Required work

Students are required to:

1. Prepare for and participate in seminars;
2. Participate in group presentation (25% of total mark);
3. Submit a group report (25% of total mark);
4. Complete a class quiz (10% of total mark);
5. Complete a three-hour, closed-book examination (40% of total mark).

Required text

Robert Spillane, An Eye for an I: Philosophies of Personal Power, Sydney: GOKO Publishing, 2015, ISBN: 9781613397626

Where to purchase textbook?

The Coop Bookshop: The Coop Bookshop is our main retailer for textbooks and other related academic material. For information on textbook prices and online ordering, please refer to The Co-Op Bookshop webpage at  http://www.coop.com.au

Disclaimer: MGSM does not take responsibility for the stock levels of required textbooks from preferred retail outlets and other book retailers. While we advise our preferred book retail outlet, The Co-op Bookshop, of our maximum expected number of students purchasing specific required text each term, The Co-op Bookshop and other book retailers will make their own judgement in regard to their physical holding stock levels. To prevent disappointment if a textbook is out-of-stock, we highly advise students to order their textbooks as early as possible, or if the required textbook is currently out-of-stock, place an order with the book retailer as soon as possible so that these book retailers can monitor demand and supply, and adjust their stock orders accordingly.

Recommended texts

• Jean-Etienne Joullie and Robert Spillane, The Philosophical Foundations of Management Thought, Maryland: Lexington Books, 2015, ISBN: 9780739186022
• R.Spillane, Entertaining Executives (A Play), GOKO Publishing, 2015

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
• Bryan Magee, The Great Philosophers, Oxford, 1989
• R. Marks, B. Marks and R. Spillane, Funny Business: Management Unmasked, GOKO Publishing, 2017
• 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
• R. Solomon and K. Higgins, A Short History of Philosophy, Oxford, 1996

Access to Technology

Access to a personal computer and internet connection is required to access learning material/resources online on Macquarie University's online learning management system called iLearn.

iLearn - Your class online learning resources page

The class iLearn page for this unit is located at: https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/​. You must be enrolled in this class to see the class iLearn page.

Lecture slides

There are no lecture slides provided for this class.

Allocated supplementary readings

Allocated supplementary readings are provided to students only in soft-copy format via the class iLearn page.

Unit objectives

1. To compare and contrast philosophical perspectives by which people have attempted to understand the world, themselves and each other.
2. To demonstrate that the field of management theory, whilst of recent origin, necessarily draws on a wide range of ancient wisdom.
3. To encourage in students a sensitivity to language and so provide basic linguistic skills for the critical analysis of management theories and practices.
4. To demonstrate that there is nothing as practical as a good theory.  

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)  

Students are required to attend all classes. Please only attend the class you are enrolled in as reflected in your e-Student account. This unit will be presented over 10 sessions (The proposed program might be subject to some minor changes as the term progresses (TBA)).

Topics to be covered

Philosophies discussed in lectures include: Greek rationalism; Machiavellianism; Cartesian Dualism; British Empiricism; Logical Positivism; German Romanticism; Marxism; Existentialism.

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.