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Course Manual
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
Pre-Master
2014/2015
First trimester: week 36 – week 50
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Pre-Master Curriculum
Compulsory & Recommended Courses per MSc Programme
Summary of important rules and regulations for BScIBA and MSc students
General Information
Summary of Workshop/Team Registration dates
Student Advisers
Master Event
Methodology (BAP073) – Pre-Master curriculum course
Philosophy of Science (BAB26) - Pre-Master curriculum course
Leadership, Sustainability & Governance (BAB27)
Organizational Theory & Dynamics (BAB21)
Quantitative Decision Making (BAB19)
Book list trimester 1
2
3
4
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5
5
5
6
10
14
20
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Course Manuals give more detailed information about courses within a trimester. They contain
the following information per course:
course title, course code, number of credits;
name of coordinator;
teaching staff;
contact person, secretariat, room numbers, phone numbers, visiting hours;
educational form;
examination form;
examination regulation;
examples for examinations;
aims and objectives of the course;
extended description of the course content;
subjects per lecture/workshop;
required literature: books, syllabus, reader, sheets;
literature and course content to be examined;
recommended further reading.
Course Manuals will be available at the beginning of each trimester, for each year of the
programme.
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Summary of important rules and regulations for BScIBA and MSc students
The following rules and regulations, depending on your situation, may have an effect on your
studies. For more information and a detailed explanation of all of these rules please consult
the Examination Regulations (http://www.rsm.nl/examination-board/examination-regulations/ ).
Rules regarding written examinations: http://www.rsm.nl/bachelor/current-students/bacheloriba/examinations-grades/examination-registration/
RSM rules
The Bachelor-before-Master rule
Admission to all RSM Master programmes is only possible if students have completed the
entire Bachelor programme (or pre-master programme), without a single course left open.
Last-Result Rule
Students have a free choice in the number of times that they wish to take a written examination. The result is the last grade obtained. If the material to be studied for an examination has
changed, the new material must be studied.
Should you decide during an examination that you would prefer not to submit your work for
grading, then you must inform the supervisor in your block (or room) in the M-building. The
supervisors will provide you with a red marker which you will be able to use to cross out your
answers. The supervisor will then collect your examination and the professor will be informed
that you do not want your examination to be graded.
General Information
You can download the Pre-Master Trimester 1 course manual, schedule, and book list via the
RSM IBA Current Students page (www.rsm.nl/current-students/pre-master-en). Also be sure
to subscribe to all of your trimester 1 courses via SIN. If any changes to the schedule,
registration dates, etc. should occur, these updates can be found in the respective SIN course
channels.
Tip: Take the time to peruse the message archive of your courses once a week to make sure
you are aware of all relevant registration dates, schedule changes, etc.
Registration for the final exams takes place via OSIRIS-Online. The registration dates are
always 35 to 7 days before the date of the exam. Mark your calendar!
More info: http://www.eur.nl/english/essc/student_administration/written/osiris/
An online course evaluation will be mailed to you at the end of each trimester 1 course. This
evaluation will remain open until the course’s exam date. The day of the final examination
you will receive a separate evaluation about the exam. Please take the time to fill in both of
these evaluations; your comments and feedback are greatly appreciated by members of the
IBA teaching staff and programme management.
We also recommend that you subscribe to the following SIN channels:
RSM Pre-Master International Business Administration - Pre-Master general information
channel with messages from programme management
RSM Examination Board - The RSM Examination Board’s own channel
Tentamenlocaties (Dutch for Examination Locations) – this is where seating assignments for
exams in the M-hall are announced
IBA Notice Board - where all non-programme related messages for IBA students are posted
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Summary of workshop/team registration dates (per course) –Register via SIN!
Mandatory Pre-Master courses:
Methodology (BAP073)
You will be assigned a team for the assignments. Each team will need to register for
a theme via SIN-Online between 2-12 September. This course also has two examinations for which you will need to register. Registration for these examinations will
take place 35 to 7 days before the examination dates. You can register for the exams via Osiris.
Philosophy of Science (BAB26)
You will not be required to register via SIN in order to take the BAB26 assignments.
MSc specific courses:
Leadership, Sustainability & Governance (BAB27)
Registration for the mandatory workshops – Wednesday, 10 September – Sunday, 21 September. Registration for the examination via Osiris.
Organizational Theory & Dynamics (BAB21)
Workshop and team registration – Monday, 22 September – Sunday, 28 September
Quantitative Decision Making (BAB19)
Plenary lectures (no registration required). Registration for exam part 1 via Osiris.
Student Advisers
The student advisers’ key task is to support students with their IBA studies. Students may
contact one of the student advisers for information, advice and/or guidance. The student
advisers are familiar with all aspects of the course programmes and can assist students in
making decisions in the fields of study planning, study choices, internships, exchange,
a second study, mediation with regard to examination board issues, etc.
Students who are not able to continue their studies or experience delays, for instance because
of personal circumstances such as illness, handicap, family circumstances etc., may also turn
to the student advisers for personal advice and guidance. For more information and contact
details please consult the following site:
http://www.rsm.nl/information-for/currentstudents/study-advice/premaster-iba/availability-contact-information/.
Master Event
The next Master Event will be held on 25 November, 2014. This event will allow you to visit
lectures, workshops and a general information market about the RSM master programmes.
Staff and Master student ambassadors will be present to answer your questions. The Spring
Master event will be held on 5 March, 2015. To learn more about the RSM Master programmes please visit www.rsm.nl/master
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Methodology
Course name:
Course code:
ECTS:
Term:
Coordinator:
Teachers:
Course structure:
Course schedule:
Examination:
Student Representation:
Office hours:
(BAP073)
Methodology
BAP073
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dr. Salla Larssonen
dr. Salla Larssonen
Lectures
Tuesdays, 13:00-14:45 hrs
First examination: 15 October 2014, 09:30-10:30 hrs
Second examination: 21 November 2014, 09:30-11:30 hrs
[email protected]
By appointment only ([email protected])
Course Overview
The course provides an introduction into the world of scientific knowledge and research. In order to understand and solve managerial issues, research is of great
importance. In this course, students learn the basic principles of conducting scientific research. During the course, attention is paid to the theoretical and philosophical assumptions which lie behind scientific research. Furthermore, students will
become familiar with the different steps in the research process and the most common research methods used in management research. At the end of the course,
students will be able to create their own research design for the study of a managerial issue. The lectures serve to deepen and contextualize the material covered in
the required readings and are an integral part of the exams.
Learning Goals
The principal objective of this course is to gain understanding of the process of
scientific research. After taking this course, each student should be able to:
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Argue the difference between everyday knowledge and scientific
knowledge
Argue the difference between fundamental and applied research
Describe and recognize different research philosophies
Describe and recognize the different research paradigms in management
research
Understand the ethical aspects of research
Recognize the different steps in the research process
Recognize and formulate different types of research questions
Conceptualize and operationalize research questions
Formulate hypotheses
Conduct a literature review and report the findings
Recognize units of analyses, dependent and independent variables and
