Purpose of the seminar

MANG 1005: The Individual and the Organisation

• Discuss and give feedback on the practice blog task

Group seminars: • Highlight important aspects of academic writing

Blog feedback and discussion • Introduce the Harvard referencing system
Academic writing and referencing
• And – give an opportunity for questions and
discussion

Sarah Lee
School of Management
University of Southampton
s.lee@soton.ac.uk
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Learning Outcomes Part 1: Blog feedback and discussion

By the end of the session you will
• Assessment
• Be more prepared to tackle the assessed blogs
– 50% Coursework:
• Be aware of some important features of academic
– 3 online blog topics via Blackboard= 10%
writing for assessments and assignments – Assignment= 40%

• Understand the need for accurate referencing – 50% Examination:

– Essay and multiple choice questions
• Know how to reference your work, with use of the
School of Management referencing guide

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Practice blog Reflections on your work experience

• Topic
• Variety of organisations and mixed experiences
– Describe your experiences of work.
What was good/bad, what did you learn
about the organisation – would you • Good and bad things about the organisations…
want to return/stay in this particular
job and why?
– 150 words max • Would you want to return in future?

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Academic writing – key points I
• Structure
Introduction What is the focus or aim of the
writing (link it with the question)
Body Present the main ideas/theories
and arguments
Conclusion Should follow logically from the
arguments presented
• Style
Be concise – paraphrase
Not too descriptive or over dramatic…
Fairly formal but don’t use over complex language
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Checklist for assessed blogs
• Plan in advance what are the key points you want to
get across. Ensure you address the question!
• Structure them logically
• Write concisely and keep to the word limit
• Give your opinion but back it up with evidence from
the literature or relevant experience
• Re-read your work to ensure the argument flows
logically and that it makes sense
• Check your spelling, especially terms used in the
question!
• Have you referenced correctly??
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Part II: Referencing
• Why do I need to reference my work?
• When do I need to reference?
• Use of Harvard referencing system
• Sources of further information
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Academic writing – key points II
• Support your arguments with examples or evidence from
the literature
This shows evidence of wider reading
Shows that you can apply theoretical concepts to the issue
• Quality of argument
Discuss, don’t just list theories
Compare or contrast different viewpoints
Ensure there is a logical flow through to the conclusion
• Accuracy
Spelling
Grammar
Referencing
Assessed blog topic 1
Imagine that you are on the hiring committee for a
particular organisation and can only recommend one
personnel selection method to the rest of the
committee. Which personnel section method would
you recommend? Give reasons for your view and
examples where possible.
• Present your own views and relate them to ideas
discussed in class or in the readings.
• Provide full academic references at the end and
remember to cite sources correctly.
• 350 words max (excluding reference list).
Please give your word count.
• Deadline Thursday 4th November.
Why reference?
Definition:
Stating the sources of ideas and information in a precise and
standard manner
– Shows evidence of wider reading and gives authority
and credibility to your work
– Enables you and others to access your sources
– Avoids the risk of plagiarism (pretending that someone
else’s work or ideas are your own)
– Professional courtesy
The method used by the School of Management is the
Harvard referencing system
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When and how do I reference ?
1. Bibliography
Alphabetic list by author and date at the end of your work
Books
Furnham, A. (2005), The psychology of behaviour at work: The
individual in the organization (2nd ed.), Hove, UK: Psychology
Press
Journal articles
Floyd, S. W. & Wooldridge, B. (1994), Dinosaurs or dynamos?
Recognizing middle management's strategic role, Academy of
Management Executive, Vol. 8, No. 4, pp. 47-57
Web pages
Beckleheimer, J., (2009), How do you cite URLs in a bibliography?
[Online]. Available:
http://www.nrlssc.navy.mil/meta/bibliography.html, [Accessed:
13th December 2009]
…and all other sources e.g. lecture notes, newspaper articles,
government reports, electronic articles
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Further information
• School of Management guide to the Harvard
Referencing system
• Library website (click on resources tab,
referencing, Harvard referencing system)
• Test your accuracy with the referencing challenge…
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When and how do I reference?
2. In-text citations
When you are discussing the work or ideas of another
author in your written work
Arnold et al. (2010) state that there are five methods of…
or
According to Arnold et al. (2010), there are five methods of…
or
Arnold et al. (2010) and Furnham (2009) agree that…
3. Quotations
When you are quoting the exact words of another author
in your work
Larsen (1995, p. 25) stated that “the sample sizes were…”
or
Larsen (1995, p. 25) stated: “the sample sizes were…”
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Session Summary
• Bear in mind the key points about academic
writing and use the blog checklist to help you
See also further information on Blackboard
• Remember to reference accurately
Use the School of Management referencing guide
• Good luck with the first assessed blog!
Hand in date is Thursday 4th November
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