MGMT10002 Principles of Management
Semester 1, 2022
Assessment Task #1: Individual Short Essay
You will submit an individual essay, critically analysing a management concept. You
must select one of the following management concepts (idea, process, tool,
framework, the knowledge, and application thereof could support effective
management) from the list below:
• Organisational purpose and vision
• Strategic Planning approaches
• Porter's Five Forces
• Organisational Culture
• Decision trees
• Theory X and Theory Y
• Formulating Business Strategy
This requires analysing the concept systematically from different perspectives and
identifying positive aspects as well as limitations (in both theory and application),
drawing conclusions from the analysis and expressing an informed judgement.
Your analysis should consider the following points:
1. Introduce the concept – i.e., provide a detailed description of the concept and
its origins (where and when it was developed and/or made popular).
2. Analyse the concept and use it from a ‘positive’ perspective – what are the
advantages (in theory and in application) of the concept? Think of the
favourable outcomes that an organisation might derive from the application of
this management concept and be sure to explain why. Provide examples of
advantageous uses of the concept in the ‘real’ world.
3. Provide a critique of the concept – what are the disadvantages (in theory and
in application) of the concept, providing examples of problems or concerns in
the implementation of the concept in the ‘real’ world.
4. Establish “linkages” between your concept and any other concept(s) taught
in the course. (For example, if ‘business ethics’ is your main management
concept, you could think about how a culture of poor managerial ethics
potentially impact on employee motivation).
You MUST consult and reference a minimum of 4 academic sources of which one
can be the prescribed text Samson, Donnet, and Daft (2020) to support your
analysis and argument.
This written assignment will provide you with an opportunity to explore further a topic
of interest to you, engage management research, demonstrate you can think
analytically, carefully, and critically about course content and apply this in real-world
settings.
Length: The total length of the assignment is a maximum of 1,000 words (±10%).
Graphs, tables, appendices, and the reference list itself will not be included in the word
count; in-text citations will be included in the word count.
Weighting: 10% of your overall subject grade
Due date: Monday 28th March 2022 by 9am
Submission: Submit a soft copy via Canvas (link on LMS). Please attach an assignment
cover sheet which can be downloaded from LMS.
The grading rubric (template) that will be used to assess and grade your individual essay
can be downloaded from the same area as the submission link. Students are advised to
consult the grading template before commencing their assessment piece.