Human Resource - 3 papers, 3000 words each

Module Code:	HR0864
Module Title:	Analysing Organizations
Distributed on:	January 2013	Hand in Date:	To be confirmed

Instructions on Assessment:

Analysing Organisations

The module assessment consists of an essay which analyses a case organisation using at least one of the topics covered in the module.

Using authoritative sources, models and frameworks which you consider appropriate to the study of organizations, critically analyse an organization of your choice and report on the analysis.

Assessment Criteria

· Approaches to understanding and researching the nature of organizations are considered and where included, paradigm choice is explained and consistently applied throughout the piece of work. Choices amongst these approaches are made or the absence of choice is explained

· One or two module topics are chosen for the student to apply to an organizational setting

· The methods of data gathering which would be appropriate to use are explained and justified

· The data is critically analysed using relevant theories, models and frameworks

· There is an explanation of the ‘fit’ (or the absence of such a fit is discussed) between methods of data gathering, the analysis, the interpretation and the role of the writer of the assignment

· The assignment should be clearly expressed, legible with accurate spelling and grammar, its structure appropriate, assertions supported and all material correctly referenced

· Credit will be given for originality, creativity, fluency of argument, use of examples and illustrations

Word Length

3000 words (+/-10%) with the exact word count (excluding appendices and references) declared at the end of the assignment

Important note about ARNA regulations

The regulations specify that students must complete every assessment component contributing to the modules on their programme. This applies to all forms of assessment as defined in the module descriptor. Please note that:

· if any assessment component is not completed, students will be failed in the module even if the module pass mark has been achieved;

· if the requirements for referral specified in section 5 of ARNA1 are met, a resit opportunity will be given;

· if unable to complete an assessment component because of extenuating circumstances, students should follow the procedure described in the Student Guide to Extenuating Circumstances1.

This change was approved by Academic Board on 12 October 2009 in consultation with the Students’ Union. Students should consult their Programme Leader or Guidance Tutor if they have any queries. Independent advice and support is also available from the Students’ Union Advice & Representation Centre ( [email protected] ) or from a student adviser in Student Services.

1ARNA and the Student Guide to Extenuating Circumstances Affecting Assessed Work are available from http://www.northumbria.ac.uk/sd/central/ar/lts/assess/assproc/assdocstud/

Word limits and penalties for assignments

If the assignment is within +10% of the stated word limit no penalty will apply.

The word count is to be declared on the front page of your assignment and the assignment cover sheet. The word count does not include:

· Title and Contents page	· Reference list	· Appendices	· Appropriate tables, figures and illustrations
· Glossary	· Bibliography	· Quotes from interviews and focus groups.

Please note, in text citations [e.g. (Smith, 2011)] and direct secondary quotations [e.g. “dib-dab nonsense analysis” (Smith, 2011 p.123)] are INCLUDED in the word count.

If this word count is falsified, students are reminded that under ARNA page 30 Section 3.4 this will be regarded as academic misconduct.

If the word limit of the full assignment exceeds the +10% limit, 10% of the mark provisionally awarded to the assignment will be deducted. For example: if the assignment is worth 70 marks but is above the word limit by more than 10%, a penalty of 7 marks will be imposed, giving a final mark of 63.

Students are advised that they may be asked to submit an electronic version of their assignment.

Time limits and penalties for presentations

The time allocated for the presentation must be adhered to. At the end of this time, the presentation will be stopped and will be marked based on what has been delivered within the time limit.

Submission of Assessment:

All assignments must be submitted via the Postgraduate Programme Office. Each assignment must be accompanied by an Assessed Work Form which must be completed in full. The assignment will not be accepted by the Postgraduate Programme Office unless the form is completed correctly.

Marked assignments will be returned to students. It is advisable to retain a copy of your assignment for you own records. Your mark will be returned on the Assessed Work Form via the Postgraduate Programme Office.

