Analysing films is a creative and interesting way for you to synthesize, evaluate, and apply the knowledge you have learned throughout your study of business, as well as related theories of organisation and management. Film analysis can also allow us to assess the continued relevance of these theories as we watch representations of social phenomena come alive on the screen. Some filmmakers purposefully incorporate theoretical ideas into plot, characters, or visual aspect of the film, while others simply allude to them. A synopsis of Brazil explicitly discusses bureaucracy, for example, while Office Space is an implicit critique of that organizational form.

In this seminar, we will view a handful of films and use these materials to explore and illustrate your understanding of theories of business management or ethically controversial issues from different periods of business history.  These topics will be related to two larger themes of the changing world of work (e.g. precarious labor markets, gender discrimination, labor conflict), as well as to organizational culture and ethics (whistleblowing, high power incentives, business responsibility to society, etc.). 

The main activities in this seminar will be to discuss and write about films by using theories to interpret film or reflecting on how the perspective of the films relate to theory.  As such, the seminar will address some basic issues of reviewing scientific literature, scientific writing and formulating critical arguments in ways to prepare you for your BSc thesis work.

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