Course Details in 2023/24 Session

Module Title	LH Organisation Studies: Past, Present and Future
School	Birmingham Business School
Department	Management
Module Code	07 29864
Module Lead	Holly Birkett
Level	Honours Level
Credits	20
Semester	Semester 2
Pre-requisites	LI Human Resource Management - (07 33812) LI Human Resource Management - (08 32119) LC Organisations, Management and Entrepreneurship - (07 31705) LI Organisational Behaviour - (07 34381)
Co-requisites
Restrictions	None
Contact Hours	Lecture-22 hours Seminar-8 hours Practical Classes and workshops-10 hours Guided independent study-160 hours Total: 200 hours
Exclusions
Description	Expertise in marketing, accounting, or logistics is little use if you don’t have a good understanding of organisation theory. This module provides the analytical and theoretical tools to understand and critically examine organizations and the processes involved in organising. We consider the theory and practice of organising in the past, present and future, to show how theory and practice change over time and become embedded in everyday working practices. The module initially focuses on long-established approaches to organisation, such as management theories that assume a rational individual, and their established critiques. We then move on to understanding and evaluating contemporary approaches to organising used by the managers we interact with on a daily basis. Finally, we consider contemporary forms of organising and some organisations which adopt unusual or alternative approaches. Throughout we engage with social science perspectives on organisation and society, and empirical studies of organisation theory. We approach the problematic of ‘how and why do people organise the way they do’ in two key ways: 1) theoretical contributions to organisation studies, usually in the form of academic journal articles. In order to bring these theories and concepts to life we also draw on experiences of interactions with organisations as employees and customers. This module will encourage you to reflect on your own experiences of engaging with organisations, challenging you to think about how and why they organise the way they do, and how this impacts your and others interactions with them. 2) The course also engages with representations of organisation on film as a way of making the key issues and theories accessible and meaningful. Contemporary and classic film, including user generated content, is used to illustrate the key theoretical contributions introduced during the module and to encourage reflection on issues such as power, narratives, gender, feminism, ethics, interests, ethnicity, class and globalisation. The films are intended to help you think more reflectively about how the way we organize work impacts individuals, society, the environment and social justice.
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module students should be able to: Critically analyse the theory and practice of organisation as manifest in workplaces and societies; Assess the contribution made by contemporary work organisations to society, especially wider social purposes such as equality, wellbeing, and development; Explain and critically analyse the concept of organisation and its implications for individuals, groups and societies; Produce an original analysis of the past, present and future of work organisations as an important aspect of society.
Assessment	29864-01 : Essay : Coursework (50%) 29864-02 : Class Test : Class Test (25%) 29864-03 : Group work : Coursework (25%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	Assessment: 1 x 45 minute class test (25%), 3-4 minute film, made in groups of 3-4 (25%) and 1 x Individual essay, 1500 words (50%) Reassessment: N/A
Other
Reading List