Managing in Organizations

Welcome to MGT B345 Managing in Organizations.

MGT B345 is a higher-level, five-credit elective course in HKMU's Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree programme. The course is a revision and expansion of a part of the course MGT B343 Managing in Organizations which has been split into two five-credit courses, MGT B344 Organization Theory and Design and MGT B345 Managing in Organizations.

Since the BBA programme structure requires all students to take MGT B240 Principles and Practices of Management as their first management course, students taking MGT B345 are expected to have already acquired a basic knowledge of general management principles and theories. This course, MGT B345, is designed to engage students in the acquisition of knowledge related to organizational 'software' through the presentation of major organizational processes and issues, as well as their dynamics.

To examine effective management in organizations, the course focuses on five major topics related to organizational processes and issues:
(1) power and leadership, (2) culture, (3) decision-making, (4) groups and teams, and (5) organizational change and development. Topics (1) to (4) address essential day-to-day processes and issues that managers must design and manage within and between units in organizations in order to promote effectiveness and attain organizational goals. Topic (5) adds a dynamic perspective to the picture by discussing organizational development and abilities in responses to changes over time.

The purpose of this Course Guide is to explain what the course is about and how you should work your way through the material.

By now, you will probably have completed other HKMU courses. You are therefore well aware of the study skills required for distance learning and how HKMU courses are organized. Nevertheless, you should read this Course Guide very thoroughly before proceeding to look at the study units. Much of the content may be familiar to you but some of the information is specific to MGT B345, so you need to read it carefully.

Having completed other HKMU courses you may consider that you know all about the study skills required for success in distance learning. This course is, however, somewhat different from others that you have studied and it would be wrong to underestimate the demands that it makes. Few students will find the course easy — even those who are just finishing their degrees. Most other courses require you to learn some ideas and theories and discuss them in a general way. In this course you are required to do those things, but, in addition, we expect you to apply the ideas and theories to your own experiences. Great emphasis is placed on this aspect of the course, and at first, you may find it difficult. To help you, we design the activities of the study units with this concern in mind. We will also arrange a number of tutorials to assist you in handling the problems you might encounter in applying the theories.

We want you to adopt a critical approach to the course: it is simply not the case that all the ideas you meet will be equally relevant to your experience. After all, organizations and people vary enormously, not least between different national cultures. You need to apply the course ideas to different contexts with discretion. You will have to be fairly critical in deciding which ideas it is appropriate to apply, and how far they can be applied, in relation to the organization to which you belong.

Equally important, you must be prepared to examine your own initial reactions to the material. You shouldn't imagine that the relevance and usefulness of the ideas always leap from the page and that from Unit 1 onwards you will be jumping with excitement over your new found wisdom! It's just not like that. Often it takes several weeks, or even months, before the ideas really come to life.

In summary, don't underestimate the course — it is different and demanding. But don't worry too much — it is well taught and in all probability you are going to get a great deal of benefit from it.

MGT B345 aims to enhance students' ability to suggest and carry out effective managerial actions in today's complex organizational settings by providing them with the theoretical perspectives and practical toolbox they need to analyse, manage and lead organizational processes and issues, including power and leadership, organization culture, organizational learning and decision-making, managing groups and teams, and managing change and development in organizations.

Since designing and managing in organizations always come with challenges, this course also aims to apply different organization theories to engage students in holistically examining managerial decisions and challenges from different perspectives.

Course learning outcomes

Upon the completion of MGT B345, you should be able to:

• Discuss, synthesize and apply relevant theoretical perspectives, approaches and concepts to organization design and management issues.
• Appraise the impact of various management theories and concepts on organizations.
• Evaluate and reflect on the applicability of various principles and concepts of organizational processes to different contexts.

The following table provides a general overview of the course structure.

In addition to this Course Guide, the course has the following important components. At this time, please ensure that you have all of these materials and can identify the various components in the course. If you find that some materials are missing, you should contact HKMU immediately. The textbook, however, is your own responsibility.

