Assignment
To complete the Organisational Behaviour course, you are asked to write an assignment of 3,000 words by the end of December 2017. The precise date of submission of your coursework will be issued by the GSO.
Your assignment must demonstrate that you have developed a good knowledge of the main organisational behaviour theories by applying them to a case study. The ability to analyse organisational problems will be demonstrated by critically engaging with existing organisational behaviour theories and practices.
Here is an indicative and straightforward process I recommend you adopt to frame your topic:
1. Pick one theme in the Organisational Lectures covered during the term
You could begin with the selection of the subject area. Choose one of the themes you particularly liked amongst the different lectures covered in the OB course (i.e. motivation, culture, gender studies, leadership...).
For example you find inspirational the lecture about motivation theories.
2. Select a case study
It can be an organisation (not for profit association, sport club, private company...), or a personality (Joanne Liu, Vikram Patel, Angela Merkel...), or a particular event in the news (a merger, people made redundant, sexual harassment in the workplace...).
For example your attention was drawn by the following article published in The Daily Telegraph, (15 Feb 2015) "Tesco to cut up to 10,000 jobs: Thousands of staff face the axe at Tesco offices and in stores as chief executive Dave Lewis looks to cut costs".
3. Framing the question
Well done you have now a theme and a case study. To connect them to each other, I advise you to raise a question which will guide your reflection and your analysis.
For example you could address the following issue: "How to sustain employee motivation in a firm facing cost cuts?"
4. Analysis of the case in the light of the literature
Since you have a question, it gives an "angle" and a "dynamic" to the subject matter. Now you can discuss the motivation literature in order to demonstrate mainly three things:
a. Your mastery of the existing knowledge about motivation; you capacity to locate your topic in the academic debate about motivation.
b. Your capacity to critically analyse your topic in the light of the existing academic literature/research.
c. Your capacity to reflect on limitations of the existing academic knowledge, your capacity to suggest further avenues of research about motivation.
d. Your capacity to suggest practical solutions in the workplace.
I want to highlight that you have a wide range of topics in front of you. I noticed over the past years that students were attracted by new technology companies, gender inequality, sport industry, inspirational leaders... Feel free to find your own topic beyond this scope if you are more inspired by another theme. You have just to make an effort to think about what might spur you the most. Once you find a motivating topic and a relevant question, 3,000 words is a short distance.
Assignment clinic and support
The last lecture will be dedicated to final questions about the assignment. In addition, seminars taking the form of a formative assignment will offer you the opportunity to discuss your assignment with your tutor. For more efficacy, following the above examples I recommend you prepare a topic, a case study, a question and an indicative table of content as soon as possible. The sooner the better as your capacity to critically discuss your topic will be paramount to get a good mark
Referencing
Over the past years it appeared that students struggled with referencing. Could you please take a close look on your MSc Student Handbook 2017-2018.
In addition I want also to highlight that newspapers, magazines... or websites (in particular Wikipedia, ukessays, tutor2you...) are not considered as academic references. Textbooks are not particularly appropriate either. Textbooks represent a useful resource because they synthesize the academic knowledge. Of course you can use textbooks to improve your understanding in Organsiational Behaviour but when it comes to writing your assignment I recommend that you refer to academic journals or original books. For example, if you discuss scientific management you do not quote the textbook we use in this course (Bratton, 2017) but Taylor (1911).
One of your questions might be "how many references must I use in my coursework?". Actually there is no ideal number of references. Instead, the answer could be that the value of your academic work (accuracy and depth of engagement) will determine the number of references.
Marking criteria
Your assignment will be marked in accordance with the marking guidelines of the school. For more details please refer to the MSc Student Handbook 2017-2018.
In addition to the criteria provided by the school, here are few heads-up:
1. In the introduction, clearly frame and phrase your topic (subject area) and the question (angle) you will be addressing. It is of the utmost importance you raise a question that will guide your reflection. Do not forget to announce the structure of your coursework and justify it.
2. In the conceptual section or literature review: be well aware that your capacity to critically engage with your topic will be a significant criteria for markers. Displaying knowledge in Organisational Behaviour is a good start but it is not enough. You must demonstrate a capacity to reflect, weigh the pros and the cons, have an opinion, challenge the existing body of knowledge in a given field of study. Do not forget that describing is not thinking.
3. In the empirical section or case study you must display your capacity to analyse a situation in the workplace or discuss the character of a famous economic/politic actor by tightly reconnecting with the literature or body of knowledge you have discussed in the conceptual section or literature review. Don't forget two essential things for your maker: 1. The line of reasoning, please build a solid argumentation/demonstration. Avoid the piling up syndrome where your marker must figure out what you are trying to do because your deliver a list of ideas/section without a precise logic. 2. Show us that you know how to read between the lines. Don't be naive. What is said of a corporation/famous person in a book, newspaper or website is not necessarily sufficient to understand the case. Take some distance with your sources of information and think by yourself in the light of the academic literature.
4. In the conclusion, do not forget to reconnect all the pieces previously addressed: remind your reader of why you have picked this topic, this conceptual framework, this case study, the coherence between them and how this helps to get a better understanding of the case/situation/person. Do not forget to drop a few lines about what you have learned over this process.