A postgraduate course in Business and Management.

This course deals with creative, innovative and sustainable ways of developing and managing people and organisations. You will look at the way cognition, values and style affect how we manage and relate to others. You will explore how to work more creatively and effectively with colleagues as well as understanding innovative and sustainable ways to develop organisations. You will also consider the culture, environment and context in which management operates. The course offers practical approaches for developing individuals, teams and organisations and includes a library of techniques that you can continue to use after you have completed the course.

Register for the course

This course is available for study in the countries shown. Fees and financial support may vary by country.

What you will study

The first part addresses perception and development looking at how the brain works, intuitive thinking, personality, beliefs and culture and how these impact on the way people act. It examines how we can develop ourselves and draw out the best in others in ways that take account of our values, style and situational constraints. The second part takes a practical look at different approaches and techniques. It centres round a library of problem solving techniques that you can draw on to work with your team. The techniques range from creative thinking, mapping and issue exploration to decision making, acceptance finding and conflict resolution. The third part focuses on ways of developing and changing organisations. These range from sustaining a creative culture through processes to manage innovation to developing staff capabilities. The course looks at some major management trends over the last thirty years including outsourcing, the quality movement, empowerment, partnerships across boundaries and customer/client involvement. It also explores the influence of national values on policy and practice and addresses how leading edge organisations can work responsibly and sustainably. International examples are taken from private, public and not for profit sectors.

You will learn

By the end of the course you should be able to:

• understand how perception, style and culture affect thought, action and policy
• manage yourself more effectively
• relate more effectively to the differing ways people behave in organisations
• appreciate the contextual nature of knowledge, both locally and internationally
• develop a more creative attitude in yourself and others
• develop and sustain a creative culture at work where ideas can grow
• use a variety of different approaches to deal with problems and opportunities alone and with others
• assess the advantages and disadvantages of the many different ways to transform organisations
• initiate action towards organisational improvement, transformation or renewal
• adapt and apply the approaches taught to involve people, develop ideas, manage innovation and develop organisations sustainably
• appreciate the impact of environmental issues and be aware of socially responsible approaches to management.

Vocational relevance

The course is suitable for managers, consultants, development professionals and others interested in developing themselves, their team and/or organisation more creatively and/or managing the planet in a more sustainable manner.

Entry

This course is an elective module in stage 2 of the MBA (F61). You will need to have already completed MBA stage 1: management: perspectives and practice (B716) and the compulsory stage 2 module Corporate finance (B831). You should also have completed or be currently studying the compulsory stage 2 module The dynamics of strategy (B835).

The course requires 150 hours of study over six months.

You will also need an appropriate facility in English language, sufficient to be able to work effectively at postgraduate level; generally this means capability equivalent to an International English Language Test System (IELTS) score of 6.5. To assess your English language skills in relation to your proposed studies you can visit the IELTS website. If you are unsure whether your skill level in English is adequate you may find it helpful to look at our Skills for OU Study site.

If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.

Qualifications

BB842 is an optional module in our:

• MBA (F61)

Some postgraduate qualifications allow study to be chosen from other subject areas. We advise you to refer to the relevant qualification descriptions for information on the circumstances in which this module can count towards these qualifications because from time to time the structure and requirements may change.

Excluded combinations

Sometimes you will not be able to count a module towards a qualification if you have already taken another module with similar content. To check any excluded combinations relating to this module, visit our excluded combination finder or check with our Student Registration & Enquiry Service before registering.

Regulations

As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the Module Regulations and the Student Regulations which are available on our Essential documents website.

If you have a disability

Elements of this course are delivered online and include the use of real-time online discussions and an interactive whiteboard space; consequently time spent using a computer and the internet will be extensive. If you use assistive technology or have a hearing or speech impairment and have concerns about accessing this type of virtual environment and materials you can visit the system provider's website for information and contact the Open University to discuss it further before registering.

The written transcripts of most audio components and Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) versions of printed material are available. Some Adobe PDF components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader. Alternative formats of the study materials may be available in the future. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.

Study materials

What's included

Study texts, readings, study guides, online materials, BB842 website, including online discussion forums.

Computing requirements

You will need a computer with internet access to study this course as it includes online activities, which you can access using a web browser.

• If you have purchased a new desktop or laptop computer since 2007 you should have no problems completing the online activities.
• If you’ve got a netbook, tablet or other mobile computing device check our Technical requirements section.
• If you use an Apple Mac you will need OS X 10.6 or later.

You can also visit the Technical requirements section for further computing information including the details of the support we provide.

Teaching and assessment

Support from your tutor

You will have a tutor who will help you with the study material and mark and comment on your assignments and whom you can ask for advice and guidance. You can contact your tutor by telephone, email or via your tutor group forum on the BB842 website.

Contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.

Assessment

The assessment details can be found in the facts box above.

There is considerable flexibility in the assignments so you can select those parts of the course that are most relevant to your situation and interests.

You must use the online eTMA system to submit your tutor-marked assignment (TMA) and end-of-module assessment (EMA).

Future availability

The details given here are for the course that starts in November 2013 and May 2014. We expect it to be available twice a year.

How to register

To register a place on this course return to the top of the page and use the Click to register button.

Distance learning

The Open University is the world’s leading provider of flexible, high quality distance learning. Unlike other universities we are not campus based. You will study in a flexible way that works for you whether you’re at home, at work or on the move. As an OU student you’ll be supported throughout your studies – your tutor or study adviser will guide and advise you, offer detailed feedback on your assignments, and help with any study issues. Tuition might be in face-to-face groups, via online tutorials, or by phone.

For more information about distance learning at the OU read Study explained.

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