MN7401: Organisational Behaviour

December 2, 2021 admin 0 Comments

Module Code and Name (MN7401 Module Name)

Module Leader: Martin Wood

Assessment Type: Individual Assessment/ Exam (delete as appropriate)

Weighting: 100%

Deadline: 15 December2021at 15:00 via Turnitin on Blackboard

Wordcount: 3000 (+/-10%) excluding references, appendices, charts, diagrams, etc.

Cohort: September cohort

Academic Year: 2021-22

Table of Contents

Assignment Brief

The business world was catapulted into turbulence and uncertainty in March 2020 when the World Health Organisation declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic and companies were forced almost immediately into considering new methods of working. This situation provides an opportunity for us to interrogate the future of work in a world changed by the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic.

You are asked to write a single, individual essay in response to ONE of the following questions exploring the influential social, cultural and technological shifts happening today that are likely to shape the world of work in a post-Covid transformation.

Assignment Questions

While Covid-19 is far from over, workers are being asked to tolerate some very odd conditions as they get back to work. This is being done using the corporate jargon of “resilience”, “restructuring” and “change”. Employees are being told that new working patterns provide the business with the predictability and control it needs to “steady the ship” and “chart a successful course” through today’s choppy waters, particularly if everyone is “fully lined up” behind them.

Explore the likely benefits and problems of attempts to create a strong company cultureas businesses race back to normal after the crisis.

The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the demand for more agile and flexible working. But enforced flexibility to work at homeis not the same as choice and for many people the reality of at-home working is fraught and muddled.

Consider whether the ending of the standard nine-to-five—an anachronism from the days of factory work—and the embracing of flexible work signals a bright future for work-from-anywhere employees, or simply means an isolated and depressed workforce available all the time.

For senior executives, supervisors and middle managers, the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic will require a range of leadership skills and behaviours.

Examine the specific behaviours “skilful” leadersmay need to lead effectively in the post-Covid workplace. (Optional)

Further guidance

Be careful not to spend too much of your assignment simply describing concepts, models or frameworks. You should wear your thinking hat and provide evidence of thinking critically.
You should demonstrate in your writing that you can make application of relevant literature to construct valid and strong arguments and provide sound reasoning for what you argue, and also demonstrate logical progression of thoughts.
It is important that you start searching for literature (relevant, reliable and recent) to address the assignment task well ahead of time and in case you have any queries or want to discuss the structure of your essay, feel free to check with me during online office hours.
Please do follow the Harvard referencing format correctly to cite sources both in-text and in the reference list.
Assignment Submission: It is your responsibility to ensure that your work is submitted successfully and on time. Do not leave submission until just before the deadline, as this doesn’t leave time to sort out any problems with the submission.
Make sure you are submitting the correct file, as you usually only get one attempt.
Check the guidance for the assessment to make sure you are submitting the correct file type.
The essay should have an introduction, main body (made up of paragraphs) and conclusion. The paragraphs in the main body should start with a topic sentence which states the point of the paragraph clearly.

Marking criteria

This assignment will be assessed based on the following criteria:

Grade	Mark	Theory & Literature	Analysis	Critical Evaluation
Distinction	100	Synthesises disparate literatures with confidence to offer a new way of seeing an issue or context.	A perceptive and intellectually nuanced integration of theory and practice that demonstrates independent thought.	Assignment demonstrates a creative and engaged command of the literature and the issues in context such that new contributions to knowledge are considered possible.
95
85
78	Draws on a wide range of relevant literature Arguments are nuanced and well supported by a variety of literatures. Demonstrates excellent knowledge of relevant theories and concepts Conclusions are reasoned and justified by evidence.	An insightful and perceptive analysis that demonstrates both the depth and breadth of the issue. Excellent integration of theory into practice such that new contributions to knowledge are emergent. Excellent examples provided to illustrate nuanced issues	Excellent evidence of sound judgement based on supported arguments. Addresses assignment brief in full Logical, nuanced and complex argument presented. Sense is made of the issues identified with the support of relevant literatures.
75
72
Merit	68	Draws on a good range of relevant literature. Arguments are presented logically and coherently within a clear structure. Demonstrates a good knowledge of relevant theories and concepts	Good levels of analysis demonstrated which lead to a perceptive analysis of the issues. Good integration of theory into practice. Good number of relevant examples provided.	Good evidence of sound judgement based on supported arguments. Addresses assignment brief Logical argument presented. Consistent attempts to make sense of the issues identified with the support of relevant literatures.
65
62
Pass	58	Draws on an adequate range of relevant literature Arguments are supported by a variety of literatures. Demonstrates adequate knowledge of relevant theories and concepts	Adequate levels of analysis demonstrated but with some lapses into descriptions or practice. Adequate use of theory to makes sense of practice. Adequate number and/or depth of examples provided	Adequate evidence of sound judgement based on supported arguments. Adequately addresses assignment brief Adequate logic but argument can sometimes be difficult to follow Adequate attempt to make sense of the issues identified with the support of relevant literatures.
55
52
Fail	48	Demonstrates an inadequate knowledge of key theories and concepts Meagre or inadequate use of supporting materials and literatures Limited evidence of reading	No analysis but descriptive of practice. Minimal links between theory and practice Irrelevant or obscure examples provided.	Little recognition of the demands of the assignment Fails to address the assignment brief in full No obvious structure or argument presented Unsupported assertions and value judgements made
45
42
30 15 0	No evidence that the most basic course material has been understood No evidence of reading Irrelevant material cited.	No evidence of understanding of underlying principles and argument bears no relevance to the question. Irrelevant or no examples provided. No attempt to link theory and practice.	No recognition of the demands or scope of the assignment Complete misunderstanding of the issues No obvious argument Unsupported assertions and value judgements made

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is to take the work of another person and use it as if it were one’s own in such a way as to mislead the reader. Whole pieces of work can be plagiarised (for example, if a student put his or her name on another student’s essay), or part pieces, where chapters or extracts may be lifted from other sources, including the Internet, without acknowledgement. Sometimes plagiarism happens inadvertently, where students fail to read instructions about or do not understand the rules governing the presentation of work which require sources to be acknowledged. In such cases, the problem is usually identified very early in the course and can be put right through discussion with tutors. Deliberate attempts to mislead the examiners, however, are regarded as cheating and are treated very severely by boards of examiners. Any plagiarism in assessments which contribute to the final degree class are likely to lead, at the very least, to the downgrading of the degree class by one division. In the worst cases, expulsion from the University is a possibility.

Referencing

You are required to use the Harvard Referencing style for your work. Please ensure that you have read the advice on referencing which is available at:

https://uniofleicester.sharepoint.com/sites/academic-skills-online/SitePages/Reference.aspx