Organization with Theory of Science

Study Board of Business Economics

Teaching language: English
EKA: B100110X02, B100110402, B100110102
Censorship: Second examiner: External
Grading: 7-point grading scale
Offered in: Soenderborg, Odense
Offered in: Autumn
Level: Bachelor

Course ID: B100110X01, B100110401, B100110101
ECTS value: 10

Date of Approval: 20-03-2018


Duration: 1 semester

Course ID

B100110X01
B100110401
B100110101

Course Title

Organization with Theory of Science

Teaching language

English

ECTS value

10

Responsible study board

Study Board of Business Economics

Date of Approval

20-03-2018

Course Responsible

Name Email Department
Ingo Winkler inw@sam.sdu.dk

Offered in

Soenderborg, Odense

Level

Bachelor

Offered in

Autumn

Duration

1 semester

Mandatory prerequisites

None.

Recommended prerequisites

None.

Aim and purpose

All organizations have many features in common and scholars often use similar theories and models to understand what goes on in them, regardless of the particular type of organisation. But organizations are also characterized by what they do. This course explains what organizations are, their internal processes and structures, and how human characteristics and circumstances, including prevailing norms and ethical considerations, affect and shape organizations.

The aim of this course is to provide basic knowledge of behavior, groups and teams, management, communication, and structure of all types of organizations. The students acquire skills and competencies to use this knowledge in order to analyse, design and change organizations.

To understand organisations and the process of organizing requires that students have basic knowledge of key scientific concepts and ways of thinking. Therefore a further objective of the course is to intorduce students to theories of science.

Relationships to other courses:

Organization with theory of science is one of the key subjects in business economics. The course is directly related to the course on strategy, in that both formulating and obtaining the company’s objectives depends on its organization and the development of available resources. The course is linked to the course on finance as financing concerns the provision and management of such resources. The course on marketing draws on similar knowledge about the behaviour of individuals. The relation to the course on accounting is reflected in a company's accounts as an indication of the effectiveness and efficiency that lies in its structure in relation to the organization's objectives. It also affects measurements of performance through, for example, the company's accounting records the behaviour of the stakeholders, including the company's employees.

Content

The course provides knowledge about the central topics of both organisation and theory of science. This includes definitions, theories, models, methods and processes related to:

Individuals
•The individual's personality, values, perception and distortion 
•Decision-and Ethics 
•Attitudes, rewards, job satisfaction and stress 
•Motivation 

Groups
•Groups and teams 
•Leadership and management styles 
•Power and politics in organizations 
•Conflict and negotiation 
•Communication 
•Diversity 

Organization
•Organizational structure 
•Organizational design 
•Organizational culture 
•Organizational change 
•Social changes and organizational changes 
•Interaction between the organization and its environments 
•Technology and organizational structure 

Theory of science
•Main directions and basic paradigms.

Learning goals

At the end of the course, the students must be able to:

•Describe organizations and their conduct by means of an appropriate selection of theories and models, 
•Reflect critically on the validity of these concepts, theories and models, 
•Apply theories and models to independently analyse and assess whether the organization is able to achieve its goals, 
•Have knowledge of key norms and ethical issues of organizational work, and 
•Explain the scientific theoretical basis for an investigation and what implications this has for the study of organisations. 

Literature

 For example:
•Stephen P. Robbins, Timothy A. Judge, & Timothy T. Campbell (2017) Organizational Behaviour, Pearson (2nd edition)
•Knud Sinding & Christian Waldstrøm, Organisational Behaviour, Mcgraw-Hill Education Ltd. (latest edition)
•David Buchanan & Andrzej Huczynski, Organizational Behaviour, Pearson (latest edition) 
•Literature for theory of science will be announced at the beginning of the semester 
•Additional literature: notes, cases, articles.

Teaching Method

The course includes lectures to support the student's own reading of the subject’s content. The purpose of the lectures is to create an overview of the various topics and to show how they are related to each other. The course also contains exercises / workshops / seminars designed to develop students’ skills to analyse specific issues. Here teachers use cases, articles, discussion questions etc. Finally, the course applies e-learning methods to support students’ learning process, among others in form of videotuturials as support for solving exam assignments. In the mid of the course the students participate in an exam exercise.

Workload

Scheduled classes:
2 x 2 lectures and 1 exercise session per week for 15 weeks. Exercise sessions may be planned as 2 exercise sessions every second week.


Students’ expected workload:

•Classroom hours (lectures): 60 hours.
•Classroom hours (exercises/workshops/seminars): 20 hours.
•E-learning supported teaching: a minimum of 10 hours.
•Preparation, reading and follow-up: 156 hours.
•Exam preparation: 20 hours.
•Exam: 4 hours.
•Sum: 270 hours. 

Examination regulations

Exam

Name

Exam

Timing

Exam: January.
Reexam: February.

The form of examination may be changed at reexam.

Tests

Exam

Name

Exam

Form of examination

Written examination on premises

Censorship

Second examiner: External

Grading

7-point grading scale

Identification

Student Identification Card - Exam number

Language

English

Duration

4 hours written exam.

Length

Page limitation – 8 to 10 standard pages (one page 2.400 characters incl. spaces).

Examination aids

All exam aids allowed.
It is not allowed to communicate with others during the exam.

Assignment handover

Will be handed out in the examination room.

Assignment handin

Only digital submission, via SDU-assignment in the course page in Blackboard.

ECTS value

10

Additional information

The exam is held at the university. The examination is held using the students own PC.
Internet access: Required.

EKA

B100110X02
B100110402
B100110102

External comment

NOTE - This course is identical with the former course 83115x01 / Campus Odense: 83115301 Campus Sønderborg: 83115501 Organization with Theory of Science.

Used examination attempts in the former identical course will be transferred.
Courses that are identical with former courses that are passed according to applied rules cannot be retaken.

The student is automatically registered for the first examination attempt when the student is registered for a course or course element with which one or more examinations are associated. Withdrawal of registration is not possible, and students who fail to participate in an examination have used one examination attempt, unless the University has made an exemption due to special circumstances. 
If a student does not meet the established university prerequisites for taking the exam, he or she has used one examination attempt, unless the University has made an exemption due to special circumstances.

Courses offered

Offer period Offer type Profile Education Semester