Dr Aleksandra Webb

I am a Lecturer in the Division of Work, Management and Organisation, which I joined in 2017. I hold Master’s degrees from the University of Warsaw and the University of Stirling, and a PhD from the University of Stirling. After completing my PhD, I have worked on the STUC-Scottish Government Women and Work Partnership Project, during which I have conducted research and wrote reports on barriers women face in securing work, sustaining employment and developing their careers. Gender issues remain part of my research with a current focus on childcare as a barrier to work and employment, and the policy-driven expansion of Early Learning and Childcare sector.

Through my work in applied and academic research contexts so far, I carried out research and evaluation for national and supra-national bodies such as the Scottish Government, Scottish Trades Union Congress, Creative Scotland and European Commission. I have experience on various ERASMUS + projects and have written reports on work, skills and training, career, and employment related issues.

My other research interests evolve around organisation of arts sectors, artistic expression and social situatedness of arts production and making. These include themes such as: sustainable and resilient cultural leadership; creative learning: creativity, artistry and resilience in personal and professional development; value-driven education; social impact of arts: arts making and arts engagement as a tool for social change; and social entrepreneurship in arts sectors. I published in areas such as Cultural Leadership in the Scottish performing arts sector in Scotland and currently working on a particular example of adaptive behaviour displayed by arts organisations in the context of radical change in the public arts funding structures.

I am a member of Working Lives Research Group. https://www.stir.ac.uk/about/faculties/stirling-management-school/our-research/research-areas/working-lives/

I coordinate and teach two foundational undergraduate management modules: Management Challenge (MGTU9S2 in Year 1) and Fundamentals of Business and Management (MGTU9S3 in Year 2).

I have a genuine interest in creating positive and supportive work environments in which all people can develop their potential and this is why I am part of the Stirling Management School’s Athena SWAN team. https://www.stir.ac.uk/about/faculties-and-services/stirling-management-school/about-us/athena-swan-and-stirling-management-school/

I sit on the board of Shaper/Caper, a wonderful performing arts organization with a soul and social conscience! https://www.shapercaper.com

I am a member of two research groups: Working Lives Research Group https://www.stir.ac.uk/about/faculties/stirling-management-school/our-research/research-areas/working-lives/ and Scale-up, Regional Growth and Entrepreneurship (SURGE) Research Group https://bigsme.stir.ac.uk/about-us/

I research in the following areas and I'm interested in supervising research projects on:

• work, careers and employment: sustainable and inclusive employment and career systems; women’s work and careers; low-status work and low-prestige sectors; fair work; informal work and employment; shadow economy; policy-driven sectors' growth/expansion

• skills development, workplace learning and vocational training

• arts sectors, cultural and creative industries: cultural leadership; (social) entrepreneurship in arts sectors; work and employment in arts; arts/cultural SMEs; measuring impacts of arts

• digital university, digitalisation and automation in Higher Education Institutions

I teach and coordinate two early undergraduate modules on Business and Management Programmes.

MGTU9S2: The Management Challenge (1st Year) This module seeks to explore some of the challenges facing management today. Some businesses may have predominantly commercial objectives, while other organisations may have more complex social or environmental objectives, yet regardless of the organisational goal, vision and purpose all of them share fundamental management concerns and activities. Building on the content of MGTU9S1, which introduced you to the importance of external environment in which businesses operate, this module focuses on challenges predominantly understood as and related to the complexity of management job. Managers work in organisations. Organisations are complex entities - they produce products and deliver services through a range of activities and processes within the key organisational areas called “organisational functions”. This module will outline and set the importance of these five key organisational functions: Operations, Marketing, HRM and Finance. In order to develop and lead competitive, adaptive, ethical and sustainable businesses; and to formulate appropriate strategies and actions; managers must understand the different demands and constraints associated with the interactions of these different core functions, which impact organisational performance and often challenge management. By studying this module, students will gain an appreciation of the reality of management, with particular focus on managing: operations, marketing activities, people and finances. In this way students will gain understanding of organisations as complex and evolving systems. In addition, the module will explore the importance of strategy, information and communication technologies assisting managers’ activities across the organisational functions. Students will also be introduced to contextual themes of management to help appreciate the differences between managing in public vs. private, or local vs. global organisations. Guest lectures delivered by practitioners will allow students to further develop the understanding of challenges facing management. Importantly, this module will focus on development of important management skills such as team working, communication and presentation skills, which are sought after by today’s employers.

MGTU9S3: Fundamentals of Business & Management (2nd Year) This module builds on the content of MGTU9S1 and MGTU9S2 and aims to further explore management as an essential component and function of all organisations. Some businesses may have predominantly commercial objectives, while other organisations may have more complex social or environmental objectives, yet regardless of the organisational mission and purpose all of them share fundamental management concerns and activities. The common themes will be explored across a variety of types of organisations, while emphasising the specific challenges of management found in different organisational contexts.

This foundational module aims to introduce students to a wide range of themes important for all aspiring managers and business leaders but it will be also interesting and relevant to everyone who intends to work in business organisations. The module will present and critically explain the key foundations of management: planning, organising, leading and control. It will start from exploring the meaning of management, who managers are, where they work, and what and why they do. A brief history of management will be outlined with emphasis on how the approaches to management have changed over time. To further explore management as an area of study and a professional practice, the module will look at the impact of the external environment, the societal influences, the national and global contexts, as well as the organisational culture and design (structure) on the managerial activities. The module will examine how all these factors influence the way managers behave, plan, make decisions, lead and control organisations, people and projects. A specific attention will be placed on understanding of the changing nature of work and the impact of those changes on the behaviours at work and the manager/employer-employee relationship. The module will introduce key concepts from ergonomics to address management areas of concern related to designing optimal (productive and healthy) work environments. Ethics as an important and timely managerial issue will also be discussed with references to notions of responsibility and organisational ethical/non-ethical behaviour. The module concludes with a study of insights into managers’ experience of leading and implementing change initiatives. Some considerations for management skills, learning and careers will be interwoven into concluding lectures.