University of Bristol - Introduction to Management (EFIM10015)

This unit aims to prepare students to engage with the concept and practice of management. It aims to develop their understanding of management as a social science, with an introduction to the basic concepts, tools and analytical frameworks standard to the field. The unit starts with an introduction to the history of Management thought and the important thinkers and paradigms which form the foundations of the subject. Key issues such as the dilemmas of motivating and controlling, and decision-making, hierarchy and culture are explored. The unit aims to develop students’ critical thinking and analytical skills to prepare students to engage in the major debates in the field of management. These include an examination of the ways in which organizational culture, ethics, identity, values, leadership and cognition come to shape how management is practised. Simultaneously, we focus on the ways in which management and its practice will, in turn contribute to the shaping of issues in wider society.

By the end of the unit, successful students will be able to:

• Identify and describe a range of issues relevant to management and to the interplay between management and society.
• Explain and discuss theoretical approaches to management.
• Recognise different perspectives on management and appreciate the implications that each has both for managers and other organisational members.
• Analyse and appraise management and organisational practice through the application of relevant theory.
• Critically evaluate the theory and practice of management.