BSc Management

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme.

The Manchester Bursary is available to UK students registered on an undergraduate degree course at Alliance MBS who have had a full financial assessment carried out by Student Finance England. 

In addition, Alliance MBS will award a range of Social Responsibility Scholarships to UK and international/EU students.

These awards are worth £2,000 per year across three years of study. You must achieve AAA at A-level (or equivalent qualification) and be able to demonstrate a significant contribution and commitment to social responsibility.

The School will also award a number of International Stellar Scholarships to international students achieving AAA at A-level (or equivalent qualification). Applicants who exceed AAA and/or have supplementary qualifications (such as EPQ) will receive additional consideration.

Additional eligibility criteria apply - please see our scholarship pages for full details.

This course introduces students to the field of scholarship known as organization studies through an exploration of management and organizations. In order to develop an appreciation of organizations as complex and multifaceted, students will study the management of different kinds of organizations - from government to private, from small to large, from local to multi-national, from start-ups to mature firms, from technical production to political advocacy, etc. Students will learn to analyse their observations of organizations by understanding how micro, meso and macro theories shed light on the organizational domain in different ways. We will treat the study of management and organization thought as a necessary step toward the development of informed and socially responsible graduates. In this year-long course, students will therefore develop a thorough understanding of how organizations and society shape and change each other but also how different approaches to management can configure organizational lives.

LECTURE PROGRAMME 

     PART I: INTRODUCTION

1.    Introduction to the Study of Management and Organisation
2.    Early History and Foundations
3.    Modernity and bureaucracy: The emergence of organisational society
4.    Obedience, Authority and Legitimacy in Organisations
5.    A pluralist field: Beyond the ‘One Best Way’ to Manage

     PART II: CLASSIC MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION THEORY

6.    Scientific Management and the Modern Factory
7.    Human Relations – 1: The Hawthorne Studies
8.    Human Relations – 2: The Tavistock and Group Relations

        PART III: CONTEMPORARY THEORIES OF ORGANIZATION

9.    Labour Process Theory and the Critique of Industrial Organisation
10.    Critical Management Studies: From Class to Black Lives Matter
11.    Overview of Semester 1

    PART IV: CRITICAL THEMES IN MANAGEMENT TODAY

12.    Globalisation,Transnationalism and the End of Management?
13.    Motivation, psychology and subjectivity at work
14.    Organisational Culture and ‘cultural management’
15.    Creativity and Innovation at work
16.    Management as Leadership
17.    Corporate Social Responsibility and Organisational Ethics

PART V: THE DARK SIDE OF ORGANIZATION

18.    Conflict and Competition at Work
19.    Managing ‘Grunge Work’
20.    Management as Surveillance
21.    Uncertainty Management and ‘Change Fetishism’
22.    Overview of semester 2 and Summary of the Course
 

 

 

Core for first year students on BSc Management and Management (Specialisms), BSc International Management with American Business Studies and BSc International Management.

Core for BSc Mgt/Mgt (Specialism); IM.

1) Illustrate the social and institutional context in which organisations operate and how such a context has evolved. Illustrate the main societal challenges that organisations face or pose to contemporary societies.

2) Illustrate the different nature of strategic and ethical thinking and how both should shape organisational action.

3) Illustrate the foundations of Management and Organisation Studies, locating the emergence of different management styles and organisational forms in their historical context. 

By the end of this module, students will develop key employability skills that are directly applicable to careers in management and organizational roles. Students will be able to:

Analyze Organizational Dynamics: 
Assess the impact of various organizational structures and cultures on employee performance and behavior, using this analysis to propose improvements that enhance organizational effectiveness.

Engage in Ethical Decision-Making: 
Address ethical dilemmas in management practices by applying ethical frameworks, demonstrating a commitment to responsible decision-making that considers the implications for diverse stakeholders.

Engage in Strategic Decision-making: Understand how to engage in strategic decision-making by analyzing objectives, anticipating outcomes, and balancing competitive and ethical considerations.

Develop critical thinking skills and informed perspectives on contemporary and highly debated issues in management, enabling effective evaluation of diverse viewpoints and strategic decision-making in complex environments.

Students will enhance their ability to communicate effectively across different cultural and social contexts, fostering interpersonal skills that are essential for teamwork, negotiation, and networking in diverse and globalized work settings.

Students will enhance their ability to work effectively in diverse teams, demonstrating skills in collaboration, negotiation, and conflict resolution to achieve collective objectives in organizational projects and activities. 

