• 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.

Taking its point of departure in the theories presented in ‘Introduction to Organizational Theory’, the present course emphasizes how we can apply familiar and new theoretical frameworks to the analysis of specific organizations. In so doing, we put our theories into context in order to discuss their analytical strengths and weaknesses in different organizational settings. The application of our theoretical frameworks is carried out on the basis of case studies which are coordinated with the course: Qualitative Methods (QLM). That is, the methods used in the case studies with which we work correspond to those that are introduced in QLM. The two courses are partially examined jointly as they form the theoretical and methodological bases 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.


Literature:

Choice of Literature
The course literature 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.

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.