LMP Unit Book 2011 (8)

Leading and Managing People

LMP Handbook © University of Bedfordshire 2011Published by the University of Bedfordshire Business SchoolLuton Campus, Vicarage Street, Luton LU1 3JU, United KingdomUnit Handbook © University of Bedfordshire 2011

Leading and Managing People

WelcomeWelcome to the Leading and Managing People unit of the University of Bedfordshire MBA Programme. This handbook contains all of the advice and information you need to successfully complete your work on this unit. It should be read in conjunction with the overall Programme Handbook, which you should have already received.The study guide serves two main purposes:It summarises the key concepts and provides you with a framework and a map for the unit. It provides you information about learning resources, infrastructure and virtual learning environment for studying MBA with the University of Bedfordshire.Learning resources at the University of Bedfordshire While at master’s level we expect you to read around widely around the topics, nevertheless the following learning resources are available and recommended for studying this unit:Each unit will be available as a BREO site website. This will provide administrative information on the unit such as when to hand in your assignments, details concerning the examination, and so on, in addition to the learning material.You will be provided with the downloadable and online learning materials specially chosen or developed by the University of Bedfordshire for this unit. The additional learning material will be primarily in the form of journal articles, chapters from books and websites. The BREO sites also provide a means of communication – with your tutor and with other fellow students.Recommended books and articles for each unit will provide the major source of learning and improving and widening your knowledge and understanding. More advice is given about how to get the best out of your study in coming sections of this handbook. If you have any queries about any aspect of the unit or the programme, you should contact your personal tutor, or one of the members of the unit teaching team whose contact details are available in the BREO site for this unit. Best wishes and good luck in your studies!

The MBA team

_______________________________________________________________________________________________University of Bedfordshire MBA of 13Unit Handbook: Leading and Managing People

1 Introduction to the unitLeading and Managing People is offered in the first semester because whatever function you carry out in an organisation, you need to work effectively with other people. You may already have managed a team or led a group of people and you have almost certainly experienced being part of a team. You will therefore already have some insight into the issues that we will be covering on the unit. LMP will introduce you to the range of different approaches to understanding the processes of leadership and management, including current research. It will also give you insights into your own capabilities and how you function as a manager. We believe that you cannot be an effective manager until you fully understand your strengths and areas for development.. To sum up, LMP will help you to become more aware of the ways in which you can make a positive contribution to the people management not only of your team but also your organisation. Most of the students on this MBA programme come from other countries than the UK. Therefore, one of the main areas we will discuss in the unit is whether management practices should be applied in the same way in any country in the world, or whether there are cultural factors that need to be taken into account. Is managing in the US the same as managing in India? There are different views about this but we have decided to introduce you to some of the research that suggests that culture is important, and that managers and leaders need to be able to adapt their approach flexibly. The aim of the unit is to introduce you to a number of different approaches to management and leadership and to give you the frameworks and tools to be able to decide how to adapt them to your own practice. This means that you need to know not just what a particular theory says, but how and why it was developed and what ideas, information and research it might be based on. Many people who write and research management disagree with each other. How can you come to your own view about which arguments are stronger or supported by better evidence, or more likely to be effective in your particular setting? These are the questions we will help you to consider.The effective management of the people that make up an organisation has always been important, but recent changes in the structure of enterprise, employment and organisational form have led to new expectations and new pressures, all of them changing more rapidly than ever before. Managers have to support their staff and colleagues in ways that ensure that the appropriate skills, knowledge, and behaviour are available as environmental demands change and the organisation adjusts to those demands.2 Overall aims of the unitThe aims of the unit are that you will have:Become familiar with a range of different approaches to understanding how people behave in organisations and developed the ability to evaluate their potential for application in practice,Become more aware of the external and internal factors that influence how people behave in organisations, including cultural and ethical considerations, and developed the ability to respond appropriately,Become more aware of your own beliefs about leadership and management and developed the ability to understand how these both empower and constrain you in taking appropriate action.

