MANAGEMENT STUDIES

Credit Points

20

Course Coordinator

Dr C Clark

Pre-requisites

None

Overview

The course provides students with an introduction to management theory, the nature of organisational behaviour, the context of the organisation: goals, objectives and culture. Theories of organisational structure and contingency theories are examined. Issues addressed include organisational processes and the execution of work, specifically delegation motivation, performance, job satisfaction. The course also examines issues of groups, leadership, conflict and control, communications. The course will conclude with an examination of the role of technology and organisational development.

Structure

3 one-hour lectures per week and 1 one-hour tutorial per fortnight and 1 one-hour seminar per fortnight.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (70%) and in-course assessment (30%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination and in-course assessment. The in-course assessment grade will be carried forward.

Credit Points

20

Course Coordinator

To be confirmed

Pre-requisites

None

Overview

The operations function is at the core of most organisations. It is responsible for the design, planning, production, control and management of products and services and the operations and processes that produce them. This course introduces students to the most important aspects of managing operations and processes. It will look at design, planning, control, location, quality and the impact of technology. The course covers both theory of operations management and practical methods for managing operations and processes.

Structure

3 one-hour lectures and 1 one-hour tutorial each fortnight.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (80%) and in-course assessment (20%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (80%) and incourse assessment (20%). The in-course assessment grade will be carried forward.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Mr R Williams

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 2 or above.

Overview

This course will provide students with an overview of the underpinning concepts of marketing, and the requirements for the development of a market-oriented organisation. Specifically this will involve an introduction to the basic concepts of buyer behaviour, market research, the marketing mix and the strategic context of marketing. The linkages between marketing and other key functional areas of management, notably operations and human resource management, are highlighted by this course, encouraging the adoption of a systems perspective.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures per week, 1 one-hour tutorial every alternate week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Examination (80%) and in-course assessment (20%).

Resit: Examination (80%) and in-course assessment (20%). The in-course assessment grade will be carried forward.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr T Stone

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 2 or above.

Overview

Firms are not simply islands in a sea of market relations. Firms do not interact and relate with their environments solely through the price mechanism. Stressing the systematic nature of business organisation, this course seeks to outline the wide range of influences – economic, social, demographic, political, legal – which affect business activity in a variety of ways and which can impinge upon fundamental processes such as resource acquisition and the creation and consumption of output. The course is concerned with the business and economic environment and its impact upon the firm – and is in that sense outward looking. Where appropriate, theory is grounded in practical examples.

Structure

3 one-hour lectures and 1 one-hour tutorial every alternate week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (80%) and in-course assessment (20%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (80%) and in-course assessment (20%). The in-course assessment grade will be carried forward.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Professor M Hughes

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 3 or above.

Notes

Offered in alternate years. Not available in 2007/08.

Overview

This course provides an introduction to the complexities of international business management by examining how the multi-dimensional global environment affects all aspects of management within an international context.

The course provides an introductory, but comprehensive, coverage of the main challenges surrounding the international process. Topics include: nature of international business; international strategies and operations; cultural aspect and its impact on international management; issues in management of multinational corporations (MNC) and foreign direct investment (FDI), etc.

Structure

Three lectures and one tutorial weekly.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 three-hour formal examination (80%) and in-course assessment: one essay (20%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (80%) and in-course assessment (20%). The in-course assessment grade will be carried forward.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Ms L Batchelor

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 3 or above.

Notes

Offered in alternate years. Available 2009/10.

Overview

The essence of the course is that the students will develop a business place for a new venture. This plan is intended to be the basis of an application for external finance for the new business and will include the following elements:

• The Business Idea (showing how new value will be generated)


• The Operational Plan (showing how the different elements of the business
  will operate, including premises, plant and personnel)


• The Financial Requirements (a statement of projected income etc)


• The Marketing Plan (demonstrating the market potential and how this might
  be realised)

While the plan will be a group project, the necessary elements will be taught in lecture/seminar format.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures, plus one 1-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1. The group project to be presented by the student (20%); 2. formal written business plan (group) (20%); 3. individual 3 hour examination based on a case study (60%).

