Assessment - Coursework

This graded assessment accounts for 90% of your fin" rel="nofollow">inal grade and comprises two separate assessment exercises: Part A & Part B which are both weighted equally at 45% of your fin" rel="nofollow">inal grade.Part A In Part A, we assess learnin" rel="nofollow">ing outcomes related to topics 2, 3, 4 & 8 by providin" rel="nofollow">ing you with case study in" rel="nofollow">information on the leadership and strategic development processes which operate within" rel="nofollow">in the in" rel="nofollow">innovative context at Google. The purpose of this brief is to provide you: • Details of the coursework assessment: background to the case and questions • Information on presentation and submission date. • Guidelin" rel="nofollow">ines to assist you in" rel="nofollow">in answerin" rel="nofollow">ing the questions • The assessment markin" rel="nofollow">ing criteria and feedback sheet for Part A. Case Study Background & Questions Read carefully the case evidence on Twitter which is contain" rel="nofollow">ined in" rel="nofollow">in the followin" rel="nofollow">ing three sources: 1. Mark, K. & Parker, S. (2011) Twitter extracted from: Ireland, R.D., Hoskisson, R. E., & Hitt, M.A. (2013) The Management of Strategy: Concepts and Cases, 10th International Edition, South-Western, Cengage Learnin" rel="nofollow">ing, pages 371-377 2. Twitter (2013) Annual Report 2013, Twitter, Inc. in" rel="nofollow">investor.twitterin" rel="nofollow">inc.com/annuals-proxies.cfm> 3. Twitter (2014) Annual Report 2014, Twitter, Inc. in" rel="nofollow">investor.twitterin" rel="nofollow">inc.com/annuals-proxies.cfm> Each source covers a distin" rel="nofollow">inct period of Twitter’s strategic development from start-up, to stock market listin" rel="nofollow">ing (IPO), to growth within" rel="nofollow">in the in" rel="nofollow">internet in" rel="nofollow">information provider in" rel="nofollow">industry. • Source 1 provides a case analysis of Twitter’s strategic development at start-up (2006-2011). • Source 2 reports on Twitter’s strategic position havin" rel="nofollow">ing achieved an in" rel="nofollow">initial public offerin" rel="nofollow">ing (IPO) in" rel="nofollow">in 2013. • Source 3 reports on Twitter’s current growth directions and future strategic choices in" rel="nofollow">in 2014. 1 All sources provide in" rel="nofollow">insights in" rel="nofollow">into the leadership, strategy and in" rel="nofollow">innovation practices within" rel="nofollow">in Twitter. Source 1 critiques Twitter’s origin" rel="nofollow">ins, current busin" rel="nofollow">iness model and future strategic choices, whereas sources 2 and 3 provide a corporate account on Twitter’s mission, values, along with the content and direction of their strategy. Your analysis of the Twitter Annual Reports should therefore be particularly critical in" rel="nofollow">in order to answer the below questions. Part A of your coursework assessment requires you to answer two questions: Questions. 1. Usin" rel="nofollow">ing the Ashridge Sense of Mission Model analyse and in" rel="nofollow">interpret the case evidence to determin" rel="nofollow">ine Twitter’s sense of mission. 2. Examin" rel="nofollow">ine Twitter’s strategic decisions to date and in" rel="nofollow">indicate which theoretical approach best reflects their strategic development, and make recommendations for future growth. Both questions are equally weighed and you should review how gradin" rel="nofollow">ing is allocated in" rel="nofollow">in the Coursework Feedback Sheet on page 5. Presentation and Submission Date The assessment in" rel="nofollow">in Part A is a case analysis and you should note that case analysis is not a conceptual explanation or discussion but the application of concepts and frameworks to in" rel="nofollow">interpret the case in" rel="nofollow">information, analyse key events and statements, and reach evaluative judgements. The concepts and frameworks are covered in" rel="nofollow">in the workshops and prescribed readin" rel="nofollow">ing and the guidance below gives you a few poin" rel="nofollow">inters on how you need to use this knowledge to answer the questions. In developin" rel="nofollow">ing your analysis and arguments, you should use supportin" rel="nofollow">ing evidence from the in" rel="nofollow">information contain" rel="nofollow">ined in" rel="nofollow">in the case studies. Your answers must only be derived from the in" rel="nofollow">information on Twitter contain" rel="nofollow">ined in" rel="nofollow">in the three case evidence sources listed above. You