UNIVERSITY OF MAURITIUS

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
Module Specification Sheet (MSS)
Module Title: Engineering management II

Module code: MECH 4205(5)

Year: 2014 / 2015

Level 4

Module Type:
Core

Semester 2

Pre-requisite module (PR): Nil

Resource Person(s): B.S.Toolsy
Name B.S.Toolsy
Office Room 4.6
Email b.toolsy@uom.ac.mu
Tel
4037979
Prog Coord 1: Dr K. Elahee
Email: elahee@uom.ac.mu
Tel: 4541041 (7838)
Academic activities
Weekly Load
Multiplier, M
Classification of
Knowledge areas
%
Actual
ECSA
credit
ECSA
Exit Level
Outcomes
(marked
with an
x if
assessed)

Problem
solving

Assessment details:
Exam: 70 %
Coursework: 30 %

UoM Credit
3

ECSA Credit
15.6

Weekly notional
hrs: 9.2

Prog Coord 2: assoc Prof D. K.

Prog Coord 3: Assoc Prof S.
Hurreeram
Venkannah
Email: dk.hurreeram@uom.ac.mu
Email: sv@uom.ac.mu
Tel: 4541041 (7840)
Tel: 4541041 (7845)
Lecture
Tutorial Practical
Assignment(s)
Others
1
2
2
1
15
12
2
2
2
2
Mathematics
Basic Sciences
Engineering
Design &
Complementary
(MS)
(BS)
Sciences (ES)
Synthesis (DS) Studies (CS)
100%
15.6

Application
of
scientific
and
engineering
Knowledge

knowledge
Engineering
design and
synthesis

Investigations,
experiments
and data
analysis

Engineerin
g methods,
skills, tools
and IT

Professional
& technical
communicati
on

Impact of
engineeri
ng
activity

Coursework details
Type
No
Test(s)
1
Practical(s)
Assignment(s)
2
Others

%
10%
10 % + 10 %

Individual, team
and
multidisciplinar
y work

Independen
t
learning
ability

Engineering
Professionalis
m

Examination details
Section:1
No. of questions to be answered: 5
Multiple Choice Questions: Nil
Compulsory Questions (if any): Nil
Paper Duration: 2 hrs

Prepared by
Name

Mr B. S. Toolsy

Signature
Date
1

Module Details
1. Aims
The main aims of this module are:

to impart to students the fundamentals of key leadership and management skills in the
practice of engineering functions (irrespective of the type of organization) and
entrepreneurs (if they are planning to set up their own businesses). These skills are
often looked with secondary consideration by engineering students.
to impart to students the non-engineering skills that an engineering manager requires
in the practice of its work
to impart them the notion of ethics and professionalism required in engineering
tasks/projects and whilst dealing with non-engineering people
to help them to reflect on past working experiences from a managerial standpoint and
improve their readiness for their future working environment and work culture.
to help understand the impact of engineering activities on the human, social, physical
and business environment
to sensitize on the fact that engineering works involve lots of management processes

2. Outline Syllabus

Human Resource Management: Evolution of Management, Types of leadership,

Motivation, Recruitment, Training and Development, Evaluation, Control and
Reward System.
Industrial Relations & Law: Industrial Disputes and Discipline, Workers bargaining
power and participation;
Introduction to Marketing: The marketing Environment, Customer buying behaviour,
Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning, The 4 Ps of Marketing;
Contracts & Tendering.

3. Module Learning Outcomes

Having studied this module, the students should be able to:
understand the impact of leadership on the performance of a department or
organization, while considering future business challenges
identify leadership deficiencies and initiate programmes for enhancing leadership
skills
apply relevant situation leadership skills to different work situations
recognize the type of work culture in different organizations and the impacts (both
positive and negative) on the future of the organisation
understand the importance of strategic human resource management for building the
competitive advantage of an organization
2

understand the human resource management processes and the human resource
functions of any manager
understand the importance of occupational health and safety, identify areas for
improvement (especially for improving working conditions of team members or staff
or workers) and initiate a risk assessment
understand the importance of labour-management cooperation for improving and
quality of work / processes
understand the key requirements of Occupational Health and Safety 2005,
Employment Rights Act 2008 and Employment Relations Act 2008
understand the importance of professional ethics and codes of conduct in the practice
of engineering, identify ethical issues and analyse situations with ethical dilemmas
identify key requirement for marketing an engineering product / service
develop marketing strategic options and marketing plans
exercise judgement on issues regarding ethics and understand the different facets of
professional behaviour in the world of work
understand the request for proposal / tendering / public procurement processes and the
key elements of making proposals

4. Module Map
Note: Lectures will be held on Tuesdays (14 30 16 00) and Wednesdays (15 00 16 30) in Room 1.16.
Handouts will be sent in advance and students have to read and prepare for discussions in lectures.
Period

(Week)
13

Lecture Main Topics

reading material(s)

Leadership :

Knowledge Areas

Tasks/practicals/assignment/

Total
Hr(s)

Organisation and Management

The different roles of top
management, middle management,
supervisors and operators
Excellence framework
The need for leadership to better
high performing organisations
Types of leadership
Competencies
Leader v/s managers
Key tools of leaders
Leaders of change
Situational leadership skills

Ethics and professionalism :

Difference between personal ethics

and professional ethics
New trends in engineering ethics
and the linkage with new
technologies
Different engineering codes of
practice

Group assignment on the

identification type of leadership,
leadership deficiencies, work
culture, assessment of ethics and
professionalism and
recommendations for
improvement for the organization
/ specific department in which the
student undertook his/her
industrial training
Group exercise on the advantages
and disadvantages of different
types of leadership
Case studies / group work on the
application of situational
leadership skills
Group exercise on identifying
breaches of ethics and
professionalism in case studies

