BE410-5-AU-CO:
Organisational Behaviour
2020/21
Essex Business School
Colchester Campus
Autumn
Undergraduate: Level 5
Current
Thursday 08 October 2020
Friday 18 December 2020
15
17 September 2020
Requisites for this module
BE400 or IA711
(none)
(none)
(none)
BE422, BE431, BE434, BE435, BE439, BE938, BE939, BE940
BSC NN24 Accounting and Management,
BSC NN27 Accounting and Management (Including Placement Year),
BSC NN42 Accounting and Management (Including Foundation Year),
BSC NNK2 Accounting and Management (Including Year Abroad),
BSC N200 Business Management,
BSC N201 Business Management (Including Foundation Year),
BSC N202 Business Management (Including Year Abroad),
BSC N204 Business Management (Including Placement Year),
BA NR19 Business Management and Modern Languages,
BA N1R9 Business Management with a Modern Language,
BA T7N2 Latin American Studies with Business Management,
BA T7N4 Latin American studies with Business Management (Including Foundation Year),
BSC N2N5 Management and Marketing (Including Foundation Year),
BSC NN25 Management and Marketing,
BSC NN2M Management and Marketing (Including Placement Year),
BSC NNF5 Management and Marketing (Including Year Abroad),
LLB MN00 Law with Business,
LLB MN01 Law with Business (Including Year Abroad),
LLB MN02 Law with Business (Including Placement Year),
BA N19R Business Management and Language Studies,
BSC N344 Finance and Management,
BSC N345 Finance and Management (Including Year Abroad),
BSC N346 Finance and Management (Including Placement Year),
BSC N347 Finance and Management (Including Foundation Year),
BA VV20 Philosophy with Business Management,
BA VV21 Philosophy with Business Management (Including Foundation Year),
BA VV22 Philosophy with Business Management (Including Placement Year),
BA VV23 Philosophy with Business Management (Including Year Abroad),
BA L933 Global Studies with Business Management,
BA L934 Global Studies with Business Management (Including Foundation Year),
BA L935 Global Studies with Business Management (Including Placement Year),
BA L936 Global Studies with Business Management (Including Year Abroad),
MMANNN35 Marketing and Management,
MMANNN36 Marketing and Management (Including Placement Year),
MMANNN37 Marketing and Management (Including Year Abroad)
This module builds on the first year module BE400 to develop and deepen several of the themes introduced there. The intention is to dig deeper into the concepts of management, work and organization in order to develop understanding of the interplay of management practices and experiences of organizational life. The focus is on understanding the social, historical, economic, and cultural context within which things and people are organized. The module considers a number of broad and overlapping topics in the field of organizational behaviour and explores these with reference to both their historical origins and their contemporary relevance.
The focus is on the social and cultural dynamics and power relations that shape the management and experience of organizational life. 'Organization' here has three meanings: (i) organization as an entity, a thing (an organization); (ii) organization as an activity, a practice (organizing) and (iii) organization as an idea, even an ideal. All three meanings have a direct impact on how we organize and manage in our daily lives and work, and form the basis of our thinking about organizational behaviour.
Whilst a clear description of organizational realities is important, to really understand management, work and organization, it is necessary to move beyond description, first to analyse and then to critically evaluate. Analysis means moving beyond description to understand the social contexts, processes and dynamics that give rise to particular organizational structures, relations and patterns of behaviour. The teaching, learning and assessment on this module is designed to support you moving from a descriptive to an analytical, and critically evaluative understanding of OB as you work through the teaching materials, readings and the two coursework assignments.
All students who successfully complete this module should be able to make and articulate an informed judgement on specific management and organizational practices, evaluating them in terms of their contexts and effects. This is an essential skill set for all managers, who are often in a privileged and influential position when it comes to making changes to the way we organize. It is also an important basis for final year study and beyond.
The aims of the module are:
1. To provide an appropriate level of conceptual and theoretical understanding of organizational behaviour.
2. To develop an informed understanding of the ways in which broader social contexts and changes affect organizational behaviour and management practice. 3. To develop students’ abilities to engage in critical analysis, evaluation and argumentation through reading, participation and assessment.
On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
1. Demonstrate a social scientifically informed understanding of organizational behaviour, drawing on relevant theories, concepts and examples of organizational settings (CWI and CWII).
