module specification

This module considers contemporary and future business issues focusing on business leadership, corporate social responsibility and the influence of social media on businesses.

The module equips students with the knowledge and analytical skills required to critically reflect upon emerging and future issues that are faced by managers and organisational leaders throughout the world of business.

The module will also critically reflect on how organisations shape and/or are shaped by the geo-political, economic, social and technological environments in which they operate.

The aims of this module are to encourage students to:
• Critically examine the interaction between organisations and their wider contexts for effective management and responsible business leadership.
• Manage responsibly and behave ethically in relation to social, cultural, economic and environmental issues affecting modern organisations.
• Critically evaluate the role of social media tools as part of organisational strategies to further organisations’ goals.

• Sustainable development and environmental Issues
• Corporate social responsibility and regulatory compliance
• Professionalism and ethical behaviours
• Ethical dilemmas in leadership
• Managing knowledge and innovation
• Embracing social media and social networks in furthering organisational goals
• Strategic leadership and organisational change

The module will be delivered through weekly teaching sessions in the form of seven lectures, five group tutorials, one workshop with industry experts, and two weeks of assessed group seminars. The key differentiator for this module is that it is focused on determining leading edge thinking and will be supported by research undertaken by the students. Tutors will facilitate the learning sessions including the lectures and group tutorials, and students will deliver the assessed seminars in accordance with the specification for Assignment 2.

The lectures will aim to focus on the theoretical knowledge and understanding whereas group tutorials will focus on the application and analysis of these using a variety of means including case studies, problem solving discussions and topical debates. Articles from various magazines and journals and special reports from newspapers will be used, in addition to directed reading from text books.

Industry experts with relevant experience will be invited as guest speakers during the one workshop session with a focus on career skills, employability issues and emerging trends. Although there are no placements planned for this module, the workshop may take place in an employer’s workplace if this is appropriate to the content and learning experience.

On successful completion of this module, students will be able to:
1. Demonstrate current understanding of some specialist areas in depth, in appreciating the different approaches to leadership and their relevance, in a multi-cultural context.
2. Critically reflect upon the concepts of 'organisational responsibility' and 'responsible leadership' and their implications for private, public and third sector institutions.
3. Critically examine the evolving and complex relationship between business, government and civil society in the context of ethical and corporate social responsibilities.
4. Acquire advanced knowledge and understanding of the key categories, social media tools, and organisational approaches towards social media and their impacts on business organisations.

The students will be assessed by two assessments:

Assignment 1 (50%) – Students will be required to produce an individual essay (maximum of 2,500 words) based on an emerging business issue in line with a topical context selected by the tutor.

Assignment 2 (50%) - Students in a group will be required to prepare and deliver an assessed seminar of 40 minutes duration on an agreed theme that should align with the indicative content for this module. The seminar mark will be peer adjusted to account for individual contribution during group work.

Core Books
• Blowfield, M. and Murray, A., (2011) Corporate Responsibility. 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press
• Cabrera, A. and Unruh, G., (2012) Being Global: How to Think, Act and Lead in a Transformed World. Boston: Harvard Business School Press
Recommended Books
• Amerland, D., (2012) The Social Media Mind: How Social Media Is Changing Business, Politics and Science and Helps Create a New World Order. New York: New Line Publishing
• Hamilton, L.,   Mitchell, L., Mangan, A., (2009) Contemporary Issues in Marketing and Consumer Behaviour. Gloucestershire:  Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd
• Northouse, P.G., (2007) Leadership: Theory and Practice. 4th edition, Sage: London

Journals and Other Learning Resources
Kietzmann JH, Hermkens K, McCarthy IP & Silvestre BS. Social media? Get serious! Understanding the functional building blocks of social media. Business Horizons. 2011: 54: 241-251.
Kaplan AM & Haenlein M. Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social Media. Business Horizons. 2010: 53: 59-68. 13.
TED Talk [Internet]. Leberecht T: TED Conferences. Tim Leberecht: 3 ways to (usefully) lose control of your brand; 2012 Jun [cited 2013 Dec 12]. Available from: http://www.ted.com/talks/tim_leberecht_3_ways_to_usefully_lose_control_of_your_reputation.html
Harvard Business Review
International Journal of Business and Economics
Industrial and Corporate Change
Sloan Management Review
http://www.bloomberg.com/
https://www.youtube.com/user/HarvardBusiness
http://www.forbes.com/business/
http://www.icaew.com/en/about-icaew/what-we-do/businessfutures