ASSESSMENT ELEMENT

4. ASSESSMENT ELEMENT 1: WRITTEN ESSAY
ESSAY QUESTION:

Discuss and analyse at least two elements of management (i.e. motivation and individual differences) that are important to leaders in organisations.

You should use theories and concepts covered in this module in your analysis, as well as evidence from research articles published in peer-reviewed academic journals.

WORD LIMIT: 2000 words +/- 10%
REFERENCING STYLE: For this essay you must use the Harvard Referencing System. You must reference ALL your sources. For example: if you mention a particular management idea or theory, I need to know where you got the information from, so I can go to the relevant article/book to read up on it.

If you have not used any sources in your essay, you will fail the assignment. Similarly, if you have used sources but have not referenced them, you will fail.

Internet sources are not considered quality sources of information, and should not be used.
PLAGIARISM: Plagiarism is when someone copies the work of someone else, and passes it as their own. Examples include ‘cut & paste’ sections of textbooks / journal articles into your essays, copying your friends essay and failing to submit references. It is a serious offence, and if you do it you will fail.
YOUR WORK HAS TO BE YOUR OWN, AND ALL THE SOURCES YOU USED MUST BE REFERENCED CORRECTLY USING THE HARVARD REFERNCING SYSTEM.

Cases of plagiarism will be reported to the Chairman of the Board of Examiners and sanctions will apply. Please familiarize yourself with the section on plagiarism in the University Handbook.
DEADLINE: The deadline for the essay is Monday after the last week of term – Monday 20th March, 2017 at 10am
SUBMISSION: You are only required to submit a soft copy of your essay using the Moodle Virtual Learning Environment. You are also required to submit a draft of this essay on Moodle so that you can check your plagiarism report.

ESSAY GUIDANCE:

In order to pass this module you need to write an essay and get a mark that is not lower than 40%. The highest classification you can achieve is a “first class”, which in percentage terms equals 70% and above. 60-69% equals the classification 2.1 (upper second); 50-59% equals 2.2 (lower second). 40-49% equals a third class. Below 40% means you have failed the essay.

To achieve the higher classifications, you will need to write a ‘good’ essay. This means your essay should have a clear and consistent line of argument, that draws on (and applies) relevant theories. Your essay must also be well referenced (using the Harvard system), and written in an accessible and understandable way.

You should begin by looking at the question thoroughly. Consider what the question is asking you to do. If you don’t understand what the question is asking you to do, you need to ask your tutor. If there are words that you don’t understand, look these up. If you still don’t understand, ask your tutor.

Generally, all essay questions ask you to show what you know and do some evaluator work. That is, there is a ‘descriptive’ element – you need to show the examiner what you know on a particular topic. However, be aware that just describing something will not be enough, and you will probably get a bad mark if all you do is reproduce what was written elsewhere. So, pay attention to the other elements of question – what else are you being asked to do? Generally you will be asked to ‘critically evaluate’ or ‘analyse’. This is means that must you construct an argument that questions a certain position. That is, not give a ‘this is what I think’ argument, but using the other theories you have learnt evaluate the extent to which a particular theory tell us the whole story.

In essence then, these essays are looking to test your knowledge of key theories (which we’ve talked about during the module), and how well you can synthesize this knowledge into a coherent and well-structured argument that supports a particular point of view. This might seem to be a lot, and it designed to be challenging, but remember we don’t expect you to be perfect. What I do expect is or you to try hard to produce an original piece of work (i.e. a piece of work that is your own).

To produce a good essay, I would suggest that you look at the textbook (and the other textbooks that are available in the library) and read around the topic as much as possible. Remember, more than one chapter might be relevant, and other textbooks might give you a different (and perhaps better) insight into the topic you are researching. You also need to read journal articles which will especially help you in developing a critical perspective.

HINTS ON ESSAY WRITING:

On the basis of previous years’ essays, three key points should be emphasised:

• Answer the question: think what the question is driving at; consider what evidence is relevant to it; organise your material around your own view; do not write generically about a subject, but use your evidence to sustain a focused line of argument. A good piece of advice is open a paragraph with a statement of an argument and then back it up with evidence. For example: ‘Writers who see TQM in terms of work intensification tend to rely on quantitative case study evidence. For example, in their study of a PCB plant, McArdle and colleagues….’

• Structure the essay: indicate at the outset your main argument and how you will develop it; use headings to mark out the parts of the essay; state explicitly how you intend to tackle the question, explain to the reader where you are going e.g. ‘there are four main views on X; I now review them’.

• Use critical judgment: this does not mean simply finding fault or being dismissive. It means: evaluate the evidence, argue whether empirical material sustains an author’s view, consider whether different views are opposed; say what you think is lacking.

The point of an essay is not to write a text summarising what different writers said, but to use their evidence to build an argument. Some points may seem quite simple, but if you do not make them, how can we know whether you have thought of them?

The following guidelines may also be helpful:

• Do not attempt to read everything before you begin writing, you will probably become overwhelmed with information. A good procedure is to read a limited number of sources; decide the focus and argument of an essay and then, if you have time, read other material selectively.

• Good note-taking methods help enormously. There are several study guides which offer useful advice on organising notes.

• Decide what your argument is before you start writing. The worst essays are those written by students who hope it will hang together eventually. In such circumstances it rarely does.

• Plan your essay well in advance. A few hours invested at this initial stage can save days or weeks of floundering later.