The unit will be split into four parts addressing respectively 1) the societal context in which businesses operate, 2) rational and ethical thinking, 3) the history of management and organisations, and 4) contemporary and highly debated topics in management and organisations.

 

1. Business & Society

 

Students will learn about the context in which businesses operate and how formal and informal institutions affect business performances and operations. The key questions tackled in these lectures include a discussion of the relationship between business and society: What is the role of business in society?  How do social, legal, and political institutions affect businesses? What is the role of markets, and what are their limits? What is globalisation? What are its effects on management and organisations?  

 

 

2. Strategic thinking and Ethical thinking

 

How do organisations behave? And how should they behave? In these lectures, students will be introduced to strategic and ethical thinking. First, we will introduce best-response strategic thinking in game theoretical settings, showing when individual instrumental rationality leads to optimal and/or sub-optimal outcomes for the group. Second, we will illustrate how ethical thinking can help overcome collective action problems. Finally, we will tackle questions about Corporate Social Responsibility: what is the purpose of business? What are businesses’ social responsibilities?

3. History of Management and Organisations

Students will learn about the foundations of management and organisation studies and the historical context in which different managerial styles and organisational forms emerged. This section offers students the opportunity to learn about the foundations of management and organisational studies through the key theorists of management. Topics include Scientific Management and bureaucracy, Human Relations and into critical theories. The section is contextualised through industrial history and its importance for the development of organisation and those that attempt to control it.

4. Contemporary Issues in Management  

Students build on the foundations laid in the first half of the semester through a study of contemporary management theories. Topics include work psychology and identity at work, culture and leadership, innovation and change management and surveillance. Management theories are contextualised through a commentary on shifts in the nature of work and organisation.

This module will be delivered through 20 lectures of 2 hours each and 10 seminars of 1 hour. All the relevant material will be uploaded to the unit's virtual learning environment (Canvas), including recordings of the lectures, slides, and reading materials.

The unit includes learning through selected online resources as well as audio-visual (videos, podcasts, blogs, websites, Ted talks.). 

Students will be able to critically evaluate major management theories, including classical, human relations, and contemporary approaches, and understand how these theories are applied in organizational contexts to enhance productivity, motivation, and decision-making.

Students will gain an understanding of various organizational structures (e.g., bureaucratic, flat, matrix) and the role that organizational culture plays in shaping employee behaviour, communication patterns, and overall organizational effectiveness.

Students will develop an understanding of how organizations influence and are influenced by broader social, economic, and political forces, including issues related to ethics, corporate social responsibility, and the impact of globalization on management practices.

Students will develop the ability to critically analyse and assess the effectiveness of various management strategies and organizational structures, identifying strengths, weaknesses, and potential areas for improvement within different organizational contexts.

Students will enhance their ability to evaluate the broader societal implications of organizational decisions, considering factors such as ethics, sustainability, and corporate social responsibility when analysing management practices and organizational behaviour.

Students will develop the ability to integrate insights from various disciplines (e.g., sociology, economics, psychology) to form a holistic understanding of organizational behavior and management, enabling them to analyze complex problems from multiple viewpoints and propose well-rounded solutions.

Students will be able to apply relevant management and organizational theories to real-world case studies, demonstrating the ability to synthesize theoretical concepts and use them to solve practical challenges faced by contemporary organizations.

Students will develop the ability to communicate effectively in written form, demonstrating leadership skills in group settings, and presenting ideas and strategies clearly to different organizational stakeholders.

Students will develop strong analytical and critical thinking skills, enabling them to assess complex information, evaluate different viewpoints, and make informed decisions—skills that are valuable in a wide range of professional and personal contexts.

Students will enhance their ability to locate, evaluate, and use information from a variety of sources, developing strong research skills that can be applied in academic work, professional decision-making, and lifelong learning.

Second essay

Through blackboard, within 15 working days 
 

Clegg, S. R., Pitsis, T. S., & Kornberger, M. (2022). Managing and organizations: An introduction to theory and practice.

Grey, C. (2017). A very short, fairly interesting and reasonably cheap book about studying organizations (4th ed.). London: Sage.

Crane, A., Matten, D., Glozer, S., & Spence, L. J. (2019). Business ethics: Managing corporate citizenship and sustainability in the age of globalization. Oxford University Press, USA. 

 

Seminar tutors: Graduate Teaching Assistants will cover seminars on the course and will also assist with the marking of assignments.

Pre-Requisites: N/A

Co-requisites: N/A

Dependent course units:

Programme Restrictions -This course is core for first year students on BSc Management and Management (Specialisms), BSc International Management.

For Academic Year 2023/24

Updated: March 2023

Approved by: March UG Committee