Developing and Managing Performance

6HR500

For Derby Business School Undergraduate Business Programmes

Module leader: Sheena Bevitt
September 2014

Business, Computing and Law

www.derby.ac.uk/bcl

Table of Contents
Developing and Managing Performance................................................................................3
Teaching Team....................................................................................................................... 4
Module Specification.............................................................................................................. 5
Schedule of Work................................................................................................................... 8
Student Responsibilities......................................................................................................... 9
Preparation......................................................................................................................... 9
Punctuality.......................................................................................................................... 9
Attendance and Engagement.............................................................................................9
Reporting absences............................................................................................................9
Extenuating Circumstances................................................................................................9
Assessment.......................................................................................................................... 10
Case Study....................................................................................................................... 10
Coursework 1: Reward management report (50%)...............................................................11
Task.................................................................................................................................. 11
Submission guidelines......................................................................................................11
Formative Feedback.........................................................................................................11
Assessment and Feedback...............................................................................................12

Assessment hand in deadline Monday 17th November 2014 4pm......................12

Assessment return date* Monday 8th December 2014 4pm...............................12

Coursework 2: Appraisal management report (50%)...........................................................13

Task.................................................................................................................................. 13
Submission guidelines......................................................................................................13
Formative Feedback......................................................................................................... 13
Assessment and Feedback...............................................................................................14

Assessment hand in deadline Monday 15th December 2014 4pm......................14

University of Derby

18 of

Assessment return date* Monday 16th January 2015 4pm..................................14

Electronic Submission.......................................................................................................... 15
Statement on Plagiarism......................................................................................................15
Resources............................................................................................................................ 16
Appendix A: Undergraduate Marking Scale..........................................................................17
Appendix B: Assessment Rubric............................................................................................1
Appendix C: Management Report Structure..........................................................................1
Appendix D: Submission check list........................................................................................2

University of Derby

2 of

Developing and Managing Performance

Welcome to the third year undergraduate module Developing and Managing Performance.
The aim of this module is to prepare you, as business managers of the future, to contribute
to the management of individual, group and organisational performance to achieve the
strategic aims and objectives of organisations. The whole ethos of performance
management rests on the assumption that if you can raise the performance levels of
individuals, better organisational performance will follow (David Smith cited in Armstrong
and Baron 2005:vii). You will therefore explore how reward practices and a range of
management tools and techniques can be used to enhance the ability, motivation and
opportunity for individuals to add value to the organisation through discretionary behaviour.
You will develop your knowledge and skills through a combination of information, exploration
and application sessions which will include practical activities to help you build the
capabilities needed to carry out performance management in the workplace. To support
your learning throughout the module you will be directed to relevant reading in the core text
book through the schedule of work in this handbook, and to weekly reading lists supplied at
the end of each set of lecture slides. A key article or chapter has also been selected for you
each week and will be provided with linked questions to help guide and focus you as you
work through each article. These are just starting points to send you down the right tracks!
In addition to this you should also aim to conduct your own independent research around the
relevant areas and your own developing interests.

I hope you enjoy the module

Sheena Bevitt
Module Leader
Room N510c
Tel: 591449
[email protected]

University of Derby

3 of

Teaching Team
Sheena Bevitt
Room N510c
Tel 01332 591449
[email protected]

Michael Dunn
Room N509
Tel 01332 591418
[email protected]

Module Specification

University of Derby

4 of

Module Title

DEVELOPING AND MANAGING PERFORMANCE

Date of Approval:

July 2013

Module Code

6HR500

Pre-requisite

None

Module Level

Credit value

20

Total Number
of Learning Hours

200

Key Words
Module Delivery
Mode:

; Performance Management; Reward; Development; Learning;

personal development
Blended / Face to Face

Module Description
People have been described as an organisations most valuable asset. However if these
human resources are to add value to an organisation they must be carefully developed and
managed to enable them to contribute effectively to its strategic aims and objectives. The
performance of individuals in organisations is not just the concern of the HR Department, it is
the concern of every employee who wants the organisation to succeed To contribute
positively to organisational performance employees require both the ability and motivation to
do their jobs and must be placed in job roles which provide them with the opportunity to use
their skills and knowledge effectively.
This module explores how organisations use reward policies and practices and develop high
performance work systems to maximise the performance of employees and the
organisations they work within. You will explore the challenges of developing and
implementing effective reward and performance management strategies and assess the
strengths and limitations of a range of performance management tools and techniques. You
will explore the key role of the line manager in the performance management process and
the development of a performance culture. By the end of the module you will have gained
knowledge and understanding of what actually happens in organisations and the tensions
that exist in relation to developing and managing performance.

