Management

This management course has three main aims, and these directly relate to the major themes that will be emphasized throughout.

It aims to provide a comprehensive introduction to the key elements of the business organization, and to competing theories and models of the firm and its environment.; to build a foundation of knowledge on the different theoretical approaches to management, decision making, and the main functional areas of management and to develop analytical skills to identify the links between organizations, management practices and the business environment, and to develop critical evaluation skills to compare and contrast theoretical and empirical contributions

On completion of this module, you should be able to:

• understand the evolution of the business organization and management thought, recognizing the interconnections between developments in these areas
• critically evaluate alternative theories of management, recognizing the centrality of decision making and strategic thinking to the managerial role and functions
• discuss and compare different models and approaches to understanding the firm, evaluating these in the context of the business environment, and exploring the impact of key environmental factors on decision making ‘and organizational behavior
• evaluate the significance of contemporary issues in business and management.

This course has a number of aims:

• to review the developments in management thought over the last century
• to consider the role of management
• to outline the operations of the major management functions
• to demonstrate their purpose and role at the level of the organisation and the firm
• to look at the logic and the workings of organisations and firms
• to investigate how organisations and firms respond to and influence an environment moulded by economic, political, social and cultural factors
• to also stress the inter-relationship between line operations, organisations and environment

This course guide will also introduce you to some of the theories used in other subjects but will do so from a perspective that is intended to interpret and portray the actual practice of management. Where possible, empirical evidence and case studies will be used to inform all points and debate.

You are expected to acquire a good knowledge of the following:

• the organisational environment and the influence of government and politics on the firm; the markets within which the organisation operates; how different cultures regulate the working of the organisation
• some of the different perspectives that are applied to organisation analysis; how organisation structure, culture, decision-making, political behaviour, distribution of power etc. define the organisation
• the dynamics within and between groups; how factors such as communication, leadership, motivation etc. influence the effectiveness of the working group how management thought has evolved over the last century and how the changing organisational environment will define management in the 21st century; an understanding of management ethics and why they are important.