Introductory description

This module aims to provide doctoral students an appreciation of classic management and organisation publications. It will enable students to understand the origins of influential theories across management and organisation studies. The core objective of the module is to enable students to build a theoretical platform allowing them to embark on doctoral research, and become aware of plural alternative approaches within management and organisational research.

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.

Introduction: Tracing origins and contrasting perspectives in management research
Bureaucracy (Max Weber)
Organization of labour and technology (from Marx to Taylor and beyond)
Culture (from Mary Douglas to Peters and Waterman)
Institutions (from institutional economics to neo-institutionalism)
Diversity, equity and inclusion (from Acker to Butler)
Identity and identification (from Goffman to Albert & Whetten)
Organizational power and politics (Crozier and beyond)
Professions (from Follett to Abbott)
Transaction Cost Economics (Coase and Williamson)

Learning outcomes

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

• Understand key concepts in the field of economics, social psychology, sociology, gender studies, anthropology and social analysis and how they can be applied to the study of business and management phenomena.
• Compare, contrast and recognize connections and tensions between different approaches and concepts.
• Identify the gaps and develop ideas about expanding these theories and frameworks through their own research

Indicative reading list

Reading lists can be found in Talis

Subject specific skills

Understand the different paradigms that can be used to address business and management phenomena.
Expand the range of theories and approaches used in the PhD project.
Understand key concepts in the field of economics, social psychology, sociology, gender studies, anthropology and social analysis and how they can be applied to the study of business and management phenomena.
Compare, contrast and recognize connections and tensions between different approaches and concepts.
Identify the gaps and develop ideas about expanding these theories and frameworks through their own research.

Transferable skills

Appropriately utilize and mobilize concepts from different perspectives.
Cite the thought leaders in each of the theories and frameworks.
Demonstrate an enhanced ability to reflect on the basic assumptions of the disciplinary tradition students will adopt in their PhD and critically compare it with those of others.
Analytical skills.
Critical thinking.
Communication skills.
Ability to engage with foundational social science texts to deploy these in their own researc