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NATIONAL ECONOMICS UNIVERSITY

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT AND ECONOMICS

BTEC HIGHER NATIONAL DIPLOMA IN BUSINESS (RQF)


ASSIGNMENT BRIEF

Unit Code, Number and


L/618/5036 - Unit 4: Leadership and Management
Title

Semester and Academic


Semester 1 / Academic year 2023 – 2024
Year

Unit Assessor(s) Nguyen Van Thuy Anh / Duong Van Bay / Nguyen Thu Tram

Component Number and LM A1.1: Leadership and Management in the Workplace


Title (Assessment 1 of 2, Individual assignment)

Issue Date 3rd Oct 2023

Submission Date 10.00AM 3rd Nov 2023

Student name

Pearson
NEU Student ID
ID

I certify that the evidence submitted for this assignment is my own. I


Learner declaration have clearly referenced any sources used in the work. I understand
that false declaration is a form of malpractice.

Student name / Signature Date:

Submission format

● This is an individual assignment.

● The submission format is in the form of an E-report. Please refer the “Turnitin Submission
Rules” that was posted on Moodle.
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● The file on Turnitin must be in Word format and include the first page of this cover sheet.
The first page of the cover sheet should be in the picture format in order to ensure the accepted
similarity of Turnitin.

● The similarity allowed is up to 25% after excluding references.

● Name of the file includes Student ID_Unit name_Assessment no. (E.g. “1010001_LM_A1.1”)

● Ensure that authenticity declaration has been signed electronically.

● Plagiarism is unacceptable. Students must cite all sources and input the information by
paraphrasing, summarising or using direct quotes. A Referral Grade is given when Plagiarism
is identified in your work. There are no exceptions.

● Your evidence/findings must be cited using Harvard Referencing Style. Please refer to
Reference guiding posted on Moodle. The Reference page is compulsory to upload on Turnitin.

● This assignment should be written in a concise, formal business style using Arial 11 or Times
New Roman 13 font size and 1.5 spacing.

● The word limit is 4,500 words (+/- 10%).

● You MUST complete and submit softcopy of your work on the due dates stated on Assignment
brief. All late work is not allowed to submit. This rule is not waived under any circumstances.

● Read ALL Instructions on this Page and review the Pass, Merit and Distinction criteria
carefully. To pass the assignment, you must achieve ALL the Pass Criteria outlined in the
marking sheet. To achieve a Merit, you must achieve ALL the Merit criteria (and therefore the
Pass criteria). To achieve a Distinction, you must achieve ALL the Distinction criteria (and
therefore the Pass and Merit criteria).

Unit Learning Outcomes

LO1: Examine leadership and management theories and principles, and their impact on the
effectiveness of an organisation.
LO2: Review the influence of different leadership and management styles on the culture of
organisations.

Vocational Scenario

Introduction
LG Corporation, formerly known as Lucky-Goldstar, established in 1958 and have since become
leaders of the advanced digital era, thanks to technological expertise acquired by manufacturing
home appliances like radios and TVs. It is a South Korean multinational conglomerate founded by
Koo In-hwoi and managed by successive generations of his family. The headquarters are in the LG
Twin Towers building in Seoul. Nowadays, they control more than 142 local subsidiaries worldwide,
with roughly 74,000 executives and employees.
Their philosophy revolves around people, sincerity, and the fundamentals. LG focuses on
understanding customers, offering optimum solutions, and providing new experiences through

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ceaseless innovation to help people lead a better life.
They’ve developed their brand image gradually and consistently to communicate, “Life’s Good.”
Jeong-do management
The ‘Jeong-do management’ embodies high ethical standards
and transparent business operations. They explain they are
becoming a faster and smarter global brand of the future thanks
to their pioneering and innovative technology and continuous
growth.
LG aims to succeed through fair management practices and
constant development of business skills.

