talent, Recruitment and Retention

Week 14: Organisational Learning

Week 15: Learning Organization

Week16: Knowledge Management

Week 17: Wellbeing

Week 18: Creativity and Innovation

Week 19: Careers and Future of Work

Week 20­­: Module Revision

Assessment Proportions

100% Coursework - x1 essay, 2,000 words.

OWT.226: Managing Knowledge, Data and Information Systems

• Terms Taught: Lent / Summer term only.
• US Credits: 4 Semester Credits.
• ECTS Credits: 7.5 ECTS
• Pre-requisites: None

Course Description

This module examines several of the transformations that have arisen in contemporary organisations as a result of the introduction and use of information systems. In order to consider how information systems have been implicated in these transformations, this course will focus on four themes:

• Organisational Cultures & Knowledge Management
• The ethical dimensions of managing information and information systems
• Technology & digital inclusion
• Systems decisions, failures & organisations

Each of these themes have been important in the study of the role of information systems within organisations. For each theme, one or more cases and/or readings will be introduced and discussed in detail over the course of the four themes. This will enable students to (1) familiarise themselves with key historical and contemporary developments, (2) to explore the challenges that the introduction of different forms of information systems may pose, and (3) to consider the scope for management action in response to these challenges. Students are required to sit an exam in the summer. The aim of both the lectures and this form of assessment is to enable students to develop techniques, methods of analysis and research expertise relating to the place of information systems in contemporary organisations. By the end of the course, students should have enhanced their understanding of relevant theoretical and practical issues that arise, as well as having developed their critical and analytical skills.

Educational Aims

Educational Aims: Subject Specific: Knowledge, Understanding and Skills

The course requires students to appreciate the importance of viewing human activity in organisations as being context bound, and thus emphasises the local, emergent and the contingent, and looks at how our attitudes have been shaped by particular historical circumstances. The course also seeks to foster a critical perspective on some contemporary areas of information systems use.

Finally the course encourages students to apply theoretical perspectives to empirical cases so as to understand something about the possibilities and limitations of managerial action.

Educational Aims: General: Knowledge, Understanding and Skills

The course requires students to appreciate the importance of viewing human activity in organisations as being context bound, and thus emphasises the local, emergent and the contingent, and looks at how our attitudes have been shaped by particular historical circumstances. The course also seeks to foster a critical perspective on some contemporary areas of information systems use.

Finally the course encourages students to apply theoretical perspectives to empirical cases so as to understand something about the possibilities and limitations of managerial action

Outline Syllabus

Introduction: Managing knowledge, data, and information systems

Knowledge, Knowledge Management and ICT-Enabled Knowledge Management

Managing Work and Workers in the Knowledge-era: Organisational Culture

Ethics, privacy and surveillance

Ethics and algorithms

ICTs and global working

International development and ICTs

Information technology and failure

Making choices about technologies: responsibility and commitment in organisations

Conclusions: what is the future of work?

Assessment Proportions

• Exam: 100%

OWT.228: The Changing Role of Management

• Terms Taught: Lent / Summer Term only
• US Credits: 4 Semester Credits.
• ECTS Credits: 7.5 ECTS
• Pre-requisites: None.

Course Description

In OWT 228 we look at the changing role and position of management and managers in organisations and society. Much of the modern analysis of management emphasises a change in forms of management control from traditional authority through vertical hierarchical forms to ones which are more horizontal and look to incorporate employees into the organisation and its goals in ever closer ways. This happens for example through attempts to align employees identities, emotions and interests with commitment to the organisation: the much discussed capturing of hearts and minds. Another aspect of this is the manipulation of meaning in order to facilitate this identification of employee and organisation, usually discussed as the corporate culture movement. Together these can be taken as two significant aspects of modern management - the management of meaning and the management of identity - which feature little in traditional management texts that emphasise management as the co-ordination of tasks and the control and deployment of resources.

This module focuses on how management is a social process, and what this means for the lived experience of doing management, as well as how management is inherently contextual: as the conditions internal and external to organisations change, so too does the role of management.

