MMM240 Organisational Behaviour
Trimester 3, 2015
Assessment Details
Critical Essay with Progress Report
Assessment Overview
Due Dates: Progress Report 9 December 2015
Critical Essay 13 January 2016
Marks: 30% of total marks
(5 marks for progress report and 25 marks for critical essay)
Word limit: Essay = 2000 words (plus reference list)
Progress report = 500 words equivalent
(NB. For the critical essay, +/- 10% of the word limit is acceptable.)
Note: This is an individual assessment item.
Essay Topic
You are to research and prepare an academic essay on one of the following topic statements:
1. “Empowered employees will be more productive.”
OR
2. “For an organisation to achieve successful and permanent radical change, one of the most important aspects is to have a transformational leader at the top.”
The essay task requires you to critically evaluate your chosen topic statement, discussing the arguments for and against the statement.
To “critically evaluate” means to offer your own judgement as to what extent you think a theory, statement or proposition is realistic or true, discussing both the limitations and benefits. Your judgment should be based upon research evidence or research findings and should include arguments and evidence for and against.
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You will also be assessed on the quality of sources of information, how well you use these resources to support your arguments and your referencing skills. You are required to use at least eight (8) different academic sources, of which at least six (6) should be articles from academic journals. You must use the Harvard referencing system to acknowledge your sources of information (both in-text and as a reference list at the end).
Formatting Instructions
Progress Report Format and Content
The progress report is in the form of an online quiz, with five (5) multiple choice questions and three (3) short-answer questions. There is no time limit for completion.
When completing the progress report, you will need to:
A. Have with you the referencing exercise that can be found on the last page of this assessment details document. You will be asked five (5) randomised multiple-choice questions about how this list of publications would be presented using the Harvard (Author-Date) style of referencing, both in-text and in a reference list. This exercise should assist you in preparing the reference list for the critical essay.
B. Review the marking criteria for the critical essay (see page 3 of this document), and provide an answer to each of the following questions:
• How well do you think you are doing in the level of Research you have done to date?
• How well do you think you are going with Analysis and Interpretation at this stage?
• Do you have any problems or questions in relation to the critical essay that you want some help with? Please tell us here.
(NB. You could prepare the answers to these questions before starting the quiz, and paste them into the relevant answer boxes.)
Critical Essay Format and Referencing
Your essay must be typed, using 12-point font and a line spacing of 1.5. Pages should be numbered. The essay should be properly referenced, using the Harvard (Author-Date) system of referencing. Useful information and guidance on referencing can be found on by following the links in the Assessment area on CloudDeakin.
The required essay structure is as follows:
• Provide topic number and student name at top of the first page
• One or two introductory paragraphs (which should outline the aim of the essay, the key points being discussed, and the structure of essay)
• Body of essay (which should be set out in paragraph writing, ie. no dot points or “lists”)
• One or two concluding paragraphs (which should revisit your key arguments and your final comments on the essay topic)
• Reference List (NB. this is the only heading that should appear in your essay)
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Marking Criteria
The progress report will be awarded a total mark out of 5. Submitting the report on time, answering all questions and providing sufficient information in the short-answers to guide teaching staff on your progress will give you the 5 marks.
The content of the essay paper will be awarded a mark out of 25, with the following template being used by markers to assess your essay. Please take the time to review these marking criteria (a copy of the full marking grid will also be available in the assignment submission area on CloudDeakin).
Analysis and Interpretation
Essay Writing Skills
• Analytical and critical interpretation of the topic provided (not just a description or summary).
• Critical analysis presented of opposing views.
• Relevance of any quotes used is clearly integrated, explained and supported, and provides value-add to discussion.
• Discussion and supporting material clearly draws-out and analyses key themes of the essay topic. Does not present unsupported personal opinion.
• Examples (where used) are clearly relevant, illustrative and integrated into issues under discussion.
• Clear introduction that briefly outlines the approach taken in essay (ie. identifies how key themes will be explored).
• Discussion is cohesively and logically written and structured, with clear links between issues established and attention being paid to paragraph structure.
• Discussion includes an appropriate balance of quotes and paraphrasing.
• Conclusion draws together and summarises the main issues emerging from critical analysis. No new material included here.
• Attention to issues of grammar, such as spelling and sentence structure.
Research
Referencing and Presentation
• Makes extensive use of academic journal articles.
• References are used to support arguments and ideas.
• Argumentation does not rely on only one or two articles or books.
