Due is 12hour
BM1202 Management Lab and Business Skills
Individual coursework CW3 instructions
Principles and summary
This is a major individual piece of coursework which offers you the chance to draw on the various
activities within the module.
You should aim to write this as an essay of up to 2000 words. There are four parts to the
coursework and each carries equal weight when we mark it. You should provide references using
the Harvard system and the reference list is not included in the word count. You must follow
some important principles of good scholarship: you need to cite your references, consider
whether sources which you draw on are valuable, trustworthy and relevant, and you should keep
direct quotes from other sources to a minimum and make it very clear when you do include such
quotes.
In producing this coursework we would like you to demonstrate:
• That you can produce a significant and well structured piece of written work, and draw on
sources that you find and interpret yourself (skills seminars weeks 7 and 8)
• That you can interpret management theory and consider how to apply it to practical
examples (lectures weeks 2 and 4)
The particular sessions and lectures mentioned above do not constitute an exhaustive list and you
can draw on any part of the module or indeed of any other module within your course.
We will use plagiarism detection software to check submissions for this coursework.
Choosing a function
For this coursework you should focus on one of the following eight functions within a business.
These are the same functions that are used in the Millcaster exercise that starts in week 6. It is up to
you whether to write about the same function that you will be working in within Millcaster but you
may find it useful to agree with other members of your team at an early stage of the term, which
function each of you will be performing.
ACC: Accounting and finance
CAL: Coordination and legal
CSR: Corporate social responsibility
DGI: Design and innovation
HUM: Human resources
ISP: Information systems and project management
MKS: Marketing and sales
PSC: Procurement and supply chain
You must choose one of these and apply it to each of the four parts of this coursework
Specific coursework instructions
Part A: Consider what you expect to be the most important characteristics of an effective manager in
this function over the next ten years. You can identify personal characteristics, or abilities, or skills
that a manager should develop. This is your opportunity to find out more about the function and to
summarise what it entails.
Part B: Choose one business or other organisation with which you are familiar. The Quinn
framework which is discussed in the week 2 lecture, and represented in the diagram in appendix 1 of
this document, is based around four possible models. Which of these models best describes the
organisation which you have chosen, and why? What particular requirements would a manager in
your chosen function need to deal with in an organisation based around this part of the Quinn
framework?
Part C: Choose one instance where your chosen function has been pivotal in one of the Millcaster
decisions. What were the key challenges facing the team member in this function and how could
they be addressed?
Part D: Choose one of the contemporary or historic management thinkers listed below. Some of
these were mentioned in the week 4 lecture and others have been referred to during this module
and other parts of your course. How could this thinker’s ideas be relevant to your function? More
background on the thinkers is in appendix 2
Chris Argyris and Donald Schon
Peter Drucker
Theodore Levitt
Warren Bennis
Clayton Christensen
Henry Mintzberg
Ikujiro Nonaka
CK Prahalad & Gary Hamel
Tom Peters and Robert Waterman
Michael Porter
Richard D’Aveni
Rachel Botsman
Kim, W. Chan and Renée Mauborgne
Jim Collins
Gary Hamel and Michele Zanini
Roger Martin
Pankaj Ghemawat
Linda A Hill
Assessment criteria
The criteria for this coursework mirror those explained in the module handbook, and it is marked
according to the standard Bayes grade related criteria which are shown in your assessment
handbook. For CW3 we are looking for an indication in your coursework that
• you are able to apply concepts from your studies to practical business issues
• you recognise complexity, for example by understanding that actions in one part of a
business can have unintended consequences in another
• you are able to supplement the course material with things that you find out yourself,
including high quality background reading, and are able to recognise when sources of
information are authoritative and whether they could be biased
• you have used the university library, or other specialised libraries or databases, and not
relied solely on information that can be found using a simple Google search
• you follow detailed instructions where they are provided and use your initiative to
determine what to do where something is not defined unambiguously
• you recognise the specific properties and requirements of the function that you are basing
your coursework on and do not purely write in a way which could refer to any generic type
of manager
Submission and practicalities
For the resit you must submit online through Moodle by 2000 on 12th August. You are recommended not to leave it until the last minute in case you encounter technical problems when you are trying to submit. If you are resitting this item of coursework having failed the first attempt you must choose a different example business and a different management thinker from the ones that you chose for your first attempt.
Guidance on referencing is available through the university library including the online resource Cite
Them Right. Please do not reference Wikipedia and do not reference anything which might be
interpreted as an essay cheat site.
Appendix 1: Diagram of Quinn competing values framework
Appendix 2: Management thinkers
Period: post 1945 to 1980 - Improving Quality and standards of physical products; expanding
manufacturing capacity; Recognition of workers as social actors; rise of Japanese economy
Author Subject of principal concern Reference to start your search
Chris Argyris and Donald Schon
individual and organizational learning – original proposer of concept of double loop learning – key method for critical review of mindsets.
Argyris (1977) ‘Double Loop Learning in organizations’ HBR Sep/Oct77, Vol. 55 Issue 5, p115- 125. 11p. 1 Chart.
Peter Drucker
Many original ideas including –
• Management by Objectives – for organisations, managers and workers; primary company objective is to serve the customer;
• First known presentation of the concept of Knowledge Worker; now a fundamental idea for all companies
Drucker (1955) The practice of management Pan The Drucker Institute at http://www.druckerinstitute.com/
Theodore Levitt
Introduced the two ideas – marketing and globalisation.
Levitt, Theodore. (1960) ‘Marketing Myopia’ Harvard Business Review. Jul/Aug1960, Vol. 38 Issue 4, p45-56
Period: 1980s and 90s - Managing competitive pressures; market volatility; managing large
diversified corporations; market volatility
Author Subject of principal concern Reference to start your search
Warren Bennis Leadership – Developing a good leader. Argyris (1977) ‘Double Loop Learning in organizations’ HBR Sep/Oct77, Vol. 55 Issue 5, p115-125. 11p. 1 Chart.
Clayton Christensen
The impact of disruptive technologies on successful companies.
Christensen C (1997) The innovator’s dilemma Harper Business (1997 and 2000)
Henry Mintzberg
Many original ideas of which 2 key ones are –
• Organisational structures of corporations – the 5 ideal types based on detailed study of organisations at the time;
Management roles based on shadowing CEOs
Mintzberg (1979) The structuring of organizations Prentice –Hall International
Ikujiro Nonaka Knowledge management – originator of the concepts of tacit and explicit knowledge in the context of business. Period: 1990s
Ikujiro Nonaka (1991)’The Knowledge Creating Company’ Harvard Business Review. Nov- Dec 1991 Vol. 69 Issue 6, p96- 104.; reprinted by HBR 2007
CK Prahalad & Gary Hamel
Concept of the core competences of an organisation – a fundamental concept for assessing the strengths of an organisation.
CK Prahalad and Gary Hamel (1990) ‘ The Core Competence of the Corporation’ Harvard Business Review May/June 1990
Tom Peters and Robert Waterman
Several original ideas including -
• Management practices that achieve successful companies (US sample) – the importance of focusing on developing employees
• 7 S model
Tom Peters and Robert Waterman (1982) In search of excellence, Lessons from America’s best run companies Harper and Rowe
Michael Porter Many original ideas of which best known are:
• Developing a Competitive Strategy for an organisation – the 5 forces model
• The Value chain; This model identifies a number of functions/activities that Porter considered would normally be found in most companies.
Michael Porter (1979) Competitive Strategy; Techniques for Analysing Industries and Competitors Free Press Michael Porter (1985) ‘Competitive Advantage’ chapter 2 The Value chain; Free Press; New edition edition (19 Jan. 2004)
Period: 21st century
Author Subject of principal concern Reference to start your search
Richard D’Aveni
3D printing technology and Additive manufacturing
D’Aveni (2018) The Pan-Industrial Revolution, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt New York
Rachel Botsman
The effects of digital technology on trust in institutions and the community
Botsman R (2017) Who Can You Trust? How technology Brought us together – and Why it could drive us apart Portfolio Penguin London
Kim, W. Chan and Renée Mauborgne
"value innovation" model in which companies must look outside their present paradigms to find new value propositions. Their approach complements most of Porter's thinking, especially the concept of differentiation.
Kim,. Chan; Mauborgne, Renée.’ Blue Ocean Strategy’ Harvard Business Review. Oct2004, Vol. 82 Issue 10, p76-84. 9p. 1 Diagram, 2 Charts.
Jim Collins Leadership of great companies Jim Collins (2001) Good to Great Random House Business Books ISBN 0 7126 7609 6
Gary Hamel and Michele Zanini
The value of reducing bureaucracy and how to re-organise to achieve this!
Hamel and Zanini (2018) ‘The end of Bureaucracy’ Harvard Business Review November-December 2018; pages 51-59
Roger Martin Management issues in the 21st century – need for creative thinking; avoiding the behavioural trap, the talent economy
Martin R (2017) Management is much more than a science Harvard Business Review September- October 2017, p129-135
Pankaj Ghemawat
Globalisation in 21st century - differences matter.
Ghemawat, Pankaj. (2011) ‘ The Cosmopolitan Corporation’ Harvard Business Review. May2011, Vol. 89 Issue 5, p92-99
Linda A Hill Leadership; training managers Hill, L.A. (2004) New manager development for the 21st century, Academy of Management Perspective, 18( 3): 121-126