English   Danish

2010/2011  BA-HASOC2YP  Second year project on organisational analysis, evaluation and assessment, and research methods

English Title
Second year project on organisational analysis, evaluation and assessment, and research methods

Course Information

Language English
Point 30 ECTS (900 SAT)
Type Mandatory
Level Bachelor
Duration Two Semesters
Course Period
Time Table Please see course schedule at e-Campus
Study Board
Study Board for BSc in Business Administration and Sociology
Course Coordinator
  • 3QLM. QUALITATIVE METHODS
    Anna Leander - Department of Intercultural Communication and Management
  • 3AOA. APPLIED ORGANISATIONAL ANALYSIS
    Benedikte Brincker - International Center for Business and Politics
  • 4EA. EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENT - THEORY AND PRACTICE
    Benedikte Brincker - International Center for Business and Politics
  • 4MM. MIXED METHODS AND COMPARATIVE APPROACHES
    Maribel Blasco - Department of Intercultural Communication and Management
Main Category of the Course
  • Economic and organizational sociology
  • Organization
Last updated on 29 maj 2012
Learning Objectives
The student should demonstrate ability to:

• work in an interdisciplinary way,
• formulate, delimit and analyse an academic problem,
• select and apply theories and methods relevant to the project,
• select and apply fundamental qualitative methods and some mixed methods,
• show practical knowledge of fundamental organisational analysis and theories about evaluation and assessment, and
• structure the layout and present the material in a clearly formulated and accessible way in terms of both language and content.

COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

3QLM. QUALITATIVE METHODS
On successful completion of the course, the student should be able to use different qualitative methods and analytical strategies within organisational sociology and business administration. Specifically, the student should be able to:

• situate specific qualitative methodologies in relation to the theoretical traditions in which they are embedded,
• formulate and operationalise a research problem that is suitable for treatment by means of basic qualitative methods, and account for the relationship between theory and methods in the process,
• use basic qualitative methods such as ethnographic analysis, text analysis and interviews to research problems within organisational sociology and business administration, and
• critically assess strengths and weaknesses of the applied methods in relation to specific research problems.

3AOA. APPLIED ORGANISATIONAL ANALYSIS
On successful completion of the course, the student should be able to:

• compare different types of organisations and identify how organisations are formed, managed and developed, in stable and in dynamic contexts,
• analyse the consequences of organisational descriptions and analyses for organisational practices,
• identify and discuss the characteristics of the relations between organisations, social groups and individuals, and
• apply the theoretical perspectives covered in the curriculum in an empirical analysis of the institutional and social forms of capital within organisations.

4MM. MIXED METHODS AND COMPARATIVE APPROACHES
On successful completion of the course, the student should be able to design and execute combinations of quantitative and qualitative inquiries in relation to substantive issues in the cross-field of business administration and sociology. Specifically, the student should be able to:

• formulate and operationalise a research problem that is suitable for treatment by means of a combination between basic quantitative and qualitative methods,
• select and apply mixed methods from the course curriculum in the analysis of researchproblems within the cross-field of organisational sociology and business administration,
• discuss when and why it is relevant to use mixed methods to the analysis of organisations and their surroundings, and
• discuss and explain the strengths and weaknesses of the applied methods in relation to a concrete research problem.

4EA. EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENT - THEORY AND PRACTICE
On successful completion of the course, the student should be able to:

• demonstrate knowledge about relevant models for evaluation and the information they provide,
• argue the case for appropriate models in different social and institutional contexts,
• develop and plan evaluations,
• demonstrate an understanding of the competences required to execute different types of evaluation, and
• assess the implications of implementing evaluation in different social and institutional contexts.
Examination
Second year project on organisational analysis, evaluation and assessment, and research methods
Assessment Oral with Written Assignment
Marking Scale 7-step scale
Censorship External examiners
Exam Period May/June
Aids Without preparation
Duration 30 Minutes
• The two third semester courses ‘Qualitative Methods’ and ‘Applied Organisational Analysis’ and the two fourth semester courses ‘Mixed Methods and Comparative Approaches’ and ‘Evaluation and Assessment - theory and practice’ are assessed at the second year project examination. • The examination is an individual oral examination of 30 minutes, including the examiners’ discussion and awarding of the grade. It is based on the second year project, but the syllabi of the four courses assessed at this examination may be drawn in by the internal examiner. • The project is to be written in groups of four, cf., however, section 6(7), and be of max. 35 standard pages. It must include an abstract. For more details, see the separate project guidelines. • The student will be awarded one grade according to the 7-point grading scale, reflecting an overall assessment of the project, the oral presentation and the defence. The student’s proficiency in spelling and fluency in writing will also be taken into account in the assessment. However, most emphasis will be put on the academic content. • The examination is external, and assessment is carried out by an internal examiner and an external examiner appointed by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation. Make-up examination and re-examination The re-take takes place according to the same rules as the regular examination. However, the following supplementary rules apply: • For projects where some of the group members are awarded the grade 00 or below at the oral examination, the failed students must submit individually, before the re-take, 2-3 pages on aspects of the project, as specified by the internal examiner. • For projects where all members are awarded the grade 00 or below at the oral examination, the overall project is deemed unacceptable. Before the re-take, the project must be revised and improved. For supervision in this respect, the internal examiner will give a brief written critique of the project within eight working days after the regular oral examination.
Examination
Prerequisites for Attending the Exam
Course Content

