BU4560 Managing Nonprofit Organisations
(15 ECTS credits)
Module Content/Outline:
We are in the middle of some of the most interesting times for organising. Amidst market implosions, environmental crises, on-going transitions of government and the jostling for position amongst developed and developing economies, the external conditions – resources or bases of legitimacy as well as regulations – for organising are transforming and changing, perhaps irrevocably.
In this module, we will examine how nonprofit organisations are faring in this shifting landscape and the issues for effective nonprofit management. We will examine the organising responses in nonprofit organisations to altered external conditions. We will also see how nonprofit organisations are drivers of societal changes, themselves upsetting and
unsettling the organisational landscape. Two major themes addressed in this course with be emerging hybrid organisational forms and sustainability.
This course draws on nonprofit and generic organisation theory from the disciplines of economics, sociology and history as well as on the functional business literature. It addresses issues of management and organisation in the nonprofit sector, drawing on international research and analysis, case studies and in-depth study of topical themes.
Lecturer(s):
Dr Gemma Donnelly-Cox
Learning Outcomes:
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
- Identify the challenges that face non-profit managers in securing resources
- Grasp and engage with the key theories / frameworks / debates in the field of non-profit management
- Critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the key theories and frameworks
- Discuss the hybrid models of organisation that are emerging as boundaries between private, public and non-profit sectors blur
- Apply non-profit management models and frameworks to non-profit practice situations and scenarios
- Incorporate learning from other subject areas into the non-profit management domain
- Display an awareness of the implications of the non-profit / society relationship for the non-profit manager
- Incorporate learning from non-profit management theory and practice into other subject areas.
Module Texts:
The course will draw from a diverse range of sources and as such no individual text will suffice. However, the following texts will provide a useful nucleus for the course.
Anheier, Helmut (2005). Nonprofit Organisations. Routledge
Billis, David (ed) (2010). Hybrid Organizations and the Third Sector. Palgrave Macmillan
Lectures & Tutorials/Contact hours:
One two-hour lecture per week. One seminar every second week
Assessment
Written assignments, case studies and group projects presentations will be used in the assessment process. Assessment will take place during both Michaelmas and Hilary Terms. Assignments will account for 40% of the overall grade
Dates for submission
Michaelmas Term: Week 9
Hilary Term: Week 9
Penalties for late submission
5% for each working day late, or part thereof.
Students unable to submit a term assignment for medical reasons must produce a medical certificate to the School of Business Studies office within three working days of the missed submission date. Certificates received after that time will not be accepted.
Examinations:
1 x 3hr examination 60%