Guide in PDF format

Business Organisation

Code: 100521
Credits: 6

2026/2027

Degree programme	Type	Course
Labour Relations	OB	2

Contact lecturer

Name :: Esther Hennchen
Email :: esther.hennchen@uab.cat

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

It is recommended to have passed the courses Business Economics and Introduction to Economics.

Objectives

The purpose of the course is to provide students with a theoretical and practical understanding of the organizational theory and design, which is a field that is devoted to examining, explaining and guiding the management of organizations.

Learning outcomes

Knowing the organisational forms, organisation and working methods.
Designing new organisational forms.
Applying the administrative and organisational tools.
Students must be capable of planning and using the current indicators for the managing of human resources.
Working autonomously.
Organising and managing the available time.
Students must be capable of deciding, sharply taking decisions and judging.
Clearly expressing ideas or facts in a compelling way.
Verbally communicating and defending a project.
Drawing up and formalising reports and documents.
Working effectively in teams.
Students must be effective in a changing environment and when facing new tasks, responsibilities or people.
Students must be capable of recognising and guiding the needs of people from their immediate environment.
Retain the ethical values and moral standards in decision-making.
Maintaining a direction and performance that reflect the effort to do the tasks with efficiency and quality.
Students must be capable of initiative, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit.
Leading a group of people, by using the appropriate methods to guide individuals or groups towards the attainment of a goal.
Students must be aware of the impact and implications of decisions and activities in other company areas.

1. Organizations and Organizational Effectiveness

2. Stakeholders, Managers, and Ethics

3. Organizing in a Changing Global Environment

4. Basic Challenges of Organizational Design

5. Designing Organizational Structure: Authority and Control

6. Designing Organizational Structure: Specialization and Coordination

7. Creating and Managing Organizational Culture

8. Organizational Design and Strategy in a Changing Global Environment

9. Organizational Design, Competences, and Technology

10. Types and Forms of Organizational Change

11. Organizational Transformations: Birth, Growth, Decline, and Death

12. Decision Making, Learning, Knowledge Management, and Information Technology

13. Innovation, Intrapreneurship, and Creativity

14. Managing Conflict, Power, and Politics

Learning activities and methodology

Title	Hours	ECTS	Learning outcomes
Seminar, tutoring and participation	22.5	0.9	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18
Personal study and preparation of assignments	100	4	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 14, 18
Theoretical sessions	22.5	0.9	1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 14, 18

Continuous Assessment

Continuous assessment combines individual and group activities with the aim of evaluating both the acquisition of theoretical knowledge and the development of analytical skills, teamwork, and the practical application of organizational and management concepts. The teaching methodology and assessment procedures may be subject to modifications depending on any restrictions on face-to-face teaching imposed by the relevant health authorities.

The final grade for the course is distributed as follows:

I. Individual Assessment (75%)

The individual assessment consists of three components:

Midterm exam: 20% of the final grade.
Final exam: 40% of the final grade.
Class attendance and participation: 15% of the final grade.

Midterm Exam (20%)

The midterm exam will assess the material covered during the first half of the course. The instructor will announce the date well in advance. In general, the exam will take place around the middle of the semester.

Final Exam (40%)

The final exam will assess all the theoretical and practical contents covered in the course since the Midterm Exam.

To pass the course, students must obtain a minimum grade of 4 out of 10 on the final exam, in addition to achieving an overall final grade of 5 out of 10 or higher.

Students are advised to consult the Faculty's official examination calendar for the dates of the final examination and the resit examination.

Class Attendance and Participation (15%)

Attendance is compulsory, as successful completion of the course requires active participation in class activities, exercises, and discussions.

Absences must be justified by submitting a medical certificate or another official supporting document. Students who accumulate more than 10% of unjustified absences will receive a grade of 0 for this assessment component.

II. Group Assessment (25%)

The group assessment consists of the analysis and presentation of two business case studies, completed in teams.

Case Study 1: 12.5% of the final grade.
Case Study 2: 12.5% of the final grade.

In addition, students will complete team-based practical activities throughout the semester during class sessions.

The objective of this component is to simulate a real professional environment in which students work collaboratively to:

develop a critical and well-supported analysis from the perspective of organization theory and management;
conduct independent research using academic literature and high-quality professional sources;
appropriately integrate the sources consulted, including the responsible and transparent use of artificial intelligence tools, while avoiding plagiarism and the uncritical reproduction of externally generated content.

Given the practical nature of these activities, class attendance is mandatory.

General Assessment Criteria

A student will be considered not assessed if they do not participate in any of the assessment activities scheduled for the course.

At the end of the semester, the teaching staff will publish the final grades and announce the date, time, and venue for the review of examination results.

To pass the course, students must:

obtain a minimum grade of 4 out of 10 on the final exam; and
achieve an overall final grade of 5 out of 10 or higher.

Resit Assessment

Students may take the resit assessment provided that they meet both of the following conditions:

they have obtained a grade below 4 out of 10 on the final exam; and
they have obtained an overall course grade of 3 out of 10 or higher.

The resit assessment will cover the entire course syllabus. The format of the resit examination (written, oral, or another format) will be determined by the teaching staff.

Students who successfully pass the resit assessment will receive a final course grade of 5 (Pass).

Students whose overall final grade is below 3 out of 10 will not be eligible for the resit assessment, regardless of their final exam grade.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is an essential requirement of this course.

Any student who copies or attempts to copy during an examination will receive a final course grade of 0 (Fail) and will forfeit the right to take the resit assessment.
Any assignment or case study showing evidence of plagiarism, or whose authorship or arguments cannot be adequately justified by the student, will receive a grade of 0 for that assessment component and a formal warning.
Repeated academic misconduct will result in a final course grade of 0 (Fail) and the loss of the right to the resit assessment.

Single Assessment

Students opting for the single assessment pathway are not required to attend face-to-face classes.

The single assessment consists of one comprehensive examination covering the entire course syllabus and accounts for 100% of the final course grade.

To pass the course, students must obtain a grade of 5 out of 10 or higher.

Students who do not achieve this minimum grade may take the resit assessment. If they successfully pass the resit examination, their final course grade will be 5 (Pass).

Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment