Faculty of Business and Law
Assignment Brief
Module Title Perspectives in Creative Leadership Assignment Number Two
Module Code ENTE 3522 Assignment Title Individual Theoretical Essay
Module Leader Dr Huriye Yeroz
Assignment Weighting 50%
Assignment Release Date: 03 Oct 2023
Submission Date/Time: Monday, 25th March 2024 (12.00-noon)
Assessment Information – What you need to do
This individual assignment will ask you to frame and structure a short critical paper of 2000 words around the focused research question of your choice in leadership. While we provide some suggestions on specific research questions below, you don’t have to limit your choices with those.
Essay Topics:
1. Critically appraise the difference between situational leadership versus traits approach or skills and style approaches to leadership, providing examples of strengths and weaknesses of each approach using at least one example to embellish your answer
2. Discuss how leaders can facilitate and promote creativity and innovation in individuals, teams or organizations. Use appropriate theory and examples to support your answer.
3. Critically discuss how specific leadership contexts, such as leadership in the context of health care, religious organizations, business, third-sector, etc., might shape the leadership practices, processes or models using at least one exemplary case to support your arguments.
4. Critically discuss how diversity markers such as gender, ethnicity/race, religion, sexuality so on affect leadership. Please concentrate on one of these diversity markers and critically discuss how particular diversity/identity markers shape some leadership aspects. For example, you can ask a question like: “To be a female leader, do you have to emulate masculine leadership?” Please use appropriate examples to support your answer.
Criteria for Assessment – How you will be marked
The assessment is structured around significant elements listed below:
Introduction (10 %): Proper introduction of the essay, which demonstrates the theoretical inquiry underpinning the direction of the essay from the outset.
Research (20 %): The research has been undertaken beyond the core material and lecture guidance in line with the relevant chosen essay topic.
Critical Approach (20 %): A critical approach has been undertaken to appraise or discuss your chosen essay topic.
Accurate examination (20 %): Accurate business/leader examples – support analysis through evidence-based reasoning.
Conclusion (20 %): Discussion and conclusion critically reflect all analyzed theories or perspectives.
Essay Writing (10 %): A lateral approach to essay writing can be seen, with correct academic
language and Harvard citation and referencing incorporated throughout (DMU Harvard Style)
Further, we developed the rubrics tailored to your leadership development levels. The four levels will help you identify and position your reflective leadership development and show areas to improve accordingly. According to your total score, you may call yourself as one of the following;
Non-Theoretical Leader: 0-25%
Theoretical Novice: 26% -%50
Analytical Leader: %51-75%
Theoretical Leader: 76%-100%
General Assessment Criteria
The general assessment criteria are based on the logical development and depth of your argument, evidence of independent relevant research, and the careful application of the assıgnment brief guidance.
Assessment Details
• Title: Find a brief and catchy title that will reflect the main message and context of your reflective essay
• Introduction:
• Start with briefly introducing what we will be reading in this essay by addressing questions like:
o What is the purpose of the study?
o What is the research question(s) posed to address this research problem?
o Why is it important to read/study that?
o What theoretical frameworks or tools are used; why are these selected?
o What will be the intended contribution(s)?
Context/background:
o If your inquiry tackles a particular context, please introduce the context, including the main actors in that field, business (organizational) and industry context, any other specific aspects characterizing this context. If not, you can skip that part.
Theoretical Framework and Analysis:
o Describe the major theme or essential question(s) you focused on, specifically address how you will approach and address the research problem at hand. For that;
o Introduce the reader a particular theoretical framework(s) that you will use in inquiring into your research problem. Instead of covering many different theoretical frameworks, please pick one or max two theories and work through the concepts within this framework.
o Let us know/justify why you picked up this theoretical framework and how you expect/think this theoretical approach and perspective(s) help(ed) you address the specific research problem you are aiming to address. Also, how they are used to solve some other research issues.
o Bring forward different theoretical discussions and perspectives about your research topic and question. Elaborate on these perspectives to build up your theoretical argument or side. Of course, you will need to make a clear case out of these discussions.
Discussions and Conclusions:
• Let us recall the purpose of this essay and what you have found after examining your case(s).
• Provide clear lines of critical discussion related to each research question(s) posed in the beginning.
o Whether/how your theoretical framework(s) were helpful, please be very specific here how/in what ways this particular theory helped you or failed to help you. For instance, what questions you could ask/get a response to or what issues you could or not address with the help of this theory.
o Discuss if/whether this theory applies to similar cases, models, contexts or aspects of leadership like yours. Why or why not? Here you can get the help of discussions we held in the classroom or read additional articles on the strengths and criticisms towards particular approaches you adopted.
o Please return to the overall theory or perspective and critically reflect upon its explanatory capacity by referring to your particular case and context. Make generalization(s) and abstractions here. Try to be bold (but also informed)! Finally, please address what future research can learn from the central question.
How to Submit your Assessment
The assessment must be submitted on Turnitin by Monday, 25th March 2024 (12.00-noon). No paper copies are required. You can access the submission link through the module web.
If your work is not on Turnitin, it will not be marked.
Please submit your work to the correct folder on the seminar tutor’s name:
Dr Huriye Yeroz Seminar Groups-Assignment 2 Submission: Theoretical Essay
Dr Ayodele Osunmakinde Seminar Groups-Assignment 2 Submission: Theoretical Essay
Dr Rachel Stevens Seminar Groups-Assignment 2 Submission: Theoretical Essay
• Your coursework will be given a zero mark if you do not submit a copy through Turnitin. Therefore, please ensure that you have fully submitted your work.
