Prof Alexander Pepper NAB.4.30

This course is compulsory on the Global MSc in Management, Global MSc in Management (CEMS MiM) and Global MSc in Management (MBA Exchange). This course is not available as an outside option.

This course will equip students with a thorough understanding of the  development of management and organisation theory since the emergence of modern industrial businesses in the late 19th century. Students will be provided with an overview of management as a subject of study and as a practice, and will develop an understanding of the disciplinary anchors in Sociology, Psychology and Economics. Within each field we will cover origins, disciplinary boundaries, triggers for growth, core concepts and the current state of play and debate. Weekly topics cover:

1. Course Introduction and the Origins of Management

2. Management and the Firm

3. Taylorism, Motivation, and Performance

4. The Rise and Decline of Labour

5. The Rise of Human Resources Management

6. Managerial Decision-Making

7. Understanding Organisational Structures

8. The Origins of Modern Strategy

9. Contemporary Strategic Management: Firms as Bundles of Resources

10. Financialisation and the crisis in capitalism

The course is also designed to introduce students to postgraduate study and learning at LSE, with instruction on academic reading, case analysis, critical thinking and writing skills.

15 hours of lectures, 10 hours of lectures and 15 hours of seminars in the MT.

Lectures break down into 15 hours of pre-recorded lectures and 10 hours of Q&A sessions. 

Lectures will cover theoretical materials and concepts. Seminars will cover the assigned readings in more depth and include case discussions which will apply content covered in lectures to business situations.

Students on this course will have a reading week in Week 6, in line with departmental policy

Students will be expected to produce 1 essay in the MT.

Willman, P. (2014) Understanding Management: Social Science Foundations. Oxford University Press.

Wallace, M  and A. Wray (2012). Critical Reading and Writing for Postgraduates (Second Edition). London: Sage.

A full reading list will be provided at the beginning of the course.

Exam (60%, duration: 2 hours) in the summer exam period.
Case study (40%) in the MT.

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