University of Brighton

School of Business and Law

MBA Programme

HRM84
Managing People and Organisations

Module Handbook

2021/2022

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Welcome!
Dear Students
We want to warmly welcome you to HRM84 for the academic year 2021-2022.
We take the opportunity to outline some preliminaries for how the module is run. We kindly
ask you to read this module handbook attentively paying attention on how we anticipate your
contribution.
This is an important module in your MBA studies. It is introduced at the outset of and it covers
key preliminaries that feed into other modules. The study of ‘managing’ people and
‘organizations’ remains a relative straightforward area but complex and challenging when it
comes to action.
Our overall intention in this module is not to provide you with direct suggestions for how to
manage others. Instead, to engage with you in understanding how management operates as
a process. Any management decision remains dependent on the social, economic, political,
and technological context as well as the various dynamics that underpin such context.
One of our objectives is to question what ‘management’ means and what are those
developments that might ‘lead’ or ‘hinder’ its uprising.
Even though lots of people might be attracted by a position of ‘management’ the capacity to
make decisions in a productive manner becomes challenging. It is challenging not only for the
individual who aspires to be in the ‘management’ position but also for the other people who
are ‘managed’.
It is evident that we live in challenging times with the global economy moving more and more
into a state of unforgiving recession whose consequences cannot be realized at this time.
BREXIT and its implications will be realized for their true colours over the many years to come.
The severity of the COVID19 pandemic and its implications to the economy have also
produced a toxic mixture of uncertainty and fear. It is evident that emotions constitute an
integral part to the study of ‘managing people and organizations’.
Our goal is to make the design and delivery of the content relevant to your own working
context.
We will ask you to participate in face-to-face discussions and share with us your professional
experiences.
We encourage you to take serious time and reflect upon your own professional practice.
A key question you need to entertain during the duration of the module is: how can the
concepts and academic ideas regarding managing people and organisations help me make
sense of what I observed in my professional work life?
We are here to help you find your own voice in addressing these questions. We will not
provide clear cut answers mostly because there are not ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ answers

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Being self-charged with inquiring outlook and the ability to find relevant resources to address
questions are key skills we hope you develop throughout this module.
We are looking forward to working with you. We want to help you enhance your academic
knowledge and experience. Moreover, our goal is the development of also your capacity to
apply new ideas and improve processes in your work context.

With Best Wishes,

Stephanos Avakian Anne Daguerre

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The Teaching Team
Tutor
Dr Stephanos Avakian
Dr Anne Daguerre
Mrs Auréliane Walker BA, MA,
CPE, BPTC LLM (Barrister)
Email address
Senior Lecturer in OB/HRM & Module Leader
s.avakian@brighton.ac.uk
Reader in HRM
a.daguerre@brighton.ac.uk
MBA Course Leader
a.walker1@brighton.ac.uk

Scheduled Teaching Sessions – Face to Face

Monday 18:00-21:00 (10 weeks) Location: ELM HOUSE 104
Date Topic Activity
27th Introduction to the Demonstrating the components of an argument
September module • Claim
Literature Review • Evidence
Use of Theory • Warrant
Formative Assignment The Craft of Research
Summative Assignment
Marking Grid
4th October Management viewed as What is your management model? (MIT Sloan
a change of gears Management Review)
11th Managing Culture The leader’s guide to corporate culture (Harvard
October Business Review)
18th Managing Change Disruptive Innovation In Health Care Delivery: A
October Framework For Business-Model Innovation
(Hwang and Christensen)
25th Org. Learning and What is organizational knowledge? (Tsoukas and
October Knowledge Management Vladimirou, Journal of Management Studies)
1st Managing Power Youtube video – ‘I am not Father Christmas’
November
8th Managing Ethics and Ethical Conflicts at Enron:
November Social Responsibility (Watkins, S. S. 2003, Californian Management
Review)
15th Managing Motivation New generation organizations
November and Rewards Motivating employees through creative working
practices
22nd Formative Assessment Academic Essay Writing Example.
November Feedback
29th Managing Performance TBA
November

6th Managing Diversity TBA

December Question and Answer
Session

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Assessment
Every module is comprised by a formative and summative piece of assessment.

The formative assessment enables you to test out your knowledge and understanding in a
way that does not jeopardise your academic performance. The task is designed to help you
understand the academic requirements you need to meet whilst also getting useful feedback
for improving your performance. Hence, the grade you get from the formative assignment
does not count towards your final grade, but you are required to submit the work as part of
meeting the module’s requirements. In contrast to the formative assessment, the summative
assessment is the main piece of work you need to produce, and which counts towards your
final grade. As this module is exam based only this means that your summative assignment
counts 100% towards your overall module grade.

