Bsbwor501b Hr Task
Assignment Task
Effective managers need to be able to identify and address issues and problems that arise in organisational settings. Your assignment is to search the recent scholarly literature in organisational behaviour and, based on the literature you find, present an up-to-date view on a topic of your choice.
To complete the assignment, you will need first to choose one of the organisational problems from the list at Blackboard. Then you will need to read the scholarly literature to address the following questions:
1. What is the problem? Provide a concise summary of the problem itself, based on your reading of the literature. Here you will need to discuss the problem itself, e.g., who it affects, its prevalence in organisations, …show more content…
including evidence and/or examples. You will also need to be able to describe how the problem affects organisations and employees, using valid empirical evidence (see marking criteria). You also must provide a range of views, including perspectives that counter your main argument.
2. What can be done to solve this problem? Based on the content of the articles you find in your literature review, identify two or three alternative interventions aimed at resolving the problem, and justify a preferred intervention. Here you must draw on evidence from the literature again to build a convincing argument. Your evaluation should look at risks and problems as well as the benefits associated with each intervention.
The learning objectives of the assignment are:
To deepen your understanding of a particular contemporary topic in organisational behaviour.
To apply models and theories of organisational behaviour to solve an organisational problem.
To develop skills in searching the scholarly literature to analyse and to solve an organisational problem.
To develop skills in logically presenting evidence-based arguments drawn from the contemporary organisational behaviour literature.
To further develop written communication skills
Starting out
We recommend that you begin work on your assignment early in the semester to provide adequate time to complete the essay. If you are unsure, you should also learn how to search the literature early in the semester.
In order to effectively address the essay task, you will need to undertake the following activities:
1) Review and synthesise academic research on your chosen topic. This means read, read, read!
2) Write an analytical, evidence-based essay that addresses each of the assignment sub-questions.
A series of guidelines are provided in the pages following to assist you in the completion of these three broad activities. However, as a starting point, listed as follows are a number of resources and scheduled learning activities that are central to the completion of this assignment.
Make sure that you attend the Essay Seminar lecture and tutorial in Week 5 of the semester. These are very important learning activities and SHOULD NOT BE MISSED.
1. Search the literature
Examine your chosen organisational in depth through appropriate journal articles. In particular, you are required to use at minimum six articles from journals on the Australian Business Deans’ Council (ABDC) FoR Code 1503 List, which is available at Blackboard. Each of these articles must have a publication date AFTER 2001. If you are unsure of how to search for academic journal articles, please review the UQ Library guide on searching electronic databases1. The better search engines for organisational behaviour/industrial psychology/ management are:
CSA Illumina (Social Sciences)
EBSCOhost
PsychArticles
ScienceDirect
SAGE
As you review articles that are relevant to the topic, start taking notes. As you go, make sure that you use at least six articles published after 2001 from journals on the ABDC FoR Code 1503 List, otherwise your assignment mark will be limited to no more than 14.5/30.
Please note that the date above does not refer to when the journal itself was established (as in the ABDC list). Instead, you must cite articles with a publication date after 2001.
2. Develop your arguments
The essay task is designed to help you produce a narrative argument. Your argument needs to capture the depth and scope of the organisational problem. This should include insights about the boundaries, and who, or what is affected by the problem.
Express your argument as a two or three line ‘thesis statement’. Your thesis statement should help you to structure your essay. Every paragraph should contribute to the support and/or discussion of your thesis statement. Examples of thesis statements will be given in Lecture 5.
3. Write your essay
Your response to the assignment questions must be formulated as an academic essay with a clear introduction, argument, body and conclusion (see marking criteria for specific content to include in each section). Please refer to the UQBS Assignment Writing Guide (available on Blackboard) for guidance and advice on essay writing.
As an individual, you will know the best way to get yourself motivated to work. Writing is an iterative process; you will write, revise, and write again. The more you read over your drafts and improve them, the better the mark you are likely to get. Keep in mind that the essay requires … demonstrating your knowledge of the topic demonstrating your analytical skills (ability to apply knowledge and theory to analyse the research and your problem topic) supporting your analysis and key points with evidence and examples.
A MINIMUM of six articles published after 2001 from journals on the ABDC FoR Code 1503 List. Better assignments will use an even greater number of sources (e.g., 12-15) and integrate higher quality evidence to build a stronger argument.