Study units

There are five study units in MGT B345 and each study unit consists of three weeks' work. As an experienced distance learner, you will be aware that you must plan your own study schedule. Although we have recommended the amount of time you should spend on each study unit, you may prefer to study the material in a slightly different way. There is provision to detour from the pattern of the course, but it is important that you complete the activities, self-test questions and case type problems in the units, the assignments and, of course, the examination. The course is structured so that each unit builds upon previous knowledge.

You must read the study units carefully because they guide your learning. If you do not read them carefully, you may miss important information. You must read both the study units and the textbook. They are not alternatives to each other. The textbook provides more detailed information and reasoning with more case studies which can enhance your learning and thinking further. It is also helpful for you to read as widely as possible. Try to read relevant articles in newspapers and journals, other books on the topic, and related cases. The more you read, the better your appreciation and understanding of the subject will be.

As indicated above, each study unit is arranged in a logical sequence and builds upon previous knowledge. You are expected to study and understand the principles and concepts involved in each unit before proceeding to the next. Each unit contains self-tests, usually short questions, which help you to check your understanding of the theories or ideas you have just read about. By attempting these self-tests, you will have instant feedback on your progress. An answer key to the self-tests is included at the end of each unit. You should attempt to answer all of the self-test questions before looking at the answers. This will help you to prepare for your assignments and the examination.

Each study unit also contains activities that will require you to think and to observe or undertake some activities designed to help you apply your knowledge to your own experience. At the beginning or the end of each unit there is a case-type problem that covers some of the major areas or concepts in the unit. It is important for you to attempt the case-type problem as it will expose you to the types of questions you may be required to answer in the assignments and examination. It will also introduce you to some of the problems you might encounter in business and organizations. Answer keys to the case-type problems are usually provided but you should try to tackle the case questions on your own before referring to the suggested answers.

As we stated earlier, an important aspect of this course is that you must apply the course ideas to your own experience. This has important implications for how you study the material. Basically, it means that your learning of a new idea or concept has to go through two distinct stages. First, there is the stage of learning about the idea, that is, becoming familiar with it in general terms and recognizing correct and incorrect uses of it. Second, there is the stage of learning to use the idea yourself in relation to events in your own organizational life.

Several points about this distinction between two stages of learning are worth emphasizing. First, it should make more sense of our earlier remark about not underestimating the course. There is a danger of thinking that when you have completed the first stage you have completed the learning process. Secondly, people seem to vary considerably regarding how hard they find these two stages. For some, the first stage is straightforward. They are used to learning abstract general concepts, but often they find the second stage extremely difficult. Others find the first stage tough. The ideas seem unclear and elusive, but once they have understood them, the second stage is much more straightforward. Thirdly, the existence of two stages of learning has an important implication for your study time. You will need to plan your time to cover both stages. For example, if you get behind with your studies and the assignment deadline is approaching, don't imagine that you can catch up with intense cramming of the units. That's only stage one, and you will still need time for stage two!

However, the design and content of this course take these factors into account fully. For example, you will find that compared with other courses in this subject area, MGT B344 is very concise. Although there is quite a lot to read, we try to include most of the main points in the study units to help your understanding and leave you enough time for your own thinking. Our points about the implications of the two stages of learning will help you appreciate what is involved in studying the course — and, perhaps, reduce the risk of your failing because you thought you could get through it by simply reading and regurgitating what you have read.

You should, however, expect to have to return to the units again and again when you are trying to apply the ideas. Moreover, and this is really important, you may get far more out of the units on these subsequent readings, after you have struggled through the process of application. Passages that previously seemed unimportant may turn out to be very significant. That is, trying to apply ideas gives you a different perspective, and reading the same material from a different perspective gives it additional significance.

So you should expect to study the texts closely and repeatedly. You will find that they repay that effort.

We can summarize all these points by drawing an analogy between the way we learn new words in a foreign language, and your own learning in this course. It happens in basically two ways. First, we hear other people using the words and begin to get the general idea of what the words refer to, and how they are used. Secondly, we start to use the words, and get corrected when we use them inappropriately, for example, by over-generalizing. Those two steps of exposure and testing apply to your learning in this course as well.

