Assessment Brief – Newcastle Business School

Programme: Core module running across Business and Law programmes.

Module Code: HR9610

Module Title: Critical Organisational Analysis

Distributed on: First teaching week

Submission Time
12/05/21 at Noon
and Date:

Word Limit: Total of 3000 words

Weighting This coursework accounts for 100% of the total mark for this module

Submission of It is your responsibility to ensure that your assignment arrives before the
Assessment submission deadline stated on the eLP. See the University policy on late
submission of work (the relevant extract is set out below).
Electronic Management of Assessment (EMA): Please note that the assignment is
submitted electronically and will be submitted online via Turnitin by the given deadline.
You will find a Turnitin link on the module’s eLP site.
 

Instructions on Assessment:

Submit a 3000 word structured essay, in which you critically evaluate the practices/behaviours in an
organisation of your choice. You will research the organisation to identify practices/behaviours that are
problematic and require investigation as well as recommendations to attend to the issues identified. You will
write from either the symbolic or contemporary theoretical perspectives, using Organisation Theory from the
most relevant theme taught in the module. The perspective needs to be carried through the assignment and
present through every section.
The themes that we will cover in the module are:

o Structure and Agency

o Identity
o Culture
o Organisational Learning, Tacit Knowledge and Knowledge Management
o Aesthetics, Performance and Narrative
o Power and Control
o Gender

Guidance for writing the essay

You are encouraged to structure your essay as follows:

 Introduction to the essay and rationale for the choice of organisation [10%]
 A brief section justifying your choice of theoretical perspective: either the symbolic or the
contemporary and how this impacts on your writing approach [20%]
 A critical literature review on the one theme that you consider to have the greatest importance for
that organisation, using either the symbolic or the contemporary theoretical perspective as your
context [20%]
 Critical evaluation of the practices/behaviours of the case organisation in relation to the selected
theme through critical application of the reviewed theories [30%]
 Conclusions [10%]
 Reference list: Cite no fewer than 5 contemporary academic journal articles that are discussed in the
essay. You should also cite additional references from books, textbooks, credible news outlets and
professional journals [10%]

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Guidance for choice of the organisation

You can select an organisation you are familiar with, e.g. your placement organisation or an organisation you
would like to work with. You can alternatively select one of the following organisations:

 OXFAM https://www.oxfam.org.uk/
 British Cycling https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/
 Zara https://www.zara.com/
 Tesla https://www.tesla.com
 Tyneside Cinema https://www.tynesidecinema.co.uk/
 HSBC https://www.hsbc.com.hk/

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.

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
 Reference list  Appendices
Contents page  Appropriate tables,
 Quotes from figures and
 Glossary  Bibliography interviews and illustrations
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 ARTA 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.

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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 Taught Awards (ARTA) contain the Regulations and procedures
applying to cheating, plagiarism and other forms of academic misconduct.

The full policy is available at: http://www.northumbria.ac.uk/sd/central/ar/qualitysupport/asspolicies/

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. Knowledge & Understanding:

Students will be able to:

x 1. Assess knowledge of contemporary organisation and management practice informed by

theory and research
x Appraise knowledge of Organisation Theory to complex problems in professional practice in
order to identify justifiable, sustainable and responsible solutions

2. Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:

x Be able to communicate effectively to diverse audiences utilising knowledge and

understanding of the diverse range of perspectives on Organisation Theory and practice
x Critique creative and critical thinking skills that involve independence, understanding,
justification and the ability to challenge the thinking of self and others

3. Personal Values Attributes:

Students will be able to:

x 1. Have the attitudes and skills to work constructively and sensitively in multi-cultural
environments and teams and have an awareness of ethical considerations

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Module Specific Assessment Criteria

Criteria Scales
0-30% 30-40% 40-50% 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% 80-100%
Poor Inadequate Adequate Good Very Good Excellent Exceptional
No introduction to The introduction is Adequately effective Good introduction to Very good Excellent Outstandingly
Introduction the essay. not effective. introduction to the the essay, which introduction to the introduction to the effective introduction
and rationale Completely Insufficient essay. The includes a good essay, which essay, which to the essay, which
for the choice insufficient discussion of the discussion of the discussion of the includes a very good includes an includes an
of discussion of the rationale for choice rationale for choice rationale for choice discussion of the excellent discussion outstanding
organisation rationale for choice of organisation. of organisation is of organisation. rationale for choice of the rationale for discussion of the
of organisation. adequate. of organisation. choice of rationale for choice
MLO1,3 organisation. of organisation.

10 marks
Justification of Completely Insufficient Adequate Good justification of Very good Excellent Outstanding
the choice of insufficient justification of the justification of the the choice of justification of the justification of the justification of the
theoretical discussion of the choice of theoretical choice of theoretical theoretical choice of theoretical choice of theoretical choice of theoretical
perspective choice of theoretical perspective perspective perspective perspective perspective perspective
perspective
MLO 1,2,3

20 marks
Critical The review of the Insufficient review of Adequate review of Good and critical A very good and The literature review Outstandingly
Literature contemporary the appropriate and the appropriate and review of the critical review of the reflects excellent critical review of the
review on the literature is contemporary contemporary appropriate and appropriate and and critical review of appropriate and
chosen theme completely literature literature. The contemporary contemporary the appropriate and contemporary
insufficient review could be literature literature contemporary literature
MLO 1,2 more critical rather literature
than descriptive
20 marks
Critical Little or no Insufficient The chosen The chosen Very good and Excellent and critical Outstandingly
evaluation of discussion of the discussion of the practices/behaviour practices/behaviours critical evaluation of evaluation of the critical evaluation of
practices/ chosen chosen s have been have been critically the chosen chosen the chosen
behaviours practices/behaviours practices/behaviours adequately evaluated practices/behaviours practices/behaviour practices/behaviours
evaluated. The s
MLO 1,2 discussion could be
more critical
30 marks

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Assessment Brief – Newcastle Business School

Conclusions Little or no evidence The conclusions are The conclusions Good conclusions Very well related Excellent and The essay
of conclusive insufficient adequately highlight which appropriately conclusions which relevant conclusions concludes with
MLO 1,2,3 remarks key implications for highlight the key highlight the key which highlight key outstanding
the organisation implications for the implications for the implications for the conclusions, which
10 marks organisation organisation organisation, and for highlight key
theory implications for the
organisation, and for
theory.
Structure, Presentation is Presentation is not Presentation is Good presentation Very good Excellent An outstandingly
argumentatio completely sufficiently adequate, with few throughout. presentation professional crafted piece of
n and insufficient. professional. spelling and Spelling and throughout. presentation work which is
reference Numerous spelling Many spelling and grammatical errors. grammar of a good Spelling and throughout. professionally
quality and grammatical grammatical errors. Most citations, and standard. grammar of a high Excellent spelling presented
errors. Referencing the reference list, Very good APA standard. and grammar. throughout.
Failure to cite throughout and in are presented referencing Very good APA APA referencing APA referencing
10 marks references correctly the reference list is appropriately in throughout the main referencing used throughout the used throughout the
in the main text. No insufficiently correct. compliance with text. throughout the main text and list of main text and for the
reference list. Insufficient quality of APA style. The Accurate list of assignment. Good references. list of references.
Completely references contemporary and references. The discussion of the Excellent discussion Outstanding
insufficient quality of academic contemporary and cited contemporary of the cited discussion of the
references references have academic and academic academic and cited academic and
been adequately references have references contemporary contemporary
discussed been discussed references references
appropriately

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