Managing Financial and Human Resources for Sustainable Business Success Question 1

ASSESSMENT
BRIEF AND MARKING RUBRIC
Module
title: Managing Financial and Human Resources for Sustainable Business Success
(HR7003)
Assessment task: Individual
Coursework/Report – HR
Word
count limit: 3000 words +/- 10% (excluding references and appendices) Width:
50% of overall module grade
General
Guidance
Your assignment should be MS-Word processed using
Times New Roman size 12 font, double spaced, with numbered pages. Note this is
a report supported by academic research so you should adhere to the appropriate
referencing guidance. The word limit stated for this assignment excludes the
list of references at the end of the assignment but includes all text in the
main body of the assignment (including direct quotations, in-text citations,
footnotes, tables, diagrams, and graphs). Please be aware that exceeding the
word limit will affect the academic judgment of the piece of work and may
result in the award of a lower mark. Appendices are not considered a supplement
and will not be assessed as part of the content of the assignment. As such,
they will not contribute to the grade awarded; however, it may be appropriate
to use an Appendices section for any material which is a useful reference for
the reader. Please note that appendices are not included in the word count. The
majority of references should come from secondary sources (e.g. journal
articles, conference papers, reports, etc.) although you can also utilize
area-specific textbooks. You must ensure that you use the Harvard style of
referencing. Please indicate the word count length at the end of your
assignment.
Learning
outcomes applied in this assessment
LO1: analyze
and critically evaluate major ideas and practices in the field of people
management. LO2: evaluate major contemporary theoretical and managerial
perspectives on people management. LO5: engage critically and analytically with
literature relating to major developments in the field of people management.
LO6: appreciate how research into effective people
management underpins thinking in the other, more specialized fields of HRM and
HRD practice that you will be studying.
LO8: effectively apply HR theories and models to
situations and various scenarios. LO 12: develop and express strong, original, and well-justified arguments to support your views.
Assessment
guidelines
Produce a
3000-word Individual Coursework (+/- 10%) (excluding the list of references)
which offers students the ability to demonstrate their developing knowledge and
application of the teaching. It also encourages students to develop their
thoughts and perspectives on contemporary business issues, and be
intellectually creative (underpinned by credible resources).
Task
Students are required to produce a reflective report
(LO2/8) on varied leadership approaches taken by different leaders in managing
the changes arising from a contemporary issue (i.e. COVID 19). In order to
achieve this, the main body of your report must include the following:
1) A brief introduction
to the conceptual approaches of leadership and change management (LO1/2).
2) Exploration
of the role of flexible leadership and individual perspectives in relation to
leaders managing change of the pandemic (discussed through relevant literature,
tools, and techniques) (LO2/5/8).
3) Critical analysis of why the issue has strategic
importance in understanding leadership approaches and their impact on its
stakeholders whilst proffering some recommendations (discussed through relevant
literature and supported by other contemporary examples) (LO2/6/12).
The reflective report requires you to use the relevant
module material (ideas, concepts, theories, frameworks, and research findings)
to inform your evaluation. The assignment encourages you to take a strategic
view of what good leadership entails and an evaluation of today’s global
leaders in embracing flexibility to managing change whilst dealing with current
and emerging global trends. Well-established media (e.g. BBC, Financial Times,
New York Times, etc) may be used to develop the context of the discussion, but
the material used to underpin the research and analysis should be from academic
books and/or updated peer-reviewed academic journals. ***
Report
Format What is a report?
A report is written for a clear purpose and to a
particular audience. Specific information and evidence are presented, analysed, and applied to a particular problem or issue. The information is presented in a
clearly structured format making use of sections and headings so that the
information is easy to locate and follow. When you are asked to write a report,
you will usually be given a report brief that provides you with instructions
and guidelines. The report brief may outline the purpose, audience, and problem
or issue that your report must address, together with any specific requirements
for format or structure. This guide offers a general introduction to report
writing. What makes a good report?
Two of the reasons why reports are used as forms of
written assessment are:
• to find out what you have learned from your reading,
research, or experience;
• to give you the experience of an important skill that is
widely used in the workplace. An effective report presents and analyses facts
and evidence that are relevant to the specific problem or issue of the report
brief. All sources used should be acknowledged and referenced throughout, in
accordance with the preferred method of your department.
The style of writing in a report is usually less
discursive than in an essay, with more direct and economic use of language. A
well-written report will demonstrate your ability to:
• understand
the purpose of the report brief and adhere to its specifications;
• gather, evaluate and analyze relevant information;
• structure material in a logical and coherent order;
• present your report in a consistent manner according
to the instructions of the report brief;
• make appropriate conclusions that are supported by
the evidence and analysis of the report;
• make
thoughtful and practical recommendations where required.
The
structure of a report
The main features of a report are described below to
provide a general guide. These should be used in conjunction with the
instructions or guidelines provided by your department.
Title
Page
This should briefly but explicitly describe the
purpose of the report (if this is not obvious from the title of the work);
remember to add your name and student number/assessment number, and which
assessment it pertains to. Summary
(Abstract)
The summary should briefly describe the content of the
report. It should cover the aims of the report, what was found and a brief
review of the conclusions. Aim for about 1/2 a page in length and avoid detail
or discussion; just outline the main points. Remember that the summary is the
first thing that is read. It should provide the reader with a clear, helpful
overview of the content of the report.
Contents
(Table of Contents)
The contents page should list the different chapters
and/or headings together with the page numbers. Your contents page should be
presented in such a way that the reader can quickly scan the list of headings
and locate a particular part of the report. You may want to number chapter
headings and subheadings in addition to providing page references. Whatever
numbering system you use, be sure that it is clear and consistent throughout.
Introduction
The
introduction sets the scene for the main body of the report. The aims and
objectives of the report should be explained in detail. Any problems or
limitations in the scope of the report should be identified, and a description
of research methods, the parameters of the research and any necessary
background history should be included.
Methods
Information under this heading may include: a list of
research methods used (e.g. literature review using ProQuest resources and the
filter criteria applied for each search) and other sources of information and
details of selection/rejection; reference to any problems encountered and
subsequent changes in procedure.
Discussion
The main body of the report is where you discuss your
material. The literature and evidence you have gathered should be summarised,
analyzed and discussed with specific reference to the problem or issue. If your
discussion section is lengthy you might divide it into section headings. Your
points should be grouped and arranged in an order that is logical and easy to
follow. Use headings and subheadings to create a clear structure for your
material. Use bullet points to present a series of points in an easy-to-follow
list. As with the whole report, all sources used should be acknowledged and
correctly referenced (remember to use the most credible resources available).
Conclusion
In the conclusion, you should show the overall
significance of what has been covered. You may want to remind the reader of the
most important points that have been made in the report or highlight what you
consider to be the most central issues or findings. However, no new material
should be introduced in the conclusion. Remember to specifically answer the
initial questions posed.
Appendices
Under this heading, you should include all the
supporting information you have used that is not published. This might include
tables, graphs, questionnaires, surveys or transcripts. Refer to the appendices
in the body of your report.
List
of References
A key feature of academic writing, the list of
references should list – in alphabetical order by author – all published
sources referred to in your report. There are different styles of using
references so be sure to refer to the study guide and check your departmental
handbook for guidelines.
Assessment
Criteria
Your assignment
will be marked according to the following criteria:
1)
Understanding and Reading: The depth of your reading (number, range and quality
of sources) and understanding of it. You are expected to read the essential and
further readings for the question that you choose. You need to use these
readings to support your argument/discussion; you cannot rely on personal
opinion or unsupported statements.
2) Critical Analysis: The level of critical analysis
in your writing and the quality of the argument developed. You cannot rely on a simple description but have to apply knowledge and theory from the readings to
critically engage with the material.
3) Structure: Your ability to develop a clear, logical
structure for your essay which addresses the question and guides the reader.
Your essay and outline should include a clear introduction, a cogently argued
main body, and a conclusion that summarises the argument and answers the overall
question.
4) Presentation
and Referencing: Your ability to express yourself clearly in English using
appropriate terminology, correct spelling, and grammar. The extent to which your
essay is correctly referenced using the Harvard system of referencing in-text
and with a reference list
Introduction
(500 words)
General
background on the topic you are going to discuss. Possible definitions for
terms relating to the question. What the essay will include and/or leave out
(scope). What themes the essay will discuss and the order they are presented.
What the essay will argue/demonstrate (thesis statement).
Main
Body (2000 words)
(Understanding, used for discussion of the Reading and
Critical Analysis)
The following structure can be themes that you have
identified:
T – topic (sentence to introduce the theme or topic of
the paragraph)
E – example (you could mention an example here to
focus the topic)
S – support (bring in supporting information from your
research / eg. theory, research studies, statistics, legislation, professional
guidelines, examples from practice)
T – talk about the ideas (strengths, weaknesses,
importance, relevance, usefulness, comparison to other ideas). Evaluation and
critical discussion of the supporting materials and how they relate to the question
under scrutiny – keep the discussion focused on answering the question in the
title. Conclusions and recommendations
(500-800 words)
Links back to the themes identified in the
introduction. A reminder of what the essay has argued. A recap of the main
themes that have been discussed. Proffer some recommendations
Formatting,
Structure, and Referencing (list of references not included in word count)
High-quality presentation of the material that
conforms to principles of academic writing and contains minimal errors in
sentence construction, grammar, and punctuation. A logical structure was
followed. The assignment followed appropriate academic conventions regarding
in-text citations and referencing.
Total:
3000-3300 words

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