Formative Assessment
You are required to identify one organizational issue of your personal preference that
causes tension in your workplace.

By using one the following topics you are asked to review the relevant literature and make
recommendations for how it could be addressed effectively.

- Management
- Change
- Culture
- Knowledge Management
- Leadership
- Performance Management
- Rewards

Word count: 1500 words | Deadline: Wednesday 27th Oct 2021 by 17:00pm

Summative Assessment
You are required to choose one of the following topics and produce a 3000 +/- 10% words
essay. The word count excludes the reference list, figures, and tables.
1. Select and evaluate one existing management approach in your organization and
make two recommendations for how it could be improved.
2. Discuss the extent to which the culture of your organization could change and what
conceptual framework you would deploy for documenting such change.
3. Identify what organizational conditions would be required to be in place so that
your organization improves on its organizational learning and knowledge management
front.
4. Discuss the extent to which your organization is prepared to identify and utilize
talent among employees and what it could do differently.
5. Identify one internal or/and external threat your organization is experiencing at
present and considered to be vital for its survival. By making use of the content covered in

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the module make two recommendations for how this threat can be addressed more
effectively. The summative assessment is an open book exam. You will be given 72 hours to
complete it from the time that is going to be made available online. You will need to address
three exam questions out of six. Your allowed word limit for each exam question is 1000
words only.
Word count: 3000 words | Deadline Monday 13th December 2021 by 17:00pm
Our aim is to provide the grades back to you by 31st January 2022

Recommended Textbooks
• We will be deploying the following textbook: Daft, L. R. (2016) Management. (12th
Edition). Boston: Cengage Learning.
• You are strongly recommended to access it through the Aspire Reading List from the
following URL:https://www.vlebooks.com/Vleweb/Product/Index/605872?page=0
*In case you have any technical difficulties accessing its content online and through the
Aspire list you can access it from the following URL:
https://1drv.ms/b/s!AmATaFq32K3qlI8V3hURIMrj83CtRQ?e=ZYldxE

Key Deadlines
Formative: 1500 Words 27 Oct. 21 Summative: 3000 words, 8th Dec. 2021 by
Turnitin submission by 17:00 Turnitin submission 17:00

ASPIRE STUDY RESOURCES

Aspire list is the dedicated place where you are able to access all relevant reading and study
resources online.

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WORKSHOPS
Each workshop is designed in light of three principles (a) the information and knowledge
you need to understand, and which remains field-specific, (b) understanding the relevance
of the studied concepts to for your personal work and experience, (c) the application of the
relevant academic concepts to interpreting your situations/events/experiences differently
(i.e. a knowledge informed perspective).

Knowledge Workshops are based on the lecture as well your as prior reading.
Academic concepts, models, theories cannot be covered in their entirety
and require prolonged familiarization through personal study.
The first part of the workshop focuses on key terms, concepts, ideas,
theories.
Relevance Group work is an important element in the design of your workshop. You
are asked to bring forward your personal work experience and engage in
teach work activities.
Be prepared to make particular reference to what happens within your
working environment whilst respecting information that might be
considered ‘confidential’.
Application The application of the ideas covered in the lecture and workshop activities
are designed to help you think of what can be done differently in your
organization.
Becoming reflective is an important component of self-learning and self-
development. Exploring alternative ways of thinking or how to introduce
changes remains the more pivotal part of your learning where the
application of concepts is required. Remember that concept-application is
not ‘one-way’ as if propositions are ‘right’ or ‘wrong’. The credibility of an
application is dependent on the body of your reasoning and justification.

