Information Technology, Management and Organisational Change MRes - 2020 Entry

Course Structure

You will study a range of modules as part of your course, some examples of which are listed below.

Core

• Academic and Professional Practice

  This module will help you to acquire a number of transferable skills and develop your management abilities to prepare you to take the next step in your career.

  Key areas of academic and professional practice are examined over the course of the academic year in this module. This includes developing writing, argumentation and presentation skills, professional conduct and ethical practice, career strategy and employability skills. We invite a number of Guest Speakers to contribute to this module.

• Analysing management in practice

  We live in a complex world in which the actions of individuals, groups, organisations and governments are justified or informed by knowledge claims that frequently have their roots in research. Accordingly, this is a module with practical goals as well as academic content. The main purposes are twofold: first, to introduce some of the basic ideas of research methodology and the standard techniques of research relevant to the study of organisational settings; and second, to reach an understanding of research as a process of social communication, one in which knowledge is produced for specific purposes and for the benefit of identifiable audiences.

  The module is also a key stage in your preparation for the research project you will undertake for your dissertation.

• Analysis and Design

  This module will introduce concepts, principles and issues with analysis, design and innovation across teams, organisations and industries.

  It bridges the gap between business and technology by exploring theories, practices and current topics surrounding the development of innovative artifacts and social practices. Each of the concepts and delivery approaches will be widely used in the workplace, and each will be aimed at allowing students to more easily apply their knowledge in the workplace.

• Business Analysis and Enterprise Systems

  This module gives you hands-on experience of the academic version of a widely used enterprise technology, namely SAP.

  Enterprise systems and integration solutions are essential to every modern enterprise, and Cloud and Software as a Service (SaaS) is opening a new range of integration solutions for businesses. Also, businesses that acquired and implemented ERPs in the 1990s and early 2000s are now dealing with upgrades for the years to come. These businesses are considering becoming hybrids: i.e., having a mixture of traditional ERPs and cloud-based services so that they can keep a solid platform but also enjoy the flexibility offered by the cloud.

  ERPs are booming in China and many other developing countries. Therefore, irrespective of the specific technology (e.g., SAP), all business school graduates should acquire some preliminary knowledge of enterprise systems and of the integration they provide for companies.

  This module familiarises you with the notion of integration and how companies can respond to their integration needs. Most importantly, it gives you the opportunity to gain hands-on experience of an ERP system and of using it to run a company – in this instance, you will be using SAP to run a virtual dairy company.

• Information, Technology and Organisations

  This module aims to give you a critical understanding of the interrelationships between information, technology, and organisations. Its objectives are twofold: first, to develop your awareness of both the historical roots of modern organisations and contemporary issues surrounding technology in the knowledge economy; and second, to enable you to critically assess ongoing developments in information, technology and organisation. It will consider theories of technology, organisation, and information and seek to convey their mutually constitutive role in organisational life.

• IT Project Management

  A significant development in organisations in the 1990s has been the increasing use of 'the project model' for organising and managing organisational work. This trend is continuing, with more and more work being carried out through projects and programmes involving cross-functional project teams and flexible organisation structures. Moreover, much of this work is essentially 'knowledge work', and in this kind of work conventional (engineering-based) project management ideas and techniques are of limited value.

  Managing this kind of work and managing in other project environments requires an altogether different approach, in which the emphasis is on 'managing', rather than 'management', and 'knowing what to do when you don't know what to do'. Central to this is the idea of managing as 'learning' and the ability of individuals and groups to 'learn' what they need to do in complex environments.

• Research Design in Management

  This module introduces students to research design in business and management. The approach taken emphasises the place of different research designs and strategies in the accomplishment of knowledge about management as well as how to craft research. It provides a basis for the appreciation and evaluation of the different varieties of research as well as providing an opportunity for students to consider these issues in relation to their own research.

• Research Methods

  This module gives and introduction to qualitative and quantitative research. It is intended to help students to get started on their research in a focused way and to provide support for development of their research proposals.

• Searching for Information in Management Research

  This module introduces students to the wide range of sources of information now available to researchers. It covers the major Business and Management databases as well as more general information sources.

• Technological Futures

  The aim of this course is to provide students with some of the key theoretical and methodological tools needed to understand and engage with an increasingly technologically-mediated set of futures. This will be done over a period of ten weeks via a series of interactive sessions that will deepen students’ understanding of how different potential futures might be understood, predicted, and brought into being. A key focus throughout is the impact of different technological futures on organisational practices.

• The Management of Organisational Change: Challenges and Debates

  What is meant by ‘change’? How can organisational change be analysed? This module to provides students with a broad theoretical and practical understanding of some key concepts and issues in managing organisational changes.

  The contemporary world is characterised by a range of social, political, economic, technological, ecological and organisational changes that challenge accepted understandings and practices. This module introduces contributions from the social sciences that are useful in thinking about change. The focus is upon the development of an account of change that steers between reformist tinkering and revolutionary upheaval.

  As managers and others seek to engage with change it is important that taken for granted assumptions and simplistic solutions about organisational life are both articulated and rethought. Prevailing assumptions in the managerial literature are compared to contrasting approaches within organisation studies. The contention of the module is that the emerging socio-technical-politico-economic context necessitates a reflexive appreciation of the complexities and uncertainties of change and intervention.

Optional

• Cyber Security and Enterprise Resilience: Social Aspects of the Digital Age

  This module explores in detail a number of contemporary themes and issues relevant to the continuing emergence of security in relation to the digital world. It builds on some concepts and ideas introduced in some of the core modules particularly in relation to knowledge management and IT, strategy and digital business.