3 Overview of unit contentThe topics we cover are organised around three themes; external influences that affect people in organisations such as culture, ethics, the social and political environment; issues that need to be considered in managing across organisations such as building collaborative partnerships and strategic alliances, and the skills needed to manage inside the organisation such as the ability to manage diversity, motivation and communication. These are described in more detail in the programme below. The programme is organised so that you become more aware of the factors


that influence people outside the organisation that they bring with them when they walk through the door, and the different ways in which you can work with these factors to create a good working environment that supports people in developing their own potential.4 Prerequisite knowledge or skillsThere are no prerequisites for this unit and it will be presented in the first semester of your MBA. However you will benefit from the unit if you have some managerial experience and are a practising manager because you can then more easily transfer your learning to your place of work by reflecting on your current practice of people management. 5 Learning outcomes of the unit in more detailAfter completing this unit you should be able to:Understand and critically analyse a range of models and theories that help us as practising managers to work effectively with employees to ensure that the organisation achieves its purpose,Identify the role of the organisation within the context of any international/global activity e.g. representing, communicating, trading, partnering with managerial staff in other organisations; adopt appropriate stances towards collaboration with staff from overseas partner, or subsidiary, organisations.Become more aware of your personal stance and style towards the leadership and management of staff, using appropriate reflective analysis techniques, and how you might want to change or adapt them,Understand the relevance and importance of critical analysis for personal development. Understanding the models of learning and change and how these relate to effective self development Liaise appropriately with specialist staff in the HRM/D domain on issues of selection, training, and monitoring of their employees, contributing appropriate induction and ongoing development, and taking the initiative in calling for specialist support where necessary.6 The semester overview

Weekly ProgrammeThe programme is divided into three themes; theme one: external factors influencing management and leadership, theme two: managing the boundary between the external and internal environment and theme three; managing within the organisation.

Theme one: weeks one – four: external factors influencing management and leadershipWeek one: Leadership and management in the 21st CenturyThis is the introductory session. In it we will discuss some of the factors influencing leadership in the 21st century such as the globalisation of culture and economics, the


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potential impact of new social media. We will also explore the (controversial) distinction between leadership and management. Seminar: An introduction to the unit and a discussion of mutual expectations.Reading: Mellahi, K. (2000) Western MBA Education and Effective Leadership Values in Developing Countries; A Study of Asian, Arab and African MBA Graduates, Journal of Transnational Management Development 5/2: 59-73

Week two: The Impact of Culture on LeadershipThis session will introduce different theories about the influence of ‘national’ cultures on leadership and management. It will include an overview of approaches to identifying dimensions of culture, including Hofstede, Trompenaars and Hampden-Taylor and SchwartzSeminar: Applying cultural ‘dimensions’ to a case studyReading: Zander, L. and Romani, L. (2004) Why Nationality Matters: A Study of Departmental, Hierarchical, professional, Gender and Age-Based Employee Groupings’ Leadership Preferences across 15 Countries International Journal of Cross Cultural Management 2/4: 291-316

Week three: Understanding Business Ethics within an International ContextThis session will focus on the importance of ethics and values. It will look at different perspectives about what constitutes ethical approaches to work, including those originating from different religions and cultural traditions. We will look at different, international approaches to managing ethics including the Tata Steele’s creation of an Ethical Manager position, also the ‘MBA Oath’.Seminar: DVD on the Coca Cola Plant in KeralaReading: Van Nimwegen, T., Soeters, J. and Luijk, J. (2004) Managing Values and Ethics in an International Bank, International Journal of Cross Cultural Management 4/1: 101-122

Week four: Vision, Mission and PurposeThis session will consider whether an organisation’s vision, mission, purpose and operating procedures should be in alignment. The session will look at the idea of leadership as the ‘management of meaning’. The session will also introduce open systems theory as a way of bringing the answers to the questions what, how and why together. Seminar: Creating a statement of purposeReading: Jochum, V. and Pratten, B. (2009) Values into Action: How Organisations Translate Their Values into Practice NCVO publications

Theme two: Weeks five – seven; Managing the boundary between the organisation and its environment

Week Five: Reflexive learningThis session will concentrate on the relevance of reflexive learning as a core leadership competence. Different approaches to reflexive learning will be discussed along with a consideration of cultural factors that may influence learning styles.Seminar: Developing reflexive learning skillsReading: Jackson, T. (1995) European Management Learning: A cross-cultural interpretation of Kolb’s learning cycle Journal of Management Development 154/6: 42-50

Week six: Negotiating collaborative relationships internally and externallyThis session explores some of the issues of establishing productive work relationships with people in other departments, team, organisations, sectors, and trans-nationally.


