MODULE DESCRIPTION
This module introduces students to the purpose, operations and implications of management by exploring the contexts within which management takes place. To put in a somewhat exaggerated way, it is not a “how to do business” module, but a module about the framework for theorising business as well as the environment and contexts in which it operates. We will reflect on management in relation to the social, economic, technological and legal conditions within which it operates, as well as reflect on the political and environmentalconsequences of modern management. We will discuss how management practices are informed and, in some cases, defined by issues such as: the privatisation of public services, the environmental impact of technological change, the unequal distribution of the world’s resources and the unequal influence of stakeholders on business practices.
Therefore, a major focus of this module is the internal and external environments of business, which are examined through the PESTLEframework; that is, with particular emphasis on Political, Economic, Sociological, Technical, Legal and Environmental issues (PESTLE). Setting management in the context of the global interrelations of energy, finance, the environment, technological innovation, and changing social, legal and political structures, we will begin to see that to be effective management must understand the contexts in which it operates.
The module revolves around one textbook - Dicken, P. (2015). Global Shift, 7ed. Sage: London - as well as a number of other sources that you will find listed in the bibliography at the bottom of this QM+ page and provided as Pdfs resources.
MODULE RATIONALE AND TEACHING METHODS
Fundamentals of Management runs throughout the first semester. It consists of weekly 1-hour lectures and seminars (seminars start in week 2). Please note there will be no lecture or seminars during week 7; this is because week 7 is the university’s designated ‘reading week’ and a valuable chance to catch-up on any reading you have not yet done in sufficient depth. The lecture and seminar schedules are listed in this module outline. Lecture slides, which use clear, simple bullet-pointed information, can be accessed immediately after the lecture using QM+ (the Online Learning Environment). You should be aware, however, that the lecture slides are no substitute for attendance at lectures.
THE TWO MODULE ASSESSMENTS:
The first, after week 6 (date: TBC)
The second, due in early January 2024 (date TBC), will be a pre-seen, in-class test.
By "pre-seen" I mean that you will receive the questions two weeks prior to the test, in order to give you time to carry out research over the period of the break.
The essay – which you will receive back in week 9 – will be on the first 6 chapters of the Textbook. Doing solid work on those opening chapters for your first assessment will provide you the basis your in-class test.
ABOUT THE TEXTBOOK USED ON THIS MODULE
Peter Dicken provides a comprehensive, balanced yet critical account of globalization processes and their sweeping, highly uneven effects on people's lives. Each timely chapter has been extensively rewritten to reflect current debates, the latest empirical developments, and new ideas about the shaping and reshaping of production, distribution, and consumption in the world economy. The textbook is essential reading. It will form the core text around which seminars and assessments are based, and the source for a number of examples raised in the lectures. Borrow or buy your copy of the textbook and start reading it NOW!
MODULE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
The module aims to:
- Introduce the student to the PESTLE framework for understanding business management and the workings of capitalist economies
- Help students recognise the breadth and complexity of external influences on management
and on all business activity - Investigate crucial issues that spring from the practices of modern management
- Explore the range of theoretical and practical frameworks conditioning management’s operations
INDICATIVE LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of the module, you should have acquired:
- A solid understanding of the PESTLE framework
- Knowledge about how business organisations interact with their environments
- An enhanced appreciation of the legal, industrial and governmental frameworks within
which management operates - The ability to understand and analyse the market system of capitalist economies
GRADUATE ATTRIBUTES AND TRANSFERABLE SKILLS
- Ability to apply research in critical and theoretical contexts
- Enhanced knowledge about research methodologies, writing techniques
and good bibliographic practice - Collegiality, and skills of discussion and debate
- Improved skills of oral and visual presentation
- Enriched capacity for identifying and solving problems
IMPORTANT: READINGS ATTACHED TO THE LECTURES ARE DRAWN FROM THE TEXTBOOK (see Module Description above) and FROM THE THEMED BIBLIOGRAPHY (full list at bottom of this QM+ page) . ALL OF THESE FEED DIRECTLY INTO THE IN-CLASS TEST in January AND INTO THE COURSEWORK ESSAY, WHICH IS SUBMITTED DURING WEEK 6. THE ONLY SET READINGS ARE LISTED WEEK BY WEEK UNDER THE LECTURE AND SEMINAR TOPIC. HOWEVER, YOU ARE ENCOURAGED TO THINK BROADLY AND IMAGINATIVELY, USING RELEVANT MATERIAL DRAWN FROM ALL THE MODULE READINGS. AT THE END OF THE OUTLINE YOU WILL FIND A THEMED BIBLIOGRAPHY WITH FURTHER SOURCES FOR THE LECTURES (and electronic copies at the bottom of the bibliography). YOU ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO CONSULT THESE (a full and regularly updated Themed Bibliography is available below with electronic copies of all of these).
PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU KEEP UP WITH THE READING. THE MORE YOU READ THE MORE ENGAGING YOU WILL FIND THE MODULE AND THE BETTER YOU WILL DO.
In week 1, you will be allocated a ‘seminar group’ (details will be on our QM+ module area). You are allowed to attend only the seminar designated for your seminar group: do not switch groups because it causes administrative problems and can result in your (wrongly) being marked as absent! Any difficulties (e.g. your name is not on the list / you have a timetable clash) should be brought to the immediate attention of the School of Business and Management’s admin team (4th floor, Francis Bancroft building).
Those of you who have laptops or tablets should bring them to seminars as you may be asked to research particular questions, in pairs or small groups, over the course of the seminar.
PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU BRING THE TEXTBOOK TO EVERY SEMINAR!
The module area on QM+ will provide you with:
- All course information
- Important announcements from the module convenor
- An electronic version of the Themed Bibliography, which provides additional readings for the topics discussed on the module
- PowerPoint slides relating to each lecture that will be posted after the lecture
- Q-Review video capture of lectures
Any problems with QM+ should be reported to the Learning Institute - not to the School of Business and Management or to module convenor
ATTENDANCE, PREPARATION AND GENERAL EXPECTATION
This module offers the opportunity for informed questioning, clarification, and debate. As such, you must be able to discuss assigned course materials and lectures in depth. Attendance at all lectures and seminars and completion of the set reading (and any between-weeks tasks or activities) in advance is, therefore, essential. Try to make the most of these teaching/learning modes and materials, as they are your opportunity to explore and clarify the new ideas you encounter on the module. You will find it helpful to read textbook chapters and module readings at least twice since many of these texts are intellectually challenging. Do not be put off! Read a text once to get the gist of it; read it a second time to appreciate the subtleties of its argument. If you want to try for a high grade, you are advised to read beyond the textbook. Please note that the textbook comes with useful additional material on a website as well as other suggested readings and exercises.
While seminar class will be framed by the textbook chapter, the exploratory nature of the seminar will be taken seriously. You will be expected to consider complex questions as they arise in class and to bring issues for debate to the seminar. Should any difficulties or concerns arise, please contact me.
ALWAYS read and take notes, which you should bring to the seminars. It is very difficult to discuss readings if you fail do so.