Referencing your work

The APA method of referencing uses the author's name and the date of the publication. In-text citations give brief details of the work you are referring to in your text. References are listed at the end of the text in alphabetical order by the author's name. The general format of an electronic journal reference in the APA style is shown below:

Coutu, D. (2009). Why Teams Don't Work. Harvard Business Review, 87(5), 98-105. Retrieved 29th April 2012 from EBSCO http://searchebscohost.com

Author/s name and initials are listed first, followed by year of publication in brackets. Then there is the title of article and the journal where the article appears, which is in italics. Then state the volume and issue number (in brackets) along with the pages where article can be located. Finally add the date the article was retrieved and then the name of the database, followed by the web address. Wherever possible use the homepage URL rather than the full and extended web address.

For further information on why it is important to reference accurately go to the Referencing and Plagiarism topic in Skills Plus available from the Library website:

www.northumbria.ac.uk/skillsplus

You will find other useful help guides on Skills Plus to help you with the skills involved in writing your assessments and preparing for exams.

For further information on the APA style of referencing see the Concise Rules of APA style and the APA website http://www.apastyle.org/learn

Plagiarism and Cheating

Your attention is drawn to the University’s stated position on plagiarism. THE WORK OF OTHERS, WHICH IS INCLUDED IN THE ASSIGNMENT MUST BE ATTRIBUTED TO ITS SOURCE (a full bibliography and/or a list of references must be submitted as prescribed in the assessment brief).

Please note that this is intended to be an individual piece of work. Action will be taken where a student is suspected of having cheated or engaged in any dishonest practice. Students are referred to the University regulations on plagiarism and other forms of academic irregularity. Students must not copy or collude with one another or present any information that they themselves have not generated.

(Some basic instruction if required here)

For further information on Plagiarism, see the Referencing and Plagiarism topic on Skills Plus.

www.northumbria.ac.uk/skillsplus

(Some basic instruction if required here)

Mapping to Programme Goals and Objectives:

This assessment will contribute directly to the following Postgraduate programme goals and objectives. (Insert an ‘X’ in boxes where applicable, referring to appropriate programme specification for mapping details)

Goal One: Be independent, reflective critical thinkers

x	1.	Demonstrate awareness of their personal strengths and weaknesses through critical reflective practice.
x	2.	Understand and challenge personal patterns of thinking and behaving.

Goal Two: Be culturally and ethically aware

x	1.	Demonstrate their ability to work in diverse groups and teams.
x	2.	Reflect on their own ethical values.

Goal Three: Have developed leadership and management capability

x	2.	Communicate complex issues effectively.
x	4.	Carry out presentations and lead discussions.

Goal Five: Have developed a range of research skills and project capabilities

x

2.

Demonstrate skills of analysis and synthesis in the application of research methods to the exploration of contemporary business issues.

Assessment Criteria (NBS)

