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- QUESTION
ASSIGNMENT COVER SHEET
For use with online submission of assignments
Please complete all of the following details and then make this sheet the first page of your assignment – do not send it as a separate document.
Your assignments must be submitted as a Word document (.doc or .docx extension). If you wish to submit in any other file format please discuss this with your lecturer well before the assignment submission date.
Student Name:
Student ID No.:
Unit Name:
Unit Code:
Assignment No.:
Assignment Title:
Due date:
Date submitted:
Declaration:
I have read and understand the Rules relating to Awards (Rule 3.18) as contained in the University Handbook. I understand the penalties that apply for plagiarism and agree to be bound by these rules. The work I am submitting electronically is entirely my own work.
Signed:
(please type your name)
Date:
Assignment 1a –Worksheet
Due date: Prior to 11pm on Tuesday 15th March (week 3), 2016
Answers to each question require no more than a single sentence or two.
- Which particular Management Competency (MC) does your essay illustrate? (1 mark)
- Briefly discuss (1-2 sentences) how the MC featured in your essay specifically reflects the Rational Gaol approach to Management. (1 mark)
- Briefly describe the organisation in your essay, as well as the position and role that you undertook (or the person you interviewed) at the time the MC was experienced? (1 mark)
- a) Identify below (copy and paste) a short passage (1-2 sentences) from an academic article which, in your view, supports the importance or value of the MC that your essay is focused on. B) Show how you will paraphrase this passage (refer to the Library’s ‘Summarising and Paraphrasing’ quick guide). Be sure to show the appropriate in-text referencing details (refer to the Library’s Harvard Referencing Guide). (1 mark)
- Original passage
- Paraphrased version
- Show how the source details from Q4. will be identified in the Reference List at the end of your essay (refer to the Library’s Harvard Referencing Guide). (1 mark)
Purpose:
This assignment aims to develop students’ understanding of the Rational Goal management model through the integration of theory and practice. It introduces students to the practice of ‘reflecting’ on personal experiences in the workplace and highlights the learning that can be achieved when deliberate reflection is part of your skill-development strategy.
Task
Students are to write a reflective essay (max 600 words[1]) which details how one of the Rational Goal Management Competencies has been ‘experienced’ in the workplace.
Note: students need not have direct involvement with the management competency but simply observed its development, implementation or outcome in an organisational setting.
Students with no workplace experience on which to base their essay will need to identify and interview someone who can provide the required first-hand insight. (USE EXPERINCE FOR ME YOU CAN OF RESTRORENT)
The Assignment is divided into the following two stages.
Asmt 1a
In stage 1, students complete and submit the Asmt 1a worksheet (located in the Asmt 1 folder on BB) by the due date. Answering the questions will help students identify the key components of their essay.
Asmt 1b
The single document submitted for this stage of the assignment is to contain the following components and formatting features:
- Assignment ‘Coversheet’ (document is available in the Assignment file on Blackboard).
- Assignment ‘Coverpage’[2] identifying the unit name & code, assignment title, student name & ID, and the essay word count (note: Reference List content does not contribute to the word count).
- Content; i.e. your Reflective Essay.
- Both in-text and reference list skills must be demonstrated (use SCU Library’s Harvard Referencing style Guide).
- The essay is to include at least two distinct references from academic journals. You may cite your textbook and sources identified in it but they do not contribute to the reference count. Quoting is not permitted. Paraphrase the information obtained from the various sources.
- Reference List
Adopt the following formatting features for the paper:
- Apply page numbers. Page 1 comes after your coverpage.
- Font style: Times New Roman, 12pt, justified, 1½ line spacing.
- Margins - top and bottom to be 2.54cm. Left and right to be 2.54cm. No page boarders.
- Spelling - specify Australian English language/grammar when running your spell-check.
- Writing and grammar should conform to the standards of a professional report.
Structure and style of the Essay
The document ‘Reflective Writing – Quick Guide’ (available in the Assignment 1 folder on BlackBoard) highlights two different ways to structure the essay. Either approach is acceptable.
Develop a catchy title which highlights (surreptitiously) the focus of your Essay.
The aim is to write an interesting story which clearly illustrates a good example (positive or negative) of the way in which a particular Management Competency has been applied in an organisational context. It is important that the key concepts are presented in a logical manner so that the essay has good ‘flow’.
The essay should effectively blend your personal observation with support from academic publications (i.e. ideas or research findings). Focus on objectivity rather than subjectivity.
It is important that you use pseudonyms to protect the identity of the organisation and the individuals concerned.
This is not a Creative Writing exercise. The objective is not to write a dramatic script so avoid, as much as possible, using overly emotional language and tone.
Submit Process
All assignments are to be submitted through ‘Turn-it-in,’ which can be accessed from the ‘Assignment 1’ folder on Blackboard. The link will be activated in week 1 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, MNG10247, asmt 1a (or 1b)
For example – Gillett, P, 012345, MNG10247, asmt 1a
Feedback
Both assignment parts will be marked as quickly as possible so that feedback is promptly returned to students. Feedback will include a marking rubric and a copy of the assignment document with electronic comments from the marker.
