POSTGRADUATE INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT

University of Sri Jayewardenepura

Master of Business Administration 2011
MBA501: Managing Organizations
COURSE OUTLINE
Duration: From: January 03, 2011 To: March 23, 2011
Day of Week: Monday (Group B), Wednesday (Group A)
Regular Lecturer: Dr. Ajantha Dharmasiri
1. Introduction
Management is fundamental to most things we do. The typical manager works long hours
and faces increased complexities posed by globalization, domestic competition,
government regulation and stakeholder pressure. This task is further complicated by rapid
change, restructuring processes, and both minor and major crises. The managers job is
not only unpredictable and fraught with discontinuity and challenges, but it is also filled
with opportunities to make a real difference for the benefit of the organization and the
people it serves.
2.

Course Objective and Learning Outcomes

The main aim of this module is to sharpen the participants understanding of, and
approach to management fundamentals and improve their skills of practical applications
of the fundamentals of managing. Upon completion of this course, and its assignments
you will be able to:
- Understand the nature of management in organizations. Students should develop the
ability to analyze the business situation confronted by firms, and make viable
managerial decisions based on sound management principles.
- Understand how organizing unfolds in work, or at least how it should unfold. Students
should be able describe the key issues that organizations must consider in their key
processes.
- Understand the problems of growth and survival in organizations business. Students
should be able to describe what the key problems are, and outline some potential
solutions.
3.

Course Delivery and Methodology

An interactive learning approach will be adopted. The following will feature markedly in
the conduct of the course: Lecture presentations, case analysis, group presentations &
discussions, videos, assignments on issues related to Sri Lankan organizations and
literature reviews.
In addition to the regular three hour lectures, the participants are expected to engage in
group discussions on case analysis, article review and specific managerial issues related
to customs. Several workshops will be conducted during the program to review the
progress of such activities and to collectively discuss the group findings.

4.

Course Content

Session

Topic

Learning
Outcome
Identify the
presence of
management
essentials in
ones
organization
Assess the
presence of
evolutionary
stages of
management in
ones
organization

01

Overview of
Managing
Organizations

02

Evolution of
Management
Thinking

03

Approaches to
Planning in
Organizations

Apply the
planning tools
to ones
organization

04

Organizing
and
Organizational
Design

Apply the
organizational
design in a real
life case

05

Leading vs.
Managing in
Organizations

06

Control
Techniques in
Management

Identify the
differences
between
leading and
managing
through a case
analysis
Assess the
degree of
presence of
controls in
ones
organization

07

Systems
Perspective of
Organizations

Analyze ones
organization
through a
system
continuum

Key Activity
Lecture: Fundamentals of
management
Group Discussion:
Presence of management
essentials in ones
organization
Lecture: Evolution of
management
Group Activity:
Comparison of various
stages of management
evolution
Video: The power of
vision
Lecture: Fundamentals of
planning in organizations
Group Activity: Discuss
the degree of presence of
planning in ones
organization
Video: Unorganized
Manager
Lecture: Fundamentals of
organizing and
organizational design
Group Activity: Case on
organizational structures

Mandatory
Reading(s)
Chapter 1 of Daft, R.
L. (2009). Principles of
Management, New
Delhi: South-Western,
pp. 20 - 48.
Witzel, M. (2005).
Where Scientific
Management Went
Awry, EBF, Issue 21,
Spring.

Chapter 7 of Daft, R.
L. (2009). Principles of
Management, New
Delhi, South-Western,
pp. 198 - 222.

Note on How
Organizations can be
Structured. (1989).
Harvard Business
School Notes. Dec.

Lecture: Basics of
leadership
Case Analysis: Leader vs
Manager
Video: Gandhi as a leader

Zaleznik, A. (1992).
Managers and
Leaders: Are they
Different? Harvard
Business Review,
March April.

Lecture: Controls in
organizations
Group Discussion:
Presence of control
systems in ones
organization
Case Analysis:
Control in action
Lecture: Fundamentals of
systems theory
Group Activity: Evaluating
ones organizations as a
system

Simons, R. (1995).
Controls in an Age of
Empowerment,
Harvard Business
Review, March April,
pp. 80 88.

