Topic: Write an essay on the relationship between personality and job performance. Explain how OB scholars and leaders should apply this knowledge in organisations. Conduct academic research to decide and explain your answer.
Length and/or format: 2500 (+/- 10%) words in essay format. The word count excludes the cover sheet, contents page, references, appendices, and illustrations (e.g. diagrams, graphs and tables)
Task Details: Students are required to analyse a range of literature, and make supported recommendations to answer the question. Students need to apply their own interpretation and judgement to the question, based on approved and valid research (see Research Requirements below). Students who simply regurgitate their answers from the textbook or lecture notes risk failing the assignment.
Research Requirements: Students are expected to support their conclusions and recommendations with suitable references, including the text and a MINIMUM of 8 peer reviewed academic journal articles. Unacceptable references include general websites/blogs, newspapers, magazines.
A good essay/ report
- Correctly interprets the essay question or topic, & answers it fully.
- Puts forward a well-thought-out argument & line of reasoning, rather than merely reproducing information from source material.
- Treats the topic in sufficient depth, with evidence of thorough research.
- Demonstrates understanding of key principles, theories, & concepts, & buildsthese into the discussion.
- Maintains focus, keeping relevant to the question.
- Is cohesive, i.e., "hangs together" as a whole, & logically structured.
- Expresses ideas clearly; is free of clumsy or awkward phrasing, & errors in spelling, grammar, & vocabulary.
- Provides references for source material, in the required referencing style.
- Keeps to the word limit, without being substantially under or over.
- Demonstrates interest in, & enthusiasm for, the topic.
Planning your Essay/ Report
- Before starting to write your essay/report:
- Shape your notes & ideas into a framework
- Arrange the points for your discussion in order
- Advantages:
- Helps to decide the points for discussion.
- Shows how these can be most logically organised.
- Weeds out irrelevant information.
- Identifies overlaps & repetition.
- Prompts thinking when it's difficult to "get into" an assignment.
- Makes it easier to put ideas on paper (points can readily be developed into sentences & paragraphs).
Introduction Provides a brief context for the essay
Outlines the scope of the essay
Outlines how the report will develop/ states how essay is organised.
- Write each paragraph so that it contains one main point & is relevant to the question asked.
- Connect the paragraphs in a coherent way so each paragraph:
- Follows logically from the one before it
- Flows logically to the next
- Within paragraphs sentences should flow logically