Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Associate Professor
Steven Segal
Contact via +61 (2) 9850 9907
Professor
Robert Spillane
Contact via +61 (2) 9850 8995
Weekly class – Thursday 6pm – 10pm (Starts: 5th April 2018)
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Credit points |
Credit points
4
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
Admission to MBA or MMgmt or GradDipMgt or MSocEntre
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
This unit surveys the evolution of Western thought from major philosophical perspectives (from Homer to Sartre) and their relevance for management. What is important about a philosophical perspective is not what it explains, but what it assumes. Three assumptions ground the unit:
a) managing is essentially a philosophical activity because human existence is interpreted through diverse perspectives;
b) management training needs to be combined with management education. To train is to drill and subordinate individuals to routines, standards and practices. To educate is to liberate a person’s intellectual, moral and aesthetic powers.
c) managers and leaders need to have the critical skills to debate, reflect, and engage in dialogue across different functional disciplines, stakeholders and cultures in organisational contexts.
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Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
The assessment system has been designed to help students learn and apply the concepts introduced during the course.
The purpose of the system is to assess:
Marking criteria for assessments will be made available in class/iLearn
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
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Class Quiz | 20% | No | 17th May 2018 |
Group Essay | 30% | No | 10th June 2018 |
Final Examination | 50% | No | Exam Week: 11 - 16 June 2018 |
Due: 17th May 2018
Weighting: 20%
In class quiz from 6:05 - 6:20pm
Due: 10th June 2018
Weighting: 30%
Length: Maximum number of words is 3000.
Due: Submission in iLearn on or before 11:59pm (Sydney Time) of Sunday, 10th June 2018
"What entitles you to believe that your practices for managing or being managed are in fact acts of managing rather than say acts of manipulation or exploitation?" In order to answer this question you will need to use at least two definitions: one of management and one of either manipulation or exploitation. You will then need to demonstrate and justify how the concepts relate to your experience.
No extensions will be granted without a medical certificate.
Late essays will be penalised up to 10% per day unless student has applied for special consideration, and that application is considered acceptable. Applications for extensions must be made before the submission date, and will only be granted in exceptional circumstances. Since most of us suffer from constant pressure of work, it would not be considered an ‘exceptional circumstance’
Due: Exam Week: 11 - 16 June 2018
Weighting: 50%
Duration: 3 hours plus 10 minutes reading time Format: Closed book exam Date: Exam Week: 11 - 16 June 2018
The MGSM Examination period in Term 2 2018 is from 11 - 16 June 2018
REQUIRED TEXT
Robert Spillane, An Eye for an I: Philosophies of Personal Power, Sydney: GOKO Publishing, 2015, ISBN: 9781613397626
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Robert Spillane, Entertaining Executives, Sydney: GOKO Publishing, 2015.ISBN: 9781613397374
Jean-Etienne Joullie and Robert Spillane, The Philosophical Foundations of Management Thought, Maryland: Lexington Books, 2015, ISBN: 9780739186022
For information on textbook prices and online ordering, please refer to the Co-Op Bookshop webpage at http://www.coop.com.au
Additional Readings
There are also many books which provide accounts of the lives and thoughts of the great philosophers. Some readable examples follow.
D. Collinson, Fifty Major Philosophers, Routledge, 1988
D.E. Cooper, World Philosophies: An Historical Introduction, Blackwell, 1996
F. Copleston, A History of Philosophy, Doubleday, 1994 (9 volumes)
D. Hamlyn, The Penguin History of Western Philosophy, Penguin, 1987
T. Honderich (ed.), Philosophy through its Past, Penguin, 1984
Bryan Magee, The Great Philosophers, Oxford, 1989
D. O’Connor, A Critical History of Western Philosophy, Macmillan, 1985
A. O’Hear, What Philosophy Is, Penguin, 1985
R. Scruton, Modern Philosophy, Mandarin, 1996
J. Shand, Philosophy and Philosophers: An Introduction to Western Philosophy, McGill, 1993
Robert Solomon, Continental Philosophy since 1750: The Rise and Fall of the Self, Oxford, 1990
R. Solomon & K. Higgins, A Short History of Philosophy, Oxford, 1996
T. Sprigge, Theories of Existence, Penguin, 1987
L. Stevenson, Seven Theories of Human Nature, Oxford, 1987
R. Trigg, Ideas of Human Nature, Blackwell, 1992
MGSM iLearn
The web page for this unit can be found at: https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/login/MGSM
Important Information
1) It is compulsory that students attend the first two sessions of this unit.
2) Students may not record sessions without the permission of the lecturer.
Unit Requirements
Students are required to:
a) Prepare for and participate in seminars;
b) Complete a class quiz at Session 7 (20% of unit mark);
c) Complete a group essay at the end of Week 10 (30% of unit mark);
d) Complete a closed-book examination (50% of unit mark).
Classes
“The real object of lecturing is not to communicate information but to try to plant germinal ideas in the mind and to arouse curiosity, not to satisfy it. A lecture ought not to be a handing over of coined thoughts to be stored away in mental strong boxes … What one tries to do in a lecture is to make a subject appear charming and interesting; to tempt one’s hearers to look into themselves; to sweep away the dreary tissue of unnecessary and useless knowledge in which many books involve a person and to present ideas in attractive form.” (A.C. Benson)
This unit will be presented in a Weekly format. Dates of teaching are:
Session |
Date |
Topics |
Readings |
1 |
5 April (Robert Spillane) |
Ancient Heroism: Management by Performance Key Figure: HOMER (c.800 B.C.)