Module Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of the module, you will be able to:

University of Derby

5 of

1. Critically evaluate the contribution of reward principles, policies, practices and

decision making to performance management in organisations
2. Analyse the design, implementation and impact of high performance work
organisations
Module Content
Whilst studying this module you will explore the theory behind what organisations do to
manage performance. Building on the theoretical frameworks of the performance
management cycle and people and performance (AMO) model (Purcell et al 2003) you will
explore a range of reward and performance management practices Through a combination
of information, exploration and application activities in the classroom and directed and selfguided independent study you will look at how performance objectives are set managed and
measured The practical application activities will also help you to build the skills required to
manage performance in the workplace.
For those of you who are students on BA Business Management, this module contributes to
achieving your CMI Level 5 Diploma under the dual accreditation arrangement. This module
also covers the CIPD requirements on the Intermediate Diploma in HR Management with the
Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)
Module Learning and Teaching Methods
Activity type
Lecture

Hours
12

Category
1

Practical classes and workshops

Guided independent study

36
152

1
2

Total Learning Hours in Each Category:

a. Category 1: 12 + 36 = 48 (24%)
b. Category 2: 152 hours (76%)
Part-time students will be taught via a blend of face to face, on line and independent study
activities with a minimum of 24 hours face to face delivery over the semester
Module Assessment
Mode:
Coursework 100%
Summative Assessment
The coursework is split into two parts.
Coursework 1
50%
A written assignment of 1500-2000 words on the area of reward management
Coursework 2
50%
A written assignment of 1500-2000 words on improving organisational performance
Formative Assessment
Students will be given the opportunity to develop detailed assignment plans for each
assignment and to access peer and tutor feedback on these as part of the classroom
seminar activities.

University of Derby

6 of

Reading list
Core Text
Hutchinson, S. (2013). Performance Management: Theory and Practice. London. CIPD
Other Useful Texts
Armstrong, M,. & Baron, A. (2005) managing performance: performance management in
action, London, CIPD.
Purcell J, Kinnie N, Hutchinson S, Rayton B, Swart J (2003) Understanding the people and
performance link: Unlocking the black box, London CIPD
Purcell J, Kinnie N, Swart J, Rayton B, Hutchinson S (2007) People Management and
Performance, London, Routledge
Sung J, Ashton D (2005) High performance work practices: linking strategy and skills to
performance outcomes London, Department of Trade and Industry
Wright A (2004) Reward management in context, London, CIPD
Journal Articles:
Guest (2011) Human resource management and performance: still searching for some
answers, Human Resource Management Journal, Vol 21 No 1 pp3-13Haines, V.Y. and STOnge, S. (2012) Performance management effectiveness: practices or context? International
Journal of Human Resource Management. Vol 23 No 6, March. p1158-1175.
Harris L (2001) Rewarding employee performance: line managers values, beliefs and
perspectives, International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol 12 No 7 pp1182001192
Incomes Data Services. (2011) Performance management. HR Studies. London: IDS
Kaplan RS, Norton DP (1992) The balanced scorecard measures that drive performance,
Harvard Business Review, Jan-Feb, pp71-79
Prowse P, Prowse J (2009) The dilemma of performance appraisal, Measuring Business
Excellence, Vol 13 No 4 pp69-77
Purcell J, Hutchinson S (2007) Front line managers as agents in the HRM-performance
causal chain: theory, analysis and evidence, Human resource management journal, Vol 17
No 1 pp3-20
Redman T, Snape E (2000) Performance appraisal in an NHS Hospital, Human Resource
Management Journal 10:1 p 48 62
Tangen S (2005) Improving the performance of a performance measure, Measuring
Business Excellence, Vol 9 No 2, pp4-11

Schedule of Work
On successful completion of this module, you will be able to:
1. Critically evaluate the contribution of reward principles, policies, practices and
decision making to performance management in organisations

University of Derby

7 of

2. Analyse the design, implementation and impact of high performance work

organisations
Week
Commencing

Information (1hr)

Exploration (1hr)

Application (2hrs)

Core
Text

22/9/14

In the News

Can Jerry Robinson fix

the NHS?