The initial exposure to ideas is provided by the unit texts and readings associated with them. Testing is provided in the first instance by the activities, self-test questions and case-type problems, and then, of course, by the assignments.

Set textbook

There is one prescribed textbook for MGT B345:

Jones, G R (2013) Organizational Theory, Design, and Change, 7th edn. Essex, England: Pearson Education Ltd.

Readings

You may be instructed in the study units to read articles or other supplementary materials. These will be available online or provided as hard copies at the backs of the study units.

E-Library E-Reserve readings

You may be instructed to read articles in the E-Library E-Reserve. To read these items, go to the University's E-Library and click on 'E-Reserve'. Log in, click 'Accept/Agree' on the Copyright Restrictions page, fill in the 'Course Code' box, and click 'Search'.

Assignment File

Assignment details for this course are contained in the Assignment File included in your course folder. You are required to complete your assignments and submit them to your tutor in accordance with the due date specified in the Assignment File.

Presentation Schedule

The Presentation Schedule for MGT B345 is included in your course folder. Follow the suggested study schedule. You should guard against falling behind in your work.

You will be assessed on your ability to grasp key concepts of the course. You will be tested on the application of concepts and theories to practical problems.

The course includes two formal activities for student assessment: Assignments and a final examination. Assignments serve as the continuous assessment component within the study period and contribute 40% to the overall course grade. The other 60% of the grade comes from a final two-hour examination.

In general, you are required to pass both the continuous assessment component and the final examination to obtain a pass in this course.

Assignments

The course includes a continuous assessment of your performance through the submission of two assignments. The two assignments together contribute 40% to the overall course grade. Assignments, taking the form of case studies and essay questions, serve three purposes:

1. to provide a mechanism to help you to keep up your progress;
2. to test your understanding of the topics; and
3. to provide an opportunity for you to use what you have learned in some applications and case studies.

In general, you are required to pass both the continuous assessment component and the final examination to obtain a pass in this course.

How to submit assignments

You must use word processing software (such as Microsoft Word) to prepare the assignments, and submit the assignments via the Online Learning Environment (OLE). All assignments must be uploaded to the OLE by the due date.

Failure to upload a assignment in the required format to the OLE may result in the score of the assignment being adjusted to zero.

Assignment extension policy

The assignment policy of the University as stated in the Student Handbook should be observed. Students are required to submit assignments for a course in accordance with the dates communicated by the Course Coordinator. Students may apply for a submission extension on the grounds of illness, accident, disability, bereavement or other compassionate circumstances.

Applications for extensions of up to seven days should be submitted to the tutor. The tutor shall consider valid and unexpected emergencies on an individual basis. Normally, documented proof of the extenuating circumstances is not required for extensions of up to seven days. The tutor shall decide and advise the student of the revised date for submission.

For extensions of over seven days, students should note the following:

1. If students require an extension of more than seven days on the grounds of illness, accident, disability, bereavement or other compassionate circumstances, they are required to complete an 'Application Form for Assignment Extension over seven days' and submit it to the Course Coordinator.
2. Supporting documents must be submitted along with the application for extension of over seven days to justify the claim.
3. Applications for extension should normally be lodged before or on the due date.
4. Applications are considered by:
   • the Course Coordinator for extensions of 8 to 21 days; and
   • the Dean for extensions of over 21 days.

After an assignment is submitted via the OLE, it is your responsibility to check that the assignment has been successfully submitted. Extension applications due to any problem with uploading will not be accepted. The University cannot accept any responsibility for assignments that are not received by your tutor due to any problem with submission via the OLE.

As a precaution, you are advised to keep a copy of each assignment you submit.

According to the University's policy, no extension of the due date will be allowed for the final assignment. This policy will be strictly enforced. Any late submission of the final assignment will result in the score of the assignment being adjusted to zero.

Examination

The final two-hour examination for this course will contribute 60% to the overall course grade. The examination will consist of essay style questions and case-type problems similar in nature to those completed as part of the continuous assessment.