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Spillane, R. An Eye for an I, Sydney: GOKO Publishing, 2015, (EI) Ch. 1 |
2 |
12 April (Steven Segal) |
Greek Rationalism: Management by Dialogue Key Figure: PLATO (c. 427 – 347 B.C.) |
EI: Ch.2 Stevenson, Leslie. “Chapter 3”- Plato: The Rule of the Wise” in Seven Theories of Human Nature, Oxford University Press: New York, pp 27-39. “Socrates; A Friend” from A Platonic Dialogue: Hipparchus or the Profiteer. (ed.R.Spillane) |
3 |
19 April (Steven Segal) |
Machiavellianism: Management By and For Power Key Figure: MACHIAVELLI (1469 – 1527) |
EI: Ch. 5 Berlin, I. “Machiavelli” in Against the Current, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1989, pp 25-79. |
4 |
26 April (Robert Spillane) |
Cynics and Stoics: Managing Emotions Key Figure: DIOGENES (C.400 – 325 BC) EPICTETUS (50 – 138) |
EI: Chs. 3-4 Spillane, R. Developing Managerial Talent through Rational-Emotive Training |
5 |
3 May (Steven Segal) |
Cartesian Dualism: Managing the Mind Key Figure: RENE DESCARTES (1596 – 1650) |
EI: Ch. 6 Priest, S. “Descartes” in Theories of the mind, Penguin, 1991
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6 |
10 May (Robert Spillane) |
British Empiricism: Management & Science
Key Figure: DAVID HUME (1711 – 1776) |
EI: Ch. 7 |
7 |
17 May (Robert Spillane) |
Heroic Individualism: Managers as Aristocrats Key Figure: FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE (1844 – 1900)
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EI: Chs. 8-9 Heller, E. “Nietzsche” in The Importance of Nietzsche, University of Chicago Press, 1988, Ch1.
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8 |
24 May (Steven Segal) |
Dialectical Materialism: Management of Organisational Culture Key Figure: KARL MARX (1818 – 1883) |
Trigg, R. “Marx” in Ideas of Human Nature, Oxford: Blackwell, 1988, Ch.7. |
9 |
31 May (Steven Segal) |
Existentialism: Freedom & Responsibility in Management Key Figures: JEAN – PAUL SARTRE (1905 - 1980) MARTIN HEIDEGGER (1889-1976) |
EI: Ch.10 Sartre, J-P. “Existentialism and Humanism” Flores, Fernando. “Chapter 14-“Heidegggerian Thinking and the Transformation of Business Practices” in Heidegger, Coping and Cognitive Science: Vol 2, The MIT Press, Cambridge Massachusetts |
10 |
7 June (Robert Spillane) |
From Positivism to Postmodernism: Managing Hard and Soft Skills |
Joullié, J-E. "The Philosophical Foundations of Management Thought” |
11 - 16 June 2018 EXAM WEEK |
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Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Undergraduate students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
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Our postgraduates will demonstrate a high standard of discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgment. They will have the ability to make informed choices and decisions that reflect both the nature of their professional work and their personal perspectives.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our postgraduates will be able to demonstrate a significantly enhanced depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content knowledge in their chosen fields.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our postgraduates will be capable of utilising and reflecting on prior knowledge and experience, of applying higher level critical thinking skills, and of integrating and synthesising learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments. A characteristic of this form of thinking is the generation of new, professionally oriented knowledge through personal or group-based critique of practice and theory.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our postgraduates will be capable of systematic enquiry; able to use research skills to create new knowledge that can be applied to real world issues, or contribute to a field of study or practice to enhance society. They will be capable of creative questioning, problem finding and problem solving.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our postgraduates will be able to communicate effectively and convey their views to different social, cultural, and professional audiences. They will be able to use a variety of technologically supported media to communicate with empathy using a range of written, spoken or visual formats.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our postgraduates will be ethically aware and capable of confident transformative action in relation to their professional responsibilities and the wider community. They will have a sense of connectedness with others and country and have a sense of mutual obligation. They will be able to appreciate the impact of their professional roles for social justice and inclusion related to national and global issues
This graduate capability is supported by:
No changes from previous offering
Leadership: The unit explores philosophical approaches to leadership.
Global mindset: The unit emphasises cross-cultural differences in management practices and values.
Citizenship: The unit allows learners to evaluate their attitude to citizenship through a comparative analysis of Western ethical systems.
Creating sustainable value: The unit assists the understanding of the philosophical status of Western values.
The interactive environment of the classroom is central to the MGSM experience. Students are required to attend the full duration of all classes for the units in which they are enrolled. We recognise that exceptional circumstances may occur, such as unavoidable travel on behalf of your organization or the serious illness or injury of you or a close family member. Special consideration may be given for a maximum of 20% non-attendance for such circumstances as long as lecturers are contacted in advance, and supporting documentation provided, to request exemption from attendance. Failure to abide by these conditions may result in automatic withdrawal, with academic and/or financial penalty. The full Student Attendance Policy is published in the MGSM Student Handbook at https://students.mgsm.edu.au/handbook
The content of this unit is provided for educational purposes only and no decision should be made based on the material without obtaining independent professional advice relating to the particular circumstances involved.
Date | Description |
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15/03/2018 | Changes made to Topic 10, including the topic name and reading. |