MODULE HANDBOOK

BUSI 1315
Management Practice 2 - ( Why Middle Management is Messy)

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Contents
1 Welcome message from your Module Leader 1
(Please also see my welcome video on Moodle) 1
2. Key contacts (academic queries) 1
3. Module details and learning outcomes 1
4. Employability 1
5. Schedule of teaching and learning activities 1
6. Assessment 1
7. Resit assessments 1
8. Resource recommendations 1
9. Changes to the module 1

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1 Welcome message from your Module Leader
(Please also see my welcome video on Moodle)
Dear BABM Students,

I revised and changed certain aspects of this module last year thanks to my own observation of
what students have best enjoyed and learned from it. I have taught on it for four years and am the
module leader for the second year now. I feel confident you will enjoy it and get a lot out of it. It is
at the heart of the whole degree and other modules connect to it.

This module gives you an idea of what is required of and what challenges middle management in
a large or medium sized commercial organisation. The skills they need and their approach are key.
I hope you complete the module with a good idea of what the manager role actually ‘looks and
feels’ like in real life. It is complex and difficult – but is the key role in most organisations.

I spent a number of years at this level in industry myself and my teaching relies on that and on
both the classic and very recent academic theory.

There will be multiple case studies and role play formative activities which I hope you will really
enjoy. Your active engagement at my lectures and your engagement in your tutorials will position
you well to fully take on board and apply your learning and do very well in your assessment.

I hope you enjoy the module and I always appreciate all feedback (good, bad or ugly!).

Nevin Bayoumi-Stefanovic,
Module Leader

This handbook provides essential information about this module including the aims and
learning outcomes, the schedule of teaching and learning activities, assessment tasks,
resource recommendations and, if applicable, any additional resources that you will need.
Please read it at the start of term so you are aware of key details and important dates.

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1. Key contacts (academic queries)
The list below provides contact details of the module team.

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Module Tutor: insert name
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2. Module details and learning outcomes

Host faculty: Greenwich Business School (GBS)

Host school: School of Business Operations and Strategy (BOS)
Number of credits: 15
Term(s) of delivery: Term 2
Site(s) of delivery: Greenwich

Aims:
The course is designed to encourage students to:
• understand management practice including management roles, skills, and challenges at
various levels and in different scenarios
• apply systems thinking for management and the situations associated with
management activities
• develop the ability to analyse management context and be critical about evidence
• consider the challenges associated with different levels of management practice

Learning Outcomes:
1. Knowledge and understanding of systems thinking and scientific aspects of
management in order to develop applications appropriate to deal with a variety of
situations and context.
2. Seeing problems ‘as a whole’ and appreciate different viewpoints, aiding the ability to
draw out the key factors of a problem.
3. Application of Management Practice in scenario-like activities such as: managing
stakeholder relations, risk management, conflict and communication, etc.
4. The ability to interrogate material in an evaluative way to problem solve; form links
between theoretical concepts and application of such approaches to managing at
different levels

Glossary:
 A learning outcome is a subject-specific statement that defines the learning to be
achieved through completing this module.

3. Employability

This section shows clearly how the module will provide skills and knowledge
that are positively useful to employers. It describes the skills in the same way
the employers typically talk about them. It should dovetail with your PPD
modules this year and next.

a. Cognitive Skills

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 This module will develop skills of analysis, judgement, and evaluation. The
case studies, role plays will require thought, discussion and written
explanation of its complexity and the trade-offs that often need to be made.
You will develop knowledge of the complex management task – what do
managers have to do, how do they make decisions, what are all the factors
they must consider in order to make good effective decisions.

b. Personal skills/impact

The research, case work and role plays will add more practice to your
teamwork skills.