On completion of the module the student should be able to:

a) Identify trends in the changing context of management, including both the environment of the organisation and changes at the level of the organisation;

b) Discuss management as a social process, rather than simply as a technical or rational activity;

c) Explain the identity work that managers are involved in as part of their role, on both themselves as managers and with other employees;

d) Better understand day-to-day organisational experience as it relates to management

Educational Aims

Educational Aims: Subject Specific: Knowledge, Understanding and Skills

In OWT 228 we look at the changing role and position of management and managers in organisations and society. In the first half of the module we look at changes in forms of management control from traditional hierarchical authority to attempts to incorporate employees into the organisation and its goals in ever closer ways, through for example the ‘management of meaning’ and corporate culture. We also look at attempts to align employees’ identities, emotions and interests with commitment to the organisation: the much discussed ‘capturing of hearts and minds’, which has consequences for managers’ own identities as managers. In this we consider important tensions between the changing context of management and the unintended consequences of these forms of control, such as ‘impression management’ and various forms of resistance.

Educational Aims: General: Knowledge, Understanding and Skills

Students will develop knowledge and understanding that allows them to reflect critically on contemporary trends in management, to synthesise ideas from multiple sources to develop sophisticated arguments, and to be able to communicate their ideas and arguments through seminar discussions and written essays.

Outline Syllabus

1. What do managers do and how is this changing?
2. Changing forms of management control: the management of meaning and identity
3. The embedding and embodiment of management control into organisational space
4. The dysfunctions and dark side of control: the persistence of resistance
5. Overview of module

Assessment Proportions

OWT.229: Business Ethics

• Terms Taught: Lent / Summer Terms Only.
• US Credits: 4 Semester Credits.
• ECTS Credits: 7.5 ECTS
• Pre-requisites: Must have completed a course equivalent to: OWT.100, OWT.101 or MNGT110.

Course Description

In this module, we will seek to accomplish two interrelated tasks: a. explore the moral foundations of business and management, and b. investigate the ethos of contemporary capitalism. Our inquiries will centre around some of the key questions that sustain current debates on business ethics: Do managers or organisations have moral duties and responsibilities? What constitutes the character of a good or a bad manager? What is the relationship between business and society? Is profit, free competition or private property good or bad? Can organisations contribute to a fair or just society? These questions will provide the basis for a systematic, interdisciplinary and critical study that will help you develop your ability to identify, review and respond to the various ethical dilemmas and complex moral situations that will inform your future professional lives.

Educational Aims

Educational Aims: Subject Specific: Knowledge, Understanding and Skills

The main aim of this course is to provide students with a critical understanding of the moral foundations that shape business and management. It will examine the various perspectives through which we make sense and speak about ethics and the ways in which they influence and direct our moral choices both on an individual and an institutional level.

The delivery of this course has two main components. First, a traditional series of weekly lectures that will introduce some of the key ideas and theoretical frameworks that will help you understand the main themes and issues in business ethics. Secondly and in parallel with the lectures, there will be a series of student-led debates that aim to further explore the often complex and intractable nature of these issues.

Educational Aims: General: Knowledge, Understanding and Skills

The main aim of this course is to provide students with a critical understanding of the moral foundations that shape business and management.

A significant portion of the course grade derives from work and activities in the classroom. Most importantly, class time allows you to interact with and learn from one another.

Outline Syllabus

Week One: Introduction

Week Two: The Philosophical Foundations of Management Ethics

Week Three: The Social Psychology of Management Ethics

Week Four: The Social Responsibilities of Business I (Profit, Philanthropy and Shared Value)

Week Five: The Social Responsibilities of Business II (Fairness, Equality and Justice)

Week Six: The Moral Foundations of Capitalism I (Work, Asceticism & Profit)

Week Seven: The Moral Foundations of Capitalism II (Individualism and the Free Market)

Week Eight: Essay Workshops

Week Nine: The Ethical Contradictions of Business Ethics?

Week Ten: Revision

Assessment Proportions

• 70% - 1x Essay
• 30% - 1 Group Presentation

OWT.234: Management and International Organisations

• Terms Taught: Michaelmas Term only
• US Credits: 4 Semester Credits.
• ECTS Credits: 7.5 ECTS
• Pre-requisites: Must have completed a course equivalent to: OWT.100, OWT.101, MNGT110 or MNGT130.

