Avoiding Plagiarism in University-Level Work

Importance of Correct Referencing Practices

Plagiarism is a particular form of cheating. Plagiarism must be avoided at all costs and students who break the rules, however innocently, may be penalised. It is your responsibility to ensure that you understand correct referencing practices. As a university level student, you are expected to use appropriate references throughout and keep carefully detailed notes of all your sources of materials for material you have used in your work, including any material downloaded from the internet. Please consult the relevant unit lecturer or your course tutor if you need any further advice.

•Plagiarism is totally unacceptable. You must cite all sources and input the information by paraphrasing, summarising or using direct quotes. A Fail Grade is given where Plagiarism is identified in your work. There are no exceptions.
•Your evidences/findings must be cited using Harvard Referencing Style. Please refer to referencing guidance posted on the VLE.
•Part A is in the form of an individual report. This should be written in a concise, formal business style using single spacing and Arial 11 or Times New Roman 13 font size.
•The recommended word limit is 2,500 words (excluding references and administrative sections).
•As evidence for Part B, you will need to submit PowerPoint presentation slides (with notes) and any other handouts you think might enhance the clarity of your presentation (since there will not be an opportunity for personal oral presentation in Class due to the COVID19 lockdown).
•To Pass Assignment 1 you MUST Achieve ALL the Pass Criteria outlined on the score sheet.
·You can earn a Higher Grade such as Distinction or Merit by meeting all Pass Criteria and achieving the criteria given on the Higher Grades Score Sheet. You will be given a Referred Grade if you fail to meet ALL Pass Criteria. Referred Grade means resit. You must resit any Task that you fail to obtain minimum of a pass. The Score Sheet will identify the specific requirement/s and criteria that you did not meet.

LO1: Differentiate between the role of a leader and the function of a manager.
LO2: Apply the role of a leader and the function of a manager in given contexts.

Part A: The roles of leaders and managers

You will need to produce a report for the senior leadership team of a given company that includes the following:

1.An introduction to the organisation and the management structure.
2.Definition and roles of both managers and leaders, highlighting the differences between management and leadership.
3.The different roles of management and leadership in application to different organisational situations, supported by theories and concepts.
4.How theories such as ‘chaos theory’ and ‘management by objectives’ apply to the organisation and how these have support growth and sustainable performance.
Conclusions on how managers and leaders have made an impact on the organisation and recommendations for future improvements.

LO3: Demonstrate an appreciation of the role leaders and managers play in the operations function of an organisation.
LO4: Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between leadership and management in a contemporary business environment.

Part B: Presentation

Since reporting on the role of management and leadership within your organisation, the CEO and founder have now asked you to feedback on best approaches and practices with regards to operations management. This will take the form of a presentation to the leadership team (for an estimated 10 minutes) that will address how the leadership and management team can improve overall operations within the company. To assist with this, you will need to investigate external business factors that impact upon operational management and the decisions the management team makes.

The presentation slides should cover the following areas:

1.An introduction to the key operations of the organisation.
2.Details of each of the key functions, identifying the roles and responsibilities of managers in the key operational functions.
3.Explanation of the key operational approaches to operational management and their value.
4.An evaluation of the impact of external business environment factors that affect decision making by leaders and managers.

How operations efficiencies can be improved to successfully meet business objectives using

5.appropriate management and leadership approaches.
6.Conclusions and supported recommendations for future improvements to be taken by the organisation.

It is recommended that you use your own place of work (if appropriate). Alternatively, you may choose another organisation as an example for this assignment.

7.For P4: Explain the key approaches to operations management and the role that leaders and managers play.
8.For P5: Explain the importance and value of operations management in achieving business objectives.
9.For P6: Assess the factors within the business environment that impact upon operational management and decision-making by leaders and management.
10.For M3: Evaluate how leaders and managers can improve efficiencies of operational management to successfully meet business objectives.