• Please ensure that you have submitted your work using the correct file format; unreadable files will receive a mark of zero. The Faculty accepts Microsoft Office and PDF documents unless otherwise advised by the module leader.
• All work submitted after the submission deadline without a valid and approved reason will be subject to the University regulations on late submissions.
o If an assessment is submitted up to 14 days late the mark for the work will be capped at the pass mark of 40 per cent for undergraduate modules or 50 per cent for postgraduate modules
o If an assessment is submitted beyond 14 calendar days late the work will receive a mark of zero per cent
o The above applies to a student’s first attempt at the assessment. If work submitted as a reassessment of a previously failed assessment task is submitted later than the deadline the work will immediately be given a mark of zero per cent
o If an assessment which is marked as pass/fail rather than given a percentage mark is submitted later than the deadline, the work will immediately be marked as a fail
• The University wants you to do your best. However, we know that sometimes events happen which mean that you can’t submit your coursework by the deadline – these events should be beyond your control and not easy to predict. If this happens, you can apply for an extension to your deadline for up to two weeks, or if you need longer, you can apply for a deferral, which takes you to the next assessment period (for example, to the re-sit period following the main Assessment Boards). You must apply before the deadline. You will find information about applying for extensions and deferrals here.
• Students MUST keep a copy and/or an electronic file of their assignment.
• Checks will be made on your work using anti-plagiarism software and approved plagiarism checking websites.
Return of Marked Work
You can expect to have feedback returned to you within 15 working days. If for any reason there is a delay you will be kept informed. Marks and feedback will be provided online using the grade mark descriptors and rubric on Turnitin. It is important that you access the feedback you receive as this will help to make improvements to your later work, you can request a meeting with your Module Leader or Personal Tutor to discuss your feedback in more detail.
Marks will have been internally moderated only, and will therefore be provisional; your mark will be formally agreed later in the year once the external examiner has completed their review. More information on assessment and feedback can be found here.
Academic Integrity
In submitting a piece of work for assessment it is essential that you understand the University’s requirements for maintaining academic integrity and ensure that the work does not contravene University regulations. Some examples of behaviour that would not be considered acceptable include plagiarism, re-use of previously assessed work, collusion with others and purchasing your assignment from a third party. For more information on academic offences, bad academic practice, and academic penalties, please read chapter four of our academic regulations.
Academic Support and Your Well-being
Referencing is the process of acknowledging other people’s work when you have used it in your assignment or research. It allows the reader to locate your source material as quickly and easily as possible so that they can read these sources themselves and verify the validity of your arguments. Referencing provides the link between what you write and the evidence on which it is based.
You identify the sources that you have used by citing them in the text of your assignment (called citations or in-text citations) and referencing them at the end of your assignment (called the reference list or end-text citations). The reference list only includes the sources cited in your text. The main referencing guide can be found here and includes information on the basics of referencing and achieving good academic practice. It also has tabs for the specific referencing styles depending on whether you require Harvard style used in business or OSCOLA style used by the Law school.
The University has a wealth of support services available to students; further information can be obtained from Student Gateway, the Student Advice Centre, Library and Learning Services and, most importantly, your Personal Tutor. If you are struggling with your assessments and/or deadlines please do seek help as soon as possible so that appropriate support and guidance can be identified and put in place for you. More information can be found on the Healthy DMU pages.
APPENDIX 3: Faculty of Business and Law Grade Descriptors
This is a guide to the criteria used by staff in the Faculty of Business and Law assigning a mark to a piece of undergraduate work. The final mark awarded to a piece of work will be informed by its predominant correspondence to these descriptors. The University generic descriptors as well as advice for students can be accessed at:
http://www.dmu.ac.uk/about-dmu/quality-management-and-policy/academic-quality/learning-teaching-assessment/mark-descriptors.aspx
Modules are marked on a range of 0-100%. Mark descriptors are given in the table below. A mark below 40% indicates a Fail grade (the shaded boxes).
Mark Range Criteria Classification
90-100% Indicates that no fault can be found with the work other than very minor errors, for example typographical, or perhaps failure to satisfy the most challenging and exacting demands of the assessment. First class honours Distinction
80-89% Indicates a very high level of understanding evidenced by an ability to engage critically and analytically with source material. Likely to exhibit independent lines of argument. Only minor errors or omissions. First class honours Distinction
70-79% Judged to be very good, yet not outstanding. May contain minor errors or omissions. A well-developed response showing clear knowledge and the ability to interpret and/or apply that knowledge. First class honours Distinction
60-69% Indicates a sound understanding of basic points and principles but with some failure to express or to apply them properly. Hence the answer is essentially correct, has some errors or omissions, and is not seriously flawed. Upper second-class honours (2:1)
Merit
50-59% Indicates a more limited understanding of basic points and principles, with significant errors and omissions. These errors and omissions, however, do not cast doubt on the basic level of understanding. Lower second-class honours (2:2)
Pass
40-49% Indicates questionable understanding of basic points and principles yet sufficient to show that learning outcomes have been achieved at a rudimentary level. Third-class honours
Pass
30-39% Indicates an answer that shows only weakly developed elements of understanding. The learning outcomes have been insufficiently realized. Fail
20-29% Very little knowledge has been demonstrated and the presentation shows little coherence of material or argument. Fail
0-19% Only isolated or no knowledge displayed. Fail
