Class Fundamentals of Management

Principles of Management is an introductory course that takes organisation as its subject of study and management as a practice as its focus: what organisations are, managers do, and which concepts and tools enable them to analyse and lead in contexts of complexity and uncertainty. It covers the management cycle - planning, organising, directing and controlling - linked to an analysis of the organisational environment. It includes management thinking, globalisation, ethics and social responsibility, decision-making, strategic planning and management, organisational structure, culture and leadership, management control and corporate strategic options. This course unit enables students to understand concepts such as organisation, efficiency, effectiveness, the environment, structure and control. Learning is grounded in ongoing group work on a real organisation, enabling students to progressively apply the concepts and bridge the gap between theory and practice.  

Not applicable

Management and organisations in contemporary societies The evolution of management thought The organisational environment Planning and decision-making Organisational structure, culture and leadership Management control Business strategy - alliances and outsourcing Business strategy - vertical integration Ethics and corporate social responsibility Globalisation of markets and competition

The course uses active, innovative methods centred on applying, reflecting on, and consolidating learning. Critical literacy in generative Al is developed from the very first session, through the 'ask, verify, state' protocol, which is applied to the course unit's activities. Group work is organised into a progressive portfolio based on a real-world organisation, enabling continuous feedback and improvement. Each session begins with systematic revision questions on previous content, reinforcing retention. Cooperative learning combines individual accountability, peer assessment and oral presentations. Individual assessment is spread over two stages, reducing risk concentration and allowing progressive monitoring of learning.

Robbins, S. P., Coulter, M., & De Cenzo, D. A. (2020). Fundamentals of management (11th Global ed.). Pearson. Freire, A. (2020). Estratégia: Criação de valor sustentável em negócios tradicionais e digitais. Bertrand Editora. Robbins, S. P., & Coulter, M. (2021). Management (15th ed.). Pearson. Boddy, D. (2024). Management: An introduction (9th ed.). Pearson.