Introduction to Management and Organisation
Introduction to Management and Organisation
BS1510
Semester 1 2023-2024
10 credits
Dr Dylan Henderson
E23A Aberconway Building
Email:hendersond3@cardiff.ac.ukAims and Outcomes
The aim of this module is to introduce you to some of the most important ideas in the theory of management and organisation. We will look at different ways of managing inwards (in terms of employees working for the organisation) and outwards (in terms of customers, suppliers, competitors and other stakeholders).
Successful study of the module will equip you with the following outcomes:
Knowledge and understanding of:
The main functions of business management and the theoretical principles that inform management action
The importance of the organisational environment and the various ways in which organisations interact with it
Intellectual skills
Apply theories to appropriate business examples.
Appreciate multiple theories of business and management
Discipline specific skills:
Demonstrate the ability to develop and present coherent and discursive arguments on business and management issues
Transferable skills:
Develop and apply a range of academic skills, including the study, analysis, discussion and presentation of material
Develop a structured approach to recording and presenting the topics and debates covered by the module
Develop initial analysis of theoretical models and interpret empirical evidence
IMO is a big course with lots of students and so it is really important that if you have any questions or concerns you must ask me. Chances are someone else will be thinking along the same lines and so youll be doing everyone a favour. More importantly, questions are a good indication of engagement which, as I explain below, can win you module marks.
You can ask questions in the whole class lectures, small class tutorials or on the discussion boards on Learning Central. Failing all else, you can email me a specific question or fix up an appointment for broader chat.
Lectures and Tutorials
The module material is introduced through a combination of lectures and small face to face tutorials. Starting on Tuesday 3rd October, the lectures will take place at 11.10am (in CARBS PTC/0.16) AND 13.10 (Sir Martin Evans/E/1.21), where I will outline each topic and point to the suggested reading.
While I would like you at attend Lectures in real time, they will be recorded and then made available on the modules Learning Central pages. You will also find the PowerPoint slides and suggested reading in the same place.
The lectures will be supported by four face-to-face small class tutorial discussions focused on closer engagement with one of the key articles identified in the reading list. A short excerpt from the article will be made available before the tutorial. Tutorials will run in alternate weeks scheduled (depending upon your group) in weeks 3, 5, 8 & 10 or weeks 4,7,9 & 11. Consult your timetable to find out which group you are in.
Face to Face Tutorials
Group Day Time Teaching weeks Location Tutor
Group A Wednesday 11:10 3, 5, 8, 10 Aberconway/D25 Imran Baloch
Group B Wednesday 11:10 4, 7, 9, 11 Aberconway/D25 Imran Baloch
Group C Wednesday 12:10 3, 5, 8, 10 Aberconway/E48 Imran Baloch
Group D Wednesday 12:10 4, 7, 9, 11 Aberconway/E48 Imran Baloch
Group E Thursday 09:00 3, 5, 8, 10 Aberconway/E48 Frank Baafi
Group F Thursday 09:00 4, 7, 9, 11 Aberconway/E48 Frank Baafi
Group G Thursday 10:00 3, 5, 8, 10 Aberconway/D48 Frank Baafi
Group H Thursday 10:00 4, 7, 9, 11 Aberconway/D48 Frank Baafi
Group I Thursday 16:10 3, 5, 8, 10 Aberconway/F44 Imran Baloch
Group J Thursday 16:10 4, 7, 9, 11 Aberconway/F44 Imran Baloch
Reading
Although Lectures and tutorials will introduce you to each of the topics covered in the module, they will not tell you everything you need to know.
YOU MUST READ AS WELL!
While it is sometimes useful to look at textbooks or general web sources when you are first trying to get to grips with a new topic, what I really want you to do is read, and try to understand, some of the articles listed on the reading list. Preparation for the assignment should be based on the careful study of these sources. We will look at four of these readings (identified in bold on the reading list) in the tutorials.
Some of the articles are quite difficult to follow at least initially but you are at university now and so should try to develop your capacity to read and understand complex arguments. To help you develop these skills I have colour coded each of the articles on the reading list to indicate their accessibility:
Green articles are easy to read and if properly understood will provide a basis for pass level answers.