the relationships between variables in a given research design
Argue the level of measurement of different variables
Design a conceptual model
Describe the most relevant research methods in management research
Argue the difference between quantitative and qualitative research
Describe and recognize the different sampling techniques
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Judge the validity and reliability of a given research study
Construct a research design for an existing problem
Course information
To meet the course objectives, the course consists of plenary lectures, a team charter (5% of grade), two written group assignments (30% of grade; 15% per assignment) and two written examinations (65% of grade; first exams 30%, second exam
35%).
(1) Lectures
During the lectures, the most important topics in the textbook will be explained
in more detail. In addition, these topics will be illustrated with examples from
management research. The lectures are non-obligatory, but attendance is
strongly recommended. The lectures will also be recorded and posted online
under RSM webcast (http://webcast.rsm.nl/).
(2) Team charter
In order to facilitate collaboration between the group members when working
on the group assignments, all groups prepare a team charter at the start of the
course. This team charter is a binding agreement between all group members
and specifies the rules and agreements the group members make with each
other in relation to the group assignments for Methodology. In order to overcome problems in collaboration, the team charter specifies the consequences if
one of the members does not stick to the rules agreed upon by the team. More
information about the team charter can be found on Blackboard.
(3) Group assignments
In the two written group assignments, you will use the theoretical knowledge
from the textbook and the lectures to design your own research project. The
two assignments will be made in teams of four students. IBA Programme Management will create the teams, so you will not be able to form teams yourself.
The teams will be announced on Monday, 1 September via the Pre-Master
SIN-Online channel. Afterwards each team must register for a theme. This is
possible from 2 September until 12 September through SIN-Online, My Registrations. There are four different themes: Information about the themes and assignments will be placed on Blackboard. The final theme classification will be
announced on 13 September.
After every assignment there will be an opportunity for a perusal. Details about
perusals will be placed on SIN-Online after publication of the grades of each
assignment.
Note! There are two registrations on SIN-Online, one for first year IBA students
and one for IBA premaster students. Please make sure that you register for the
correct group.
The deadlines for the team charter and the two assignments are:
1: Friday, 3 October 2014 before 1:00pm (deadline team charter and first assignment)
2: Friday, 31 October 2014 before 1:00pm (deadline second assignment)
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Assessment and Examinations
A team charter (5% of final grade; examined with pass or fail), two written group
assignments (the 2 assignments each account for 15% of the final grade; in total
the written group assignments account for 30% of the final grade) and two written
exams, which account for 65% of the final grade. The first exam consists of 20
multiple choice questions and accounts for 30% of the final grade; the second exam
is a mix of 20 multiple choice and 5 open-ended questions and accounts for 35% of
the final grade. You should get a pass for the teamcharter to receive your grades for
the other assignments. You will receive either a 10 or a 0. Re-sit examination will
test all course materials (the materials examined during both the first and the second exam) using 40 multiple choice questions and no open ended questions. There
is no opportunity to take a re-sit of only the first or the second exam. There is also
no opportunity to redo the team charter or the assignments. In the case of a re-sit,
the original grades for the assignment and the team charter will count towards your
final grade.
Minimum grade requirement
In case the average grade of both written exams is lower than 4.5, you will fail the
course and we will not submit a final grade for the course to the exam administration (see Examination Regulations, section 5.2, p. 28). For example, if your grade
for exam 1 is 3.0 (counts towards 30% of the final grade) and your grade for exam 2
is 6.0 (counts towards 35% of your final grade) your average grade for both exams
is ((3*.30) + (6*.35) /.65) = 4.6) and you comply with the minimum grade requirement.
Literature
Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill. (2009). Research Methods for Business Students
th
(5 international edition). Harlow: Pearson Education Limited. ISBN:
9781783762323.
Examination Dates
First examination: 15 October 2014, 09:30-10:30 hrs
Second examination: 21 November 2014, 09:30-11:30 hrs
Re-sit Examination: 8 July 2015, 13:30-16.30 hrs
Registration via Osiris required. You can register from 35 to 7 days before the
examination.
ERIM Bonus Points
A bonus of up to 0.4 points can be earned through participation in two qualifying
experiments at the Erasmus Behavioral Lab (if experiments are available during the
term-availability of experiments is not guaranteed). These bonus points will only
be awarded if the final grade for the entire course is 5.5 or above. Participation
in class or in the experiments is entirely voluntary. The experiments are managed
through the Erasmus Research Participation System (ERPS). The bonus points are
valid for both the regular exams and the re-sit exam. More detailed information will
be provided via Blackboard.
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Examination Perusal
The date, time and place of the perusal will be announced when the grades are
published.
RSM Student Representation
If you as a student have any comment about the quality of your courses, be it positive or negative, please send an email to the corresponding representative or approach him or her personally after the lecture. RSM SR email: [email protected]
Lecture schedule
All lectures are on Tuesdays in AULA or LB-107 from 13.00h to 14.45h. Always
check SIN-Online, My Timetable for the most up-to-date version of the schedule.
#
1.
Date
9-9-14
2.
16-9-14
3.
23-9-14
4.
5.
30-09-14
7-10-14
15-10-14
6.
21-10-14
7.
28-10-14
8.
4-11-14
9.
11-11-14
21-11-14
Lecture Topic
Introduction to methodology
and scientific research
The start of a research
process
Literature review and the
different languages of scientific research
Research design
Research ethics and preparation of the first exam
First exam (covering materials lectures 1-5; 20 MC
questions)
Quantitative and qualitative
research
Experimental research
Quantitative research methods: secondary data and
survey research
Qualitative research methods: In-depth interviews and
case studies
Second exam (covering
materials lectures 6-9; 20
MC questions + 5 open
ended questions)
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Reading
CH1
CH2
CH3 & CH4
CH5
CH6
CH1 through CH6
CH5 & CH7
Neuman, CH8 available on Backboard
CH8, CH9.5, CH9.6
& CH11
CH9.1 through
CH9.4 & CH10
CH5, CH7 through
CH11 + Neuman,
CH8
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Philosophy of Science
Course name:
Course code:
Course load:
Term:
Coordinator:
Faculty:
Course structure:
Course schedule:
Examination:
Student Representation:
(BAB26)
Philosophy of Science
BAB26
3 ECTS
1st Trimester
Prof. dr. Hans van Oosterhout
Prof. dr. Hans van Oosterhout, Prof.dr. Pursey Heugens, Thijs
Geradts MSc.
Plenary Lectures, essay assignments, perusals
Lectures in weeks 36-46 on Tuesdays, and incidentally on
Fridays
Written examination, MC
[email protected]
Office Hours
By appointment only! Substantive questions are to be asked during class, so that
other students can benefit from the answers given. For all other questions, please
use the breaks during the plenary lectures. Questions about grades are best directed to the secretary Janneke Suijker ([email protected]) phone: 010-4081405.
Questions about the assignments are best directed to Thijs Geradts MSc.
([email protected])
Course Overview
The course Methodology of Management Science focused on the selection of appropriate research methods for the scientific analysis of managerial issues. This
Philosophy of Science course not only addresses deeper philosophical questions of
how scientific research as a human activity can track the truth about ‘management
reality’, but also has the aim of providing a conceptual apparatus to understand and
evaluate the assumptions and truth claims of the many different theories that exist
in the field of management. Management is an interdisciplinary field, and therefore
harbors different theories that explain management reality using different concepts
and relying on very different assumptions. Sometimes theories in management
even give incompatible accounts of the same phenomenon. For both researchers
and future managers it is important to be able to make a reasoned choice between
the theories that apply to a specific phenomenon. This course not only seeks to
