MGMT 615
ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING RUBRICS
HW # 1
Dream Job: A Paper on Leadership
Your objective/goal in this assignment is to demonstrate to your instructor that
you have read—and have made an attempt to understand, comprehend, and
master—the various concepts of leadership and culture as presented in the
eReadings, lecture notes, and other information you may have obtained up to
this point in the course. To repeat, other sources are permitted as long as they
are credible and objective sources. You should use sources from the
virtual library databases. Two excellent sources of articles are ABI/Inform and
Business Source Complete.
Assume you have landed your dream job with your dream employer, a global
company with several thousand employees. It has offices and facilities all over
the world. You have been recognized as an “up and comer” and placed in
the company’s training program. Part of this program involves sending you to
to take management courses, including this one, with “Professor Jones,”
an expert in the field.
In the past, the company’s recognition of future talent such as you has been
based on gut feelings. Top management wants to refine the process, and your
supervisor has asked you to write a synopsis on leadership, and to suggest an
instrument that can be used to evaluate or predict the leadership capabilities of
job applicants. After an informal conversation regarding your assignment with
your supervisor, you make notes of the following points:
What is leadership?
Is leadership a trait or a process?
Is leadership assigned or emergent?
Is leadership the same as management? Is managing leading?
Are leaders born or made?
Are there commonalities among leaders?
Do leaders have certain skills? If so, what?
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Do leaders behave in certain ways? If so, how?
Can the same leadership techniques apply to a variety of conditions?
Is it possible to identify certain characteristics of an individual and then
match them to a leadership position?
Are there any instruments (questionnaires or tests) available to
determine leader characteristics?
Are the same leadership techniques applicable to different countries?
In a follow-up conversation, your supervisor points out that it would be impossible
to cover each of those points in 4 to 6 pages. What he/she has in mind is for you
to consider the various leadership concepts you have studied, pick the one you
think is most applicable, and recommend a particular course of actionthat applies
best to your company.
Description
Submit a paper of 4 to 5 double-spaced pages discussing the topic of
leadership. Follow APA format and guidelines with the following exception:
Develop an outline and include it in an appendix at the end of your paper. This
outline is to consist of your topic sentence or thesis statement, which should be
the first sentence of your paper, and two or three points, which
should reflect the second-level headings of your paper.
Learning Outcomes
This paper will help you learn to
identify an issue and formulate a research topic that can be adequately
covered in the required space;
identify, examine, and evaluate various aspects of leadership; and
demonstrate competence in using APA format, especially regarding
citations and references.
Provide Proper Attribution, and Support Your Conclusions
Give credit where credit is due. It is easy to plagiarize unintentionally. Every time
you use the words or ideas of someone else, cite your reference per instructions
in your APA Manual.
If you state conclusions or facts such as:
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“All leaders must be resilient,”
“Discrimination against women is the very worst kind,” or
“Genes are what determine behavior”
…then you have made a claim and you must provide evidence to support it.
Furthermore, if the assertion or a piece of supporting evidence is attributable to a
particular source, you must also provide complete reference information.
Grading Criteria: Abbreviated Rubric for Homework 1 (Leadership)
Criteria
Available
Score
Submitted late: 5% deduction per day
Meets expectations for content and purpose of the
assignment.
10
Develops a clearly articulated and original thesis and/or
main idea that are consistent with expectations of
content and purpose. Topic is focused and can be
covered in appropriate depth in 4-6 pages.
20
Organizes ideas in clear and sequential paragraphs
that logically reinforce the main idea. Uses first-level,
second-level, and possibly third-level headings as
appropriate.
10
Incorporates sufficient use of appropriate research,
supporting evidence, and relevant sources (including
assigned texts and module sources).
10
3
Critically evaluates information and/or data within
boundaries established by the main idea.
10
Conforms to APA and/or additional guidelines from the
instructor.
20
Displays sound grammar, spelling, and punctuation,
and uses appropriate conventions.
20
Total
100
REMAINING ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE PROVIDED DURING THE FIRST TWO
WEEKS OF CLASS.