Blue articles are a little harder going often requiring broader reading and understanding but, if understood they will provide the basis for good answers.
Red articles are difficult to read because of sophisticated language and references to complex concepts and arguments thorough engagement with these sources will, however, provide a basis for excellent answers.
IMO is a big course with lots of students and so it is really important that if you have any questions or concerns you must ask me. Chances are someone else will be thinking along the same lines and so youll be doing everyone a favour. More importantly, questions are a good indication of engagement which, as I explain below, can win you module marks.
You can ask questions in lectures, small class tutorials or via the discussion boards on Learning Central. Failing all else, you can email me a specific question or fix up an appointment for broader chat.
WEEK 1 INTRODUCTION
Well use the first week to introduce the module and consider why and how humans organise, looking specifically at the kinds of problems we would encounter without organisation and the different ways that people can be managed.
Colebatch, H. and Larmour P. (1993) Market, bureaucracy and community, Pluto Press, Chapter 3.
McGregor, D. (1957) The Human Side of Enterprise, Management Review, 46(11): 22 28
Hardin G. (1968) The Tragedy of the Commons, Science, 162(3859): 1243-1248.
Ostrom, E. Burger J, Field, C.B Norgaard, R.B, Policansky. D. (1999) Revisiting the commons: Local lessons, global challenges, Science, 284 (5412): 278-282.
WEEK 2Managing with Hierarchy
This topic will look at the hierarchical approach to management. Starting with classical management thinkers like Gullick and Urwick well develop a sense of what hierarchical management might look like before considering some of the limitations of the model.
Gulick, L. (1936) Notes on the theory of organisation, reprinted in Luther Gulick, and L. Urwick (eds) (2012), Papers on the Science of Administration, Taylor & Francis Group.
Urwick L.F. (1956) The Managers span of control, Harvard Business Review, 34(3): 39-47.
Hammond, T. (1990) In defence of Luther Gulicks Notes on the theory of organisation, Public Administration, 68(2): 143-173.
Simon, H. (1944) Decision making and administrative organizations, Public Administration Review, 4(1): 16-30.
Jones, B.D. (1999) Bounded Rationality, Annual Review of Political Science, 2(1): 297.321
Bozeman, B. (1993) A Theory of Government Red Tape, Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 3(3): 273-304
WEEK 3Managing with Markets
All organisations use markets in some way at the very least to procure the resources they need to deliver their outputs but some use them much more extensively to drive improvements in efficiency and effectiveness. In this session well look at how the market form of organisation works, before considering its strengths and weaknesses.
Halal W.E. (1994) From hierarchy to enterprise: Internal markets are the new foundation of management, Academy of Management Executive, 8(4): 15-29.
Malone, T. (2004) Bringing the market inside, Harvard Business Review, 82(4):106-114.
Quinn, J. B and Hilmer, F.G. (1994) Strategic Outsourcing, Sloan Management Review, 35(4): 43-55.
Beer, M. and Cannon, M. (2004) Promise and peril in implementing pay for performance, Human Resource Management, 43(1): 1-20.
Coase, R.H. (1937) The Nature of the Firm, Economica, 4(16): 386-405.
WEEK 4Managing with Networks
In the same way that all organisations use markets and hierarchies to some degree, they also depend on network forms of organisation as well. The network idea of coordination through trust, equality, reciprocity and common values can be applied both within the organisation and outside it to the relationship with suppliers and customers.
Cross, R., Nohria, N., & Parker, A. (2002). Six myths about informal networks-and how to overcome them. MIT Sloan Management Review, 43(3), 67-
Ibarra, H. and Hunter, M. (2007) How leaders create and use networks, Harvard Business Review 85(1), pp. 40-47.
Dyer, J.H. (1996) How Chrysler created an American Keiretsu, Harvard Business Review, 74(4): 42-56.
Adler, P.S (2001) Market, hierarchy and trust: The knowledge economy and the future of capitalism, Organization Science, 12(2): 215234.
