BA (Hons) Social Policy and Management

Level 1

Social issues and Social Justice
This module examines a range of social issues which are currently on the policy agenda. It will consider new developments, which are suddenly highlighted by government or the media, such as anti-social behaviour, and also long-standing welfare concerns such as poverty and inequalities in health. 

Students will be introduced to how and why a social issue may become defined as a social problem, the form it takes within the social and political debate and be encouraged to make a critical analysis of the action, which is – and is not - taken. An introduction to some of the key social policy concepts will be incorporated into this analysis of real issues. 

The module moves on to considers the concept of ‘social justice’, the extent to which social divisions and inequalities in society persist, and the role that governments play in promoting the former and combating the latter. Students will be encouraged to think critically about the extent and implications of poverty in the UK and the implications across a range of welfare services and government politics.

Organisational Behaviour 1: Evolving Perspectives on Management
It is suggested that organisational structure affects human behaviour in organisations and that strategy, structure and culture are closely related, although rarely considered together.

To set contemporary management behaviour in context, an understanding of the evolution of management theory is necessary, together with a consideration of organisational structure. Accordingly, a number of competing and contrasting perspectives of past and present thinking on management are explored, together with an acknowledgement that some approaches are complementary, whilst others are in conflict and recognition that ‘new’ management thinking and methods may simply be repackaged familiar, old ideas.

The term ‘organisational behaviour’ relates to the activities and interactions of people in organisations. Organisational behaviour has been defined as the “inter-disciplinary body of knowledge and field of research, concerned with how formal organisations, behaviour of people within organisations and salient features of their context and environment, evolve and take shape, why all these things happen the way they do and what purposes they serve”. 

In considering the changing and evolving roles of management and managers, the module acknowledges that the study of organisational behaviour is multi-disciplinary and draws in particular from psychology, social psychology, sociology, economics and political science.

Organisational Behaviour 2: Management in Context

Applying Research
This module is designed enable students to recognise and understand the different methodologies employed in social research, and to apply them to their own research project and critique of methods. This includes:

• What research is and why we do it
• How research may be carried out: quantitatively
• How research may be carried out: qualitatively.

The module therefore considers topics such as: the importance of research; ethical and other related issues in research; reflections on examples of research; what's worth keeping in research?, and constructing a research plan.

Contemporary Business Analysis
This module introduces students to a range of economic concepts and basic analytical techniques.

Upon successful completion of this module the student will be able to:

• Explain the workings of the price mechanism, the labour market and various forms of market failure
• Explain the relationship between the firm’s costs, revenues, prices and outputs within various market structures
• Analyse the interaction between entrepreneur, the firm and its external environment
• Analyse the inter-relationships between government and key macro-economic indicators, such as unemployment and inflation and how this impacts on the environment of the firm
• Understand the links between the internal and external economy and how this impacts on the firm and its external environment.

Organising
This module examines the nature of organising. Attention is focused upon different forms of organising and the assumptions that underlie these forms and legitimise their nature. The module focuses particular attention on organising work and work-based organisations in contemporary capitalism. A spotlight is placed upon relationships between assumptions, theory and management action. This interest in connecting assumption, theory and action is central to the management programme and consequently this module serves as a valuable point of departure for students as they experience and reflect on the nature of management and their own assumptions, values and practices

Level 2

Challenge and change in social policy I and II
Social Policy is a dynamic subject. Its focus was originally almost entirely on the ‘traditional’ areas of welfare – health, education, social services, employment, housing and social security – and the way governments have both defined the scope of welfare in those services and the mechanisms for promoting social wellbeing. However, the issues now deemed to be within the legitimate range of social policy have gradually expanded - to include such issues as the environment, transport and food policy - and the terms of the debate have fundamentally altered. 

For both new and traditional areas of social policy, the social, demographic, economic and political context within which policy is constructed have changed over time. This module considers the main influences on social policy development in the UK and examines these within the context of alternative models in other countries. It considers the debates within which they have been framed and the ways these have impacted on the contemporary debate and policy.

Ideology into Practice
The module begins with a consideration of different perspectives on what constitutes ‘social problems’ and an exploration of the meaning and purposes of ‘social policy’ and ‘welfare’ and their relationship with ideology. It then moves on to consider the impact of ideologies on social policy in the post-war period, although the primary emphasis is on the period from the mid-1970s (and the onset of ‘crisis’ and the end of ‘consensus’) to the present day. Discussion then progresses to some of the key issues and ideological developments in social policy, including arguments about a ‘Third Way’ and the development of a broader approach to social policy which has wider interests and implications than the traditional concerns of the subject.

Diversity, Difference and Exclusion
This module examines the impact of difference and diversity in social policy, with a particular concern around social exclusion. It begins with an introduction to the concepts of ‘diversity’, ‘difference’ and ‘exclusion’ and then moves on to consider the relationship between social policy and a variety of forms of diversity and difference, particularly in the context of new thinking around social exclusion that has emerged since the 1990s.

The module explores the origins and meanings of key concepts such as ‘diversity’ and ‘social exclusion’, the relationship of these key concepts with others, such as poverty, social class and the ‘underclass’, and the impact and lack of impact of policies on social groups such as young people, families, women, black and ethnic minorities and disabled people;

Innovating

Leadership
This module draws directly on level one core management modules in which leading, managing and following are made relevant to both student’s individual experiences and contemporary organizing practices. This module provides an opportunity to take the issue of leadership as a core concern and to put the normative accounts of leadership under pressure by reference to student experiences. In examining the notion and practice of leadership students will be encouraged to draw on a range of ways of seeing, thinking and interpreting diverse forms and representations of leadership.