Case studies are a useful and increasingly popular form of learning and assessment in HKMU's School of Business and Administration. In this section we will look at why case studies are used and then suggest some learning strategies that you can use to approach case studies. We will also briefly discuss some problems that you may encounter as you learn from case studies.

What is a case study approach to learning?

One main purpose of a case study is to explore an issue or a number of issues in relation to an organization. The intention is to get you to carefully diagnose an organization; to focus on key problems, and to suggest how these might be resolved. Often the case is a real-life account of an organization which you are required to analyse in order to focus on a problem. Usually, the information that is provided is incomplete and you are often expected to observe developments in the organization over a period of time. The case study approach is an excellent opportunity to actively apply material that you have read and conceptual knowledge to the reality of an organization.

At HKMU, case studies may be used as part of assignments, exams, study units, or day-school exercises. You normally are given some information about a company (this could be both text and graphical information, such as figures and tables). You are then asked to think about some problems related to the company and to use concepts and apply theories that you have learned in your course to propose possible solutions for the company.

Let's have a look at two kinds of case study questions that you might be asked to work through in your courses. The first example is quite structured, while the second is much more open-ended.

Two examples of case study questions

1. Read the case study entitled 'ABC Consultants' and consider the following issues:
   
   • Using your understanding of the resource-based model, what measures could be taken to improve ABC's returns?
   • Drawing on your broad understanding of the consultancy industry, assess ABC's relative competitiveness and its profit potential.
   • To what extent do internal factors account for ABC's financial weaknesses?
   • Based on your assessment of ABC's financial weaknesses, formulate a new strategic intent and develop a mission statement for ABC.
2. Read the case study entitled 'XYZ Industries'.
   
   • Identify the key problems that are currently faced by XYZ's management.
   • Propose viable solutions to these problems.

Why case studies?

As you can see from the above examples, a case study approach to learning requires a great deal of thinking and often will not easily yield a quick 'wrong' or 'right' answer. However, case studies are also good preparation for dealing with real-life business problems. Cases may be short and relatively simple, or longer and complex. The purpose is the same for both types: to give you an opportunity to develop your skills in analysing the strengths and weaknesses of the organization under examination, to consider the processes at work within the organization, and to make decisions about future actions.

Case studies are not meant to replace textbooks, but rather to ask you to draw connections between theories and practice and to apply abstract ideas, concepts, and principles to specific concrete situations. Consequently, case analysis develops a number of skills that are crucial in business. In particular, they help you to:

• analyse complex, unstructured, sometimes ambiguous situations;
• identify critical issues and problems;
• question your own and others' assumptions;
• improve your problem-solving skills;
• develop your ability to find alternatives and make informed decisions;
• make decisions with incomplete information and think strategically;
• self-educate yourself and draw on a broad range of resources and knowledge; and
• present and justify recommendations in writing.

You may find that there are many possible 'right' answers to the questions in a case study. This illustrates that there is often no single best way to responsibly manage and solve real-life business problems.

Some guidelines for analysing case studies

The following strategies should help you to successfully analyse case studies:

1　Read the case and become familiar with the facts

First, skim read the case to obtain a general understanding of the main point(s). Highlight or underline the pertinent points as you read.

Read the case again, and this time note down critical facts (such as names, time sequences, and where events occurred). Try to understand how events have influenced decisions. Identify the important individuals or stakeholders, and try to assess the importance of supporting information in the case. How reliable is this supporting information? Are there any gaps in the information that is given?

Make a note of any questions that you have as you read the case.

2　Assess the context of the case

Try to understand the environment of the organization and the wider context of the case.