are not required to consult other sources on Twitter or go beyond the end date of third source (2014). The reason for this is that your analysis and evaluation is bein" rel="nofollow">ing assessed at this poin" rel="nofollow">int in" rel="nofollow">in the organisation’s development and not in" rel="nofollow">in the light of subsequent events. As a result you should not in" rel="nofollow">include references on Twitter from the in" rel="nofollow">internet or other sources. In terms of presentation, in" rel="nofollow">introduce each question in" rel="nofollow">indicatin" rel="nofollow">ing how you will structure your answer and conclude each answer with reference to your precedin" rel="nofollow">ing arguments and the task required by the question. Do not present your answer in" rel="nofollow">in rigid report format but you may wish to divide your answer in" rel="nofollow">into sections which reflect the major elements of your analysis. The combin" rel="nofollow">ined word count of your answers to both questions must comply with the followin" rel="nofollow">ing guidance: 2 Min" rel="nofollow">inimum Length: 2000 words Maximum Length: 2500 words Submission deadlin" rel="nofollow">ine: Friday 19th August 2016, at 11.59pm The word limit excludes appendices and bibliography. Where a submission exceeds the stated word limit the maximum grade awarded will be P1. Appendices can be useful to provide additional in" rel="nofollow">information from your analysis but you must in" rel="nofollow">incorporate the key analytical arguments in" rel="nofollow">into the main" rel="nofollow">in body of your answer. Guidance Notes The assessment feedback sheet at the end of this section gives the markin" rel="nofollow">ing criteria for the overall case analysis. Remember, in" rel="nofollow">in writin" rel="nofollow">ing your solution to the questions you must not describe what the case says but use the concepts to analyse the in" rel="nofollow">information and use the evidence/facts in" rel="nofollow">in the case to support your analysis. Question 1 asks you to critically review if Twitter has achieved a strong sense of mission. The question specifically asks you to use the Ashridge Sense of Mission model which is part of your prescribed readin" rel="nofollow">ing for unit 2. Specifically you should apply and discuss the four elements of mission (Ashridge model) to Twitter. When considerin" rel="nofollow">ing purpose and strategy, you should analyse the case evidence on mission, values and strategy. When doin" rel="nofollow">ing this avoid bein" rel="nofollow">ing overly descriptive on the content of Twitter’s strategy as you will soon exceed the word limit. Attempt to develop arguments and, if necessary, in" rel="nofollow">include supportin" rel="nofollow">ing details in" rel="nofollow">in appendices. More crucially, you must address the central issue in" rel="nofollow">in the question of how the fifth element, a sense of mission, is achieved through the alignment of the employees’ personal values with the organisation’s identity and values. In doin" rel="nofollow">ing this, consider the role played by the leadership and management approach at Twitter – particularly discussed in" rel="nofollow">in sources 2 & 3 – to in" rel="nofollow">integrate the elements of mission, behavioural standards and values of the organisation, with those of the employees. You will also need to evaluate Twitter’s mission based on the company’s recent expansion and strategic developments to express and justify your opin" rel="nofollow">inion on whether Twitter have a achieved a strong sense of mission. To answer question 2 you will need to write a short essay by drawin" rel="nofollow">ing on your learnin" rel="nofollow">ing of strategic decision-makin" rel="nofollow">ing and your prescribed readin" rel="nofollow">ing from Johnson et al, chapter 12. Initially, you should commence your research by readin" rel="nofollow">ing and examin" rel="nofollow">inin" rel="nofollow">ing the case evidence in" rel="nofollow">in order to identify Twitter’s strategic decisions. Once you have identified these decisions, your essay discussion should focus on how this decision-makin" rel="nofollow">ing relates to deliberate and/or emergent forms of strategy development. When doin" rel="nofollow">ing this avoid bein" rel="nofollow">ing overly descriptive on the content of these decisions. Instead, you should ensure that the use the relevant theory to structure your discussion of case evidence. To develop your arguments further, a brief distin" rel="nofollow">inction between deliberate and emergent strategy would be useful, followed by 3 an in" rel="nofollow">in-depth discussion on which approach most closely resembles Twitter’s strategic development. To reach conclusions on how strategic decision-makin" rel="nofollow">ing is practised at Twitter, you should also identify strategic options and make recommendations for future growth. 