The module also particularly helps you separate the technical or systems
aspects of a manager’s role from the often more difficult people and problem-
solving aspects and the tutorial time will allow for these latter points to be
understood through scenario discussions and acting.

c. Technical Ability

This module will give you practice in dealing with real world managerial
situations and in how to make decisions. It particularly shows the balance
between hard quantitative results focus and the soft people and relationship
aspects of the management role. It will help you appreciate the task of their
line manager both currently (for the many students who already work) and in
future.

d. Organisational Awareness

This module specifically examines the middle management role and puts it
into the context of the whole organization. This will help you gain awareness
of the pressures and limitations on this role at this important middle level. It
also helps you understand how managers must balance their internal and
external relationships in meeting their objectives and how these are both
challenging.

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 It will give you an idea of how good managers use their skills to achieve
results within the often-limiting bureaucracy and control of the organization.
The importance of organizational culture and the real impact it has on
behaviour is highlighted as well.

e. Professional Elements

The course will assist you by improving your understanding of what managers
actually do and all the real-life considerations they have. It will improve skills
of evaluation and decision making so that the important factors are focused
on so that good results can be achieved.

4. Schedule of teaching and learning activities

W W Activity & Requirements

e ee
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.

1. 20t
W h

k Jan
1
9
of
ac
a
d
e
m
ic
ye

8
 ar

LECTURE:
Intro to the module and module leader – setting the scene for a module you will enjoy!
&
Overview of the middle manager role & recap/history of management theory
READING:
Watch the 6 minute Pecha Kucha AHEAD of the lecture
Chap 10 in Mullins OR Chap 2 in Daft & Benson OR Chap 21 in Pettinger
TUTORIAL:
Case study: The role of a European Brand Manager: KitKat
Introduction/ overview of assessment
PREP: Read the Kitkat Case study on Moodle

2. 27t
h

Jan

LECTURE: R

Systems Thinking Chap 1 Jackson

OR
Watch the 6 minute Pecha Kucha AHEAD of the lecture Chap 1 Checkland
(Digital copies on Moodle fo
TUTORIAL:
Using rich pictures to understand ‘the system’
Use of personal work contexts encouraged!

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 3. 3rd
Fe
b

LECTURE: R

Organisational Culture Chap 5 Capon

&
Assessment overview (Digital copy on Moodle)
Watch the 6 minute Pecha Kucha AHEAD of the lecture
TUTORIAL:
The culture web model applied to multiple businesses
PREP: You can apply to your own place of work / you will be placed in groups who can relate to different sectors of wo

10t
h

Fe
b

LECTURE: R

Leadership for the Middle Manager Chap 9 Mullins

& (Digital copy on Moodle)
Overview of Formative assignment OR
watch the 6 minute Pecha Kucha AHEAD of the lecture Chap 17
Busi 1628/ Managing Organ
TUTORIAL:
Leadership styles –
People or Task Focused self-reflection & discussion THROUGH ROLE-PLAY
PREP: Complete the questionnaire

17t

10
 h

Fe
b

LECTURE:

Communication Chap 7 Pettinger

Watch the 6 minute Pecha Kucha AHEAD of the lecture (on Moodle)
TUTORIAL:

PREP: Read the assessment brief & Rubric ; come prepared with YOUR thoughts on how you would apply this Topic to
Train yourselves how to get the most from a Generative AI source: find the link between the complexity of middle ma

Effective communication at this level- discussion

& FORMATIVE class activity:
The tutorial will be used as a chance for you to check your understanding of how to handle the essay question through
findings using the required academic sources

24t
h

Fe
b

LECTURE:

Influencing Skills Huczynski Chap 24

Watch the 6 minute Pecha Kucha AHEAD of the lecture (on Moodle)
TUTORIAL:
Role play in class
PREP: 4 students are required in each tutorial to take on the role of a team of student reps going to see the Head of D
role is to influence the HoD and persuade them to scrap all exams for the benefit of students and only have assessme
to be one of the 4 students OR one of the class observers who will feedback once the roleplay is over.
Go through the lecture slides to ensure you can apply concepts from the module to the task.