Chp 2

29/9/14

An introduction to
Performance
Management
Performance
measurement

Balanced score
card

Chp 2

6/10/14

Reward intelligence

13/10/14

Influences on
Reward Decision
making
Performance
related reward

Building a balanced
score card for Royal
Mail
Conducting a job
evaluation
Salary negotiation

Chp 3
and 8

20/10/14

Valence: Reward
alternatives

City Bank case study

and presentations

Chp 3

27/10/14

The role of the line

manager

Assignment planning
and feedback

Chp 4

3/11/14

Performance
assessment

Appraisal training

Chp 6

10/11/14

High performance
work organisations

Appraisal practical

Chp 1

Incentives
Pre Reading: Kohn
(1993)
Assignment
planning and
feedback
Line manager
development Pre
Reading: Harris
(2001)
Objectives v
Competencies
(Practical prep)
Appraisal records
(Practical output)

Submit Coursework 1: Reward report

Monday 17th November 2014 4pm
9*

17/11/14

10* 24/11/14

11

1/12/14

12

8/12/14

Developing
performance
Managing poor
performers

PDP
(Practical output)
Difficult
conversations
(Conflict strategies)

Designing a learning
event
Learning event
practicals

Chp 7

Attendance
Management
Leading
performance

Well being

Assignment planning
and feedback
Performance
leadership

Chp 10

Performance
culture

Chp 9

Submit Coursework 2: Appraisal Report

Monday 15th December 2014 4pm

Student Responsibilities
Preparation
During this module you will undertake a mixture of information, exploration and application
sessions. You must prepare for these sessions by checking blackboard for all relevant
materials and undertaking any indicated preparation work. As a standard you should:

University of Derby

8 of

Bring a copy of the lecture slides with you to the information sessions to make your
own notes on during the session
Bring a copy of any materials provided for the exploration sessions with you to class
(or bring an appropriate laptop/tablet to view electronic versions of materials in class
where available)
Read through all materials provided BEFORE attending class
Check for any materials relating to the application sessions which you may need to
bring with you to class
Ensure your mobile phone is set to silent during classroom sessions

Punctuality
You are expected to arrive on time for all sessions so you do not interrupt the learning of
other students. Please ensure you arrive on the hour and are seated quietly and ready to
commence the session at 5 past the hour. If you arrive late for class you may be asked to
wait outside the lecture theatre until the tutor is able to invite you in to minimise disruption to
other students. Persistent lateness will be reported to your programme leader.

Attendance and Engagement

You are expected to attend and engage with all sessions and you are responsible for
bringing your student card with you and for using this to register your attendance through the
electronic scanning system used in class. If you forget your card, please see the tutor face
to face at the end of the session so your attendance can be recorded manually. No other
registering of attendance will take place. Persistent and unreported absences will be
reported to your programme leader.

Reporting absences
If you are unable to attend class please report your absence using the central reporting
system. The module team will then be notified. Guidance on this is available at
http://www.derby.ac.uk/student-sickness-procedure

Extenuating Circumstances
If you are faced with serious circumstances that may affect you completing an assessment
on time, you will need to apply for EEC (exceptional extenuating circumstances). You will still
need to hand in the work you have managed to do (even notes or other preparatory work) by
the deadline date, but you will have the chance to resubmit the fully completed work at a
later date if your EEC application is approved.
For more information about what you need to do please visit www.derby.ac.uk/eec or speak
to your lecturer.