Course Description

This module introduces key debates relating to management in international organisations. It provides a critical and analytical approach to understanding international organisations in a range of sectors. Students will experience a mix of lecture, seminar and group activities. Students will analyse the factors affecting the operation and impacts of international organisations in a range of global contexts. The module will consider how, through analysis of the issues affecting international organisations, decisions can be made about strategy and purpose, and the key considerations that need to be made when working internationally.

Educational Aims

Educational Aims: Subject Specific: Knowledge, Understanding and Skills

This module introduces key debates relating to management in international organisations. Beginning with fundamental questions about purpose and organisation, and then proceeding to explore questions about impacts on economy and society, the module provides a critical and analytical approach to understand international organisations in a range of sectors. Students will experience a mix of lecture, seminar and group activities. Assessment is by coursework. On completion of the module students will be able to analyse the factors affecting the operation and impacts of international organisations, in both ‘developed’ and ‘developing’ world contexts.

Educational Aims: General: Knowledge, Understanding and Skills

The module will provide students with knowledge of organisational analysis in an international context, how to make decisions informed by this analysis, and of the key considerations that need to be made when working internationally. Wider knowledge will also be gained in terms of reading critically and developing written analyses.

Outline Syllabus

• Part 1 of the module introduces key debates and concerns relating to international organisations, in particular in relation to rationales for and modes of internationalization and associated organisational forms. The challenges faced by international organisations are also considered. The purpose of the first part of the module is to allow students to understand the key debates relating to international organisations in different sectors (e.g. manufacturing versus services).
• Part 2 of the module builds on Part 1 by considering different ways of analysing international organisations. A series of perspectives are introduced that take account of the different organisational forms and processes found in international organisations. The purpose is to allow students to understand the different analytical questions that need to be considered when studying and managing international organisations.

Assessment Proportions

100% Coursework

Individual Report (2000-word) (100%)

Students will select one international organisation as the focus on their individual report. Based on two of the international management topics covered in weeks 6-10, and as appropriate topics covered in weeks 1-5, students will produce a report that outlines and explains in detail what they think are the main international management issues of concern for the organisation, paying particular attention to the specifics of their chosen organisation and the way these make the concerns particularly relevant.

This will allow students to develop analytical skills crucial for employability, and to demonstrate that they are aware of how to use academic ideas to reflect on management challenges.

OWT.235: Global corporate social responsibility

• Terms Taught: Michaelmas Term only
• US Credits: 4 Semester Credits.
• ECTS Credits: 7.5 ECTS
• Pre-requisites: Must have completed a course equivalent to: OWT.100, OWT.101 or MNGT110.

Course Description

In this module, we will look at how ethics and socially responsible (and irresponsible) business practices take shape at the international level. This entails exploring the concept of corporate responsibility in a global social, political, and economic context. What does it mean for a multinational corporation to be socially responsible in its global operations? Who is involved in setting up standards of ethical conduct, and who is affected by the behaviour of global corporations? This course takes a critical approach in analysing what it means for business to adopt CSR practices in a global and globalised context. We will explore some of the most challenging domains where business has been intervening – for better or for worse. These include human rights, global governance, but also practices of what we could call corporate citizenship. Importantly, the module is grounded in critical thinking, and encourages students to question assumptions related to global business, as well as the normalisation of a number of globalised business practices. We will investigate these issues through the lenses of ethics, responsibility and sustainability in the context of society, politics, economic systems, and the environment.

Educational Aims

Educational Aims: Subject Specific: Knowledge, Understanding and Skills

This module introduces key debates relating to corporate social responsibility in a global context. Beginning with fundamental questions about purpose and definition, and then proceeding to explore questions about the role of ethics and questions of sustainability from different inter-national perspectives, the module provides a critical and analytical approach to corporate social responsibility and reflects on both the possibilities for global approaches and the relevance of responsibility agendas in different international contexts. Students will experience a mix of lecture, seminar and group activities.

