Understanding Organisations

• Credit value: 30 credits at Level 3
• Convenor: Jose Camarena Brenes
• Assessment: a 1000-word individual report/essay (30%) and a 2000-word individual report/essay (70%)

In this Foundation Year module we introduce you to:

• organisations
• organisational strategy
• business planning.

You will learn about the nature and types of organisation, constructing informal and formal organisational charts, and identify how organisations develop successful strategies in the face of rapidly changing environments that pose threats and present opportunities.

You will also explore individual differences, power, job design and teamwork, motivation, communication, and the mix of attributes, skills and capabilities required by successful strategic managers and the process involved in strategy and business planning.

Indicative syllabus

• The nature, purpose and types of organisations
• The key features of effective organisations
• The relationship between organisational structure, culture and performance
• Methods of communication in organisations
• Contemporary issues in organisations
• The nature of strategy and business planning
• Strategic purpose: mission, vision, values
• Approaches to analysing the business and wider macro environments
• Strategic capabilities: resources, capabilities and the value chain
• Business and corporate level strategies
• Preparing a business plan

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

• demonstrate knowledge of the nature, purpose and types of organisations
• demonstrate knowledge of the key features of effective organisations
• analyse the relationship between organisational structure, culture and performance
• analyse the importance of the relationship between informal and formal processes within organisations and their impact on organisational effectiveness
• evaluate the nature and process of strategic management
• analyse the integrated nature of the strategic management process: strategy formulation and implementation
• demonstrate knowledge of the key components of a creative business plan
• demonstrate knowledge of the terms used in strategy and business planning
• evaluate the skills needed by strategic managers in order to develop and implement business plans.