ASSIGNMENT BRIEF

PROGRAMME TITLE	BSc (Hons) Business Management	MODULE CREDIT VALUE	20
MODULE TITLE	Personal and Professional Skills for Management	MODULE LEVEL	4
MODULE CODE	LSME402	ACADEMIC YEAR	2026-27
LECTURER	Amanda Babalola
LEARNING OUTCOMES	On successful completion of this module students will be able to: Demonstrate an understanding of effective communication skills and how they can affect workplace behaviour.Apply knowledge and understanding of effective negotiation and influencing skills in order to achieve a pre-determined objective.Use knowledge and understanding of conflict management to resolve a situation of conflict.Understand and use appropriate coaching techniques in order to improve the performance of an individual.
SUBMISSION DEADLINES	Assignment 1: Reflective Summary –This Month Assignment 2: Essay This Month	ISSUE DATE	This Week
SIGNATURE OF ASSESSOR	A.Babalola

MODULE DESCRIPTION

The module examines the personal and professional skills needed to successfully manage individuals in a business context. The role of people is critical to maximising performance, and therefore an understanding of how to effectively communicate and influence workplace behaviour is a fundamental skill. Managers also need to understand how inter-personal conflict arises, and an ability to coach and develop people in order to achieve a productive workforce.  

ASSESSMENT TASKS

The aim of the assignment is to expose the students to the essential requirements of personal and professional development skills that managers need to develop and manage a business successfully.

• LOs 1 and 2: Reflective assignment as part of completing a Learning Log – 2,000 words +/-10% (50% Weighting)

• LOs 3 and 4: Essay – 2,000 words +/-10% (50% Weighting)

ASSIGNMENT 01 – (Reflective Account) 2000 words

Reflective log – Group work during the taught session (individual assignment)

This assignment requires that students concentrate on different activities and task during taught sessions for a period of first five-six weeks . Students will demonstrate a clear understanding of effective communication skills and how they can affect workplace behaviour. It is expected that student will record daily experience during the class interactions / activities in line with the key assessment areas in the reflective log.  

In addition, it is essential that students show clear evidence of how knowledge and understanding of effective negotiation and influencing skills are applied in order to achieve a pre-determined objective. The lecturer will observe each student’s behaviour and group dynamic and provide formative feedback where and when necessary.

A detailed reflective summary must be provided with sound and clear evidence that:

1. Demonstrates an understanding of effective communication skills and how they can affect workplace behaviour.

• Shows how knowledge and understanding of effective negotiation and influencing skills have been applied in order to achieve a pre-determined objective.

Suggestion: A developmental learning, collection and collation of evidence from the first week will help you to create a road map and good portfolio of reflective learning logs that could be summarised for your essay. 

Information from the learning logs will be used to develop a 2000-word reflective summary that analyses effective communication in the workplace and how negotiation and personal influence had been applied to achieve a predetermined objective. The reflective summary will include both work based experience and involvement in class activities.

ASSIGNMENT 01– INDICATIVE MARKING CRITERIA

The assessor grades the assignment individually and assigns a numerical grade in percentage. For this module, there will be two assignments.  Each assignment weighting is 50% making a total of 100%. At the end of the assessment processes, your work will be graded as follows:

Reflective Assignment Marking Criteria
A* 80%+ High First	An excellent answer will have the following attributes: Exceptional reflective account to demonstrate an understanding of effective communication skills and how it can affect the workplace.  Excellent application of knowledge through a reflective report to give a clear understanding of effective negotiation and influencing skills in order to achieve a pre-determined objective.   Correct use of English language with evidence of wide range of reading. Referencing in correct Harvard Style
A 70 – 79% First Class	All components will have been submitted, and the remaining criteria will be as noted for the 80%+ marking band.  However, in one or two areas, the submission will be open to minor criticism.
B 60 – 69 % Upper Second	A very good reflective account to demonstrate an understanding of effective communication skills and how it can affect the workplace and a good account on activities done to show an understanding of effective negotiation and influencing skills in order to achieve a pre-determined objective  Clear and logical structure showing the progression of ideas and argument with the help of examples Harvard Style referencing with some minor mistakes in presentation or referencing.
C 50 – 59% Lower Second	All components will have been submitted, and the remaining criteria will be as noted for the 60-69% marking band. However, there will be some gaps in knowledge and analysis.
D 40 – 49% Third Class	A basic level of factual and conceptual understanding of personal and professional skills for management with some limited analysis of communication skills, negotiation and influencing skills and how it can affect the workplace through reflective account. Mainly descriptive with limited evidence of deeper understanding Limited evidence to show an understanding of personal and professional skills required to work effectively in the workplace. Weak structure with some mistakes in grammar or sentence structure. References may have some style errors.
F 30 – 39% Fail	The submission has a few major flaws. A few important sections are missing. Inadequate explanation and/or analysis. Major language and referencing errors
F 0 – 29% Poor Fail	The submission has a large number of major flaws. Most important sections are missing. Assignment requirements are not met at any level

