LAMP X333

BUS-X333, Managing Business Functions, Prof. Carolyn Wiethoff

Offered Fall 2008

The overall objective of this course is to familiarize you with the principles and theories that guide the way that companies are organized and the processes by which they re-organize and change.  You will learn these principles and theories in order to first describe what existing organizations do, and then to prescribe ways that organizations can be designed to work more effectively.  Throughout the course, we will apply these principles and theories to real companies so that you can understand how they respond to the challenges and opportunities in their environments.

Learning Objectives.  At the end of this course, you should have improved your ability to:

• analyze and describe the current structure of organizations you encounter so that you apply concepts of organization theory to real-life organizations.
• integrate several concepts from readings and class discussion so that you can prescribe appropriate design changes for real-life organizations.
• present your observations and arguments clearly, both verbally and in written form.
• work effectively as a member of a team conducting research of the sort completed by management consulting firms.
• critically evaluate information about companies that is presented to you.