Course Outline 2016
MGMT 223: UNDERSTANDING WORK AND PEOPLE (15 POINTS)
Semester 1 (1163)
Course Prescription
Models of work organisation, reform and performance, including industrial and postindustrial forms of work. Employee responses to work and the employment relationship.
Workforce diversity.
Programme and Course Advice
Prerequisite: BUSINESS 102 or MGMT 101 or 30 points in Anthropology or Sociology
Goals of the Course
The purpose of this course is to provide students with a robust introduction to the study
of people within work systems and their inter-relationship with social systems. Students
will address:
•
•
•
What work is and how it is experienced;
How work is changing and how workers need to respond to these changes;
How organisations utilise the employment relationship, and practises of HRM, to
manage and control workers.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course it is expected that the student will be able to:
1. demonstrate an understanding of theories, research methods and debates on the
nature of work in contemporary organisations;
2. apply academic theory on work to the discussion and explanation of real world
examples from New Zealand and abroad;
3. recognise the importance that businesses should place on the impact that
technology, globalisation, post-industrialisation have on work and workers
4. demonstrate critical and creative thinking in being able to formulate and justify
appropriate recommendations and /or solutions to work related issues.
5. showed improved communication skills in various format (e.g. written and oral) and
for various purposes (e.g. informing, persuading, justifying); and
6. exhibit improved information literacy skills in being able to source, evaluate, and
summarise appropriate information on a given subject or topic on people within work
systems and their inter-relationship with social systems.
Content Outline
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Introduction: The Evolution of work
Work
Satisfaction and Alienation
Technology
Labour Process Theory (Deskilling Thesis)
Post-industrialisation (Up-skilling thesis)
Service Work
Globalisation
The role of HRM
Employment Relations in NZ
The Future of Work
Review
Learning and Teaching
The anticipated class size should not exceed 220 students. The class will meet for three
hours each week. Class time will be used for a combination of lectures and applied
discussions of case studies and/or current events both nationally and internationally
around work in organisations. In additional to attending classes, students should be
prepared to spend about another six hours per week on activities related to this course.
These activities include carrying out the required readings, keeping up with the business
press re current issues of relevance to this course, and preparing for assignments and
the final exam.
Teaching Staff
Audrea Warner
Lecturer
Office: OGGB 426
Tel: 373-7599
Email: audrea.warner@auckland.ac.nz
Office hours: Tuesdays 10-12
Learning Resources
The required textbook for this course is: Hodson, R., and Sullivan, R. (2012). The Social
Organization of Work. Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth.
The key written resources for the course are the textbook and online readings. You are
advised to bring these to lectures. The text will be the key focal point of your learning in
this paper, so you are encouraged to purchase your own copy. Students are of course
encouraged to read beyond the textbook to further their understanding and there are
some additional readings that support learning objectives for some weeks.
Online Readings: A portion of the readings are from sources other than the textbook.
These ‘online readings’ can be accessed via Talis.
Lectures
There are three hours of lectures per week. The purpose of lectures is to explore aspects
of course content. Classes will involve small and large group discussion of the material
therefore you are encouraged to read the relevant chapter(s) before each class so
that you can get the most out of these discussions. Lectures will not be recorded.
Assessment
Individual Assignment (Four Short reflections)
Individual Assignment (Research Essay)
Final Exam
(2 hours, covering the entire course)
Total
20%
30%
50%
____
100%
Further details on these assessments will be provided at our first lecture.
The broad relationship between these assessments and the course learning outcomes is
as follows:
Learning Outcome
Assignment
1
2
3
4
5
6
Assignment
X
X
X
X
X
X
Final
Exam
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Inclusive Learning
Students are urged to discuss privately any impairment-related requirements face- toface and/or in written form with the course convenor/lecturer and/or tutor.
Student Feedback
This section is to be used to:
Student feedback from last year has been used to shape the course this year with more
focus on setting questions for the one hour lectures to ensure students have understood
key concepts, ideas and theories. As material over the course builds on subsequent
weeks readings and keeping up with course readings is very important. Current students
will be asked to complete evaluations (course, teaching, tutoring) at the end of the
course.