Educational Aims: General: Knowledge, Understanding and Skills

Students will learn about the context of ethics and corporate social responsibility in the wider context of international management. They will learn how to reflect critically on such issues, and how to use literatures to analyse the approaches of international organisations and develop recommendations for improvements to their strategies.

Outline Syllabus

Week 1

• Corporate social responsibility (CSR) in a global context
• Module outline
• Definitions and debates
• National versus global CSR

Week 2

• The merits of CSR: international perspectives
• How is CSR understood in different national contexts?
• Differences between developed and developing world contexts
• Critical reflections of the merits of CSR when applied globally

Week 3

• Global CSE in practice
• What is different when CSR is considered in global contexts?
• How do global organisations approach CSR?
• Major challenges and opportunities

Week 4

• CSR reporting
• What legal and other responsibilities do global organisations have?
• How is CSR reported and what are the tactics used by companies?
• Critical analysis of CSR reports

Week 5

• CSR analysis workshop
• Analysis of CSR reports
• Development of thematic foci for coursework

Week 6

• CSR in the production network
• What are the CSR concerns when global production networks are used?
• What challenges are there when production is disintegrated?
• Who is responsible for production network CSR?

Week 7

• CSR and the market
• How is CSR perceived by consumers?
• What opportunities and threats do global organisations face?
• Can a global market CSR policy work?

Week 8

• CSR and international development
• How does CSR apply to the people and places global firms impact upon?
• Is CSR a form of neo-colonialism?
• How can CSR by made locally sensitive?

Week 9

• CSR at work
• How does CSSR apply to the workplace and employees?
• What are the opportunities and threats of developing global workplace CSR policies?
• Who is responsible for CSR at work?

Week 10

• The critiques of CSR
• Is CSR a failed project?
• How do transnational non-governmental organisations view CSR?
• Is there a better alternative?

Assessment Proportions

• Exam: 100% (for full year students only). Michaelmas term only students will be given an alternative coursework assignment.

OWT.314: Sustainability, values, and ethics

• Terms Taught: Michaelmas Term only.
• US Credits: 4 Semester Credits.
• ECTS Credits: 7.5 ECTS
• Pre-requisites: Must have completed coursework equivalent to any Level 5 OWT module or MNGT200.

Course Description

The objective of this module is to provide students with a critical and practical understanding of managerial decision-making practices in the context of everyday actions in organisations. This module will be concerned with decisions in action, rather than removed codes of practice and focus on understanding of sustainability, the influence business and management have on globalisation, the relationship between management practices and the environment, and social and ethical responsibility.

The module will aim to show that sustainability, CSR, values and ethics in action is diffused and difficult. Nevertheless, managers and employees have a responsibility to ‘work it out’ for themselves. It is this ‘how to work it out’ that the module will keep as its focus. Managers and employees must eventually make a choice and not only do they have to justify this choice but also respect that others may have a different perspective. The module will use a number of case studies as a basis to develop this moral sensibility so that managers will be able to act in a morally appropriate manner as part of their ongoing organisational action.

The teaching strategy supports the learning objectives to develop knowledge and understanding round sustainability, responsibility and ethical issues that managers and employees face in organisations today. The module consists of 20 lectures, 2 a week (1 hour in length) and 4 workshops of 1 hour where case studies will be utilised and form the basis for group and class discussion. There will also be the opportunity in seminars for personal experiences to be developed as case studies.

Educational Aims

By the end of the module, students should have:

• An understanding of key ethical and CSR frameworks and ideas

• An appreciation of how these frameworks and ideas can be used to develop managerial ethical decision-making skills

• An appreciation of why it is important for managers and employees to care about ethics & CSR

• An understanding of the current ethical and responsibility challenges facing managers and employees within organisations today.

Outline Syllabus

• Introduction to the Module,
• Sustainability,
• Global Issues,
• Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR),
• CSR and Stakeholders,
• Values, Ethics and Individuals (employees and managers),
• Recap of the module and exam preparation

Assessment Proportions

• Exam: 100% (for full year students only). Michaelmas term only students will be given an alternative coursework assignment.