Sustainability
Sustainability is of great priority in LG’s business.
The company is focusing on two major areas: ‘3Cs’ for the planet, which are carbon neutrality,
circularity, and clean technology, and ‘3Ds’ for people, which are design for all, a decent workplace
and diversity & inclusion. As released in Sustainability report, LG said:
“3Cs for the Planet: Carbon Neutrality, Circularity and Clean Technology
This year, LG’s global sites recorded a total global emissions of direct (scope 1) and indirect (scope
2) greenhouse gases (GHG) of 92.7 million tons, * a 22 million ton decrease from the previous year –
a reduction that supports its pledge to achieve net-zero (direct and indirect) by 2030.
The company also recorded a renewable energy conversion rate of 8.2 percent. This comes after it
committed to only using renewable energy at its global business sites by 2050 and successfully
joined RE100 (Renewable Energy 100), an initiative advocating for businesses to convert to 100
percent renewable energy.
The company is also accelerating carbon reduction in the product use stage by expanding the
application of highly efficient eco-friendly technologies. Approximately 80 percent of LG’s total carbon
emissions come from the product use stage and includes indirect emissions (scope 3) that are
generated outside the company’s operational facilities. Last year, the functional unit carbon
emissions of seven major products, which accounts for about 80 percent of the carbon emissions
generated during the product use stage, decreased by 13.1 percent compared to 2020. Functional
unit carbon emission refers to the value obtained by dividing the amount of GHG emitted during the
average period of product use by the functional unit of the product. For example, a refrigerator’s
GHG emissions are expressed per liter while a washing machine’s GHG emissions are conveyed per
kilogram. In addition, in 2021, LG became the first South Korean appliance manufacturer to have its
GHG emissions reduction target at the product use stage (scope 3) validated by Science Based
Targets initiative (SBTi).
To establish a circular ecosystem, the company recovered a total of 472,876 tons of electronic waste
from 52 countries last year. Since 2006, LG has recovered a cumulative total of recovered electronic
waste that amounts to 3,992,768 tons. As of 2022, the number of recycled plastics used in the
company’s products reached 32,987 tons, 25 percent higher than 2021 figures. What’s more, the
company’s South Korean business sites recently received Zero Waste to Landfill (ZWTL) verification.
3Ds for People: Design for All, Decent Workplace and Diversity & Inclusion
LG has also been prioritizing accessibility by integrating voice recognition and voice guidance
features into its major products and distributing braille stickers that attach to every LG home
appliance. The company also plans to expand the universal design concept – products designed in a
way that makes them easy to use by everyone – to all products going forward.
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Last year, the company surveyed its major Tier 1 suppliers about their energy usage and carbon
emissions, and then verified this data through a third party. Since this year, LG has been raising
awareness among the executives and employees of its partners through a carbon neutrality
education program. A total of 152 suppliers have participated in the program as of the first half of this
year.
In addition, in accordance with international Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) standards, the
company is also providing support through third-party ESG certification reviews to pre-emptively
respond to ESG risks of suppliers in areas such as labour, environment, ethics as well as health and
safety. Beginning this year, the scope has been expanded to include partners based not only in
Korea but around the world.
Expanding Role of ESG Committee
LG continues to expand the role of the ESG Committee which reports to its board of directors to
internalize ESG management. The committee, made up of 4 independent directors and 1 executive
CEO, is overseen by chairman Seo Seung-woo, an independent director who was appointed to the
role earlier this year.
Last year, to ensure transparency in the management and governance of the board of directors and
governance structure, the ESG Committee established guidelines for the independence, diversity
and expertise of independent directors as well as the corporate governance charter.
Since 2006, the company has published its sustainability report every year. Starting last year,
alongside the LG ESG Fact Book which outlines its ESG management goals, activities and
performance, the company has published the ESG Story Book which helps customers and
stakeholders understand LG’s ESG activities in a more engaging story format”.
Core values
Uncompromising customer experience: consistently pursue high quality of products, services,
communications, and everything they provide meet their uncompromising.
Human-centred innovation: sincerely look at diverse people and their lifestyles, creating remarkably
innovation smart life solutions to lead the whole world in a better way.
Warth to power a smile: put care and thoughtfulness into everything they do, to make people’s lives,
communities, and the environment better, ensure their products and services leave people with a
smile.
On January 1, 1995, the morning newspapers unveiled LG's new CI to citizens nationwide. The
winking red smiley face had a simple message printed below, "Happy New Year."
The ad sparked widespread curiosity. Then, on January 4, after the New Year holidays, LG satisfied
public curiosity with a full-page newspaper article titled, "Lucky Goldstar turns into LG." This was LG's
first official greeting to the public.
The symbolic mark, dubbed the "Face of the Future", presented along with the new LG name, was
inspired by an artifact from the Silla Dynasty, the "Smile of Silla." It symbolizes five concepts (world,
future, youth, humanity, and technology) and describes LG's management philosophy of "Creating
Value for Customers" and "Promoting People-Oriented Management." The one-eyed smiley face,
created with the "L" and "G," represents goal orientation, concentration, and positivity. The
asymmetric blank section represents creativity and adaptation.
The "Face of the Future" represents striving to be the best in the world, embodying dynamic youth,
and undertaking new technological challenges. It also symbolizes the face of the global customers
that LG always keeps in mind. It shows LG's People Resolution to respect and satisfy customers all
over the world.
On December 31, 2015, after 20 successful years, LG embarked on another transformation. The
company developed the LG Smart Font, a reflection of love towards the customer, and applied it to

