MGT5OBR – Assessment 2Instructions
Group Assignment
Overview of the Assessment
The group assignment is to complete an analytical case study report. The aim of this assignment is to critically apply OB theory to practice. You will be assigned a case (see Specific Instructions, below) and a series of questions to guide your analysis of the case. The final report should be approximately 4000 words (see Formatting the Group Assignment, below).
Specific Instructions
You will form groups of 4 to 5 students per group (subject to lecturer’s approval) and will work together to analyse the case. You are encouraged to use a collaboration and cloud-based program to coordinate your group’s work. La Trobe students all have access to Office 365 and Zoom, which you are encouraged to use.
Please note these required milestones to complete during semester:
• Week 3:Form groups and decide on a group name. Use the group assignment self-selection tool on the LMS to join and name groups. Voluntary self-assignment to groups due by 11:55pm (23:55) Sunday ending Week 3. All remaining students will be randomly allocated to groups by the lecturer.
• Week 5: Complete the group plan/charter (use this step to practice working on a shared document in Office 365), and submit via the relevant link in the Assessments section of your LMS. Due by 11:55pm (23:55) Sunday ending Week 5.
• Week 12:Group assignment workshopin class. Meet with lecturer in class to discuss final questions or concerns
• First Monday of Central Examination Period:Final written report is due by 11:55pm (23:55), Melbourne AU time. Submit via relevant link in the Assessments section of your LMS. Note that only one group member is required to submit your final assignment, on behalf of the entire group.
Read Case 2.3: Carlos Ghosn: Leader without Borders in the Stahl et al. (2012) eBook. Use relevant case information* and relevant OB theory and concepts, including research from at least 15 academic-peer reviewed journal articles, to answer the following questions:
• Analyse the organisational culture at Nissan prior to the organisational change initiated by Ghosn.
• Analyse the use of teams and decision-making in Nissan both before and after the change.
• Analyse Ghosn’s leadership style, both in general and in relation to the specific organisational change at Nissan.
*Note, only use information about the companies and relevant actors (e.g., Ghosn) that is presented in the case itself. You should not draw on company or biographical information that is extraneous to the case. The purpose of the assignment is to engage in your own analysis of the information provided in the case. Do not summarise existing research or analysis that is written by or about Ghosn and Nissan; this will result in a substantially lower mark as it demonstrates minimal understanding and critical analysis.
Formatting the Group Assignment
The group assignment should be written in a neat, professional and engaging manner using report format. A concise guide for writing reports in business school is provided here: https://www.business.unsw.edu.au/Students-Site/Documents/Writingareport.pdf.
The report should use the following standard report structure:
• Title page
• Table of contents
• List of illustrations, List of tables (if applicable)
• Executive summary (include assumptions)
• Introduction
• Main body – Include appropriate headings/sub-headings for different sections
• Conclusions
• References
• Appendices (if applicable)
Note that the title page, table of contents, list of illustrations/tables, references, and appendices are not included in the 4000 word count.
Research and Citations
The group assignment requires you to read a minimum of 15 academic research articles other than what are provided in the textbook and in class. Academic research refers to articles published in academic, peer-reviewed journal articles. The academic research articles should be relevant to the topic, contemporary (i.e., published in the last 5 years) and high quality (i.e., published in journals ranked by the Australian Business Dean’s Council or Australian Research Council as A*, A, or B). You are encouraged to use additional high quality sources beyond the minimum requirement (e.g., additional journal articles, book chapters, etc.). Tips for finding appropriate references will be posted on the LMS and further assistance is available from the teaching staff and the library. Note that Wikipedia and similar sources are not acceptable for this assignment.
Properly cite sources in the main text and include a separate reference page. The in-text citations and references should be formatted using a professional and conventional style. The American Psychological Association (APA) 6th edition or Harvard style are preferred. See the library website for tips on using these
