Posted: September 13th, 2017

Academic Essay (individual work)

Academic Essay (individual work)

Relevant learning objectives: On completion of this assignment students should be able to:

· demonstrate a critical understanding of some aspects of the historical evolution of management;

· critically analyse some of the ongoing and contemporary issues facing managers in organisations;

· collect, compare and integrate information from different sources;

· research, summarise and critically assess that information about a management issue.

Assignment 1— Academic Essay (individual work)
Background:
Some 90 years ago Max Weber proposed his ‘ideal’ bureaucratic system of organisation design and administration to increase efficiency and effectiveness.  According to Samson and Daft (2012, p. 60) the rules and procedures so characteristic of bureaucracies have ensured that ‘everyone gets equal treatment, and everyone knows what the rules are.  This has enabled many organisations to become extremely efficient’.  There is evidence however in support of arguments against this claim.

TASK:
Write a 2000 word essay in which you discuss and critically analyse claims that Weber’s bureaucracy can contribute to increased efficiency and effectiveness in today’s organisations.
ASSIGNMENT REQUIREMENTS:
Compulsory assessment task: Students must complete the assessment task for this unit in order to be considered for a pass grade or better. It is therefore compulsory to submit this assignment.
Due date:   Online submission to MIBT Portal by 1.00 pm on Monday 20 April 2015.
Assessment marks: This assignment is worth 40 marks, which is 40% of your final grade.
Word limit: 2000 words (+ or – 10%; excluding in-text citations and reference list).
Relevant learning objectives: On completion of this assignment students should be able to:
•    demonstrate a critical understanding of some aspects of the historical evolution of management;
•    critically analyse some of the ongoing and contemporary issues facing managers in organisations;
•    collect, compare and integrate information from different sources;
•    research, summarise and critically assess that information about a management issue.
Sources:  Students should use a minimum of six (6) articles from academic journals and your prescribed textbook, but NOT Wikipedia or other non-academic sources.

Please note there are ten articles listed.  You will see from the marking guide/rubric (at the end of this paper) that the more sources appropriately used, the more marks will be available to students.  In other words, six (6) is the minimum number of sources required for this paper.  Remember you may use your textbook, and other academic sources beyond those listed above.
Citations and references: all ideas from reading sources must be correctly cited and referenced using the Deakin author-date (Harvard) system.
HOW TO PRESENT AND FORMAT YOUR ASSIGNMENT
Your paper should have the follow sections:
1.    Introduction (approximately 200 words):
A good introduction includes:  a background of the topic, the aim/purpose of the essay, and the approach you will take (overall essay structure).
2.    Body (approximately 1700 words):
•    Critically evaluate the claim that Weber’s bureaucracy can contribute to increased efficiency and effectiveness.  Using a minimum of 6 sources, analyse the views of your chosen source materials to present your argument about the statement.  What evidence can you find to support the statements you make as you present your argument?
•    Research widely from the sources to present a comprehensive analysis  (see section headed Critically analyse and synthesise the information gathered in rubric/marking guide).
•    Use appropriate referencing, and ensure your essay has a logical and coherent argument (see sections headed Communicate information accurately and Evaluate and organise information in a logical and coherent way in rubric/marking guide).
•    You may use meaningful headings to help structure your essay if you wish (this is not compulsory).
3.    Conclusion (approximately 100 words):
•    Sum up the findings of your research.
•    Make sure you summarise the core arguments you have presented and provide explicit links back to the essay topic/statement.
4.    References
•    You are expected to prepare for the assignment by reading and citing at least 6 academic references from the articles provided.  You may use all of the articles provided, and/or may choose other additional readings from other peer-reviewed journal articles.
•    Wikipedia, answers.com, cheat websites, personal opinion without source support, and social networking sites are NOT permitted.  Assignments that use these sources of information/provide personal opinion without source support will be returned unmarked.  If unsure, consult your lecturer or the Academic Skills Advisor.
ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS:
1.    Students are required to submit their assignment (in MS Word) online on the Portal through the Turnitin submission box.
2.    Information about online submission will be placed on the Portal in the week beginning Monday 13 April 2015.  Please note that a hard copy of the assignment is not required, only the online submission will be accepted.  Students are expected however to keep a soft copy of their assignment in addition to submitting the paper online.
3.    Students MUST ensure the following:
•    the paper is typed, with 1.5 line spacing
•    page numbers are included
•    a title page with title of your essay, your name, id, class, lecturer name, and submission date
•    your document must be named using your id, first name, and family name as the following example indicates:
•    student John Smith, ID SMIJO1302 would submit as SMIJO1302_John Smith
4.    No extensions will be considered for assignment submission due date without the approval of the Unit Coordinator.  If you believe you have circumstances beyond your control that make you eligible to apply for an extension, you must apply directly to the Unit Coordinator, Terry Gibson, via e-mail:  [email protected] before the due date for assignment submission. Supporting documentation must be provided.  You will need to download and submit an Assignment Extension form available on the Portal also.
5.    Late submissions without an approved extension will attract a penalty of 10% per day.  Assignments submitted more than one week after the due date, where an extension has not been approved, will not be marked.  Contact your lecturer if you have any issues related to writing and/or submitting this paper.
ASSIGNMENT RESULTS:
Your results and assessor’s comments will normally become available to you within 15 business/working days of the due date (unless an extension has been granted). Marks can be accessed from the Portal once the Unit Coordinator has released the marks (ie after all marking has been completed).  Papers will be returned to students via the Portal.  You will be advised by e-mail when marked papers are ready for you to access.
Before results are returned to students, the unit team will moderate the marking process to ensure that the same marking standards are applied to all students within the unit.  If necessary, you may request additional information from your lecturer.
Please note that it is compulsory to submit the Assignment, but it is not compulsory to pass the Assignment in order to pass the unit.
If you wish to discuss your essay results with your lecturer, you MUST ensure you have read through the feedback carefully, and can justify why you believe the grade to be incorrect.   Your lecturer will then examine your essay to determine if a review of the grade is warranted.  Should your lecturer ascertain so, your lecturer will notify the Unit Coordinator.  A request for a review of results will only be accepted by the Unit Coordinator from a lecturer within 5 days of the marks being released.  Please remember, receiving a disappointing result is not a justification for review.
WRITING AND REFERENCING SKILLS:
In this academic essay students have the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of management through a practical and realistic approach to their basic research methods and discussion of relevant research materials.
Researching, writing and referencing skills are valuable in all facets of management practice. Effective writing is an essential skill for good managers because written documents provide busy executives with accurate information and appropriately informed viewpoints from reliable sources.  Poorly researched work leads to poor decision-making, thereby compromising management.
Students are also expected to be constructively critical and analytical when they write about what they have read. This ensures that the conclusions drawn are not biased.
Please note that all ideas within your essay which have been obtained from your sources, will need to be cited and referenced using the Deakin author-date (Harvard) system. This system is used for other assignments submitted for Faculty of Business and Law units.
These are the reasons why you need to develop your academic writing skills and learn the art of constructive essay writing.
It is highly recommended that you access appropriate resources to assist you with planning, writing, and referencing your assignment.  The following resources will be of use to you:
•    your lecturer (your lecturer CANNOT read through your draft prior to submission however you can make appointments with your lecturer to discuss aspects of your paper, to check referencing in areas where you may be unsure, to provide detail about any sections in the marking rubric);
•    Academic Skills Advisor (the AS Advisor can assist with queries about planning your essay, structuring your essay, referencing, paragraphing, paraphrasing, plus any other academic skills needs you may have.  You can make an appointment to see the Academic Skills Advisor on your campus through the MIBT Portal);
•    the AS (Academic Skills) Moodle site available on the Portal;
•    Deakin’s referencing site: http://www.deakin.edu.au/students/study-support/referencing/harvardPLAGIARISM AND OTHER FORMS OF CHEATING:
Assignments will be checked for plagiarism (via Turnitin) and disciplinary procedures will be initiated if any student’s work is found to include plagiarism (i.e., penalties will be imposed relative to the degree of infringement.  Please see Plagiarism and Collusion, and Academic Integrity Policy on the Portal under Forms).
Assignments will be checked also for authenticity, meaning checked to ensure that the student who submitted the assignment is the only author of the work submitted.  DO NOT engage any other person directly, or indirectly, to help you write your assignment.
Plagiarism is the copying of another person’s ideas or expressions without appropriate acknowledgment and presenting these ideas or forms of expression as your own. It includes not only written works such as books or journals but data or images that may be presented in tables, diagrams, designs, plans, photographs, film, music, formulae, web sites and computer programs. Plagiarism also includes the use of (or passing off) the work of lecturers or other students as your own.
Plagiarism is a form of cheating that MIBT regards as an extremely serious academic offence. The penalties associated with plagiarism are severe and extend from cancelling all marks for the specific assessment item or for the entire unit through to exclusion from your course.
It is important to realise, however, that it is certainly not cheating to use the work of others in your essay. On the contrary – a well-constructed essay should normally refer to and build on the work of others for positioning, supporting and strengthening your work and advancing knowledge. Plagiarism occurs when due recognition and acknowledgement of the work of others is not provided. Therefore, whenever you are using another person’s research or ideas (whether by direct quotation or by paraphrasing) you must appropriately cite the source. If you are ever in doubt about the most appropriate form of referencing, you should consult your lecturer or the Academic Skills Advisor.
Talking about your assignment with other students is acceptable and encouraged. However, jointly writing up the assignment, or using the same written words from your discussion, is a form of cheating because we are not able to identify whose idea the information is. Unauthorised collaboration involves working with others with the intention of deceiving examiners about who actually completed the work. If there has been any collaboration in preparing individual assessment items, this must be disclosed (clearly stated that it is a joint effort). In the case of group project work, lecturers provide guidelines on what level of collaboration is appropriate and how the work of each participant in the project is to be presented. If you have any doubt about what constitutes authorised and unauthorised collaboration you should consult your lecturer or the Academic Skills Advisor.
Plagiarism occurs when a student presents the work of another person as the student’s own work, or includes the ideas of others as quotations, summaries or paraphrases, without acknowledgement as to its authorship.