OWT.320: Managing Change

• Terms Taught: Lent Term only
• US Credits: 4 Semester Credits.
• ECTS Credits: 7.5 ECTS
• Pre-requisites: Must have completed coursework equivalent to any Level 5 OWT module or MNGT200.

Course Description

Organisational change is widely accepted as a defining feature of contemporary life. Most of the topics covered in management courses, for example, structure; technology; people; power; culture; strategy; leadership and learning, to name a few, assume the need for changes of one kind or another. This course of lectures and the associated seminar programme review some key ideas associated with approaches to change. Seminal approaches to the field that can be said to conceptualise change management are introduced and compared, particularly those at the micro - that is the individual and group level. The course aims to encourage a critical and reflexive appreciation of the complexities and uncertainties of change by exploring the dynamics of change and the relevance of established approaches to emerging problems. The predominant focus will be on managing people and change and material included in the course will help you explore your own and other peoples' reactions to changes. It will help you develop informed opinions about theories of change and will help you to understand how changes might be managed effectively. This course will introduce you to some key management and social, and behavioural science contributions in the field; help you to compare different orientations and to appreciate their relative strengths and weaknesses; help you to relate such ideas to actual events in organisations; and, help you to understand and evaluate your own approaches to the management of change and to evaluate management practices in this area.

Educational Aims

Educational Aims: Subject Specific: Knowledge, Understanding and Skills

The course aims to encourage a critical and reflexive appreciation of the complexities and uncertainties of change by exploring the dynamics of change and the relevance of established approaches to emerging problems. Features of the course include the use of case studies in lectures and seminars, the assignment participants undertake in researching an organisational change of their choice, and the careful evaluation participants are encouraged to make of the theoretical orientations examined in the lecture programme.

Educational Aims: General: Knowledge, Understanding and Skills

The course aims to encourage a critical and reflexive appreciation of the complexities and uncertainties of change by exploring the dynamics of change and the relevance of established approaches to emerging problems. Features of the course include the use of case studies in lectures and seminars, the assignment participants undertake in researching a planned organisational change of their choice, and the careful evaluation participants are encouraged to make of the theoretical orientations examined in the lecture programme.

Outline Syllabus

Lecture 1: Introduction to the Course: What is Change Management?

Lecture 2: What is Change Management

Lecture 3: Planned Change/Organisational Development

Lecture 4: Action Research and Change

Lecture 5: Psychodynamic Approaches to Change - 1

Lecture 6: Psychodynamic Approaches to Change - 2

Lecture 7: Complexity Theory and Emergent Change

Lecture 8: The Perspective of Sensemaking and Change

Lecture 9: Routine Theory and Change

Lecture 10: Course overview and coursework discussion

Assessment Proportions

100% Coursework - 1 x 2,500 word essay

OWT.322: Human Resource Management: Theory and Practice

• Terms Taught: Michaelmas Term Only.
• US Credits: 4 Semester Credits
• ECTS Credits: 8 ECTS
• Pre-requisites: Must have completed a course equivalent to any Level 5 OWT module or MNGT200.

Course Description

The aim of HRM: Theory and Practice is to develop an informed, critical understanding of how the management of Human Resources is undertaken, why and with what effect. What it is not is a prescriptive course providing ‘how to do it’ set of rules and practices. The focus here is on a critical understanding of the employment relationship within the organisational context. Some students are interested in becoming HR practitioners in their future careers and many wish to become a manager of some form. In both cases the course provides a solid foundation to evaluating different approaches to managing human resources and gain a critical understanding of where they would be appropriate.

Initially the course introduces the development, roles and importance of human resource management and the different ways HRM may be understood. The course then examines the nature of the relationship between HRM and performance. The lectures then present contemporary HRM issues, for example, Equality and Diversity, Flexible working and Careers.

Educational Aims

Educational Aims: Subject Specific: Knowledge, Understanding and Skills

The aim of Human Resources: Theory and Practice is to develop an informed, critical understanding of how the management of Human Resources is undertaken, why and with what effect. What it is not is a prescriptive course providing ‘how to do it’ set of rules and practices. The focus here is on a critical understanding of the employment relationship within the organisational context. Some students are interested in becoming HR practitioners in their future careers and many wish to become a manager of some form. In both cases the course provides a solid foundation to evaluating different approaches to managing human resources and gain a critical understanding of where they would be appropriate.