provide students with the conceptual apparatus that is relevant in choosing between
different theoretical perspectives, but also aims to develop the critical abilities of
students to analyze and evaluate theories in management.
Learning Goals
The principal objective of this course is to equip students for evaluating and choosing
between the many different theories in the field management. Questions that will be
addressed during the course include:
1. What is the difference between theories and concepts, on the one hand,
and facts and empirical research on the other?
2. To what extent can and should theories in social science be based on
facts and empirical research?
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3.
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5.
6.
7.
8.
Should there be room for concepts and theories that do not reduce to facts
and observations?
If we accept non-empirical concepts and theories in social science, how do
we establish their validity?
What are the assumptions of theories in management, and to what extent
are these assumptions scientifically acceptable?
Should we look only at behavior in social science, or do human intentions
also matter in explaining social reality?
To what extent can social science be value free?
Can social science say something sensible about normative questions, or
should social scientists remain silent about normative issues?
Course Information
There are no prerequisite requirements for students to take this course.
Although there are no mandatory lectures or other meetings in this course, attending the lectures is strongly advised as most exam questions will come from the
topics discussed in the lectures.
Lectures
There will be 11 weekly plenary lectures for this course. The lectures will take place
each Tuesday (and incidentally on Friday) from week 36 until week 46. Please see
the table below for an overview of topics that will be discussed at each weekly lecture. An overview of the literature to be studied will be given during the first class.
Students are advised to read the literature before they come to class as much as
possible, so that questions can be asked during classes and explanation can focus
on topics that are difficult for students to understand.
Week
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
Topics
Introduction and instructions
Philosophy of science: Ontological and Epistemological issues
The ideal of positive science 1: Logical Positivism and the Standard View
The ideal of positive science 2: Critical Rationalism and Pragmatism
The ideal of positive science 3: Paradigms
The ideal of positive science 4: Summary, Conclusion and Discussion
Theoretical Theme 1: Functionalism and Evolution
Theoretical Theme 2: Rational Choice Theory
Theoretical Theme 3: Understanding vs. Explaining
Theoretical Theme 4: Individualism vs Holism
Summary lecture and practicing exam questions
Literature
One book and several articles will need to be studied for this course. The book was
especially made for this course, and will outline the basic content for the course.
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The book will be made available through STAR and Studystore in the first week of
September:
T. van Willigenburg (2012) Introduction to the Philosophy of the Management Sciences Utrecht: Kant Academy. (Please note: New edition!)
There will also be a reader with different articles. A syllabus for the course which
includes all the required readings outside the book will be posted on blackboard
under course documents. This syllabus will contain the electronic links to all articles
you will need to study for this course. Please note that you will need to be logged
in through the VPN network of the university to access these articles. In the
event that articles are available only in hardcopy, they will be sold at the secretariat
of the Department of Strategic Management and Entrepreneurship at room T7-25.
Two take home essay assignments
In addition to the exam (see below) there will be two essay assignments that have
the form of a take home exam. The overall grade for this course is calculated based
on the average grade of the essay assignments (2 x 15%) and the MC Examination
(70%). It is possible to re-sit only one of the two assignments, but only in the event
that a student has failed one of the assignments or in the event that a student did
not turn in the assignment. This re-sit opportunity (with the previously mentioned
limitations) will take place in the beginning of January, when the final assignment
grades will be published in Osiris.
You will not be required to register via SIN to take the assignments. All students
subscribed to the BAB26 SIN course channel will be given access to the submission system where the assignments can be uploaded. If you complete one or both
of the assignments then you will receive an assignment grade in Osiris. As explained below under ‘re-sit’, students will not be allowed to retake the assignments,
and the points earned for the two assignments will stand as they are for the remainder of your studies at RSM (the average assignment grade and the examination
grade are recorded separately in Osiris).
The assignments consist of writing an essay in response to a number of pointer
questions. The contents of this assignment will be published on Blackboard (BB)
once the relevant materials have been dealt with in the plenary lectures. The essay
assignments must be done individually and will need to be uploaded via the SIN
submission system.
After each of the 2 assignments is graded, you will have the possibility to register
for a perusal. Please note that the perusal is only intended to provide you with an
opportunity to check whether any mistakes were made in the grading. The perusal
is not meant to provide you with feedback, as feedback is given in written form
together with the grades for the assignments. Nor does the perusal provide you with
an opportunity to have your exam graded again. There are strict and formal procedures for appealing to grades that must be followed in case of an appeal.
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The schedule for the assignments is as follows:
30-9-2014:
06-10-2014 before 04.00 AM:
Perusal assignment 1 - to be announced
Hand-out assignment 1
Deadline assignment 1
Registration via SIN
11-11-2014:
17-11-2014 before 04.00 AM:
Perusal assignment 2 – to be announced
Hand-out assignment 2
Deadline assignment 2
Registration via SIN
Additional information about the assignments (how to submit your assignments,
assignment perusals) will be available via Blackboard.
Examination Dates
Final Examination: Thursday, 4 December, 2014 9:30-12:30
Re-sit Examination: Friday, 10 July, 2015 18:30-21:30
Registration via Osiris required. You can register from 35 to 7 days before the
examination. Please refer to the BSc IBA Examination Schedule 2014-2015 (available via www.rsm.nl/current-students/iba) for the most up to date information and
registration dates.
Assessment and Examinations
The final exam for this course will consist of 40 multiple choice questions (4 alternative answers per question) about all lectures and course materials and will count for
70% of the course grade. Jointly, the two take home essay assignments count for
the remaining 30% (i.e. 15% per assignment).
Assignment Re-sit
Please note that is possible to re-sit only one of the two assignments, but only in
the event that a student has failed one of the assignments or in the event that
a student did not turn in the assignment. This re-sit opportunity (with the previously mentioned limitations) will take place in the beginning of January (exact
dates to be announced), when the final assignment grades will be published in
Osiris, after which these grades will stand as they are for the remainder of your
studies at RSM (please note that grades in Osiris are only valid for 6 years).
Students Retaking the Course
Students retaking the course from years prior to 2014 who have not yet received an
assignment grade must complete the assignments and exam for the 2014-2015
academic year. If a student has already received an assignment grade from a previous academic year then they will not be allowed to re-take the assignments (see
paragraph above); they may only re-take the examination. All examinations and
assignments are based on the content and conditions that apply to the 2014-2015
academic year.
Examination Perusal
The date, time and place of the perusal will be announced when the grades are
published.
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Leadership, Sustainability & Governance
Course name:
Course code:
Course load:
Term:
Teaching staff:
Course structure:
Course schedule:
Examination:
Student Representation:
(BAB27)
Leadership, Sustainability & Governance
BAB27
5 ECTS
1st Trimester
Dr. M. van Dijke (course coordinator), Prof. Dr. M. Kaptein, Prof.
Dr. R. van Tulder, & Prof. Dr. G. Whiteman
Plenary lectures, dilemma meetings
Monday & Wednesday (10 lectures), Thursday (3 dilemma
meetings – see SIN Timetable)
Written exam, closed book, with open questions (75%); Participation during dilemma meetings (25%)
[email protected]
1. Description of course content
