Understanding Management

Managing successfully in today’s highly competitive global market place is a challenge facing many individuals and organisations. This course will introduce you to some of the core concepts and models of management with the aim being to equip you with knowledge, skill and understanding of key areas of management practice. These key areas will include managing in the areas of Strategy, Marketing, Culture, Change and Motivation and will explore both the external environment to which organisations are positioned, along with their internal environment in terms of the everyday realities and challenges entailed in managing the people in organisations. Importantly the course will provide you with the opportunity to apply in practice management tools to your own organisation (if appropriate) and other organisations enabling you to understand their importance in context.
The course will focus on the considerations that managers need to give in order to develop and execute successful strategies, exploring and discussing the ways that managers can contribute to the overall success of the organisation. For example, by establishing their business position in the market place and in terms of having a clear understanding of their competitors and competitive position, along with exploring possibilities for increasing market share. The success of any organisation is largely dependent on the people who make up the organisation, who breathe life into the organisation. How managers can motivate their employees is key to the success of any organisation. This we will explore in terms of understanding the complex nature of ‘managing’ the culture of an organisation, along with the tools and strategies that managers can adopt in managing organisational change. By the end of the course I am confident that you will have a greater knowledge of the phenomenon that is management, and will also, importantly have the confidence in applying some management tools to your everyday current and future professional practice.

Course leader

Dr. Sarah Warnes, UCL

Target group

Professionals, Undergraduates or Graduates who would like to boost their career prospects with leadership and project management skills.