Business for Chemical Engineers
Running a Commercial Organisation
Spring 2014

Course Aims
Background:
In preparation for their 4th year Chemical Engineering
Project, ‘Running a Commercial Organisation’ will give the students
• the basis to understand the processes and complexity of commercialising a design concept in a global environment – with a focus on HR management and
Project Management
• the skills to develop a coherent management summary of an international business venture

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
The students will:
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learn how to develop a strategy to launch an international commercial venture •

learn how to address the Human Resource requirements for an international venture

•

learn how to develop an implementation plan with deliverables and milestones •

develop a management report and summary presentation

Course Structure
1. Human Resource Management – 4 hours f2f and 1 hour on-line:
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•
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Management and leadership
Interface with Business Strategy
Corporate organisation structure challenges of international HR management

2. Project Management – 2 hours f2f and 2 hours on- line:
• Key concepts
• Timeline / deliverables / milestones
• The Diamond model

3. Development of a plan for the international development of a commercial venture – 1 hour f2f and 1 hour on-line

Course Assessment
Group Assessment
• In class briefing of a European Chemical Engineering company proposing to enter either SE Asia or China, accompanied by a real world example.
• On line material will focus on the following elements:
• Examples of international organisation structure
• Project management framework / template
• Writing a Business Plan

DUE DATE – 25th March 2014

Course Assessment
Group Assessment
•The assessment will consist of group coursework (8 students per group)
•a written report (1500 words) – a summary of the venture with a focus on the management of global HR requirements
•an electronic Poster presentation - based on the Diamond Model to present the complexity / technology / novelty / pace of the vent. The electronic poster will be presented and reviewed in a group session. The groups should print off one A3 copy of their electronic poster. The electronic poster should be attached to the written report.
• All the above to Rose Brown by 17:00 on Tuesday 25th March
•The nature of the venture will be discussed and agreed with the course tutor who will offer each group one individual development session

Business for Chemical Engineers

Lecture 1
Aspects of Human Resource management

PEOPLE THE MOST IMPORTANT ASSET
IN A COMPANY

The Real Learning
Who am I?

How can I use knowledge about human behaviour to shape and influence the behaviours and attitudes of those around me? The Engineering Mindset

What in your view is the defining characteristics of an
“Engineering Mindset”?

What is Organisational Behaviour?
• First, What is an Organisation?
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An Organisation is a structured social system consisting of groups and individuals working together to meet some agreed-upon objectives.
• Therefore….
• Organisational Behaviour is the study of what people think, feel, and do in and around organisations.

Why is it Relevant for ‘Me’ as an ‘Engineer’?

“People Make the Machines Work…..” Prof. S.T.
Newman
(Aug 11th 2011)

Thus ...
Organisational Behaviour provides you access to the ‘messy’ stuff we deal with everyday and all the time. So it does not matter what your profession is or your view of the world..
The ultimate reality is that we must deal with Humans

Humans are Complicated!

The First Complication: The Issue of Globalisation

The Emergence of New Forms of Organisation
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The traditional dyadic employment relationship is replaced in many organisations •

The traditional dyadic employment relationship characterised by a simple direct relationship between the employer and the