Relationship between Leadership and Organisational Performance

The assessment task is to write a 2000-word literature review on the following topic –

“The relationship between leadership and organisational performance”

Students could narrow down the scope of the literature review on to specific aspects of leadership such as types, styles, etc and its inter-relationships with specific facets of organisational performance such as financial performance, innovation performance, sustainability and responsibility, and so on. Another way to narrow down the scope of the review is to focus on a particular industry and evaluate the relationship between leadership and organisational performance in that industry.

The literature review must critically evaluate and synthesise the current state of knowledge on the given topic. Therefore, it is recommended that only articles published in the last 5 to 7 years be reviewed for this assessment as it will provide an overview of the contemporary debates on the topic. It is also recommended to use articles published in the top-ranked academic and practitioner journals given in Table 1.

Visit the links below for detailed information on literature review and critical writing –

https://skillshub.northampton.ac.uk/literature-reviews/

https://skillshub.northampton.ac.uk/critical-thinking/

Mandatory requirements

A 100-word abstract must be presented. The abstract is excluded from the word count.

All citations and references must be in the Harvard referencing format (https://skillshub.northampton.ac.uk/referencing/). References are excluded from the word count.

The assessment must be submitted in Microsoft Word format.

Learning Outcomes

The learning outcomes that are being assessed in this assessment are:

Critique debates on contemporary issues in business that influence leadership, strategic decision making, and responsible management.

Contextualise, synthesise, and critically evaluate the inter-disciplinary literature in business and management

Develop and support an argument using evidence, analysis, and critical reflection based on academic and practitioner literature.

Communicate management concepts and arguments effectively to specialist and non- specialist audiences.

Your grade will depend on the extent to which you meet these learning outcomes in the way relevant for this assessment. Please see the grading rubric at the end of this assessment brief for further details of the criteria against which you will be assessed.

Word Limits 

The maximum word limit for this assessment is 2000 words.

The word limit for this assessment is 2000 words. Allowing for +10%, the maximum word count is 2200 words.

In accordance with the Assessment and Feedback Policy, as stated in section 4.40 where a submission exceeds the stipulated word limit by more than 10%, the submission will only be marked up to and including the additional 10%. Anything over this will not be included in the final grade for the assessment item. Abstracts, bibliographies, reference lists, appendices and footnotes are excluded from any word limit requirements.

In line with section 4.41 of the same Policy, where a submission is notably under the word limit, the full submission will be marked on the extent to which the learning objectives have been met.

Assessment Support

The support provided and explained below is for students in University of Northampton. [Partner institutions delivering this module will provide local arrangements for assessment support]:

The session in week 4 is focused on academic skills. Indicative content includes how to write a literature review, critical writing and synthesis, and reviewing sample literature reviews. Tutors may choose to focus on academic skills for a part of the sessions in other weeks also, depending on the learning needs of the student group.

A ‘writing retreat’ is scheduled in week 6 where students should submit a 300-word written piece of work to receive feedback on critical writing and synthesis (This support is available for distance learning students also. Date will be announced in NILE)

Support for writing is also provided by Library and Learning Services - http://libguides.northampton.ac.uk/studysupport (Available for distance learning students also)

Drop-in sessions with the Learning Development team are available by appointment - http://libguides.northampton.ac.uk/studysupport/learningdevelopment (Available for distance learning students also)

An online discussion board or ‘Collaborate Ultra’ session will be available for distance learning students. Date/time of this session will be announced in NILE.

Generic Grading Criteria 

Table 2 provides the grading criteria against which you will be assessed.

The Masters (level 7) generic grading criteria is available at University Grading Criteria (open in Firefox browser). Also explained here are the meanings of the various G grades at the bottom of the grading scale.

Assessment Submission

To submit your work, please go to the ‘Submit your work’ area on the NILE site and use the relevant submission point to upload your report. The deadline for this is 11.59pm (UK local time) on the date of submission. Please note that essays and reports must be submitted as word documents and not PDFs.

Written work submitted to TURNITIN will be subject to anti-plagiarism detection software.  Turnitin checks student work for possible textual matches against internet available resources and its own proprietary database.

When you upload your work correctly to TURNITIN you will receive a receipt which is your record and proof of submission.

If your assessment is not submitted to TURNITIN rather than a receipt you will see a green banner at the top of the screen that denotes successful submission.

N.B Work emailed directly to your tutor will not be marked. The only exception to this is when you are instructed to do so because TURNITIN is down.

Late submission of work

For first sits, if an item of assessment is submitted late and an extension has not been granted, the following will apply:

• Within one week of the original deadline – work will be marked and returned with full feedback, and awarded a maximum bare pass grade.
• More than one week from original deadline – maximum grade achievable LG (L indicating late).

Extensions

The University of Northampton’s general policy with regard to extensions is to be supportive of students who have genuine difficulties, but not against pressures of work that could have reasonably been anticipated.

For full details please refer to the Extensions Policy.  The module leader can, where appropriate, authorise a short extension of up to two weeks from the original submission date for first sits only.

Mitigating Circumstances

For guidance on Mitigating circumstances please go to Mitigating Circumstances  where you will find detailed guidance on the policy as well as guidance and the form for making an application.

Please note, however, that an application to defer an assessment on the grounds of mitigating circumstances should normally be made in advance of the submission deadline or examination date.

Plagiarism and Academic Integrity 

Unless this is a group assessment, the work you produce must be your own with work taken from any other source properly referenced and attributed. The University of Northampton policy will apply in all cases of copying, plagiarism or any other methods by which students have obtained (or attempted to obtain) an unfair advantage.

If you are in any doubt about what constitutes plagiarism or any other infringement of academic integrity, please read the University’s Academic Integrity and Misconduct Policy. For help with understanding academic integrity go to UNPAC  and follow the Top Tips for Good Academic Practice on the student hub.

Please note that the penalties for copying work from another source without proper referencing are severe and can include failing the assessment, failing the module and expulsion from the university.

Feedback and Grades

These can be accessed through clicking on the Feedback and Grades tab on NILE. Feedback will be provided by a rubric with summary comments. For work submitted to TURNITIN, please also click through for within text comments.