Graduate School of Business and Law

—
BUSM4737 Leadership and Management
Assessment 2: Individual written case study

Assessment type: Individual written case study Word limit: 2,000 (+/- 10%)

Due date: Sunday Week 5, 23:59 (Melbourne time)

Weighting: 30%

Overview

You are required to critically evaluate the provided case study and relevant leadership and
management concepts covered in Weeks 2 and 3 to gain a wider understanding of
organisational and leadership problems and solutions. This assessment is broken up into
four questions which will provide you with the opportunity to critically apply theory and draw
connections to address an authentic problem. You will then use your analysis of the case to
develop insights which will inform your current or future professional practice.

Purpose
The purpose of this assessment is to enable you to draw upon theories of managerial leadership
through a case study analysis. This will enable you to apply leadership and management theories
and examples to your own workplace to improve key areas of organisational functioning.

Assessment criteria
This assessment will measure your ability to:
• Construct detailed responses that are supported by well-integrated theories and concepts (9
points)
• Integrate highly relevant examples to support your responses (9 points)
• Analyse leadership theory and application to improve your organisational functioning (9
points)
• Incorporate high-quality academic writing that integrates referencing according to RMIT
Harvard style (3 points)
Course learning outcomes
This assessment is relevant to the following course learning outcomes:

CLO2 Accurately assess your personal strengths and areas of challenge and effectively self-
manage these towards improved practice.

CLO3 Explain how effective managerial leaders are able to diagnose and ethically improve
the key areas of organisational functioning.

CLO4 Motivate and influence others in ways that contribute to sustainable organisational
performance.

Assessment details

In this assessment, you will be responding to four questions surrounding the Australian-
founded company called Canva. Launched in 2013 and co-founded by Melanie Perkins,
Canva is a free-to-use online design platform that also offers paid subscription services.
Canva is now a major player in the technology design space and competes with some of the
big names such as Microsoft and Adobe. The company has grown exponentially since its
beginnings and remains active today.

To familiarise yourself with Canva and prepare to complete your assignment, below are
some suggested resources.

• Birch K 2021) ‘C-suite spotlight: Melanie Perkins, CEO, Canva’, Business Chief, accessed
20 June 2022. https://businesschief.asia/videos/c-suite-spotight-melanie-perkins-ceo-canva
• Blackbird Ventures (6 June 2016) ‘The Sunrise Conference 2016 - Melanie Perkins, CEO
and co-founder of Canva’ [video], Blackbird Ventures, YouTube website, accessed 20 June
2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVSjtu-0Eag
• Caprino K (5 April 2019) ‘Canva cofounder and CEO Melanie Perkins leads her unicorn to
new heights’, Forbes, accessed 20 June 2022.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kathycaprino/2019/04/05/canva-cofounder-and-ceo-melanie-
perkins-leads-her-unicorn-to-new-heights/?sh=1b2555017547
• Gilchrist K (9 January 2020) ‘How a 32-year-old turned a high school yearbook idea into a
$3.2 billion business’, CNBC, accessed 20 June 2022.
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/09/canva-how-melanie-perkins-built-a-3point2-billion-dollar-
design-start-up.html
• Heyday (12 November 2021)’Meanie Perkins’ Canva origin story’, Heyday, accessed 20
June 2022. https://heyday.xyz/blog/melanie-perkins/
• Miller HL (5 April 2022) ‘Melanie Perkins and the rise of the $40B unicorn, Canva’, Leaders,
accessed 20 June 2022. https://leaders.com/articles/leaders-stories/melanie-perkins/
• Wilson M (8 March 2022) ‘The rise of Canva, the $40 billion design juggernaut’, Fast
Company, accessed 20 June 2022. https://www.fastcompany.com/90721894/canva-design-
platform-most-innovative-companies
Assessment questions
Write a response to each of the following questions.
1. Analyse the extent to which Melanie Perkins has led with a paradoxical mindset and
evaluate how well Melanie navigated the recurring paradoxes.
2. Establish how Melanie Perkins actions aligned with a valid theory of the business and
whether there is evidence of Canva’s business model being transformative.
3. Explain the actions (if any) Melanie Perkins/Canva took to address four bias that hinder
organisational learning.
4. Examine the ways (if any) Melanie Perkins/Canva embedded social purpose into the
organisation and what benefits that provided.

