Introductory description

Innovation and change are the engine of economics. Within this volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) environment, it is essential that businesses and those who manage and work within them are adaptable, anticipating change, open to change, and willing to accept that things will not always be predictable. Therefore, it is important to study the organisational theory, change management, and strategic practices of business organizations to enable nimble thinking that aligns with organisational goals and objectives to enable competitive advantage in a rapidly changing world.

This module incorporates two themes: ‘business concepts’ and ‘management theory’. The business concepts theme focuses on providing a context for the management issues in the IT sector by examining organisational theory, including the sizes and structure of different types of organisations, organisational strategies, organisational process design, requirements, and delivering change. Apprentices will take a critical look at commerce and globalisation. Apprentices will develop an understanding of the components of organisations, internal and external business environments, and fundamental business strategy.

The importance of the value chain will be introduced enable the understanding of organisational outputs. The management theory theme addresses contemporary management concepts stemming from changing organisational structures, complex human resource needs, people change and increasingly diverse workforces. It highlights critical management issues involved in both managing and being managed including: organisational culture, people at work, inclusion, sustainability, security, management themes and managerial decision making to encourage continuous improvement.

Module web page

Module aims

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.

• Syllabus: IBMO WM161 – Information Business Management Operations:

Organisations, Strategy and Management
-Introduction to management, including evolution and styles.
-Economics, covering supply and demand, competition, and comparative advantage.
-Corporate Strategy, focusing on strategic position, capability, choices, and levels.
-Strategic Decisioning
-Introduction to Operations Management, explaining operations, supply chains, and global trade.

Organisational Mangement, Leadership and Culture
-Culture and Management, understanding management culture and theories of management, organisational structure, organizational culture, and emotional intelligence. Human aspects of management, motivations, limitations, preferences, etc.
-Stakeholder analysis
-Leadership and theories in leadership, covering assertiveness, leading group projects, pitching ideas, and ethics in management.
-Application of Sustainable Management Functions in an industrial context.
-Roles in Digital Technologies

Value Chain Introduction.

Value Chain:
-The Kano Model
-Pareto Principle
-Value chain and Quality (difference between value and quality)
-Supply Chain Management, including Supply Chain Mapping, Spaghetti Diagrams, JIT, and Activity timing.
-Value Stream Mapping
-Organizing production: Lean Plant Layout, Theory of Constraints, and Factory Physics
-Quality: Total Quality Management and The Value of Quality
-Value in sustainability

Change Management:
-Digital Change
-Drivers for change (Cloud computing, GDPR/legislation, Big data, etc.)
-Decision-making models
-Stages in Change (Recognition of the need, Diagnosing the change, Planning, Implementation, Sustaining)
-Requirements and benefits elicitation
-Risk identification and mitigation

o Introduction: Information Systems:
-Digital Operations, organizational structures, IT projects, KPIs, and dashboards.
-Information Management, covering introduction to Operational Information Systems.
-IT Project Management introduction
-JLR/Thales six largest systems and how they contribute to the value chain.
Management in an international context:
-International Management
-Global Supply Chain methods and challenges.
-World Trade, covering trade agreements, tariffs, and geopolitics.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Evaluating how organizations use digital technology to gain competitive advantage while understanding operations and strategies for sustainable approaches in organizations.
• Recognize and describe different roles and options involved in developing and implementing digital solutions.
• Demonstrate understanding of the risks and opportunities of digital technology solutions through observation and research, identifying key requirements, vulnerabilities, benefits, and drawbacks of implementing an information system solution.
• Review the workplace using a stakeholder analysis technique(s) and research, recommending supported options to enhance local workplace practices, considering legal, moral, leadership and management aspects of the workplace.
• Apply relevant organizational theories to digital and technology solutions, utilizing strategic change and management principles for effective systems implementation for reporting to stakeholders in an appropriate manner.

Indicative reading list

• Slack, N., and Alistair Brandon-Jones. Operations Management, Pearson Education Limited, 2019. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/warw/detail.action?docID=5751937.
• Boddy, D. Management : An Introduction, Pearson Education Limited, 2016. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/warw/detail.action?docID=5175050.
• Introduction To Business Information Management, edited by Claude Doom, ASP, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/warw/detail.action?docID=3115808.
• Mullins, Laurie J..Management and Organisational Behaviour, Pearson Education Limited, 2016. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/warw/detail.action?docID=5175113.
• Andersen, T. J. (2013) Short Introduction to Strategic Management. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (Cambridge Short Introductions to Management). doi: 10.1017/CBO9781139381642.
  Education, 2013, ISBN: 9780273792734.
• Schermerhorn John R., “Introduction to management”, Wiley, 2011, ISBN: 9780470646243.

View reading list on Talis Aspire

Subject specific skills

Understanding of VUCA, Business Adaptation to Change, Working in Ambiguity, Business Concepts, Management Concepts, Management issues in the IT Sector, Understanding Organisational Theory, Understanding Organisational Structures, Introduction to Commerce, Introduction to Globalisation, Understanding Organisational Components, Understanding Business Environments, Understanding Fundamental Business Strategies, Understanding the basics of Value Chain, Identification and management of risk, Understanding Management Theory, People Change, Understanding of Operations in Organisations, Understanding and responding to Diversity in the Workforce, Understanding Organisational Culture, Requirements elicitation, Risk identification and management, Understanding the need for Inclusion, Understanding Management Themes, Understanding Managerial Decision Making, Understanding Continuous Improvement

Transferable skills

Apprentices will develop an understanding of how organisations adapt and exploit digital technology solutions to gain a competitive advantage. Apprentices will be able to demonstrate the principles of strategic decision making concerning the development of a digital and technology solution whole role has been identified. Apprentices will learn the principles of estimating the risks and opportunities of digital and technology solutions while learning to identify the roles, functions and activities within an organisation. Apprentices will consider contemporary management techniques and theories, evaluating these in their workplace. Apprentices will learn techniques to derive requirements to meet strategic business needs in alignment with organisational needs. In the context of this organisation, apprentices will gather, share and present data supported by robust research while developing teamworking skills and practice in the principles of leadership and compassionate inclusion.