MAN-20093 - Module Specification
Keele Business School
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Programme/Approved Electives for 2020/21

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2020/21

Alternative forms of organising surround us in our daily lives, yet we rarely recognise or acknowledge their existence, strengths and importance. Whether you are examining co-operative ventures, charities or advocacy groups, some kind of organisation and management is still required for them to function. The fact that these organisational forms are non-profit or outside the mainstream does not mean that they are irrelevant for students of management; to ignore the diversity and richness of organisational life is to impoverish our understanding of the world of work - both paid and unpaid.
In this module we study these organisations through engagement with such organisations, working on solutions to challenges these organisations are currently facing. Working in groups, you will try to understand the issue, looking for innovative solutions that are underpinned with theory and for which you have considered the feasibility and practicality. You may have the opportunity to present your findings to the organisation.

The aim of this module is to broaden students' understanding of voluntary organisations, social enterprise and alternative forms of organising, with reference to key social enterprises and their different structural forms such as co-operatives, community-based organising, volunteering and the role of the third sector in providing public services.
The emphasis is a practical based approach, with students working on projects provided by local voluntary/social enterprises. By the end of the module, students will have proposed a solution to a particular challenge, having researched and assessed the feasibility of their proposed solution.

Intended Learning Outcomes

demonstrate a critical understanding of the key features of social enterprise and alternative organisations
: 1
describe and critically evaluate current debates and empirical research on alternative forms of organising
: 1
assess the tensions, similarities and paradoxes in the inter-relationships between alternative organisations, for-profit businesses and the state: 1
demonstrate the ability to provide a feasible solution, with justification, to a real organisational problem
: 2

Study hours

20h seminars
40h seminar preparation
35h assignment preparation
35h group project preparation
20h private study which includes additional reading, thinking time and discussing ideas with other students, etc.

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment