IB381-15 Critical Issues in Management
Introductory description
N/A.
Module aims
The core themes of the module are critical issues in management and the analytical structuring of unstructured problems. The learning methods are student-centred, requiring students to work in small syndicates (of 5-6 members) and to present and discuss their work in small seminar groups (of twenty to twenty-five). The module material requires consideration of case studies, key management and organization theories and problem solving and creative approaches. The case studies themselves constitute the most significant element of the module. They represent complex, real-world management issues that are of pressing concern to current organizations and managers. A critical analysis requires problematising the context, identifying issues, imagining alternatives, ranking preferences, resolving dilemmas, and considering recommendations and processes for managing change, all of which are crucial in today’s world of business.
Outline syllabus
This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.
- Applied theory, (demonstrated critical thinking, evaluated options, developed recommendations etc.
- Managing (in) organisations.
- Leadership & Followership.
- Accountability & Responsibility.
- Power & Resistance.
- Culture.
- Ethics.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- Understand key issues in management as multidisciplinary and multifaceted phenomena [Bloom's taxonomy: understand].
- Analyse complex, ill-structured management problems with no 'right answer' [Bloom's taxonomy: analyse].
- Independently research, synthesize and critically elaborate on complex, ill-structured problems (both oral and written).
Indicative reading list
Buchanan, D. A. and Huczynski, A. (2019) Organizational behaviour. 10 edition. Harlow, England: Pearson.
Cunliffe, A. L. (2014a) A very short, fairly interesting and reasonably cheap book about management. Second edition. Los Angeles: SAGE.
Dugan, J. P. (2017) Leadership theory: cultivating critical perspectives. San Francisco, California: Jossey-Bass.
Grint, Keith (no date) ‘Problems, problems, problems: The social construction of “leadership”’, Human Relations, 58(11), pp. 1467–1494.
Hoffman, W. M., Frederick, R. and Schwartz, M. S. (eds) (2014) Business ethics: readings and cases in corporate morality. Fifth edition. Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Wiley Blackwell.
Hunter, D. A. (2014) A practical guide to critical thinking: deciding what to do and believe. Second edition. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Learmonth, M. and Morrell, K. (2019) Critical perspectives on leadership: the language of corporate power. New York, NY: Routledge.
Lukes, S. (2005) Power: a radical view. 2nd ed. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.
Thompson, P. and McHugh, D. (2002) Work organisations: a critical introduction. 3rd ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave.
Watson, T. J. (2017) Sociology, work and organisation. Seventh edition. London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
Subject specific skills
See the big picture, as well as the local detail, of management issues [attitudinal learning outcome].
Work in team-based settings bringing diverse specialist skills together [skill learning outcome].
Independently research, synthesize and critically elaborate on complex, ill-structured problems (both oral and written) [skill learning outcome].
Transferable skills
Work in team-based settings bringing diverse specialist skills together.
Study time
| Type | Required |
|---|---|
| Lectures | 10 sessions of 2 hours (13%) |
| Seminars | 4 sessions of 2 hours (5%) |
| Other activity | 1 hour (1%) |
| Private study | 48 hours (32%) |
| Assessment | 73 hours (49%) |
| Total | 150 hours |
Private study description
Private Study.
Other activity description
Week 2 - 1 x 1 hour Seminar.
Costs
No further costs have been identified for this module.
You do not need to pass all assessment components to pass the module.
Assessment group D
| Weighting | Study time | |
|---|---|---|
| Group Presentation (15 CATS) | 25% | 18 hours |
|
Case Study Presentation, slides and speaker notes (max 2500 words) (case study). |
||
| Group Research Notes (15 CATS) | 5% | 4 hours |
|
Group - Marked Collectively. |
||
| Online Examination | 70% | 51 hours |
|
~Platforms - AEP
|
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Assessment group R
| Weighting | Study time | |
|---|---|---|
| Individual Assignment (15 CATS) | 30% | |
| Online Examination - Resit | 70% | |
|
~Platforms - AEP
|
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Feedback on assessment
Feedback provided via my.wbs.
There is currently no information about the courses for which this module is core or optional.