Some structural frameworks such as matrix management collaborative and strategic partnerships, and joint ventures will also be discussed. Seminar: Student led seminar on the journal articleReading: Kanter, R.M. (1994) Collaborative Advantage: The Art of Alliances Harvard Business Review July / August 96-108

Week seven: Understanding Issues of Power, Authority and LegitimacyThis session will cover different ways of making sense of power relationships at work, both in terms of formal and informal power; and also of resistance to power. Key ideas discussed will be empowerment as a leadership and management competency and some of the ways in which power dynamics work at a more unconscious level, such as Gramsci’s ideas about hegemony and Foucault’s ideas about how people discipline themselves. We will also relate these ideas to Hofstede’s view that different cultures may see power relationships differently. Seminar: Student led seminar on the journal article Reading: Gordon, R., Clegg, S. and Kornberger, M. (2009) Embedded Ethics: Discourse and Power in the New South Wales Police Service Organization Studies 30/1 : 73-91

Theme three: Weeks eight – to ten: Managing people within the workplace

Week eight: Managing DiversityThis session will introduce students to some of the key debates in the field of diversity and equality including the ‘business case’ for diversity and possible conflicts between the diversity and the equality approaches. We will also discuss the extent to which these approaches, which mainly originate in the US and the UK, are equally relevant in combating discrimination in the labour markets of different countries.Seminar: Student led seminar on the journal article Reading: Syed, J. and Ozbilgin, M. (2009) A Relational Framework for International Transfer of Diversity management practices, International Journal of Human Resource Management 20/12: 2435-2453

Week nine: Managing MotivationUnderstanding what motivates people to be committed to work and to developing their stills to their greatest potential is an important part of managing people. This session will include a review of some of the main approaches to understanding motivation and their relevance for working with a multicultural workforce.Seminar: Student led seminar on the journal article Reading: Andolsek, D.M and Stebe, J. (2004) Multinational Perspectives on Work Values and Commitment, in International Journal of Cross Cultural Management 4/2: 181-210

Week ten: Managing CommunicationThis session will discuss some of the issues to take into account in communication and understanding communication. These include Hall’s distinction between high and low context cultures, formal and informal communication, ‘symbolic’ communication such as branding, and the growing importance of social networking and the media.Seminar: Exercise: Communicating across high / low context culturesReadings: Blenkinsop, J. and Pajouh, M.S. (2010) Lost in Translation? Culture, Language and the Role of the Translator in International Business, Critical Perspectives on International Business 6/1: 38-52

Wurtz, E. (2006) International Communication of Websites: A Cross Cultural Analysis of Websites from High Context and Low Context Cultures Journal of Computer Mediated Communication 274-297


Week eleven: Structuring organisingThis session will look at different ways of structuring organisations which are also related to different ways of thinking about organisations – should organisations be like machines? Or should they grow organically/ or are they networks? These questions will also provide a framework for reviewing the topics covered in the unit.Seminar: Reflective review the unitReading: Nguyen, H.N. and Mohamed, S. (2009) Leadership Behaviours, Organizational Cultures and Knowledge Management Practices: An Empirical Investigation, in Journal of Management Development 30/2: 206-221Week twelve: exam preparation and individual tutorials

READING AND STUDYING

You need to read a lot! You are strongly advised to spend at least 6 hours a week reading for each unit you take. You should start by going over the powerpoint slides and your notes to make sure you understand everything that was presented. Then you should look at one of the textbooks suggested below to read more generally about the topic. Finally, you should measure that you read each journal article that is suggested for each week. These will not always give you an overview or introduction to the topic but they will take one aspect of it and show you how it is relevant to current leadership and management practice.TextbooksThere are a number of good textbooks that provide an introduction and overview to the themes that are covered in the unit. You are strongly advised to refer to these on a regular basis. If you can afford to buy one then you should, because then you will have no problem getting access to a book when you need it. However, no single textbook covers every issue well and they all are written from different perspectives, so try to read about the same topic in more than one book.

