Contemporary Management Issues: Challenges and Responses

Section 1: Identifying and Explaining Contemporary Management Issues

The summative module assessment comprises an Assignment Essay of 2500 words (+/- 10% ) consisting of 2 sections:

Identifying, explaining and illustrating managerial or organisational responses to a contemporary business management issue and challenges, how these impact on organisations and managerial practice, and

A personal reflective statement, focusing on your own learning journey of personal development during completing relevant seminar tasks, in business and management terms.

More specifically, your assessment will include the following sections:

1)Identify a contemporary management issue of business significance; describe, and explore how this poses challenges for managing individuals and organizations in question. This should draw upon ideas and weekly lecture topics from across the module.

2)Research and illustrating with evidences; you need to show both how organizations/managers are actually responding to the challenges, and theoretical frameworks and concepts from the academic sources, as resulted from literature study and your wider reading.

3)Contextualising your discussion with the real life examples; suggesting on how organizations and managers should deal with the issue, and relate your recommendations to existing theories or ideas.

Outline what were the main challenges for you when managing/responding to Task 1 and Task 2 from the seminars; how did you develop yourself within a team environment, and how did you explicitly address any challenge in line with your own management values and beliefs, with the theoretical insights generated throughout the semeater.

Appendices:

To include Task 1 and Task 2 documentations

Note on Sources

With particular reference to the knowledge/theory aspects of the assessment you should utilise good quality sources such as: academic journals, textbooks, books, media outlets, professional publications and government publications are acceptable sources for your work.  Generic websites such as wisegeeks, businessballs, tutor2U, Wikipedia and public blog sites are not acceptable sources.   Actual quotations should include page number references or full website citation following APA referencing style (see below).

Late submission of work

Where coursework is submitted without approval, after the published hand-in deadline, the following penalties will apply.

For coursework submitted up to 1 working day (24 hours) after the published hand-in deadline without approval, 10% of the total marks available for the assessment (i.e.100%) shall be deducted from the assessment mark.

For clarity: a late piece of work that would have scored 65%, 55% or 45% had it been handed in on time will be awarded 55%, 45% or 35% respectively as 10% of the total available marks will have been deducted.

Section 2: Responding to Contemporary Management Issues

The Penalty does not apply to Pass/Fail Modules, i.e. there will be no penalty for late submission if assessments on Pass/Fail are submitted up to 1 working day (24 hours) after the published hand-in deadline.

Coursework submitted more than 1 working day (24 hours) after the published hand-in deadline without approval will be regarded as not having been completed. A mark of zero will be awarded for the assessment and the module will be failed, irrespective of the overall module mark.

For clarity: if the original hand-in time on working day A is 12noon the 24 hour late submission allowance will end at 12noon on working day B.

These provisions apply to all assessments, including those assessed on a Pass/Fail basis.

Word limits and penalties

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 must retain an electronic copy of this assignment (including ALL appendices) and it must be made available within 24hours of them requesting it be submitted.

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.

Academic Misconduct

The Assessment Regulations for Northumbria Awards (ARNA) contain the Regulations and procedures applying to cheating, plagiarism and other forms of academic misconduct.

You are reminded that plagiarism, collusion and other forms of academic misconduct as referred to in the Academic Misconduct procedure of the assessment regulations are taken very seriously by Newcastle Business School.  Assignments in which evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct is found may receive a mark of zero.

Mapping to Programme Goals and Objectives

This assessment will contribute directly to the following Undergraduate programme goals and objectives.  

1. Knowledgeable about the theory and practice of responsible business and management in an international context

Students will be able to:

Identify contemporary professional practice in business and management and understand how it is informed by theory and research.

Use knowledge of business and management to solve complex problems related to professional practice, thereby identifying justifiable solutions.

Identify an awareness of the cultural and ethical contexts in which international business operates.

2. Skilful in the use of professional and managerial techniques and processes Objectives:

Students will be able to:

Demonstrate effective interpersonal communication skills and the ability to work in multicultural teams.

3. Prepared for career and personal progression Objectives: Students will be able to:

Describe evidence of self-reflection as a means of informing personal development planning.