Management and Organisation Behaviour BMO1102

ASSIGNMENT BRIEF:

ASSESSMENT 2a 1

st Research Essay Part A:

Comprehensive Research Essay Plan with Journal Article Summaries

Semester 2, 2016

PREPARED BY: Alan McWilliams

ASSIGNMENT TITLE

Comprehensive Essay Plan with Journal Article Summaries

This assessment accounts for the following proportion of marks for this unit

10 %

LEARNING OUTCOMES BEING ASSESSED

1. Critically analyse management practices in the Australasian context. 2. Understand organisational behaviour and management theory. 3. Critically analyse the underlying values of these theories. 4. Demonstrate knowledge of management theories and evaluate their impact on practical

management decision making in the Australasian context

(See the unit of study guide for the full list of learning outcomes for BMO1102).

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS:

The comprehensive research essay plan and journal article summaries must be submitted electronically as a Microsoft Word document file via the VU Collaborate Assignment Submission process. The file name for your assignment must be in the format of Given Name_Family Name Student_ID_Number_Assignment. For example Alan_McWilliams_s1234567_Essay_Plan

Essays submitted with any other file name format will not be accepted.

Requirements for the comprehensive essay plan:

The comprehensive essay plan should be submitted in “dot point” form with major paragraph themes and sub-themes of the essay clearly identified (e.g. Introduction, Background, Conclusion etc.) and indicating, using the Harvard Referencing system, where it would be appropriate to refer to each of your reviewed articles. The plan section should be 250 words.

Requirements for summary and review of journal articles:

The review of 3 refereed journal articles should be completed according to the template (the template to be used and a model of an annotated bibliography are provided below). The template and model for reviewing sources plus assessment criteria are also available on this subject’s VU Collaborate page. Each article review should be 250 words.

DO NOT just “cut-and-paste” section from the journal article. Use your own words (paraphrase) to fill in the summary template.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE:

Midnight, Friday 12/8/2016: Week 3

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNMENT

The assignment is to be presented as a written comprehensive plan for an essay supported by your review of three relevant articles. (The essay itself requires at least a review of the relevant chapter from the prescribed text and use of at least three refereed management journal articles relating to the set topic. The use of additional references is encouraged. See Recommended References in the unit of study guide.)

Topics will be allocated in the first tutorial of the semester by your tutor.

The topic assigned to you will be from the topics listed on VU Collaborate.

In-text referencing showing where you will be using the textbook and article material PLUS a reference list for the essay plan you are preparing MUST be included at the end of the plan.

NOTE: ‘Wikipedia’, ‘answers.com’ and other non-peer reviewed online sources of information are not acceptable references.

The Harvard system must be used for the in-text references and the reference list.

Essay Questions

1 Compare and contrast the managerial roles of liaison, spokesperson and negotiator. Explain both the similarities that link these roles behaviourally, and the differences that are used by Mintzberg to differentiate them. (Chapter 1)

2 Describe environmental change and its relationship to punctuated equilibrium theory. Give an example of an industry whose environment has been characterised by the punctuated equilibrium model in recent years. (Chapter 3)

3

What is social responsiveness? Identify the four strategies that can be used to respond to social responsibility problems. What is the common dimension on which these strategies differ? Use the relationship between social responsibility and economic performance to explain why a company might choose one strategy over another in a given set of circumstances. (Chapter 4)

4 Explain how the rational decision-making process may help to overcome predispositions and biases that a manager has in a given decision making situation. (Chapter 5)

5 Identify Porter’s five industry forces and their role in industry-level strategy. Identify which one among these five forces could be considered the central one, with its value impacted by the relative values of the four other forces. (Chapter 6)

6 Explain how the concept of innovation streams relates to the concept of sustainable competitive advantage. Give an example of how this occurs in the business world. (Chapter 7)

Assessment Criteria Grid for Summarising and Evaluating Journal Articles

Criteria 3 2 1 0 Source 1 / 20%

Source 2 / 20%

Source 3 / 20%

Grand total / 60%

Harvard Referencing Perfect form Almost perfect Imperfect form Not done

Article Selection

Source relates to topic and from refereed journal.

Source relates to topic but not from refereed journal

Source is not from refereed journal and does not relate to topic

Accuracy of student comments for descriptive criteria: method of data collection and analysis

All accurate Generally accurate Inaccurate Not done

Accuracy of student comments for descriptive criteria: Findings of research

All accurate Generally accurate Inaccurate Not done

Significance of article in relation to: your topic and other articles used.

Clearly drawn relevance of article to topic and other annotations

Most annotations have link to topic and other annotations.

Some attempt to draw out relevance of article to topic or other annotations

No attempt to relate to topic or other literature

Students comments on the Strengths of article

Succinct and clear, demonstrating understanding of the work

Clear and mainly relevant

Too general and not always clear

Incomprehensible

Students comments on the Limitations of article (weaknesses)

Succinct and clear, demonstrating understanding of the work

Clear and mainly relevant

Too general and not always clear

Incomprehensible

Assessment Criteria Grid for the Comprehensive Essay Plan

CRITERION HD D C P Refer / FAIL Mark (40%)

Presentation & Style

Presentation of essay

plan (5%)

Shows a well-developed and imaginative approach to the topic

Carefully and logically organised

Shows organisation and coherence

Shows some attempt to organise in a logical manner

Disorganised / incoherent

Clarity of expression (incl. accuracy, spelling, grammar, punctuation

(5%)

Meaning apparent with a clear style appropriate to document. Grammar and spelling accurate.

