Critically discuss the theoretical differences between the ‘old’ and ‘current’ psychological theories of leadership.

Organisational Leadership
UU-PSY703

Page 1

Organisational Leadership (UU-PSY703)

Organisational Leadership (UU-PSY703)

Assignment 1 Guidelines

Assignment One: 50% of module marks

Essay Assignment 1

Essay Title: Critically discuss the theoretical differences between the ‘old’ and ‘current’

psychological theories of leadership.

Word Limit: 3000 words (absolute max 3500)

Assessment Point No: 1 (1 out of 2) 50% of final module mark

Online Submission: End of week 4 (Sunday)

Time: By 11:59 p.m. (23:59 hours) UTC time at the latest.

Important Note: If you miss the deadline, UNICAF rules on late submission/non-submission will

come into effect.

Learning outcomes assessed:

1. Demonstrate knowledge, critical evaluation and practical understanding of the major key

psychological theories underpinning leadership behaviour.

2. Present critical and evidence-based arguments in written form.

Guidelines:

1. Add in depth evidence of advanced research and theories beyond the core readings which

have been provided in the module.

2. The essay should be reported by using the APA referencing format. Full and detailed

“References” section should be included at the end of the essay.

3. The essay should be within the indicated and appropriate word limit. Assignments that overly

exceed the absolute maximum will not be marked.

4. Your assignment should be word processed; Arial font size 11 or 12 and double- spaced and

numbered pages.

Organisational Leadership
UU-PSY703

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5. Headings (e.g., Introduction/Discussion/Conclusion) should not be included in your final

essay.

Note: Essential information must be included in the body of the essay and will be counted in the

word count. Extra illustrative information may be included in the appendices.

Your essay will be assessed using the Writing Rubric located at the top of the course shell.

Students will decide on the appropriate structure and content but we would expect to see the

following elements:

 Introduction: setting the context, addressing the question, the approach to answering the

question

 Main body of the assignment

o Essay content, analysis, and review of the literature. All the elements that are

included in the assignment must be adequately analysed and supported with material

that is properly cited, paraphrased and referenced from a wide variety of external

sources.

 Conclusion: bring together your main points; address the main question and adequately

summarize the findings of your assignment.

Marking criteria:

Element Weight %

Presentation (General Presentation and APA reference system) 10

Essay content, critical analysis and review of literature 50

Essay structure and organization 30

Language clarity and accuracy 10

The following points should be noted for this part of the assessment:

 This is an individual assessment, not a group task.

 Literature should be sourced from a range of journal articles and textbooks.

Organisational Leadership
UU-PSY703

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 The submission should use cases and examples from a variety of organisations to illustrate

the application of the leadership theory in organizations. This information should be

referenced to reports, websites and other relevant documents to allow tutors to access it.

 The word count is 3000 words +/- 10%. This does not include the reference list and any

appendices the assignment may include.

 Accurate referencing of sources is crucial in this coursework. The referencing system used

in this module is the APA Reference system. Please make sure you are familiar with this.

Marks will be deducted for inaccurate referencing.

 The assessment must be submitted electronically via ‘Turnitin’.

 Please familiarise yourself with the regulations on late submission. Last minute accidents

involving the loss of data sticks, corrupted files, faulty laptops and so on can be guarded

against by backing your work up thoroughly and regularly.

 Do not put your name on the assignment cover sheet – use your student number for

identification only.

 Please note that tutors will not be able to pre-assess draft assignments. We will comment on

short sections if students are concerned about their writing style, and we are happy to advice

on outline structures. Please do not ask tutors to comment on whole draft assignments.

 Feedback will be available within twenty working days.