General Assessment Criteria

Trait	0 Fail	1 – 39 Fail	40 – 49 Fail	50 – 54 Pass	55 – 59 Pass	60 – 69 Commendation	70 – 100 Distinction
Knowledge and Understanding	Work not submitted OR Work giving evidence of serious academic misconduct (subject to regulations in ARNA Appendix 1) OR Work showing no evidence of the knowledge, understanding and skills appropriate to level 7. None of the learning outcomes are met.	Work is not acceptable and provides little evidence of the knowledge, understanding and skills appropriate to level 7. Few of the learning outcomes are met.	Work is not acceptable in providing evidence of the knowledge, understanding and skills appropriate to level 7. However a majority of the learning outcomes are met and others are nearly satisfied	Adequate work providing evidence of the knowledge, understanding and skills appropriate to level 7 but only at a bare pass level. All learning outcomes are met (or nearly met and balanced by strengths elsewhere).	Satisfactory work providing evidence of the knowledge, understanding and skills appropriate to level 7. All learning outcomes are met.	Commendable work providing evidence to a high level of the knowledge, understanding and skills appropriate to level 7. All learning outcomes met, many are more than satisfied.	Excellent work providing evidence to a very high level of the knowledge, understanding and skills appropriate to level 7. All learning outcomes met, many at high level. Marks at the high end of this range indicate outstanding work where all learning outcomes are met at a high level.
Structure, Alignment and Research		Inadequate in some of the following aspects or seriously inadequate in at least one: use of relevant material; development of analysis and structure of argument; evaluation of theory; application of relevant theory, research methods and findings to the problem in question; presentation of information to the intended audience.	Adequate in most but not all of the following aspects: use of relevant material; development of analysis and structure of argument; evaluation of theory; application of relevant theory, research methods and findings to the problem in question; presentation of information to the intended audience.	Adequate in all of (or most of, with balancing strength elsewhere): use of relevant material; development of analysis and structure of argument; evaluation of theory; application of relevant theory, research methods and findings to the problem in question; presentation of information to the intended audience.	Satisfactory in all or most of: use of relevant material from a variety of sources; development of analysis and structure of argument; evaluation of theory; application of relevant theory, research methods and findings to the problem in question; presentation of information to the intended audience.	Good in all or most of: use of up-to-date material from a variety of sources; development of analysis and structure of argument; critical evaluation of relevant theory, research methods and findings to the problem in question; presentation of information to the intended audience.	Excellent in all or most of: use of primary sources of literature from a range of perspectives; development of analysis and structure of argument; critical evaluation and creative use of theory, research methods and findings; presentation of information to the intended audience.

Module Specific Assessment Criteria

Trait	0 Fail	1 – 39 Fail	40 – 49 Fail	50 – 54 Pass	55 – 59 Pass	60 – 69 Commendation	70 – 100 Distinction

Note: For those assessments or partial assessments based on calculation, multiple choice etc. Marks will be gained on an accumulative basis. In these cases, marks allocated to each section will be made clear.

Students must retain an electronic copy of this assignment and it must be made available within 24 hours of them requesting it be submitted.

Module specific assessment criteria

Trait	0 Fail	1 – 39 Fail	40 – 49 Fail	50 – 54 Pass	55 – 59 Pass	60 – 69 Commendation	70 – 100 Distinction
Analysis	Work not submitted OR Work giving evidence of serious academic misconduct (subject to regulations in ARNA Appendix 1) OR Work showing no evidence of the knowledge, understanding and skills appropriate to level 7. None of the learning outcomes are met.	Description and no discussion provided both of theories and organization with no clear links between them.	Description rather than discussion provided. Theories and organization commentary are not clearly linked via organization examples.	Theories stand apart from, and not synthesized with, relevant organizational examples to provide a comprehensive argument.	Some synthesis of theory with practice to provide a comprehensive argument. Useful organizational examples provided. Greater evidence of linkage between choices of theory for analysis. Recognizing the paradigmatic presuppositions of theories used.	Comprehensive synthesis of theory with practice to provide a strong and detailed argument with the help of appropriate organizational examples. Good linkage between theoretical choices for analysis. recognizes and understands the implications of the paradigmatic presuppositions of theories used. Evidence of reading beyond module references.	Choices of theory and organizational examples synthesize to provide a critical and insightful evaluation of organizational practices. Critically evaluates the paradigmatic location of theories used. Demonstration of wide reading beyond module references.
Presentation and Structure		Failure to use professional formatting. Numerous spelling and grammatical errors. Referencing not consistent with the APA method	Inconsistent approach to formatting work. A number of spelling and grammatical errors. Failure to cite all references in the main text according to the APA method	Satisfactory presentation with few spelling and grammatical errors. Most references provided in the appropriate format	Professionally presented with few spelling and grammatical errors. Most references provided in the appropriate format	Professionally presented with few errors in referencing the work of others	Excellent presentation, spelling and grammar. APA referencing used throughout the main text.