Ask yourself questions about:

• The state of the organization: What is the state of this organization: good, bad or in-between? Usually this involves thinking about interpersonal relationships, and assessing production or financial problems.
• Key players and systems: How do systems and people operate in this organization? Why do they operate like this? Are the systems undergoing change? How successful are the changes? Is there someone who could sabotage any future strategy? Is there someone who can ensure the success of a future strategy?
• Significant trends: How does this industry operate? What are the main or unique characteristics of the industry? What were they five or ten years ago, and what are they likely to be in the future? What impact are trends likely to have on the organization under investigation? How does this organization's performance compare with that of competitors?
• Constraints: Clearly identify all constraints in the case. A constraint may be viewed as anything (usually beyond the control of the organization) that may prevent an otherwise feasible course of action from becoming a success. What is outside the control of individuals in the case study? For example, it is unlikely that any company or individual in Hong Kong could prevent a foreign government from imposing tariff barriers on imports.

A SWOT analysis is a good way to get a better understanding of the organization and the context or environment in which it is operating. A SWOT analysis considers the Strengths and Weaknesses of the organization, and the Opportunities and Threats which the organization faces in the external environment.

3　Recognize the case's symptoms

Read the case again and as you read, try listing all the symptoms of the case. The symptoms of a case are not the problems, but they may help you to identify the problems. Symptoms are all the things that are undesirable or that are not as expected. For example, falling sales could be a symptom of several problems such as poor market segmentation, poor product quality, or problems in a supply chain. At this stage of your analysis, you should just try to observe all the symptoms, and avoid prematurely identifying problems or suggesting solutions. Like a doctor who consults a patient, you first need to observe and note all the symptoms before you can give a definite diagnosis of the problem. Think about how the symptoms may be interrelated. Relationship diagrams, like the one below, may help you to see the relationships between symptoms.

4　Diagnose the case's problems

After you have a good sense of the symptoms, you're ready to determine key issues that need to be analysed more closely. You are now diagnosing the situation, like a doctor diagnosing a patient's symptoms. Ask yourself 'what seems to be the trouble in this organization?' and make a list of what you now perceive to be the key problem(s). You will probably need to go back to the details of the case and as you do this, you may add to or refine your list of potential problems.

If there are several problems, you need to order and prioritize them. You might want to number problems according to how you perceive their importance, or make a matrix, like the one below, which shows relationships between various criteria and each problem.

Also try to establish if there are relationships or themes in common among the various problems. Perhaps different problems in your list are actually variations of a broader central problem.

Ask yourself what assumptions you have made about the case. Are these assumptions reasonable, and are they supported by the facts? Would other people objectively suggest the same problems, based on the facts that you have? Are you suggesting problems that are not supported by the facts of the case?

After you have considered and put into order the possible problems and questioned your assumptions relating to these problems, you should write a statement of the problems as you perceive them. Avoid suggesting solutions at this stage.

Once you have a problem statement, you need to find evidence in the case to support your problem diagnosis. Also, try to identify ideas, concepts and theories from your textbook and course units which help to explain what is happening in the case.

5　Formulate criteria for a 'good' solution and identify possible constraints to solutions

Before you propose a solution, you need to consider the characteristics of a 'good' solution. Obviously, your solution should bring benefits such as improved productivity, reduced costs or greater profits. However, it also needs to be viable and to accommodate the constraints that you have already identified, i.e. Is the solution legal? Is there a budget for this solution? Does it conflict with the organization's culture?

Try to brainstorm alternative solutions. Aim to generate a broad and creative range of options and then try to rate each according to various criteria.

The following matrix demonstrates how this can be done.

Also refer to ideas, concepts and theories from your course materials as you consider and assess each possible solution.

It's often wise to propose a solution that allows for plausible alternatives if it should fail. Managers use the term satisfice when they are considering acceptable alternative solutions, that is, the solution is able to satisfy the situation while also making some realistic sacrifices to existing constraints. Therefore, it is a satisficing rather than a maximizing solution.

Finally, don't forget to consider the possibility of taking no action. What will actually happen if no action is taken? Are any (or all) of the solutions less viable than taking no action at all?

6　Recommend a viable solution

After you have assessed the merits and pitfalls of each alternative solution, select the best solution for the situation.

Remember that the solution needs to be viable. Can the recommended solution be introduced? Are there the resources and the willingness to implement it? Be realistic about what may work. Explain why it is the best solution within the constraints of the existing context and explain how it can be applied to the organization. Suggest a time-frame for the solution's implementation.

