This Course Guide has been taken from the most recent presentation of the course. It would be useful for reference purposes but please note that there may be updates for the following presentation.
LESM A204
Security Practice and Management
Welcome to LESM A204 Security Practice and Management, a middle-level, full-year, ten-credit course for Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU) students seeking a Diploma, Higher Diploma, Bachelor of Social Sciences and Bachelor of Social Sciences (Hons) in the Police and Security Management programme. This course will also be of interest to students majoring in sociology and political science within the Social Sciences programme, to broaden their knowledge of security issues in modern society.
LESM A204 Security Practice and Management covers areas of responsibility for security managers in large organizations, and provides generic security management skills portable across the private and public sectors. Although the course has been designed to meet the needs of the professional security manager in Hong Kong, the practical methodologies and processes incorporated in this course are applicable universally.
By now you will have completed other Hong Kong Metropolitan University courses. You are, therefore, well aware of the study skills required for distance learning, have developed your own study schedules and methods and are familiar with the organization of HKMU courses. Even so, you should read this Course Guide thoroughly before proceeding to look at the study units and the readings. Some of the contents may be familiar to you, but much is specific to this course.
The Course Guide tells you briefly about the course content and suggests ways for you to work your way through the materials. It also provides some guidelines about the amount of time you are likely to spend on each unit in order to complete the course successfully.
You will probably wish to refer to this Course Guide throughout the course to help you clarify important points about studying with HKMU, so keep it in a convenient place.
LESM A204 Security Practice and Management aims to:
On successful completion of this course, you should be able to:
The following table gives a general overview of the course structure.
| Unit | Title | Weeks of activity | Assessment activity (end of unit) |
| 1 | Introduction to security management in the Hong Kong context | 3 | |
| 2 | Criminology for the security manager | 3 | |
| Assignment week | 1 | Assignment 1 | |
| 3 | Legal issues in private security | 3 | |
| 4 | Employee crime and investigative services | 3 | |
| Assignment week | 1 | Assignment 2 | |
| 5 | Risk and risk management | 4 | |
| 6 | Physical security | 2 | |
| Assignment week | 1 | Assignment 3 | |
| 7 | Corporate security | 3 | |
| 8 | Cybersecurity | 3 | |
| Assignment week | 1 | Assignment 4 | |
| 9 | Retail security | 3 | |
| 10 | Security management: a profession? | 2 | |
| Assignment week | 1 | Assignment 5 | |
| Revision | 2 | ||
| Total | 36 |
There are ten study units in this course.
The study units examine key issues, explain the relevant concepts and examples, and comment on related readings. Each unit contains activities to help reinforce your learning of the issues under discussion. Moreover, the assignments provide you with feedback and help you achieve the learning outcomes of the course.
The course is structured so that each unit builds on previous ones. Each unit contains a variety of techniques to help you study. The following points will help you get the most out of the units:
Don't panic if you haven't received all ten units in the first mailing from HKMU. It is normal to receive your study units in a number of separate packages.
Study units
Unit 1 Introduction to security management in the Hong Kong context introduces you to the concept of security management by discussing contemporary security management issues in relation to societal and organizational needs. It also gives you an overview of private security in Hong Kong.
Unit 2 Criminology for the security manager introduces you to the main schools of thought within the broad discipline of theoretical criminology. It starts with the classical perspective and works through various sociological, psychological and biological theories of criminality, before focusing on theories of crime as an event, which are particularly relevant to the work of the security manager.
Unit 3 Legal issues in private security covers the general legal context in which legal issues relevant to private security arise. More specifically, it seeks to describe and analyse the sources of powers, obligations and liabilities of private security personnel, and theproblems (with possible solutions) they face in carrying out their work. You look at relevant areas of substantive and procedural law and, when appropriate, human rights law.
Unit 4 Employee crime and investigative services discusses the issue of internal theft and its prevention, detection and investigation, and covers fraud, white-collar crime and related issues. You learn how to conduct an investigative interview, which is a major component of investigation, and examine the requirements of good report writing.
Unit 5 Risk and risk management introduces the basic concepts of risk and crisis management, including the methodologies and processes of risk analysis, threat assessments, and the security survey. In the field of security management, risk is becoming increasingly important. In this unit, you examine the requirements of a risk analysis and find out how to adapt a survey for specific workplaces (such as your own).
Unit 6 Physical security provides the basic principles of physical security and explains different types of physical protective system. You pay particular attention to perimeter security, access control, security lighting, camera system and intrusion alarm systems, and consider emergency planning in case of fire, chemical spills and bomb threats.
Unit 7 Corporate security deals with various aspects of corporate security. First, you look at the protection and classification of information, including threats to proprietary information from commercial espionage. The fundamentals of personnel security are also covered, including pre-employment and post-employment screening and its importance in security. Finally, workplace violence is discussed, with a view to prevent financial loss and other damages.
Unit 8 Cybersecurity examines both internal and external threats to organizational and private computer systems. You also consider computer and network abuses, cyber crime, the traditional data security model versus the current information security framework, risk assessment, baseline security assessment, effective security tactics and controls, and strategic information security management.
Unit 9 Retail security examines internal and external theft through shop theft, employee theft, burglary, robbery, and credit fraud. You also look at loss prevention strategies and security awareness programmes.
Unit 10 Security management: a profession? asks you to think about the question of whether or not security is a profession. The unit explores the origins and progress of security management, and examines the importance of integrity and ethics. You also look at the development and importance of education and training. The unit introduces you to the existing professional security associations and the benefits of professional affiliation.