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 3rd
Ma
rch

LECTURE:

Decision making Daft & Benson Chap 9

Watch the 6 minute Pecha Kucha AHEAD of the lecture (on Moodle)
TUTORIAL:
Case study &
Overview of Assignment key points
PREP: Read the Southwestern Airlines Case study on Moodle

10t
h

Ma
rch
TW
LECTURE:
O
we
ek
s
Stress and Time till
Management Being updated
ass
ess
TUTORIAL: me
Thomas Kilman model
nt discussion and reflection
& su
Assignment support
bm
PREP: Complete the questionnaire to understand how YOU tend to deal with conflict & Come with any assessment que
issi
on
NB
!
MS

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TE
AM
S
ON
LIN
E
Q&
A
ass
ess
me
nt
su
pp
ort
ses
sio
n
will
be
off
ere
d

17t
h
Conflict (and Change)– how to try to manage it
Ma &
rc Assistance on final year subject choices
h Watch the 6 minute Pecha Kucha AHEAD of the lecture
TUTORIAL:
NB Case study, questionnaire
! &
MS Assignment support
TE PREP: 1) Read the Hasbro Case study on Moodle 2) consider your own conflict handling style
AM 3) essay help – come with any of the following- overview of structure and key arguments for
S You wil receive immediate feedback which you can apply to the rest of your work
ON

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 LIN
E
Q&
A
ass
ess
me
nt
su
pp
ort
ses
sio
n
will
be
off
ere
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24t ASSESSMENT SUBMISSION BY 11.30pm

h
(please remember to take a screenshot of your screen if you
Ma encounter any issues while submitting late at night so you have
rc proof
h of submission attempt).

7th EC submission deadline – see above

Ap
ril

5. Assessment
Assessment schedule:

First sit Deadline Weightin Maximu Marking Learning

assessments or exam g out of m length type outcomes
period 100%* mapped to

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 this
assessment
.

Essay in 2 Parts : March 24th 100 % 3000 numerical 1,2,4

Discussion on the 2025, words

11.30pm
complexities of
Middle
Management and
the
skills/abilities/trait
s required to
create success in
such a role

*The weighting refers to the proportion of the overall module result that each assessment
task accounts for.

Your assessment brief:

Guidance:
An Essay of 3000 words is required for your ONE summative assessment in
this Module.

The essay has 2 elements which you are to view as two parts of the same
essay:

1 – In the first part you will discuss the challenges/complexities which come with
being a middle
manager in an organization. You are asked to consider the organizational
behaviour aspects of the job
(all the topics covered each week) which cause the complexity of the middle
manager role.

2 - Give a summary of which skills/personal traits/ abilities, discussed during

module, you understand to
be key for the successful management of:
a) a middle manager’s team (ie. their subordinates) AND
b) their relationship with other stakeholders both internal and external to their
firm.

To support your writing in a way which is both academically sound and which
shows your engagement

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 with the module (hence its application to your real life), You MUST make
reference to
a) the weekly required reading material ON MOODLE, as well as your own
additional research
(ie. You MUST be able to effectively reference Daft & Benson, Capon,
Huczynski & Buchanon etc.)
b) YOUR OWN experience of management – this can be direct or observed
(succinctly share any
experiences which relate to topics like Communication, Conflict, Decision
making and such and
which support the academic argument you are trying to make)
c) 2 pieces of tutorial content eg. case studies / role play / self-analysis
exercise
These will support your explanations of why ‘management can be messy’ as
well as the skills /abilities
you believe create successful management.

In order to create a successful essay please ensure you:

1) consider all the topics covered this term and choose which ones you can
relate to best
2) have been through the full range of teaching/ reading materials plus the
case studies covered
3) have caught up on ANY missed tutorial sessions

The essay should have roughly 2 equal elements as regards the word counts
ie. 1500 for part 1 and
part 2. A maximum of 200 words up or down for each section is acceptable but
no more than that.
Ie. 1300 and 1700.

