Understanding Modern Business and Organisations

Prepare for the world of work by analysing key trends shaping modern businesses

What defines modern organisations? How and why are they changing?

On this course, you’ll learn about the four forces which shape modern organisations. These are: the shift towards a knowledge economy and away from manual labour; the technological innovations being developed and used by businesses; business ethics, organised under corporate social responsibility (CSR) or environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals; and globalisation.

For new graduates, this course will help you understand the business world you are about to enter.

This course is aimed primarily at graduates entering the world of the work. Anyone who is interested in learning more about how modern businesses are shaped by forces of knowledge, technology, CSR/ESG, and globalisation might find this course of interest, however.

Though no specific background knowledge is required, it is pitched at a graduate-level of complexity and is thinking-intensive. Some experience of a business environment, not necessarily at a business organisation, would be beneficial.

• Introducing modern business and organisations
• Introduction to the course
• Modern business and organisations
• Course structure and processes
• End of week summary
• Knowledge Society
• Welcome to Week 2
• Up-to-date concepts of Knowledge
• A trigger concept related to Knowledge
• Upcoming concepts of Knowledge
• End of week summary
• Technology & organisations
• Welcome to Week 3
• Up-to-date concepts of Technology
• Trigger-concept for Technology
• Upcoming concepts of Technology
• End of week summary
• Social-Ethical-Environmental governance
• Welcome to Week 4
• Up-to-date concepts of Ethics
• Trigger-concept for Ethics
• Upcoming concepts of Ethics
• End of week summary
• Internationalisation, globalisation, localisation
• Welcome to Week 5
• Up-to-date concepts of Globalisation
• A trigger concept related to Globalisation
• Upcoming concepts of Globalisation
• End of week summary
• Making sense of the financial crisis
• Welcome to Week 6
• What is the crisis about?
• Exploring the financial crisis
• End of course summary