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Introducing Management and the Contemporary Business Context

Module description

This module is for students selecting the ‘with proficiency in business and management’ pathway who are based outside the Business School.

Module aims - intentions of the module

The module has two major aims:

• to introduce you to major contemporary trends in our business environment and to their current and future implications for the management of organisations
• to explore the major functions, objectives and challenges associated with managing contemporary organisations

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Discuss major contemporary developments in our business environment with authority
• 2. Explain how these developments are affecting current management practice and will do so further in the future
• 3. Explain how the management function is structured and carried out in contemporary organisations

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 4. Discuss major contemporary management theory
• 5. Assess major contemporary management challenges

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 6. Develop the capacity to think critically and argue a case persuasively
• 7. Present original arguments effectively and coherently

Syllabus plan

• Debates about major current developments in the business environment (eg: globalisation, technologies and demographic trends)
• The current and likely implications of these trends for business and management in the UK and internationally
• The major management functions, their aims and contemporary challenges
• Debates about business ethics, diversity and inclusion
• The effective management of change
• Managing performance
• Major contributions to theory in the field of strategic management and the motivation of a workforce

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you have been deferred for any assessment you will be expected to submit the relevant assessment. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be expected to submit the relevant assessment. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of referral will be capped at 40%

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• Boddy, D (2019) Management: Using practice and theory to develop skill. Eighth edition. Harlow, Pearson.
• Cameron, E & Green, M (2019): Making Sense of Change Management: A Complete Guide to the Models, Tools and Techniques of Organizational Change. London, Kogan Page
• Cole,G and Kelly, P (2020): Management: Theory and Practice. Ninth edition. Cengage
• Coombe, C (2014): Introduction to Management. Oxford, OUP.
• Dicken, P (2015): Global shift: Managing the Changing Contours of the World Economy. London, Sage. Seventh Edition.
• Hamilton L & Webster P (2019): The International Business Environment. Oxford, Oxford University Press. Fourth Edition.
• Hendry, J (2016): Management: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford, Oxford University Press.
• Holbeche, L (2018): The Agile Organisation: How to build an engaged, innovative and resilient business. London, Kogan Page. Second Edition.
• Kirton, G & Greene, AM (2021): The Dynamics of Managing Diversity and Inclusion: A Critical Approach. London, Routledge. Fifth Edition.
• Morrison, J (2020): The Global Business Environment: Towards sustainability? London, Bloomsbury. Fifth Edition.
• Worthington I, Britton, C & Thompson E. (2023): The Business Environment: A Global Perspective. London, FT/Prentice Hall. Ninth Edition.
• Wetherly, P & Otter, D (eds) (2018): The Business Environment: Themes and Issues in a Globalising World. Oxford, Oxford University Press. Fourth Edition.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• CIPD (2020): Workforce diversity and changing demographics. Selection of sources. https://peopleprofession.cipd.org/insights/research-action/workforce-diversity-changing-demographics-trend?_gl=1*11knvfj*_ga*NTQ1NjQ3ODI0LjE2NjcwNzQyMzc.*_ga_D9HN5GYHYY*MTY3NDMzNjQxOS4zLjEuMTY3NDMzNjkwNy4zMy4wLjA.
• CIPD (2020) Technology: Guidance on how technology is leading changes in the world of work. https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/work/technology
• World Economic Forum (2020): What will work look like by 2030. www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/01/the-future-of-work-look-like-2030
• www.economist.com
• www.ft.com
• www.weforum.org
• www.harvard.edu

Key words search

Management, business environment, management theory, business ethics, change management.