Outline possible strategies for implementing your solution, either partially or completely. As many feasible courses of action as possible should be considered before you choose the one that seems the most likely to succeed. The more ideas you have, the greater your chance will be of finding a solution that will work well. The complexity of most organizational problems means that it is highly unlikely that one idea alone will correct the situation. Usually a combination of actions is required, and these need to be funded differently, timed carefully and staffed as necessary.

7　Present your solution as a written recommendation

Review your final solutions and then prepare a set of written recommendations. These should clearly outline your proposed solution in relation to the problems that you have identified. Your recommendations should also include details of why these solutions are the most appropriate given the circumstances and constraints of the case. Finally, you need to clearly state how and when your proposals will be implemented.

Your tutor and your course Assignment File can provide some guidelines on how to present your recommendations.

Some mistakes to avoid as you analyse cases

When you first tackle case studies, you should be careful to guard against the following mistakes:

1. One of the most common mistakes made in case analysis is repeating or simply summarizing the facts of the case. Your tutor is already very familiar with the case details, so you do not have to restate them. You are required to use and analyse the facts, not repeat them. Your analysis should contain only enough case material to support your arguments. Therefore, be analytical!
2. You may often be tempted to just deal with symptoms and ignore the causes of the problem. It is very important to analyse the background of the case (and the climate in which the events of the case unfold).
3. Avoid discussing problems in isolation and do not overlook their interrelatedness. If you try to think in terms of 'systems' rather than in terms of individual problems, you are more likely to avoid this pitfall.
4. Students often fail to state the assumptions underlying their analysis. If any important assumptions have been made, have you questioned them and are they reasonable and appropriate? Avoid selectively using and interpreting case material in order to justify a preconceived solution.
5. Practical limitations and constraints may sometimes be overlooked. For example, a recommendation that a whole team be fired is probably unrealistic.
6. A very common mistake is poor integration of the facts in the case with the concepts, principles, and theories in the textbook. Such integration is vital. Ask yourself if relevant theories from your course have been fully and constructively applied.
7. Finally, recommendations are too often not spelled out in detail or are unrealistic. A timetable for implementing them is also often not given.

Analysing cases poses many challenges, and this is one reason the case study method is so rewarding. It is a very active form of learning. It offers you a risk-free opportunity to gain managerial and organizational experience and should greatly increase your confidence to make informed decisions in the real world.

Good luck and we hope you enjoy working through the cases that you encounter!

You will be allocated a personal tutor who will mark and comment on your assignments, keep a close watch on your progress and help with any difficulties you might encounter during the course. Your assignment will be marked by your tutor and monitored by the Assignment Office of HKMU as soon as possible.

It is a good idea to keep a copy of all the assignments you submit for marking. Copies will prove useful, should you wish to make reference to them during telephone conversation or follow up tutor's remarks/comments in tutorials.

Do not hesitate to contact your tutor if you need help. You might find you need help in circumstances similar to those listed below:

• you do not understand any part of the study unit or the assigned reading;
• you have difficulty with self-test questions, assignments, your tutor's comments or grading on assignments; or
• you are unable to submit your assignment by the due date.

In the last case be sure to contact your tutor before the submission date. If you have an acceptable reason for late submission you may be able to obtain an extension of time (except for the last assignment). However, you should manage your time effectively in work and study (being a student studying management courses).

Another responsibility of your tutor is to conduct tutorials during the course. You will be allocated to a tutor group. Dates, times and locations of meetings, together with the name, contact address and telephone number of your tutor will be given at the start of the course. Sometimes these have to be amended due to circumstances beyond the control of HKMU. When this happens you will be informed of the change.

