Posted: March 17th, 2023

Assignment 2 2000 words Case Study Analysis

Assignment 2
Case Study Analysis

Length: 2000 words (with the usual 10% tolerances)

Assignment 2 Guidelines -:

You should write the case study assignment in such a way that you start your answers from line one. That is, there is no need for large introductions and conclusions that we see in essays. Having said this, you would be advised to write an ‘introductory sentence’ and ‘conclusion sentence’ in your response for each task.
You should apply the principles you have learned from the modules/chapters that are specific to the case study. The case study answers should be written in narrative form (i.e. sentences and paragraphs must be used – avoid bullet/numbered points), and should be 2000 words in length, give or minus a 10% margin only and single line spaced.
You must include a ‘List of References’ at the end of your case response. A minimum of 10 academic peer-reviewed references are required. The references you use will be an indication of your wider reading and assimilation of ideas. Please note that information/examples obtained from the case study do not need to be referenced as the case study is the base source of information for your assignment. More marks are gained by the quality of research applied in practice and the overall quality of the answer.

Overall word count does not include Tables and Figures which you are free to use if required. Students will need to include tables in response to tasks 1 and 3 – these have been provided. The List of References is also exempt from the word count.
You should include in your case study response:
1. Please let us know which task you are answering by using -: Task headings, such as Task 1, Task 2 or Task 3 to identify your answer for each task;
2. Use the style guide and Harvard AGPS referencing guide on the Study Desk and there are resources in the Assessment Tab – to assist all students;
3. It is essential that the prescribed chapters/readings listed in each task are used as a guide for your case study response and referred to and referenced in this assignment. The chapters/readings are from the required resources on the course study desk. There are additional readings on the study desk for all students to access;
4. Please also use the term “List of References” instead of “Bibliography”. A bibliography is not the same as a list of references; the difference between a list of references and a bibliography is explained as: “a reference list is a list of all the sources you referred to in the body of your writing, whereas a bibliography might contain additional readings not referred to in your writing that you think might make for useful reading”
5. Your assignment will be sent to Turnitin for analysis. You will receive a Turnitin report stating your similarity percentage. The Turnitin reports will be higher in this course, due to the Assignment templates we require you to use. Please allow at least 24 hours for the report to generate;

6. Please quote the relevant textbooks chapters and readings (peer-reviewed journal articles) to support your answers. Answers in the narrative section of your case answers unsupported by peer-reviewed journal articles and/or textbooks will be regarded as guesswork and generalisations and will not pass the assignment. Avoid writing quotes in your assignment. Avoid using general web articles, Wikipedia, online dictionaries, general magazines, mindtools, businessballs, university notes, consulting web pages and other such non-academic sources of information. These are not acceptable;
7. More marks will be gained when students demonstrate additional evidence of research (peer-reviewed journal articles) and critical analysis of this research.
8. If you feel you need to attach some other interesting report or facts not required in the main body of your case answer, please add this as an appendix. Then in your text close to where you discuss this, you should add in brackets (refer to Appendix 1) – for example;
9. Proof-read your assignment and use a spell-checker;

Assignment 2: Case Study Analysis:

You need to consider how you will identify the range of issues and provide recommendations to solve problems in the following case study scenario.
The Music Company (MusicCo) ©
Please Note: This case study is fictional. Any resemblance to actual names and places is purely coincidental. The case is for students studying MGT2004 Enhancing Performance

Case Study: MusicCo is large music retailer with over 100 stores across Australia. A pivotal role in the MusicCo organisation is the store manager. Store managers serve in two main roles: 1) to lead and support the store staff to ensure customer demands are met; and 2) develop and mentor store staff to maximise business revenue and growth. There is a store manager employed in each MusicCo store. The role performed by the store manager is complex and these individuals have ultimate decision-making authority and are held responsible for ensuring a profitable operation. In the past, it has taken employees an average of 10 years to reach the position of Store Manager within MusicCo. Typically, store managers are in a given position for a limited number of years, before they are expected to move to another position or store location in the organisation.