4 Part A Coursework Assessment Feedback Matriculation No. Date of Submission: Module: Leadin" rel="nofollow">ing Strategic Decision-makin" rel="nofollow">ing Part A: Twitter Case Study Cohort: Category Grade Comment Presentation of analysis, use of appropriate concepts, and depth of understandin" rel="nofollow">ing of the issues raised in" rel="nofollow">in the case. (10%) Critically examin" rel="nofollow">ine Twitter’s sense of mission through its approach to leadership and management. (35%) Critically review Twitter’s approach to strategic decision-makin" rel="nofollow">ing and recommendations for future growth (35%) Ability to reach coherent and logical arguments from the analysis, supported by case evidence. (20%) E D C B A Fail (F1 – F5) Margin" rel="nofollow">inal Pass (P1) Satisfactory/ Good (P2-P3) Very good (P4-P5) Excellent (D1+) General Comments: Overall Grade: Marker: N.B. the percentages are shown as in" rel="nofollow">indications of the relative importance of each section and should not be taken as a precise in" rel="nofollow">indication of the markin" rel="nofollow">ing scheme. 5 PART B In Part B, we require you to write an essay on the followin" rel="nofollow">ing topic. Essay Topic: Accordin" rel="nofollow">ing to Hollander (2012), trust and loyalty are two bin" rel="nofollow">indin" rel="nofollow">ing elements in" rel="nofollow">in the leader-follower relationship. Critically examin" rel="nofollow">ine research that explain" rel="nofollow">ins how trust and loyalty can be established between leaders and followers. Present some examples of trust-based relationships between leaders and followers that have led to positive outcomes. Markin" rel="nofollow">ing schedule for Part B: 10% of marks are allocated to the presentation of the essay. The student’s work should be typed with clear use of paragraphs and headin" rel="nofollow">ings. Typographical and spellin" rel="nofollow">ing errors should be avoided. 10% of marks are allocated to appropriate referencin" rel="nofollow">ing of content. Students should familiarise themselves and make use of the Harvard referencin" rel="nofollow">ing system and should cite and reference material properly. Students should make use of a range of resources (books, journal articles etc) and the literature used should be appropriate to the arguments made. 60% of marks are allocated to the analysis presented in" rel="nofollow">in the essay. Students should examin" rel="nofollow">ine appropriate theoretical concepts and frameworks. Students should demonstrate an awareness of the wider context and present an in" rel="nofollow">in-depth discussion of current issues. Better students will demonstrate critical analysis skills and communicate their arguments in" rel="nofollow">in a clear and coherent manner. 20% of marks are allocated to the conclusions drawn. The conclusions should identify the key themes or issues under consideration. Conclusions should be well supported from the analysis and highlight the significance of arguments, evidence and in" rel="nofollow">insights Guidance Notes on Part B: You must refer to relevant literature throughout the essay. This can be in" rel="nofollow">in the form of textbooks, journal articles, or relevant web-based material. Student are directed in" rel="nofollow">in particular to the followin" rel="nofollow">ing databases which they may fin" rel="nofollow">ind useful in" rel="nofollow">in developin" rel="nofollow">ing their essay: • ABI Inform Complete (Proquest) • Ingenta • Science Direct • Sage Onlin" rel="nofollow">ine 6 In particular, the followin" rel="nofollow">ing journals may be helpful to you in" rel="nofollow">in relation to the prescribed topic: • Leadership Quarterly (Available on Science Direct) • Leadership and Organisation Development Journal (Available on ABI Inform) • Team Performance Management (Available on ABI Inform) • Journal of Management Development (Available on ABI Inform) • Group and Organisation Management (Available on Sage Onlin" rel="nofollow">ine) You may wish to refer to relevant theory or you may wish to cite relevant research or examples to support your arguments. Remember all material cited must be referenced usin" rel="nofollow">ing the Harvard Referencin" rel="nofollow">ing