MG411 Introduction to People Management
Assignment Task
This assignment includes:
A. Two In-Class Tests
B. Report Preview
C. Written individual report (2,500 words +/- 10%)
This course is about the management of people in organisations. This is a core management task whose relevance has become ever more obvious in recent times. It comprises a wide variety of processes and activities that reach across the whole employee life cycle in an organisation. Its success depends on the joint efforts of HR and line managers.
There is no one size fits all approach, as there are specific challenges in each business context. Basic tasks and procedures have to be mastered as well as different sets of knowledge, skills, and behaviours by managers in different organisations in order to be effective people managers and reach their business goals.
The way managers, HR and the workforce interact is impacted by external forces. People management has to adapt to demographic, economic and social megatrends as well as cope with crises like the Covid 19 outbreak.
Today, there are many issues faced by management when it comes to managing people that they may not have been encountered before. There is one critical requirement, however, that has not changed over time: Effective people management has to be aligned to an organisation’s strategy
A: In-class Tests
Weighting: 20%
Test 1 - 19 December 2023 10%
Test 2 - 06 February 2024 10%
There will be tests in Sessions 4 and 7 that cover the contents of the preceding sessions. They will each carry a weight of 10% of the overall grade.
➢ Test no. 1: Cooperation in groups and teams / leadership / business strategy
➢ Test no. 2: Recruiting / performance management / payments and incentives
B: Report Preview
Weighting: 10%
Submission date: 13 February 2024
You will need to provide a preview of the report that you are going to write as the core assignment for this course (see below).
The preview will be based on max. 5 slides and take 8 minutes max. The presentations will take place in Session 8 and make up 10% of the overall grade.
C: Report:
Weighting: 70%
Submission date: 24 March 2024
You are to write a 2,500 word report (+/- 10%) about one specific company and how one specific aspect of people management (teamwork, leadership, recruiting, performance management, payment models) is implemented in this company.
You have to use supporting theory and appropriate academic sources
Your report has to answer specific questions, like
• What are specific traits of your chosen aspect of people management in the company?
• How is this aspect of people management aligned with the business strategy of the organisation?
• How effective is the people management – regarding your chosen aspect - of the organisation?
• How effective is the cooperation of HR and line managers?
• What can you recommend to the company in order to improve its organisational practices – concerning your chosen aspect of people management?
Please note:
✓ The coursework title has to be approved by the lecturer
✓ The number of words refers to the main text without Cover Page, Table of Content, List of References and any appendices
✓ A List of References is expected, with more than 10 citations
✓ For each in-text citation you have to provide a screenshot with the URL of the web page or, if you use printed books, a photo of the cited page
✓ An appendix is expected and must include supporting research documents or snippets of relevant information pertaining to your report content
✓ The report should be written in a professionally presented report format
Submission details
• You are reminded of the University’s regulations on academic misconduct, which can be viewed on the University website: https://bucks.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0024/9546/Academic-Misconduct-Policy.pdf. In submitting your assignment, you are acknowledging that you have read and understood these regulations
• Please also note that work that is submitted up to 10 working days beyond the submission date will be considered a late submission. Late submissions will be marked and the actual mark recorded, but will be capped at the pass mark (typically 40%), provided that the work is of a passing standard. Work submitted after this period will not be marked and will be treated as a non-submission.
Before you submit
• Please use the provided checklist below to make sure you are ‘fit to submit’ your work
• We recommend you use this checklist as soon as you get this assignment brief to help you plan your work