All sources must be cited correctly and your Reference List formatted according to Academy of Management Journal (AMJ) style (see the guide available at Blackboard).
When you write your essay, ensure you address the individual assignment criteria (on the final page of this guide).
Remember to support any claims that you make. If you talk about a theory, provide the citation to that theory. Avoid the use of speculation and conjecture as this tends to detract from the scientific approach required for the essay.
Also ensure that all works cited are correctly referenced to the appropriate sources. We STRONGLY DISCOURAGE “cutting and pasting” and then then simply changing the words around, as this constitutes plagiarism. We encourage you to read widely and then spend time carefully rephrasing authors’ arguments in your own words. In you choose to quote from a source, ensure that you use double quotation marks and include the correct source and page number. Quotations should be kept to a minimum, as we want you to write the essay in your own words.
4. Polish your essay
Remember that the first draft often allows you to improve a lot. In other words, keep refining and working on the essay after you’ve produced the first version. Refer to the criteria sheet between reviewing drafts to see where you can improve. Ensure your essay is within the word limit before finalising (+/- 10%). The word limit excludes references and appendices (note: long appendices may not be read in
detail).
5. Submit your assignment:
Your assignment is due Tuesday October 6 2015 at 4:00pm.
You must submit your assignment online at Blackboard. Here you will need to include:
1. Assignment title page with your name, student number, essay topic and word count
2. Essay (page numbered)
3. Reference list
Please note that all essays will be checked for plagiarism via Turnitin and all instances of plagiarism will be managed according to University of Queensland policies and procedures on Student Plagiarism. Please note that even unintentional cases of plagiarism (e.g., failing to include page numbers when quoting a source) will be managed according to this policy.
MGTS1601 Essay Checklist
Before submitting your assignment, ensure that it complies with the following points:
Formatting
At least 12-point font and double line spaced
Proof read for spelling, typographical and grammatical errors
Margins are 4cm left margin and 2cm right margin
Essay and reference list is AMJ style and alphabetised by first author
Essay is 1500 words (+/- 10%)
Essay
Introduction has a topic sentence, argument/thesis statement, and preview points
The argument/thesis statement has been used consistently throughout the essay to link all points and present alternative viewpoints
The discussion must be supported by at least 6 articles with a publication date after 2001 from the ABDC FoR Code 1503 List at Blackboard to be awarded a grade of 4.
The conclusion restates the argument/thesis statement and how the essay was constructed and includes an insight/s about what you have learned.
Go through marking criteria sheet below and make sure you have effectively satisfied all the criteria listed
Finally . . .
Electronically upload your essay via the Assessment folder in your MGTS1601 Blackboard website
MGTS1601 Individual Assignment Criteria
Name: _______________________________________________________
The discussion is supported by at least 6 articles with a publication date after 2001 from the ABDC FoR Code 1503 List at Blackboard to be awarded a grade of 4.
Marks
Essay Presentation (5 marks)
Essay conforms to general principles of semantics, grammar and flow.
Title page, typed, A4 paper, double spaced, within 10% of word limit, punctuation and spelling are error free.
Referencing in text and reference list error free.
/5
Introduction (3 marks)
The introduction includes a brief clear description of the problem.
A proper definition of the problem using a valid peer reviewed source is given.
Provides one sentence as to why this is a problem.
/3
Conclusion (2 marks)
Briefly describes the proposed interventions aimed at resolving the problem.
Concludes with an effective and satisfying summary of the problem, the context, the proposed interventions and the practical/ managerial benefits of the interventions.
/2 The Problem (10 marks)
The problem is clearly stated, and is a real and significant problem in the field of organisational behaviour.
Sufficient background information is provided for the reader to understand the organisational context of the problem, including evidence and/or examples.
The impact on organisations is clearly stated (includes valid and empirically derived evidence e.g., economic, financial, social, cultural, employee satisfaction, environmental impact data).
A range of views should be provided, including perspectives that counter the main argument including evidence and/or examples.
/10
Proposed Interventions (10 marks)
Critical analysis of the factors contributing to the problem.
Recommendation of two to three alternative interventions aimed at resolving the problem.
Logical link between the problem, the proposed intervention and the literature review.
Effective application of relevant theories and concepts.
Justification of the preferred intervention, supported by evidence and/or examples.
Evaluation should look at the risks and problems, as well as the benefits associated with each intervention.