Assessment
100% Coursework

Case Study
Daphne Jones has recently been appointed as personnel manager of the Cavendish Hall
Hotel, a 200 bedroom, four-star county house hotel located in rolling hills a few miles south
of a major northern industrial conurbation. The hotel provides a wide range of conference

University of Derby

9 of

and banqueting facilities and is a popular wedding location. Despite poor reviews from
guests concerning the cost of drinks and the quality of the food on offer, the hotel is
financially successful having recently recorded increased annual profits.
Soon after her appointment Daphne decides that it is necessary and desirable to introduce a
new payment system which links reward to individual effort and competence. She is
concerned that the present system of paying everyone in a job role the same rate,
irrespective of their individual performance, is unfair and tends to demotivate the best
performers. She therefore decides to take a different approach when determining this years
annual pay rises.
1.

Each member of staff will receive a one per cent salary increase irrespective of
performance to take account of the increased cost of living.

2. Each line manager will be required to score their staff based on their individual
performance over the pay year. There are four options:

Excellent
Good
Satisfactory
Unsatisfactory

3. Staff scored as excellent will receive a four per cent pay rise (three per cent plus the
one per cent cost of living increase), those marked as good will receive three per
cent and those as satisfactory two per cent. People who are marked as
unsatisfactory will simply receive the one per cent cost of living increase.

The hotel has not hitherto operated any kind of formal performance management system.
There are no annual appraisals or development reviews. Managers vary greatly in the
extent to which they communicate with their staff at all, let alone discuss their individual
performance. For many employees the only indicator they have that they are doing a good
job is the amount they receive from guests in the form of tips.
(Source: Torrington D., Hall L., Taylor S., Atkinson C. (2011) Human Resource
Management, 8th Ed, Harlow, Pearson Education Ltd)

Coursework 1: Reward management report (50%)

This coursework is designed to assess learning outcome 1:

Critically evaluate the contribution of reward principles, policies, practices and

decision making to performance management in organisations

Task
Critically evaluate the contribution Daphnes proposed changes to the reward system
will make to performance at the Cavendish Hall Hotel and advise her how she can
prepare the hotel managers to support it effectively.

University of Derby

10 of

Your answer should be guided by how you think the reward process can be developed to
contribute to the effective management of performance in the Hotel.

Submission guidelines
Your answer should be presented in a management report of between 1,500 and 2,000
words. It must be supported by reference to relevant academic literature using the Harvard
Referencing system.
Your response should consider:

The appropriateness of the response to the business context and challenges (internal
and external)
The advantages and disadvantages of the proposed performance pay strategy and
the extent to which it may improve organisational performance
Alternative reward approaches which could be used to complement, or replace, the
proposed strategy
The difficulties line managers may experience implementing reward strategies and
how these may be overcome

You must check and edit your work carefully and complete and attach a copy of the
submission check list (Appendix D) as the front page of your report.
The work can be structured effectively in a number of ways but an example management
report structure is provided to guide you in Appendix C. Please note this is just one
POSSIBLE way to structure the report and you may choose your own approach if you are
uncomfortable with this format.

Formative Feedback
Students will take part in a group based case study and presentation activity in weeks 5 and
6 and will work together to explore how the themes from this can be linked to the assessed
case study. Time will be spent using these themes to develop report plans during class time
and the opportunity will be provided to receive peer and tutor feedback on these during the
sessions.

Assessment and Feedback

Work will be assessed using the Undergraduate marking scale (Appendix A) and the
assessment rubric (Appendix B).

Assessment hand in deadline Monday 17th November 2014 4pm

Assessment return date* Monday 8th December 2014 4pm

*Please note, return dates are estimates and are subject to the satisfactory completion of all
marking and moderation activates. You should watch blackboard for announcements
relating to any changes to these advertised dates.

University of Derby

11 of

Coursework 2: Appraisal management report (50%)

This coursework is designed to assess learning outcome 2:

Analyse the design, implementation and impact of high performance work

organisations

Task
With reference to the performance appraisal practical you undertook during the
course, critically evaluate the appraisal as a performance management tool and
provide recommendations on how you would integrate it into a high performance
work system for the Cavendish Hotel.

University of Derby

12 of

Submission guidelines
Your answer should be presented in a management report of between 1,500 and 2,000
words. It must be supported by reference to relevant academic literature using the Harvard
Referencing system.
You must illustrate your answer with examples from your own appraisal interview and
those you observed during the practical using these observations to illustrate
examples of good and poor practice.