  The emphasis of this module will be on analysing the interdependency between management, organisational and technological issues and implications of embedding security concerns into digital technologies. Issues will be discussed in detail, with reference to specific contemporary case study examples from advanced and emerging economies where possible.

• E-Business

  The module presents a variety of frameworks and case studies that help the student formulate a comprehensive understanding of E-business in theory and practice. The course does not involve rote learning format; rather it is interactive, multi-modal, and real-world. Lectures are more like working lectures and involve various exercises that help you understand and employ the various frameworks.

  On completion of this module students should be able to:

  • Appreciate the multifaceted nature of E-business
  • Be capable of applying frameworks to case studies, e.g. E-business model frameworks and strategy
  • Understand the key issues that E-business practitioners face
  • Participate in a real-world challenge that forms the backbone of the coursework
• E-Marketing

  This module provides an integrated and critical overview of key concepts and techniques associated with marketing and consumer behaviour online. No prior academic and/or applied grounding in marketing or knowledge of marketing issues related to the e-business environment is assumed (if necessary, background reading and materials will be provided).

  In this module we put emphasis on the fact that a marketing strategy for the online environment is, or is becoming, increasingly critical for most organisations. However, the integration of marketing within the e-business technological platform and interface tends not to be given enough attention in organisations. Marketing managers need to be conversant and confident with the dynamics of online consumer behaviour and they have to understand the current limitations of this new channel, but without neglecting the basis of consumer behaviour.

• Human Resource Management 1: The rise and growth of HRM theories and techniques

  This module introduces the major debates and perspectives on Human Resource Management. It critically examines controversies about the nature of HRM, placing it in context to understand how it developed and what it constitutes in contemporary ‘globalised’ organisations. The module examines those issues that are seen as central to the practice of HRM, such as recruitment and selection, performance management, and remuneration strategies. Karen and Kay will draw on their own research to provide an insight into the HRM process, explored in a way that critiques its taken for granted ‘normality’, and unpacks the assumptions underlying this central organisational function.

• Human Resource Management II: the agenda of HRM in the global economy

  HRM II builds upon the foundations of HRM I. We will continue to examine examples of some of the most important current HRM practices. This module aims to build a wide-ranging cultural image of HRM practices today. We will show that the essence of HRM is to govern one of the central questions of all our lives: who are we when we work today? How does HRM seek to take control over this fundamental question?

• International Human Resource Management

  In this module we explore how fundamental questions about 'knowledge' and 'management' apply to global organisations. With ‘being global’ now taken for granted in many organisations, and the largest organisations in the world such as GE and Wal-Mart having revenues greater than the GDP of many countries, it is crucial to understand why and how knowledge and learning are ‘managed’ in such contexts. The module begins by examining how the globalisation strategies of manufacturing organisations are built around knowledge-based rationales and mechanisms, before proceeding to examine the case of global service organisations, with particular attention paid to the way these organisations use their knowledge and power to shape the structures of the global economy.

• Organisational Learning and Knowledge Management
  The Organizational Learning and Knowledge Management (OLKM) module is based on how understandings of Organizational Learning and Knowledge Management theoretical perspectives align with practical implications of each theory. This module therefore aims to develop students’ critical understanding of how Organizational Learning and Knowledge Management (OLKM) are influenced by the context in which they occur including social, cultural, organizational contexts, and how learning can create innovation and sustainable competitive advantages in today’s organizations.

  The module aims to develop a subject specific understanding of different concepts related to OLKM. It aims to develop understanding of different concepts within the field and encourage students to identify and explore the use of innovative practices concurrent with OLKM concepts. The module aims to provide students with a sound basis of skills and knowledge for future careers in the field of HRD, particularly as a knowledge management and organizational learning consultant. The module design and processes include the design of effective teaching and learning activities, which will foster inclusive and engaging learning experiences during the 1st term. The design includes drawing on real life examples, contemporary research and classroom exercises including interactive learning with group and individual learning exercises (1-2 informal presentations, final consulting presentation and individual essay).

  Learning outcomes:

  On successful completion of this module students will be able to demonstrate:

  • An understanding and critical evaluation of a range of OLKM theories, concepts and practice,

  • An appreciation and understanding of learning and knowledge practices in contemporary organizations.

  • A critical awareness of OLKM dynamics in formal and informal settings and in-group learning situations, taking into account a range of contextual factors.

  • The identification and understanding of the disciplinary areas that contribute to OLKM in theory and practice.

  • Critical thinking about OLKM concepts and their application to the workplace

• Strategic Supply Chain Management

  This module examines the principles and practices of supply chain management, and examines supply chain management in a variety of sectors and contexts, from consumer goods markets to business-to-business services. It also looks at supply chain management critically, as just one manifestation of the more general issue of trans-organisational operations management. Most of the time will be spent considering inter-organisational relationships from various perspectives, but it will also be necessary to understand how they relate to matters within the organisation.

• Strategy, IT and Digital Business

  The emphasis on the module will be managerial; technology will be addressed, but always in the context of its strategic and organisational significance. Overall, the approach will be analytical, rather than descriptive. Case studies will be used in a critical way to exemplify, link and reinforce concepts introduced in the formal sessions and to highlight strengths and shortcomings of current concepts and theories.

• Systemic Interventions and Consulting

  This module provides an introduction to making sense of complex organisational problem settings and paves the way for students to understand how problem structuring is used in consulting interventions. In the first part of the module a variety of problem structuring approaches are discussed and applied to enable you to appreciate the strengths, weaknesses and appropriate application uses of each. The second part of the module gives particular attention to the use of soft systems methodology (SSM), both in general problem situations and in defining information requirements.

Information contained on the website with respect to modules is correct at the time of publication, but changes may be necessary, for example as a result of student feedback, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes, and new research.