Question 1
The following questions test your knowledge of the fundamental concepts for Modernism and Critical Theory. Match the statements that reflect the respective ontology and epistemology of the given perspectives.
Question
Which is a reflection of Modernist ontology?
Which is a reflection of Modernist epistemology?
Which is a reflection of Critical Theory ontology?
Which is a reflection of Critical Theory epistemology?
C. Objectivism. The truth may be represented with objective reality. Concepts may be treated as finite and quantifiable through means of observation and theory. The existence of said truth remains mutually independent of our observation and knowledge, and thus operates irrespective of those whom may experience it. Characteristic of this truth is also its uniformity between individuals, whereby all individuals can arrive at the same iteration of the truth independently.
B. Positivism. The attainment of knowledge is derived exclusively as a product of rational theory subject to sensory experience and methodical observations, and that the availability of this information is homogenous to all beings. Therefore, the modernist must test their rational thought against this reality in order to further their knowledge of the objective truth.
A. Objectivism. There is awareness by the individual of an objective truth, however, this truth is influenced and distorted by our own independent views and beliefs.
D. Subjectivism. Discovering 'truth' as 'tainted' by dominant ideology, through reflexivity and induction. Process of developing theory from observation and interpretation.
Question 2
The following questions test your knowledge of the fundamental concepts for Symbolic Interpretivism and Postmodernism. Match the statements that reflect the respective ontology and epistemology of the given perspectives.
Question
Which is a reflection of Symbolic Interpretivist ontology?
Which is a reflection of Symbolic
Interpretivist epistemology?
Selected Match
B. Subjectivism. It denotes that reality is what is agreed upon to be real or meaningful. This agreeance on reality is formed through social construction in a society, where the notion can appear natural and obvious.
A. Interpretivist Truth is discovered by 'what is revealed through private thoughts, feelings, and by allowing oneself to be influenced by context'.
Which is a reflection of Postmodern 'Reality-. as an illusion is created through language and discourse, and therefore, because language is contextual, reality does not exist
ontology?
C. Which is a reflection of Postmodern
D. epistemology? Truth is discovered though deconstruction of language and can take a retrospective stance and look at how language and discourse in society has led to understanding of how power and control distorts our reality.
Question 3
The following is a test of your ability to classify the papers according to their perspectives. The four papers are:
1. Hoick, L 2016. 'Spatially embedded inequality: exploring structure. agency, and ethnic minority strategies to navigate organizational opportunity structures'. Personnel Review, vol. 45, issue 4. pp. 643 - 662.
2. Kemp. U 2016. "Trapped' by metaphors for organizations: Thinking and seeing women's equality and inequality'. Human Relations, vol. 69. issue 4, pp. 975-1000.
3. Shuck, a Collins, JC. Rocco, TS and Diaz R 2016, 'Deconstructing the Privilege and Power of Employee Engagement Issues of Inequality for Management and Human Resource Development', Human Resource Development Review, vol. 15, issue 2. pp. 208-229.
4. Sieben, B. Braun. T 8 Ferreira. Pi 2016. 'Reproduction of 'Typical'gender roles in temporary organizations-No surprise for whom? The case of cooperative behaviors and their acknowledgement'. Scandinavian Journal of Management, vol. 32, issue 1. pp. 52-62.
Question Selected Match
Spatially embedded inequality exploring structure, agency, and ethnic minority strategies to navigate organizational opportunity structures. D. Symbolic Interpretivist
'Trapped' by metaphors for organizations: Thinking and seeing women's equality and inequality B. Postmodemist
Deconstructing the PrMlege and Power of Employee Engagement Issues of Inequality for Management and Human Resource Development c. Critical Theorist
Reproduction of 'Typical'gender roles in temporary organizations-No surprise for whom? The case of cooperative behaviors and their acknowledgement A. Modernist
Question 4
This question relates to the following reading:
HOICK L 2016, 'Spatially embedded inequality: exploring structure, agency, and ethnic minority strategies to navigate organizational opportunity structures', Personnel Review, vol. 45, issue 4, pp. 643 - 662.
Question Selected Match
Which of these statements reflect
C. the papers ontology? Substructures of inequality are stabilised and reproduced through spatial routines and practices. These substructures of inequality are created though the norms and values of ethnic majority groups in organisations.
