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Introduction to Management & Professional Development - MAN00022C

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  • Department: The York Management School
  • Module co-ordinator: Dr. Frank Worthington
  • Credit value: 20 credits
  • Credit level: C
  • Academic year of delivery: 2022-23
    • See module specification for other years: 2021-22

Module summary

The module is designed to prepare first year undergraduate students for successful undergraduate study through learning and teaching methods which integrate knowledge and understanding of the applied relevance of management theory to practice with practical professional management skill development.

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Autumn Term 2022-23 to Summer Term 2022-23

Module aims

The module has four main interrelated aims and intended learning outcomes: to support students’ academic and professional skill development through interactive learning and teaching methods; to accelerate students’ early career planning through career development learning activities and workshops within the module in collaboration with specialist School and University student career development services; to enable students to understand how academic, professional and interpersonal skill-development is achieved through acquiring the requisite academic skill for successful university level study; to demonstrate how and why the aforementioned skill-sets are key to successful academic study at university and career and life-long learning upon graduation.

The academic strand of the module provides an introduction to management theory and practice. Drawing upon a range of classical and contemporary themes and perspectives in management studies, the sociology of work and the social psychology of workplace behaviour, students will gain both practical and theoretical knowledge and understanding of key management roles and functions, behaviour in organisations, and the changing nature of people management over time.

The personal learning strand of the module provides opportunities for students to appreciate what business organisations expect university graduates to know and to be able to do in their professional roles in today’s workplace(s) to be effective people managers and business leaders. Students will achieve this through assessed and non-assessed, interactive seminar activities and workshops designed to enable them to build and apply management skills in action, to learn to identify and assess their strengths and capabilities, and recognise and reflect upon their own academic and professional and personal development needs. The primary aim of this aspect of the module is to prepare students for self-reflexive learning during their degree, and professional and personal self-development in their chosen careers upon graduation.

In addition to the academic content of the module, delivered by the module teaching staff, professional and personal development classes (PPDC) will be delivered by the Management School Careers and Employability Team (SCET), and the University Writing and Language Skills Centre Learning Enhancement Team (ULET). These classes, which will run in conjunction with weekly lectures, also form part of the module assessments.

Module learning outcomes

Module learning outcomes:

The aim throughout the module is to demonstrate how effective management largely depends upon whether employees feel they are valued and empowered to play an active role in the work they do, and the extent to which they perceive their efforts are recognised and rewarded, and the role managers play in achieving this. Secondly, how conditions of employment, job-design and job-content, methods of control, and management conduct have a determining effect on employee satisfaction, motivation and commitment, employee-retention and organizational loyalty. Thirdly, to enable students to recognise and develop the professional and interpersonal skills and attributes career managers need to harness employee capabilities, shape organisational planning and decision-making, and determine business and management moral and ethical norms and values.

On completion of this module students will be able to:

a. Understand the different functional areas of management in organisations.

b. Appreciate the challenges involved in managing operational and human resources.

c. Recognise the applied relevance of organisation and management theories and concepts to business and management practice.

d. Demonstrate how management theory and research can be used to identify, diagnose and solve organization and business management problems.

e. Critically evaluate foundational and current theories of management, and new and emerging themes and perspectives in contemporary management studies.

Academic and graduate skills

Connect the module content with the academic approaches needed for successful undergraduate study, professional skill development and lifelong learning.

b. Use logic, reasoning, critical analysis, argumentation and judgment in undergraduate self-directed learning and research inquiry.

c. Apply integrated and critical thinking skills as tools for analysing management theory and research.

d. Understand, develop and demonstrate professional management skills used to address organizational, human resourcing and employee-relations issues challenges.

e. Apply self-reflexive and self-appraisal learning skills and techniques to identify personal and professional career development needs, and the professional development needs of others.