ASSIGNMENT 02 – Essay (2000 Words)

It has been established in management literature and practice that conflict is inevitable in workplace settings which could stir up negative emotions when not well manged. Even though conflict may be perceived as a negative thing, not all conflicts are negative. In fact, conflicts can arise between co-workers, supervisors and subordinates or often between employees and external stakeholders, such as customers, suppliers and regulatory agencies. Managing conflict is a key management competency and should be studied and practiced so as to develop effective conflict management skills to maintain a positive workplace relationship with colleagues and create a healthy work environment.  In view of the assumption that conflict is inevitable in the work environment and its escalation could lead to a damaging effect. Hence, developing an effective approach to conflict management is very important.

Coaching can bring together long-term development goals, innate individual strengths, and short-term work priorities in ways that provide the employee clear next steps and observable measures of success. The relevance and appropriateness of the coaching technique is just as important as the development of the person being coached. Organisations have an enormous opportunity to elevate employee performance by including coaching programs and processes as a key component of their overall performance management approach.

TASK

Using any of the suggested essay topics, you are required to show an understanding of how conflict could emerge at the workplace and how such conflicts can be resolved with appropriate conflict management approaches. You are also required to show an understanding of the use of appropriate coaching techniques to improve the performance of an individual.

Suggested Essay topics

1. Discuss the use of conflict management and coaching techniques by managers as valuable skills in driving business success.
2. Why managers with knowledge of conflict management and appropriate use of coaching techniques are winners and not whiners in today’s business environment. 
3. The knowledge and understanding of conflict management and the use of appropriate coaching techniques in managing an organisation’s workforce. 
4. Role of conflict management and coaching techniques in resolving conflict situations and improving the performance of individuals.
5. An understanding of how to mitigate  poor productivity with better conflict managementand the knowledge of coaching techniques to improve the performance of the workforce.
6. Discuss how the implementation of conflict management and coaching techniques can accelerate the personal and professional growth and overall workplace moral.

Your cognitive  and intellectual skills will be put to test by your ability to link theories to practice with substantial evidence of appropriate analysis. Your essay should show an understanding of concepts and theories relevant to the subject.

Evidence provided must show:

1. How the knowledge and understanding of conflict management is used to resolve a situation of conflict at work

• A clear understanding of coaching, its benefits and how the use of appropriate coaching techniques ( Listening, Questioning, Clarifying and Feedback) and models can be used to improve the performance of an individual at work.

Students must complete ALL tasks in order to be successful in this module.

ASSIGNMENT 02– INDICATIVE MARKING CRITERIA

Essay Marking Criteria
A* 80%+ High First	An excellent answer will have the following attributes: Strong ability to develop Outstanding knowledge and understanding of conflict management shown to demonstrate deep insight and  creativity through the writing of own scenario of a conflict situation in a workplace that would be linked to essay. Exceptionally well structured and well-presented arguments with relevant examples to showcase knowledge and understanding of conflict management to resolve a situation of conflict.  Outstanding knowledge and understanding to show brilliant use of appropriate coaching techniques in order to improve the performance of an individual. Application of coaching models Correct use of English language Referencing in correct Harvard Style
A 70 – 79% First Class	All components will have been submitted, and the remaining criteria will be as noted for the 80%+ marking band.  However, in one or two areas, the submission will be open to minor criticism.
B 60 – 69 % Upper Second	Very good knowledge and understanding of conflict management shown to demonstrate good insight and  creativity through the writing of own scenario of a conflict situation in a workplace that would be linked to essay A good assessment and evaluation of conflict management to resolve a situation of conflict and appropriate coaching techniques in order to improve the performance of an individual. Clear and logical structure showing the progression of ideas and argument with the help of examples Harvard Style referencing with some minor mistakes in presentation or referencing.
C 50 – 59% Lower Second	All components will have been submitted, and the remaining criteria will be as noted for the 60-69% marking band. However, there will be some gaps in knowledge and analysis.
D 40 – 49% Third Class	Good knowledge and understanding of conflict management shown to demonstrate insight and  creativity through the writing of own scenario of a conflict situation in a workplace with a limited link to essay A basic level of factual and conceptual understanding of personal and professional skills for management with some limited analysis of conflict management, coaching techniques to improve the performance of an individual. Mainly descriptive with limited evidence of deeper understanding Limited evidence to show an understanding of personal and professional skills required to work effectively in the workplace. Weak structure with some mistakes in grammar or sentence structure. References may have some style errors.
F 30 – 39% Fail	Inadequate or no creativity and show of knowledge and understanding of conflict management through own scenario. The submission has a few major flaws. A few important sections are missing. Inadequate explanation and/or analysis. Major language and referencing errors
F 0 – 29% Poor Fail	No creativity and show of knowledge and understanding of conflict management through own scenario. The submission has a large number of major flaws. Most important sections are missing. Assignment requirements are not met at any level