Demonstrates original and independent thinking. /10
General comments:
Mark: ____________ (Total marks 30)
Effective managers need to be able to identify and address issues and problems that arise in organisational settings. Your assignment is to search the recent scholarly literature in organisational behaviour and, based on the literature you find, present an up-to-date view on a topic of your choice.
To complete the assignment, you will need first to choose one of the organisational problems from the list at Blackboard. Then you will need to read the scholarly literature to address the following questions:
1. What is the problem? Provide a concise summary of the problem itself, based on your reading of the literature. Here you will need to discuss the problem itself, e.g., who it affects, its prevalence in organisations, …show more content…
including evidence and/or examples. You will also need to be able to describe how the problem affects organisations and employees, using valid empirical evidence (see marking criteria). You also must provide a range of views, including perspectives that counter your main argument.
2. What can be done to solve this problem? Based on the content of the articles you find in your literature review, identify two or three alternative interventions aimed at resolving the problem, and justify a preferred intervention. Here you must draw on evidence from the literature again to build a convincing argument. Your evaluation should look at risks and problems as well as the benefits associated with each intervention.
The learning objectives of the assignment are:
To deepen your understanding of a particular contemporary topic in organisational behaviour.
To apply models and theories of organisational behaviour to solve an organisational problem.
To develop skills in searching the scholarly literature to analyse and to solve an organisational problem.
To develop skills in logically presenting evidence-based arguments drawn from the contemporary organisational behaviour literature.
To further develop written communication skills
Starting out
We recommend that you begin work on your assignment early in the semester to provide adequate time to complete the essay. If you are unsure, you should also learn how to search the literature early in the semester.
In order to effectively address the essay task, you will need to undertake the following activities:
1) Review and synthesise academic research on your chosen topic. This means read, read, read!
2) Write an analytical, evidence-based essay that addresses each of the assignment sub-questions.
A series of guidelines are provided in the pages following to assist you in the completion of these three broad activities. However, as a starting point, listed as follows are a number of resources and scheduled learning activities that are central to the completion of this assignment.
Make sure that you attend the Essay Seminar lecture and tutorial in Week 5 of the semester. These are very important learning activities and SHOULD NOT BE MISSED.
1. Search the literature
Examine your chosen organisational in depth through appropriate journal articles. In particular, you are required to use at minimum six articles from journals on the Australian Business Deans’ Council (ABDC) FoR Code 1503 List, which is available at Blackboard. Each of these articles must have a publication date AFTER 2001. If you are unsure of how to search for academic journal articles, please review the UQ Library guide on searching electronic databases1. The better search engines for organisational behaviour/industrial psychology/ management are:
CSA Illumina (Social Sciences)
EBSCOhost
PsychArticles
ScienceDirect
SAGE
As you review articles that are relevant to the topic, start taking notes. As you go, make sure that you use at least six articles published after 2001 from journals on the ABDC FoR Code 1503 List, otherwise your assignment mark will be limited to no more than 14.5/30.
Please note that the date above does not refer to when the journal itself was established (as in the ABDC list). Instead, you must cite articles with a publication date after 2001.
2. Develop your arguments
The essay task is designed to help you produce a narrative argument. Your argument needs to capture the depth and scope of the organisational problem. This should include insights about the boundaries, and who, or what is affected by the problem.
Express your argument as a two or three line ‘thesis statement’. Your thesis statement should help you to structure your essay. Every paragraph should contribute to the support and/or discussion of your thesis statement. Examples of thesis statements will be given in Lecture 5.
3. Write your essay
Your response to the assignment questions must be formulated as an academic essay with a clear introduction, argument, body and conclusion (see marking criteria for specific content to include in each section). Please refer to the UQBS Assignment Writing Guide (available on Blackboard) for guidance and advice on essay writing.
As an individual, you will know the best way to get yourself motivated to work. Writing is an iterative process; you will write, revise, and write again. The more you read over your drafts and improve them, the better the mark you are likely to get. Keep in mind that the essay requires … demonstrating your knowledge of the topic demonstrating your analytical skills (ability to apply knowledge and theory to analyse the research and your problem topic) supporting your analysis and key points with evidence and examples.
A MINIMUM of six articles published after 2001 from journals on the ABDC FoR Code 1503 List. Better assignments will use an even greater number of sources (e.g., 12-15) and integrate higher quality evidence to build a stronger argument.
All sources must be cited correctly and your Reference List formatted according to Academy of Management Journal (AMJ) style (see the guide available at Blackboard).