Which of these statements reflect the papers epistemology?
Which of these statements reflect
the papers narrative?
Question 5
A. An ethnographic approach was used to study and describe what the organisational members and researcher experienced in immersive and lengthy participant observations in the field. The study was based on applying a combination of qualitative methods of contextualised ethnographic observation and interviews.
Formal Human Resource Management (HRM) practices - such as objective procedures, sensitivity training, and networking - often fail because they are not embedded in a situational assessment of the tacit organizational 'underbelly' of power battles related to privileges, disadvantages. and resistance.
The following questions tests your ability to analyse the papers for organisational theory concepts. This question relates to the following reading:
Kemp, U 2016, "Trapped' by metaphors for organizations: Thinking and seeing women's equality and inequality', Human Relations, vol. 69, issue 4, pp. 975-1000.
Question
Which of these statements reflect
the papers ontology?
Which of these statements reflect the papers epistemology?
Which of these statements reflect
the papers narrative?
Question 6
Selected Match
B. The paper is based on how metaphors-in-use, as a word/phrase, represents as language and imagery. complexities of organizational realities. The paper makes the assumption that such organisational metaphors are an accepted descriptor for the way gender is conceptualised in organizations and how the meanings are shared between employees.
A. Data was collected from a sample of 70 articles in 30 leading academic journals that referenced Images of Organization, and were analyzed for within-domains similarity between the eight metaphors and imageries of women in organizations. The results were investigated for women's equality and inequality via content analysis.
C. Influences on women's equality and inequality are identifiable from these metaphors for organizations. The use of negative imagery for women in organisational literature should be cautioned, because those images reveal, but also reinforce, inequality in organizations. The significance of these study findings is that influences from those eight metaphors have trapped ways of seeing and thinking women's equality and inequality and can impede progress.
This question relates to the following reading:
Shuck. B, Collins. JC, Rocco, TS and Diaz, R 2016. 'Deconstructing the Privilege and Power of Employee Engagement Issues of Inequality for Management and Human Resource Development', Human Resource Development Review, vol. 15, issue 2, pp. 208-229.
Selected Match
A. The paper is based on an assumption that organisations and employee engagement programs are a reality. The authors accept that organisations and employees both benefit from the outcomes associated with the heightened experience of employee engagement. However, the conditions for engagement to flourish employee engagement are influenced by those who are uniquely privileged by position and power.
C. This deconstruction of the privilege and power of employee engagement was focused toward exploring four principal questions: Who (a) controls the context of work? (b) determines theexperience of engagement? (c) defines the value of engagement? and (d) benefits from high levels of engagement?
B. Assumptions about the conditions that lead to the experience of engagement have (a)remained underdeveloped, (b) been grounded in a technical rational paradigm that advantages quantifiable information, and (c) essentially disregarded issues of equity and access. Exploration of engagement as a privileged state could extend prior and future research by considering the ways in which employee engagement may be distributed unevenly in organisations -intentionally or unintentionally.
Question
Which of these statements reflect the papers ontology?
Which of these statements
reflect the papers epistemology?
Which of these statements reflect the papers narrative?
1.1 Aims of the assignment
The aims of this assignment are for you to:
- Develop your understanding of the nature of the key organisational perspectives and their related theories;
- Demonstrate an understanding of the key perspectives and the meta-theoretical assumptions that underpin each;
- Develop research skills and the ability to assess the strengths and weaknesses of various debates and arguments;
- Demonstrate the ability to critically engage with academic literature and develop your own answer to a set question.
- Gain skills in the written presentation of an argument, including the ways in which scholars incorporate and acknowledge the ideas of other writers.
2 Process and Preparation
Preparing for and writing assignments or extended essays are one of the most important activities for university students. Assignments are linked closely to course objectives and are a major means by which your achievement of the objectives is measured.
The following notes are provided as a general guide to reading and writing and are addressed to students with little experience in essay writing. If you are an experienced student you may wish to skip over some sections; however, you should give very careful attention to the section dealing with reference citing. Many of the issues dealt with below are discussed more comprehensively in books dealing with study skills. Some useful books are:
- Murphy, E. (2007) Essay writing made simple, French Forest, NSW: Pearson Education Australia.
- Peck, J. and Coyle, M. (2005) The student's guide to writing: grammar, punctuation and spelling, 2nd edn. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
- Redman, P. (2006) Good essay writing: a social sciences guide, Milton Keys: Open University Press.