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 Example – Organizational Culture
Knowledge Culture is defined as a sum of visible as well as invisible qualities that
impact human decision making. Such qualities are directly
communicated through the close family environment but also through
society. An academic study of culture is seeking to decipher the
constitution of values that over time come to have significant effect on
what is accepted as the ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ thing to do. Studies examine
how cultures remain cohesive but also less cohesive. For example, the
culture of a country-nation is situated in the language, behavioural
norms but also behaviours that have a long history in the country.
Cultural values remain unnoticed and require serious reflection to be
recognized for their strength and influence. Similarly, organizations
develop their values according to decision making that corresponds to
founders’ wishes/goals. Becoming part of an organizational culture
becomes significant for how individuals identify common set of
behaviours. Changing an organizational culture is often considered
prominent for introducing new ‘best practices’ to the organization.
However, the method of such introduction is situated in counter-values
that can be found in harmony or at tension with contrasting values.
Relevance Any organization carries its own form of culture whether such activity is
being fully realized by its members or not. Creating a ‘relevance’
between an exposition of culture situated in the academic literature and
your personal work experience begins from understanding which
behaviours are considered ‘significant’ and how such behaviours are
connected to key beliefs/assumptions/values that regulate behaviours
over time. Hence, the relevance of the academic study of culture needs
to take place by reflecting on what cultural behaviours are prominent
with the organization right now.
Application An application of the information and knowledge about culture is now
transferred to understanding the making of possible interventions and
their management. For example, if your organization happens to exist in
some type of culture where personal achievement or commitment is not
being realized, then there is need to consider what kind of
norms/values/principles could be introduced in order to change such a
regime. The application of this exercise will begin by identifying (a) the
values that ‘should’ be introduced but also (b) the type of activities that
could make such process possible.

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 L7 MBA – HRM84 MARKING GRID FOR FORMATIVE AND SUMMATIVE
ASSIGNMENT
Mark Research Content Argument and Organisation, style
analysis and presentation
70+ • Wide ranging • Material • Original critical • Excellent work
as below research contributes to thinking based able to express
plus; showing current on outstanding original reasoned
breadth and understanding. insight, argument in a lucid
depth of • Potentially knowledge and manner.
sources. publishable in understanding • Potentially
• Excellent terms of of material. publishable in
ability to review content. terms of
and critique a presentation.
wide range of
sources.
60-69 • Extensive use • Detailed • Critical and • Very good
as below of relevant and understanding rigorous balanced coherent
plus current of knowledge analysis of the presentation of
literature. and theory. subject matter. subject matter.
• Selection of • Understanding • Ability to
sources shows of conceptual analyse
criticality. complexities context and
demonstrated. develop new
explanations
and theories.
50-59 • Confidence in • Knowledge of • Presents • Literature cited
As understanding theory. pertinent and presented
below and using • Attempts to issues in a mostly according
plus literature. view in wider critical context. to convention.
• Use of sources context. • Evidence of
shows evaluation and
criticality analysis.

40-49 • Limited or • Some • Little attempt at • Deficits in length,

Marginal inappropriate knowledge of evaluation. structure,
FAIL research relevant • Conclusions presentation and
concepts. vague, /or prose.
Significant ambiguous or • No reference list.
gaps in not based on
understanding research.
and /or
knowledge.

0-39 No serious attempt to address the question or problem and/or manifests a serious
FAIL misunderstanding of the requirements of the assignment. Acutely deficient in all
aspects

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Required Textbook Reading for Each Workshop

Date Workshop Required Textbook Reading

27th Sept. Introduction to the Journal Article: The reinvention of SA
module management
4th October Management viewed Chapter 1: The World of Innovative SA
as a change of gears Management and Chapter 2: The Evolution of
Management Thinking (pages 2-70)
11th October Managing Culture Chapter 3: The Environment and Corporate SA
Culture
18th October Managing Change Chapter 11. Managing Change and SA
Innovation
25th October Org. Learning and Chapter 4: Managing in the Global SA
Knowledge Environment
Management
Formative Assignment Wednesday 27th Oct 2021
1st Managing Power Pages 536-560 and Chapter 9 Managing SA
November Decision Making
8th Managing Ethics and Chapter 5. Managing Ethics and Social AD
November Social Responsibility Responsibility

15th Managing Motivation Chapter 16: Motivating Employees AD

November and Rewards

22nd Formative AD
November Assessment Feedback

29th Managing Chapter 19 Managing Quality and AD

November Performance Performance

6th Managing Diversity Chapter 13: Managing Diversity AD

December Question and Answer
Session
Summative Assignment Monday 13th December 2021 by 17:00pm

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Indicative Summative Assignment Topics
(the final list is to be completed and shared with you in the next three weeks)

1. By making use of the information taught in this module, choose, and evaluate one
aspect of management work and practice which you consider to be vital in your
organization. Make two recommendations for how this management aspect could
be improved.

2. Discuss the extent to which your organization’s current culture could change and
what conceptual framework you would deploy for documenting such change(s).

3. Identify what organizational conditions would be required to be in place so that

your organization improves on its organizational learning and knowledge
management front.

Please note that this module handbook is subjected to changes/updates during the course
of the module’s delivery

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