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Your paper should be constructed as follows:
Portfolio Introduction – (maximum 300 words)
The introduction should identify and define the topic you have selected, and provide a short explanation of its relevance and significance. It should also define the scope of the topic for the purposes of the assignment. You might choose to consider your topic from a broad or narrow perspective. For example, if the topic selected is social responsibility the scope might be restricted to responsibility in regard to the organisation?s own members and their immediate families or you might choose to look at responsibility to people in the broader community. An example of the former might be to seek out material on corporate approaches to employee health and well-being, while the latter approach would be to seek out material on corporate approaches to community health and well-being.
If you chose a very broad perspective, the introduction might read along the following lines.
Please note that the following example is for illustrative purposes only. It deliberately does not address a topic covered in this unit:
Introduction
This paper relates to organisational culture, a concept that has been defined in a number of different ways. The definition proposed by Schein (1985) is widely accepted, as it provides insights into how culture is formed and why it has a strong influence on behaviour in organisations. Schein (1985 p.9) defined culture as:
‘A pattern of basic assumptions – invented, discovered or developed by a given group as it learns to cope with its problems of external adaptation and internal integration – that has worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members of the group as the correct way to perceive, think and feel in relation to those problems.’
The basic survival tasks of any group are to adapt to the external environment and to integrate internally, for if a group does not integrate it will disintegrate. The demise of organisations such as HIH Insurance, Ansett and ENRON has provided good examples of groups experiencing problems with their culture. It seems that the basic assumptions held by members of sub-groups within those organisations were creating behaviours likely to substantially damage the organisations. These examples underline the importance of culture to organisational performance. The significance of culture to the survival of an organisation makes it an important subject of study for managers and academics alike.
In considering the significance of organisational culture, I have chosen to look at the subject in a very broad context. Not only is culture relevant to all organisations and groups, but also organisations can draw useful lessons from the experience of a wide range of others. The issues and difficulties involved in managing and maintaining culture are not specific to any particular industry or organisation.
Two aspects of the introduction will be considered in assessment of your assignment. These are the definition of the topic (including any key terms) and scope; and your explanation of the topic?s significance to managers. These are equally weighted. COBA.HRM517.Spring 2012.001R
Portfolio Search Strategy – (maximum 150 words)
The strategy used should enable you to find high-quality, relevant material on the topic. Do not select articles only on their length. I expect that you would use several approaches – perhaps a number of key word searches across several databases, and a search of recent editions of several journals specifically relevant to your topic. You may also use strategies such as consulting the Social Sciences Citation Index to find articles that refer to works that you believe are particularly significant or interesting. Below is an example of part of a possible search strategy. Again, please note that this example is provided for illustrative purposes only, and does not match the menus or options in the ADU Library website.
Search Strategy
From the … library web site, I selected the ‘Information Toolbox’, then resources for ‘Business and Economics’. In PROQUEST 5000 I selected the current database (1999 to present), then searched in ‘citations’ and ‘abstracts’, stipulating full text and peer-reviewed articles only. I first searched using the key word ‘culture’ in the basic search option, but this returned over 10,000 results. I narrowed the search using the key words ‘Schein’ ‘organization’ and ‘culture’ in the guided search option. This search returned nine articles. Four articles seemed relevant, based on their titles and the journals concerned. I investigated them by reading the abstracts and skimming the full text. Two items were found to have limited relevance to my topic. One item (Sims, 2000) was selected for inclusion in the digest.
Two aspects of your search strategy are relevant, and equally weighted, in the assessment of your work. The two aspects are the variety of approaches you use and the way in which you discriminate in the selection of items for inclusion in your portfolio.
Portfolio Articles (maximum 400 words in total per article)
AVOID QUOTATIONS FROM THE ARTICLE TEXT, ABSTRACT OR CONCLUSIONS IN THIS PART OF THE ASSIGNMENT.
You should identify then summarise each item, focussing on aspects relevant to your topic. You should then provide a brief critical evaluation of the item. This evaluation should make clear the reasons why you believe the article is useful in understanding the topic you have selected. It should also point to the strengths, weaknesses and any inconsistencies in the authors?s assumptions, methodology or conclusions. It should not include further summary of the article content. An example, again for illustrative purposes only, is:
Article 1
Sims, R. 2000, ‘Changing an organization’s culture under new leadership’, Journal of Business Ethics, vol.25, pp. 65-78.
Summary
This article describes the cultural transformation achieved at Salomon Brothers under the stewardship of Warren Buffett in the early 1990’s. Salomon’s survival was threatened by disclosures of illegal bidding in bond tenders. Unethical and illegal behaviour were endemic in the firm. An organisational culture that emphasised short-term results and focused on ends rather than means was a significant part of the problem. The article examines Buffett’s actions based on Schein’s (1985) five primary mechanisms for embedding and reinforcing culture. The author notes that reforming the system for allocation of rewards was difficult and perhaps counter-productive, and that introducing new criteria for selection and dismissal produced mixed results. The author COBA.HRM517.Spring 2012.001R
concludes that Buffett achieved clear positive effects on Salomon Brothers’ culture through the mechanisms of attention, reactions to crises and role modelling.
Critical Evaluation
Although the primary focus of this article is on ethical behaviour, it makes a useful contribution to the literature on organisational culture by making the link between cultural assumptions and employee behaviour. The article is valuable because it shows that managers need to monitor and manage their own behaviours if they hope to influence the behaviour of others and emphasises the importance of leader behaviour in the formation and maintenance of organisational culture. It also provides a good example of the application of the analytical framework it employs. While Sims is generous with his praise for Buffett, there are some inconsistencies in his analysis and conclusions. For example, he points to the success of Buffett’s efforts to change the culture, but also notes that it was not possible for planned change to occur because of the need for quick action. If favourable outcomes were not planned, perhaps they were the result of other factors, and can not definitely be attributed to Buffett’s actions.
Portfolio Conclusion – Implications of the work for IHRM practice
(maximum 400 words)
This section should compare and contrast themes or ideas common to the four articles; draw some general conclusions about the topic; and discuss implications for managers arising from your conclusions. Identification of at least one HRM practice to which the work could be applied and discussion of how the practice could be adapted in light of the research findings.
Portfolio Written Presentation
Presentation has two major elements, best summarised as setting out and style. Setting out concerns the way in which you use headings, page breaks, paragraphs, spacing and the like to make your paper reader-friendly; and whether or not your paper contains all elements of the assignment. Good setting out will make it easy for the person who is assessing your paper to confirm that you have fully completed the assignment and to apply each aspect of the assessment criteria in the marking keys. Style includes such things as vocabulary, fluency, clarity of expression, grammar, punctuation and spelling. The general style used should be appropriate to the academic context.
Academic Referencing and Style Guide
Reference List
A reference list containing all items cited in the body of the assignment, and should be included at the end of the paper. All sources, including the items in the digest, should be listed using the Harvard Referencing System. This is an important aspect of the mark for presentation.
Reference list for the examples given above:
Reference List
Schein, E. 1986, Organizational Culture and Leadership, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.
Sims, R. 2000, „Changing an organization?s culture under new leadership?, Journal of Business Ethics, Vol.25, pp. 65-78. COBA.HRM517.Spring 2012.001R
Appendix
An appendix containing a copy of the first page of each article (including the abstract) should be attached.
Due date: 15 April
Word Limit for Report: 2,200 words
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