Management Essentials

Curriculum Guideline

Effective Date:
Course
Discontinued
No
Course Code
BUSN 1210
Descriptive
Management Essentials
Department
Business
Faculty
Commerce & Business Administration
Credits
3.00
Start Date
End Term
Not Specified
PLAR
No
Semester Length
15 Weeks
Max Class Size
35
Course Designation
None
Industry Designation
None
Contact Hours

Lecture: 3 hours/week

Seminar: 1 hour/week

Method(s) Of Instruction
Lecture
Seminar
Learning Activities

Lectures, seminars and case discussions.

Course Description
This course will introduce the student to managerial principles, methods and skills: understanding organizational structure, planning strategy and operations, controlling and leading. Particular attention will be given to managerial decision-making in a complex society.
Course Content
  1. Introduction to Business:  definition, types, Canadian environment
  2. Information Literacy Skills and Time Management
  3. What is Management and What do Managers do?
  4. Evolution of Management:  early years, recent years, current trends and issues
  5. Managing the Organizational Environment
  6. Social Responsibility and Managerial Ethics
  7. Decision-Making:  the decision-making process, group decision-making
  8. Planning:  purposes and types of plans, the strategic management process, levels of strategy, business-level strategic frameworks, competitive strategies (Porter)
  9. Organizing:  defining organizational structure and design, building the vertical dimension of organizations, building the horizontal structure of organizations, the contingency approach to organizational design
  10. The Human Resource Management Process, Labour Relations
  11. Managing Change:  forces of change, resistance to change, techniques for managing change, contemporary issues in managing change, stimulating innovation
  12. Organizational Culture
  13. Organizational Behaviour:  explaining and predicting behaviour, attitudes, personality
  14. Groups and Teams:  understanding group behaviour, turning groups into effective teams, developing and managing effective teams
  15. Motivation:  early theories of motivation, contemporary approaches to motivation, suggestions for motivating employees
  16. Leadership:  behavioural theories, contingency theories, coaching skills
  17. Communication and Interpersonal Skills:  understanding communication, developing interpersonal skills (active listening, feedback, conflict management, delegation)
  18. Controlling:  the control process, types of control, qualities of an effective control system, information controls

Note:  The concepts of TQM and the Contingency Approach should be integrated throughout the content.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course, the successful student should be able to:

  1. describe the Canadian Business environment within which management takes place;
  2. define and describe the management function processes of planning, organizing, and controlling organizational work activities and how this is accomplished through effective leadership;
  3. analyze roles, skill sets and key performance concepts that are essential to managerial success utilizing a range of learning techniques;
  4. describe the development of management approaches that have contributed to organizational productivity;
  5. analyze and solve management problems;
  6. describe the importance of improving the ability of managers to acquire, comprehend, interpret, and utilize relevant knowledge through proper information management;
  7. practice business writing and presentation skills.

 

Means of Assessment

Assessment will be in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy.

Term Examinations 20% - 30%
Final Examination     30%
Written Case Study(s)            10% - 20%
Research Paper(s) 10% - 20%
Participation 05% - 10%
Public Presentation 05% - 10%
     100%

Students may conduct research as part of their coursework in this class. Instructors for the course are responsible for ensuring that student research projects comply with College policies on ethical conduct for research involving humans, which can require obtaining Informed Consent from participants and getting the approval of the Douglas College Research Ethics Board prior to conducting the research.

Textbook Materials

At the College Bookstore, a list of required and optional textbooks and materials is provided for students at the beginning of the semester.

Example textbooks:

Robbins, Stephen P., Mary Coulter and Nancy Langton.  Management, Latest Ed.  Prentice Hall Canada Inc.

Robbins, Stephen P., Mary Coulter and Nancy Langton.  Fundamentals of Management, Latest Ed.  Prentice Hall Canada Inc.

Jones, G.R., George, J.M., Hill, C. and Langton, N.  Essentials of Contemporary Management, Latest Cdn Ed. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd.

Jones, G.R., George, J.M., Hill, C. and Langton, N.  Contemporary Management, Latest Cdn Ed. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd.