people and organization

4HURM005W People and Organisations

Assessment Two

Please read this document alongside the module handbook and the information you find there relating to the assessment requirements for this module.

To recap, to pass this module you must successfully complete two parts (The pass mark for the module is 40%. To pass overall, the minimum mark for each assessment is 30%.)

Assessment one (due 28 February 2019 13.00 UK time ): a reflective piece of writing contributing 25% of the overall module mark. (1000 word count)

Assessment Two (11 April 2019 13.00 UK time): Essay worth 75% of the overall module mark.

This document describes the requirements for Assessment Two.

Assessment Two should be divided as follows:

a) Reflection on your tutor feedback from the first assessment and contribution of module to your learning goals this semester. (500 words)

b) Essay plan (approx 500 words). This will be looked at during the seminar session in week 11 and given some peer and tutor feedback)

c) Essay (from above plan): word count approx 2,000 words.

This second assessment continues from the first piece of assessment with a ‘patchwork’ ethos or approach started in assessment one:

The essence of a patchwork is that it consists of a variety of small sections, each of which is complete in itself, and that the overall unity of these component sections, although planned in advance, is finalized retrospectively, when they are ‘stitched together’ Winter (2003: 112).

In assessment Two we ask you to submit a piece of work which has three parts as above, which are separate but connected in the learning aims. The first two parts (a) reflection on your tutor feedback and contribution of the module to your learning goals this semester (b) essay plan, are designed to help you work towards, and gain a better mark, in the (c) essay. They are the three stages towards the essay; all of which must be fulfilled and all must be included in your final piece of work you upload to Turnitin and which we hope will be useful to you. You should upload them as one document and it is the essay which will be given a mark according to the criteria below.

a) Reflection: on your tutor feedback from first assessment and a final review of your learning on the module (500 words).

This continues the theme and practice of reflection started for assessment one by looking at reflection for development. Your reflection should indicate how the feedback and learning from the first piece of assessment has been used to prepare the final essay. To do that you should list TWO aspects of your writing and learning which you wish to improve upon and detail how you have started to and plan to address these. Please comment on how you have used the tutor feedback constructively and your time in this module to learn about the transition to higher education and to aid preparation for your essay/assessment 2. It should also include a final review paragraph which considers how the learning on the module has helped you to work towards your learning goals for this semester.

This part will not be given a mark but it is compulsory to include it and we know that it can help you in your studies.

b) Essay plan (500 words)

This draft essay plan will be discussed in the seminars in weeks 9 and 11 and given peer feedback and some tutor guidance. It is aimed at improving the structure and development of your arguments in your essay (something we have found students can find difficult). You can use any presentation you wish (linear, mind map, etc), as the aim is for you to gain peer feedback at the seminar and through this to improve the final essay.

The essay plan will not be given a mark but it is compulsory to include it as part of the assessment submission and it is a vital stage in effective academic writing. It will help you to improve your essay style, which will help you gain higher marks in discursive subjects.

c) Essay (2,000 words)

This is worth 75% of your final module mark and will be assessed and given a mark according to the criteria listed above, i.e

The assessment will look at to what extent you have shown an ability to:

· Outline relevant concepts/ideas and theories covered from the field of organisational behaviour;

· Demonstrate relevant knowledge from reading and research;

· Write clearly, effectively and concisely in an essay format and use sources/references appropriately;

· Describe and apply some of the organisational behaviour theories and writers, which have influenced our thinking about individuals in organisations; for example in relation to perception, stress, motivation, structures, personality, organisational structures or leadership;

Final essay of 2000 words (+/-10% of word count - excluding reference and bibliography list at end). You must keep your work within the word limit or penalties apply. Please note that you should make reference to reading you have done when answering the questions.

Choose ONE of the following essay questions to answer:

1. A great deal is written about the positive effects for an organisation of working in groups, but what are some negative aspects or challenges that can arise for the individual and for the organisation?

2. According to personality theories, what kinds of personality traits can we measure? And how might these change over time? 

3. What factors affect how we perceive others? And how can these lead to errors of judgement? Use theories/literature to support your answer.

4. Choose ONE of the four themes of the module (Social process of joining an organisation, Working and networking with different people and negotiating differences, Work and Private life and How organisations can affect our motivation and creativity). Describe the importance of this theme for managers in an organisation, using ONE of the lecture topics to illustrate your argument.

Essay assessment rubric:

4HURM500W:Assessment 2	Outstanding (80%+)	Excellent (70%+)	Very Good (60%+)	Good (50%+)	Minimal Pass (40%+)	Poor (30%-39%)	Fail (less than 30%)
Structure and Development of argument.	Clear evidence of independent and original thinking in the development of argument and sophistication in expression	Excellent ability to compare critically different arguments/theories and arrive at some conclusion in your arguments and structure	Clear focus on question set and a suitable and fluent structure	Mostly focused on question and evidence of an attempt at logical essay structure	Only partially focussed on question and rather disjointed in presentation of ideas and linking the ideas	A lack of appropriate structure and/or understanding of question set and material used so that overall it is disjointed	Disorganisation and/ or inadequate length
Use of reading/research/ appropriate writers;	Evidence of extensive reading/research, drawing on a wide set of sources and an ability to connect to different perspectives in the literature	Evidence of wide or in-depth reading/research to support points made	Selective and appropriate use of research and reading material which shows evidence of engagement and wider reading than the module material	Some correctly referenced research material/reading used, relevant to the question set	Little use of reference material and evidence of appropriate reading	Very little appropriate research/reading	No evidence of sufficient appropriate reading
Use of relevant case studies and examples to illustrate understanding;	Numerous examples showing sophisticated ability to connect theory/concepts to practical experiences/case studies in an integrative way	Several examples which show ability to connect theory/concepts to practical examples/case studies	Some relevant, well-chosen examples/case studies which demonstrate practical implications of concepts/theory	A few relevant examples but not sufficiently explored	Little evidence of being able to relate the ideas to examples	Absence of examples which show understanding	No suitable examples included
Writing style and referencing;	Mastery of academic style and referencing	Fluently written and well-argued essay with very good referencing	Well-written answer in clear English with appropriate referencing	Writing and/or referencing style could be improved to be more academically appropriate	Writing style needs to be improved as it is difficult to understand. Inadequate referencing	Inappropriate writing style for academic work	Writing very difficult to understand , substantial errors
Understanding of concepts/ideas presented on the module.	Excellent awareness of the subtlety of concepts and ideas presented	Wide or deep understanding of relevant concepts and ideas presented	Very good identification and grasp of appropriate concepts and ideas	Evidence of identification of some of the issues but largely descriptive rather than analytical. Ideas presented as unsupported opinions. Some gaps in knowledge	Entirely descriptive, with ideas presented as unsupported and generalised opinions. Significant gaps in knowledge	Poor understanding of ideas and concepts presented on the module.	Misunderstanding of questions and concepts covered on the module

Assessment format:

The required format for the presentation of your assessment is as follows:

Cover Front page to show: Student name, Student ID registration number, Module code/title, Full assignment title, Seminar leader’s name, Due date.

Submitting your coursework

You must include student ID and word count on the first page of your assignment.

Unless indicated otherwise, coursework is submitted via Blackboard. On the Blackboard home page for the module you will find a button on the menu called ‘Submit Coursework’. Clicking this will take you to the submission link.

At busy times the coursework submission process may run slowly. To ensure that your submission is not recorded as a late submission, avoid submitting very close to the deadline.

To submit your assignment:

· Log on to Blackboard at http://learning.westminster.ac.uk ;

· Go to the Blackboard site for this module;

· Click on the ‘Submit Coursework’ link in the navigation menu on the left-hand side

· Click on the link for the assignment;

· Follow the instructions.

REMEMBER:

It is a requirement that you submit your work in this way. Coursework must be submitted by 13.00 (1.00 p.m.) UK time on the due date.

If you submit your coursework late but within 24 hours or one ‘working’ day of the specified deadline, 10% of the overall marks available for that assessment will be deducted as a penalty for late submission, except for work which is marked in the range 40 – 49%, in which case the mark will be capped at the pass mark (40%).

If you submit your coursework more than 24 hours or more than one ‘working’ day after the specified deadline you will be given a mark of zero for the work in question.

The University’s mitigating circumstances procedures relating to the non-submission or late submission of coursework apply to all coursework.

If you are unclear about this, speak to your class leader or module leader.

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