system. Also please refer to the University guidance notes on the avoidance of Plagiarism. Please remember to structure your essay appropriate. You should use headin" rel="nofollow">ings – and in" rel="nofollow">include an in" rel="nofollow">introduction, main" rel="nofollow">in body and conclusion/recommendations sections. Please do not label the main" rel="nofollow">in body as “main" rel="nofollow">in body”. You should avoid usin" rel="nofollow">ing footnotes in" rel="nofollow">in your essay. Please ensure you use UK English spellin" rel="nofollow">ing in" rel="nofollow">in your writin" rel="nofollow">ing – so avoid “z’s” such as “organization” and use the UK English spellin" rel="nofollow">ing of “organisation” in" rel="nofollow">instead. Bullet poin" rel="nofollow">ints and numbered lists should be avoided in" rel="nofollow">in your essay – with strong, well-supported arguments from the literature preferred. Please use “Justify” alignment and 1 and a half or double spacin" rel="nofollow">ing. Your font should be a suitable size (usually 11 or 12 font size). While we do not specify a particular number of references/citations to be in" rel="nofollow">included, you should in" rel="nofollow">include at least a min" rel="nofollow">inimum of 15 different journal articles in" rel="nofollow">in your essay. Please answer the topic posed. Your essay should NOT be a summary of leadership theories. You need to specifically address the topic and question posed. Min" rel="nofollow">inimum Essay Length: 2000 words Maximum Essay Length: 2500 words The word count in" rel="nofollow">includes your entire essay, your citations and your reference list. However, the word count does not in" rel="nofollow">include the cover page. The word count ranges between 2000 words and 2500 words (so please do not ask about 10% allowances related to the word count – your full word count should fit between 2000 words and 2500 words) Submission deadlin" rel="nofollow">ine: Friday 19th August 2016, at 11.59pm Please note that whilst the submission deadlin" rel="nofollow">ine is Friday 19th August 2016, at 11.59pm (UK time), you are free to make your submission (Part A or B or both) at any time before this date. You do not need to wait until this day, or the day before or the week before. 7 Important Note: Please ensure that Part A and Part B are submitted as separate documents. The documents should clearly be marked Part A and Part B and your matriculation number and module code should be clearly marked on the submission. Please also note that it is the in" rel="nofollow">intention of the module team to use grademark on this module – so you may receive feedback in" rel="nofollow">in this format. Turnitin" rel="nofollow">in: When uploadin" rel="nofollow">ing your file (either Part A or Part B) to Turnitin" rel="nofollow">in, please use your matriculation number as the file name. For example, your file name should take the followin" rel="nofollow">ing format “(401xxxxx Part A)” or “(401xxxxx Part B)”. Your name should not be marked in" rel="nofollow">in the submission. Please note that it can take 24 hours to receive an origin" rel="nofollow">inality report when usin" rel="nofollow">ing the Turnitin" rel="nofollow">in system. Please ensure you in" rel="nofollow">include your reference list within" rel="nofollow">in your Turnitin" rel="nofollow">in submission. 8 Coursework Assessment Feedback Matriculation No. Date of Submission: Module: Leadership Strategy and Innovation Part B: Essay Cohort: Category Comment Presentation of the essay. Clear use of paragraphs and headin" rel="nofollow">ings and the text is free from typographical and spellin" rel="nofollow">ing errors. (10%) Referencin" rel="nofollow">ing of content. Consistent use of Harvard Referencin" rel="nofollow">ing throughout the essay with adequate citation support for arguments bein" rel="nofollow">ing made. (10%) Analysis. Comprehensive examin" rel="nofollow">ination of appropriate theoretical frameworks and models. Strong arguments presented with critical in" rel="nofollow">insights and good communication skills in" rel="nofollow">in evidence. (60%) Conclusions. Clear identification of key themes and issues. Synthesis of core arguments and formulation of in" rel="nofollow">insights and recommendations as appropriate (20%) General Comments: Overall Grade: Marker: N.B. the percentages are shown as in" rel="nofollow">indications of the relative importance of each section and should not be taken as a precise in" rel="nofollow">indication of the markin" rel="nofollow">ing scheme. 9