You must attach a copy of your appraisal preparation, peer feedback and the
completed appraisal record form from the appraisal practical as an appendix to your
report. Your grade will be penalised if you fail to do so.

For those of you who are students on BA Business Management, these attachments form
part of your assessment for the CMI Level 5 Diploma under the dual accreditation
arrangement.
Your response should consider:

The importance and effectiveness of objective setting, strategic alignment and

feedback
Links to appropriate development plans and support
Links to appropriate methods to manage poor performance
How the appraisal discussion should be integrated with other management tools and
techniques to support performance development

You must check and edit your work carefully and complete and attach a copy of the
submission check list (Appendix D) as the front page of your report.

Formative Feedback
You will take part in a range of related practical activities relating to performance appraisal
during weeks 7-9 during which you will receive both peer and tutor feedback to assist you in
the preparation of coursework 2. Activities to support you with the integration of this material
into your assignment will be provided in week 11.

Assessment and Feedback

Assessment hand in deadline Monday 15th December 2014 4pm

Assessment return date* Monday 16th January 2015 4pm

*Please note, return dates are estimates and are subject to the satisfactory completion of all
marking and moderation activates. You should watch blackboard for announcements
relating to any changes to these advertised dates.

University of Derby

13 of

Electronic Submission
In order to reduce unnecessary travel and queuing time for students, the University is
moving to electronic submission (eSubmission) of all assignments where this is possible.
Assignments for this module must be submitted electronically through the link in the
assessment section of the blackboard site. When you have submitted your assignment here
you can view the originality report from turn it in to check for plagiarism in your own work and
can amend and reload the assignment as many times as you like until the submission
deadline. You will be able to view feedback on your assignment in the same place on
blackboard 3 weeks after submission.
If you have any questions or concerns about the process start by taking a look at the eSub
website www.derby.ac.uk/esub as this is the main site supporting students with eSubmission
and provides support documents and videos to talk you through the whole process. You will
also find a printable guide In the Assessments area of your module called Electronic

University of Derby

14 of

Submission Guide for Students this will talk you through the submission process and guide
you to further resources to help you submit your work.

Statement on Plagiarism
Your assignment must be your own work - please refer to the Universitys regulations on
plagiarism contained within the Rights, Responsibilities and Regulations for Students
document (3Rs). This can be accessed on UDo. Detected plagiarism will be treated as an
academic offence.
It is imperative that you correctly reference your sources both within your work and in the
reference list at the end. If you are in any doubt about referencing procedures, there is an
online Harvard Referencing tutorial in the study skills section of the modules blackboard site.
Useful written guidelines on referencing can also be found in the appendixes of Saunders M,
Lewis P, Thornhill (2007) Research Methods for Business Students, 4th Edition, Harlow, FT
Prentice Hall (and other editions of this text). For a more comprehensive text on referencing
you could also try Pears R, Shields G (2010) Cite them right, the essential referencing guide,
8th Edition Basingstoke, Palgrave MacMillan which is available as an E-book from the library
catalogue.

Resources
Main Text:
Hutchinson, S. (2013). Performance Management: Theory and Practice. London. CIPD
Additional Recommended Reading Sources
Armstrong M., Baron A. (2005) Managing performance: performance management in action,
London, CIPD.
CIPD (2009) Performance Management in Action, Current Trends and Practices, London,
CIPD Available at http://www.cipd.co.uk/binaries/Performance_management_in_action.pdf
Perkins S.J., White G. (2011) Reward Management: alternative consequences and contexts,
London, CIPD

University of Derby

15 of

Purcell J., Kinnie N., Swart J., Rayton B., Hutchinson S. (2007) People Management and
Performance, London, Routledge
Rose, M. (2014) Reward Management, London, Kogan Page
Sheilds, J. (2007) Managing employee performance and reward, Cambridge, Cambridge
University Press
Wright A. (2004) Reward Management in Context, London, CIPD
Websites
Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration service www.acas.org.uk
Chartered institute of Personnel and Development www.cipd.co.uk
Department of Trade and Industry www.dti.gov.uk
The internet can be a really useful source for organisational information and for tracking
down academic journals. You are expected to be using a high level of academic sources at
this stage of your programme however and may be penalised for using non academic
sources such as Wikipedia, Business Balls and Mindtools.