• Minimum requirement of 8 scholarly sources (of which at least 6 should be journal articles) evident.
• Arguments and ideas of others are acknowledged, and in-text citations correctly presented using Harvard referencing style.
• All references cited in the text are included in list of references, and all sources are correctly formatted using Harvard referencing style.
• Formatted according to essay guidelines provided, eg. font size and line spacing.
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Submission and Assessment Policy
Submission and Assessment Information for Progress Report
The progress report can be accessed from the Quizzes area on CloudDeakin, and must be completed individually by each student. Although correct spelling and grammar should be used for the short-answer questions, there are no specific formatting requirements for the progress reports.
Feedback on the progress reports will be provided in CloudDeakin in the week immediately following report submission deadlines. Feedback will take the form of specific and tailored discussion postings in CloudDeakin addressing the main problems students are describing in the reports. If individuals want specific questions answered urgently they should be sure to also directly contact their tutor. The progress reports are not a substitute for good dialogue with teaching staff. Always follow up directly with staff on urgent questions.
Submission and Assessment Information for Critical Essay
All essays are to be submitted online in CloudDeakin in the provided, individual assignment drop box in CloudDeakin. A single attachment with the required content should be submitted.
Assignments are on time if they are submitted online by the due date. Test the assignment submission area ahead of the due date to be sure your computer is functioning correctly. It is your responsibility to locate a properly functioning PC to submit the assignment on time.
Academic Honesty
You will be asked to confirm the following declaration relating to academic honesty when you make your online submission:
“I certify that the attached work is entirely my own (or, where submitted to meet the requirements of an approved group assignment, is the work of the group), except where material quoted or paraphrased is acknowledged in the text. I also declare that it has not been submitted for assessment in any other unit or course.”
Extensions and Late Submissions
No extensions will be considered for assignment submission due dates unless a written request is submitted to and negotiated with the unit chair. Assignments submitted late without an extension being granted will not be marked.
Return of marked assignments
Your assignment will be marked, commented upon and returned to you online within 15 working days of the due date of the assignment. All variances to due date initiated by students, whether negotiated or otherwise, mean that feedback may not be returned in time for the final examination. Please note that before results are returned to you, the teaching team will have applied methods to ensure that the standards by which your work has been assessed are the same for all students enrolled in the unit. 4
MMM240 – REFERENCING EXERCISE
(to be used for the Progress Report quiz, as outlined on Page 2)
Eight (imaginary!) publications of various formats are described below. They are not presented in the correct Harvard (Author-Date) format (a style that you will be required to use for your own references when you submit your critical essay). You will be asked questions in the quiz to check your understanding of the correct presentation.
1. A book written by A. Dollar and O. Cent entitled ‘Implications of the Global Financial Crisis’, published in London in 2009 by Economic Publishers.
2. An article appearing on pages 461-478 of the journal ‘Social Behaviour in Organisations’, volume 7, issue 2, in 1992. The article is written by O. Love, B. Risk, A. Spatt and T. Side, and entitled ‘Romance in the Workplace’.
3. A chapter entitled ‘Acknowledging your sources is a form of respect’ written by C. Wu and found on pages 205 to 213 of a book edited by H.M. Williams. The book is called ‘Student guide to referencing’, published in 1999 by Education Press in Singapore.
4. A book with the title ‘Why Leadership is Important’, written by C.R. Huy and D. Li, and published in Chicago in 2010 by Business Press. This is the third edition.
5. A webpage with the title ‘Hot in the kitchen’, found at the address: http://www.lifeofcooks.org.au/newsletter/2010_1.pdf on 12 September 2012. The bottom of the page shows the last modified date as 9 March 2010, and that the page is part of the Life of Cooks Organisation website.
6. A book chapter with the title ‘Expressing Complex Ideas’, in a book called ‘Writing at University’. The chapter is written by M. Alayd, and is on pages 137-152 of the book. The book is edited by R. Zhang, and was published by the Melbourne offices of Teaching Press in 2003.
7. An article appearing in an online-only journal called ‘Electronic Journal of Business Practices’, and found at www.ejbb.com.au/2012_March/article2.html. The article is entitled ‘The role of technology in job design options’ and written by B. Teller. There are no page numbers provided, but the webpage (which you found on 27 January 2013) indicates the article is in volume 3, issue 1, from 2012.
8. An article written by A. Gold in the journal ‘Entertainment Marketing’ with the title ‘How to deal with your client’s entourage’, published on pages 188 to 201 in volume 9, issue 2, in 2009.
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