A very good textbook for understanding UK/US approaches to the topics covered is:Wilson, F. (2010) Organizational Behaviour and Work: A Critical Introduction 3rd edition Oxford: Oxford University PressFor a more cross cultural perspective:Lucas, R., Lupton, B. and Mathieson, H. (2006) Human Resource Management in an International Context CIPDOther good general textbooks include:Huczynski A and Buchanan D 6th Edition, Organizational Behaviour, Financial Times Management, London. There are additional materials available on www.pearson.co.uk/hucbuc where you will find valuable additional learning material.

Armstrong M 8th edition (2001), A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice, Kogan Page - companion website at www.booksites.net/arnold_workpsych

Clegg, S., Kornberger, M. and Pitsis, T. (2005) Managing and Organizations Sage

Linstead, S., Fulop, L. and Lilley, S. (2004) Management and Organization: A Critical Text Palgrave Macmillan

Watson, T. (2002) Organizing and Managing Work Financial Times / Prentice Hall

Another good introduction and overview of issues of cross-cultural management is provided by:

French, R. (2010) Cross-Cultural Management in Work Organisations (2nd edition) London: CIPD


http://www.pearson.co.uk/hucbuc

Other texts include:

Adler, N. (with Gundersen, J.) (2008) International Dimensions of Organizational Behavior (5th edition) Prentice HallBrowaeys, M-J., and Price, R. (2008) Understanding Cross-cultural Management Harlow: FT Prentice HallGuirdham, M (2005) Communicating across cultures at work (2nd edition) Palgrave MacmillanHarzing, A-W, and Pinnington, A. (2010) International Human Resource Management (3rd edition) London: SageHofstede, G. (2001) Culture’s Consequences: International Differences in Work Related Values SageHofstede, G. and Hofstede G. J. (2005) Cultures and organizations: software of the mind (revised and expanded 2nd edition) London: McGraw-Hill, Jandt, F. (2007) An Introduction to Intercultural Communication: Identities in a Global Community (5th edition) SageJackson, T. (2002) International HRM: a cross-cultural approach SageMead, R. and Andrews, T. (2009) International Management: Cross-cultural Dimensions (4th edition) WileyPerkins, S. & Shortland, S. (2006) Strategic International HRM - choices and consequences in multinational people management London: Kogan Page. Schneider, S. and Barsoux, J-L (2002) Managing Across Cultures (2nd edition) Prentice HallSmith, P., Harris Bond, M. and Kâgitçibasi, C. (2006) Understanding social psychology across cultures: living and working in a changing world London: SageSteers, R., Sanchez-Runde, C. and Nardon, L. (2010) Management across Cultures: Challenges and Strategies Cambridge: Cambridge University PressThomas, D.C. (2008) Cross-Cultural Management: Essential Concepts London: Sage Trompenaars, F. and Hampden-Turner, C. (1997) Riding the Waves of Culture; Understanding cultural diversity in Business (2nd edition) Nicholas BrealeyWard, C., Bochner, S. and Furnham, A. (2001) The Psychology of Culture Shock Routledge

Relevant journals include: International Journal of Human Resource ManagementJournal of International Business StudiesCritical Perspectives on International BusinessCross Cultural Management International Journal of Cross Cultural ManagementBritish Journal of ManagementEuropean Management JournalGender, Work and OrganizationHarvard Business ReviewHuman Resource ManagementHuman Resource Management JournalJournal of Management StudiesJournal of PsychologyInternational Journal of Cross Cultural ManagementInternational Journal of Human ResourceManagement LearningOrganizationOrganization StudiesPersonnel ReviewWork, Employment and Society


Journal articles can also be accessed by a variety of databases and e journals, and are a useful and important source of information. More details of these can be obtained through the Learning Resources Centre – you can use your Digital library account to access these important resources. Also look out for magazines such as the ‘Economist’ as Ill as the business sections of the quality newspapers. The bi-monthly magazine published by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development ‘People Management’ is a good source of readable information and research, especially for assignments and often a useful starting point. The Internet can be a valuable source of information.

