Dr. K.L. Loh 1

COMMON MISTAKES FOUND IN ASSIGNMENT 1

MGW 1010INTRODUCTION TO

MANAGEMENT

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INTRODUCTION (i) No purpose of the essay stated.

No student’s perspective on the issue stated.

STRUCTURE OF AN INTRODUCTION• Begins with background sentences on the topic• Explains the purpose of the report• Presents the student’s perspective on the issue,

derived from an analysis of the data which is presented in the body of the report.

Dr. K.L. Loh

Ref. Q-Manual p 29

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INTRODUCTION (ii)No link between definition and actual.

• Managers are defined as people who lead, guide and monitor the work of people to ensure organizational goals are accomplished. Mrs. Y is a director of marketing in Company A.

• An organization refers to a deliberate structure that is composed of people in order to achieve a distinct purpose (Robbins, Bergman, Stagg & Coulter, 2009). Company A provides investment and financial services and is a large organization of 100 people.

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INTRODUCTION (iii)Unnecessary information included

• The 5-point Likert scale in the questionnaire rates that 5 means the manager agrees very much and 1 indicates very little.

• The manager interviewed is Mrs. T who is 45 years old, married with a daughter.

• A pseudonym is given to identify the manager …….• The manager interviewed will give the internal view of

his managerial skills inside the company.• Mr. X has given a brief idea about his managerial post ..• ……. are Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore,……

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ARGUMENT REGARDING KATZ’S THEORY (i)Topic/definition discussed is not linked to

Katz’s skills.• The manager also plays the roles of a disturbance handler and

resource allocator.• According to Rue and Byars (2009) planning is mostly

associated with top level management.• Both Mintzberg’s and Fayol’s models contain elements that

correspond to identifiable concepts and ideas (Fell, 2000, as cited in Lamond, 2003).

• Mintzberg’s decisional role shows a clear similarity to Fayol’s management function of organizing ……….

• Mr. A is responsible to participate in board meetings as a director for any form of discussion involving the organisation’s goals.

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ARGUMENT REGARDING KATZ’S THEORY (ii) No explanation or example given to support

the point (a)• Therefore, human skills are placed as a priority in the

job.• The team is motivated to achieve their highest

performance which is believed to be self-actualisation by Maslow.

• As for conceptual skills, Mr. Y regularly enhances his analytical capability and also his ability to think outside the box.

• Mr. Y needs to have specialized skills in order to train, direct, evaluate …………

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ARGUMENT REGARDING KATZ’S THEORY (iii) No explanation or example given to support

the point (b)

• Mr. A reflects Katz’s technical skills since his job requires him to have knowledge and proficiency in a specific field.

• …. his level of management contradicts with the way Katz categorises the importance of his skills in the level of management.

• Katz’s theory is only useful to a certain extent.

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ARGUMENT REGARDING KATZ’S THEORY (iv) Wrong understanding of Katz’s skills

• This therefore proves that Katz’s statement was flawed, as technical skill is definitely required for top managers.

• Poor understanding of conceptual skills

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ARGUMENT REGARDING KATZ’S THEORY (v) Others

Contradictory statementsUse of non-specific terms• Huge evidence of human skills• Not so much involved

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ARGUMENT REGARDING TECHNOLOGY AND/OR CHANGING TECHNOLOGY (i)

Unexplained term used

• With the improvement of technology, deals and transactions can be performed easily.

• The latest technology is needed to excel in the manager’s work.

• With technology, the manager and the employees are now more flexible as they are able to work outside of the office.

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ARGUMENT REGARDING TECHNOLOGY AND/OR CHANGING TECHNOLOGY (ii)

Unexplained term used

• ….. advancement in telecommunication technology assists interaction ………

• Technology affected the company by increasing the demand of skilled employees ………

• ….. more reliance on good system support to perform repeated processes …….

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ARGUMENT REGARDING TECHNOLOGY AND/OR CHANGING TECHNOLOGY (iii)

Unsupported statements (a)

• Technology also affects the aspects of life at work by improving it.

• The introduction of latest technology is to bring about positive changes to the organization.

• Technology also provides a better base for industrial relations.

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ARGUMENT REGARDING TECHNOLOGY AND/OR CHANGING TECHNOLOGY (iv)

Unsupported statements (b)

• Technology advancement has allowed the manager to build a tighter relationship with his agents and clients.

• The manager believed that there is no perfect substitute for human cordiality ….

• Without technology development in the company, they would lose out to their competitors.

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ARGUMENT REGARDING TECHNOLOGY AND/OR CHANGING TECHNOLOGY (v)

Others

Unrelated theory stated• Hipkin and Bennett (2002) also mentioned that

managers are mainly concerned about ………

General explanation of effects of technologystated without linking to the organization orthe manager.

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CONCLUSIONSWeak conclusion

STRUCTURE OF A CONCLUSION• Summary of the essay discussion• Logical deductions drawn from the findings• Effects/Implications of the issue in the future• Any issues unresolved.

Ref. Q-Manual p 30

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ESSAY STRUCTURE (i)Poorly constructed paragraphs

STRUCTURE OF A PARAGRAPH• Main point of paragraph/topic sentence (in your own

words)• Discussion/explanation, based on evidence from your

research/reading• Writer comment or perspective on the development

of the paragraph’s idea.

Ref. Q-Manual p 31

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ESSAY STRUCTURE (ii)Poor paraphrasing

Original source:• Organisational cultures vary according to the nature

of the beliefs, values and attitudes that are commonly held. These reflect differences in society, history and function.

A Paraphrase: • As explained by Williams, Dibson and Walters (1989),

just as beliefs, attitudes and values which express how society’s history and function differ, so too do organizational cultures.

