Scientific Management

A usual 1st year business assignment will ask you to contrast the theory of scientific management with the multiple theories of human relations management.

We have a copy of F W Taylor's original text in the LRC at Luton. It is out of print now, and our copy was published in 1967. The original theory dates from 1911.

When approaching this question it may be advisable to look for journal articles on Business Source Premier database, rather than trying to obtain the book itself.

Credo Database also includes a very good ( though somewhat concise ) definition of the theory.

Entrepreneurs and University.

You don't learn entrepreneurship at University

So runs one of the AMP questions. The debate has recently been highlighted in the Daily Express as A level results were published this week ( Daily Express, 17th August 2010 )

Among those mentioned in the article :

Sir Richard Branson, now worth 30bn he left school at 15.

Peter Jones ( Dragon's Den star ) - left school after A levels in order to start making money. He had several failures before making his millions, and counts 'learning from his mistakes' the best kind of education.

Michelle Mone ( Lingerie entrepreneur ) She founded Ultimo after leaving school at 15. She claims that her poor background discouraged her from seeking higher education, and that working at an early age taught her alot.

And of course Sir Alan Sugar....

The question is....which successful businessmen / women did go to Uni ?

Branding Demystified

A couple of useful e-books on branding now available.

Brand Culture and Branding Demystified.

Check library catalogue for further details. The latter title includes some very good examples of what being a brand means, and case studies...

Print versus online advertising

Those of you whose AMP project involves the study of online advertising might look at the decline in the sale of print journals ( particularly those aimed at the youth market )

The decline of the NME is spectacular in this respect.

In the UK ( July - Dec 09 ) the NME sold 35,163 copies in the UK - a spectacular drop from 85,011 ten years ago.

Figures from Mediatel database ( accessed 10/08/10 )

Alternatives to primary research...

At AMP level the focus will be very much on secondary research from academic journal articles. An alternative to carrying out your own primary research might be to look at sources such as the Ipsos MORI site to find out the primary research which has already been carried out for you.

There is quite alot of information available free here, and the source would not be out of place in your bibliography, as MORI is a reputable market research body

Pictured above is a recent free report on attitudes to downloading music.

http://www.ipsos-mori.com

Dahlen on Marketing Communications

Dahlen, M (2009) Marketing communications : a brand narrative approach, Wiley


This new recommended textbook for public relations units may be useful for any AMP projects involving branding, public relations or marketing communications.

It covers case studies of popular brands such as

Dove soap
Harley Davidson Motorcycles
Nike

There is a whole chapter on building brand equity included, and also material on 'Beyond traditional branding', which could be useful for several topics.

Strategic Management

Thompson, M (2009) Strategic management, London : FT Prentice Hall



Recommended on several reading lists ( both undergraduate and postgraduate ) and also of relevance to several of the AMP topics.

Sounds old-fashioned , but use the index to see if your topic is covered here.