UCD: Management in the Humanitarian Context

Humanitarian principles
Management process - Issues of Intervention
Project Management
Monitoring and Evaluation
Personnel Management
Financial Management
Security Management
Logistics

On successful completion of the course students should be able to:
- Comprehensive understanding of the humanitarian principles, their value to the humanitarian effort and their organisational application;
- Describe and critically analyse the humanitarian business, its key stakeholders, management principles and governance structures;
- Critically analyse HA organisational principles and practice;
- Design a strategy for a HA organisation that combine key issues of intervention;
- Present a detailed description of the project cycle;
- Critique the logical framework approach to project design and management;
- Develop a security and logistics plan for humanitarian intervention;
- Prepare a financial accounting system for a humanitarian intervention; and
- Develop and evaluate the personnel management system for a humanitarian intervention.

Assignments (written and presentations) based on course work and group projects account for 60%.  The written exam accounts for 40%.
 
The written assignment will comprise both a group and an individual components.  Groups of students will be given a project proposal on September 21st and requested to use this proposal to develop a logical framework.  This assignment will be submitted before 9.00am on Wednesday the 28th of September.  Each group will receive feedback on this assignment on September 30th. 
 
Then each student within his/ her group will be requested to further develop the project in line with a management function studied in class (personnel management/ logistics/ security/ financial management/ monitoring and evaluation).  Guidance will be provided in class.
 
Students will be provided with sample questions in advance of the written exam.  The exam will be two hours.  Guidance will be provided in class.

Anderson, M. and P. Woodrow 1998, Rising from the Ashes, Intermediate Technology Publications, UK.
James, E 2008, Managing Humanitarian Relief: an operational guide for NGOs, Practical Action Publishing, UK
Schneider, S and J-L Barsoux, 1997, Managing Across Cultures, Prentice Hall Europe, Hertfordshire.
Twigg, J. 2004, Disaster risk reduction: mitigation and preparedness in aid programming, HPN, Overseas Development Institute London
Van Brabant, K, 2000, Operational Security Management in Violent Environments, HPN, Overseas Development Institute London 
Walker, P.and D. Maxwell 2009, Shaping the Humanitarian World, Routledge, London and New York