Registration does not begin until 02.10.2026 at 08:00. It ends on 12.10.2026 at 23:59.

If your registration for this course is successful you will registered automatically for the course Management Theory and Practice - V (Markus Reihlen).

The registration is restricted to the following fields or courses of study:

• Leuphana Bachelor / Major International Business Administration & Entrepreneurship / alle Semester
• Leuphana Bachelor / Major Studium Individuale / alle Semester
• Leuphana Bachelor / Minor Studium Individuale / alle Semester

Critical Management Studies (CMS) challenges conventional views of management by asking how power, interests, and ethics shape organizational life. CMS has developed since the early 2000s as a discipline that critically examines conventional management theories and practices. Drawing on perspectives such as critical theory, labor process theory, social constructivism, and critical realism, it encourages more reflective thinking about management and organization.

In this seminar, you will explore how CMS questions mainstream management ideas and uncovers hidden sides of organizational life. One organizational phenomenon that can be examined through the lens of CMS is corruption. Current research shows that corruption and organizational wrongdoing are rarely just individual failures but often emerge from deeper organizational and institutional dynamics. Using cases such as Volkswagen, Enron, health care, and megaprojects, you will examine how corruption emerges, becomes normalized, and can potentially be addressed. The course combines real-life cases of corruption, theory, discussion, and group work to help you analyze management problems from different perspectives.

Overall, the course offers an introduction to key topics in management and organization theory through the lens of CMS. You will sharpen your critical thinking and learn to draw well-supported conclusions about corruption and organizational misconduct.

- You understand the origins of Critical Management Studies and its contribution to the discourses in management and organization studies
- You can differentiate between various CMS lenses and their reasoning
- You can transfer the discourses in CMS to applied management phenomena like corruption and organizational misconduct

Further information on teaching evaluation: https://www.leuphana.de/en/teaching/quality-management/evaluation/course-evaluation.html