Employee Relations / Industrial Relation

Employee Relations / Industrial Relation
Assignment Requirements

Students are to write an essay (3000 words) addressing the following:

“High performance work systems are effective for the performance of organisations but are not very good for employees” Critically discuss.. .

The essay must be correctly structured with a proper introduction (where you address the question, your stance on it, key definitions and outline the structure of the paper), body (where you address one point per paragraph using evidence) and a conclusion (where you reiterate the argument).

In academic writing you are expected to meet certain standards with regards to the level of analysis and provide evidence to support points made in developing a line of reasoning and analysis. Discussion should be based on sound research findings and expert observation and comment. The quality of your writing is determined by the credibility and authority of the sources you cite/reference.

The essay must contain at least 15 academic articles from refereed journals. Further, you must use the HARVARD system of referencing.

It is imperative that you read widely. However, you need to be aware of the credibility of all material you use. For example, while newspaper and business journals and magazines report events and comment on a variety of management issues the ‘facts’ may be reported selectively and their accuracy questionable as their purpose is to sell. Such sources are therefore useful to illustrate points or provide examples in your writing but should not be used as substitutes for peer-refereed academic work.

It is expected that you will become familiar with the relevant journals in the university serials collection. For general browsing the following journals may be useful (the list is not exhaustive):

> Academy of Management Journal
> Academy of Management Executive
> Academy of Management Review
> Administrative Science Quarterly
> Journal of Industrial Relations
> British Journal of Industrial Relations
> Industrial Relations
> Relations Industrielles
> Labour and Industry
> Australian Bulletin of Labour
> Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources
> Human Resource Management
> Work, Employment and Society
> International Journal of Human Resource Management
> Journal of Applied Psychology
> Journal of Management Studies
> Human Relations

There are a number of electronic databases available in the Victoria University Library that are relevant to the study of management.

The most useful data base is EBSCO Megasuite but other data bases that can be useful are:

> Academic Source Premier
> AFA-FT
> AusStats
> Business Source Complete
> Econlit
> Emerald
> International Labour Organisation
> IREL
> JSTOR

The essay will be assessed using the criteria below:

Introduction:
> Topic and purpose identified clearly
> Key terms defined / explained
> Main argument foreshadowed
> Essay structure foreshadowed

> Content:
> Evidence of wider reading and understanding
> Content relates well to question / topic
> Relevant concepts / theories identified and addressed
> Use of relevant examples to support argument
> Quality of Argument
> Argument developed in a clear and logical manner
> Relevant evidence used appropriately and critically
> Evidence from various sources integrated and synthesised

> Conclusion:
> Question restated clearly
> Argument restated clearly
> Main points supporting argument summarised

> Presentation:
> Written expression is clear and correct / Evidence of proof reading
> Objectively written
> Clear linkages between paragraphs
> Quality of presentation ( page nos. / headings etc)

> Referencing:
> Correct and consistent in-text referencing (Harvard Method)
> Accurate Reference List (Appropriate range & number used & cited correctly in alphabetical order)