Parts 1 and 2 will include an element of peer group assessment, the group will be allocated a mark by the examiners, students will then allocate this mark amongst the group.

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (80%) and in-course assessment (20%). The in-course assessment grade will be carried forward.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr J Randall

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 3 or above.

Notes

Compulsory for Single Honours MA Management Studies.

Overview

The course demystifies some of the new management approaches which have emerged internationally, and examines the history of management theory and the future development of business organisations. Case study material is used to highlight some of the major contemporary issues which surround the uptake and use of new production and service concepts, such as, just-in-time production, video conferencing technology, best practice strategies, cellular manufacture and quality management. The integration of management theories with processes of organisational adaptation is central to the objective of providing an innovative course on management and organisational change.

Structure

1 one-hour lecture; 1 two-hour lecture/seminar; 1 one-hour tutorial (to be arranged) per week commencing week 17 and concluding in week 26 (10 tutorials in total).

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 three-hour written examination (80%) and in-course assessment (20%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (80%) and in-course assessment (20%). The in-course assessment grade will be carried forward.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr N Mauthner

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 3 or above.

Notes

Offered in alternate years; not available in 2009/10.

Overview

Over the past 20 years the proportion of women in the labour market has increased dramatically, with the strongest growth seen in the employment rates of mothers, particularly mothers of young children. Despite these changes, pronounced gender differences remain in the nature of women and men's contribution to the labour market. Occupational segregation means that women are concentrated in certain types of industries and occupations - notably the service sector - and their jobs tend to be low-skill, low-status, and low pay. Large numbers of women work part-time in order to care for children and other dependants, whereas men predominantly work full-time. While more and more women are moving into professional and managerial jobs, the number of women holding senior managerial positions is still low and women still make up only ten per cent of top business leaders in the UK. Direct and indirect forms of harassment and discrimination can make it difficult for women to progress in their careers with many coming up against the so-called 'glass ceiling'.

This course will examine these and other gender issues in work and organisations. It will introduce key concepts and theories of gender difference, gendered divisions of paid and unpaid work and gender ideologies. It will discuss explanations for gender disadvantage and discrimination at work, evidence for gender differences in management and leadership style and the association of management with masculinity. Strategies for workplace equality will be critically examined, including legislation and organisational policies and practices (eg equal opportunities; work-life balance; managing diversity). Case study materials will be used for critical reflection and analysis. Course sessions will be interactive, relying heavily on student participation, group work and class discussions.

Structure

1 two-hour lecture and 1 two-hour seminar/tutorial per week for 12 weeks.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 three-hour examination (60%); extended essay 2,500 words (25%); group seminar presentation (10%) and extended abstract 500 words (5%).

Resit: 1 three-hour examination (100%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Ms L Batchelor

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 3 or above who have passed at least 50 Credit Points in Management Studies at levels 1 and 2.

Notes

Offered in alternate years, not available in 2009/10.

Overview

This course will provide students with a knowledge and understanding of business development, from the start-up stages, through growth and internationalisation. A combination of case studies, group activities and lectures will be used. The case studies will involve looking at real business situations and how companies have developed, including local firms and non-UK firms. Students will analyse these case studies interactively to develop an understanding of the problems which were encountered and how these were overcome. The importance of personal, cultural and environmental factors and their interactions will be assessed.

Structure

2 two-hour lectures per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Examination (80%) and in-course assessment (20%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (80%) and in-course assessment (20%). The in-course assessment grade will be carried forward.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr J Lamb

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 3 or above.

Co-requisites

This course will only be available to students who have reached the 3rd year of a designated or honours degree programme in Accountancy or Management.

Notes

Offered in alternate years. Not available in 2009/10.

Overview

This course will address the technical, behavioural, and organisational issues associated with the design and implementation of business information systems.

Topics covered will include:

• basic hardware options


• the design of database sytems


• managing system change


• networking and e-business


• e-business infrastructures


• e-business applications


• e-business strategy


• security and integrity

Structure

2 one-hour lectures per week, 1 one-hour computer lab per week, 1 one-hour tutorial per fortnight.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (40%) and in-course assessment (60%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (40%) and in-course assessment (60%). The in-course assessment grade maybe carried forward.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr J D Lamb

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 3 or above.

