| Unit name | Introduction to Management |
|---|---|
| Unit code | EFIM10015 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | C/4 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Mr. Kent |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | School of Management - Business School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
This unit aims to prepare students to engage with the concept and practice of management. It aims to develop their understanding of management as a social science, with an introduction to the basic concepts, tools and analytical frameworks standard to the field. The unit starts with an introduction to the history of Management thought and the important thinkers and paradigms which form the foundations of the subject. Key issues such as the dilemmas of motivating and controlling, and decision-making, hierarchy and culture are explored. The unit aims to develop students’ critical thinking and analytical skills to prepare students to engage in the major debates in the field of management. These include an examination of the ways in which organizational culture, ethics, identity, values, leadership and cognition come to shape how management is practised. Simultaneously, we focus on the ways in which management and its practice will, in turn contribute to the shaping of issues in wider society. This leads us to consider and problematise the ways in which discourses and practices of management are increasingly salient and pervasive in everyday life. We end by speculating on how the various topics within management interact with each other in a dynamic and systemic way. Students who take this unit will gain an understanding of the basic language and concepts which will allow them to engage with the content of advanced Management units.
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
1. Identify and describe a range of issues relevant to management and to the interplay between management and society.
2. Explain and discuss theoretical approaches to management.
3. Recognise different perspectives on management and appreciate the implications that each has both for managers and other organisational members.
4. Analyse and appraise management and organisational practice through the application of relevant theory.
5. Critically evaluate the theory and practice of management.
Students will learn transferable skills of problem analysis, argumentation, presentation, and team working through class work.
Teaching will be delivered through a combination of synchronous and asynchronous sessions including lectures, tutorials, drop-in sessions, discussion boards and other online learning opportunities.
Summative : Timed Open book Assessment (100%) Formative: Group presentations.
Hendry, J. (2013) Management, A Very Short Introduction, Oxford, Oxford University Press.
Linstead, S., Fulop, L. and Lilley, S. (2009) Management and Organization (2nd edition), Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan.
Grey, C. and Willmott, H., eds. (2005) Critical Management Studies: A reader. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Tadajewski, M., Macklaran, P., Parsons, E. and Parker, M. (2011) Key Concepts in Critical Management Studies. London: Sage.
Selected readings from journals including:
Human Relations
Journal of Business Ethics
Leadership
Organisation
Work, Employment and Society