Meaning apparent, language clear Grammar and spelling accurate

Meaning mostly apparent, language mainly clear Grammar and spelling mainly accurate

Meaning mostly apparent, but language not always clear Grammar and/ or spelling contain errors

Meaning unclear and / or grammar and / or spelling contain frequent errors

Academic Integrity

Referencing (in-text and

reference list) (5%) Referencing is consistently accurate

Referencing is mainly accurate Some attempt at referencing.

Referencing is absent / unsystematic

Content and knowledge

Content and range

(15%)

Shows a detailed knowledge of topic with areas of specialisation covered. Appropriate terminology used.

Shows a good broad knowledge of topic. Appropriate terminology used.

Shows a narrow knowledge of the topic. Appropriate terminology used.

Evidence of superficial knowledge of topic and some use of appropriate terminology

Lacks evidence of knowledge relevant to the topic and / or significantly misuses terminology

Use of literature / evidence of reading

(10%)

Has used a wide range of appropriate sources which have been thoroughly analysed and appropriately applied.

Has used a range of appropriate sources which have been thoroughly analysed and appropriately applied.

Has used a range of appropriate sources which have been adequately analysed and applied.

Minimum range of appropriate sources used. Literature is presented uncritically in a purely descriptive way and indicates limitations of understanding

Either no evidence of literature being consulted or irrelevant to the assignment set

TOTAL: Comment:…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Mark for comprehensive essay plan: ………………/40% Overall Mark for this assessment: ………………/100%………… Marker: ………………………………………………

TEMPLATE FOR SUMMARISING AND EVALUATING ARTICLES FROM SCHOLARLY JOURNALS Title and Article Reference Full reference details of article in the Harvard format (as it

would appear in your reference list)

Aim / Purpose of article Stated purpose of article

Sample, location, method

of data collection and

analysis

Method, if a research article

Approach if other type

Findings/Interpretations

reported in the article

Summary of findings if research article

Summary of conclusions or interpretations if other type

Significance/contribution

of the article in relation to

your other articles and

your topic

Significance/ contribution to the topic at hand or

relationship to other articles on the topic (this may be an

article that adds to a theme repeated in several articles or

it may be a ‘seminal’ article that started a theme for

further research).

Strengths of the article Your evaluation of the positive aspects

Weaknesses of the article Your evaluation of the negatives of the article.

Limitations could be that it is (for example) based in only

one geographical location, a study based in only one

industry, theoretical without field research findings etc.

Quotes from the article

that you plan to use in

your assignment

Quotes from the article

that you plan to use in

your assignment

Quotes from the article

that you plan to use in

your assignment

MODEL FOR SUMMARISING AND EVALUATING ARTICLES FROM SCHOLARLY JOURNALS

Title and reference of article

Pelled, L. H., Eisenhardt, K. M. and Xin, K. R. (1999) Exploring the black box: an analysis of work group diversity, conflict, and performance, Administrative Science Quarterly, 44, 1, p.p.1 - 13.

Aim/purpose of article

To investigate the relationship between work group diversity and performance by developing and testing a process model/theory.

Sample, location, method of data collection and analysis

Sample - 45 teams from three major corporations in USA. Each team

averaged ten members. Surveys produced data on diversity, conflict, task and performance. Analysis - Statistical (quantitative).

Findings/Interpretations reported in the article

The suggestion that diversity in groups increases conflict which influences group performance is found to be more complex depending on the type of diversity and conflict. Diversity variables that drive task conflict differ from those that drive emotional conflict. Task conflict has more positive performance consequences than emotional conflict. However there was no evidence that emotional conflict impaired performance. Overall, diversity of race, tenure, and age influenced emotional conflict but this did not affect performance.

Significance/contribution of the article in relation to your other articles and your topic

The findings differ from the common view that diversity in groups affect group performance and that emotional conflict has a negative effect on performance.

Strengths of article

Well researched with strong background in the literature and exploration of prior research.

Weaknesses of article

North American sample may contain biases not found in other countries.

Quotes from the article that you plan to use in your assignment

“The term demographic diversity refers to the degree to which a unit (e.g., a work group or organization) is heterogeneous with respect to demographic attributes” (Pelled and Eisenhardt, 1999, p.1)

Quotes from the article that you plan to use in your assignment

“While any type of diversity may trigger task conflict, some are more likely to do so than others, based on the relevance of their corresponding belief structures” (Pelled and Eisenhardt, 1999, p.2).

Quotes from the article that you plan to use in your assignment

“While task conflict is largely shaped by the job-relatedness of diversity, emotional conflict is shaped by a more complex set of forces. One key factor is categorization, the subconscious tendency of individuals to sort each other into social categories, often on the basis of demographic attributes” (Pelled and Eisenhardt, 1999, p.4).