COMPLETING THE TASKS

In order to complete Assignments 1 and 2, you will need to research different information sources such as textbooks, journals, articles and the internet. You are also required to develop skills in the analysis of information. Analysis requires you to critically examine different aspects of a topic and identify relevant issues. Discussions with your peers and friends will also help you to understand the relevant data analysis and presentation techniques that can be applied to different perspectives of the collated data provided.

Please Note: Make use of information and guidance provided by your lecturer(s) as well as learning and teaching materials and additional resources uploaded on Canvas.

HELPFUL INFORMATION

Core Texts

Hartley, P. (2015). Business Communication. Oxford, Routledge

Horton, S. (2016). The Leader’s Guide to Negotiation. Harlow, Pearson

Liddle, D. (2017). Managing Conflict. London. Kogan Page

Additional Texts

Baldwin, D. & Grayson, C. (2004). Influence: Gaining commitment, getting results. [Ideas into Action Guidebooks]. Greensboro, NC: Centre for Creative Leadership.

Cialdini, R. B. (2006, Rev. ed.). Influence: The psychology of persuasion. Harper Business.

Cottrell, S. (2003). Skills for Success: the Personal Development Planning Handbook. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan

Cullen, K., Willburn, P., Chrobot-Mason, D., & Palus, C. (2014). Networks: How Collective Leadership Really Works. Greensboro, NC: Centre for Creative Leadership.

Dawson P. (2015). Personal and Professional Development for Business Studies. Sage Publications

Dennis, F. (2007). How to Get Rich. London: Ebury.

Friedman, D. (2013). Influence for Nonprofit Leaders. [Ideas into Action Guidebooks]. Greensboro, NC: Centre for Creative Leadership.

Gawel, J. (1997). Herzberg’s Theory of Motivation and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. [Washington, DC]: [ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation].

Gibbs, G. (1988). Learning by Doing: a Guide to Teaching and Learning Methods. [London]: FEU.

Hernez-Broome, G., McLaughlin, C., & Trovas, S. (2007). Selling Yourself Without Selling Out: A Leader’s Guide to Ethical Selfpromotion. Greensboro, NC: Centre for Creative Leadership.

Hughes, R. L., Beatty K. C., & Dinwoodie D. L. (2014). Becoming a Strategic Leader (2nd ed.). Greensboro, NC: Centre for Creative Leadership.

Milton, J. and Lyons, J. (2003). Evaluate to Improve Learning: Reflecting on the role of teaching and learning models. Higher Education Research & Development

Springer, M.L.  (2005). Program Management. Purdue University Press.

QAA (2009). Personal development planning: guidelines for institutional policy and practice. Gloucester: 

Available from: www.qaa.ac.uk/academic infrastructure/progressives/guidelines/PDP.

Routledge, C. and Carmichael, J. (2007). Personal Development and Management Skills. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Starr, J. (2016). The Coaching Manual. Harlow, Pearson Business.

Yukl, G. A. (2013). Leadership in Organizations (8th ed.). New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Journal Articles

Bohns, V. and Flynn, F. (2013) ‘Underestimating our influence over others at work’, Research in Organizational Behavior, 33, pp.97-112.

Gibbs, G. (1988) ‘Learning by doing: a guide to teaching and learning methods’, [London]: FEU.

Kolb, A. and Kolb, D. (2005) ‘Learning Styles and Learning Spaces: Enhancing Experiential Learning in Higher Education’, Academy of Management Learning & Education, 4(2), pp.193-212.

Lawless, J. and Trif, A. (2016) ‘Managing interpersonal conflicts at work by line managers’, The Irish Journal of Management, 35(1), pp.74-87.

Ma, L., Yang, B., Wang, X. and Li, Y. (2017) ‘On the dimensionality of intragroup conflict’, International Journal of Conflict Management, 28(5), pp.538-562.

