Leadership: Theory and Practice

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BSc (Hons) Business Management (Top-Up)
Assignment Brief

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Module Aim
The module aims to develop the students’ awareness of different leadership styles and theories that
apply to authentic and transformational / ‘authentic’ leadership. The module will specifically expose
the students to how adopted leadership strategy is dependent upon the economic, social, and
political business environmental context within which businesses operate. Students will examine the
link between change and the role of leaders as well as the leader’s traits in building trust by
exhibiting responsible leadership.
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Assessment Tasks
There are TWO assignments to be completed in this module:
 Assignment 1 – (Case Study) 2000 words +/- 10%
Total Weighting: 50% Intended Learning Outcomes: 1 and 4
 Assignment 2 – (Case study) 2000 words +/- 10%
Total Weighting: 50% Intended Learning Outcomes: 2 and 3
[Total 100 Marks]
Assignment 1 (LO1 and LO4)
During the post-pandemic world, Companies emerging from the crisis are realizing that they need to
prepare, including workforces that require new capabilities to face the digital and environmental future.
Industries should develop the talent and knowledge they need. To flourish during and after the
pandemic, companies need a new set of skills, including social and emotional, advanced cognitive,
and digital capabilities Using the article as reference below and other relevant literature, respond to
the following assignment 1 (LO1 and LO4)
Assignment Task
In an organisation of your choice or preferably the one you are working for, assess the changing
perspectives and challenges faced by leadership for the post-pandemic period. Then analyse the
importance of demonstrating responsible leadership during the post-pandemic period.
Case Study: the case study for assignment one is extracted from:
Preparing for the post-pandemic world from https://www.fm-magazine.com/news/2020/may/howleaders-can-prepare-for-post-coronavirus-world.html by Samantha White
Preparing for the post-pandemic world
Once the shock of the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdown starts to fade and crisis
management programmes have taken hold, business leaders can turn their attention to the longer
term.
There is time to re-evaluate operations and practices and ensure the business goes into the postpandemic era in as efficient and robust a shape as possible. While it may be uncertain what the market
environment might look like, or even when “normality” will be restored, leaders can take a range of
measures in the interim.
Lockdowns have stopped most business travel and made virtual meetings more acceptable. Mike
Skorupski, CPA/ABV, CGMA, a management consultant based in Denmark, expects a continued
damper on business travel and wonders how relationships will be built and maintained in the future.
“Relationships have to be built for information to flow freely,” he said. With fewer in-person encounters
at conferences and social events, it is worth considering how rapport can be fostered amongst
colleagues or new team members who need to work together closely but do not have the opportunity
to meet in person.
Telecommuting, or remote working, are likely to become more common, which raises questions about
how much office space companies will need, said Duncan Brodie, FCMA, CGMA, director of Goals
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and Achievements, a UK-based training and coaching company that works with accountants. “What
opportunities are there to be more space efficient [in your office premises]?”
Also, as a way to survive the lockdown, companies took out loans and many deferred payment of
taxes such as VAT (UK sales tax), and PAYE (certain taxes on employee income) in light of the crisis.
Their finance teams should draw up achievable repayment plans that won’t cripple the business in the
recovery period, he added.
Seek out the opportunities
Times of great disruption and change yield opportunities. To take advantage of them, businesses need
to think outside traditional boundaries, Brodie said. “What opportunities are there to generate cash
flow more quickly?”
For example, musicians are finding new ways to reach their fans even though venues remain closed.
They livestream performances from their homes. In exchange for a more intimate gig, viewers can
donate or pay what they feel the performance was worth.
Similarly, if the business has projects in the pipeline that could be accelerated to generate an income,
assign a team to bring them to fruition, Brodie suggested.
This period of disruption also offers a significant opportunity to digitalise end-to-end processes and
create new business models and revenue streams, Skorupski said. For example, machinery
manufacturers could create apps that enable clients and engineers to access performance data faster,
without having to log into the manufacturer’s data centre. There would be a charge for the application,
creating a new revenue stream. To take an example from the renewable energy sector, there is
potential for wind turbine generator manufacturers to expand their use of mobile devices to access
live turbine data. Faster access to the performance data, from anywhere, would enable technicians to
predict future maintenance needs and schedule work accordingly. Anticipating failures and acting to
avoid them reduces the risk of unplanned downtime and the associated costs to the customer.
Businesses considering adapting their business model should take into account changes in consumer
behaviour that are expected in the near term, Skorupski said. After lockdowns lift, a “fear factor” is
likely to linger among some consumers, prompting them to think twice before resuming old patterns.
Companies whose business models rely on customers visiting their premises, such as retailers, gyms,
theatres, and restaurants should consider ways to strengthen their online, virtual, or take-away and
delivery offers into the medium term. A robust IT infrastructure to support this change continues to
remain crucial, Skorupski said.
Digitalising end-to-end processes also offers an opportunity to reduce costs. By scrutinising existing
processes, for example, you may identify manual activities that can be eliminated or automated,
creating efficiencies, he added.
Given the number of scenarios to be modelled, finance professionals can make a significant
contribution to identifying new opportunities, Brodie suggested.
Keeping staff engaged
Engaged employees are a vital asset in the post-pandemic recovery, so finding ways to maintain
engagement in a remote workforce is another important step leaders can take. The same applies to
furloughed workers, if the rules in your jurisdiction allow communication between employer and
furloughed employees.
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Providing suggestions and resources for professional development or broader personal growth, is one
option, Brodie said. “If someone has always had an aspiration to learn an instrument or a language,
why not see if there are ways you can support them to do that?”
Other ideas to maintain morale and a sense of community include a book group meeting over Zoom
or a photography competition hosted on the organisation’s intranet. “The possibilities are endless,”
Brodie said. “The more you can keep people feeling part of the family, the better.”
In-demand skills
Whatever the “new normal” looks like, communication and relationship-building skills will remain an
essential part of leaders’ armouries.
For a business to adjust to the new environment and thrive, leaders need to promote collaboration and
teamwork, to get “everyone playing to their strengths and focused on what really matters. The absolute
priorities, not what keeps you busy,” Brodie said.
Be conscious in your communication and check in with colleagues to see how they are doing, he
added. “We need to be mindful and empathetic of others, because you don’t know what’s going on for
them.
“Your formal and informal networks are probably more important now than they’ve ever been,” he said.
In the customer-supplier context, “you’ll find out right now who you’ve got a relationship with, and who
you’ve [just] got a transaction with.”
Such relationships can help iron out any delays in supply or payment commitments as economies start
to recover. “You’ve just got to keep talking. If people reach out and speak, you can find a way. If they
bury their head in the sand, then it becomes difficult. So, I think collaboration is something that’s going
to be important as well.”
What can we learn from the crisis?
Organisations are slowly moving from crisis management to a new “business as usual”, depending on
the status of the lockdown in their respective parts of the world. Once a path forward from the crisis is
established, it’s important to ask how the business responded to the immediate change brought about
by the pandemic. This learning can highlight actions required to make the organisation more resilient.
Invite feedback and insight from employees, for example, through an online survey, or ask teams to
discuss their experiences amongst themselves and then feed the findings back to the rest of the
company or division at a wider meeting, Brodie suggested.
Questions to consider include:
1. How did business-critical systems hold up? Could staff gain required access? Were any of these
systems exposed to undue risk?
2. How effectively were people able to work from home? Are changes necessary to support more effective
working from home? Do performance metrics and disciplinary oversight mechanisms need to change
as more people work from home more often?
3. What have individuals learned about themselves and their working patterns? Is training or equipment
needed?
4. Which aspects of the company’s culture have been difficult to replicate with everyone working away
from the office environment (for example trust, autonomy, ownership, collaboration)?
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5. Which activities or processes should be taken forward into the post-pandemic era, and which are no
longer relevant or beneficial? Should the company continue business it switched to during the
pandemic in pursuit of new revenue streams?
The lessons captured should be shared on a learning hub or other platform to provide important
insights into how businesses approach change in the future, Brodie said. Findings that require
significant action could be added to the audit committee agenda to follow up, he suggested.
Answers to questions listed above may raise additional questions.
Consider the speed at which the economic impact of the lockdowns hit tested companies’ risk
management. That should prompt accountants to ask, “How does the business need to view risk
differently going forward? How do we test our preparedness for these [black swan events] in the
future?” Brodie said.
Assignment 1– Indicative Marking Criteria