Mathematics

Basic
Science

Engineering
Science

Design &
Synthesis

Complementary
Studies

58

12

Understand the role of engineers in

advancing the welfare of society

Human resource management :

The four types of work culture

People as an organization
The importance of human resource
management
Changing roles of human resource
management
HRM v/s personnel management
Strategic human resource
management
The context of HRM
HRM processes
HR functions
HR cycle
HR planning

Health and safety

10

Motivation theories :

Maslow theory, Mcgregors Theory

X and Y, Herzbergs hygiene and
motivational factors, Vrooms
Expectancy Theory

Industrial relations :

Industrial relations v/s employment

relations

Exercise on identifying the work

culture in identifying the work culture
in previous organisation where the
students have conducting their
industrial training or working and
identifying the advantages and
disadvantages of each work culture

Group excercise to understand the

difference between personnel
managment and human resource
management and the human resource
management cycle

Group exercise on writing a job

description and specification

Group assignment on advising a new

company XYZ (manufacturing metal
sheet products) on the implementation
of systems, procedures, equipments
and certifications to comply with:

Occupational Health and Safety

Act 2005
Employment Rights Act 2008
Employment Relations Act 2008
Code of ethics

11 13

Marketing :

What is marketing?
Marketing mix and the customer
Marketing myopia
Market segmentation
Consumer behaviour
Consumer buying process
Targeting and positioning

Group exercise on the difference

between selling and marketing, the
market research elements for
marketing an engineering solution
Group exercise on the process of
organisational buying

Group on the development of a

marketing plan
Test on writing an Executive
Summary for a marketing plan

14

Test

15 - 16

Contract and tendering :

TOTAL

What is a Request for Proposal?

How to develop a proposal or bid
document?
Introduction to contract
procurement processes in Mauritius

Group exercise on understanding a

tendering document and on the
decision process for developing a
proposal

48

5. Essay(s)/Assignment(s)/Practical(s)
Title

1. Group assignment on the identification type of

leadership, leadership deficiencies, work culture,
assessment of ethics & professionalism and
recommendations for improvement for the organization
/ specific department in which the student undertook
his/her industrial training
2. Group assignment on advising a new company XYZ
(manufacturing metal sheet products) on the
implementation of systems, procedures, equipments
and certifications to comply with:

Maximum Marks
100

Last Submission Date

18 February 2015

100

8 April 2015

Occupational Health and Safety Act 2005

Employment Rights Act 2008
Employment Relations Act 2008
Engineering code of ethics

Note:

No late submission is allowed. Deadlines should be respected.

There will be a peer review for the two group assignment where each student will have to assess
individually the contribution of his / her respective team members. Groups may also be called for
presentation of their assignment.

6. Recommended books/journals/websites

Antonakis J. (2004), The Nature of Leadership

Armstrong M. (2009), A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice, 10th Edition
ASME (2003), The ASME Professional Practice Curriculum
Council of Registered Professional Engineers - Engineering code of practice
Harris C. E, Pritchard M. S., Rabins M. J. (2009), Engineering Ethics: concepts and cases, Wasworth
Cengage Learning, fouth edition.
Philip Kotler & Kevin Lane Keller, Marketing Management 12th Edition

7. **Exit Level Outcomes (ELOs)

ECSA Exit Level
Outcome

Where is outcome
assessed ?

7: Impact of Engineering
activity

One group assignment on

human resource
management,
occupational safety,
health and industrial
relations

Learning outcome:
Demonstrate critical
awareness of the impact of
engineering activity on the
social, industrial and
physical environment.

10: Engineering
Professional
Learning outcome:
Demonstrate critical
awareness of the need to
act professionally and
ethically and to exercise
judgment and take
responsibility within own
limits of competence.

One test (individual) on

writing the Executive
Summary or one-pager
for a marketing plan

One group assignment on

Leadership and
professional ethics
industrial relations and
ethics & professionalism

How is Exit level Outcome assessed?

The students are assessed through one assignment, one test and
examinations as per the MSS.
The group assignment will provide an engineering situation where
the students will be assessed on their capabilities to analyse
critically the impacts of engineering activities on human resource
management, occupational safety and health, industrial relations
and legal compliance and make feasible recommendations on the
implementation of systems and procedures to improve the
organization and its impacts on its different stakeholders.
In the test, the students will be evaluated on their capabilities to
develop an attractive executive summary or one-pager to persuade
stakeholders to invest in a new technology which will enhance the
welfare of society and environmental compliance.
The group assignment will assess their capability to analyse
organizational leadership and the management of ethical issues
and devise programmes / charters for enhancing leadership skills,
ethical and professional behaviours and relationships within and
between internal and external stakeholders

What is satisfactory performance?

In the group assignment, the students should

demonstrate that they have conducted a holistic
evaluation of the different impacts of engineering
activities through thorough consultation of rules and
regulation and relevant standards and devised
systems and procedures to improve the organisation.
In the test, the students should demonstrate that they
understand the benefits of the new technologies on
the welfare of society and environment and they can
use marketing techniques to convince stakeholders
on these benefits.

The students have analysed thoroughly the leadership

and management of ethics of the organization
through the use of a sound data collection and have
been able to develop relevant measures for
enhancing leadership and ethical relations.

8. Additional Information
Health & Safety Issues
1.

Students have to strictly abide by the general health & safety issues prevailing on the university campus.

2.

Students are reminded that they have to be very conversant with the specific health and safety
precautionary measures for each laboratory.

3.

Students have to maintain their respective health and safety gears in good condition at all times.

4.

For further information on health and safety regulations in force at the University of Mauritius, please visit
the following webpage:
http://mysites.uom.ac.mu/uomintranet/safetyNhealth/safetyAndHealthmanual_students.pdf