Leading Strategic Decision Making

Assessment Brief

Assignment instructions – Part B

PART B

In Part B, we require you to write an essay on the following topic.

Essay Topic:

“Transformational Leadership places an overemphasis on charisma and personality.”

Discuss this statement based on academic literature.

Marking schedule for Part B:

10% of marks are allocated to the presentation of the essay. The student’s work should be typed with clear use of paragraphs and headings. Typographical and spelling errors should be avoided.

10% of marks are allocated to appropriate referencing of content. Students should familiarise themselves and make use of the APA referencing system and should cite and reference material properly. Students should make use of a range of resources (books, journal articles etc) and the literature used should be appropriate to the arguments made.

60% of marks are allocated to the analysis presented in the essay. Students should examine appropriate theoretical concepts and frameworks. Students should demonstrate an awareness of the wider context and present an in-depth discussion of current issues. Better students will demonstrate critical analysis skills and communicate their arguments in a clear and coherent manner.

20% of marks are allocated to the conclusions drawn. The conclusions should identify the key themes or issues under consideration. Conclusions should be well supported from the analysis and highlight the significance of arguments, evidence and insights

Guidance Notes on Part B:

You must refer to relevant literature throughout the essay. This can be in the form of textbooks, journal articles, or relevant web-based material. Student are directed in particular to the following databases which they may find useful in developing their essay:

· ABI Inform Complete (Proquest)

· Ingenta

· Science Direct

· Sage Online

In particular, the following journals may be helpful to you in relation to the prescribed topic:

· Leadership Quarterly (Available on Science Direct)

· Leadership and Organisation Development Journal (Available on ABI Inform)

· Team Performance Management (Available on ABI Inform)

· Journal of Management Development (Available on ABI Inform)

· Group and Organisation Management (Available on Sage Online)

You may wish to refer to relevant theory or you may wish to cite relevant research or examples to support your arguments. Remember all material cited must be referenced using the APA Referencing system. Also please refer to the University guidance notes on the avoidance of Plagiarism.

Please remember to structure your essay appropriate. You should use headings – and include an introduction, main body and conclusion/recommendations sections. Please do not label the main body as “main body”.

You should avoid using footnotes in your essay.

Please ensure you use UK English spelling in your writing – so avoid “z’s” such as “organization” and use the UK English spelling of “organisation” instead.

Bullet points and numbered lists should be avoided in your essay – focus on strong, well-supported arguments from the literature.

Please use “justify” alignment and 1 and a half or double spacing. Your font should be a suitable size (usually 11 or 12 font size).

While we do not specify a particular number of references/citations to be included, you should include at least a minimum of 15 different academic sources such as textbooks or journal articles in your essay.

Please answer the topic posed. Your essay should NOT be a summary of leadership theories. You need to specifically address the topic and question posed.

The word count for Part B must be 2000 words. This excludes the cover page and reference list. This is subject to a +/- 10% allowance to the allocated word count. Appendices should not be included in your Part B submission. Where a submission exceeds the stated word limit (allowing for the +10%) the maximum grade awarded will be P1.