Leadership, Sustainability and Governance (BAB27) presents an overview of theories and concepts that describe the relationships between domestic and international firms and their natural and social environment. This environment is complex
and entails a wide variety of stakeholders such as governments, competitors, NonGovernmental Organizations (NGOs), shareholders, suppliers as well as employees. The environment also entails a wide variety of issues for which firms are often
(also) held responsible. At the core this interplay is about sustainability and ethics of
organisational conduct in all its facets.
Apart from the first lecture in which the course is introduced, the lectures are organized in four clusters. In order to build an integrated understanding of these issues,
the course is structured in such a way that it starts with a cluster of two lectures on
ethics, to introduce the core concepts of the course. Subsequently, the second
cluster (“leadership”) presents an analysis of characteristics of individual leaders,
and leaders in interaction with the teams and organisations that they lead in order to
understand how they influence the effectiveness and potential contribution to sustainable organisations.The third lecture cluster (“governance”) then addresses various governance mechanisms that are intended to protect the interests of various
stakeholders and which can thus also contribute to sustainable organisations and a
more sustainable society. Is there a ‘business case’ for sustainability? Governance
questions not only play a role at the level of the organisation, but also at the level of
the network (supply chains, multi-stakeholder platforms) and society. Governance
questions are closely related to sustainability questions. Finally, in the fourth cluster,
organisations are explicitly analyzed in the context of the natural environment.
After ten lectures, the exam will be organized. Then, students participate in three
dilemma meetings, which focus on complex managerial dilemmas in which the
discussion centers around a specific theme. These dilemma meetings are also
intended to make the course material more personally relevant to students, by linking it to their personal development in terms of their career and in terms of sustainability.
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2. Learning objectives
After this course, you will be able to:
• Name and discuss leader characteristics that contribute to effective and sustainable organisations;
• Explain how leadership processes at the interpersonal, team, and organisation
level contribute to effective and sustainable organisations;
• Understand the comparison and differences between your own leadership skills
and the skills organisations and society are asking for;
• Determine how the business case for sustainability looks like and what the tipping
points are;
• Explain firm behavior in terms of relationships with stakeholders and governance
models; and
• Explain how the firm’s relationships with these various stakeholders relate to issues of sustainability and ethics.
3. The department
This course is offered by the department of Business-Society Management (B-SM).
This department also offers the course “Macro-economics & Institutional context,”
“Academic writing and critical thinking,” “Methodology,” and “Philosophy of Science.” In addition, the department offers various electives and minors e.g. about
climate change, compliance, corporate communication, behavioral ethics, partnerships, and non-profit management.
The Master Global Business & Stakeholder Management deepens your understanding of topics that are being covered in the course Leadership, Sustainability &
Governance. This Master focuses in particular on the ways in which these topics
can be dealt with by managers, and studied by scientists. This requires a strong
interdisciplinary, international and research oriented focus.
In addition to teaching, the department is also very active in basic and applied scientific research. Students can participate in this research by means of studentassistantships, internships, and research for their master thesis.
4. Study load
Lectures:
Studying literature:
Preparing case for dilemma meetings:
Dilemma meetings:
Exam:
Total:
20 hours
96 hours
12 hours
9 hours
3 hours
140 hours
5. Rules for dilemma meetings
There will be three mandatory dilemma meetings. All the meetings will be 1,5 hours
long in groups of roughly 20 students.
You must register for a specific Group using SIN-Registrations; this is possible from
Wednesday 10 September until Sunday 21 September 2014. After this date, it is
no longer possible to register. Without registration, you will not be allowed to attend
the dilemma meetings.
During a dilemma meeting, the literature and the lecture materials will be applied to
concrete cases that describe actual events in international firms. Therefore you
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have to understand the cases, the literature and the lecture material. Additional
knowledge gained form the media might be very useful. You can find the cases on
Blackboard or in the literature.
When you register for the dilemma meetings, you are obliged to attend each of the
three meetings in the same group. This is necessary for the development of each
individual student and also for the development of the group’s discussion. For instance, when a specific argument is discussed in a dilemma meeting, it should be
possible to briefly refer to this at a subsequent dilemma meeting, without going into
all the details again. Missing a dilemma meeting will thus not be accepted and students will receive a subtraction of three points from their grade. In the event that
exceptional circumstances beyond a student’s control prevent a student from attending a mandatory session then these circumstances must be communicated
beforehand via an email to [email protected]. Such requests will be evaluated on a caseby-case basis and may result in a replacement assignment or placement in a different dilemma group. Such exceptions can only be granted if the absence can be
validated with documented proof and if the absence was communicated before the
missed session via an email to [email protected].
Attendance and studying the required literature are necessary conditions to obtain a
grade. During the dilemma meetings, you will start with a dilemma meeting grade of
4 if you have fulfilled the necessary preconditions. You can earn extra points for
each dilemma meeting by engaging in the discussion. If you do not attend, you will
receive a point deduction of -3 on your LSG dilemma meeting grade, and if you
participate exceptionally well you can receive a maximum of 2 points per session.
Once you have obtained a grade for the dilemma meetings, this will be your final
grade. This grade will be valid during your entire bachelor. You cannot improve your
grade for the dilemma meetings by participating again in a subsequent year.
6. I WILL
During the dilemma meetings I WILL will be connected to leadership, sustainability,
and governance topics. I WILL is an initiative by RSM which enables you to share
your ambition with the world and to make it reality. I WILL and LSG wants to help
you to rely on your intellectual and personal leadership potential. To make a difference it is important that critical thinking will be transformed into practical actions.
Therefore we will address some topics during the dilemma meetings to trigger your
thoughts.
Before the first dilemma meeting you have to make sure you have a) an I WILL
statement and b) a Facebook-account. Note: an I WILL photo is not mandatory.
a) I WILL statement.
This can be the same I WILL statement that you have previously created. Alternatively, you can adapt your statement. If you do not have an I WILL statement at all
you should create a new one before the start of the first dilemma meeting. It is only
mandatory to come up with a statement. An I WILL photo is not required to participate in the dilemma meetings. You will receive more information about this via lectures and announcements on blackboard.
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b) Facebook account.
You can use your own personal Facebook account or you can create a new Facebook account (www.facebook.com) specifically for the dilemma meetings. Before
the first dilemma meeting you have to post your I WILL statement on the LSGFacebook page under the message of your dilemma group. You will also receive
more information about this via lectures and announcements on blackboard.
In this way we will question your plans, challenge your ambitions, clarify your future
career options and explore your possibilities during the dilemma meetings.
7. Literature
The following two books are used in the course:
• Van Tulder, R., Van Tilburg, R., Francken, M. & Da Rosa, A. (2013). Managing the
transition to a sustainable enterprise: lessons from frontrunner companies.
Earthscan/Routledge. ISBN: 978-0-415-71613-0 (paperback) or 978-0-415-71612-3
(hardback) (Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5).
• Northouse, P. G. (2009). Leadership. Theory and practice (6th edition) Sage
Publications. ISBN/EAN 9781452203409. (Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, and
14).
The article on blackboard:

Kaptein, M. & Wempe, J. F. (2011). Three General Theories of Ethics and
the Integrative Role of Integrity Theory. Available at SSRN:
http://ssrn.com/abstract=1940393
or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1940393.
8. Assessment and examinations
The first part of LSG consists of 10 lectures, which will be concluded with an exam.
The written examination will count for 75% of your overall course grade. The exam
is closed book and consists of multiple choice questions and open ended questions.
Statistical analysis of the exam may result in one or more questions being removed,
which will affect the grading norm.
The second part of LSG consists of three dilemma meetings, which are mandatory.
The three dilemma meetings together are worth 25% of your overall grade. This
25% is based on the quality and creativity of the student’s contribution to the discussion.
Your final grade is a weighted average of your grade for the exam (75%) and for the
dilemma meetings (25%). There is no minimum grade required for each of the two
individual parts that make up the final grade. Both grades will be recorded separately in Osiris. Osiris will calculate the final, overall grade automatically. The separate
grades will be valid in Osiris for 6 years.
Final Examination: Wednesday, 8 October, 2014 – 09:30-12:30
Re-sit Examination: Wednesday, 8 July, 2015 – 09:30-12:30
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Registration via Osiris is required. You can register from 35 to 7 days before
the examination. Please refer to the IBA Examination Schedule available via
www.rsm.nl.current-students/IBA .
9. Exam perusal
Place and time of possibilities to view your exam will be communicated via Blackboard and SIN-Online.
10. Exam preparation
You will need to study all chapters in the textbook and articles that are indicated as
part of the literature in the lecture schedule. Furthermore, all lecture content is
exam material. The cases and videos that you have to prepare for the dilemma
meetings will not be asked for in the exam, unless otherwise noted.
11. Students retaking the course
Students who have already received a dilemma meeting grade (25%) are not allowed to re-take the dilemma meeting aspect of the course. Any previous grade
that has been obtained for the dilemma meetings thus remains (including insufficient grades). You can retake the written examination. All examinations are based
on the content and conditions that apply to the 2014-2015 academic year.
12. Contact
Questions, remarks, and suggestions can be addressed to the course coordinator,
Marius van Dijke ([email protected]). Questions about the course content and
literature can be addressed to the teachers during the lectures. The studentassistant Cynthia Broeders and Eline van den Brink ([email protected]) will answer questions on the discussion board, questions concerning the dilemma meetings, and
general questions. The administrative office of the department Business-Society
Management can be reached at Telephone number 010-4081923. Teachers and
staff do not have specific contact hours.
13. Required reading per session
See schedule on the next page.
See My Timetable on SIN-Online for the exact dates, times, and locations.
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Lecture
I:
II:
III:
IV:
Theme
Introduction
Professor
M. van
Dijke
Literature
Van Tulder et al. (2013)
Chapter 1
Business ethics I:
Deontological ethics
and
consequentialism
Business ethics II:
Virtue ethics
M. Kaptein
Three General Theories of Ethics
and the Integrative Role of Integrity Theory (Kaptein & Wempe,
2011) See Blackboard
M. Kaptein
Three General Theories of Ethics
and the Integrative Role of Integrity Theory (Kaptein & Wempe,
2011) See Blackboard
Leadership I:
The leader as a
person
Leadership II:
Team leadership
M. van
Dijke
Northouse (2009)
Chapter 1, 2, 4 and 6
M. van
Dijke
Northouse (2009)
Chapter 8, 9 and 12
VI:
Leadership III:
Organisational
leadership
M. van
Dijke
Northouse (2009)
Chapter 3, 11 and14
VII:
Sustainability I:
The business case
and tipping points
R. van
Tulder
Van Tulder et al. (2013)
Chapter 1, 2 and 3
VIII:
Sustainability &
Governance I:
Stakeholders, supply
chains and
challenges
R. van
Tulder
Van Tulder et al. (2013)
Chapter 4
IX:
Sustainability II:
The environment
Sustainability &
Governance II: make
it practical,
interventions and
management styles.
G.
Whiteman
R. van
Tulder
Van Tulder et al. (2013)
Chapter 5
V:
X:
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Organizational Theory & Dynamics
Course name:
Course code:
Course load:
Term:
Coordinator:
Teaching staff:
Course structure:
Course schedule:
Examination:
Student Representation:
(BAB21)
Organisational Theory and Dynamics
BAB21
6 ECTS
1st Trimester
Dr. I. M. Bogenrieder
Dr. I.M. Bogenrieder (course coordinator), Prof. Dr. P.P.M.A.R.
Heugens, Dr. J. Essers
Lectures and interactive workshops (ws)
See schedule
50% M.C. exam (individual); 50% Final Assignment (team)
[email protected]
Teaching staff:
Course coordinator:
Irma Bogenrieder, Course coordinator
Consulting hour: every Wednesday in T8-16, 13.00-15.00
E-mail: [email protected]
Student assistant
Email: [email protected]
Lecturers:
Pursey Heugens, Juup Essers, Irma Bogenrieder
th
Consulting hours Heugens: Make an appointment at the department of strategy (7
floor)
Email: [email protected]
Workshop-supervisors:
Irma Bogenrieder
Aybars Tuncdogan
Jacomijn Klitsie
Secretary Department Organisation and Personnel:
Room: T8-28
E-mail: [email protected]
Description:
The course Organisational Theory and Dynamics covers two themes as already
indicated in the title. The first theme is about analysing and diagnosing the structural elements in an organisation and its environment. This is the core of organizationtheory.
In the second theme we will concentrate on a more dynamic perspective of an organization. This theme will cover the broad area of organizational change.
Because notions of organization theory and dynamics are easy to understand, but
require careful thought when used to evaluate a complex organization situation, this
course requires you both study the main theoretical concepts and also apply them
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in a real life organizational context of your own choice. For this last aim, the lectures
will be complemented with a team assignment. There will be two interactive workshops in which student teams will get feedback on parts of the assignment. The
goal is to stimulate the link between theory and practice. Another goal of this company research is to get acquainted with business life. The first partial assignment
encompasses a diagnosis of the organisation together with a fit/misfit analysis; the
second partial assignment is about a change trajectory. For the final report a third
partial assignment has to be conducted.
Learning goals:
After completing this course successfully, you will be able to:

