Individual Assignment:
Online Discussions
You are required to contribute approximately 300words to your Discussion Forum in Blackboard (available under the tool folder). This will start in week 5. The nature of each contribution can be found on the weekly discussion forum in Blackboard. As a guide, the contributions need to be based on thoughts that arise after completing the week’s reading, video materials, etc. The thoughts may be based on personal experiences in (a not to be named) organisation (past or current), or perhaps from a website, journal article or mass media item that is relevant to the week’s module topic. The thoughts that are posted to the forum should be considered and reflect logic and the nature of the topic. The intention with this task is to generate discussion about topics in modules to make material in the text come alive. Students who make comments, observations or remarks, about other students’ contributions (in an appropriately supportive way) will further enhance their marks in this task.
At the end of Week 10, students should combine what they consider to be their Five (5) best contributions and submit them to their lecturer via Safe Assign. Students are strongly advised to make contributions from the very first week rather than leaving it to the last minute to make their minimum contribution. The workload at the end of the Trimester is heavy enough without adding the extra demand of having to make all five, two hundred word contributions in these last few weeks.
The word limit is 1500 words in total, plus or minus 10%. This will be strictly observed for the choice of “Five best contributions “Submitted for assessment. Print the word count on the second line of your submission, your surname, given name and student number on the first line. Should your combined FIVE forum contributions exceed the 1500 word limit, and then you will need to edit this.
Your lecturer will view contributions regularly, providing selective feedback as required.
Assessment Criteria
1. Demonstrates careful reading & inquiry into subjects (6marks)
2. Responsible cited: offers examples (6marks)
3. Quality of post (6marks)
4. Connection to personal experience (6marks)
5. Engagement with others (6marks)
Week 5 Activity Perception
Choose a film that you have seen recently, and which you particularly enjoyed. Now find a friend or colleague who has seen the same film, and who hated it.
Discuss your views of that particular film. What factors (age, sex, background, education, interest, values and beliefs, political views, past experience) can you identify that explain the differences in perception between you and your friend or colleague?
Week 6 - Motivation
Visit www.greatplacetowork.co.uk and take a look at the UK’s 50 best places to work, as well as the 100 best workplaces in Europe.
Find out what these companies do to motivate their staff.
Week 7 Activity (Group Behaviour and Team at Work)
Please read the following case study from your prescribed textbook and answer the 3 questions at the end:
Case Study: -Why don’t teams work like they’re supposed to?- p.263
Week 8 Activity (Leadership)
Task
Watch the following video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKUPDUDOBVo (Ten Leadership Theories in 5 minutes)
Activity:
Answer the following questions:
1. What is the difference between trait and behaviour theories of leadership? are the theories valid?
2.How can organisations select and develop effective leaders? provide 1 example.
Week 9 (Power & Politics)
Please read the following case study from your prescribed textbook and answer the 4 questions at the end:
Case Study: Delegate power or keep it close?- p.360
Week 10 (Conflict & Negotiations)
Please read the following case study from your prescribed textbook and answer the 3 questions at the end:
Case study: -Choosing your battles?-p.391
Week 11 (Organisational Change)
Answers the following questions:
1. Identify three to five sustaining innovations that have affected you over the past year.
2. Identify three to five disruptive innovations that have affected you. Did you welcome these innovations because they were Beneficial’s, or did you have cause to complain?
Week 12 (Cultures)
Based on your studies of Organisational Behaviour in the past 11 weeks, explain whether interpersonal skills, motivation, group behaviour, leadership style, conflict management, structure, predominant leadership style, training and HRM practices are all culturally relative.