University of Derby

16 of

Appendix A: Undergraduate Marking Scale

University of Derby

17 of

Appendix B: Assessment Rubric

Knowledge

Outstanding
90-100%

Excellent 70-89%

Very Good 60-69%

Good 50-59%

Satisfactory 4049%

Unsatisfactory
<40%

Outstanding
Subject
knowledge
Effectively
introduces and
integrates
knowledge from
independent
study beyond
scope of
module
materials
Draws links to
other modules
No further
development of
answer
required

Uses a wide range

of ideas and
concepts from the
module
Draws different
concepts together
effectively
Strong use of
relevant theoretical
models and/or
research
Fully referenced
with wide range of
sources
Strong evidence of
independent
research to enhance
the answer

Draws together key

ideas and concepts
from the module
effectively
Some use of theoretical
models and/or research
to support answer
Evidence of some
independent research
but largely guided by
references provided in
the module

Uses some
relevant ideas and
concepts from the
module
Limited gaps in
knowledge or
misunderstanding
of concepts
Some relevant
references but
may be
overreliance on
core
textbooks/overuse
of direct quotes
etc.

Limited use of
ideas and
concepts from the
module
Some significant
gaps in knowledge
or
misunderstanding
Limited or poor
reference sources
Overreliance on
lecture slides and
notes

Extensive
critical
evaluation of
arguments and
referenced
research and
literature

Researched and
answered from
different angles.
Considers the
limitations of some
of the research
sources used

Strong development of
advantages/disadvanta
ges, pros and cons etc.
evident in answer
May be some evidence
different approaches to
answering the question
are understood

Acknowledges
some alternative
interpretations to
the answer e.g.
advantages and
disadvantages,
pros and cons

Very limited
identification of
alternative view
points
Accepts reference
sources as face
value

Critical Thinking

University of Derby

18 of 22

No/ very limited

use of ideas and
concepts from
the module to
answer the
question
No/very limited
supporting
literature

A one sided
answer with no
consideration of
alternative
viewpoints.

Application

Thoughtful and
thorough
application of
knowledge,
theory and
research to
case study
throughout
analysis and
recommendatio
ns

Evaluation

Communication

University of Derby

All concepts
and material
fully relevant to
the analysis
and
recommendatio
ns including
materials
sourced from
independent
research

Outstanding,
sophisticated
written
communication
No significant
areas for
further
development

Tailors information
to answer the
question fully
Illustrates answer
with range of
organisational
examples
Links relevant
personal
examples/experienc
es to appropriate
theoretical concepts
and literature
Applies concepts
thoroughly to case
study organisation
Answers the
question fully
covering all key
concepts
No evidence of
padding with
irrelevant
information

Logical organisation
and flow of ideas
Error free written
communication
Precise Harvard
Referencing
An enjoyable read

Illustrates answer with

some appropriate
organisational
examples discussed
during the module
Uses personal
examples but may not
always link this back to
theoretical concepts
and literature
Links to case study but
integration with
theory/research may
still be disjointed in
places

Chooses appropriate
concepts and makes a
clear attempt to answer
the question
Information is mostly
relevant to the question
Only minor missing
elements
Minimal padding with
irrelevant information

Well-structured answer
Only minor
spelling/grammatical
errors
Good grasp of Harvard
Referencing
Mainly easy to read
and follow

2 of 22

Examples are very

limited or lack
relevance
Case study is
mentioned but
poorly integrated
into the answer

Some effort to
answer the
question
Some missing or
weak elements
Covers some
relevant concepts
but links to answer
are unclear in
places
May pad with
irrelevant
information

Some
spelling/grammatic
al errors but do not
significantly
interfere with
understanding
Some attempt to
Harvard Reference
Difficult to read
and follow in
places

Lacks examples
Very limited
reference to case
study organisation

Key elements of
the question
remain
unanswered/under
developed
Confused choice
of concepts to
answer the
question
Important
concepts may be
difficult to extract
from other
irrelevant
information
Repeated
spelling/grammatic
al issues
Weak Referencing
skills
Difficult to read
and follow

No or
inappropriate use
of examples
No links to case
study
organisation

Does not answer

the question that
was asked
Covers concepts
which are not
relevant to the
answer.