Understand the history, content, and limits of the field of organizational
theory;

Make an analysis of the structure of a formal organization and the technology used;

Explain how the organization adjusts itself to its environment and vice versa;

Get a feeling for the informal aspects in an organization by using the ethnographic method;

Discern several different perspectives on organizational change and their
underlying assumptions;

Map several different organizational change methods and apply them appropriately;

Identify the needs for change and its impact by using interviews as method;

Appreciate and understand the personal and leadership dimensions of
change;

Being able to reflect on his/her behaviour in a team and the impact of this
behaviour on the team as a whole.
Skills
The general educational goal of the course is to learn basic academic and management skills. Academic skills include such things as understanding concepts,
recognizing and reflecting on the application of these concepts in a concrete situation, critical thinking and the ability to argue a point. During the first workgroup session students are asked to provide reasons and arguments for a fit/misfit analysis.
This supports the students’ academic and, more specifically, analytical skills. During
the second workgroup session students are asked – as a team – to announce a
change project in front of an audience. This supports the students’ managerial
skills, i.e. communication skills.
Procedures: Lectures, company research and workshops
The course consists of weekly, plenary lectures. In addition, a company research in
‘real’ organization has to be conducted. During two workshops, the company research is commented.
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Lectures
In the first part of the lectures the most important subjects within organisational
theory will be discussed, mainly: organisation structure and its relationship with the
environment. The different organisational forms that can be identified in the current
business environment will be explained. Two specific questions are in the foreground:
(1) What are the dimension determining the formal design of an organization?
(2) How are organisations influenced by the environment and the other way
round?
In the second part of the lectures we will focus on organisational change. These
lectures will provide insight as to why organisational change is necessary, how to
analyze an organisation and how to plan and implement change. We will also discuss forms of emergent change such as organizational learning.
Company research (assignment)
You will work in a team of 4 students on a research assignment in a company. As
a team you choose an organisation (government or private, profit or non-profit) of
which you will make an analysis and develop recommendations for change based
on the theoretical concepts from the lectures. You have to hand in two partial assignments. In the two partial assignments you will use different methods for data
gathering: ethnography and interviews.
The final report consists of the improved versions of two partial assignments and
an extra (third) assignment. As the (first two) partial assignments for the workshops are handed in as powerpoint slides, the final report has to be rewritten as a
text and should have the structure of a report.
Below you will find a more detailed explanation of the company research.
Workshops
During the course there will be two workshops, for which you must enrol via SIN-online.
The workshops have two goals:
(1) In the first part of the workshop we will discuss ‘difficult’ issues as
manifest in the assignments. With the input of all the five teams we
will clarify such difficulties.
a. More specifically, the fit/misfit analysis in the first workshop
will be discussed extensively. As a preparation the fit/misfit
analysis should be summarized in a synopsis (in a figure, a
table or another type of overview) and printed out in A3
paper format. Please, bring this A3 sheet with you to the
workshop. There is no need to prepare a formal presentation. However, the team should be able to explain the
fit/misfit analysis.
b. In the second workshop the team should prepare a performance (see for this also the description of assignment
2). In this performance you announce in front of an audience (=your classmates) that change is upcoming and you
try to be as persuasive as possible to get their commitment.
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(2) You will get feedback on the content of the partial assignments; this
will be done in writing, as well as verbal feedback by the lecturer
during the workshop
Step by step: company research and workshops
The company research will start at the same time as the lectures. Start soon as the
time is limited and experience learns that it takes some time to find an organization
willing to cooperate.
Step one: form a team
Teams in this course will consist of four students. You can start looking for teammates even before the classes start. This process will continue during the first week
of the classes (week 36). It is recommended that you form mixed teams; try to team
up with at least one Dutch-speaking student to help make the process of finding a
company in the Netherlands easier. Professors will not interfere with this process in
any way.
To form a team you have several options:
(1) Form a team with students you know
(2) We will open a site on blackboard (under ‘discussion forum’) on which you
can leave your personal information in order to find teammates. Staff won’t
interfere with this under any circumstances. The initiative is up to you.
Be aware: At this stage there is no need to register your team composition somewhere.
Step 2: team charter
After you have formed a team your first activity is completing a team charter. This is
done in two steps: first, you write down individually how you plan and perceive your
personal contribution to the team. After this individual reflection you come together
as team and discuss how you want to work in the team altogether. Subjects in this
team discussion are:
Team facilitation
Task completion and coordination
Team cooperation
A template how to craft the team charter is posted on Blackboard. The completed
team charter has to be added to the final report (in the appendix)
Step 3: find a company
Right after the teams are formed you will start looking for a company. Week 39, at
the latest, you must have found a company that is willing to cooperate. As a team
you have the freedom to select an organisation - government or non-government,
profit or non profit - of your choice, as long as it meets the criteria formulated below.
You can choose to use the same company as you used for the course ‘Strategic
Business Plan’ (as long as the company meets the criteria of this course). The
teams are responsible for finding a case organisation and for maintaining the relationship with this organisation.
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The organisation you choose must meet the following criteria:

The company must have at least 20 employees

The company has to be at least 3 years old

If you choose to study a part of a larger company, that part has to be recognised as a relatively independent unit

The unit you chose to study must have an identifiable environment
When choosing a company, it is important to keep in mind that you have to use the
same company for both partial assignments and the final assignment as these assignments build on each other. Therefore, make sure you have access to the organisation during the entire course. It should also be ensured that you can make observations within the organization for crafting an ethnography for the first partial assignment (a more detailed explanation of the ethnographical method will be given
during the second lecture in week 37) and have interviews with (at least) two persons next to your contact person for your second partial assignment. The interviews
will take approximately one hour per person.
The advantages for the company to participate could be:

You will offer fresh insights in their way of doing things and the organisational culture

You will analyze the necessary changes needed

You will formulate concrete recommendations how change should actually
be implemented

You will present your findings to the organisation if wanted; It is the responsibility of the team to make appointments how to communicate the
gathered insights to the company. This could be a presentation of the results, a report, or any kind of variation in between.
If you are not sure whether the chosen company is suitable for this assignment you
have the option to consult with I. Bogenrieder (T8-16) on Wednesday the 17th of
September (week 38) between 12.00 and 17.00. Keep in mind that this consultation
takes place along the principle of ‘first come – first served’.
Be aware: The registration of your company and the exact address of your contact
person must be registered between Wednesday, 1 October and Wednesday, 8
October via the online form that will be available via Blackboard. At the end of the
assignment an evaluation form will be sent out to your contact person.
Step 4: enrol the team for the workshops via SIN-online (mandatory)
Time: between Monday 22-9 and Sunday 28-9 (week 39)
In week 39 you will have to enrol for a workshop.
Keep in mind that there are several workshops taking place at the same time (parallel). Make sure that you have all the names and student numbers from your teammates available when you enrol.
Participating in the workshops is mandatory.
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Step 5: working on partial assignment 1
Deadline for handing in the assignment (mandatory!): Wednesday 1-10 (week
40), 17.00
Hardcopy in a box in front of room T8-28
Please make sure that you post the assignment in the right box
Handing in your partial assignment is mandatory. If you do not hand in the partial
assignment we will not be able to provide the final grade for the assignment.

Maximum number of pages: 7 powerpoint slides and 2 pages text about
the ethnography.

Line spacing: 1.5
A detailed description of partial assignment 1 will be published on blackboard during
the course.
Step 6: complete the company registration online form between Wednesday, 1
October and Wednesday, 8 October.
The link will be available via Blackboard.
Step 7: attendance at the workshops in week 41/42 (mandatory)
All four team members of every team have to attend the workshop. If not,
you won’t get (written and oral) feedback on your assignment 1.
There are five teams in a workshop of 100 minutes, which means there are
15 minutes for feedback for every team.
Bring an A3 print about the fit/misfit analysis with you which must be presented during the workshop.
During the workshop we will discuss issues from assignment 1 and present your
fit/misfit analysis. Afterwards every team will get individual feedback from the tutor
on their analysis. Besides this oral feedback you will also get written feedback and
an indicative grade. This grade is solely meant to inform you about your performance. This grade will not be registered as an official grade.
You will work on the second partial assignment in the weeks following the first
workshop.
Step 8: working on the partial assignment 2
Deadline for handing in the assignment (mandatory!!): Wednesday 29-10
(week 44), 17.00.
Hardcopy in a box in front of room T8-28
Please make sure that you post the assignment in the right box
Handing in your partial assignment is mandatory. If you do not hand in the partial
assignment we will not be able to provide the final grade for the assignment.
Maximum number of pages: 7 slides in powerpoint format
A detailed description of partial assignment 2 will be published on blackboard during
the course.
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Step 9: attendance of the workshop in week 45/46 (mandatory)
The structure of the second workgroup is more or less the same as the
first.
All four team members of every team have to attend the workshop. If not,
you won’t get (written and oral) feedback on your assignment 2.
A presentation must be ‘performed’ to announce the upcoming change.
During the workshop we will discuss issues from assignment 2. Then you will announce the planned change in front of your classmates based on a ‘performance’.
Afterwards every team will get individual feedback from the tutor on their analysis.
Besides this oral feedback you will also get written feedback and an indicative
grade. This grade is solely meant to inform you about your performance. This grade
will not be registered as an official grade.
As just mentioned we expect a ‘performance’ by every team: this can be a formal
presentation, a visionary speech, a role play, an information session, a video message etc. etc. The performance has as goal to announce the upcoming change
project. You as a team try to design this performance in such a way that everybody
will get enthusiastic about the change. Your classmates represent the employees in
‘your’ organization. It is important in this performance to be persuasive towards the
employees with the goal to inform them, persuade them of the necessity and advantages of change, and, finally, to get their active commitment. The ‘performance’
should not take longer than 3 minutes.
Step 10: handing in the final assignment (mandatory)
Deadline: Monday 24-11 (week 48), 17.00
Hardcopy in a box in front of room T8-28
Please make sure that you post the assignment in the right box
You will also have to upload an electronic version of the final assignment via the
digital dropbox on blackboard.
Period for submitting the electronic, final version: Monday 17-11 until Friday
28-11, midnight (please do not upload pictures and the appendix)
Handing in a final report is mandatory. 50% of your final grade will be based on this
final assignment.