The key role requirements expected of store managers are that they must be able to: (i) successfully engage in operational leadership of large teams (most stores have over 60 employees); (ii) possess a deep understanding of store operations; including, knowledge about corporate strategies, product supply chains, stock management, branding and marketing; HRM practices; accounting and reporting; and be able to motivate and engage staff. They are expected to be innovative to meet and manage customer demands, satisfy employees and increase sales revenue. Store Managers need skills in leading and motivating their employees, have the ability to deliver excellent customer service and possess strong financial acumen resulting in positive financial results.

At a recent State Conference, the HRM Director overheard some recently appointed new Store Managers discuss how they did not think they had the skills, competencies or knowledge to perform satisfactorily in their new role, despite the fact they had been employed at MusicCo for more than 10 years! They were worried about achieving their organisational goals, doing the right things and also managing their employees.

Until now, MusicCo did not have any policies or procedures or well-defined language about Store Manager performance. Formal performance management and development provided to employees as they progressed into their roles as store managers was inconsistent, with some individuals placed in ‘sink’ or ‘swim’ situations. In addition, the overall business was performing moderately in the current market, there were no significant increases in revenue for the past 2 years. Some Stores were only just achieving their financial targets, whilst other stores were just underperforming financially.

MusicCo’s Corporate HRM Director wants to implement and design a more effective performance process that will address the performance management needs and developmental needs of its store managers with the aim of increasing organisational performance leading to improved financial results.

© 2019 Jane Boeske USQ School of Management and Enterprise
Tasks Required:
You are required to act as the Human Resources (HR) Advisor to address the issues and provide recommendations at MusicCo. What advice would you give to the HRM Director?
Task 1: What is a reward? Discuss and provide a definition of employee rewards including non-financial and financial elements (include in your answer the components outlined by a ‘Total Rewards Approach’ in Shields et al. (2020, pp. 13 – 17)). Then, in relation to the Store Managers role at MusicCo, list the extrinsic and intrinsic rewards in Table 1 and then discuss why you have chosen these rewards and how these will be of benefit to MusicCo. Ensure you use and reference Shields et al. (2020) from Module 2 in your response. (650 words)

Table 1. Components of Total Reward for Store Managers at MusicCo
Extrinsic Rewards Financial Rewards:
•
Development Rewards:
•
Social Rewards:
•
Intrinsic Rewards
•

Task 2: Goal setting has much to offer organisations as a way of managing employee results. Shields et al. (2020, p. 78-83) discuss the aims of goal setting, which is to improve organisational results by directing employee task effort towards anticipated future achievement rather than benchmarking against what has been achieved in the past. Goal setting prescribes a participative approach to establishing and reviewing performance standards. There are benefits and serious shortcomings of goal setting. Discuss the promise and perils of goal setting as these relate to the Store Managers at MusicCo? Ensure you reference Shields et al. (2020, pp. 78-83) Module 3 in your answer. (700 words)

Task 3: Discuss and provide a definition of managerial coaching. As the HR Advisor providing advice to the HRM Director, outline the Five C’s (Contract, Context, Culture, Circumstance and Content) that need to be considered when coaching Store Managers to improve their skills? Include Table 2 below which lists your recommendations in your response. Students are required to delete the comments that are in brackets before they submit their response. Ensure you use and reference Merrick (2013) Module 4 in your answer. (650 words)

Table 2. An outline of the Five C’s that need to be considered when coaching Store Managers at MusicCo and recommendations for MusicCo.
Recommendations:
Contract: All store managers will be required to be involved in coaching sessions with a nominated person within MusicCo.
(You might also list the following – frequency of meetings, type of support given, what are the coaching goals, desired outcomes and methods to achieve improved performance and so on)
Context: (for example, what are the business objectives that need to be fulfilled – list these here)
Culture: (for example, who will serve as coaches – nominate people within MusicCo)
Circumstance: (think about what sort of budget is required for 100 or so store managers)
Content: (what is the subject matter to be discussed and so on)

Case Study Analysis

The Summers & Smith (2010) Communication skills handbook describes a case study as a written description of a business problem at a specific point of time. Case studies come in different formats, including short, less formal descriptions of organisations or business situations or specific scenarios.

The case study for this assignment is in the form of a short description of an organisation. This presents you with a specific situation at a given moment in time and does not provide all the information before or after this moment in time. What should you do if you need information about the case that is not provided? You need to make logical assumptions about the case. Make sure in your writing that the reader is informed about your specific assumptions to explain your arguments. These might be written in an Appendix – if you would like.