We also subscribe to XpertHR which is the UK’s biggest and most comprehensive source of HR information made available as a single online subscription service. XpertHR draws on an unprecedented range of HR information from specialist journals and online services. It currently offers more than 24,000 articles from these authoritative sources, along with a specially commissioned employment law reference manual, a model policies and documents service, a comprehensive full-text UK and EU legislation database and much more.

Recommended websites and online contentThe following websites and online resources also contain much that will help you as you study this unit: Be very selective in your use of websites as the information on many of them may be of poor quality!!!!!ACAS: www.acas.org.ukChartered Institute of Personnel and Development: www.cipd.co.ukChartered Management Institute: http://www.managers.org.uk/institute/home_3.aspData Protection: www.dataprotection.gov.ukDiscrimination issues and the Law: www.equalitydirect.gov.ukEmployment Law: www.compactlaw.co.uk and www.lawzone.co.ukEqual Opportunities Commission: www.eoc.org.ukEconomist: www.economist.com Financial Times: www.ft.comHRZone: www.hrzone.co.ukLearning and Skills Council: www.lsc.gov.ukPeople Management: www.peoplemanagement.co.ukPersonnel Today: www.personneltoday.netRedundancy: www.redundancyhelp.co.uk9 How to study this unit

This unit is offered in your first semester and many of you will be unfamiliar with the UK and with expectations of students here. You need to make sure that you take advantage of all the support that is available here such as extra English classes, support from the library and support in study skills. See your unit tutor in her office hours if you are finding it difficult to understand the ideas and concepts presented in the class. After each session you should go over the lecture slides and make sure you understand what they mean. If you are confused, then make a note to ask about it the following week. Then have a look at a textbook for a more detailed overview of the issues raised. Then be sure to read the journal article that will be posted on BREO each week which will help you to develop your understanding in more depth. We would expect you to spend a minimum of 9 hours in independent study per unit each week. Full time means full time!!!!!In the UK we are most interested in whether students can apply what they have learned. That means that you need to do much more than just memorise the slides and descriptions of the theories given in the textbook. You will need to show that you understand them, that you can see how they could be useful in the workplace, but also their limitations. This is what you will be assessed on in the exam and the coursework.


http://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/

http://www.lsc.gov.uk/

http://www.hrzone.co.uk/

http://www.ft.com/

http://www.economist.com/

http://www.eoc.org.uk/

http://www.lawzone.co.uk/

http://www.compactlaw.co.uk/

http://www.equalitydirect.gov.uk/

http://www.managers.org.uk/institute/home_3.asp

http://www.cipd.co.uk/

http://www.acas.org.uk/

You will get the most out of this unit if you reflect on your own people management capabilities. There will be some areas of this process where you experience difficulties – this is very normal and you should find that actively reflecting on your performance and at the same time using the ideas in the LMP material, will help you to feel more confident. Reflection is an important part of learning and you will get much more out of the unit if you think through scenarios and examples that illustrate the learning points. Many managers are so busy they do not give themselves ‘thinking time’ – this is not a wise thing to do and you will benefit and learn more from LMP if you make sure you give yourself this time. This process of ‘transformative learning’ illustrates the real significance of adult learning when you as a learner begin to re-evaluate your lives and to re-think them – this is genuine reflective learning leading to positive capability development. Obviously it is also important to read the learning materials and read ‘around’ the content – please do NOT just rely on the one textbook – this is not enough. 10 Assessment