Notes

Offered in alternate years, available in 2009/10.

Overview

This course will provide students with an overview of some of the more commonly applied areas of management science. These include Linear Programming, Project Management, Decision Analysis, Simulation, Tools of Quality Control, which are crucial for the problem and solving processes in the organisation. Approaches to systems analysis and systems theory will be used to introduce students to problem conceptualisation and building models for formulation and problem solving in organisations.

Structure

Total of 4 contact hours per week comprising a combination of lectures, tutorials, and seminars for project work depending on student numbers.

Assessment

1 three-hour written examination (60%) and in-course assessment (40%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (80%) and in-course assessment (20%). The in-course assessment grade will be carried forward.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr N Naughton

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 3 or above.

Notes

Offered in alternate years, not available in 2009/10.

Overview

Organisational behaviour is one of the most complex and perhaps least understood academic elements of modern general management but since it concerns the behaviour of people within organisations it is also one of the most central. Its concern with individual and group behaviour makes it an essential element in dealing with the complex behavioural issues thrown up in the modern business world. This course is designed to prepare students for what lies within organisations, thus avoiding the “reality shock”.

This course is concerned with managing and understanding organisational behaviour. The focus will be at an individual level and group level and understanding how people behave and interact within organisations – and in that sense is inward looking. The emphasis will be on real-life rather than theoretical examples although wherever appropriate theory will be grounded in practical examples.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures, 1 seminar, 1 tutorial per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written assessment (75%) and in-course assessment (25%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (75%) and in-course assessment (25%). The in-course assessment grade will be carried forward.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Professor J Hyman

Pre-requisites

Available only to Honours students in Programme Year 3 or above.

Notes

This course will be available in session 2009/10.

Overview

In the early days of industry, employers simply required employees to obey instructions, work hard at simple tasks and offer no obstruction to managers charged with optimising production and efficiency. Employees were seen (and treated) as disposable factors of production with little control over their deployment. Even today, manifestations of this approach are visible in certain jobs and industries. Nevertheless, there have been counter-trends, not least from employers who recognise that in the contemporary "knowledge" economy, employee commitment, rather than dumb compliance, can be an essential element in securing competitive success. Commitment may be gained by involving employees in decisions about their work.

A second source of tension has been through the actions of employees themselves. Rather than be treated as isolated factors of production, the early factories and large-scale production units offered opportunities for employees to combine their activities and participate with employers through the formation of trade unions. Though often contested by employers, union participation in decision-making gradually gained acceptance from reforming governments and through recognition by some employers that unions could be positive forces for their enterprises.

These tensions are still very much alive and still debated. Organisations need people and in those areas where employees have specialist skills or processes are labour intensive, their treatment (and potential contribution) is critical to the success of the enterprise, whether in the public or private sectors of the economy. Employees are becoming increasingly well-educated and expect to be treated with respect by their employers. This course examines critically the different sources and dimensions of industrial democracy and participation, explores their theoretical roots and indicates the extent to which contemporary approaches to people management help to build identification between employee and employer sought by managers and indeed, by policymakers.

Structure

1 two-hour lecture per week and 1 two-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 three-hour examination (60%) and one 4,000 word essay (40%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (60%) and in-course assessment (40%). The in-course assessment grade will be carried forward.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr J Randall

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 3 or above.

Overview

There is a growing perception that human resource planning should be more than just demand and supply forecasting. HR professionals should be business partners in strategy formulation and implementation and should be concerned with the strategic decisions on HRM practices. This course addresses HR strategy and tries to match corporate strategies with specific HR practices.

Structure

3 one-hour lectures and 1 tutorial per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 three-hour examination (60%) and in-course assessment (40%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (60%) and in-course assessment (40%). The in-course assessment will be carried forward.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr R Bunduchi

Pre-requisites

MS 1006 Managing People and Organisations.

Notes

Normally available only to students studying single or joint honours programmes in Management Sudies or Entrepreneurship in Level 3 or above.

