HSUHK | CCCO

MGT1023 Management as a Liberal Art: Back to the Human Side

Department
Management
Semester
AY2017/18 Sem 1, AY2018/19 Sem 1, AY2019/20 Sem 1, AY2019/20 Summer Sem, AY2020/21 Sem 1, AY2020/21 Sem 2, AY2021/22 Sem 1, AY2021/22 Sem 2, AY2022/23 Sem 1, AY2022/23 Sem 2, AY2023/24 Sem 1, AY2023/24 Sem 2, AY2024/25 Sem 1
Method
Lecture 3 hours
Cluster
1 (Humanities)

Prerequisite

GEN1000 Perspectives on General Education / Subject to Instructor’s Discretion

Exclusion

Nil

Module Description

Management as a liberal art (MLA) concerns the fundamental aspects of human existence. Proper management requires not only technical training, but also an understanding of the relations between maximization of human liberty and protection of the interests of society. There is a need for management to be grounded in liberal arts, because managers are often compelled to address problems containing subtle or incomplete solutions. This module is an introductory course of MLA, which addresses such liberal art issues as managing people in the new reality, engendering the spirit of humanity, leading knowledge workers, applying managerial skills as a liberal art, and imposing new demands on people. In particular, this module puts emphasis on extending MLA to the Chinese cultural/social context, so that students are encouraged to study and appreciate MLA from the interplay between Western and Chinese ideologies. After completing this module, students are expected to acknowledge the human side of management and look forward to a more humanitarian society globally and locally.

Module Intended Learning Outcomes (MILO)

Upon completion of this module, students should be able to: 
a. Grasp the fundamental ideas of MLA. 
b. Examine the human side of management. 
c. Conceptualize MLA from a Chinese cultural/social perspective. 
d. Apply the MLA concepts and skills in managing people. 
e. Evaluate the change and continuity of MLA in the materialistic society.

Module Content

1. MANAGING PEOPLE THE NEW REALITY

– Management theory and new realities
– Upward mobility of knowledge society
– Identifying the new demographics
– The values of decentralization

2. ENGENDERING THE SPIRIT OF HUMANITY

– Design and content of managerial jobs
– Management by objectives and self-control
– Becoming information-based organizations
– The spirit of performance

3. LEADING KNOWLEDGE WORKERS

– Analysis, synthesis, and control of work
– Work, rewards, and power relations
– Making workers responsible
– The leadership of people

4. MANAGERIAL SKILLS AS A LIBERAL ART

– How to make people decisions
– Communications without organizations
– Zero-based budgeting
– Informational tools and concepts

5. NEW DEMANDS ON THE INDIVIDUAL

– Managing and revitalizing oneself
– Managing the boss
– The educated persons
– The manager of tomorrow

6. MLA FROM A CHINESE PERSPECTIVE

– The human side of Chinese ideologies
– MLA versus Chinese business ethics
– Incorporating MLA with Chinese humanity
– Extending MLA in the Chinese context

Assessment Methods

1. Class participation (15%)
2. Individual Case Study (15%)
3. Group Presentation (30%)
4. Individual Paper (40%)

Texts & References

  1. Drucker, Peter F. & Maciariello, Joseph A. (2008) Management, revised edition. HarperBusiness.
  2. Cohen, William A. (2010). Drucker on leadership: New lessons from the father of modern management. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
  3. Daft, Richard L. (2013). New era of management, eleventh edition. Mason: South-western Cengage Learning.
  4. Drucker, Peter F. (1973) Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices. New York: Harper & Row.
  5. Drucker, Peter F. (1990) Managing the Non-Profit Organization. New York: Butterworth-Heinemann.
  6. Drucker, Peter F. (2001). The Essential Drucker. HarperCollins.
  7. Drucker, Peter F. (2006) The practice of management. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.
  8. Maciariello, Joseph A. & Linkletter, Karen E. (2011). Drucker’s lost art of management. New York: McGraw-Hill.