BUS133 OS Module Outline PDF

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Module Outline Organisation Studies BUS133

Semester Two 2018-19

www.busman.qmul.ac.uk

BUS133 Module outline 2018-19

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Contents Module Organiser(s) Module Description Organisation of module Aims and Learning Outcomes Assessment Lecture & Seminar programme

Page 3 Page 4 Page 4 Pages 45 Pages 611 Pages 12-20

Please refer to the Undergraduate Handbook for further information on:    

Your attendance at university A guide to written work, submission of coursework and penalties for late submission The criteria used for marking Appeals, extenuating circumstances and re-sits

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Module Organisers Name: Email: Telephone: Room number: Drop-in and feedback hours (term time only):

Mustafa B. Ozturk [email protected] 0207 882 2704 FB4.20 Thursday, 12 pm to 2 pm

Teaching Associates Samaila Ado Tenebe

[email protected]

Emily Pfefer

[email protected]

Mahesha Samatatunga

[email protected]

Chidozie R. Umeh

[email protected]

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Module Description Organization Studies (OS) is a very broad subject concerned with how organizations and the work contained within them are structured, and how they remain consistent and change over time. Organisational behaviour is complex, and constituted by multiple stakeholders, systems, and processes. In this module, we aim to reach a comprehensive understanding of organisational behaviour by looking at organisational phenomena from various key perspectives, and cover issues that pertain to the individual employees, such as motivation, personality, leadership, etc.; groups of workers, such as the issue of teamwork, and the organisation itself, such as organisational learning, culture, change, etc. Understanding the interplay of the aforementioned issue areas will give us a fuller picture of how organisations, and its various constituent parts, behave.

Organisation of Module The module operates for 12 weeks during the second semester. There will be a 1-hour lecture and a 1-hour seminar each week. Please note there will be no lectures or seminars during Week 7 of the module (week commencing February 18th), as this week is designated as the reading week. Seminars will begin in Week 2 (week commencing January 14th). Students are expected to do the required reading for each seminar, to participate in seminars, and to read the module outline, access their email and access the virtual learning platform to keep up with the module and learn about any changes to it – should there be any. It is the student’s responsibility to remain informed about the module. The coursework essay is related to the seminar readings, so make sure you come to seminars prepared to discuss and clarify any questions you may have. Your coursework depends on this. You may be asked to leave the seminar if you have not done the reading without a good reason. The lecture schedule is listed in this handbook along with a schedule of seminar readings and topics. Lecture slides and visual and audio copies of the lectures can be accessed after the lecture using QMplus (this can be found through QReview on the module website). The lecture slides will not substitute for classes or for reading of the core texts. You will be allocated a seminar group during the first week of the semester. You are only allowed to attend your designated seminar. Should you not find your name on the seminar list or have a conflict with another class, please make contact with the School of Business administration group on the 4th floor of the Francis Bancroft building as soon as possible.

Aims: The aim of the module is 1. Introduce ideas useful in the analysis of organizational processes and change. 2. Encourage critical thought about organisations and the events that occur within them. 3. Develop an appreciation of how theories can be translated into practical actions 4. Stimulate critical consideration of organizations as social and political communities BUS133 Module outline 2018-19

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5. Facilitate critical understanding of organizations as lived and living entities

Learning Outcomes: By the end of the module, students should: In terms of Academic Content, be able to:  engage in critical analysis 

strengthen their ability to apply theory to understand and conceptualise evidenced-based concepts and approaches



evaluate theory and application of theory through readings

In terms of Disciplinary Skills, be able to:  synthesise and select from original sources  make critical judgements on matters of organization behaviour In terms of Graduate Attributes, be able to:  develop analytical skills through independent study and group-based research within seminar activities  enhance self-organisational and group working skills  enhance critical reading, oral and written communication

E-learning Support: Support for your learning is provided on-line by the QMplus, https://qmplus.qmul.ac.uk/login Resources available on QMplus, include:

available

here:



Lecture handouts



Video recordings of lectures (it should be noted that students asking questions etc. will be recorded during the lecture)



Electronic copies of all essential readings as well as additional further readings not available in the QMUL library system



PDF files of the Module Guide (this document) and the Seminar Guide

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Assessment Type

Weighting Details

Submission Date

40%

1500 word essay

March 29th, 2019, 3 pm

60%

2 hour exam

TBC – exam dates will be emailed to students later in the year

Essay

Pre-seen Exam

ESSAY QUESTIONS Please choose one of the essay options noted below to write your coursework assignment. This assignment is 1500 words in length excluding the references. Q1 Critically assess three of the several motivation theories covered in this module, and discuss which one among the 3 theories you chose may be most suitable to use in the contemporary UK work context. You can use some of the readings under week 2 to answer this question. However, you should also display your capacity for independent research by incorporating some references from outside the module reading list.

OR Q2 Critically discuss how organisational policies and individual practices put up barriers to women’s advancement to leadership posts. You can use some of the readings under week 2 to answer this question. However, you should also display your capacity for independent research by incorporating some references from outside the module reading list.

