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DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY
Sem 2, AY2017‐18
SC4203 SOCIOLOGY OF ORGANIZATIONS
Lecturer: Dr Ho Kong Chong
Tuesdays 3‐6pm, AS1‐0212
The focus of this module is to make sense of the organizations which are
very much part of our daily lives. We want in this module to examine different
perspectives to understanding the sociology of organizations: their
structure and goals, how they influence society, the role organizations play
in shaping the purpose and welfare of its employees and how they are in turn
shaped by various forces.
The course textbook is Organizations and Organizing: Rational, Natural and
Open System Perspectives by W. Richard Scott and Gerald Davis (available at
the Co‐op). You may not believe this, but I was using this textbook as a
graduate student at the University of Chicago in the early 1980s! That the
2014 Pearson New International Edition version of this book is still around
says quite a bit about organizational theory, that in the development of the
field, the major milestones were set in the 1970s and 1980s. And what we see
today are refinements of the three perspectives – rational, natural and open
systems.
I think the value you can take from this module is the application of
organization theory in different contexts. In addition to Scott and Davis,
there will be another 8 readings on
Social Media and the Organization (Da Silva),
Emotional Labour (Pugh et. Al.),
Dysfunctional Workplace (Robsinon),
Technology (Guo and Lo),
Organizational Deviance (Geis),
Institutional Logics (Lounsbury and Boxenbaum),
Identity (Webb),
Collectivist Organizations (Rothschild‐Whitt).
The second half of the semester after the one week break will focus on the
themes you have selected as your assignment.
Type of Assessments Marks
Class Presentation and Participation 15
[asking questions and making comments]
Your Research Topic Essay incorporating
a case study of an organization of your 35
choice
Final Exam 50
Total 100
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With regard to CA assignments, you will be examined on one oral presentation
and one term paper. Ideally the presentation should help focus your efforts
leading to your term paper (10 pages, 1.5 spacing, 11 font size, including
references). I will form students into 7 presentation groups based on the
topic they choose and each group must meet with me before proceeding. And
there will be a final exam.
Seminar Outline by the Week
Week 1 (16 Jan) Scott and Davis: Chapters 1 and 2
Week 2 (23 Jan) Scott and Davis Chapters 3 and 4
Week 3 (30 Jan) No Class: I am overseas for training
Week 4 (6 Feb) Scott and Davis Chapters 5 and 6
Add reading on labour: Robinson “Dysfunctional Workplace Behavior”
Week 5 (13 Feb) Scott and Davis Chapters 7 and 8
Add reading on technology: Guo&Lo Lean Production to Lean Construction
Week 6 (20 Feb) Scott and Davis Chapters 9 (skip 244‐248) and 10 (skip 258‐
261)
ONE WEEK BREAK
Week 7 (6 Mar) Webb Reading and [Presentation 1]
Week 8 (13 Mar) Pugh, Dieffendorf & Moran Reading & [Presentation 2]
Week 9 (20 Mar) Rothschild‐Whitt Reading and [Presentation 3]
Week 10 (27 Mar) da Silvia Reading and [Presentation 4]
Week 11 (3 Apr) Geis Reading and [Presentation 5]
Week 12 (10 Apr) Thornton and Ocasio reading and [Presentation 6]
Week 13 (4 April) Summary and [Presentation 7]
Additional Readings:
Douglass Pugh, James Dieffendorf, and Christina Moran (2013) “Emotional
Labour: Organizational Level Outcomes, Strategies, and Outcomes” in
Emotional labor in the 21st century: diverse perspectives on the
psychology of emotional regulation at work
eds: Grandey, Alicia; Diefendorff, James; Rupp, Deborah E, Routledge
Gilbert Geis (1967/1995) “The Heavy Electrical Equipment Antithrust Cases
of 1961” in White Collar Crime, eds: Gilbert Geis, Robert Mier and
Lawrence Salinger, Free Press.
S. Guo and S.P. Lo (2014) “From Lean Production to Lean Construction” in
Lean Construction Management, Springer.
Huliane Da Silva, Gibson da Silva and Flavas da Gorgino (2013)
“Organizations‐and‐Social‐Networking_‐Utilizing‐Social‐Media‐to‐Engage‐
Consumer” in Organizations and social networking: utilizing social media
to engage consumers (ed) Eldon Yu‐zen; Stanley Loh ; Cain Evans ; Fabiana
Lorenzi, IGI Global: 2013
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Sandra Robinson (2008) “The Dysfunctional Workplace” in SAGE Handbook of
Organizational Behavior vol.1 Micro Perspectives, ed. Julian Baring and
Cary Cooper, Sage.
Joyce Rothschild‐Whitt (1979/2003) “The Collectivist Organization” in The
Sociology of Organizations, ed: Michael Handel, Sage.
Patricia Thorton and William Ocasio Institutional Logics (research gate)
Janette Webb (2006) “We Are the Company: Work, Control and Identity in the
Organizations of Advanced Capitalism” in Organizations, Identities and the
Self.
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