Anderson, E. and Jap, S. (2005) 'The darkside of close relationships', Sloan Management Review, 46(3): 75-82.
Ferrary, M. and Granovetter. M. (2009) The role of venture capital firms in Silicon Valleys complex innovation network, Economy and Society, 38(2): 326-359.
WEEK 5MANAGING WITH AUTONOMY
Our final approach to management turns ironically enough on the idea of purposefully not managing. In certain circumstances, managers may consciously decide to give people the freedom or autonomy to make their own decisions. Autonomy might be given to individuals (like a Doctor for example), a team, a subsidiary or indeed a whole organisation.
Amabile, T. (1998) How to Kill Creativity, Harvard Business Review, 76(5): 76-87.
Lumpkin, G. T., Cogliser, C. C., & Schneider, D. R. (2009) Understanding and measuring autonomy: An entrepreneurial orientation perspective, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice,33(1), 47-69.
Fenton-O'Creevy, M., Gooderham, P., & Nordhaug, O. (2008) Human resource management in US subsidiaries in Europe and Australia, Journal of International Business Studies,39(1), 151-166.
Langfred, C. W. (2004). Too much of a good thing? Negative effects of high trust and individual autonomy in self-managing teams.Academy of management journal,47(3), 385-399.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1987). The support of autonomy and the control of behaviour, Journal of personality and social psychology, 53(6), 1024.
WEEK 6 READING WEEK No scheduled classes this week.
WEEK 7Ownership and Control
So far, weve treated business and management in generic terms. This week well consider different forms of organisation and control from the distinction between public, private and voluntary sector to PLC, Ltd, partnership and sole trader. Do differences of ownership make a difference and if not, why not?
Weisbrod, B.A. (1997) The future of the nonprofit sector: Its entwining with private enterprise and government, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 16(4): 54155.
Boyne G.A. (2002) Public and private management: what's the difference?', Journal of Management Studies, 39(1): 97122.
Bozeman, B (1994) The publicness puzzle in organization theory: A test of alternative explanations of differences between public and private organizations, Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 4(2): 197-224.
Hansmann, H.B. (1980) The role of nonprofit enterprise, Yale Law Journal, 89: 835901.
WEEK 8The Organisational Environment
Irrespective of ownership or type, all organisations operate in an environment which provides them with opportunities and threats. In this session well consider the nature of that environment and some of the different theories that seek to explain an organisations interaction with it.
Dess G.G. and Beard D.W. (1984) Dimensions of organizational task environments, Administrative Science Quarterly, 29(1): 52-73.
Milliken, F.J. (1987) Three types of perceived uncertainty about the environment, Academy of Management Review, 12(1): 133-143.
Hillman A.J., Withers M.C. and Collins B.J. (2009) Resource dependence theory: A review, Journal of Management, 35(6) 14041427.
Barney, J. B. (1986) Types of competition and the theory of strategy, Academy of Management Review, 11(4): 791-800.
Hannan, M.T. and Freeman J. (1977) The population ecology of organisations, American Journal of Sociology, 82(5): 929-964.
WEEK 9Strategy
The word strategy has its roots in military campaigns to out manoeuvre or otherwise conquer an adversary. From the 1950s the word was applied more broadly to business and management. Today all organisations from MNCs to kids sports clubs feel they need to have a strategy. This week well introduce some of the most important perspectives by looking at how strategies relate to and engage with the external environment.
Mintzberg, H. (1994) The fall and rise of strategic planning, Harvard Business Review, 72(1): 107-114.
Porter, M.E. (1979) How competitive forces shape strategy, Harvard Business Review, 57(2): 137-145.
Freeman, R., Wicks, A.C. & Parmar, B. (2004) Stakeholder theory and corporate objective revisited, Organization Science, 15(3)364-369.
Ansoff, H. I. (1957) Strategies for diversification. Harvard Business Review, 35(5), 113-124.
WEEK 10ASSIGNMENT PREPARATION
This weeks lecture will be devoted to summarising the ground covered by the module and discussing how best to prepare for the assignment. There will be ample opportunity for questions.