Very difficult to
read and follow
Extensive
problems with
written
presentation
No or incorrect
Referencing

Appendix C: Management Report Structure

Executive summary: Maximum one side A4 (not included in the word count).
This is a summary of what is in your full report:
Paragraph one: What is the purpose of the work?
Paragraph two: What are the main factors that influence behaviour?
Paragraph three: What are your recommendations?
Dont worry that this is giving the game away that is exactly what an executive summary
should do i.e. SUMMARISE the report
Introduction
Explain the purpose of the report what does it aim to do (refer to the assignment
question).
Explain how you will go about the task. Remember to cover all parts of the
assignment e.g. analyse AND recommendations
Explain the order of your work how will the flow of your argument/discussion be
presented and what will you conclude from this?
In the reports for this module you have a very limited word count so do not waste time here.
A maximum of two paragraphs should achieve this.
Main report
Divide this section up into relevant sections using subheadings to help to signpost
the reader through the report e.g. consider the four issues which the submission
guidelines say you should consider
Ensure you answer all the elements of the question that have been asked notice both
assignments have TWO parts to them:
o an evaluation/analysis
o recommendations/advice
In this report you should use most of your word count on this section. Divide this
evenly between each section of the question to ensure you have enough time to go
into depth in each area.
Do not waste words describing what you have read in the case study your tutor has
a copy of this.
When you make your recommendations remember to explain WHY you think your
ideas will work. Tell us what you have read that makes you think this, making links to
relevant theories, models and research.
Conclusion
Draw together the key points from the main body of your report
Note there should be no new information provided in this section you are simply
drawing the strands of your discussion and argument together at this point.
Reference and Bibliography Section
Using the Harvard Referencing system

University of Derby

18 of

Appendix D: Submission check list

1. I have carefully analysed the question and answered EVERY part,
providing examples where these have been asked for
2. I have included an executive summary (max 1 side) which
summarises what the report is about, my main findings and my
main conclusions
3. I have included a SHORT introduction explaining what will be
covered in the answer
4. I have removed any materials that are irrelevant to the question
that has been asked
5. I have edited my work carefully to correct any spelling, grammatical
and typographical errors
6. I have supported each new idea in my work with reference to
something I have read that makes me think that (approx. one
reference per paragraph)
7. I have demonstrated a range of reading resources including some
textbooks, some journal articles and some websites
8. I have not referenced Wikipedia, Business Balls or Mind Tools as
these are weak academic reference sources
9. I have ensured that all the sources I have cited/ referred to in my
answer are listed in full in a reference section at the end of my
work.
10. I have listed my references only ONCE in EITHER my reference
section OR my bibliography
11. I have presented my references in alphabetical order. (I have NOT
separated this into sections of books, journals, websites etc.)
12. I have provided page numbers with references where I have used
direct quotes to show specifically where the direct quote can be
found.
13. I have presented all direct quotes in double speech marks (xxxxx)
to clearly indicate that these are not my own words
14. I have used direct quotes sparingly, preferring to write in my own
words where ever possible to show I have understood what I have
read
15. I have checked my work for long and/or incomplete sentences
16. I have joined all my sentences with similar/related themes/content
together into relevant paragraphs. One paragraph = one idea.
17. I have broken long sections of writing up into relevant paragraphs
to help guide the reader
18. I have avoided using bullet points or number lists preferring to
discuss my points in full sentences developing my discussion to
demonstrate my understanding of the points made.
19. I have written my work in the third person avoiding the use of I,
My, We, The author etc
20. I have removed unnecessary pictures and diagrams from my work
e.g. copies of lecture slides and concentrated on writing about
what this shows
21. I have provided a concise conclusion at the end of my work
summarizing the main points I have made
22. I have removed appendixes, talking about its content in the main
part of my answer if it is important enough to be included
23. I have checked the similarity report on turn it in and addressed
any plagiarism issue

University of Derby

2 of

24. I have submitted my work on time to avoid my grade being

penalized for late submission

University of Derby

3 of