School for Business and Society
Module Code: MAN00013H
Module Title: Management, Technology & Society
Module Leader: Dr Natalie Paleothodoros
Open/Closed Assessment: Open
Maximum Word Count: 4000 words
Release Date: End of week 4, Semester 2
Submission Deadline: 06/06/2024 - 11:00
Weighting: 100%
Important information
A penalty of five marks will be deducted for late submissions that are made within the
first hour after the deadline. Submissions that are more than one hour late but within the
first 24 hours of the deadline will incur a penalty of ten marks. After the first 24 hours
have passed, ten marks will be deducted for every 24 hours (or part thereof) that the
submission is late for a total of 5 days. After 5 days it is treated as a non-submission
and given a mark of zero. The consequences of non-submission are serious and can
include de-registration from the University.
If you are unable to complete your open assessment by the submission date indicated
above because of Exceptional Circumstances you can apply for an extension. If
unforeseeable and exceptional circumstances do occur, you must seek support and
provide evidence as soon as possible at the time of the occurrence. Applications must
be made before the deadline to be considered.
Full details of the Exceptional Circumstances Policy and claim form can be found here:
https://www.york.ac.uk/students/studying/progress/exceptional-circumstances
If you submit your open assessment on time but feel that your performance has been
affected by Exceptional Circumstances you may submit an Exceptional Circumstances
Affecting Assessment claim form by 7 days from the published assessment submission
deadline. If you do not submit by the deadline indicated without good reason your claim
will not be considered.
Please take proper precautions to safeguard your work and remember to make
backup copies of your data. The University provides all its students with storage
space on the University server and you should save and back up any work in
progress on this server on a regular basis. Computer failure and theft of your
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equipment or storage media are not considered exceptional circumstances and
extensions cannot be granted for work lost for these reasons.
The University has guidance on the use of AI in assessments available here. This
details appropriate and inappropriate use of digital tools. Inappropriate use will
be considered academic misconduct, and penalised accordingly
Word count requirements
The word count for this assignment is 4000 words.
You must state on the front of your assignment the number of words used and this will
be checked.
The main text for this assignment must be word-processed in Arial, font 12, double
spacing, minimum 2cm margins all around.
You must observe the word count specified in this assignment brief. The School has a
policy of accepting variations to the recommended word count of plus or minus 10%.
What does this mean for you?
Markers will mark your work up to the word count maximum plus 10% and then will stop
marking; therefore all words which are in excess of the word count plus 10% will not be
marked.
Where your word count is more than 10% below that specified, it is likely that this will
result in a lack of analytical depth or relevant content, which will be reflected in the mark
assigned.
What is in the word count?
The word count includes:
- the main text, including in-text reference citations and quotations.
The word count does not include:
- Appendices. These may be used to include supporting data, which may be too
detailed or complex to include as a Table. They are not a device to incorporate
material, which would otherwise cause you to exceed the word limit.
- Title page
- Contents page
- Abstract/executive summary
- Tables, figures, legends
- Reference lists
- Acknowledgements
Assignment:
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Using theory from the module and information on one technology of your choice,
critically examine the following statement and explain why this matters to organisations
and people:
“. . . the essence of technology is by no means anything technological.” —
Martin Heidegger (1977)
Choose two of the following aspects of technology to address in your answer:
● Social dimensions
● Power dimensions
● Political implications
● Economic implications
● Ethical issues
● Philosophical issues
● Spatio-temporal arrangements
● Transformative potential
Additional Guidance:
• You should write 1 individually-researched 4000 (+/-10%) word essay.
• You should make an argument that addresses the assessment task above.
• You should choose 1 example of technology to demonstrate your argument.
• i.e. social media, Facebook, wearable technology, 3D printers, bitcoin, Uber,
Tinder, gaming, traffic lights, email, smartphones, screen-sharing technology…
• You can define the boundaries around your chosen technology and explain what
these are. For example, ‘social media’ generally is as equally acceptable as a
specific social media such as ‘Facebook’. It is up to you to decide what
technological arrangement(s) you are going to base your essay on that come
under the umbrella term of ‘technology’. Your decision will very much depend on
what you find interesting, what you want to say and how you want to construct
your argument.
• Previous student essays have focused on all sorts of technology, from ‘smart-
cities’ to ‘the bible’ and everything in-between… so don’t be afraid to move away
from the idea of technology as the purely ‘technical' - be as adventurous as you
like!
• You should address 2 aspects of technology in support of your argument.
• i.e. social and political aspects of technology
• or political and economic aspects of technology
• or spatio-temporal and transformative aspects of technology
• or power and ethical aspects of technology
• the list goes on…
• You can draw on as many theories from the module as you wish; as long as they
help you make your argument.
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• i.e. Politics of technology, Social Construction of Technology, Actor-Network
Theory, Sociomateriality…
• The assignment is open for you to choose your own technology and analyze it in the
way that you find interesting and important. You can use the theories from the module
which you find most help you analyze your technology; and you can explore the
aspects (political, social, economic etc.) which you believe are most relevant to the
analysis of your technology and development of your overall argument. Any of the
options open to you are equally viable. You can make your own choices with the
guidance of the module director and formative feedback.
END OF ASSESSMENT TASK