BE420-5-SP-CO:
Leadership in Organisations

The details
2024/25
Essex Business School
Colchester Campus
Spring
Undergraduate: Level 5
Current
Monday 13 January 2025
Friday 21 March 2025
15
02 September 2024

 

Requisites for this module
BE400 or BE401
(none)
(none)
(none)

 

(none)

Key module for

BSC NN24 Accounting and Management,
BSC NN27 Accounting and Management (Including Placement 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 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),
BSC N260 Business and Human Resource Management,
BSC N261 Business and Human Resource Management (including Placement Year),
BSC N262 Business and Human Resource Management (including Year Abroad),
BSC N263 Business and Human Resource Management (Including Foundation Year),
BA N29RCO Business Management with Language Studies

Module description

Leadership is a key issue in the domain of business and management studies, in both theoretical and practical terms. The main objective of this module is to introduce students to important leadership issues and debates, to build students’ awareness of leadership theories, concepts, and practices, and to support students’ ability to contribute to, discuss, and develop leadership in organisations.


The module introduces students to several concepts, models, theories, and topics within leadership and highlights key leadership debates. The module will cover traditional approaches to leadership, current issues in leadership, and critical issues in leadership, paying attention to both theoretical and practical problems. At the end of the module students will have developed an analytical appreciation of leadership, and the problems and challenges leaders face, in contemporary organisations.

Module aims

The aims of this module are:



  • To provide students with an understanding of traditional, current, and critical leadership issues, concepts, models, and theories.

  • To familiarise students with the practice and experience of leading and following.

  • To enable students to reflect on, analyse, contribute to, create and critique leadership in organisations.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:



  1. Demonstrate clear understanding of traditional, contemporary, and critical theories and concepts about leadership in organisations.

  2. Compare, contrast, reflect on, and evaluate leadership theory, practice, and experiences.

  3. Independently recognise and analyse leadership in organisations.


Skills for Your Professional Life (Transferable Skills)



  • A1 Synthesis and bringing together concepts and ideas

  • A2 Critical thinking

  • A3 Evaluation of evidence

  • A4 Creative problem solving

  • A5 Recognise rival conceptual ideas

  • D4 Analysing Academic literature

  • D6 Desk research / netnographic skills

  • S1 Team Work

  • S2 Showing Leadership

  • S4 Showing own initiative

  • C5 Argumentation / Essay writing skills

  • T1 Core IT skills (word, excel, PowerPoint, outlook)

  • R1 Identifying research and aims

  • R6 Understanding plagiarism and referencing

  • BM1 Ability to adapt different leadership practices and identify leadership opportunities and challenges in organisations

  • BM3 Ability to develop greater sensitivity and awareness around implied and explicit ethical assumptions and beliefs. 

Module information

No additional information available.

Learning and teaching methods

This module will be delivered via:

  • Five 2-hour lectures, and
  • Four 2-hour seminars, across one term.

In the lectures and seminars, we are looking for active participation from you to create an inclusive, positive learning environment for everyone. Preparation for the lectures and classes is key.

Bibliography

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   MCQ Test    30% 
Coursework   Essay  21/04/2025  70% 

Additional coursework information

The coursework comprises:

  • Coursework 1: Multiple Choice Question Test: 30%
  • Coursework 2: Essay 2,500 words: 70%

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

Coursework Exam
100% 0%

Reassessment

Coursework Exam
100% 0%
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Paul Kelly, email: p.kelly@essex.ac.uk.
Dr Paul Kelly
p.kelly@essex.ac.uk

 

Availability
No
No
Yes

External examiner

Dr MARGARITA NYFOUDI
University of Birmingham
Associate Professor of Human Resource Management & Organisational Behaviour
Resources
Available via Moodle
Of 200 hours, 98 (49%) hours available to students:
102 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s).

 

Further information
Essex Business School

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