Title: Assignment 2 – Reflective Case Study
Marks: 35 (which is 35% of the unit grade)
Task:
Drawing on your own personal experience, write a mini case-study (max 1500 words) on one of the following OB-related topics:
- When Teamwork failed to meet its objective
- The appropriate use of power in the workplace
- Organisational Change
Following the case-study, two questions should be posed which encourage the reader to examine and analyse different aspects of the case in close detail. Students should also provide a brief 200-300 word example answer for each question in order to demonstrate the potential learning outcomes of the case. 1 A minimum of four distinct references from academic journals is to be included in the assignment. They can part of the case, the example answers, or spread across the two sections.
Purpose: This assignment seeks to achieve 2 key learning outcomes.
Firstly, it seeks to develop a students’ awareness for the way in which ‘teamwork’, ‘power’ or ‘change’ is manifest in organisations.
Secondly, understanding workplace behaviour can be greatly informed by periodic ‘reflection’. Through this assignment it is hoped that students recognise the value of setting aside time in their work schedule to reflect upon and analyse, issues that influence the behaviour of themselves and others in the workplace.
Format: The single document submitted for this assignment is to contain the following components and formatting features:
a) Assignment ‘Coversheet’ (document is available in the Assignment file on Blackboard).
b) Assignment ‘Coverpage’ identifying the unit name & code, assignment title, student name & ID, and the word count of the Case Study and each example answer (note: Reference List content does not contribute to the word count).
c) Case Study (maximum of 1500 words). See below for the type of structure and style to adopt.
d) Two Case Study questions and example answers (max 300 words each)
Adopt the following formatting features for the paper:
o Apply page numbers. Page 1 comes after your coverpage.
o Font style: Times New Roman, 12pt, justified, 1½ line spacing.
o Margins – top and bottom to be 2.54cm. Left and right to be 2.54cm. No page boarders.
o Spelling – if using a Microsoft package, specify Australian English language/grammar when running your spell-check.
o Writing and grammar must conform to the standards of a professional report.
Submit Process: All assignments are to be submitted through ‘Turn-it-in,’ which can be accessed from the ‘Assignment 2’ folder on Blackboard. The link will be activated in week 10 and you can submit the assignment at any time leading up to the due date.
The file you submit should be labelled in the following manner: Surname, initial, student code, MNG82001, asmt 2
For example – Gillett, P, 012345, MNG82001, asmt 2
Feedback: Students who submit their report by the due date will receive feedback within 2 weeks. This feedback will be in the form of a marking rubric and a copy of your report with electronic comments made by the marker.
Structure and style of the Case-Study
There is no prescribed structure for the case.
It is advised that students develop a catchy title; one that gives a clue as to the focus or purpose of the case.
Although not mandatory, students might use sub-headings to help structure their case story.
The general aim is to write an interesting story which clearly illustrates a good lesson in Organisational Behaviour. It is important that the key concepts associated with the lesson are discussed in the case and that this information is presented in a logical manner (i.e. it is effectively ‘contextualised’ and the story has good ‘flow’).
At the same time, students should avoid being too blatant with the learning-related details. It is important for readers of the case to pick-up numerous small clues about the particular OB concept themselves and to recognise the relevance.
While the case is based on your own experience, you should not be referring to yourself specifically (e.g. I thought…, I did…, etc). Rather, you should adopt the perspective of someone who is observing and subsequently describing the case details as they unfold.
Many textbooks across a range of disciplines provide case studies that adopt this type of perspective. Students who are unfamiliar with the approach should therefore review various textbooks for examples.
For students who have no workplace experience on which to base their case, it is suggested that they identify and interview someone who can provide the required first-hand insight.
This will provide for a more realistic case story; as compared to simply making things up. Students can however, use a small degree of ‘artistic license’ to help promote the OB issue at the centre of their case.
It is important that you use pseudonyms to protect the identity of the organisation and the individuals concerned.
Refer to the documents ‘How to write the Case Study’ and ‘Reflective Writing’ (located in Assignment 2 folder) for further advice and tips that are specific to this assignment.