Maximum number of pages: 20 (excl. Appendices)

The team charter is the first appendix

Line spacing: Multiple 1.2 (at least)
A detailed description will be published on blackboard during the course.
The final assignment is based on the two partial assignments and some additional
work. It will consist of an improved version of both prior assignments but now put
in a report (instead of powerpoint). Besides the improved and text versions of the
two earlier (partial) assignments, you will add answers to the following questions in
the final assignment:
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1.
2.
3.
Where, according to you, is the most important misfit or not optimal fit
among the elements as analysed in assignment 1 that should be solved?
Based on these suggestions you also develop recommendations how
these changes should be realized.
A thorough team reflection based on the team charter as crafted at the beginning of the course.
The final assignment will be an integrated version of the two partial assignments
plus the questions mentioned above – laid down in a report.
Step 11: RSM sends an evaluation form to the company’s contact person
RSM will send an evaluation form to the contact person from each team’s company
shortly after the deadline for the final report. Questions will focus on various aspects
related to students’ behaviour (such as keeping agreements, general ethics, research ethics, interest in the organisation and the subject, understanding client
needs etc.). The results of the evaluation should not have any effect on the final
grade, however if serious issues are identified as a result of the evaluation then
negative repercussions may result (for example a lower grade on the final assignment).
Literature and other course materials
Mandatory literature
o Hatch, M.J., Cunliffe, A.L. (2013) Organization Theory: Modern, Symbolic, and
Postmodern Perspectives (3rd edition). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
o Palmer, I., Dunford, R., Akin, G. (2009) Managing Organizational Change.
nd
McGraw-Hill International Edition (2 edition)
Blackboard
o Detailed assignments
o Additional literature on interviews and the ethnographical method
o Other miscellaneous materials
Exam
Weight
50% Multiple choice exam (individual): the MC exam will consist of 30 MC questions with four answer alternatives. The questions will be about the mandatory literature and the subjects discussed during lectures. Questions for
practice purposes will be published at the end of the course on blackboard.
50% Final assignment (team)
The weighted final grades will be published via the exam administration/Osiris.
All other partial grades will also be published on SIN-online.
The final exam will be held on Monday, 8 December, 2014 from 9:30-12:30. Registration via Osiris opens 35 days before the exam and closes 7 days before the exam. The re-sit exam will be held on Wednesday 1 July, 2015 from 9:30-12:30.
In case your grade is not sufficient to pass this year, partial grades equal to or
above 5.5 (meaning the partial grade for the final report or the grade for the MC
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exam) will be valid in the next academic year but not longer. It is not possible to do
a retake of the company research during the current academic year.
In case you want to ‘carry over’ a partial grade from the last year, please send an
email to [email protected] indicating your intention.
Re-examination of final report
A re-grading of the company research (final report) is only possible if a form (which
can be found on blackboard) is filled out. You must provide a detailed explanation
why you think the grade for the final assignment is incorrect. By sending an email to
[email protected] you will get access to your grading form.
Keep in mind that a re-examination might also imply that the grade will end up lower
then it was before!
The form with the re-examination request must therefore be signed by all four team
members.
There is a re-sit for the MC exam during the academic year.
Rule regarding minimum grade requirements
Article 5.2 point 4 of the examination rules for Business Administration states the
following:
“If the examination part of a course is assessed on the basis of more than one examination, no final grade for the examination part will be calculated if one of the
examination grades is lower than a 4.5. Examinations that can be taken only once
per academic year, most likely practicals such as case reports and team assignments, are exempted from this rule.”
In other words: the minimum grade requirement rule does not apply to the company
research, but to pass the course you have to get at least a 4.5 on your multiple
choice exam.
Deadlines
The deadlines for handing in your assignments are very strict. Negotiation or delay
is not possible. If you cannot meet the deadline you will not get the partial grade
and, thus, no final grade either. So make sure you will hand in all your assignments
on time.
Bonus points for research participation
RSM Erasmus University is a worldwide leader in management research, through
the work of the members of the Erasmus Research Institute of Management
(ERIM). ERIM is the joint research institute of RSM and the Erasmus School of
Economics. Practically all the teachers that you meet in class are members of the
institute and they are active in research two days per week on average.
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During this term, you will be offered the opportunity to participate in research studies in return for bonus points towards the final grade of this course. Participation is
entirely voluntary.
Participation in these studies will provide you with additional learning opportunities,
as a complement to the content of the lectures. Through participation in research
studies, you will become aware of the nature and insights of management research
and learn about a variety of research areas and methods in an engaging manner.
During the lectures of this course, reference will be made to the critical role of empirical research and research methods in producing the business knowledge that is
taught in this course.
You will be able to earn a maximum of 0.4 points contributing towards your final
grade for this course. This means that during this term you can participate for
course credits in a maximum of two sessions of approximately 30 minutes. Note
that bonus points will only be awarded if the final grade for the course (without bonus) is at least 5.5.
You will be able to participate in research studies to earn bonus points for this
course between the following dates: 08/09/2014 and 14/11/2014. Additional information about registration procedures will be announced in class and on Blackboard
at the beginning of the course. Reminders and deadlines will be communicated
during the term via email. Check your student email regularly.
All studies will take place at the Erasmus Behavioral Lab (EBL), which is located on
th
the 12 floor of the T building. To access the lab, you will need to use the elevators
located towards the back of the T building. The bonus points are only valid for the
current academic year (in other words, the bonus points expire after the re-sit exam). You are responsible for checking that your credits have been attributed to the
correct course after each experiment. If a mistake occurred or if you want to
reassign your credits to a different subject, please contact the system administrator before the deadline: 14/11//2014. Note that credits earned in past terms
cannot be reassigned to this course.
You can sign up for a research session via the Erasmus Research Participation
System (ERPS). To register, log in at www.rsm.nl/lab. On the platform you will also
find FAQs that should answer most of your practical concerns. If you have problems logging in, or if you have any remaining questions regarding the course credits
or your profile information, please contact the ERPS administrator, not the teacher(s) of this course. The name of the administrator is Anika Stuppy; you can contact her at the following email address: [email protected].
Course schedule: see next page
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Lecture
Monday 13.00-14.45 hours (except wk. 39)
Literature
- Introduction design of the course and procedures
- Introduction company research and partial
assignments
- Introduction diagnosis and diagnostic models
- Introduction ‘interview’ as a method
- explanation bonus points
- Palmer et al.
ch. 5
- article about
‘interview’ as a
method
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PH
- Why organisation theory
- Introduction ethnographical method
- Hatch et al.
ch. 1, 2, 6
- article about
‘ethnography’ as a
method
- find an organisation that
meets the criteria
38
PH
- The social and technical structure of organisations (I)
Hatch
ch. 4, 5, & 7
-an organisation must have
been found
39
PH
Lecture Wednesday, 24 Sept. 9.0010.45 hours
- The social and technical structure of organisations (II)
- Basis characteristics; organisational design and
authority line
Hatch
ch. 4, 5, & 7
40
PH
- Organisation and environment (I)
- Ratio behind choices of design: task environment influence and social legitimacy
Hatch
ch. 3, 8
41
PH
- Organisation and environment (II)
- Ratio behind choices of design: The institutional
environment
Hatch ch. 3
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JE
Overview of change approaches:
- images of change
- preparation for partial assignment 2
Palmer et al.
ch. 1,2,& 3
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JE
Consultancy(I)
- Organization Development
- cognition and change
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JE
Consultancy (II)
- Managed Change; n-step model
- Resistance to change
Palmer et al.
ch. 6, 8, 9
- hand in partial assignment 2;
deadline: Wednesday 29-10,
17.00
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JE
Consultancy (III)
-Example
Palmer et al.
ch. 10, 11
- workshops
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JE
Organizational Learning (I):
- emergent change
- organizational learning-models
- social networks and other “enablers”
Hatch, ch. 9 & 10
- workshops
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JE
Organizational Learning (II):
- Community of Practice and other forms
Summary, wrap up
Preparation for exam
- hand in final assignment
(hardcopy and digital);
deadline: Monday 24-11
50
Exam
Mon. 8-12, 9.30-12.30
Wk
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IB
Other activities and deadlines
- form a team of 4
- find an organisation that
meets the criteria
- enrol as a team for workshops; between 22-9 and 28-9
- hand in partial assignment 1;
deadline: Wednesday 1-10,
17.00
-fill out company registration
form between 1-8 October
(link available via BB)
- workshops
- workshops
Palmer et al.
ch.4 & 7
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Quantitative Decision Making
Course name:
Course code:
Course load:
Term:
Coordinator:
Teaching staff:
Student assistant:
Course structure:
Course schedule:
Examination:
Student Representation:
(BAB19)
Quantitative Decision Making
BAB19
6 ECTS
1st Trimester
Dr. R. Kuik
Dr. R. Kuik, and Dr. M Pourakbar
Martijn Rijsdijk
Plenary lectures (2 hours per week), Response lectures
(2 hours per week)
PL Wednesdays, RL Fridays
Two partial exams, registration via Osiris (2x)
check BB site
Department of Technology & Operations Management
Secretary: Room T9-26; Tel: 010-4082032
Course Overview
This course gives an overview of a number of quantitative modeling techniques that
can be used to support decision making processes. These techniques come from
the broad area that is known as Operations Research or Management Science.
This area focuses on techniques for describing problem situations in terms of quantitative models for generating appropriate or optimal solutions (“how to?”) or for
evaluating problem situations under varying situations (“what if?”). Such techniques
can be used in application areas such as Logistics (production and transportation),
Marketing, and Finance. The application of such techniques may lead to more efficient business processes or to better service for the customers.
The techniques that are covered by this course are the following:

Markov models (during 3 weeks),

Waiting line models (during 3 weeks), and

Linear programming models (during 5 weeks).
Waiting line models and Markov models can be used to analyze stochastic business processes. Linear Programming is a deterministic optimization technique.
Learning Goals
The student is able to understand the added value of the quantitative modeling
techniques, and to apply the presented techniques in relatively simple examples.
That is, in such situations, the student is able to translate the problem situation into
a quantitative model, and to analyze the model with the help of the presented techniques. The student understands the presented concepts and techniques, and can
participate in discussions on the results of the application of these techniques.
Course Information
More information will follow on Blackboard.
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Literature
th
Hillier & Hillier - Introduction to Management Science 4 edition (ISBN
978-007-128931-3), McGraw Hill, offered at Erasmus Studystore as a custom book for a reduced price (ISBN 978-112-121739-3.
Synopsis Quantitative Decision Making –Random Processes- 2014, available as an electronic version in pdf-format through Blackboard. Note: the
2013 edition of the synopsis can still be used.
Examination Dates
Exam Part 1: Saturday, 25 October, 2014 9:30-11:30
Exam Part 2: Monday, 1 December, 2014 13:30-15:30
Re-sit Examination: Monday, 6 July, 2015 9:30-12:30
Note: Registration for Exam Part 1, Exam Part 2, and the re-sit exam will take place
via Osiris. You can register from 35 to 7 days before an examination. Specific registration dates are listed on the BSc IBA Examination Schedule, available via IBA
Current Students (www.rsm.nl/current-students/iba).
Assessment and Examinations
The course grade is based on two partial written open-book tests. For each part one
may obtain a maximum of 50 points. The second partial written test contains both
multiple choice questions and open questions.
The course’s end result is computed from adding the points for the two partial tests.
A partial test cannot be retaken.
The course’s re-sit examination takes place on 6 July, 2015. The re-sit is an integrated examination covering all of the course’s materials (and is thus worth 100% of
the final grade).
There is no minimum grade requirement for the two partial tests.
Consultation hour/Forum
During the course there is a weekly consultation hour. Dates and time are announced through Blackboard.
The course’s Blackboard site also hosts a forum where students can ask questions.
Students Retaking the Course
Students retaking the course must complete exams as they are required for the
current academic year. The examination for re-takers is thus based on the content
and conditions that apply to the current academic year (2014-2015).
Examination Perusal
The date, time and place of the perusals will be announced when the grades are
published.
Final note
The examination dates are provided as a service. One needs, however, to always
verify dates on the BSc IBA Examination Schedule 2014-2015 (available via the IBA
Current Students website):
http://www.rsm.nl/information-for/current-students/bachelor-iba/
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BOOK LIST : Pre-Master Trimester 1 2014-2015
MANDATORY COURSES
Philosophy of Science (BAB26)
T. van Willigenburg (2012) Introduction to the Philosophy of the Management
Sciences Utrecht: Kant Academy
Reader – See Blackboard (course documents) for details
Methodology (BAP73)
th
Saunders, Lewis & Thornhill. (2009). Research Methods for Business Students (5
international edition). Harlow: Pearson Education Limited, ISBN:
9781783762323.
COMPULSORY AND/OR RECOMMENDED COURSES (DEPENDING ON YOUR
MSc CHOICE)
Quantitative Decision Making (BAB19)
Hillier & Hillier - Introduction to Management Science 4th edition (ISBN 978-007128931-3), McGraw Hill, offered at the Study Store as a custom book for a
reduced price (ISBN 978-112-121739-3).
Synopsis Quantitative Decision Making –Random Processes- 2014, available at
Erasmus Shop, and as an electronic version in PDF-format through Blackboard. Note: the 2013 edition of the synopsis can still be used.
Leadership, Sustainability & Governance (BAB27)
Van Tulder, R., Van Tilburg, R., Francken, M. & Da Rosa, A. (2013). Managing the
transition to a sustainable enterprise: lessons from frontrunner companies.
Earthscan/Routledge. ISBN: 978-0-415-71613-0 (paperback) or 978-0415-71612-3 (hardback) (Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5).
Northouse, P. G. (2009). Leadership. Theory and practice (6th edition). Sage Publications. ISBN/EAN 9781452203409
Articles available on Blackboard
Organizational Theory & Dynamics (BAB21)
Hatch, M.J., Cunliffe, A.L. (2013) Organization Theory: Modern, Symbolic, and
Postmodern Perspectives (3rd edition). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Palmer, I., Dunford, R., Akin, G. (2009) Managing Organizational Change. McGrawnd
Hill International Edition (2 edition)
Articles available on Blackboard
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