Overview

The Innovation Management course will apply theories, concepts and technique of analysis developed in innovation studies to provide a holistic view of the innovation management process by integrating the technology, organisational and market change dimensions. The course will identify and explain the types and models of innovation and will discuss the role of innovation in sustaining competitive advantage. The topics will cover the role that the firm's environment, the nature of technology and the organisational functional characteristics play in shaping an organisational strategy. In particular we shall be looking at the links which need to be made between technology and marketing, in the development and design of new products; at the way in which human resource management affects the innovativeness of a firm, via its corporate culture particularly; and at how the wrong sort of accounting and financial management can obstruct innovation (easy) and the right sort can support it (hard).

The lectures will introduce the theories, concepts and techniques of analysis. The tutorials will focus on applications of these theories, concepts and analytical techniques mainly through case studies. Stdents will be encouraged to use the case material to engage in debates. Coursework is designed to enable students to undertake their own independent case study analysis and to provide an avenue to channel their individual interpretations of the theories and concepts discussed in lectures and tutorials.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures per week and one hour tutorial per week (24 hours lectures and 12 hour tutorials).

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 three-hour written examination (70%) and in-course assessment (30%).

Resit: 1 three-hour written examination (70%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr E Thomson

Pre-requisites

MS 2004 / Available only to students in Programme Year 3 or above.

Overview

The course will combine theory with practical examples in order to explore the key concepts of consumer behaviour. This will be achieved through a combination of lectures, seminars and directed private study.

Structure

3 hours lectures/seminars per week, 1 hour classroom-based tutorial every second week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 three-hour written examination (60%) and in-course assessment (40%).

Resit: 1 three-hour written examination (60%) and in-course assessment (40%). The in-course assessment will be carried forward.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr N Mauthner

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 4.

Notes

Compulsory for Single Honours Management, and Accountancy and for students proceeding to a Management, Sports & Leisure Management or Accountancy Dissertation. Option for all level 4 students in the Business School.

Overview

This course provides an introduction to research methodology including topics such as; history of research in business; philosophical, ontological and epistemological approaches; study design and writing research proposals/plans; conducting a literature review; critical appraisal of research literature; qualitative and quantitative methods of business research; case study strategies; ethics; gaining access; data analysis techniques; presenting research plans; using research in business; learning organisations; and action research.

Structure

1 two-hour lecture per week (for 12 weeks) and 1 two-hour workshop/tutorial per week (for 11 weeks).

Assessment

1st Attempt: Extended essay (20%); Critical research of selected research papers and development of associated research plan (20%); examination (60%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr N Mauthner

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 4.

Notes

Compulsory for Single Honours Management, Sports & Leisure Management and Accountancy.

Overview

This course provides a framework of introductory and support lectures / workshop, complementary to a series of sessions with a supervisor and student self-study, for the implementation of previously acquired knowledge and skills to dissertation level. Students have the opportunity to study in depth a specialist issue in their chosen area of study, and create their own original piece of research work.

Structure

1 two-hour lectures in first week, 1 two-hour workshop in seventh week, 2 one-hour meeting with supervisor.

Assessment

1st Attempt: In-course assessment: 1 Dissertation (90%); self-evaluation critique (10%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr N Mauthner

Pre-requisites

None

Notes

Not available to students who are taking MS 4532 or MS 4032 or similar courses.

Overview

Research project and data management; self-evaluation of learning; written communication skills. This course primarily consists of students' self-directing their own research project and writing up.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Continuous assessment (100%), comprising: dissertation (90%); self-assessment of learning (10%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Mr A Smart

Pre-requisites

Available only to Senior Honours students in Management Studies.

Notes

Compulsory for Single and Joint Honours MA Management Studies.

Overview

1. Concept of Business Policy: Nature and Process of Strategy Formulation.


2. Strategic Analysis: (a) Competitive Analysis; (b) Environmental Analysis;
   (c) Organisational Analysis.


3. Strategic Choice: (a) Directions of Strategic Development; (b) Evaluation
   of Strategic Options.


4. Strategic Integration: (a) Strategy, Structure and Culture; (b) Strategic
   Leadership; (c) Functional Implementation.


5. Ethics and Strategy

Structure

3 one-hour lectures per week and 6 two-hour seminars.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Examination (80%) and in-course assessment (20%).