Initially the course introduces the development, roles and importance of human resource management and the different ways HRM may be understood. The course then examines the nature of the relationship between HRM and performance. The lectures then present contemporary HRM issues, for example, Equality and Diversity, Flexible working and Careers.

Educational Aims: General: Knowledge, Understanding and Skills

• develop knowledge and understanding of both theoretical and empirical evidence
• work in groups
• develop a critical understanding of HRM in context

Outline Syllabus

Lecture Overview:

• The importance and roles of HRM
• Careers
• Reward and Remuneration
• Flexible Working
• Work-Life Balance
• Equality and Diversity Management
• Recruitment and Selection

Assessment Proportions

100% Coursework: 1x 2,000 word essay

OWT.323: International Human Resource Management

• Terms Taught: Lent / Summer term only.
• US Credits: 4 Semester Credits.
• ECTS Credits: 7.5 ECTS
• Pre-requisites: Must have completed a course equivalent to any Level 5 OWT module or MNGT200.

Course Description

Economic, social, cultural and political globalization have all contributed to the growth of economic activity and international organisations that cuts across national borders. This module examines the challenges of managing human resources in international organisations. Topics include cross-cultural and institutional considerations, the role of international assignments and teams, and the differences between HR management practices such as recruitment and training in single country organisations versus international organisations. On completion of the module students will be able to address questions about whether employment and human resource management practices are converging or diverging around the world, how power and politics are implicated in the internal dynamics of international organisations and international human resource management, and about how international human resource management is changing as work practices evolve.

Educational Aims

On successful completion of this module, students will:

• Know, understand, and be able to identify and discuss the core concepts, methodological tools, and debates in the field of comparative and international human resource management;
• Understand the debates surrounding the rise of the multinational and transnational corporate form and the specific employment/human resource management implications of this;
• Appreciate the contributions of and be able to recognize the differences between strategic and critical approaches;
• Be knowledgeable of debates about the reasons behind and problems with international assignments and staffing;
• Understand and be able to provide informed commentary on the role multinational corporations play in the diffusion of HRM practices and the limitations of such diffusion processes;
• Be familiar with the challenges globalization of economic activity poses for the regulation of the employment relationship;
• Articulate orally and in written form complex arguments, debates and ideas introduced by the course
• Plan and execute independent library-based research into a specific course topic;
• Integrate key themes, insights and ideas from this course into your other OWT and Lancaster University courses (and vice versa)

Outline Syllabus

• IHRM and the Multinational/Transnational Corporation
• Key and Contemporary themes and debates in IRHM
• Global Integration vs. local responsiveness
• The challenge of institutions I: Distance and Duality
• The challenge of institutions I: Responding to Duality
• Power and politics in IHRM
• Global labour regulation corporate social responsibility
• Knowledge and Learning
• The recruitment, selection and training of the transnational worker
• Mobility and it's changing role in IHRM

Assessment Proportions

• Exam: 100%

OWT.326: Organising in the Digital Age: Power, Technology and Society

• Terms Taught: Michaelmas Term Only.
• US Credits: 4 Semester Credits.
• ECTS Credits: 7.5 ECTS
• Pre-requisites: Must have completed a course equivalent to any Level 5 OWT module or MNGT200.

Course Description

No prior knowledge of technology is required Technology is widely regarded as an unstoppable engine of change that is driving the advance or progress of the modern world. It would seem that no corner of the planet is left untouched by the transformative power of technology: from computers and telecommunications technology to biotechnology, from genetic engineering to the production of drugs to control and reshape human behaviour, the technological (re)ordering of the world would appear to have no limits. Against this background – utopian or dystopian depending on your viewpoint – OWT.326 aims to explore the (inter)relationship between technology and society, and its implications for work and organising, including around issues of gender, race and disability. A core aspect of this module will be to foster the development of critical examination of discourses and uses of technology, including your own, so that you can begin to interrogate the assumptions you might have, but also to help you contextualise the way technology is discussed, apprehended and used.

