Course Catalogue

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This course will focus on a theoretical and practical understanding of the importance of the creative industries to national economic life and on managing work and organizations in this sector. The course will provide students with useful frameworks, critical insights and practical managerial skills to enable them to develop successful managerial careers in the industry.

21 hours over 3 weeks (two half-day sessions per week)

Please refer to the current postgraduate prospectus at: http://www.gla.ac.uk/postgraduate/ 

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Essay (demonstrating students' understanding of the key concepts and theoretical models and their practical application) 2,500 - 3,000 words.

This course will focus on management in the creative industries such as arts, film, entertainment, media, design and fashion. The creative industries are an area of substantial economic value, and are often seen by national and international government agencies as a vibrant, forward-looking and increasingly important area of economic development. The course will provide students with useful frameworks, critical insights and sector-specific managerial skills to enable them develop successful managerial careers in the industry.

Working in this sector is attractive, but the nature of employment can be volatile and unpredictable. Similarly, managing people in the creative industries presents some unique opportunities and challenges. With the shift away from creativity as a characteristic of an individual, to the focus on the social and organizational context for creativity, issues such as organizational culture and work climate have become more prominent in the study of management. The course themes will include managing creativity at individual, group and organizational level, evaluating the role of creative management and development in increasing competitive advantage of organizations, the characteristics of a 'creative manager', his/her competencies and leadership styles. The principles and practices of managing people in the creative industries will be explored with a view to evaluating their applicability to organisations in general.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

1. Critically evaluate the notion of the creative industries (such as arts, media, interactive media, entertainment, design and fashion) as a driver for post-industrial policy and a source of economic value.

2. Critically analyse the nature of work and employment in the creative industries.

3. Explore the relationship between creative and commercial pressures in organizations.

4. Demonstrate a critical understanding of the industrial and organizational context for creativity and the creative process at individual, group and organizational level.

5. Appraise the principles and techniques of managing people in the creative industries with a view to demonstrating their applicability to organizations in general.

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.