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the logo. The LG Smart Font incorporated the emotional connection of handwritten text and conveyed
a customer-oriented, innovative image. The font was also applied to the "Life's Good" slogan for
consistency and unity.
In May 2023, LG Electronics reinvented its brand to actively engage with customers across various
touchpoints. It added youthfulness and dynamism to its distinct brand identity, which aligns with core
values of uncompromising customer experience, human-centered innovation, warmth to power a
smile.
With brave optimism to ensure that Life’s Good for everyone around the world, LG Electronics
introduced its Active Red color and digital logo play and made its slogan “Life's Good” more iconic.
LG Vietnam
The LG Sel Electronics Joint-Venture in Vietnam was established in 1995 and in 1997 started to
manufacture the first product, namely the CTV. The second Vietnam-based affiliate, LG Meca, was
established in 1998 to manufacture refrigerating appliances. In 2002 LG Sel Electronics was
restructured as a 100% foreign-owned company. Later on the digital versatile disc (DVD), the liquid-
crystal display (LCD) and the cell phone were added to the LG product line in Vietnam. Together with
LG in Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, China, India, the United States and Brazil, the Vietnam-based
affiliate is an important manufacturing base of LG worldwide and as such participates in the global
value chain.
Like many foreign investors in Vietnam, LGEV used to face a big problem with different culture and
working styles of foreign managers and local employees along the company hierarchy. The language
barrier made it difficult for them to understand each other; Vietnamese staff was often too shy to
check the instructions from Korean managers again and thus could not follow them properly. The
cultural gap and the difference in the working styles resulted in a lot of misunderstanding and
conflicts between Korean and Vietnamese employees. As most Vietnamese employees of LGEV
were young and did not have either experience or soft skills, the differences piled up like a non-
tangible barrier and made them too unconfident at the workplace. The big question for the company
was how to get to know the issues and expectations of local workers and address them properly. If
the problem persisted work quality and productivity would be put at risk.
Mr. Ko Myung Eon, LG Electronics Vietnam General Director, commented on the impact of the
corporate culture as follows: “When the gap among people is filled up, all of us will become friends
and open our hearts on everything. This helps build trust and loyalty of the employees. The company
agenda will be understood from the bottom to the top the structure. Once we have trust and
solidarity, we believe nothing can block our way to success. This is the guiding principle to LG
Vietnam. I believe it is important for every company, including those in the electronics industry, to pay
attention to building its corporate culture.”
Open Communication is one of keys to work with people, which means controlling current self-pride,
communicating with speed & accuracy based on respect for others through modesty, attentive
listening/consideration, and open-minded thinking/behaviour.
Side by side, managers worked for harmonized industrial relations and strengthening corporate
culture. The efforts led to great achievements as LG is ranked in the Top 100 best to place to work in
Vietnam and in the list of most favourite employers in the electronics-electricity industry in 2022.