Text readings and supplementary readings
The ten study units draw on a series of selected articles and chapters from books that make a significant contribution to the understanding of the issues in security practice and management. These readings are provided in your course package. In addition, suggestions for further reading are made at the end of these units. You should be able to obtain these readings from the reserve section in the HKMU Library.
Recommended equipment
All students and tutors are encouraged to have access to a PC with an Internet connection. You may also use the HKMU lab PCs, many of which have access to the Internet.
The following PC specifications are stated here only as minimum requirements, recognizing that you may be able to access much more powerful equipment:
Internet
Internet sites concerning security practice and management issues around the world are noted in the text of the course. Access to the Internet is not required, but it will benefit your studies.
Key sites
Information security magazine archived articles: http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/
Intelligence-Based Threat Assessments for Information Networks and Infrastructures: A White Paper: http://all.net/books/iw/iwarstuff/www.aracnet.com/_kea/Papers/threat_white_paper.shtml
Security policy:
https://www.sans.org/information-security-policy/
Security management:
https://www.sans.org/information-security-policy/
HKCERT:
The course assessment is designed to help you progress easily from the required readings in the study units through to the assignments and examination. You are required to apply the information and techniques learned during the course when doing the assignments. The assignments must be submitted to your tutor for formal assessment in accordance with the deadlines stated in the Assignment File. The non-assessed activity questions are not part of your formal assessment, but you should do them before progressing to the assignments.
Assignment File
Details forthe assignments are contained in the AssignmentFile, which will be sent to you at different stages of thepresentation of the course. The nature of these assignments is described in the'Assignments'section below. You are required to complete yourassignments and submit them in accordance with thetimetable provided in the PresentationSchedule below.
Presentation Schedule
The Presentation Schedule for this course is available on the University's online learning platform — Online Learning Environment (OLE). In this Schedule, you will see the approximate time for your tutor's receipt of your assignments. Please note that you must submit all of your assignments in time to reach your tutor by the dates shown in the Assignment File.
Assignments
There are five assignments. You are advised to study the unit(s), including the activities, self-tests and case studies, before attempting to solve the problems or answer the questions in the assignments. You are encouraged to finish all five assignments for tutors to grade, but only the best four (4) grades of the assignments count for the continuous assessment portion of the course. Fifty per cent (50%) of your final grade depends on your assignments.
For more information on assignments, and suggestions for how to approach them, consult the Assignment File in your course materials.
Examination and grading
The final examination for this course will be three hours long and count for 50% of the total course grade. You should use the time between finishing the last unit and the examination to review the entire course. At university level, it is wise to study in a planned, periodic way well before the final exam. Mature and hard-working students in the distance mode of education need to be flexible in both study habits and times. You might find it useful to review your activities, assignments and tutor's comments on them before sitting for the examination. You will be advised of examination arrangements after you send in your examination registration card.
The final examination covers all parts of the course and will be in a form you have already experienced in assignments. Do not worry that the examination will contain tricky questions. That would not be consistent with the clear, open approach HKMU takes to help its learners succeed in their studies.
The following tells you once again how the marks are allocated to the assessment items (assignments) and to your final examination. In order to pass this course, you must pass both the assignments component and the examination.
| Assessment type | Marks (in percentage) |
| Five assignments — the best four count. The five assignments will be in the form of case studies, essays, etc. | 12.5% each × 4 = 50% |
| Examination The three-hour examination will comprise six essay-type questions from which you choose three to answer. | 50% |
| TOTAL | 100% |
| You must obtain a score of 40% in the continuous assessment component and a score of 40% on the final examination to pass the course; that is, you must pass both assessment components. The overall passing mark is 40% or greater. | |
Tutors and Assignments
Your tutor will mark and comment on your assignments, keep an eye on your progress, and assist you if you encounter problems during the course. Marked assignments will be returned to you as soon as possible.
It is good practice to keep a copy of each assignment submitted for marking, in case it is lost in the post. Also, you can always refer the queries to the tutor during telephone conversation. Hence, please contact your tutor should the following arise:
In addition to self-study, tutorials will be organized to assist you in your learning process. Details of the dates, time and location of the tutorials as well as the name and phone number of your tutor will be sent to you in due course.
We strongly recommend that you attend all of these tutorials, which will provide considerable assistance in your study of this course. They also give you an opportunity to meet other HKMU students.
Tutorials and day schools
Two-hour tutorials and three three-hour day schools will be regularly provided in support of LESM A204 Security Practice and Management. You will be notified of the dates, times and location, as well as the name, phone number and telephone tutoring hours of your tutor, as soon as you are assigned a tutorial group.
Tutorials are not lectures. They are designed to encourage group discussion and interaction. They provide you with opportunities to discuss any problem you encounter in the study units with your tutor and fellow students.
Online support
HKMU School of Arts and Social Sciences will maintain a simple Web page for this course, which should provide links to important sites relevant to this course. When necessary and appropriate, email tutoring will also be provided.
This course is developed by a number of developers. They are:
Mark Craig of the Queensland University of Technology, Australia;
Derry Wong, barrister-cum-legal scholar, Hong Kong;
Dr Daniel Gilling, criminologist at Plymouth University, Britain;
Lo Pui Wah, Detective Senior Inspector of the Hong Kong Police, expert in security studies teaching at the School of Continuing Studies of the Chinese University of Hong Kong;
Dr Hilton Chan, Detective Chief Inspector of the Hong Kong Police, adjunct assistant professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, expert in cyber crime and security;
Simon Roberts, Superintendent of the Hong Kong Police, expert in security management;
Dr Raymond W K Lau, Hong Kong Metropolitan University; and
Dr Paul Yung (Course Development Consultant).