When you write your essay, ensure you address the individual assignment criteria (on the final page of this guide).
Remember to support any claims that you make. If you talk about a theory, provide the citation to that theory. Avoid the use of speculation and conjecture as this tends to detract from the scientific approach required for the essay.
Also ensure that all works cited are correctly referenced to the appropriate sources. We STRONGLY DISCOURAGE “cutting and pasting” and then then simply changing the words around, as this constitutes plagiarism. We encourage you to read widely and then spend time carefully rephrasing authors’ arguments in your own words. In you choose to quote from a source, ensure that you use double quotation marks and include the correct source and page number. Quotations should be kept to a minimum, as we want you to write the essay in your own words.
4. Polish your essay
Remember that the first draft often allows you to improve a lot. In other words, keep refining and working on the essay after you’ve produced the first version. Refer to the criteria sheet between reviewing drafts to see where you can improve. Ensure your essay is within the word limit before finalising (+/- 10%). The word limit excludes references and appendices (note: long appendices may not be read in
detail).
5. Submit your assignment:
Your assignment is due Tuesday October 6 2015 at 4:00pm.
You must submit your assignment online at Blackboard. Here you will need to include:
1. Assignment title page with your name, student number, essay topic and word count
2. Essay (page numbered)
3. Reference list
Please note that all essays will be checked for plagiarism via Turnitin and all instances of plagiarism will be managed according to University of Queensland policies and procedures on Student Plagiarism. Please note that even unintentional cases of plagiarism (e.g., failing to include page numbers when quoting a source) will be managed according to this policy.
MGTS1601 Essay Checklist
Before submitting your assignment, ensure that it complies with the following points:
Formatting
At least 12-point font and double line spaced
Proof read for spelling, typographical and grammatical errors
Margins are 4cm left margin and 2cm right margin
Essay and reference list is AMJ style and alphabetised by first author
Essay is 1500 words (+/- 10%)
Essay
Introduction has a topic sentence, argument/thesis statement, and preview points
The argument/thesis statement has been used consistently throughout the essay to link all points and present alternative viewpoints
The discussion must be supported by at least 6 articles with a publication date after 2001 from the ABDC FoR Code 1503 List at Blackboard to be awarded a grade of 4.
The conclusion restates the argument/thesis statement and how the essay was constructed and includes an insight/s about what you have learned.
Go through marking criteria sheet below and make sure you have effectively satisfied all the criteria listed
Finally . . .
Electronically upload your essay via the Assessment folder in your MGTS1601 Blackboard website
MGTS1601 Individual Assignment Criteria
Name: _______________________________________________________
The discussion is supported by at least 6 articles with a publication date after 2001 from the ABDC FoR Code 1503 List at Blackboard to be awarded a grade of 4.
Marks
Essay Presentation (5 marks)
Essay conforms to general principles of semantics, grammar and flow.
Title page, typed, A4 paper, double spaced, within 10% of word limit, punctuation and spelling are error free.
Referencing in text and reference list error free.
/5
Introduction (3 marks)
The introduction includes a brief clear description of the problem.
A proper definition of the problem using a valid peer reviewed source is given.
Provides one sentence as to why this is a problem.
/3
Conclusion (2 marks)
Briefly describes the proposed interventions aimed at resolving the problem.
Concludes with an effective and satisfying summary of the problem, the context, the proposed interventions and the practical/ managerial benefits of the interventions.
/2 The Problem (10 marks)
The problem is clearly stated, and is a real and significant problem in the field of organisational behaviour.
Sufficient background information is provided for the reader to understand the organisational context of the problem, including evidence and/or examples.
The impact on organisations is clearly stated (includes valid and empirically derived evidence e.g., economic, financial, social, cultural, employee satisfaction, environmental impact data).
A range of views should be provided, including perspectives that counter the main argument including evidence and/or examples.
/10
Proposed Interventions (10 marks)
Critical analysis of the factors contributing to the problem.
Recommendation of two to three alternative interventions aimed at resolving the problem.
Logical link between the problem, the proposed intervention and the literature review.
Effective application of relevant theories and concepts.
Justification of the preferred intervention, supported by evidence and/or examples.
Evaluation should look at the risks and problems, as well as the benefits associated with each intervention.
Demonstrates original and independent thinking. /10
General comments:
Mark: ____________ (Total marks 30)