AssessmentsThere are two assessments for this unit – the written assignment details of which are set out below and an examination. The brief for the written assignment is given below. The assignment and the examination are weighted equally in terms of their contribution to the final grade you will receive for this unit. If you fail in one part of the assessment, the assignment for instance then it is possible to compensate and pass the unit overall provided you do sufficiently well in the examination, and vice versa.The written assignment (50% of total final grade) This is an individual piece of work that is based on the application of some of the management theory and practice we have looked at so far during the course. Your evidence and discussions in this assignment must be related to an effective people management problem or issue relating to motivation. Assessment Task:During the first four weeks we will be looking at some of the things that influence organisational culture, and how culture affects the performance of individuals, teams and leaders. Identify a situation or a scenario preferably from your previous work experience, where the culture of the organisation has had a negative effect on staff. Drawing on the theories that we have discussed in the lectures and seminars, critically analyse the situation and give some suggestions, again supported by theory, on how the situation could be better managed in the future.

If you are unable to identify an appropriate situation from your previous work experience then you may draw on your current experiences of being a student adjusting to the cultural expectations of a different educational system from your own.

Whichever situation you chose your paper must demonstrate an ability to apply theory to help you to understand the satiation more clearly and to see how you might take action to improve it.

Your paper must demonstrate that you are able to make use of the resources of academic research that are available to you through current academic journals and books. You may access these through academic data bases on the internet but do not rely on more informal internet sites such as Wikipedia etc.. You must consult some original sources in preparing your paper – not just internet sites. Papers that ONLY contain references from internet sites will fail. In order to gain a pass mark you must refer to LMP theory and practice with clear and accurate referencing. Any assignment which shows evidence of plagiarism will be failed. The marking feedback sheet is set out below. Late submission of the assignment will result in the award of a ‘fail’ grade.


Your paper should be no longer than 2,500 words. The deadline for submission in Friday of week 6: 25 March 2011. You will need to submit a paper copy to the registry in Park Street and an electronic copy via Turn-it-in on the BREO site.

Proposed structure

Introduction: This should summarise your paper clearly saying what issue you are writing about, which theories you are using to help you analyse the issue and what you key recommendation is. You will probably find it helpful to write this at the end, when you know how your paper has developed.

A brief description of the workplace issue you are going to analyse: You should write this so that it is clear tot he reader what the issue is, and why you think it is a problem, and you should be sure to identify the evidence you are using. For example, if you perceive that staff are not motivated at work, how do you know this? Because of the way they behave? Because of what they tell you? Because of changes in the results of their performance? Be sure we know what evidence you are drawing on.

The analysis of the issue using theory: This is where you will draw on some of the theories about organisational culture (and this can be either cross cultural theories or internal cultural theories or both) to help you to develop a deeper understanding of the issue.

Recommendations: This is where you suggest how the issue could have been better managed, or could be better managed in the future. Just as you have drawn on theories in the analysis you should also use theories to support your recommendations.

Conclusions: This can be a very brief section but you need to bring your paper to a close with a short summary of the main points that you have made.

Bibliography: Here you should list all of the sources you have used. Be sure to use the ‘Harvard’ referencing system and ask for advice if you do not know how to do this. Other university libraries also provide guidelines on the Harvard system. Examples are: http://www.education.ex.ac.uk/dll/studyskills/harvard_referencing.htmhttp://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/referencing/harvard.htmhttp://www.tvu.ac.uk/lrs/guides/harvard.html

Marking Scheme: The main things we are looking for are evidence that you have understood the theories you are using and can apply them to analysing a real work issue.

We want to see that you are developing the postgraduate level skills of critical analysis – this means that we don’t want you to just accept that every theory is right. You need to be able to reach a judgement about how valid, useful or reliable a particular theory is. So you need to consider what kind of evidence would support that theory and also what kind of evidence might suggest that there are problems with it. This is the difference between just describing a theory, telling us what it says, and analysing the theory.

We also want to see that you are able to understand your own role in the organisation better. You could demonstrate that by showing insight in how you


http://www.tvu.ac.uk/lrs/guides/harvard.html

http://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/referencing/harvard.htm

http://www.education.ex.ac.uk/dll/studyskills/harvard_referencing.htm

present the issue you are describing, how you analyse your own involvement in the issue and how you might do things differently in the future.

The actual grade that you get will be determined by how well you can do each of these things.