Educational Aims

Educational Aims: Subject Specific: Knowledge, Understanding and Skills

The core aim of this module is to draw upon science and technology studies to explore how society (and the ways in which it is organised) and technology shape one another.

More specifically, we will examine the (past, present and possible future) impact of technology on the organisation of society, as well as its influence in shaping ways to organise.

Additionally, we will examine the way certain modes of organising might impact technology, such as the way forms of organising can mediate the stabilisation, influence and evolution of technology.

In addition to these, this module aims to examine some social, organisational and ethical issues related to the use of technology.

Educational Aims: General: Knowledge, Understanding and Skills

The general aims of this module are to contribute to students’ development of critical thinking skills through the examination of relationships between technology and society, including their own relationship with technology, as well as their ability to draw from a variety of sources to construct convincing arguments. The aim of the module is also to contribute to the development of students' written and oral communication skills.

Outline Syllabus

In this module we are going to explore some key questions to investigate what it might means to organise, work, and live in the digital age:

1. What is technology? Is it just technical objects, just technical systems? Or, might it also be a way of organising the world? Or, perhaps it is a powerful frame of reference that already shape the very way we think about the world around us?
2. What does technology do? Are technologies just neutral tools, or are they already value laden? Are there ‘good’ or ‘bad’ technologies? Do they have agency? Do they make us, or do we make them? Or, how do we as humans change when we change our technologies?
3. How does technology relate to our bodies? Are we cyborgs? Does technology have a gender? Can algorithms be racist? Can technological innovations really fix issues of discrimination and exclusion, or do they create new and more complex forms of discrimination and exclusion? How can we think through the politics and ethics of technology?
4. How has technology transformed the workplace? Are digital technologies essentially tools used to control workers? How has work-and the worker-itself been transformed through the revolutions of technology? How has it transformed business models and why are the big businesses today essentially global software platforms?
5. Can we control or direct the development of technology? Or, are we on a train that no longer has a driver, taking humanity to unexpected, and even undesirable places? Who, in the end, governs the development of technology?

Through these key questions you (or we together) will hopefully develop a more nuanced understanding of the organisational, political, and ethical implications of the development of technology, for individuals, organisations, and society. It will also enable you to understand technologically mediated change in organisations and society in a more considered manner. This is important as our thinking seems to be outpaced by the rapid developments of technology.

Assessment Proportions

OWT.328: Work and Employment Relations

• Terms Taught: Lent / Summer Term Only.
• US Credits: 4 Semester Credits.
• ECTS Credits: 7.5 ECTS
• Pre-requisites: Must have completed a course equivalent to any Level 5 OWT module or MNGT200.

Course Description

In this module we will explore some of the key conceptual debates in the field of work and employment relations. We will consider the different ways that power and inequality pervade work and employment relations and link this to different settings including industrial work, service work, and professional work. We will think about the mechanisms of control used in these different settings: from Fordism to post-Fordism; the use of emotional labour, routinisation and standardisation in service work; and the management of professional work. We will also explore the rise of precarity and uncertainty in the labour market linked to non-standard and atypical forms of employment.

We will discuss different aspects of employment relations, considering the legal perspective of work and employment relations, and the function of employment legislation. We will focus on the structural and social inequalities in work organisations, and consider the role of employee voice in combatting the imbalance of power in the employment relationship. We will also explore the global context, thinking about the impact of globalisation and the role of multinational and transnational corporations on work and employment relations issues.

The material discussed in this module will not reflect a single coherent way of looking at and understanding work and employment relations, but rather explore a range of approaches.

Educational Aims

Educational Aims: Subject Specific: Knowledge, Understanding and Skills

The course explores the key conceptual debates in the field of work and employment studies, including debates around work and employment in relation to the transition from industrial to service based economies. It also looks at the different ways power and inequality pervade work and employment relations, considering parameters that inform the great variability in the organisation and experience of work, such as class, gender and forms of labour regulation.

Course content is by no means exhaustive, but rather only introductory. The material discussed will not reflect a single coherent way of looking at and understanding work and employment relations, but rather emphasize the range of approaches, questions and methods.