- Zemach, D. (2005) Academic writing: from paragraph to writing, Oxford: Macmillan Education.
2.1 Plan Your Essay
The point at which reading and note taking ends and the preparation of the essay proper begins is a matter for judgement and the decision can be a fairly arbitrary one. An important stage in this process is the preparation of an essay plan. The first stage
of developing a plan is to clarify your interpretation of the assignment question, and to decide how you wish to respond to it.
The way in which you set out a plan will depend on your style of working. Whatever method you use it is important that, for a time, you attempt to distance yourself from the material you have collected and develop a framework within which to make judgements about the quality of that material and select and present the parts that are relevant to the topic. The key to planning lies in relating the various parts of your reading and thinking to the topic. One way to start is to outline what others have written about the topic and you should decide at this stage how much of their work you are going to use.
2.1.1 Know the Purpose of Assignments
Different assignments are focussed on different aspects of a course and you will find that expectations vary according to how a particular assignment relates to the course and course objectives. Assignments are a major form of assessment in the School of Management; they are also a way for you to organise your learning in a unit, and to communicate that learning to your unit teachers. It is important, therefore, to think about how to use assignments for your own purposes, and as a form of communication about what you are reading and thinking about in a course.
2.1.2 Addressing the Topic
Make sure you read all the details relating to the topic(s) a number of times. Read the aims of the assignment and note the unit objective(s) it refers to as well as reading the actual topic. The most common cause of poor essays stems from students providing a general response to the topic and not addressing the specific issues required. In addressing the topic, you should demonstrate the following:
Your ability to conduct research and use it to develop an argument/answer that will discipline your response.
Your ability to write a clear, compelling, well-presented and properly referenced response to the question.
Your ability to directly respond to all of the key issues raised in your research
The ability to move past description to analysis; to move past a focus on who, what, when and how questions to also answer the associated why questions.
The ability to provide your own answer to the question in your own words
Each topic will be in the form of a question to be answered or a statement to be discussed. Implicit in any topic is that it requires a response informed by organisational theory, even if this is not explicitly stated. In other words, your essay should be written in light of the readings you have been doing, not as a statement of your opinion, or an account of ‘what everybody knows'. Make sure you identify the ‘key words' in the topic. These will usually be concepts central to the topic.
This essay is designed to develop your knowledge of the theoretical perspectives, to build your understanding that each perspective is underpinned by different assumptions that lead to different ways of understanding organisations. Given their ontological and epistemological underpinnings, each perspective has different ways of conceptualising different aspects of organisations. You must demonstrate your understanding of the perspectives and how they relate to an understanding of organisations.
This essay has been designed to encourage you to prepare and present your individual analysis. There is no single ‘right' answer. Markers will be looking for evidence that you have read broadly, including the provided material, and have synthesised the material to develop your own answer/ argument. The markers will also expect you to answer the question in your own words.
Do not try to cover every single detail; you only have 2000 words so concentrate on the major points rather than fine details.
Wikipedia is not a reliable source of information. We encourage you to make use of journal articles which can be found via a range of library databases. I suggest you use Expanded Academic ASAP (Gale) database which is located through the Databases section of the library website because it allows you to search a range of journals using keywords. You will find an enormous amount of relevant literature. You can also do author searches which can be helpful to locate recent articles by scholars mentioned in the textbook. We also encourage you to make use of the references and further reading suggested by the textbook at the end of each chapter. ‘Citation Linker' found through the library website is a useful tool to locate some of the journal articles mentioned in the textbook. There is a lot of information out there regarding the topic.
Students are NOT allowed to use lecture notes as reference materials.
You should look at the assessment sheet found in the course guide. It will give you a feel for the sorts of things we will be assessing.
You should also look at the other part of the course guide which outlines the differences between the grades -i.e. what separates a ‘D' from a ‘CR'.
A key point to remember in answering the questions is not to be overly descriptive. In answering the question you will need to develop an argument. An argument requires ‘expressing a point of view on a subject and supporting it with evidence'. The basic components of an argument include:
- Making a claim (informed by relevant organisational perspectives and/or theories)
- Supporting your claim with evidence
- Recognising and engaging with counter-claims
Attachment:- Course Guide - Readings.rar