Additional information/breakdown regarding assessment details: As a general rule of thumb the recommended readings for the lecture provide theoretical insights into a variety of organisational practices. The seminar readings often provide a BUS133 Module outline 2018-19

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somewhat, more empirical understanding of how organisations, and the various levels of actors within them behave. Both types of reading are required for the essay and the exam. ESSAY WRITING TECHNIQUES 1) Analyse the question Questions tend to be either specific and tailored towards a particular issue, or general. The former ties you closely to a specific narrative in your response, whilst the latter invites you to present and defend your own interpretation. In analysing the question you are looking to break it down in order to establish what the question is concerned with, how you intend to interpret it and respond to it and what the parameters of your essay will be as a consequence. The hardest part of the essay is deciding what to leave out rather than what to include. If you have looked into a topic, followed all of the reading suggestions, and gone further, you are likely to have more information than you need, in terms of ideas and evidence, to back up an argument. Your task is to set out your own interpretation and defend it, and the way you read the question is crucial to it. Remember that we assess your ability to construct and defend an argument, not to recite what other people argue about a subject. This does not mean that anything goes by way of response to a question. A good essay shows your ability to persuade the reader that your interpretation is both valid and powerfully stated. Essay plans can be useful to this purpose if they help you focus on what your argument actually is and encourage you to sift out all the less relevant material and ideas. Possible weakness to avoid: A poor essay offers little explanation as to why it is addressing the question the way it does, or a coherent and clear account of the case that it is defending. 2) Introduce Your introduction can explain what you think the question is concerned with, and where questions are ambiguous clarify your reading of them, how you intend to answer and what you are defending. Without giving it all away here, you can spend a few paragraphs taking the question apart and explaining it in a way that the reader knows how your essay is going to be structured and why. You are guiding the reader into your interpretation, without stating the obvious, just by establishing your parameters. Potential weakness to avoid: If introductions are unclear, absent or understated the reader has to impose their own structure to your essay and this can be problematic. 3) Explain and discuss The main content of the essay is where you present your case and defend it from counter claims and challenges to your interpretation. If you are discussing an issue, you don't need to set out every possible argument for or against it in a merely rhetorical manner. Avoid listing points and BUS133 Module outline 2018-19

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try to construct a coherent narrative to persuade the reader that these are important issues to be engaging with, by means of reasoned argument and evidence. While there are other arguments to be used, this is your interpretation and what you think is of most significance for anyone trying to understand the issues the essay addresses. Potential weaknesses to avoid: Lack of a clear structure. Remember to include signposts to link together the different arguments you wish to set out, so that when moving from one point to the next you link them by a sentence telling the reader why you are making the move. Use of anecdotal evidence (opinionated one-liners, hearsay, etc.). To avoid this remember to use references and always acknowledge the sources of your information, this shows that you have researched the topic as well as thought about it. 4) Conclude Conclusions are not something tagged on at the end. They are the answer to the question! There is no pressure to be definitive if you are still undecided, but you do need to tie things together and offer an answer to the question in the conclusion. Here you can also try to draw out an overall picture from the discussion and argument you defended in the essay. Potential weakness to avoid: Your interpretation only emerges in the conclusion, giving the impression that you were unable to handle the question thoroughly. 5) Acknowledge Academic essays require full references and bibliography. For an example of how to do this, read the Harvard Referencing Style https://qmplus.qmul.ac.uk/mod/book/view.php?id=653429&chapterid=66164

Guidelines for analysing a text, and making notes These are some simple guidelines on how to analyse a text and how to make notes on it. Text analysis: The following might help you reading critically a text. Read the text once to have a rough idea of the content, then re-read carefully looking at the following questions:  What  what is the text about, what is the main content, what are the main arguments/ideas conveyed (note that this point can be addressed at sever different levels, i.e. the text can be thought of as an onion, with many layers to peel off)  How  how does the author make his/her arguments, which evidences he/she bring to support them BUS133 Module outline 2018-19

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  

Who  knowing about the author of the article can help you placing the text in a wider context… is the author a journalist, the president of the US, and academic, etc… When  again, this can help you placing the text in a wider context, e.g. is it a contemporary text? Was it written during the cold war? Or in the Middle Ages? Why  you might want to think why the author is making particular arguments. This is usually the most difficult point,

Making notes: 1) Summarize the whole text in one/sentences (this helps you summarising complex information in few words, and allow you to remember an article just by reading a few sentences!) 2) Make a short and crisp review of main arguments (note the difference between summarising an article and identifying the main arguments) 3) Identify 3/4 (or more!!) strengths, things you agree with, or like, and specify why you agree with/like those points 4) Identify 3/4 (or more!!) weaknesses, things you don’t agree with, or don’t like, and specify why 5) Identify things you do not understand or questions for class discussion These notes and readings should form the basis of your essay and the preparation for your exam.

