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2011/2012  KAN-2MIO  Managing International Organizations and Non-Governmental Organizations

English Title
Managing International Organizations and Non-Governmental Organizations

Course Information

Language English
Point 7,5 ECTS (225 SAT)
Type Mandatory
Level Full Degree Master
Duration One Semester
Course Period Spring
Time Table Please see course schedule at e-Campus
Study Board
Study Board for BSc/MSc i International Business and Politics
Course Coordinator
  • Magali Gravier - Department for Business and Politics
Main Category of the Course
  • Management
Last updated on 29 maj 2012
Learning Objectives
At the end of the course students should be able to
  • Describe, explain, compare and assess the politics of management within intergovernmental and international non-governmental organizations informed by relevant IO theories and organizational sociology,
  • Apply the theories to empirical cases and use them to formulate and justify relevant research questions applied to management within intergovernmental and international non-governmental organizations,
  • Produce coherently argued answers to such research questions,
  • Account for the organizational structure, purpose, and functions of the studied intergovernmental and international non-governmental organizations,
  • Draw out and critically discuss relevant policy implications
Managing International Organizations and Non-Governmental Organizations:
Assessment Home Assignment
Marking Scale 7-step scale
Censorship Internal examiners
Exam Period May/June
Aids Please, see the detailed regulations below
Duration Please, see the detailed regulations below
Examination
Individual written essay. The essay will be graded according to the 7-point scale.

The course concludes with an essay written on an individual basis. The essay is supposed to be based on a question or topic of your choice that relates to the course literature. One possibility would be to write a rather theoretical or abstract paper on the politics of management reform in IOs and NGOs, maybe compare the two by using the information and material provided to you by the invited practitioners. You could also choose one IO or NGO and discuss the politics of management by means of a particular policy issue or reform agenda in that organization. Yet, the essay must not be the case study you have presented in the course.
Course Content
This course examines management processes and problems in intergovernmental and international non-governmental organizations. The course presents theories and cases related to globalization, management across cultures, managing employees, and managing knowledge. It develops skills in describing, analyzing and assessing such management practices, and in developing suggestions for solving management problems in IOs and NGOs. The development of knowledge in this area is at its fledgling stage and the course relies on the application of literature from organizational sociology to case studies on common areas of policy covered by intergovernmental and international non-governmental organizations as well as EU studies on interest groups. The course also relies on engagement with practitioners engaged with intergovernmental and international non-governmental organizations. The course will develop students’ analytical skills in understanding the politics of management within intergovernmental and international non-governmental organizations, as well as their case knowledge of how these organizations create policies and seek to create policy change in the field.
Teaching Methods
We have 12 2-hour sessions which will be structured as follows: The first seven sessions will be lectures/presentations by lecturers and practitioners of IOs or NGOs followed by group discussion. The subsequent four sessions are student-led. That means that we will build groups of about 5 students that together prepare a case study which will be presented in class. Each group has half an hour in which I expect students to facilitate the session. We will organize this in our first meeting. Facilitating means that the students are expected to prepare one particular case study of the politics of management in an IO or NGO of their choice and give a presentation of about 20 minutes in the beginning of the class. This will be followed by class discussion. Please be aware that for these four student-led classes, we split the whole group into two. You need to make sure that you know in which of the two main groups you are in. We meet on the same days in the same rooms, yet at different times. You find more information on timing below in the actual course outline. I will be available to discuss any queries and issues arising in relation to presentations as well as essay ideas. I would suggest meeting me before you have to present in class so that we can discuss the main issues regarding your case study. Some ideas for case studies are outlined below. These are suggestions and should be understood as an inspiration. You are more than welcome to choose something completely different.