Fundamentals of Management

Course description:

Managing means serving, to be at the service of others, which implies making decisions

by exercising functions of arbitrage, while equilibrating the interests of multiple groups.

Maintaining this equilibrium demands a great deal from management, especially in

contemporary contexts, where new demands come from all sorts of stakeholders,

affecting the foreseeable future of the organization.

As a result, to serve well, is imperative to decide well, which is why the essence of

Management has to do with decision making, and decision making implies being

exposed to multiple judgments, but above all, it means being able to discern, with clear

and solid criteria, the reason for acting or omitting action in specific moments. The

questions we must then ask are: How to decide? For whom and why are decisions made? What times or contexts should be prioritized?

The ethical exercise of Management implies that “good” decision making transcends the

simple economic criteria of efficiency, rational optimization of resources and satisfaction

of material needs. Thorough decision making processes require considering the

inherent complexity of the existence of multiple contexts that are multidimensional and

temporary in space and time. It also demands attention to all individuals, interests and

moments. When we discover the magnitude and multiple senses of the real and potential impact

of business activities, in different social, organizational and individual spheres, is

important to sensitize people who would be involved in Management in a way that they

can become aware of the motives and consequences of their decisions and actions in

all possible dimensions.

Based on these previous statements, the course “Fundamentals of Management” is

part of the complementary educational cycle of the International Business program in

EAFIT. By definition, is a course based on concepts, reflections and practices related to

the organizational context of management. The course aims to cultivate in future

professionals an integral education and good judgment in decision making.

In hopes of realizing the Mission, Vision and Values of EAFIT, this course pretends to

give International Negotiators the conceptual tools necessary to be excellent,

responsible, integral, bold, tolerable and respectful professionals, capable of conceiving

holistic visions and face complexity, while they remain curious and anxious to learn.

The groups of subjects that guide the development of the course allow the students to

understand the nature of management and organizations: background; historic context

that explain its emergence and development; elaboration of methodological nodes,

practical and conceptual, that have given birth to administrative and organizational

knowledge. The core of analysis that articulates all subject of study is constituted by the

relation between the ideas of men, work and organization.

By being thought in the first semester, the course aims to give students the opportunity

to become familiar with the complexity of the profession and recognize the importance

of interdisciplinary actions, while they learn to discover the value of other people's

value, talents and competences.

In addition to introducing the multiple problems and topics that would be studied in

future courses along the undergraduate program, the course offers a broad and

dynamic view about Management in the professional field, it also provides knowledge

about the axiological and ontological dimensions.

In other words, the course introduces student to the multiple fields of action of

Management, and familiarizes them with the fundamental responsibilities of planning,

organizing, directing/leading and controlling, beyond the instrumental perspective to

assume a reflective position in face of these tasks.

With the ethical education related to the field, the course intends to give the student

vocational and attitudinal meta-learning experience that will give the students the tools

necessary to avoid academic desertion.

For instance, the activities carried out in the course lead to an insertion into University

dynamics, practice of intellectual productions with consideration of copyright,

educational research, the implementation of ICT in learning processes, familiarity with

possibilities and flexibilities within the program structure (to date, there are over 14 lines

of emphasis, dozens of complementary subjects, electives within the Institutional

Educational Core, exchange opportunities, connection with post-grad programs, etc.).

Through diverse pedagogical strategies the course is also a channel of vocational

reflection, in such a way that the participants can contrast, deconstruct and re-construct

their aspirations, relations with others, with the profession and with themselves, to

better project their educational process and their professional future.

Finally, in line with the meta-learning experience pointed out previously, the course will

also develop in the student competences aligned with the SaberPro test. In general, we

expect students to advance in their processes of critical reading, formal writing, use of

English, analyzing and solutions of quantitative problems (e.g. use of spreadsheets).

Specifically, the course would provide tools to do organizational analysis, financial

analysis and understand international contexts.

Course objectives:

After studying and approving the course each student will be in a position to:

Understand the nature of multiple contexts of action and functions of Management.

Philosophically and critically explore the different dimensions of Management:

praxis, episteme, axiology and ontology.

Perform activities of educational research, critical reading, writing, interpretation of

quantitative problems and use material of study in English.

Recognize and know university dynamics by being familiarized with the challenges

of the profession in a way that allows him/her to give potential to his/her academic

competences.

Learn to learn within the context of ontological practices, knowledge, values and

expressions of Management.

Explore academic activities to develop the managerial skills acquired within the

course, in order to sensitize and contribute to the enactment of the Global Goals,

adopted by the United Nations.

 

Evaluations:

Midterm 1: 15%

Midterm 2: 15%

Follow Up: 40%

Final Exam: 30%

 

Bibliography:

Robbins, DeCenzo, Coulter (2015). Fundamentals fo Management, Ninth Edition.

Pearson Education. Essex

COMPLEMENTARY READINGS:

Alvesson, M., & Deetz, S. (2000). Doing Critical Management Research. London:

Sage Publications.

Bédard, R. (2004). Los fundamentos del Pensamiento y las Prácticas

Administrativas. 2- La Trilogía Administrativa. Ad-Minister No. 4, Pp. 80-108.

Universidad EAFIT. Medellín ? Colombia.

Bédard, R. (2003). Los fundamentos del Pensamiento y las Prácticas

Administrativas. 2- El Rombo y las Cuatro Dimensiones Filosóficas. Ad-Minister

No. 3, Pp. 68-88. Universidad EAFIT. Medellín ? Colombia.

Bennis, W. G., & O'Toole, J. (2005). How business schools lost their way. Harvard

Business Review(May).

Castrillón, S. (2012). Enhancing Human Dignity through Philosophical Education In

A.-M. Dávila-Gómez (Ed.), Human Dignity and Managerial Responsibility. Diversity,

Righat, and Sustainability. (pp. 159-179). Farnham, Surrey: Gower Publishing Ltd.

Echeverría, R. (1999). El arte de la retroalimentación en los equipos de alto

desempeño. Retrieved from

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2004/06/el-arte-de-la-retroalimentacin-en-los.html

Levitt, T. Marketing myopia. Harvard Business Review, 38 (July-August 1960), pp.

24-47. Retrieved from

h t t p : / / t u p i n g . g s m . p k u . e d u . c n / T e a c h i n g /

Mktmgt/Reading/Marketing%20Myopia%201975.pdf

Muñoz, A., Ramírez, M. La motivación de los empleados más allá de la "zanahoria

y el garrote". Revista AD-minister, 24, 143 -160. Retrieved from

h t t p : / / p u b l i c a c i o n e s . e a f i t . e d u . c o /

index.php/administer/article/view/2312/2311

Stanford University. (2007). 15 minutes with Hannah Jones. Stanford Social

Innovation Review. Fall 2007. Retrieved from

h t t p : / / w w w . s s i r e v i e w . o r g /

images/articles/2007FA_15minutes_jones.pdf

Sumantra, G. (2005). Bad Management Theories Are Destroying Good

Management Practices. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 4(1), 75.

Wild, J. J., & Wild, K. L. (2009). International Business. (Pearsons, Ed.) (Sixth Edit.,

p. 462). Harlow.