Code:

BERMASC012

Course type:

Advanced specialisation course

Long name:

Advanced Topics in Organization Theory

Short name:

AOT

ECTS:

5

Language:

English

Lecturer(s):

dr. Pursey P.M.A.R. Heugens

Contact person:

Idem

Coordinator:

Idem

Faculty:

RSM Erasmus University

Number of lectures:

10

Hours per lecture:

3

Goal:

The goal of this course is to provide students with an advanced working knowledge of organization theory (OT). Upon completion, students should be able to: (a) understand the intellectual history of the field; (b) recognize how their own work relates and contributes to OT; and (c) craft a convincing argumentative structure for a conceptual or empirical article in a major OT journal.

Course contents:

The following topics are covered in this course in 10 consecutive weeks: (1) introduction to OT; (2) bureaucracy theory; (3) structural contingency theory; (4) agency theory; (5) transaction cost theory; (6) resource dependence theory; (7) institutional theory; (8) behavioral theory of the firm; (9) organizational ecology; (10) student presentations.

Assignment:

The course is organized as a seminar, implying that your cooperation and willingness to actively participate in the sessions will ensure that we jointly create the best possible learning environment. The grading of this course reflects this culture and pedagogy: (a) contribution to the intellectual climate in the classroom (25%); (b) small point-counterpoint summary presentations of the readings (25%); (c) in-class presentation of an argumentative structure for a future research article (25%); and (d) an oral exam (25%).

Literature:

The literature for this course will consist of a reader, composed of carefully selected articles and book chapters. The materials will include seminal OT contributions, as well as more recent exemplary articles.

Additional Information:

A prerequisite for this course is BERMFC003 (Management Foundations). Students who wish to participate in this course but do not meet this entry requirement are kindly invited to contact the instructor in advance.