ASSESSMENT 3 – Harvard Case Study

ASSESSMENT 3 – Harvard Case Study

PROJECTS AND PEOPLE

ASSESSMENT 3 – Harvard Case Study

For Online and Internal students

 

Due date: 14 May 2015 11.59pm (midnight) via Turnitin.

 

40% of your mark

 

Word Count: 1200 words

 

MARKING GUIDE (PAGE 6) – PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU ATTACH THIS TO THE END OF YOUR ANSWER.

 

 

SUBMISSION INFORMATION

 

  1. Please complete the essay in a Word document that you will need to upload to Blackboard via Turnitin by midnight 14 May.
  2. The file name of your Word Document should follow this format: Surname_First Name_student number_P&P Ass3.  For example: Jones_Mary_12465976_ P&P Ass3. docx
  3. At the top of the first page you must have your first and last name, your student number, your email address and the following heading: P&P641 – Harvard Case Study Assessment 3.
  4. B. Please cut and paste a copy of the marking guide (below on page 6) at the end of your essay.

 

Read and analyse the case study and then answer One of Three questions below.

 

THE QUESTIONS

 

  1. What caused the conflict between the project managers and the other employees and what recommendations/ solutions based on your academic research into OB theory do you suggest?

 

2.How would you design the authorities of a project manager at BEC?  Your recommendations/solutions need to be based on your academic research into OB theory.

 

  1. BEC is still growing and needs to hire more employees. For the future, what are your suggestions for Mr. Zheng about employee qualifications and training sessions? Your recommendations/solutions need to be based on your academic research into OB theory.

 

 

DOWNLOAD AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

  1. You will find the Harvard Case Study link on Blackboard under Assessments – Assessment 3
  2. You hit the link and download the case study. PLEASE ONLY DO THIS ONCE. CURTIN HAS TO PAY A$5 for each download.

When reviewing your written responses you should reflect on the following areas:

 

  1. Is your diagnosis and recommended action practical to implement and/or a good fit for the context presented in the case study?
  2. Is the diagnosis and recommended action you put forward based on a sound theoretical basis?
  3. Have you demonstrated critical thinking skills in responding to these issues, i.e. have you gone beyond description and demonstrated deep, critical analysis to arrive at their recommendations/solutions?
  4. Have you used appropriate academic writing style and referencing?

 

 

 

General Information

  1. You will be asked to review the case study in the context of the relevant OB concepts and theoriesavailable in the textbook and academic journals anduse this information to answer the questions relating to the case study.
  2. You are asked to read and analyse the case study and then answer One (1) of Three (3) questions.
  3. The chosen question must be numbered according to the number in the question sheet and you must write the question out in full, before answering.
  4. At the end of thequestion you must provide a word count and bibliography.

 

 

 

Analysing the Questions

 

#1 Read the questions carefully

  • What are you being asked to do? Decide? Describe? Analyse? Make recommendations? Use this information to focus your reading of the case study.  Highlight key words, characters, and events.
  • Start to think about the OB theories and concepts that could be related to the case.

#2 Read the case study carefully

  • Read it from beginning to end to get an overall idea of what is happening.
  • Highlight anything you feel is important and related to the problem.

Sometimes the problems are not immediately clear and you may need to read the case several times before you understand fully what is happening. It’s important to understand the CONTEXT of the situation so that you can see how this might influence decisions made and resulting consequences.

#3 Ask questions and be a detective

  • Descriptive questions: Where? What? When? Who?
  • Analytical questions: Why? How? What if?
  • Evaluative questions: So what?  What next?
  • Investigate and eliminate what is irrelevant to the situation or appears to not fit the case context.
  • Make notes. Analyse and organise the information.
  • Support your argument using theories and facts found in your course and reference literature – academic journals found using Google Scholar or Curtin library facilities such as One Search and/or databases

 

 

#4 Structure your response

Make sure your answer:

  • Is evidence-based (using data from the case),
  • Is supported by relevant literature,
  • Demonstrates integration and synthesis,
  • Uses linking words to connect your argument, and includes a short introduction and conclusion
  • There is no “right” answer – as long as your argumentsare supported through evidence of research and well crafted by your critical thinking skills, many different points of view are possible. I have marked at least 300 Harvard Case Studies in MBA and Project Management programmes – the variety of possible responses always amazes me!

#5 One possible structure

  • Introduction
  • Analysis of the case
  • Identification of major issues
  • Possible solutions/recommendations
  • Conclusion

#6 Always look at the marking guide (remember this one? J)

Always look at the assessment question and marking guide together.  Think of them as one document.  Remember these questions from last time?