Guidelines for Written Work
General
Written assignments are an important part of your grade and therefore care should be
taken over their planning, preparation and presentation.
•
Assignments must be typed using only one side of A4 paper.
•
Standard Microsoft Word settings of 2.5cm margins right and left hand
side are acceptable. Fully justified paragraphs are also requested.
•
1.5 or double line space your paragraphs
•
12pt Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri are best fonts
•
Following APA referencing, each assignment must contain in-text citations
and a complete reference list. Refer to Write that Essay for referencing
help
•
Submit a hard copy in the allocated class time (in the case of the research
essay, attach the Department of Management and International Business
cover sheet), as well as an electronic copy to www.turnitin.com
There is always a risk of an assignment being lost. Make a complete copy of your work
before handing one in for marking. Without a copy, if your assignment should be
misplaced, you will have to re-write the assignment or forfeit the marks: the
responsibility to make a copy is yours.
Late Assignments
Students are required to submit assignments on time. The lecturer can elect not to mark
any late assignments. However in the event of exceptional circumstances an extension
may be granted if sufficient proof of the unforeseen event is provided. Extensions should
be negotiated before the due date. A 15% penalty per day is likely to apply to late
assignments.
Cheating and plagiarism
The University of Auckland regards cheating as a serious academic offence. Plagiarism is
a form of cheating. In coursework assignments submitted for marking, plagiarism can
occur if you use the work and ideas of others without explicit acknowledgment. Work
can be plagiarised from many sources, including books, journal articles, the internet, and
other students’ assignments. A student’s assessed work may be reviewed against
electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable
request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for
computerised review.
Please note it is a form of academic misconduct to submit work that you have already
used in another assessment, whether it be from this course or another course, another
educational institution, etc.
The way of avoiding plagiarism is to reference your work properly. If you are in doubt
about how to reference properly, ask someone – your lecturers, tutors and the Student
Learning Centre are good places to start. Please refer to the following website for
further information about academic referencing: www.cite.auckland.ac.nz/
The document Guidelines: Conduct of Coursework provides further advice on how to
avoid plagiarism. It can be found at: www.business.auckland.ac.nz/conductcoursework
The penalties for plagiarism can be severe, including losing some or all of the marks for
the assignment. Major offences can be sent to the University’s Discipline Committee,
where further penalties can be imposed.
Third party assistance with coursework
While you are encouraged to improve your coursework writing skills and are permitted to
seek assistance from third parties you are advised that there are important limits on the
amount and type of assistance that can be given to you in completing your assignments,
including group work. Third parties include fellow students, reading groups, friends,
parents, SLC tutors, and paid-for professional editing services.
There is a set of guidelines which clearly indicates the type of advice and assistance that
can be given. If you are seeking the assistance of any third party you are required to
give a copy of the guidelines to the person prior to them helping or assisting you.
You are also required to only seek and accept help using a printed version of your work,
not an electronic version. You must keep a copy of this printed version and produce it if
required. A copy of the guidelines is available at: https://policies.auckland.ac.nz/policydisplay-register/student-academic-conduct-statute.pdf
Help with academic referencing
Acknowledgement of sources is an important aspect of academic writing. The
University’s Referen©ite website www.cite.auckland.ac.nz provides students with a onestop online resource for academic referencing needs.
Referen©ite explains the
essentials of referencing and how to avoid plagiarism. It also includes practical tools to
help students reference correctly, use references effectively in writing, and gives fast
access to some major reference formats with examples.
Assignment Feedback
Feedback for assignment work is recognised as an important part of the learning
process. An Assignment Feedback Form will be returned with assignment work. We hope
you will find the feedback form a useful indicator of areas of strength and weakness in
your assignment. We also encourage students who desire more feedback on their work
to arrange a meeting with their marker to discuss areas of improvement, to help in
isolating the strengths of their work.