Structure
• Headings can be used to distinguish the four questions.
• No introduction or conclusion is required.

Research expectations and references

• At least eight scholarly sources must be used for this assignment.
• Key theories should be supported using course material (in particular from Weeks 2–3).
• You are not permitted to use general websites for information (e.g., Wikipedia).

Tips to succeed
• Third-person language must be used.
• The TEEL structure is recommended for each question.
o TEEL = Topic, Evidence, Explanation, Link
• In-text references are included in the word count.
• The reference list is not included in the word count.
 Tips to succeed in this assessment

• Ensure you are fully aware of ALL assessment requirements.

• Keep the marking rubric handy during your write-up and aim to achieve the HD criteria.
• Take the time to proofread your work before submission.
• Ensure you express your ideas clearly and concisely yet in a comprehensive and
convincing manner.
• Avoid a long recap of the concepts. Go directly to explaining how the concepts can be
utilised in an organisational setting.
• It’s not enough to reiterate the theories or concepts. You’ll need to provide and link the
theories or concepts to examples to demonstrate your understanding and analysis.
• The more specific and relevant your examples are, the more you will demonstrate your
understanding and analysis ability.
• Ensure you correctly acknowledge all sources of information. Use of the RMIT Harvard
referencing method is required.
• Use the original terms of the theories, models and concepts where possible.

Referencing guidelines
Use RMIT Harvard referencing style for this assessment.
You must acknowledge all the sources of information you have used in your assessments.
Refer to the RMIT Easy Cite referencing tool to see examples and tips on how to reference in the
appropriate style. You can also refer to the library referencing page for more tools, such as
EndNote, referencing tutorials and referencing guides for printing.

Submission format
The assessment will be submitted in Canvas as a single file upload.

Academic integrity and plagiarism

Academic integrity is about honest presentation of your academic work. It means acknowledging
the work of others while developing your own insights, knowledge and ideas.
You should take extreme care that you have:

• Acknowledged words, data, diagrams, models, frameworks and/or ideas of others you have
quoted (i.e., directly copied), summarised, paraphrased, discussed or mentioned in your
assessment through the appropriate referencing methods
• Provided a reference list of the publication details so your reader can locate the source if
necessary. This includes material taken from internet sites.
If you do not acknowledge the sources of your material, you may be accused of plagiarism
because you have passed off the work and ideas of another person without appropriate
referencing, as if they were your own.
RMIT University treats plagiarism as a very serious offence, constituting misconduct.
Plagiarism covers a variety of inappropriate behaviours, including:
• Failure to properly document a source
• Copyright material from the internet or databases
• Collusion between students.
For further information on our policies and procedures, please refer to the University website.

Assessment declaration
When you submit work electronically, you agree to the assessment declaration.
Criteria Ratings Pts

HD D C P N DNS
Sophisticated and rich Detailed responses Responses provide an Responses provide a Responses provide This
Criterion 1 responses provide a provide a sound adequate explanation of superficial explanation of little to no explanation criterion
compelling explanation of a range leadership and leadership and of leadership and was not
Construct explanation of a range of relevant leadership management concepts. management concepts. management concepts. addressed.
detailed of relevant leadership and management Proposed actions, Proposed actions, Proposed actions,
responses that and management concepts. Proposed arguments and ideas arguments and ideas arguments and ideas
are supported concepts. Proposed actions, arguments and are mostly supported by are occasionally are rarely supported by
by well- actions, arguments ideas are supported by relevant theories. supported by relevant relevant theories.
integrated and ideas are well-integrated and theories.
theories and supported insightfully relevant theories.
concepts by well-integrated and
(9 points) relevant theories.