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Mark Scheme 70% and above First (1:1) As for the (60-69%) below plus:  Shows evidence of wide and relevant reading and an engagement with the conceptual issues  Develops a rigorous argument  Shows a sophisticated understanding of relevant source materials. Materials are evaluated directly and their assumptions and arguments challenged and/or appraised  Shows independent thinking, originality and/or creativity 60-69.9% Upper Second (2:1) As for the (50-59%) below plus:  Shows strong evidence of analytical insight and critical thinking  Shows a clear understanding of the major factual and/or theoretical issues  Directly engages with the relevant literature on the topic  Develops and sustains a focussed argument  Shows strong evidence of planning and appropriate choice of sources 50-59.9% Lower Second (2:2)  Shows a reasonable understanding of the major factual and/or theoretical issues involved  Shows evidence of planning and selection from appropriate sources  Demonstrates some knowledge of the literature  The text shows, in places, examples of a clear train of thought or argument  The text is introduced and concludes appropriately 45-49.9% Third (3:3)  Shows some awareness and understanding of the factual and/or theoretical issues, but with little development  Misunderstandings are evident  Shows some evidence of planning, although irrelevant/unrelated material or arguments are included 40-44.9% Pass Degree  Shows some understanding but very little development.  Severe misunderstandings evident  Considerable amount of irrelevant material included 0-39%   

Fail Fails to answer the question Does not engage with the relevant literature or demonstrate knowledge of the key issues Contains serious conceptual or factual errors or misunderstandings

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Lecture & Seminar Programme Please note that there are sometimes unforeseen circumstances that may necessitate some changes to this schedule (e.g. order of topics). The staff will make every effort to communicate these changes to you in good time. Please prepare for each lecture and seminar by reading the relevant material and following any tasks set on a weekly basis.

Week 1 (10th January 2018):

An Introduction to the Module

Content: OB – An Introduction to Organisational Behaviour This lecture will introduce the module, the modes of assessment and our expectations from students. The aims of the module is to examine organisations from a variety of perspectives at different levels of analysis, and convey a critical understanding of various actors and processes that shape organisational phenomena. Seminar Preparation: Starting next week, each week has a seminar topic and reading – students are expected to have done the reading and to come prepared.

Week 2 (17th January 2018)

Motivation

Content: This week examines motivation as a managerial problem, the content theories of motivation, the process theories of motivation, and the issue of job satisfaction. Core text: Please refer to CHAPTER 6 from the core text for this week. Wilson, F. W. (2018).Organisational Behaviour and Work: A Critical Introduction. (Fifth edition). Oxford, Oxford University Press, pp. 135-157. Seminar Topic What is the relationship between motivation and managers’ view of employees? Seminar Reading McGregor, D. (1957). The Human Side of Enterprise. Management Review, November, pp. 41-49. Further Readings Furnham, A., Eracleous, A., & Chamorro-Premuzic, T. (2009). Personality, motivation and job satisfaction: Hertzberg meets the Big Five. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 24(8), 765-779. Maslow, A. (1943), ‘A Theory of Human Motivation’, Psychological Review, 50, pp. 370BUS133 Module outline 2018-19

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96 Mayo, E. (1933), ‘The meaning of ‘Morale’, from The Human Problems of an Industrial Civilization, pp. 99-121. Miles, R. E. (1965), ‘Human Relations or Human Resources’, Harvard Business Review, July-August, pp. 148-163. Pas, B., Peters, P., Eisinga, R., Doorewaard, H., & Lagro-Janssen, T. (2011). Explaining career motivation among female doctors in the Netherlands: the effects of children, views on motherhood and work-home cultures. Work, Employment and Society, 25(3), 487-505. Ramlall, S. (2004). A review of employee motivation theories and their implications for employee retention within organizations. Journal of American Academy of Business, 5(1/2), 52-63. Rynes, S. L., Gerhart, B., & Minette, K. A. (2004). The importance of pay in employee motivation: Discrepancies between what people say and what they do. Human Resource Management, 43(4), 381-394. Thompson, P. & McHugh, D. (2002), ‘Motivation: the drive for satisfaction’, from Work Organizations – A critical introduction, ch. 19. Week 3 (24th January 2018)

Leadership

Content: This week examines the concept of leadership. The lecture will look at the trait theory of leadership, style theories and democratic leadership, task vs. relationship oriented leadership, transaction vs. transformational leadership, situational leadership, emotion and leadership, and issues of gender, race, and class as they relate to leadership. Core text: Please refer to CHAPTER 7 from the core text for this week. Wilson, F. W. (2018). Organisational Behaviour and Work: A Critical Introduction. (Fifth edition). Oxford, Oxford University Press, pp. 158-180. Seminar Topic What are the barriers to shattering the glass ceiling? How might women be enabled to reach top management echelons in organisations? Seminar reading Ibarra, H., Ely, R., & Kolb, D. (2013). Women rising: The unseen barriers. Harvard Business Review, 91(9), 60-66. Further Readings Askehave, Inger, and Karen Korning Zethsen. (2014). Gendered constructions of leadership in Danish job advertisements." Gender, Work & Organization, 21(6), 531545. BUS133 Module outline 2018-19

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Chin, L. G. (2016). Unequal egalitarianism: Does organizational structure create different perceptions of male versus female leadership abilities? Gender in Management: An International Journal, 31(1), 19-42. Cooper Jackson, J. (2001). Women middle managers’ perception of the glass ceiling. Women in Management Review, 1...