2014/2015  BA-BSOCU1013U  Applied Organisational Analysis

English Title

Applied Organisational Analysis

Course information
Language	English
Course ECTS	7.5 ECTS
Type	Mandatory
Level	Bachelor
Duration	One Quarter
Course period	Autumn, Second Quarter
Timetable	Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Study board	Study Board for BSc in Business Administration and Sociology
Course coordinator
Maja Lotz - Department of Business and Politics (DBP)
Main academic disciplines
Organization Economic and organizational sociology Methodology
Last updated on 12-08-2014

Learning objectives

On successful completion of the course, students should be able to: Identify and compare different analytical approaches to the study of organisations covered in the curriculum Account for how organisational processes are formed, developed and managed in stable and dynamic environments. Identify and discuss the characteristics of the relations between organizations, groups and individuals. Identify and explain strengths and weaknesses in the approaches applied during the course in the analysis of organizational practices. Select, apply and explain the theoretical perspectives introduced during the course in an empirical analysis of organizations in the second year project.

Course prerequisites

The courses BA-BSOCU1013U Applied Organisational Analysis, BA-BSOCU1017U Qualitative Methods, BA-BSOCU3000U The Company from a Contextual Perspective, and BA-BSOCO4001U Applied Qualitative Methods and Mixed Methods have one intergrated exam. You can only participate in BA-BSOCU1013U Applied Organisational Analysis if you also register for the other courses: BA-BSOCU1017U Qualitative Methods, BA-BSOCU3000U The Company from a Contextual Perspective, and BA-BSOCO4001U Applied Qualitative Methods and Mixed Methods.

Examination

The course shares exams with

BA-BSOCU1017U

Course content and structure

This course takes its theoretical point of departure in the course Organizational Sociology from the second semester. However, in the present course we take a slightly different approach to the study of organizations, concentrating on how we can apply the theoretical frameworks introduced in the second semester and elaborated upon in this semester to concrete organizations. In so doing, we put our theories into context discussing their analytical strengths and weaknesses in different organizational settings. The application of our theoretical framework is carried out on the basis of case studies which are coordinated with the course: Qualitative Methods (QM) in the way that the methods used in the case studies are qualitative methods that you will be introduced to in QM. This enables you to use the cases from this course in the QM course. The two courses will be examined jointly at the end of the fourth semester as part of the second year project. The course material involves a combination of theory and case studies where the focus is very much on the application of theory onto one or several cases. The case studies cover a wide range of sectors, fields and concrete organizational settings. Furthermore, they include a variety of methodological approaches to organizational analysis. This facilitates coordination between this course and QM which is further enhanced by the design of the two courses, i.e. each one devided into corresponding blocs. Literature: Choice of Literature The course literature for bloc I, II and III consists 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 are based upon an elaborate case-study and employ a method / methods that is/are a) qualitative and b) part of the curriculum of the course Qualitative Methods – preferably the same bloc. Availability These articles are available in the electronic library at CBS, where they can be downloaded. Additional material may be put on CBS LEARN prior to class.

Teaching methods

Lectures, group discussions and group presentations.