Your assessment thought & writing process will supported through:

- an overview of the expectations given in WEEK 1 tutorial
- the assignment slide-deck available on Moodle
- the chance to ask Nevin (your ML) and your tutors pertinent questions during
the weekly lecture AND tutorials every week
- dedicated lecture time to outline the assessment beginning in WK3 of the
module
- multiple support sessions incorporated into the tutorials during the second
half of the term
- a chance for you to submit drafts and get feedback during the weeks prior to
the deadline
ie. Beginning the week of March 3rd.

6.1 The use of Gen AI (the various LLMs in existence) and how it/they can aid you
in your understand and writing will be exemplified during the week of the
Communication topic.
You may use AI to help broaden and deepen your understanding of the 5 Topics you
choose to write about but remember you are NOT allowed to simply copy and paste
content created for you by an LLM. For an essay such as this, it would be considered
similarly to plagiarism as it is not your intellectual work.
The use of Grammarly and other spelling / grammar aids is welcome.

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6.2 Formative assessments:
1) discussions of case studies
2) group role plays
3) Week of the topic ‘Communication’ will be set such that you the students, alone or
in groups,
can give an overview of how you would apply this topic to answer their module
assessment. They,
and the rest of the class, will be given guidance on where they have understood the
application of the
topic well and why/how they have not.
As FIVE topics are required to be covered for the module assessment, this should
provide valuable
Help in both ongoing learning and how to approach the assessment.

The overall aim of the tutorials is to have you engage conceptually and emotionally
with the content
and where the role plays are concerned, you can ACT OUT your learning to express
either good or
bad practices of middle management as you have understood them. This format
should be more
interesting than simply creating a traditional presentation!

6.3 Feedback for summative coursework:

Marked coursework with feedback, given in the current requisite style of the feedback
sandwich on Turnitin, will normally be provided within 15 working days of the submission
deadline. In exceptional circumstances, where there is a delay in providing feedback, you
will be informed by the module leader.
The feedback sandwich will be provided in writing on Turnitin in the Rubric grading and
feedback section. In addition, you can expect helpful short written comments on the scrip
itself.

Marking rubric:
3000 Word essay on The Complexities of Middle 100 marks allocated
management to criteria:
Marking Criteria
Content 1 30%

PART 1
To what extent does the student demonstrate their
understanding that ‘middle management can be messy’?

Is there depth of understanding shown for this question

through inclusion of organisational structure content?

Has thought been given to how the chosen topics interrelate?

To what extent is there evidence of critical, independent,

and/or creative thinking including the use of case study and/or
real-life lived experience examples? (at LEAST 1 in Part 1)
Content 2 30%

PART 2

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 To what extent does the student demonstrate their
understanding of the skills, abilities, traits or techniques that
can lead to a middle manager’s success?

Does the content offer a clear understanding of the difference

in focus between part a and b of this question?

Has the required distinction been made between internal and

external stakeholders?

To what extent is there evidence of critical, independent,

and/or creative thinking including the use of case study and/or
real-life lived experience examples? (at LEAST 1 in Part 1)
Research 25%
Has the student used at least 5 topics which have been
covered within this module?

Is there evidence of thorough research including use of

textbook and academic article materials offered on Moodle
and other teaching materials eg. PK content, slide deck
content, tutorial material?

Does the student include a reasonable number of references

(e.g., minimum 15) from credible academic or business news
sources (HBR, The Economist) and make effective use of
references?
Communication 15%
To what extent is the essay well organised and logically
constructed, through the use of paragraphs and good
sentence structure, to achieve a comprehensive piece of
writing while being mindful of the needs of the reader?

To what extent is the essay well written, spell checked and

grammatically sound?

Is the essay referenced appropriately following the Harvard

system?
This marking rubric can also be found on the module Moodle page clearly marked as such
within the Assessment support section.