The themes of the second year project are Applied Organisational Analysis and Evaluation & Assessment.

3QLM. QUALITATIVE METHODS
The objective of this course is to provide the student with practical skills in qualitative methods, in particularly how they can be applied in relation to the themes covered in the third semester course ‘Applied Organisational Analysis’. The primary focus of the course is the introduction of different qualitative methods, reflections on possibilities and limitations of qualitative methods as well as assessments of their validity.

3AOA. APPLIED ORGANISATIONAL ANALYSIS
The course builds on ‘Introduction to Organisational Sociology’ and its objective is that the student acquires the skills to describe the processes of sense-making within organisations, in order to analyse organisational processes as a specific context-dependent type of rationality, knowledge creation, and power struggle between groups and coalitions within and outside the organisation.


4MM. MIXED METHODS AND COMPARATIVE APPROACHES
The aim of this course is to provide the student with (1) knowledge about different designs, possibilities and limitations of quantitative and qualitative methods, as well as knowledge about the validity of these methods, and (2) skills to use different combinations of mixed methods and different analytical strategies in relation to the cross-field of organisational sociology and business administration, as well as the ability to critically reflect on the knowledge produced.


4EA. EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENT - THEORY AND PRACTICE
The aim of this course is to enable the student to analyse different forms of evaluation and assessment with respect to the mode of knowledge production and the function evaluation may have in different social and institutional contexts. This implies that the student will gain the basic skills necessary for designing and conducting an evaluation and will be able to understand and make a case for the relevance of different models for evaluation in different organisational and institutional contexts.

Student Workload
Classes 100 hours
Preparation for class 400 hours
Project 390 hours
Examination 10 hours
Further Information

Benedikte Brincker, CBP, is 2nd year project coordinator

Literature

3QLM. QUALITATIVE METHODS
A compendium for the course is available in the CBS bookstore. The readings for each session are structured according to the course structure: a text book chapter for each method for the first session that will give an overview, a classical text in social theory that will contextualize the method and embeds it in a broader framework of how to study societies and economies, and a hands-on text of how to practically conduct the respective analysis accompanied by a case study.


3AOA. APPLIED ORGANISATIONAL ANALYSIS
The course literature for bloc I and II consist of journal articles that have been selected according to the following criteria: 1) that they provide excellent insights into a given analytical approach 2) that they involve an elaborate case-study and employs a method / methods that is/are a) qualitative and b)part of the curriculum of the course Qualitative Methods – preferably the same bloc . These articles are available in the electronic library. The literature drawn upon in the third bloc is taken from the following text book that we recommend that students purchase:

Simon Collinson and Glenn Morgan (eds.) 2009. Images of the Multinational Firm. West Sussex: Wiley

4MM. MIXED METHODS AND COMPARATIVE APPROACHES
The prescribed readings arecollected in a compendium, which can be purchased at the campus bookstore.


4EA. EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENT - THEORY AND PRACTICE
The prescribed readings arecollected in a compendium, which can be purchased at the campus bookstore.

 



Course Information

Language English
Point 30 ECTS (900 SAT)
Type Mandatory
Level Bachelor
Duration Two Semesters
Course Period
Time Table Please see course schedule at e-Campus
Study Board
Study Board for BSc in Business Administration and Sociology
Course Coordinator
  • 3QLM. QUALITATIVE METHODS
    Anna Leander - Department of Intercultural Communication and Management
  • 3AOA. APPLIED ORGANISATIONAL ANALYSIS
    Benedikte Brincker - International Center for Business and Politics
  • 4EA. EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENT - THEORY AND PRACTICE
    Benedikte Brincker - International Center for Business and Politics
  • 4MM. MIXED METHODS AND COMPARATIVE APPROACHES
    Maribel Blasco - Department of Intercultural Communication and Management
Main Category of the Course
  • Economic and organizational sociology
  • Organization
Last updated on 29 maj 2012