Sektionen för Management & Organisation Avancerad nivå Magisterkurser i Management teori och uppsats vt 2012 högskolepoäng språk kursansv. period Management and Leadership 7,5 eng RA 1-2 Project Management 7,5 eng PA 1-2 Human Resource Management 7,5 eng VO 3 Strategy and Organization 7,5 eng FL 4 Magisteruppsats 15 UEZ 3-4 period 1: 120119-120221 period 3: 120326-120427 period 2: 120222-120323 period 4: 120502-120607 Lärare: FL Fredrik Lavén PA Petra Adolfsson RA Rebecka Arman UEZ Ulla Eriksson Zetterquist VO Vedran Omanovic Förkunskapskrav: För tillträde till magisterkurs krävs minst 180 högskolepoäng varav 75 inklusive kandidatuppsats i företagsekonomi. För vidare information kan du gå in på kompetensgruppernas hemsidor: www.handels.gu.se/sos/, www.handels.gu.se/hrm/ eller företagsekonomiska institutionens hemsida, www.handels.gu.se/fek/
Management and Leadership Rebecka Arman The advanced course of Management and Leadership is based on empirical research on how management takes place in practice and the characteristics of successful managing. Every manager works in one or more groups, at varying organizational levels and with varying aims. They are managing groups and they are members of management teams. All managers thus need to develop their understanding and their skills to handle different work group situations and contexts. The purpose of the course is to develop valuable skills such as ability to convince and motivate people, to take and give feedback, and to manage different problem areas related to the practice of management and leadership. The course focuses on managing relations, inter- and intragroup dynamics and work group development. Within this course, the participants are given the possibility to consciously develop their skills in practice as well as to study theoretical approaches to the central themes of the course. Learning objectives After completed course, the student will be able to: 1. Critically analyze the implications of adopting different theoretical perspectives on work group performance and managerial action, 2. describe and analyze the group processes and the group development stages in different contexts, and 3. systematically train and develop one s own learning in different group settings and situations. Learning objective 1 will be achieved by studying literature and discuss this in lectures and seminars. It will be examined through written examination. Learning objective 2 will be achieved through group exercises and seminar discussions. It will be examined through seminar papers. Learning objective 3 will be achieved by role-play sessions; seminar discussions and it will be examined through seminar papers and a learning contract. Project Management Petra Adolfsson Projects as a mode of organising have become popular both in practice and in theory. This course provides an understanding of management of projects and temporary organisations in different contexts. Students will be confronted with two perspectives of project management. Firstly, a traditional and normative perspective that focuses on problem solving and different project management techniques. Secondly, a more analytical and descriptive perspective that aims at understanding what actually happens in projects. Projects such as organizational change, events, regional development and
construction projects are used as illustrations in the course. The course will therefore also deal with management and co-operation in project networks. Learning objectives After having completed the course, the student shall: 1. be able to define, describe and explain problems in project-based firms as well as identify and analyze complex practical situations in project based firms 2. be able to explain, compare, and use theories and models from various organizational and management theories and relate these theories to the challenges of a project management which is to be reported in written reports 3. be able to identify, argue, defend, explain and show different solutions to complex problems and practical situations related to project management, which is to be conveyed during oral presentation Learning outcome 1 will be examined through written exam. Learning outcome 2 will be examined through written reports. Learning outcome 3 will be examined through an oral presentation in front of an audience. This implies that the course included two parts of the assessment procedure: an individual written exam and two group assignments. Human Resource Management Vedran Omanovic Human Resource Management (HRM) refers to activities associated with the management of work and people in organisations, and it includes individual and collective perspectives. Thus, this advanced course introduces students to different personnel practices as well as to a strategic perspective of HRM. At the first part of the course - practices such as recruitment, training, development, health and safety, and redundancies, will be dealt with. The starting point for this part is based on an internal perspective, which is inspired by the resource-based view. The second part of the course develops and integrates an understanding of how HRM is linked to strategic management of the business. Thus, in this part we prevailing focus on an outward perspective that includes themes such as the work organisation, the industrial relations, the cultural aspects, the diversity in organisations, and planning and organising HR work. Performance and strategy are important aspects of this second part, as well as the specific character of HRM in Sweden/Scandinavia. At this point the students are assumed to actively participate in discussions in order to give their own perspectives on how national and cultural aspects influence HRM work and strategies.