Differential Assessment Criteria

A (16-14) This answer will demonstrate very high levels of critical analysis and also insight into the dynamics of the behaviour of individuals and groups in organisations. The theories chosen to analyse the problem are appropriate and the analysis reveals very good understanding of both the theories and the issue. The recommendations flow from the analysis, they are appropriate and would be likely to lead to real improvements.

B (11-13) This answer shows good understanding of the issue, which will be presented carefully and in a way that demonstrates insight into the nature of the problem and how cultural influences affect it. Theories are well chosen and applied to an analysis that is persuasive. The recommendations are clear and reasonable.

C (8-10) This answer shows that you have a reasonable grasp of conceptual analysis but much of the discussion is descriptive overall. There is some evidence of applying the theories to the analysis but this might be presented as a series of points rather than a clearly structured argument. The understanding of theories that is demonstrated in the analysis might be somewhat superficial. The recommendations may be either unrelated to the theory or somewhat impractical.

D (5-7) The issue is described in a vague way, there is little evidence offered to support it, the theories and analysis are relevant but not clearly applied. The understanding and insight demonstrated in this answer will be mostly superficial. The recommendations may not clearly link to the analysis or the theory.

E (4) The issue is unclear, the presentation of theory demonstrates very little understanding and there is little insight. The findings from the analysis are unsystematically presented and based on uncertain evidence and opinion. Conclusions are unlinked and similarly with recommendations. Very descriptive, with no synthesis of existing scholarship and little argument. Use of scholarly conventions inconsistent.

F (2) Inadequate information base. Lack of understanding of key issues and/or research skills and showing no evidence of learning and understanding LMP principles and practice. Very weak academic/ intellectual skills. Ignorance of scholarly conventions – plagiarism detected. Examination Paper (50%) of total grade/mark awarded for the unit.The exam will be based around an academic journal article. You will be given the article in week 11. You are encouraged to read it many times. The exam will consist of 6 questions and you must chose three to answer. You may bring the article into the exam and you can highlight passages in the article but you will not be allowed to make notes.The questions will require you to apply your understanding of the theory and practice of LMP to analyse the situations discussed in the article. They will draw on the topics covered in the unit. You are required to draw on the different theories about people in organisations that you have learned and use them to justify your answers.We will have an exam revision session in week 12. You will be given a copy of the previous semester’s exam and some examples of answers to grade to give you some familiarity with what we are looking for, as will the marking scheme given below.


You will not be provided with a marking scheme in your actual LMP examination. The marking scheme is meant to act as a guide for you to understand the demands of the exam and how you should include LMP theory and practice to demonstrate your understanding of how this can help managers to work through practical problems at work.

Exam Marking Scheme

The purpose of the exam is to test the extent to which the student understand the theories they have been taught by applying them to specific situation described in the article and by designing an answer to the question that is well argued and with observations clearly justified. In order to pass an answer MUST show how the student is APPLYING the theories.

A (14-16) An excellent answer that demonstrates significant grasp of the theories and their application as well as limitations. The analysis reflects very good understanding of the article and its relevance in a wider context. Very persuasive conclusions, argument well structured and developed.

B (11-13) A very good answer that demonstrates deeper understanding of the theories and can apply them to analysing the article in a way that shows an ability to use theory productively. The reasons for the conclusions are clearly explained and justified and the argument is persuasive.

C (8-10) An good answer that draws on theory and applies it to the question and shows a good grasp of the issues. The question is clearly answered.

D (5-7) An answer that shows some attempt to answer the question and draws on theory but the analysis may be superficial and demonstrates fairly sketchy understanding. There may be some reasonable conclusions but it may not be clear how the student arrived at their answer.

E (4) An answer that may attempt to answer the question but demonstrates no understanding of either the theories or the article. An example would be an answer that reproduces descriptions of theories or lecture slides and includes some reference to the article but the application is muddled and confusing, or does not answer the question.

F (2) An answer which contains no analysis. An example is an answer that just copies text from the article or just reproduced lecture notes.


LMP Unit Book 2011 (8)

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