Part One:
According to Rollinson (2010), who cites Vroom, ‘task performance’ does not rely solely on motivation.
Required:
Critically evaluate the use of motivation theories in contemporary business to determine their effectiveness in improving employee task performance.
Part Two:
"Soft systems approaches to change emphasize not just the content and control of change but also the process by which change comes about. They require consideration of the cultural and political aspects of organisations as much as the structure and systems". (Senior and Fleming: 2006).
Required:
Determine in what situations it is either appropriate or inappropriate to employ soft system methodologies.
Part two and part one are equally weighted
Assignment Considerations General
It can be good practice in your preparations for each part to undertake a number of activities. These include:
Do not repeat the question, merely state Part A or Part B at the top of the respective response.
- Establishing key issues/areas raised by the question
- Defining fundamental terms
- Describing contextual information e.g. background to topic and its significance and/or interesting statistical data
- Identifying, explaining in detail and cross-comparing relevant concepts, models and theoretical approaches
- Applying concepts to contemporary issues within business settings
- Applying models/theories to workplace/organisation/industry examples and/or evaluating the practical application of models/theories
- Drawing parallels between theory and practice
- Evaluating relative merits and drawbacks of opposing academic viewpoints with a view to building independent opinions
- Formulating balanced, persuasive independent arguments based on academic evidence and judgement
- Stating a clear, overall answer to the question
Part One Particular consideration may be given to:
- Assessing the context, which may include factors such as: Industry, Organisational age, Organisational size, Et. al.
- Definitions, examples and theories surrounding motivation from a range of sources.
- Analyse at least two observable practices which have been adopted by organisations.
- Critique how the given theories may work, in practice. You should consider the practice in different workplaces, industries and reasons for change.
- Furthermore, you should explore the advantages and disadvantages of the theories presented in obtaining enhanced organisational effectiveness.
- It is important to use appropriate references for the facts given; through application of the APA 7th Ed Referencing system. According to Rollinson (2010), who cites Vroom, ‘task performance’ does not rely solely on motivation.
Part Two Particular consideration may be given to:
- Analyse the practice of organisational change methodology by discussion of the differences between the soft and hard systems models of change.
- Analyse how these models might work by exploring the advantages and disadvantages of the theories presented.
- Critically analyse the factors that should be taken into account when considering hard/soft systems approaches to change.
- It is important to draw a parallel between the theory and practice and use appropriate references for the facts given through application of the APA 6th Ed Referencing system.
Assignment Guidance
Word count and presentation: You are required to submit an essay-type assignment not exceeding 4,000 words (excluding references). The essay should be divided in two parts, separating your response to Part One and Part Two. Submit both parts using one single
document. Each part should provide an introduction, a main section (with sub-sections) a conclusion and a reference list. If using tables/images provide labels and sources. Write in a suitable academic style.
Submission: Your individual assignment should be submitted by Friday 2 December 2022, 23:59 (UK Time) via the Turnitin submission link. Your file name should provide your matriculation number, taking the format of 40xxxxxx MOC. Your name should NOT appear. Weighting: The assignment accounts for 90% of your overall mark on this module. Parts one and two of the assignment are weighted equally.
Referencing: Follow the APA 7th Ed. referencing system throughout. Provide a separate reference list for Part One and Part Two. All references provided in your list should link to a corresponding within text citation.
Avoid plagiarism: Always provide a reference to support your arguments, ensuring that you cite all sources you draw ideas from and that you attribute any quotes appropriately to the author. Critically evaluate the use of motivation theories in contemporary business to determine their effectiveness in improving employee task performance.
Turnitin software may be used to detect plagiarism.
Plagiarism is considered a breach of academic conduct regulations, dealt with in accordance with the University’s Student Disciplinary Regulations and Academic Conduct: Code of Practice for Staff and Students. Please see the following website for further advice and information on avoiding plagiarism. This website includes advice on how to avoid plagiarism in your work and links to pages with online tutorials and information on referencing:
http://www.ed.napier.ac.uk/plagiarism/infoStudents.htm
Fit to Sit If you believe that you have grounds to request an extension, or deferral, please visit
https://my.napier.ac.uk/Student-Administration/Extenuating%20Circumstances/Pages/Extenuating-Circumstances.aspx and check out the University’s ‘Fit to Sit’ policy.