  • How are the marks distributed and what are the implications?
  • Are there any ‘easy’ marks in the marking guide (relatively speaking)?
  • How many parts to this assessment?
  • Four Questions to ask yourself from the marking guide:
    • Is your diagnosis and recommended action practical to implement and/or a good fit for the context presented in the case study?
    • Is the diagnosis and recommended action you put forward based on a sound theoretical basis?
    • Have you demonstrated critical thinking skills in responding to these issues, i.e. have you gone beyond description and demonstrated deep, critical analysis to arrive at their recommendations/solutions?
    • Have you used appropriate academic writing style and referencing

 

REFERENCES

 

Minimum 6 scholarly references from academic journals.

 

References from other sources such as textbooks, reputable magazines such as the Economist etc can be used as long as you have 6 scholarly references.

 

Wikipedia is not acceptable as it has very little credibility since anyone can go in and change a Wikipedia page.  Wikipedia is a wonderful quick reference for everyday enquiries but not suitable for academic writing which is aiming for intellectual rigor which is based on reliable evidence.

 

ACADEMIC WRITING

This essay, like all the assessments in this course, uses academic writing style. Academic writing is an exercise in higher order thinking and developing intellectual rigor, skills which are beneficial for all aspects of your life.  It is a life long learning skill and the hallmark of an educated individual so it is worth the endeavour.  As William James, philosopher and psychologist said, “A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices.”
USEFUL RESOURCES FOR YOUR PRESENTATION:

Under the Assessment Tab on Blackboard – the folder “Essential Information for the Assessments – Everything you need for academic writing and research” You will find the following items in detail:

  1. GOOGLE SCHOLAR – A VERY USEFUL AND EFFICIENT RESEARCH TOOL – Everyone please read! The Curtin librarians and myself have compiled this document. Google Scholar allows you to find the most cited articles (articles that have been used by other academics in their own articles) quickly – it is win win – you find the best quality information quickly.
  2. CRITICAL THINKING – A very comprehensive and graphically engaging document from the University of Plymouth – “Academic work is intended to be ‘scholarly’. This means it should be of a high standard and appropriate to the particular level of study it represents. An important way to demonstrate the quality of your arguments, or evidence in your academic writing is by referring to work by others. The status of this work depends on how authoritative it is. If you are a critical reader, you look for ‘authority’ in the form of references to relevant supporting work, which has been published, in academic journals, or textbooks. In these kinds of publications the content has been ‘peer-reviewed’. This means that another qualified academic who will have read it critically to ensure that the material it contains is factually accurate and that the reasoning behind it is sound should have independently evaluated it. This is unlike the material which may often be found in newspapers, magazines or from many online sources, where the content may not have been checked by anyone else, or where the work simply puts forward one person’s opinion. “ p. 8

This PDF contains an excellent chart comparing  the characteristics of Descriptive Writing vs Analytical and evaluative writing on Page 7  – using descriptive writing is most common mistake made in writing academic essays, with incorrect or absent in text referencing and a correct bibliography being a very close second, leading to the next topic.

  1. Referencing and Bibliographies – links to all the Curtin library sources of information on this topic
  2. FACTIVA DATABASE – The database Factiva is very useful for reputable magazines, newspapers etc and it is very up to date – it contains information up to yesterday. This fills in a gap in the academic literature, which is often one or two years old. Factiva is a mixture of scholarly and non scholarly sources, mainly non scholarly but nonetheless, reputable. It will be a very useful source for your assessment.
  3. Library videos for Curtin University – a very useful list especially suited for beginners compiled by our English Language Development Coordinator Dr. Trish Dooey. Her contact details are under her tab in the ilectures folder.

6.Dr. Trish Dooey – Trish will provide you with help and feedback in writing your assignments.You can see her videos under the ilectures tab on the left hand side of BB.   The first one (available now) is a 10 minute introduction to Academic Writing which is very useful whether you are new to academic writing or refreshing your skills.  Also available is the Leadership video (10 minutes).  The HCS video will be available shortly.

You can contact Trish for help with your assessments at P.Dooey@curtin.edu.au

 

 

 

Project And People   – Semester 1 2015

 

Marking guide for Assessment 3: Harvard Case Study Essay  (40%)

Name_____________________________________________

Mark   /40

 

 

Name _____________________________________________________________

Case Study (answer 1 question)

 

Word count 1200 words per question (+/- 10% not including references)  

 

Area covered

 

Question No: Feedback

 

1) Are the recommendations/solutions provided practical to implement and a good fit for the context? (6)  /12
2) Are the recommendations/solutions based on a sound theoretical basis? (6)  /12
3) Has the student demonstrated critical thinking skills in responding to these issues, ie they have gone beyond description and demonstrated deep, critical analysis to arrive at their recommendations/solutions? (4)  /8
4) Does the student use appropriate academic writing style and referencing? (4)  /8
Total marks                                                 /40