Mr Simon has spent 12 years continuous service as a line manager in a retail organisation. In the
past three years he has twice been considered for promotion via a formal interview process and was
unsuccessful. On each occasion the successful candidate had better formal qualifications than Mr
Simon, although he had more experience.
He has very recently been rejected for promotion for a third time and is thought to be becoming disillusioned as a result of this. On passing him in the corridor you (Mr Simon’s team leader) overhear him saying to a colleague, ‘I can see there is absolutely no possibility of advancement in this organisation for me, it’s time I moved on’. Mr Simon is a very hard working and diligent worker and is highly regarded by your team members and replacing his skills and abilities will be extremely difficult.
You are currently studying perception, attitudes and motivation theories as part of a management qualification. Explain why the topics you are studying may be useful in analysing this particular situation and what positive measures could be implemented to attempt to re-motivate this employee.
Assignment Considerations
General
It can be good practice in your preparations for each part to undertake a number of activities.
These include:
▪ Establishing key issues/areas raised by the question
▪ Defining fundamental terms
▪ Describing contextual information e.g. background to topic and its significance and/or
interesting statistical data
▪ Identifying, explaining in detail and cross-comparing relevant concepts, models and theoretical
approaches
▪ Applying concepts to contemporary issues within business settings
▪ Applying models/theories to workplace/organisation/industry examples and/or evaluating the
practical application of models/theories
▪ Drawing parallels between theory and practice
▪ Evaluating relative merits and drawbacks of opposing academic viewpoints with a view to
building independent opinions
▪ Formulating balanced, persuasive independent arguments based on academic evidence and
judgement
▪ Stating a clear, overall answer to the question
Particular consideration may be given to:
• Assessing the relationship between attitude, job satisfaction and commitment
• Identifying the key issues influencing motivation
• Explaining and comparing theoretical approaches to motivation (content and process) and
• relating these to the context of employee dissatisfaction/disillusionment
• Analysing the practical applicability and usefulness of motivation theories for
managers/leaders
• Evaluating team-working and its impact on addressing individual and to organisational needs
Assignment Guidance
Word count and presentation: You are required to submit an essay-type assignment not exceeding 2,000 words [+/- 10%] (excluding references). The essay should provide an introduction, a main section (with sub-sections) a conclusion and a reference list. If using tables/images provide labels and sources. Write in a suitable academic style.
Submission: Your individual assignment should be submitted by 11.59pm [UK time] via the Turnitin submission link. Your file name should provide your matriculationnumber, taking the format of 40xxxxxx MOC. Your name should NOT appear.
Weighting: The assignment accounts for 50% of your overall mark on this module.
Referencing: Follow the APA 7th Edition. referencing system throughout. All references provided in your list should link to a corresponding within text citation.
Avoid plagiarism: Always provide a reference to support your arguments, ensuring that you cite
all sources you draw ideas from and that you attribute any quotes appropriately to the author.
Turnitin software may be used to detect plagiarism.