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Assignment 2: LO 2 and LO3 – Case study
Use a case study in a business setting to explain and evaluate the application of the ‘authentic
leadership’ model to a change process where stakeholders were encouraged to follow the leaders.
Using the same context, evaluate the role of transformational leadership in the change process.
(100 marks)
Assignment 2 – Indicative Marking Criteria

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Completing the Tasks
To complete the tasks, you will need to research different information from diverse sources such as
textbooks, academic journals, articles, and the internet. You are also required to develop constructive
analytical, critical, and synthesising information processing skills.
Remember that analysis requires you to critically examine different aspects of a topic and identify
important issues. Synthesis requires you to summarise the information you have analysed clearly
and coherently. You are encouraged to use the information provided in the assignment brief in your
preparation and command verb usage as outlined in your Moodle Platform.
Referencing your work – Harvard referencing format
References to relevant academic theory and research findings should be provided and cited
appropriately using the Harvard system of referencing. An example of this referencing style is as
follows:
Sillah, D. (2007) ‘Screening of TB in the Gambia’ Journal of Epidemiology, 1 (2), pp.34-56
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 Moodle Platform.
Note: Do not use Wikipedia, tutor2U or non-academic websites as a source of reference.
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. 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 using
the Turnitin software 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
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could result in a concern being highlighted around possible plagiarism (one form of academic
malpractice where sources have been used without proper acknowledgement). 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 potential consequences is available
in your student handbooks.
Presentation
Present a document with a word count of 2000 words (+/- 10%) for each assignment excluding Harvard
referencing, bibliography, images, diagrams, table, and appendices. The word count should be stated
in the assignment cover sheet and please note you will be penalized for exceeding the word limit.
Work must be submitted via Turnitin, word-processed in a suitable format of 12-point font, either Arial
or Time New Roman, 1.5-line spacing, the work must be justified and pages numbered.
Submission
When submitting your assignment, you must include:
 All assignments should be handed in via Turnitin
 An Assignment Submission Sheet/Assignment Front Cover
 Other documents required by your lecturer as evidence of achievement.
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.

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