module code: hr0864 module title: analysing organisations distributed on: w/c 28 january 2008 hand in date: please refer to the assignment hand-in schedule instructions on assessment: analysing organisation using authoritative sources, models and frameworks which you consider appropriate to the study of organizations, critically analyse an organization of your choice and report on the analysis. assessment criteria • approaches to understanding and researching the nature of organization are considered • choices amongst these approaches are made or the absence of choice is explained • the methods of data gathering are explained and justified • the data is critically analysed using relevant theories, models and frameworks • there is an explanation of the ‘fit’ (or the absence of such a fit is discussed) between the methods of data gathering, the analysis, the interpretation and the role of the writer of the assignment • the assignment should be clearly expressed, legible with accurate spelling and grammar, its structure appropriate, assertions supported and all material correctly referenced • credit will be given for originality, creativity, fluency of argument, use of examples and illustrations word length 3000 words (+/-10%) with the exact word count (excluding appendices and references) declared at the end of the assignment submission of assessment: all assignments must be submitted via the postgraduate programme office. each assignment must be accompanied by an assessed work form which must be completed in full. the assignment will not be accepted by the postgraduate programme office unless the form is completed correctly. marked assignments will be returned to students. it is advisable to retain a copy of your assignment for you own records. your mark will be returned on the assessed work form via the postgraduate programme office. referencing your work the harvard method of referring to publications and of arranging references uses the author''s name and the date of the publication. references are listed at the end of the text in alphabetical order by author''s name. the general format of a journal reference is shown below: smith, j. (1999) how to succeed! journal of entrepreneurs, 1(2), p. 34-56 author/s name and initials are listed first, followed by year of publication in brackets. then there is the title of article and the journal where article appears, which is underlined or in italics. finally, state the volume and issue number (in brackets) along with the pages where article can be located. for further information, including advice on how to cite information from the web, access the following website: http://www.unn.ac.uk/central/isd/subj/lrinfskills/harvard.htm which addresses frequently asked questions in relation to the Harvard referencing system. Plagiarism and Cheating Your attention is drawn to the University’s stated position on plagiarism. THE WORK OF OTHERS, WHICH IS INCLUDED IN THE ASSIGNMENT MUST BE ATTRIBUTED TO ITS SOURCE (a full bibliography and a list of references must be submitted). Please note that this is intended to be an individual piece of work. Action will be taken where a student is suspected of having cheated or engaged in any dishonest practice. Students are referred to the University regulations on plagiarism and other forms of academic irregularity. Students must not copy or collude with one another or present any information that they themselves have not generated. Learning Outcomes and Transferable skills: This assessment will fully or partially satisfy the following learning outcomes (as stated on the teaching and learning plan): The student will be able to: 1. Understand and synthesize a diverse range of theories, approaches and perspectives relating to organisation 2. Critically evaluate the advantages and drawbacks of some of the theoretical approaches to their understanding of organisation 3. Critically analyse organisations utilising theoretical perspectives and demonstrating an appropriate level of reflexivity 4. Relate this critical analysis to their own practice/organisation and identify its relevance to future research studies they may undertake The assessment will also assist in the development of the following transferable skills: Skill Element Transferable Skill 1 2 3 4 Literacy (L) Communication (C) Working with Others (W) Use of ICTs (I) Problem Solving (P) Managing Own Learning (M) Numeracy (N)