Part 1: The normative story of leadership: attempting to distinguish between leadership and management. Describing the attributes of leadership: qualities, traits, capabilities, and competencies. Performing leadership: what do leaders do? Power, authority and leading.

Part 2: Popular expressions of leadership. Representation of leadership in; popular media, civic society; military, politics, anthropology; history, biography and film.

Part 3: Identifying leaders and leadership as identity position: Leaders, managers, entrepreneurs; the hero, the champions; myths and fables.

Part 4: Followers, followership and following. Describing the attributes of followers: qualities, traits, capabilities, and competencies. Performing followership: what do followers do? Power, authority and following.

Part 5: Leadership as process: visioning, imagining, promising, seducing, galvanising, securing, assuring, demanding, serving.

Level 3

Understanding the policy process
This module focuses upon the processes of policy making and implementation at both practical and theoretical levels. It introduces students to a variety of models of policy making and discusses the complexities of the distribution of power and decision making, primarily, but not limited to, the field of social policy.

The module encourages students to develop an understanding of a range of ideas that can contribute to the ways in which we analyse policy, and to recognise that these perspectives are themselves contestable and changing. It begins with a consideration of the policy process and different ways of viewing it, including the impact of different approaches under governments from the 1970s, moving on to examine a variety of models of decision making and the range of actors involved in the making and implementation of policies.

Analysing the policy process
Building upon Understanding the Policy Process this module requires students not only to continue to develop their knowledge of a range of perspectives on the policy process but, in addition, to use these to analyse a case study relevant to their degree programme.

Where Understanding the Policy Process places its emphasis on important models and perspectives, this module explores a range of current ideas which have a significant impact upon the making and implementation of policy, such as the concept of partnership, notions of participation, and issues of accountability.

Community and Conflict I and II
This module is all about communities – in particular, communities that are poor, disadvantaged, isolated or ‘socially excluded’. In recent years, interest has been re-awakened in the whole idea of community and in what sorts of policies might be most effective in helping communities and solving their problems. This has happened for a number of reasons: New Labour policy, concerns about crime and disorder, increased emphasis on self-help, fears of racial segregation and ‘no go’ areas, rural decline, and the failure of government interventions over the years that have taken no account of the feelings of local people.

The new focus on community is often associated with a number of beliefs: for example, that it is better in principle for local people to ‘do it for themselves’; that the involvement of communities is essential if run-down areas are to be renewed or regenerated; and that neither market forces nor the state can on their own offer satisfactory long-term solutions to our social problems. This module will look critically at all these beliefs and come to conclusions about their validity.

Managing
This module adopts a praxis approach to managing. The complexity of the relationship between knowledge, theories and action is explored. Managing is regarded as not only a practical and pragmatic phenomenon but also as philosophical and sociological in kind. In this context, managing is viewed as problematic involving challenges, ambiguities and contradictions. From a functional perspective, the activity of management is assumed to be an established historical, social and technical fact with a coherent set of theories and practices. 

In this module functionalist facts of managing are revealed as social constructs built upon underlying ideological beliefs about rationality and capitalism. The module sets out to identify and deconstruct these beliefs and practices and to provide students with analytical skills to better understand and respond to the challenges of managing.

Contemporary Issues in Management
This module provides an opportunity to draw on current research into critical management issues undertaken within the faculty and to introduce students to contemporary topics that are both practically and theoretically relevant. The topics/issues/research under consideration may vary year on year but at the heart of our concerns here is a desire to draw upon foundation and intermediate level study in order to consider the implications that contemporary social theories hold for management practitioners. 

In this context, the limitations of traditional approaches to management practice will be explored and critiqued. Students will be invited to critique what constitutes ‘good’ business practice as a way of developing their understanding of contemporary business. Students will also be exposed to ‘alternative’ modes of business practice. They will be asked to apply their learning on this module to practical business issues.

This programme will appeal to students who are interested in the dynamics of the world in which we live. It offers students the opportunity to think critically about the ways in which governments define policies which affect the everyday lives of citizens and how governments and other organisations respond to the needs and challenges of a changing society.

Students will develop an understanding of how social issues and policy responses arise, and also of management actions in terms of complex arrangements of social, material, economic and political relationships, interrelationships and connections.

Students develop a knowledge and understanding of two key areas: social issues and social policies, and management. These are central to contemporary society and are reflected in the roles and actions of governments, private sector bodies and not-for-profit organisations. At the same time students develop a range of transferable skills.

The assessment strategy adopted for this programme is designed to test and enhance students’ knowledge, skills and abilities in a range of ways, as well as helping prepare them for the demands of work. A broad range of forms of assessments test students’ attainments of learning outcomes that demonstrate and encourage not only the knowledge base but also the development of transferable skills across the programme.

Written communication skills are developed through essays and examinations, oral communication skills through presentations; literature searching and review through essays, examinations and presentations, computer literacy skills through word-processing and use of electronic resources. 

Graduates from the BA (Hons) Social Policy and Management programme will be well placed to find employment across the wide range of organisations involved in this field, such as central and local government, providers of health, housing and community services, regulatory bodies, and so on. In addition they will have developed a wide range of skills and abilities, including critical, analytical, problem-solving and presentational, which would be applicable in many areas of employment. Students can also continue their studies at postgraduate level or undertake professional training.

For further information and funding your studey please see our Fees & Funding pages.

Fees and Funding