Tutors will be able to provide a range of ideas, exercises, activities and discussion topics appropriate to the sorts of additional teaching and support you may need as the course progresses. Of course, you may find it very difficult to attend at the particular time and place chosen but it is worth making the effort if at all possible. Apart from the general point that tutorials and day schools provide more 'exposure' and 'testing', they also offer two particular benefits:

1. guidance on assignments — what the question is looking for, and how to cope if you can't see how it relates to your organization. Remember, your tutor wants to see you do well on the course; and
2. a chance to meet other students of this course and see how they are coping with the course. Given the emphasis on (and, possibly, initial difficulty of) applying the concepts, this can make a big difference, both in terms of your attitude to the material and your proficiency in using the material.

Refer to the tutorial schedule which you can find on the Online Learning Environment (OLE). You are encouraged to attend all tutorial sessions and the surgery for the course in view of the significant intellectual demands of the course.

Tutors are required to start tutorial sessions on time. If a tutor fails to turn up 30 minutes after the scheduled starting time, students may assume that the session is cancelled and they should report the case to the university so that a make-up session can be arranged.

Self-help groups

You will be familiar with these groups if you have undertaken other HKMU courses. We attach much importance to self-help groups. However, joining a group is entirely up to you. On the other hand, if you have Internet access, you may also like to have a 'chat room' set up among yourselves for your interaction, which again is not compulsory.

There are several reasons for forming a self-help group:

• The applied nature of the course provides you with a substantial common problem (this is true even though your organizational experience will vary considerably) and sharing it will work to your advantage in two ways:
  1. If you are having difficulty applying the concepts, it may well be that alternative views will help your understanding.
  2. You will find that helping other people apply the ideas is also of direct benefit to you — it is the best practice you can get, and your own assignments will improve as a result.
• It provides some additional structure and discipline for your studies.
• It makes the course more fun.
• If you have to travel some distance to a tutorial, you will want to get the maximum possible benefit from the effort — having a short meeting or telephone conversation before or after can make the tutorial much more worthwhile.

On the basis of students' experience, the following guidelines will help:

1. A self-help group need not be a big group. Three or four of you meeting for an hour or so three or four times during the course is still worthwhile. The group is not an end in itself and it is important to be as clear as you can about what you want out of the group.
2. Meetings usually go better when you have agreed on clear tasks to tackle, for example, discussing your preliminary thoughts on answering a particular assignment question. You may enjoy sitting around talking, but don't imagine everyone else does.
3. Make sure you are prepared for the meeting (discipline is part of the benefit).

In this Course Guide we have discussed some essential characteristics of MGT B345 and made it clear to you that you need to learn ideas and concepts relating to managing and to relate or apply them to your own experience. We have set out the aims in producing this course and what you should be able to do having studied it.

We have given guidance on how you should work through the course material. We have also provided information on course assessment and an indication of when tutor-assessed work is due. Finally, we have reminded you of the important role that tutors and tutorials play in helping you develop your understanding of the course material.

Now it is time for you to turn your attention to Unit 1 in order to begin your study.

A note about the developers of this course

Dr Helen Wong Fan Yi holds a BA degree in Business Studies and MBA degree from the City University of Hong Kong. She has also earned a BA degree in English from the London University and a PhD degree in Management from the University of Hong Kong. Dr Wong has worked in the HSBC Group and the Judiciary of the Hong Kong Government. She has also taught in the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and City University of Hong Kong. She is currently a management consultant and a course developer for HKMU.

Dr Jimmy Chan holds a Teacher's Certificate from the Sir Robert Black College of Education, Postgraduate Certificate in Business Administration and an MBA degree and a DBA from Hong Kong Metropolitan University. He has extensive entrepreneurial and management experience with Hong Kong and China business. Dr Chan is a part-time tutor and a course developer for Hong Kong Metropolitan University. He is also a freelance presenter for the Radio Television Hong Kong.

If you wish to defer your studies of this course until a later date, you should apply for deferment of studies. For the regulations governing deferment of studies, please refer to your Student Handbook. If you have applied for deferment of studies you should continue with your studies of this course and submit the required assignments until formal approval is given by the University. Should you have difficulties in submitting an assignment, you are advised to liaise with your Course Coordinator and apply for an assignment extension.

Click here and view the Lee Shau Kee School of Business and Administration.