MG208      Half Unit
Business Transformation and Project Management

This information is for the 2016/17 session.

Teacher responsible

Dr Elzbieta Klecun-Taylor NAB 3.37 and Dr Susan Scott NAB 3.12

Availability

This course is available on the BSc in Management. This course is available as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit and to General Course students.

Course content

Projects are the way that organizations manage change. This course aims to review the theory and practice of project management in order to develop a critical understanding of the processes involved in business transformation. It will cover history and foundations of project management, responding to changing environments, governance and control, contracting and relationships, managing risk and organisational learning. The course will focus on issues and challenges raised by business analysis and project management. Example topics of study include: questioning business transformation and projects as a mode of organising; understanding the dynamics and relations involved in IT-enabled business transformation; strategy formation; business process analysis; projects as an organisational form; project escalation; project management approaches and techniques; and change management. To develop students' practical knowledge and skills and to prepare them for future employment as business analysts /project managers students will participate in group work based on a 'real-world' scenarios of business transformation projects. They will also be required to sit a 2 hour exam.

To view the course guide video: http://richmedia.lse.ac.uk/management/20160606_UGcourse_MG208.mp4

Teaching

20 hours of lectures and 13 hours and 30 minutes of classes in the MT. 2 hours of lectures in the ST.

Students on this course will have a reading week in Week 6, in line with departmental policy.

Formative coursework

A variety of types of assignments are given for class discussion including exercises and case studies. Written feedback will be given on formative assessment related to the group project and to the examination. 

 

Indicative reading

Maylor, H. (2010) Project Management (Fourth Edition). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey:FT/Prentice Hall. Morris, P.W.G., Pinto, J.K. and J. Soderlund (2012) The Oxford Handbook of Project Management Oxford: Oxford University Press. Doherty, S. (2008) Heathrow's Terminal 5: History in the Making, Oxford: Blackwell. Drummond, H. (1996) Escalation in Decision-Making: The tragedy of Taurus. Oxford: OUP.

Assessment

Exam (70%, duration: 2 hours) in the main exam period.
Project (30%, 1500 words) in the MT.

Please note that students will have the opportunity to form their own project groups within their allocated class, but the course teaching team will retain the right to make changes to group membership where necessary.

Teachers' comment

To view the course guide video, please click the following link: http://richmedia.lse.ac.uk/management/20160606_UGcourse_MG208.mp4

Key facts

Department: Management

Total students 2015/16: 43

Average class size 2015/16: 11

Capped 2015/16: Yes (51)

Lecture capture used 2015/16: Yes (MT)

Value: Half Unit

Guidelines for interpreting course guide information

PDAM skills

  • Leadership
  • Self-management
  • Team working
  • Problem solving
  • Application of information skills
  • Communication
  • Commercial awareness
  • Specialist skills

Course survey results

(2013/14 - 2015/16 combined)

1 = "best" score, 5 = "worst" score

The scores below are average responses.

Response rate: 100%

Question

Average
response

Reading list (Q2.1)

2.3

Materials (Q2.3)

2

Course satisfied (Q2.4)

2.4

Lectures (Q2.5)

2.5

Integration (Q2.6)

2

Contact (Q2.7)

1.8

Feedback (Q2.8)

2.1

Recommend (Q2.9)

Yes

46%

Maybe

45%

No

9%