WEEK 11Final Q&A
This week will take the format of a Q&A about the assignment. It will give you a chance to ask any final assignment questions you may have. Note, I will not be presenting any new material in this session.
Assessment
IMO is assessed in two ways. 90% of the assessment weight is allocated to an 1800 word essay:
Critically assess the relative merits of the hierarchical and network forms of management?
And
How might digital transformation impact on these management forms?
Your essay will be assessed against the following criteria (see pages 10-11 for further details of the assessment criteria):
Attention to purpose addresses the questions in hand
Coherence of response -written in clear sentences and paragraphs
Critical reasoning considers the strengths and weaknesses of your arguments
Evidence of reading demonstrates reading, with appropriate referencing
In answering the questions, you should also ensure that your response is no more than 1800 words (+ or 10%). Note also that your list of references at the end of the essay do not need to be included in the word count.
Essays should be submitted electronically by 11.00am on Monday 8th January 2024 (unless appropriately evidenced extenuating circumstances apply).
The final 10% of your module mark will be awarded on the basis of your engagement with the module over the semester. Two marks are available for each tutorial (or equivalent asynchronous discussion) making 8 marks in total. Engagement can take a number of different forms. You may:
ask questions (of your tutor or fellow students);
explain concepts (to your tutor or fellow students);
identify key parts of the reading or other readings of particular relevance;
express a reasoned point of view;
share your experience of different forms of management or organisation;
give illustrative examples from the news or business practice.
The final two marks will be reserved for exceptional contributions over the semester.
While I welcome questions and comments in the whole class lectures, it is only your engagement in the small class tutorials and on the discussion board that count towards your engagement marks.
BS1510 1800 word written assignment marking criteria
The assessment criteria for the written assignment will be as follows:
Criterion 100-80 Excellent 79-70
Very good 69-60
Good 59-50
Sound 49-40
Satisfactory 39-20
Fail 19-0
Fail
Attention to purpose
Addresses the purpose of the assignment comprehensively and with some creativity Addresses the full purpose of the assignment effectively.
Addresses the main purpose of the assignment effectively.
Addresses the main purpose of the assignment Some of the work is focused on the aims and themes of the assignment.
Mostly fails to address the task set.
Fails to address the task set.
Coherence and organisation of assignment Strong organisation and coherence clearly enhances the work. Demonstrates logical organisation and coherence which enhances fulfilment of the assignment objectives. Demonstrates logical organisation and coherence. Demonstrates sound, conventional organisation. Shows limited organisation. Poorly presented and structured but partially understandable. Disorganised and/or incoherent.
Critical reasoning
Well-developed, evaluation of theories and/or concepts and/or assumptions and/or data which informs the overall approach taken to the assignment. Arguments are clear, coherent, tenable, and demonstrate some originality.
Developed, synthesis and theoretically and/or conceptually informed critical thinking is integrated into the work. Arguments demonstrate the ability to evaluate theories and/or concepts and/or assumptions and/or data.
Demonstrates good synthesis and critical insight and ability to contrast alternative positions through the use of theory.
Demonstrates conventional synthesis and critical insight and ability to contrast alternative positions.
Demonstrates limited synthesis and critical insight. Recognises alternative positions.
Synthesis and critical thought and/or analysis very limited and/or incoherent.
No evidence of synthesis and critical thought.
Use of literature / evidence of reading
Demonstrates broad and/or in-depth independent reading from appropriate sources. Choice of sources enhances fulfilment of the assignment objectives. Clear, accurate, systematic application of material with developed and/or integrated critical appraisal.
Evidence of broad and/or in-depth independent reading from appropriate sources. Rationale for choice of sources clear. Clear, accurate, coherent application of material, with developing critical appraisal.
Evidence of independent reading from a wide range of appropriate sources. Clear, accurate application of material. Shows some ability to appraise material critically.
Evidence of independent reading from an appropriate range of sources. Sound application of literature.
Limited evidence of independent reading. Literature is presented in a descriptive way.
Very limited evidence of independent reading and/or inappropriate sources used and/or engagement with the literature very superficial.
Little or no evidence of engagement with relevant literature.