Coursework is marked on the understanding that it is the student’s own work on the
module and that it has not, in whole or part, been presented elsewhere for assessment.
Where material has been used from other sources, this must be properly acknowledged in
accordance with the University’s regulations regarding Assessment Misconduct.

Marking, feedback and next steps

To pass this module, you must achieve an overall mark of 40+ .

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For coursework, the marks and feedback will normally be provided to students within
fifteen working days of the submission deadline. In exceptional circumstances, where
there is a delay in providing feedback, you will be informed by the module leader.

If you do not pass a module at the first attempt, you will likely be eligible for a resit
opportunity on the failed assessments. The Progression and Award Board (PAB) will
decide whether you will be offered an opportunity to resit. Note that marks on resit
assessments are capped at 40% / 50% (delete as appropriate for UG/PG) unless
extenuation has been applied for and granted.

External Examiner
The External Examiner for this module is:
Name: insert
Institution: insert

Please note that the role of the External Examiner is to evaluate the overall standard of
assessments on the module. They are unable to correspond with individual students
about their work. If you need to discuss your marks or feedback, please contact the
module leader.

6. Resit assessments
Assessment schedule:

Resit Deadlin Weightin Maximum Marking Learning

assessments e g out of length type outcomes
100%* mapped to
this
assessment.

There is NO insert insert % insert insert: Insert LO

change in the deadline exam stepped, numbers
assessment essay date, length or numerical,
– if you failed your 11.30pm maximum pass/fail
first attempt, you word
will need to count/
produce a much minutes
better version of it

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7. Resource recommendations
The following are suggested readings for the module. Additional, more detailed reading
recommendations will be provided for the module topics.

Apart from week 1 of the module, EACH week’s required

chapter reading is on Moodle

Author Title Publisher ISBN

Capon C Understanding the Business Prentice

(2009) Environment Hall/Financia
l Times

Checkland Systems Thinking Systems Practice,

(1990) Wiley, New
York

Daft and Management, Cengage:

Benson London.
(2015)

Huczynski
(XX)

Jackson M Systems Thinking: Creative

(2004) Holism for Managers

Mullins Management &

with Organisational Behaviour
Christy ***

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 (11th
Edition)

Pettinger Management, a concise Palgrave

(2012) introduction Macmillian

*** Many of you will already own the ‘’Managing Organisations &
Individuals’’ Busi 1628 coursebook which covers key chapters for certain
weeks of this module

8. Changes to the module

At the University of Greenwich, we value feedback from students as well as External
Examiners and other stakeholders and we use this information to help us improve our
provision.

The summative assessment is revised year on year in accordance with feedback I receive
from students. Although this is probably one of the more challenging essays you will be
asked to construct, and serves as a bridge to what you will need to achieve in your third /
final year of study, its intention is not to be overcomplicated. The essay has been through
a number of verbal, structural and other changes to now include real life experience
examples to allow students to really take on board the learning and apply it to your real
working lives and learning. The essay is now in two clearly guided and structured parts
rather than one long 3000 word essay.
Please continue to provide me with feedback to make it a more interesting and positively
challenging learning experience for you!

Important note: The University of Greenwich will do all that it reasonably can to deliver
the module and support your learning as specified in our handbooks and other
information provided. However, under some circumstances, changes may have to be
made. This may include modifications to the:

 content and syllabus of modules, including in relation to placements

 timetable, location and number of classes
 content or method of delivery of your module

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 timing and method of assessments.

This might be because of, for example:

 academic changes within subject areas

 the unanticipated departure or absence of members of university staff
 where the numbers expected on a module are so low that it is not possible to
deliver an appropriate quality of education for students enrolled on it
 industrial action by university staff or third parties
 the acts of any government or local authority
 acts of terrorism.

In these circumstances, the university will take all reasonable steps to minimise
disruption by making reasonable modifications. However, to the full extent that it is
possible under the general law, the university excludes liability for any loss and/or
damage suffered by any applicant or student due to these circumstances.

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