  • Learn effective presentation skills

  • Operate effectively as part of a team

  • Carry out research and critically assess sources of information

  • Acquire and demonstrate a critical understanding of teams and team roles

Other learning outcomes

  • Apply critical self-awareness and self-appraisal in personal and professional development planning

  • Identify personal and professional skill-development in needs and outcomes through module learning activities (assessed and non-assessed group and individual seminar class discussion, presentations , assessments and independent study)

  • Analyse and apply the requisite skill-sets for successful study and professional development in advance of graduation

Assessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Essay Assignment		 N/A 30
Essay/coursework
Learning Journal		 N/A 40
Groupwork
Group Presentation		 N/A 30

Special assessment rules

None

Additional assessment information

Assessment Methods

Autumn Term: a 1500-work learning journal worth 40% of the overall module mark.

The aim of the journal is to enable students to reflect on and document their Autumn Term learning, by demonstrating: (a.) level of understanding of the subject area across each of the lecture topics (b.) knowledge and understanding of management theory and its relevance to professional management practice (c.) personal learning and academic skill-development achieved in the first term (d.) how and why the MSCET (Management School Careers and Employability Team) and ULET (University Writing and Language Skills Centre Learning Enhancement Team) workshops have helped support and develop first term personal and professional self- and skill-development outcomes.

Spring Term: a 1500 work assignment worth 30% of the overall module mark.

Students receive a list of assignments relating to the Spring Term lecture topics. Marks are awarded on the basis of the extent to which students address the requirements of the questions, and the extent to which answers are supported by evidence of good quality academic research.

Summer Term: Case-study group presentation, worth 30% of the overall module mark.

Assessed Presentation. The duration of the assessed group presentations (no more than eight people per group = 5 groups per 3 hour class) is 25 minutes: 20 minutes presentation time, 5 minutes for questions from staff, and questions and peer feedback on the quality of the presentations from fellow students present in each presentation class.

1. Each group is free to choose their own presentation topic, which must be at least loosely related to the module subject area and relevant to the overall intended module learning aims, or from a list of topics provided by the module leader.

2. Presentation topics need to be approved in advance by the module teaching staff no later than the last week of Spring Term.

3.There are no constraints on how the presentation is delivered. The groups are free to be as conventional or as creative as they wish.

The presentation is assessed against the following criteria:

Knowledge of the subject/ topic presented = 20%

Use and understanding of theories and perspectives = 30%.

Oral communication skills and time management = 10%

Level of group involvement = 10%

Visual aids = 10%

Group response to questions = 20%

Reassessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Academic Essay		 N/A 30
Essay/coursework
Learning Journal-related essay		 N/A 40
Essay/coursework
Skills-related essay		 N/A 30

Module feedback

Summative course assessment feedback to students for the Autumn and Spring term assessments will be in accordance with University assessment feedback policy. Summer term presentation feedback will be provided within 10 working days.

Indicative reading

(Module Academic Textbook) Christine Cross and Ronan Carbery (2017) Organisational Behaviour: an introduction. Macmillan Publishers.

https://www.macmillanihe.com/page/detail/organisational-behaviour-christine-cross/?sf1=barcode&st1=9781137429445

(Module Skill Development Text) Jean Brick, Nick Wilson, Deanna Wong and Maria Herke. (2018). Academic Success:

https://www.macmillanihe.com/page/detail/Academic-Success/?K=9781352002621

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Further Reading

Ackroyd, S. and Thompson, P. (1999). Organizational Misbehaviour. London: Sage.

Burnes, B. (2017). Managing Change. London: Pearson Education.

Huczynski, A. and Buchanan, D. (2013). Organizational Behaviour. London: Pearson Publications

Knights, D and Willmott, H. (2016). Introducing Organizational Behaviour and Management. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2nd Edition.

Lewis, P., Thornhill, A. and Saunders, M. (2003). Employee Relations: Understanding the Employment Relationship. London: Pearson Education.

Morgan, G. (2000). Images of Organizations. London: Sage.

Mullins, L. (2016). Management and Organizational Behaviour. London: Pearson Publications, 11th Edition.

Robbins, S. and Judge, T. (2016). Organizational Behaviour. London: Pearson Publications

Watson, T. (2012). Organizing and Managing Work. Harlow: Prentice Hall.

Thompson, P. and McHugh, D. (2009). Organisations: A Critical Approach. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University is constantly exploring ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary by the University. Where appropriate, the University will notify and consult with affected students in advance about any changes that are required in line with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.