Learning objectives After completing the course the students will be able to: 1. Describe the meaning(s) of HRM and personnel practices by independently searching for relevant theoretical sources and by presenting the results on seminars. 2. Explain how HRM theories are linked to strategic development of the business by presenting seminar reports, orally and in a written form, based on the course literature. 3. Critically investigate HRM trends, in theory and practice, in relation to different national and cultural characteristics by using course literature, scientific journals, practical sources, and on the students own experiences. The first learning outcome will be examined by a group paper, including individual parts, and oral presentations. The second learning outcome will be examined by seminar reports, participation in seminars and a written examination. The third learning outcome will be examined by a written examination, a group report and participation in seminars. Strategy and Organization Fredrik Lavén This advanced course in Strategy and Organization is concerned with how organizations meet and manage significant threats and challenges, both internally and externally. The purpose of the course is to develop an intellectual understanding of the processes leading to strategic renewal as well as an ability to apply this understanding to real current problems. The ambition is to prepare students to take part in business development and strategic work as analysts and, in later stages of their careers, to lead such processes. There is a rich scientific knowledge base on how companies perceive and make sense of emerging problems and opportunities. In the Scandinavian setting researchers on strategy have taken a deep interest in processes and relational aspects of corporate strategy. Learning, negotiation and networks are important concepts. To some extent large Scandinavian corporations have applied these ideas, and that might be a significant explanation to their relative success. It is natural to exploit the Scandinavian heritage, but without losing the global perspective. Strategic problems and possibilities arise in all sectors. Important aspects are not only the company's positioning in relation to its market, but also the technological development, the supply of labor, political developments in society and other factors crucial for how organizations manage their business. Strategic work is to a large extent a question of understanding these contingencies and to reinterpret them as assets rather than as restrictions. An important part of the course is to confront students with real strategic problems during the period of the course. The students will during the course prepare elaborate strategies for chosen companies.
Learning objectives Upon completion of the course the student will be able to 1. Understand how companies work with strategic questions 2. Apply this understanding to real cases and problems 3. Communicate analyses and recommendations to a qualified audience, such as the board of directors of a larger corporation. Learning outcome 1 will be examined through written exam. Learning outcome 2 will be examined through a written report. Learning outcome 3 will be examined through an oral presentation in front of an audience. Magisteruppsats Ulla Eriksson-Zetterquist Former för bedömning en består av skriftlig uppsats samt deltagande i seminarier, dels där den egna uppsatsen läggs fram, dels där andras uppsatser läggs fram. Den skriftliga uppsatsen är kopplad till lärandemål 1. Deltagande som opponent på seminarium där annans uppsats läggs fram är kopplat till lärandemål 2. Deltagande som respondent på seminarium för egen uppsats är kopplat till lärandemål 3. Varje uppsats bedöms av två personer, handledaren och en medbedömare. Vid bedömningen tas hänsyn till hela arbetsförloppet. Kursens lärandemål Efter avslutad kurs skall studenten kunna 1. Genomföra en större självständig vetenskaplig undersökning och presentera sina resultat skriftligt med högt ställda krav på vetenskaplighet.* Lärandemål 1 examineras via skriftlig uppsats. 2. Analysera och diskutera andras vetenskapliga resultat. Lärandemål 2 examineras via muntlig opposition på annan students uppsats. 3. Muntligt argumentera för de egna resultatens giltighet. Lärandemål 3 examineras via muntligt bemötande av opponenters argument. Ett viktigt examensmål är att stärka studenternas informationskompetens. Det finns inslag under utbildningen för att stärka kompetensen beträffande publikationstyper, informationskällor och söktjänster som är relevanta för kunskapsområdet ekonomi. En viktig del i uppsatsen är att studenterna skall uppvisa god förmåga att söka och använda information, vilket inbegriper kritisk granskning och användning av källor liksom förmåga att följa utvecklingen inom kunskapsområdet. Detta examineras inom ramen för lärandemål 1. Skillnaden gentemot kandidatuppsats i företagsekonomi ligger främst i ökade krav på självständighet och ökade krav på kunskaper om skapandet av en teoretisk referensram och därtill hörande kopplingar till studiens problem.