2. Apply social scientific concepts and ideas to explain and evaluate changing contexts shaping the management and experience of work organizations (CWII). 3. Develop and deploy skills in critical analysis, evaluation and argumentation through reading, participation and assessment (CWI and CWII).
No additional information available.
This module has been designed to fully integrate lectures, classes and assignment preparation. It does so in three ways:
(i) Discussion questions for the first two classes (Weeks 4 and 6) are the assessment questions for the first of the two coursework assignments; (ii) Core readings that these questions are based on have been provided (on Moodle) as essential class and assignment preparation, and (iii) Discussion of draft answers to these questions and thoughts on the readings will enable all students to benefit from developmental feedback in the relevant fortnightly classes and support sessions. Weekly preparation and participation is therefore essential to successful completion of both coursework assignments. Further details and guidance will be provided in weekly lectures and via regular updates on Moodle and by email.
Lectures provide an introduction and overview of the topic – a 'way in' to thinking about it. You should NOT expect the lecture to cover all of the relevant material but each lecture will cover material that is directly relevant to both pieces of coursework. The 'backbone' of the module is the readings and the class discussion questions that feed directly into the coursework assignments. It is very important to work through these, making detailed notes on the relevant reading material and discussion questions. Not doing this means that you will miss out on valuable learning that will help you to complete the assignments to the best of your abilities and get the best grades you can for the module. There are only 4 classes and reading packs so make the most of the opportunity to learn, and to develop the knowledge and academic skills that you need to do well in your second year and beyond.
In academic year 2020-2021 the delivery is likely to be different and involve online learning.
- (2017) Introducing Organizational Behaviour and Management BE410, Andover: Cengage Learning.
- Dellinger, Kirsten; Williams, Christine L. (2002) The locker room and the dorm room: Workplace norms and the boundaries of sexual harassment in magazine editing. vol. 49 (2) , pp.242-257
- Dobusch, Laura; Kreissl, Katharina. (2020-06-14) 'Privilege and burden of im-/mobility governance: On the reinforcement of inequalities during a pandemic lockdown', in Gender, Work & Organization.
- Bratton, John. (2015) Introduction to work and organizational behaviour BE410, London: Palgrave Macmillan.
- (no date) Mediatization of social space and the case of Uber drivers.
- Hawick, Lorraine; Cleland, Jennifer; Kitto, Simon. (2018-10) '‘I feel like I sleep here’: how space and place influence medical student experiences', in Medical Education. vol. 52 (10) , pp.1016-1027
- van Amsterdam, Noortje; van Eck, Dide. (March 2019) '"I have to go the extra mile". How fat female employees manage their stigmatized identity at work', in Scandinavian Journal of Management. vol. 35 (1) , pp.46-55
- Opie, Tina; Morgan Roberts, Laura. (2017) 'Do black lives really matter in the workplace? Restorative justice as a means to reclaim humanity', in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal. vol. 36 (8) , pp.707-719
- Hurrell, Scott A.; Scholarios, Dora; Richards, James. (2017-03) '‘The kids are alert’: Generation Y responses to employer use and monitoring of social networking sites', in New Technology, Work and Employment. vol. 32 (1) , pp.64-83
- Trouble with accessing resources?, https://essex.libwizard.com/id/0ca0192f0d51b4c22469d6030fd1306f
- Huber, Guy; Brown, Andrew D. (2017-08) 'Identity Work, Humour and Disciplinary Power', in Organization Studies. vol. 38 (8) , pp.1107-1126
The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course. The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students. Further reading can be obtained from this module's reading list.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
ASSIGNMENT ONE |
|
20% |
| Coursework |
ASSIGNMENT TWO |
|
80% |
Additional coursework information
Assignment 1 - Short-answer portfolio, 1500 words excluding references
Assignment 2 - Research and review essay, 3000 words excluding references
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Sophie Hales, email: shales@essex.ac.uk.
Sophie Hales, Melissa Tyler, Huiyan Fu & Jayne Jennett
ebsugcol@essex.ac.uk
No
Yes
No
Prof Simon Lilley
University of Lincoln
Professor
Available via Moodle
Of 463 hours, 0 (0%) hours available to students:
463 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s).
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