MG458      Half Unit
Foundations of Management I: Organisations and Management Theory

This information is for the 2025/26 session.

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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 will include:

1. Course introduction and the origins of management
2. The theory of the firm
3. The professionalisation of management: Taylorism, motivation and performance
4. What about the workers?
5. Understanding organisational structures
6. Organisational decision making
7. The origins of modern strategy
8. Contemporary strategic management: Firms as bundles of resources
9. Managed by markets? – financialization and the crisis of capitalism
10. The challenge of the age: Climate change

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 seminars and 20 hours of lectures in the Autumn Term.

This course has a reading week in Week 6 of Autumn Term.

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.

In its Ethics Code, LSE upholds a commitment to intellectual freedom. This means we will protect the freedom of expression of our students and staff and the right to engage in healthy debate in the classroom.

• To help prepare for the group case study presentation: all groups will be given the opportunity to meet with their class teacher one week prior to their case presentation for feedback/ advice.
• To help prepare for the exam: In week 11 of AT we will provide suggested revision questions for the exam and discuss LSE assessment criteria.

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

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

Exam (60%), duration: 120 Minutes in the January exam period

Presentation (30%)

Course participation (10%)

For detailed assessment information, including all deadlines and timings, please see the relevant course Moodle page. Assessment timings will be available at the start of each term.