2.2 Individual Written Assignment – Case Study Report

Assignment Overview

The purpose of the case study report is to help you bridge theoretical and practical applications of organisational behaviour topics, while also helping you build important written communication and problem-solving skills. Analysing a case study allows you to simulate some of the complexities and ambiguities that are present in real organisational problems and consider practical and evidence-based solutions. You will analyse the events in a case study (see below) and apply relevant OB principles to analyse the case. You will support your analysis with relevant OB research from at least 5 academic, peer-reviewed journal articles.

The assignment is approximately 1500 words (not including title page or references) and is worth 25 marks. The assignment must be submitted via the LMS by 5pm on Friday, 30 November.

Assignment Guidelines

o Select one of the cases listed below. Both cases are printed in the McShane et al. (2010) textbook: o Arctic Mining Consultants (pages 616-619) o High Noon at Alpha Mill (pages 630-633) o Read the case carefully and write a report that includes the following elements:
1) Title Page (note: not included in word count) that includes
• Your name & student ID number
• Subject code and location (MGT2OBE, Montpellier)
• Name of the case
• Date of submission
2) Introduction and Conclusion
• Include a separate introduction and conclusion paragraph. The introduction should be a relatively brief and engaging introduction to the report and should also briefly outline the contents of your paper. The conclusion should include a brief summary of the paper’s major points and concluding thoughts.
3) Summary of the Case
• Provide a clear and concise summary of the case. Focus on the essential details related to the history of the events, people involved, etc., for the reader to understand the major problem.
• Describe any assumptions you have made regarding the case. You are unlikely to have all of the information you might need about the orgnaisation or parties involved.
4) Problem Identification and Analysis
• Briefly describe at least one major problem in the case. Explain the apparent causes of the major problem in terms of concepts related to organisational behaviour.
• Analyse the major problem in terms of relevant organisational behaviour research and theory. Clearly explain the relevant organisational behaviour theory and research and explain how it applies to the case (e.g., how does the theory explain why the parties behaved in a certain way or how they are likely to behave in the future?).
• IMPORTANT NOTE 1: Your analysis of the case should be logical and evidence-based, meaning that you should explain, critically analyse, and apply academic research and theory in organisational behaviour to the case. You can use your textbook as a starting point, but you are expected to read additional academic sources to develop your analysis. You must include references to at least 5 academic, peer-reviewed journal articles. The 5 articles you obtain should be relevant to the topic, contemporary (i.e., published in the last 5 years), and high quality (e.g., published in journals ranked by the Australian Business Dean’s Council or Australian Research Council as A*, A, or B – links to these lists will be available on the LMS). You are encouraged to include additional sources (e.g., book chapters, newspaper articles, practitioner-focused articles). Note that Wikipedia and similar websites are NOT acceptable sources for this assignment.
• IMPORTANT NOTE 2: A single paper of approximately 1500 words cannot and should not address everything related to the case and/or all possible organisational behaviour concepts. You should discuss a few issues in-depth rather than attempt to cover a lot of issues superficially.
5) Recommendation & Evaluation
• Describe at least one recommendation for how to address the major problem that you identified.
i) The recommendation should be evidence-based, meaning that it should be based on academic research and theory in organisational behaviour. ii) The solution should be integrated with the problem analysis in the rest of the report. For example, if you analyse the problem in terms of a particular motivational theory, your recommendation should be logically related to that motivational theory.
• Evaluate the recommendation you provide. Discuss the pros and cons, limitations, practical challenges, etc., that would result if your recommendation were followed in this case. Would your recommendation resolve all of the issues in the major problem, or what gaps would remain?
6) References (note: not included in word count)
• Ensure that all references are appropriately cited in the text of your report.
• Include the full citation information in the References section.
• Follow the style guidelines for the Academy of Management Journal.