Ref. Q-Manual p 56

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ESSAY STRUCTURE (iii)Sentence is too long

As employees are motivated to acquire feedback about their performance, ultimately allowing them to manage their working behaviour (Ashford & Cummings, 1983), providing clear, performance-based feedback promotes both commitment and morale by facilitating their supportive needs from the working environment, as well as improving their ability to perform their work, ultimately allowing them to achieve their goals within the organisation.

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CITATION OF SOURCES, REFERENCING AND APA FORMAT (i)

Plagiarism - “Cut and paste” withoutacknowledging the source.

“Cut and paste” sentences even with sourcereferenced is not academically acceptable eventhough it is not plagiarism.

Dr. K.L. Loh

Ref. Q-Manual, p. 51

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CITATION OF SOURCES, REFERENCING AND APA FORMAT (ii)

Errors in direct quote• Without quotation marks• Without page number

Too many direct quotes

Dr. K.L. Loh

Ref. Q-Manual, Chap. 10

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CITATION OF SOURCES, REFERENCING AND APA FORMAT (iii)

Error in citation of source• Peterson instead of Peterson and Van Fleet• Stephen Robbins, Rolf Bergman, Ian Stagg and Mary

Coulter (2008) states that …..• Abraham Maslow’s motivational theory, Henri Fayol’s

managerial principles and Henri Mintzberg’s theory ..• ….. lower levels of managers as cited in (Robbins, et

al., 2009)• ….. than those of higher managerial posts as

observed in (Robbins et al., 2009)• Treating secondary source as the main source

Dr. K.L. Loh

Ref. Q-Manual, Chap. 10

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CITATION OF SOURCES, REFERENCING AND APA FORMAT (iv)

Citation of source is not listed in the Referencelist• Michaely and Womack (1999, as cited in Shen and

Chih, 2009)

Year is wrongly stated or not stated• According to Katz, a manager’s capability …….• ….. as defined by Mintzberg, …………• …… Peterson & Van Fleet, 1297

Ref. Q-Manual, Chap. 10

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CITATION OF SOURCES, REFERENCING AND APA FORMAT (v)

Reference list is not in alphabetical orderMilner, L.M. & Fodness, D. (1996). Product gender perceptions: The case of China. International Marketing Review, Vol. 13(4), 40-51.Chapman, J.A. (2001). The work of managers in new organisational contexts. Journal of Management Development, 20(1), 55-68.Bovey, W.H. & Hede, A. (2001). Resistance to organizational change: The role of cognitive and affective processes. Leadership & Organisation Development Journal. 22(8), 372-382.

Ref. Q-Manual, Chap. 10

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CITATION OF SOURCES, REFERENCING AND APA FORMAT (vi)

Wrong referencing format from internet source

• Chapman, J.A. (2001). The work of managers in new organisational contexts. Journal of Management Development, 20(1), 55-68. Retrieved from http://www.emaraldinsight.com.ezproxy.lib.monash.edu.au/Insight/viewContentItem.do;jsessionid=2D5782B05B8DDA48C5197AB094907774?contentType=Article&contentId=880423

Ref. Q-Manual, Chap. 10

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CITATION OF SOURCES, REFERENCING AND APA FORMAT (vii)

Mixing Harvard referencing with APAreferencing

• Milner, L.M. & Fodness, D. (1996). Product gender perceptions: The case of China. International Marketing Review, Vol. 13 Issue 4, pp. 40-51.

Ref. Q-Manual, Chap. 10

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CITATION OF SOURCES, REFERENCING AND APA FORMAT (viii)

Initials of authors were not included• Milner & Fodness (1996). Product gender

perceptions: The case of China. International Marketing Review, 13 (4), 40-51.

Italics were not used• Milner, L.M. & Fodness, D. (1996). Product gender

perceptions: The case of China. International Marketing Review, 13( 4), 40-51.

Ref. Q-Manual, Chap. 10

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CITATION OF SOURCES, REFERENCING AND APA FORMAT (ix)

Italics were not used• Milner, L.M. & Fodness, D. (1996). Product gender

perceptions: The case of China. INTERNATIONAL MARKETING REVIEW, 13( 4), 40-51.

Wrong use of et al. Reference list includes articles which were notcited in the text.Wrong use of ‘and’ / ‘&’ Listing of secondary sources as references.Ref. Q-Manual, Chap. 10

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USE OF PRESCRIBED TEXT AND RELEVANT JOURNAL ARTICLES

Use of non-academic sources• The Grey Chronicles. Three skills of effective

administrator. Retrieved December 9, 2008 fromhttp://www.en.articlesgratuitis.com/managementskills-id1586.php

• Mann, A. (2006, August 13). Managing Technology in an organisation. Retrieved March 22, 2010, from http://ezinarticles.com/?Managing-technology-in-an-organisation&id=267658

Ref. Q-Manual, p. 20

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IMPACT OF LANGUAGE, GRAMMAR, PUNCTUATION AND SPELLING (i)

Wrong spelling

• Robin, Bergman, Stagg & Coulter, 2009• Miztberg, 1975• Mintberg, 1975• Manger• In the case of this manage• He tends to neglet plannig• …… conduct indebt study …….

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IMPACT OF LANGUAGE, GRAMMAR, PUNCTUATION AND SPELLING (ii)

Use of informal language

• Mr. Y has helped me to complete my Questionnaire.• In this assignment, we were required to investigate

……..• I have interviewed the manager ……..• My argument is further supported ………..• Based on the report that I have written ……..• …. An opportunity where others don’t ….

Ref. Q-Manual, p. 34

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TECHNICAL ASPECTS

• Wrong font size• No spacing between paragraphs• Wrong spacing between lines• Insufficient/exceeded word count• Late submission

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