Case study analysis provides you with the opportunity to experience the challenges faced in real-life situations. The aim of this type of assessment is to facilitate learning by applying theories and concepts directly. This means that your response to the assignment questions/tasks MUST be a blend of theory/concepts with case study examples to support your key points/points of view.

MGT 2004 Assignment 2 Marking Criteria Sheet Mark: / 100
CRITERIA FAIL
Less than 50% PASS
50% – 64% CREDIT
65% – 74% DISTINCTION
75% – 84% HIGH
DISTINCTION
85% and over TOTAL
Task 1: What is a reward? Discuss and provide a definition of employee rewards including non-financial and financial elements (include in your answer the components outlined by a ‘Total Rewards Approach’ in Shields et al. (2020, pp. 13 – 17)). Then, in relation to the Store Managers role at MusicCo, list the extrinsic and intrinsic rewards in Table 1 and then discuss why you have chosen these rewards and how these will be of benefit to MusicCo. Ensure you use and reference Shields et al. (2020) from Module 2 in your response. (650 words)
Lacks a demonstrated understanding of the task/s. Not all issues relevant to the task/s have been answered. Misunderstood the assignment focus. Included mostly irrelevant material. Did not use the prescribed text/journal articles as the primary theory source. No or limited integration of theory to the case example. Included irrelevant sources (web pages, study books, articles from magazines). Included less than the prescribed number of credible theory sources (peer reviewed books, journal articles).
Limited examples from the case to support answer.
Inaccurate Harvard AGPS referencing style Basic to fair understanding of task/s. May not have answered all the issues relevant to the task.
May be some irrelevancies and or inaccuracies in theory.
Included some additional references although integration of all or some of these references needs improvement.

Citations were mostly from the text/prescribed journal readings
Included some irrelevant material.
Only minor errors in Harvard AGPS referencing. Sound understanding of the task.

Answers all parts of the task but still misses critical analysis of some relevant issues pertaining to the task.
Rudimentary critical analysis. Maybe minor inaccuracies in theory/ies.
Good use of examples from the case to support answer.

Uses the full number of prescribed references,

Accurate Harvard AGPS referencing. Strong understanding of the task/s. Answers all parts very well.
Clear evidence of wider reading. References are well integrated into the discussions.
Very good use of examples from the case to support answer. A good selection of scholarly sources.
Accurate Harvard AGPS referencing. Unequivocal understanding of theory/ies.
Excellent critical analysis of relevant issues pertaining to the task/s.
Excellent examples from the case to support answer.
Goes beyond the prescribed number of references.
References well selected, interpreted & clearly integrated.

Accurate Harvard AGPS referencing.
MARK / 30 <15 15 – 19 19.5 – 22 22.5 – 25 25.5 +
Task 2: Goal setting has much to offer organisations as a way of managing employee results. Shields et al. (2020, p. 78-83) discuss the aims of goal setting, which is to improve organisational results by directing employee task effort towards anticipated future achievement rather than benchmarking against what has been achieved in the past. Goal setting prescribes a participative approach to establishing and reviewing performance standards. There are benefits and serious shortcomings of goal setting. Discuss the promise and perils of goal setting as these relate to the Store Managers at MusicCo? Ensure you reference Shields et al. (2020, pp. 78-83) Module 3 in your answer. (700 words) Lacks a demonstrated understanding of the task/s. Not all issues relevant to the task/s have been answered. Misunderstood the assignment focus. Included mostly irrelevant material. Did not use the prescribed text/journal articles as the primary theory source. No or limited integration of theory to the case example. Included irrelevant sources (web pages, study books, articles from magazines). Included less than the prescribed number of credible theory sources (peer reviewed books, journal articles).
Limited examples from the case to support answer
Inaccurate Harvard AGPS referencing style Basic to fair understanding of task/s. May not have answered all the issues relevant to the task.
May be some irrelevancies and or inaccuracies in theory.
Included some additional references although integration of all or some of these references needs improvement.

Citations were mostly from the text/prescribed journal readings
Included some irrelevant material.
Only minor errors in Harvard AGPS referencing. Sound understanding of the task.

Answers all parts of the task but still misses critical analysis of some relevant issues pertaining to the task.
Rudimentary critical analysis. Maybe minor inaccuracies in theory/ies.
Good use of examples from the case to support answer.