• Always attribute ideas and arguments taken from other sources and identify direct quotations; otherwise you risk an accusation of plagiarism. Use author’s names and dates of publication and page numbers where appropriate. In general, long quotations from other writers are undesirable, we can usually read them for ourselves! Putting in long slabs of quotation is often a substitute for selection and analysis, and in such cases will not improve your work – or your mark! So select material carefully, do not include information just to pad out the essay i.e. do not be tempted to waffle. Paraphrase arguments in your own words. Take control of your essay by using the literature to develop your argument.

• Essay questions are chosen so that there is no one ‘correct’ answer. Show that you can decide your own position, while being aware of other possible approaches; and that you can justify your chosen line of argument.

• Avoid gendered language. For example, there is no need to refer to ‘man’ when you actually mean human beings. Gender free language will be evaluated favorably.
USING INTERNET RESOURCES IN ASSESSMENTS:
Where the Internet is useful: The internet can be a wonderful source for up to date information on companies, trade unions, government policies etc. You can find most UK Government sites via https://www.gov.uk/ and many company sites via the Financial Times site at www.ft.com The European Industrial Relations Observatory site www.eiro.eurofound.ie provides links to a variety of European government, employer and trade union sites.

Where the Internet is Problematic: When you use conventional printed sources you have some simple ways of establishing the credibility / quality of the authors – e.g. reputable publishers of books, publication in a refereed journal. These indicators are not present on the web, since it is very easy for anyone to publish their own work. If you want to use articles from the web you need to decide for yourself whether they are reputable sources that you want to rely on for an academic assignment. An indicator of who the author is may be a relevant issue – e.g. do they have an academic affiliation? You should also consider what evidence they give for their views – do they cite empirical research in a form you can follow up, for example named organizations or survey data, rather than just opinions? In general we expect you to start from the references on your reading lists and use additional sources (Internet and others) as a supplement, where necessary, rather than a substitute for these.

Referencing Internet Sources: Your submitted assignment must be based only on sources that are publicly available – sources on sites that require registration, membership of an organization, or payment to gain access, are not acceptable.

As with other referencing, websites need to be identified as fully as possible so that a reader would be able to find them for themselves. Information available varies but where possible you should include the following:

Author (year published), ‘Title of piece’, at http:full address of site (date you visited the site).

If you can’t provide an author, then reference it under the name of the site e.g. BBC or a company name.
Marking Criteria

Broadly speaking, work is assessed on the following four criteria:

-Range of knowledge

-Engagement with the essay question

-Quality of argument and analysis, as well as evidence used

-Organisation and presentation

Essay Marking Guide
Mark Class Essay or similar
80-100 1 Excellent.
Unusually clear insight and/or exceptional sophistication in approach, faultless answers.
Clear and sustained demonstration of mastery of the subject. Unusually well organised answers showing proficient use of independently obtained information, e.g. highly original critical analysis. Highly accurate work, analytically rigorous, written with a sense of style.
70-79 1 Very good.
A well argued and perceptive response to the question, based on wide reading. Uses a range of examples to support the argument and provides clear references to relevant literature in doing so. Weighs up and evaluates different arguments, showing an ability to distinguish between different ideas and arguments, and, where relevant, nuanced command of the contextual issues under discussion.
Showing consistent high-level insight. Well- organized and presented, including clear evidence of critical and innovative thought. Evidence of a capacity to pursue independent lines of enquiry. Undoubted quality in the use of secondary sources or evidence. Clear explanation and thorough understanding. A mark in this range recognizes intelligent and thoughtful engagement with the subject, with a strong grounding in the topic, and the presentation of a coherent argument with an awareness of nuance and complexity, although not all of these elements need to be equally strong.
60-69 2.1 Good.
A clearly focused answer, well argued and supported by a good understanding of the subject. Confident, critical analysis of the relevant issues and clear understanding of their implications, but with some lapses. Shows breadth of knowledge and some independent thought, weighs up and evaluates different arguments and considers contextual issues. Based on a good range of reading with accurate referencing. Well presented, clearly organised and effective.
The lower marks within this range will demonstrate a good overall level of competence but will show some weakness in terms of breadth of knowledge, depth, precision, clarity, or style.
50-59 2.2 Competent.
A relevant answer to the question, showing a solid but limited engagement with the subject. Signs of organisation, thought and insight, but with lapses in argument or a tendency towards the assertion of essentially derivative ideas.
Displays intuition but mainly focuses on reproducing lecture or textbook material and is therefore more descriptive than analytical. Provides a reasonably structured account but with some signs of confusion; may contain errors in interpretation. Errors should not betray significant misunderstanding of standard material.
40-49 3 Average.
Displays some surface knowledge of the subject matter and of the question, but there are errors in understanding or a partional response to the question. The attempt to develop a coherent answer to the question in not sustained. A poorly developed argument, based on limited reading. The evidence may be vague or insufficient to constitute a serious response.
Generally, work shows some familiarity with the subject, but is formed or erroneous, poorly expounded or developed, and wholly or in part off the point.
35-39 Compensatable Fail Poor.
Evidence of some competence but lacking a sound understanding. Showing some evidence of logical reasoning but inadequate or inaccurate explanations.
Evidence of some effort but lacking a sound understanding of the subject. Barely adequate, with a number of factual and interpretive errors.
1-29 Fail Very Poor.
Little or nothing of relevance in answer to question.
Comprehensive mistakes, failures and misunderstandings, showing that little or nothing of value has been understood from module material.
Failure to understand the question, or to identify and resolve the issues it poses. Work showing inadequate ability and understanding. Errors of fact and interpretation.
0 Fail Work not presented, or mark minus time penalty (for submission) is negative.