Perera, T. (2002).
Employee
Commitment :A Study
of Selected High
Performing Companies
in Sri Lanka, Sri
Lankan Journal of
Management, 7 (3,4).

Session

Topic

Learning
Outcome
Assess the
level of
presence of
Strategic
Human
Resource
Management in
ones
organization.
Assess the
nature of
organizational
culture in ones
organization.

08

Managing
Human
Resource in an
Organization

09

Organizational
Culture

10

Balanced
Scorecard as a
Progress
Tracking Tool

5.

Scheme of Evaluation

Application of
the four
perspectives of
the Balanced
Scorecard to
ones
organization.

Individual Assignment
Group Assignment
Final Examination (March 23, 2011)
6.

Key Activity
Lecture: Fundamentals of
Human Resource
Management
Group Activity:
Discussion on the presence
of Human Resource
Management in ones
organization.
Lecture: Concepts and
applications of
organizational culture
Group Activity:
Identification of cultural
elements in ones
organization.
Lecture: Fundamentals of
the Balanced Scorecard
Group Discussion:
Designing a Balanced
Scorecard to a selected
organization.
Video: Balanced
Scorecard in Action.

Mandatory
Reading(s)
Chapter 12 of Daft, R.
L. (2009). Principles
of Management, New
Delhi: South-Western,
pp. 349 - 382.

Note on
Organizational
Culture. (1999).
Harvard Business
School Notes, May.

Kaplan, R. S. &
Norton, D. P. (1993).
Putting Balanced
Scorecard into Work,
Harvard Business
Review, Sep.- Oct. pp.
134 147.

30%
30 %
40 %

Supplementary Readings

Text: The text for this course is Daft, R. L. (2009). Principles of Management, New Delhi:
South-Western.

Books
1. Certo, S. C. (2003). Modern Management, New Delhi: Pearson Education.
2. Hannagan, T.(1995). Management: Concepts and Practices, London: Pitman
Publishing.
3. Nanayakkara, G. (1994). Sri Lankan Cases in Management, Colombo: PIM.
4. ...., (1998). Development of Management Studies in Modern Sri Lanka,
Colombo: PIM.
5. , (2004). Managing in Sri Lanka: Problems and Perspectives, Colombo:
Academy of Management Sciences,
6. Ranasinghe, S. (2005). In Search of Organizational Realities, Colombo: PIM.
7. Robins, S. P. & Judge, T. A. (2007). Organizational Behaviour, 12th ed, New Delhi:
Prentice-Hall of India.
Journal Articles
1. Bartlett, C. A. & Ghoshal, S. (2002). Building Competitive Advantage through
People, MIT Sloan Management Review, Winter.
3

2. Dharmasiri, A.S. (2009). Strategic Orientation of HR Managers in Mobile

Communicating Companies in South Asia, Sri Lankan Journal of Management, 14
(2): 25 -31.
3. .. (2000). Development of Conceptual Competencies of Sri Lankan Managers
for Strategic Decision Making, Sri Lankan Journal of Management, 5 ( 3 & 4): 195
227.
4. Drucker, P. F. (2004). What Makes an Effective Executive, Harvard Business
Review, June.
5. Kaplan, R. S. & Norton, D. P. (2000). Having Trouble with Your Strategy? Then
Map It, Harvard Business Review, September-October.
6. Liyanage, U. (2009). Developing Competency based Skills to Become and Stay
Employable, Sri Lankan Journal of Management, 14 (1): 25 -37.
7. Perera, T, (2002). Employee Commitment: A Study of Selected High Performing
Companies in Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan Journal of Management, 7 (3 & 4): 188 208.
8. Roos, J. & Victor, B. (1999). Towards a New Model of Strategy-making as Serious
Play, European Management Journal, 17 (4): 348 355.

Web-based Resources
A wide range of journal articles are available online in the research databases such as
http://web.ebscohost.com, http://www.blackwell-synergy.com and
http://www.emeraldinsight.com.
(You may contact PIM Library for further assistance in accessing these databases.)
January 01, 2011