[1] In the UIG it is stated that the maximum word limit for the assignment is 500 words. The minimum word limit is 500 and the maximum is 600.
[2] The assignment ‘Coversheet’ and ‘Coverpage’ contain similar information but they are separate documents and fulfil different purposes.
| Subject | Essay Writing | Pages | 8 | Style | APA |
|---|
Answer
The management competency discussed is fostering a productive work environment.
1.2
Under the role of a manager as a producer, he or she is expected to demonstrate a competency to create a productive work environment with the aim of increasing employee satisfaction and motivation and subsequently improve the quality of work.
1.3
The hotel had a restaurant and provided accommodation. I worked as a receptionist in the accommodation section of the hotel. I was responsible for welcoming the guests, answering any of their questions, dispensing room keys and handling check-in and check out.
1.4
- a) Original passage
The study allows for a reasonably confident assertion that perceptions of five work environment dimensions do consistently differ between high- and low-creativity projects, and thus these dimensions may play an important role in influencing creative behavior in organizations: challenge, organizational encouragement, work group supports, supervisory encouragement, and organizational impediments.
- b) Paraphrased version
In a study by Amabile et al. (1996) to determine the effect of the work environment on creativity, the study concluded that although there is a perceived difference between the jobs that require high creativity and those that do not, the environmental factors influences the creativity in organizations. The factors include encouragement from supervisors, challenge, encouragement from the organization, the supports of the work group and organizational barriers.
1.5
Amabile, T., Conti, R., Coon, H., Lazenby, J., And Herron, M. (1996). ASSESSING
THE WORK ENVIRONMENT FOR CREATIVITY. Academy of Management Journal, [online] 39(5), pp. 1154-1184. Available at: http://amj.aom.org/content/39/5/1154.full [Accessed 10 Mar. 2016].
Q1.b
Working in the Great Lake Hotel provided an invaluable experience. I worked there one summer in the bid to raise some money for a project I was undertaking. My job was in the front office department where I worked as a receptionist. The duties included welcoming the guests, answering any of their questions, dispensing room keys and handling check-in and check-out. The job was pretty easy and did not require much effort. Our aim was to keep the customers happy with the hope that they will return and or pass good word about the hotel.
My manager, Mr. Smith, was a careful person with good interpersonal skills, in particular with the guests. However, he did not believe in motivation. He believed that the best motivation came from a person and not any outside source. He subscribed to this concept, and he would tell us in our meetings that everybody was responsible for their actions, and we created our fate. He believed that if you did your work expecting a particular reward, then we should reevaluate ourselves and beliefs. Trivellas (2013) argue that under the rational goal model, the managers have to be highly motivated and be able to energize the employees to be effective. This is in line with fostering a productive work environment as illustrated with the rational goal model. Although our manager was highly motivated, he did not make an effort to motivate us. Additionally, he viewed the idea of knowing a person’s personal life was a deterrent to the effective performance of duty.
Rational goal model according to Riggs & Hughey (2011) provides the competencies of a the role of a manager as a producer and a director produce as working productively, creating a productive work environment, time and stress management, effective delegation, designing and organizing and visioning planning and goal setting. According to the manager Mr. Smith, our role in the workplace was producing results regarding customer satisfaction which would translate to more customers. Under the rational goal model, managers are expected to play the role of director and producer (Belasen, 2000). They are also supposed to simultaneously consider and balance the demands that are represented by the expectations.
Although the department knew its role and performed it, the working environment was not friendly as we constantly felt the pressure to perform. Although the resources required to perform the job were available, due to the approach used by the manager where our personal lives should in no way interfere with our performance, it was inevitable to feel like we did not matter and only the quality of our work mattered. However, this is not to say that the manager was mean, but he had a hands-off approach when it came to personal concerns of the employees.
In a study by Amabile et al. (1996) to determine the effect of the work environment on creativity, the study concluded that although there is a perceived difference between the jobs that require high creativity and those that do not, the environmental factors influences the creativity in organizations. The factors include encouragement from supervisors, challenge, support from the organization, the supports of the work group and organizational barriers.
Although performance was adequate, fostering a productive work environment can further improve the performance of employees. It will require time, but the advantages of a favorable environment will outweigh the cost of achieving it.
References
Amabile, T., Conti, R., Coon, H., Lazenby, J. And Herron, M. (1996). ASSESSING
THE WORK ENVIRONMENT FOR CREATIVITY. Academy of Management Journal, [online] 39(5), pp. 1154-1184. Available at: http://amj.aom.org/content/39/5/1154.full [Accessed 10 Mar. 2016].
Belasen, A. T. (2000). PARADOXES AND LEADERSHIP ROLES: ASSESSING
AND DEVELOPING MANAGERIAL COMPETENCIES. Management Development Forum, 1(2), pp. 73-98.
Riggs, M. and Hughey, A. (2011). Competing values in the culinary arts and hospitality
industry: Leadership roles and managerial competencies. Industry and Higher Education, 25(2), pp.109-118.
Trivellas, P. and Drimoussis, C. (2013). Investigating Leadership Styles, Behavioral
and Managerial Competency Profiles of Successful Project Managers in Greece. Social and Behavioral Sciences, (73), pp. 692-700.