Uses the full number of prescribed references,

Accurate Harvard AGPS referencing Strong understanding of the task/s. Answers all parts very well.
Clear evidence of wider reading. References are well integrated into the discussions.
Very good use of examples from the case to support answer. A good selection of scholarly sources.
Accurate Harvard AGPS referencing Unequivocal understanding of theory/ies.
Excellent critical analysis of relevant issues pertaining to the task/s.
Excellent examples from the case to support answer.
Goes beyond the prescribed number of references.
References well selected, interpreted & clearly integrated.

Accurate Harvard AGPS referencing.
MARK / 30 <15 15 – 19 19.5 – 22 22.5 – 25 25.5 +
Task 3: Discuss and provide a definition of managerial coaching. As the HR Advisor providing advice to the HRM Director, outline the Five C’s (Contract, Context, Culture, Circumstance and Content) that need to be considered when coaching Store Managers to improve their skills? Include Table 2 below which lists your recommendations in your response. Students are required to delete the comments that are in brackets before they submit their response. Ensure you use and reference Merrick (2013) Module 4 in your answer. (650 words) Lacks a demonstrated understanding of the task/s. Not all issues relevant to the task/s have been answered. Misunderstood the assignment focus. Included mostly irrelevant material. Did not use the prescribed text/journal articles as the primary theory source. No or limited integration of theory to the case example. Included irrelevant sources (web pages, study books, articles from magazines). Included less than the prescribed number of credible theory sources (peer reviewed books, journal articles).
Limited examples from the case to support answer
Inaccurate Harvard AGPS referencing style Basic to fair understanding of task/s. May not have answered all the issues relevant to the task.
May be some irrelevancies and or inaccuracies in theory.
Included some additional references although integration of all or some of these references needs improvement.

Citations were mostly from the text/prescribed journal readings
Included some irrelevant material.
Only minor errors in Harvard AGPS referencing. Sound understanding of the task.

Answers all parts of the task but still misses critical analysis of some relevant issues pertaining to the task.
Rudimentary critical analysis. Maybe minor inaccuracies in theory/ies.
Good use of examples from the case to support answer.

Uses the full number of prescribed references,

Accurate Harvard AGPS referencing. Strong understanding of the task/s. Answers all parts very well.
Clear evidence of wider reading. References are well integrated into the discussions.
Very good use of examples from the case to support answer. A good selection of scholarly sources.
Accurate Harvard AGPS referencing. Unequivocal understanding of theory/ies.
Excellent critical analysis of relevant issues pertaining to the task/s.
Excellent examples from the case to support answer.
Goes beyond the prescribed number of references.
References well selected, interpreted & clearly integrated.

Accurate Harvard AGPS referencing.
MARK / 30 <15 15 – 19 19.5 – 22 22.5 – 25 25.5 +
Structure, written expression and presentation.
Poor structure and lacking logical progression of the theme. A lot of irrelevant content. Not adhering to assignment requirements.

Excessive spelling, grammatical errors, poor syntax. Poorly presented, a lot of typing errors. One sentence paragraphs (each paragraph should have at least five sentences)!

Not all required information included e.g. page numbering and line spacing.

Over or under word count.

No or few references. Did not conform to Harvard AGPS referencing format. Some evidence of structure and progression of theme.

Theories not clearly integrated. Might have minor irrelevant content.

Fair understanding of grammar, sentence & paragraph construction.

Some spelling or typing errors. Margins too small/big cluttered or stark appearance.
Evidence of structure and progression of theme. May have some patches where theories need better integration.

Sound level of fluency in writing (may have one or two awkward sentences).

No obvious errors in spelling, grammar or syntax.

Well presented. Clear structure and progression of theme. Well-constructed case study that reinforces important key issues.

No irrelevant content.

Clear and fluent writing.

Professional presentation (not overdone). Structured, critical; argument; excellent progression of theme.

Excellent development and flow of argument paragraph by paragraph.
No irrelevant content.
Well-constructed and crafted piece of work, a pleasure to read.
Professional presentation (not overdone).
MARK / 10 <5 5 – 6 6.5 – 7 7.5 – 8 8.5 +

Comments:

Task 1.

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