Assignment activity and guidance

You are the consultant, invited by top management of LG for specific responsibility to prepare a
report, citing relevant research, which addresses the following tasks in the areas outlined below:
Task 1: Examine leadership and management theories and principles, and their impact on the
effectiveness of an organisation

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- Discuss different theories of leadership in relation to the management activities in the business
management of the company.
- Explore different theories of management in relation to the management and leadership
activities in the chosen organization.
- Analyse the impact of the application of leadership and management theories on the
effectiveness of the organisation.
- Critically evaluate the impact of different approaches to leadership and management.
Task 2: Review the influence of different leadership and management styles on the culture of
organisations
- Assess different leadership and management styles and their application in a range of business
situations in the chosen organization.
- Examine the factors that influence the development of the culture in organization.
- Compare the impact of leadership and management styles on decision making in different
organisations.
- Evaluate the importance of organisational culture on the performance of the chosen
organization.
- Critically evaluate the impact of different approaches to leadership and management.
Notice:
Data are used for educational purpose only.
Sources:
- https://www.lg.com/global/
- LG 2022-2023 Sustainability Report
- https://www.lg.com/vn
- Company’s profiles
- And other documents provided by LG

Recommended Resources
Please note that the resources listed are examples for you to use as a starting point in your
research – the list is not definitive.

Weblinks
BBC Learning English. The Handy Guide to Management. Available at:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/work/handy/handy.shtml
Businessballs. Likert’s Management Systems. Available at:
https://www.businessballs.com/organisational-culture/likerts-management-systems/
HN Global
HN Global (2021) Reading Lists. Available at:
https://hnglobal.highernationals.com/learning-zone/reading-lists
HN Global (2021) Student Resource Library. Available at:
https://hnglobal.highernationals.com/subjects/resource-libraries
HN Global (2021) Textbooks. Available at: https://hnglobal.highernationals.com/textbooks
Journal articles
Alma Harris & Michelle Jones (2018) The dark side of leadership and management, School
Leadership & Management, 38:5, 475-477, DOI: 10.1080/13632434.2018.1509276
https://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2018.
M. Liphadzi, C.O. Aigbavboa, W.D. Thwala, A Theoretical Perspective on the Difference between
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Leadership and Management, Procedia Engineering, Volume 196, 2017, ISSN 1877-7058,
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877705817331004
Nafiisa Sobratee; Shamim Bodhanya; Leading in a global context: The balancing act between
leadership and management, JBRMR , Volume 12 Issue 4, 04 Jul 2018
https://doi.org/10.24052/JBRMR/V12IS04/ART-06
Textbooks
Kelly, P. and Cole, G. (2020) Management: Theory and Practice. 9th Ed. Cengage.
Mullins, L. J. (2019) Organisational Behaviour in the Workplace. 12th Ed. Harlow: Pearson.

Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria

Pass Merit Distinction

LO1: Examine leadership and management theories and


principles, and their impact on the effectiveness of an
organisation

P1 Discuss different theories of M1 Analyse the impact of the


leadership in relation to the application of leadership and
management activities in management theories on the
different organisations effectiveness of a large
organisation
P2 Explore different theories of
management in relation to the
management and leadership
LO1 and LO2
activities in different
organisations D1 Critically evaluate the impact of
different approaches to leadership
LO2: Review the influence of different leadership and and management.
management styles on the culture of organisations

P3 Assess different leadership M2 Compare the impact of


and management styles and leadership and management
their application in a range of styles on decision making in
business situations in different different organisations.
organisations

P4 Examine the factors that M3 Evaluate the importance of


influence the development of organisational culture on the
the culture in organisations performance of different
organisations

* Please note that grades are provisional. They are only confirmed once internal and external verifiers
have taken place, and the final decisions have been agreed by the assessment board.
* This grade only reflects the result of this assignment, not for the whole Unit.

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