REFERENCING YOUR WORK

References to relevant academic theory and research findings should be provided and cited appropriately using the Harvard system of referencing. Examples of this referencing style is as follows:

Pears, R. and Shields, G. (2016). Cite Them Right: The Essential Referencing Guide. Palgrave study skills. 10th edn. Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan. 

Petit, C. and Sieffermann, J. (2007) ‘Testing consumer preferences for iced-coffee: Does the drinking environment have any influence?’, Food Quality and Preference, 18(1), pp.161-172.

The Knowledge Academy (2023) What is effective Communication: Principles and importance. Available at What is Effective Communication: Key Principles and Strategies (theknowledgeacademy.com) (Accessed on: 16 Sep 2024)

Author/s name and initials are listed first, followed by the year of publication in brackets. Then there is the title of the article and the journal where the article appears, which is in italics. Finally, state the volume and issue number (in brackets) along with the pages where the article can be located. Include at least two in-text citations and references in each assessment criterion. Further information on the Harvard System of referencing is on your Canvas Platform.

Note: Do not use Wikipedia, tutor2U or non-academic website as a source of reference.

Link to Harvard Referencing: https://canvas.lsme.ac.uk/courses/114/pages/study-skills

ACADEMIC MALPRACTICE

You are required to work independently when preparing this assignment and you are reminded of the need to avoid the risk (intentionally or unintentionally) of committing academic malpractice. In particular, presenting another learner’s work as yours or taking information from any sources without acknowledging the source correctly can constitute academic malpractice. You are expected to submit your work into Virtual Learning Environment that is provided by the school.

Please note that your work may be subject to penalties and/or cancellation if academic malpractice has taken place. The Turnitin similarity report can highlight where academic sources have not been referenced appropriately/effectively and this could result in a concern being highlighted around possible plagiarism (one form of academic malpractice where sources have been used without proper acknowledgement).

Although it is not inappropriate to generate ideas for assignments, presenting an assignment generated solely by AI is similar to contract cheating because the work submitted will not be your original work and the academic malpractice policy will apply.

Make sure you read over your work carefully and ensure that all sources of information have been acknowledged to avoid any untoward investigations that would result in a delay in your achievement of the module. Further information on academic malpractice (including plagiarism and the use of AI) and potential consequences are available in your student handbooks and UoC guidance on AI.

As for Artificial Intelligence (AI), you must acknowledge using AI by naming the tool and how it was used within your references. You should use one of the following options:

• No content generated by AI technologies has been presented as my own work.

• I acknowledge the use of [insert AI system(s) and link]  to generate materials for background research and self-study in the drafting of this assessment.

• I acknowledge the use of  [insert AI system(s) and link]  to generate materials that were included within my final assessment in modified form.

Please ensure that you include one of the statements above in the final version of your work that you submit.

We suggest that this statement is included within your References or Bibliography section towards the end of your work.

Referencing your use of GenAI

You must describe how the information or material was generated (including the prompts you used), what the output was and how the output was changed by you. You should use the following format of wording, depending on the nature of use:

• The following prompts were input into [AI system]: [List prompt(s)]

• The output obtained was: [Paste the output generated by the AI system]

• The output was changed by me in the following ways: [explain the actions taken]

Here is an example of how to include the use of AI within your references:

OpenAI (2022) ChatGPT: Optimizing Language Models for Dialogue. Available at https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt/. (Accessed: 30 June 2023)

You also need to reference the use of AI in-text. Here is an example of how you should write this: (OpenAI, 2022)

Link to academic malpractice:https://lsme.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/college-policies/LSME-Policy-Academic-Misconduct-Policy-and-Procedure.pdf

PRESENTATION

Present a Reflective Summary of 2000 words (+/- 10%) as an evidence for Assignment 1 and an Essay of 2000 words (+/-10%) as an evidence for Assignment 2. The word count excludes Harvard referencing, bibliography, images, diagrams, table and appendices.  The word count should be stated in the assignment cover sheet and please note you may be penalized for exceeding the word limit.  Work must be submitted via TurnItIn, in word processed in a suitable format of 12-point font, Arial or New Times Roman font, 1.5-line spacing and pages numbered.

SUBMISSION

When submitting your assignment, you must include:

• An Assignment Submission Sheet/Assignment Front Cover.
• Other documents required by your lecturer as evidence of achievement.
• All assignments should be handed in via Canvas.

Submission deadlines must be strictly observed as you would in your workplace. Therefore, disciplined time management is very important when producing this assignment. Failure to meet deadlines will be considered a failure by non-submission. You will only have the opportunity for one resubmission of a different assignment. Refer to the Student Handbook for more information.

END OF ASSIGNMENT BRIEF