9 to > 7.19 pts 7.19 to > 6.29 pts 6.29 to > 5.39 pts 5.39 to > 4.49 pts 4.49 to > 0 pts 0 pts 9
pts
Comprehensive Excellent analysis of Good analysis of Responses include a Responses include
This
Criterion 2 analysis of leadership/ leadership/management leadership/management basic analysis of little to no analysis of
criterion
management theory theory demonstrates a theory demonstrates a leadership/management leadership/
was not
Analyse demonstrates a clear justification for satisfactory justification theory. Justification for management theory.
addressed.
leadership convincing justification potential for potential potential implementation Justification for
theory and for potential implementation to implementation to to improve potential
application to implementation to improve organisational improve organisational organisational implementation to
improve your improve organisational functioning. functioning. functioning is limited and improve organisational
organisational functioning. requires further functioning is unclear,
functioning development. incorrect or missing.

(9 points)

9 to > 7.19 pts 7.19 to > 6.29 pts 6.29 to > 5.39 pts 5.39 to > 4.49 pts 4.49 to > 0 pts 0 pts 9 pts

Highly relevant Relevant concepts are Mostly relevant Concepts used to frame Few or no concepts
This
Criterion 3 concepts are used to used to frame detailed concepts are used to the responses are and examples are
criterion
frame rich and holistic responses. Examples frame the responses. somewhat relevant. used to frame the
was not
Integrate highly responses. Examples used demonstrate a Examples used Examples used responses and link addressed.
relevant used demonstrate a strong consideration demonstrate a clear demonstrate minimal theory with practice.
examples to comprehensive and between theory and consideration between consideration between
support your nuanced consideration practice. theory and practice. theory and practice.
responses between theory and
(9 points) practice.

9 to > 7.19 pts 7.19 to > 6.29 pts 6.29 to > 5.39 pts 5.39 to > 4.49 pts 4.49 to > 0 pts 0 pts 9 pts

Consistently and Correctly uses RMIT Generally correctly Inconsistently uses Poorly or incorrectly This
Criterion 4 correctly uses RMIT Harvard referencing uses RMIT Harvard RMIT Harvard uses RMIT Harvard criterion
Harvard referencing style for in-text referencing style for referencing style, with referencing style, was not
Incorporate style for in-text referencing and in-text referencing and some content and/or including significant addressed.
high-quality referencing and includes a reference includes a reference formatting errors in in- content or formatting
academic writing reference list. list with minimal list with occasional text referencing and errors, and/or does
that integrates content or formatting content or formatting the reference list. not include a
referencing Academic and/or errors. errors. reference list.
according to discipline terminology Some academic and/or
RMIT Harvard are incorporated in a Academic and/or Sufficient academic discipline terminology Minimal or no
style highly integrated way discipline terminology and/or discipline are incorporated academic and/or
(3 points) to support a complex are thoughtfully terminology are occasionally to support discipline terminology
level of analysis and integrated to support a incorporated to the analysis. are used to effectively
insight. highly considered adequately support support the analysis.
analysis. the analysis. Written expression is
Written expression somewhat effective Written expression
flows skilfully and is Written expression Written expression and organised to lacks flow and
thoughtfully structured. flows very well and is flows sufficiently and support the topic; structure and is
There are no appropriately is logically structured. however, it may be difficult to follow.
grammatical, spelling or structured. There are There are some poorly structured or There are significant
vocabulary errors that minimal grammatical, grammatical, spelling disorganised in parts. errors in grammar,
affect clarity. spelling or vocabulary or vocabulary errors There are many spelling or vocabulary
errors that affect clarity that affect clarity. grammatical, spelling that affect clarity.
or vocabulary errors
that affect clarity.
3 to > 2.39 pts 2.39 to > 2.09 pts 2.09 to > 1.79 pts 1.79 to > 1.49 pts 1.49 to > 0 pts 0 pts 3 pts
Total: 30 pts