Educational Aims: General: Knowledge, Understanding and Skills

Students will develop knowledge and understanding that allows them to reflect critically on contemporary economic trends, to synthesise ideas from multiple sources, and to develop sophisticated arguments.

Outline Syllabus

Lecture 1: Perspectives on work and employment relations

Lecture 2: Fordism and post-Fordism

Lecture 3: Financialization and new corporate priorities

Lecture 4: Post-industrial service work

Lecture 5: Professional work

Lecture 6: Work and the city

Lecture 7: Social inequalities in work and employment

Lecture 8: Labour market intermediaries: reconfiguring work and employment relations

Lecture 9: Working for the Transnational Corporation

Lecture 10: Coursework workshop

Assessment Proportions

100% Coursework: 1 x 3,000 word essay

OWT.330: Contemporary debates on gender and diversity in management

• Terms Taught: Michaelmas term only.
• US Credits: 4 Semester Credits.
• ECTS Credits: 7.5 ECTS
• Pre-requisites: No pre-requisites. Open to all final year LUMS, PPR and Sociology students.

Course Description

The course aims at enabling students to develop a sensitivity towards recognising the complexity of human experiences and developing an understanding of key issues on gender and diversity in contemporary organisations. More specifically, the course aims at providing both a theoretical and practical basis for developing responsible managers that can foster an inclusive and equitable workplace. The course aims to equip the students with the tools to identify issues of diversity in the workplace and sets of transformative and affirmative actions to achieve fairer outcomes. To achieve this, the module will focus on understanding diversity, performativity and normativity, race and intersectionality, and posthumanism in the context of management practice.

Educational Aims

After following this course, students should be able to:

Develop, understand, and evaluate many of the opportunities and limitations that arise from promoting diversity and inclusion in organisations,

Stimulate creative thought in the approach to understanding the role of gender and diversity in organisational contexts,

Deconstruct existing accounts of gender and diversity and the social and organisational consequences arising from the lack of diversity and inclusion in organisations (e.g. in the media and in business texts) in an informed and critical way,

Develop an understanding of the importance of affirmative and transformative action to address issues of diversity in organisations, beyond tokenistic representation.

Outline Syllabus

This module examines several of the gender and diversity issues that contemporary organisations face as a result of the complex nature of management. In order to consider how gender and diversity have been implicated in the transformations of contemporary organisations, this course will focus on understanding diversity, performativity and normativity, race and intersectionality and posthumanism. Case studies and readings will be introduced and discussed in detail over the course. This will enable students to (1) familiarise themselves with key historical and contemporary developments, (2) to explore the challenges to achieve effective inclusion and diverse organisations, and (3) to consider the scope for management action in response to these challenges. Students are required to develop a formative and a summative piece of work. The aim of both the lectures, workshops, and this form of assessment is to enable students to develop techniques, methods of analysis and research expertise relating to the place of the diversity and inclusion agenda in contemporary organisations. By the end of the course, students should have enhanced their understanding of relevant theoretical and practical issues that arise, as well as having developed their critical and analytical skills.

Assessment Proportions

Formative assessment: art piece

In line with the modules learnings from decolonial theory and alternative modes of knowledge production, the formative part of the assessment focuses on aesthetic modes of expression in relation to knowledge. The assessment seeks to enable students’ capacity to see how diversity and uniformity appear in very concrete forms, small and large, in contemporary society and especially in the institutions that regulate our lives: from very small social practices, from the smallest signs we devise, to the broader language which frames the normative - and so, the performative – frameworks of institutional life.

Please use one of the three techniques introduced in the workshops to create your own interpretive piece (spoken words/poetry, photos/videos, visual art/graphic or movement). The interpretive piece should reflect one diversity issue you deem key in contemporary organisations. You might want to be inspired by your own lived experience, or by recent news, or by readings done throughout the module. Potential ideas of theme can be around women/minorities/LGBTQ+ experiences of progression and promotion at work, political representation, barriers to access specific job opportunities, among others.

Summative assessment: Essay, 2000 words

In this essay, you will draw on the diversity issue you have identified in the formative assessment to explore how both in practice and in theory we can understand such issue and the possibilities to overcome it.