Formatting your Assignment

• Your assignment must be typed, double-spaced, using standard fonts and have standard margins on all sides (i.e., 12-point, Times New Roman, 2.54cm margins). You may use essay or report format for this assignment.
• It is essential that your report is written in a neat, professional, and engaging manner. Check your writing for accuracy in spelling, grammar, etc. Convey your ideas in a clear, concise manner, use appropriate transitions between ideas and sections, and use headings when appropriate. La Trobe University and Sup de Co have many resources to help you develop your writing skills. Please see the Sup de Co Coordinator or your tutor if you need help.
• Please remember that the University takes a very serious view with regard to plagiarism, and you are strongly advised to read the University’s policies on academic integrity at the following website: http://www.latrobe.edu.au/learning/integrity. Please be aware that plagiarism is a form of serious academic misconduct (see Section 3.3.3 of this subject learning guide) and will be penalised accordingly. Plagiarism detection and prevention software (i.e., Turnitin) is used to aid in identifying possible incidences of plagiarism in written assignments (see http://www.latrobe.edu.au/turnitin/).

Submitting your Assignment

• The assignment is due by 5pm (17:00, Montpellier time) on 30 November 2012. You must submit your work via the LMS. You are expected to submit a draft of your work to the Turnitin link that will be provided on the LMS. You must submit the final copy of your work to the assignment dropbox on the LMS by 5pm (17:00) on the due. Work submitted in any other format without prior written approval from the Sup de Co Coordinator will be returned unassessed.
• IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING LATE SUBMISSIONS o The individual written assignment is due by 5pm (17:00, Montpellier time) on 30 November 2012. Late assignments will be penalised 5% for each day late, up to a maximum of 5 days late (including part days, week days, weekends, public holidays, or any combination thereof). Assignments will not be accepted more than 5 days late. You are welcome to submit your assignment early. o Extensions and late penalty waivers will only be given in documented cases of severe illness or emergency. Such requests must be accompanied by documentation (i.e., doctor’s certificate) or will not be considered. Please contact the Sup de Co Coordinator directly if you request an extension or late penalty waiver for an assignment. Requests must normally made no less than 48 hours before the due date.

Written Assignment Marking Criteria

Criteria & Weighting* Description
Title Page • Not marked, but required and should include your name, id number, subject code, location, title of case, and date of submission
Introduction and Conclusion (10%) • Separate introduction that are clear, concise, and engaging summaries of the major points of the paper.
Case Summary (15%) • Case summary is clear, concise, and sharply focused on essential details of the case.
• Assumptions are clearly stated and valid.
Problem Identification and Analysis (30%) • A major problem in the case is identified and described in a clear, concise manner. Description is sharply focused on essential details.
• Major problem is analysed in terms of relevant research and theory from organisational behaviour.
• OB theory and research is explained in clear, concise, and accurate manner.
• OB theory and research is appropriate and applicable to the major problem and case, and these links are clearly described.
• Application and insights based on critical thinking, comparison and contrast, and/or evaluation of ideas, context or qualifications.
Recommendation and Evaluation (20%) • Recommendations are evidence-based and linked to the problem analysis based on sound logic and reasoning
• Recommendations are clearly relevant to the major problems and are practical and feasible.
• Recommendations critically evaluated in terms of challenges, limitations, etc.
References (10%) • In-text citations and references used appropriately throughout the paper and follow Academy of Management Journal style guidelines.
• In-text citations and references are consistent (i.e., all in-text citations are included in reference list and vice versa; reference list includes all sources used in paper).
• Academic references meet the minimum requirements (i.e., minimum of 5 academic, peer-reviewed articles)
• Any additional references are credible and relevant.
Writing Quality & Presentation (15%) • Overall structure of the paper is well-organised and coherent. The paper has good use of transitions and flow between ideas. Headings are included and used appropriately. Paper has appropriate formatting, margins, etc.
• Paper written in an engaging and professional manner. Writing is clear and concise throughout and free of errors in grammar, punctuation and spelling.
*Note: Weighting of criteria is approximate. Failure to adequately complete one of the criteria (e.g., insufficient number of references, failure to critically evaluate solutions, etc.) may result in a substantially lower or even failing mark.