THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2017/2018

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : Business School : Business Studies

Undergraduate Course: Organisational Behaviour 2 (BUST08028)

Course Outline
SchoolBusiness School CollegeCollege of Humanities and Social Science
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 8 (Year 2 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryBuilding upon the Organisational Behaviour element in Foundations of Business (formerly entitled Business Studies 1), the overall aim of the course is to develop in students an understanding of the complex issues involved in the spheres of work, employment and the management of people in an organisational setting.
Course description The course is divided into two sections: the first will analyse organisations in context; and the second will focus on key individual and interpersonal processes.

The lectures emphasise the importance of adopting a critical and analytical stance in understanding and interpreting how people behave in organisations, and the most appropriate means of managing or regulating that behaviour. In addition, the course aims to familiarise students with current empirical research, including that of the lecturing staff.

Syllabus

Section One: Organisations, Management and Work
- Introduction to Organisational Behaviour 2
- Changing Organizations and the Meaning of Work
- Organisational Structures
- Power and Control
- Work and Control
- Technology and Changing Work
- Organisational Change
- Organisational Culture
- Conflict and Politics
- The Management of Human Resources: Resolving Tensions?

Section Two: Individuals and Organisations
- Individual differences 1 ¿ Individual Learning Styles
- Attitudes and Job Satisfaction
- Commitment
- Communication, Involvement and Engagement
- Groups and Teams I
- Groups and Teams II
- Divisions within Organisations I: gender and power
- Divisions within Organisations II: the social construction of masculinity and femininity
- Pressure at Work I
- Pressure at Work II

Student Learning Experience

High standards of lecture delivery are supported by incorporating, where appropriate, alternative teaching delivery methods such as video-based case studies. In addition, case study teaching (mainly in tutorials) is employed as a means of emphasising the interconnected nature of managerial processes and of drawing on actual organisational experience.

The compulsory weekly tutorials comprise a mixture of practical exercises, case study tasks and analysis of journal articles, and are used to provide opportunities to test and evaluate theories and techniques learned in lectures. In addition, active participation in tutorials will lead to the development of analytical skills (through problem identification, data handling and critical thinking),decision making skills (generating alternative explanations, selecting decision criteria, evaluating alternatives, hypothesising on issues of implementation and consequences), and communication skills (listening to colleagues, constructing arguments, thinking on feet and convincing others).

As an innovation in recent years, students are now offered extended opportunities for individual learning. By replacing one of the traditional weekly lectures with a guided individual learning session, it is intended that students will be able to study topics to a greater depth and in a more interactive manner. This is supplemented by some online lectures from the Henry Stewart Talks Marketing and Management Series.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Students MUST have passed: ( Foundations of Business (BUST08025) OR Global Challenges for Business (BUST08035)) OR Introduction to Business (BUST08026) OR ( Industrial Management 1 (BUST08002) AND Techniques of Management (MAEE08002))
Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesFoundations of Business or Introduction to Business equivalents.
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2017/18, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  None
Course Start Semester 1
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Lecture Hours 20, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 8, Summative Assessment Hours 2, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 166 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 70 %, Coursework 30 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) Assessment is by one 2500 word essay (30% of marks) and a Degree Examination (70%) in December.

The resit exam (in August) will be 100% exam.
Feedback Generic feedback on your coursework, together with individual marks, will be available on Learn on DATE (to be confirmed). You will also be able to review your individual feedback electronically via Grademark on Learn from SAME DATE.

Your examination marks will be posted on Learn (together with generic feedback and examination statistics) as soon as possible after the Boards of Examiners¿ meeting (normally end of January/beginning of February). You will have the opportunity to look at your examination scripts in early February in the UG Office (Room 1.11, Business School, 29 Buccleuch Place). Non-Honours students are permitted to take examination scripts away with them from the UG Office.
Exam Information
Exam Diet Paper Name Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S1 (December)2:00
Resit Exam Diet (August)2:00
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Understand and discuss historical and comparative organisational and managerial processes with respect to labour.
  2. Understand and interpret how people behave in organisations.
  3. Understand and critically discuss the most appropriate means of managing or regulating how people behave in organisations.
  4. Identify and discuss aspects of continuity and change in employee management and the management of organisations.
Reading List
Book Purchases

Buchanan, A. and Huczynski, A. (2017) Organizational behaviour, 9th Edition, Harlow: Pearson.
It is strongly recommended that this book should be purchased by all students.

The course also makes extensive use of:
Wilson, F. (2014) Organizational behaviour and work, 4th Edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Further Reading

Further references relating to individual lecture topics will be given in the course booklet. In addition, readings of particular significance will be outlined in the tutorial reading list.
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Cognitive Skills
On completion of the course, students should will have:
- demonstrated the development of critical analytical skills, enabling them to identify aspects of continuity and change in employee management and the management of organisations.
- developed the practical skills of summarising theoretical debates, synthesising the results of empirical research, communicating ideas to others, and applying their knowledge both individually and in groups to solve real managerial problems.

Key Skills
On completion of the assessed course essay, students should will have
- demonstrated their ability to undertake a substantial piece of critical analysis of an issue of contemporary significance within the subject area.

Subject Specific Skills
On completion of the course, students should will have:
- gained a critical insight into key aspects of managing people in organisational contexts.
Additional Class Delivery Information Lectures are on Mondays and Thursdays at 2.10-3.00 pm and will take place from Weeks 1 to 10 inclusive in Semester 1. Weeks 11 and 12 are Revision Weeks, and there will be no lectures or tutorials during these weeks.

Tutorials take place weekly from Weeks 3 to 10 inclusive in Semester 1. The final tutorial will focus on preparation for the exams, as well as providing feedback on the course essays.
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserDr Michelle O'Toole
Tel: (0131 6)51 5012
Email: Michelle.O'Toole@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Hedwig Ponjee
Tel: (0131 6)50 3824
Email: Hedwig.Ponjee@ed.ac.uk
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