Module Code: MN5067
Module Title: PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT
Assessment Brief: Individual Video (10 minutes) and power point presentation (2,500 words)
This portfolio is designed to demonstrate students’ academic leadership learning, application of theory to professional practice, personal reflection, and development. Students’ work should evidence how new knowledge and application of leadership theory to real-life business leaders and organisations, can help to provide a deeper understanding of organisational leadership, power, influence, and ethics. It should also evidence self-reflection. It aims to address the module learning outcomes:
LO1: Analyse current leadership theories and models and demonstrate how these are applied in practice.
LO2: Demonstrate an understanding of the role of Power, Influence and Ethics on modern leadership practices.
LO3: Identify your own leadership traits, style, skills e.g. negotiation, communication, and behaviours and create a leadership self-reflective piece to demonstrate your new understanding and evidence how they might apply this in their future career leadership roles.
The portfolio assessment for this module is an individual video and PPT presentation where students can demonstrate their understanding and application of leadership theory, using academic texts e.g., Northouse / academic articles (on weblearn), to practice. The aim is for you to demonstrate your understanding of leadership, power, influence, and ethics in current business practice. Your Portfolio assessment is….
A 10-minute video (uploaded on YouTube/ privacy/ unlisted/) – critiquing & applying 2 leadership theories / Power/ Influence and Ethics to a business leader. You must be visible and speak in the video i.e. face to camera-style and use in-text citation. You should include your self-reflection at the end of your video. (Please note do NOT read directly off your PPT in your video as this is unacceptable at this level).Embed your Video YouTube link into the first slide of your PPT before submitting your PPT to weblearn/ Turnitin.A supporting PPT (2,500 words) of your analysis and application of theory to your business leader to support your video content/ self-reflection. You can use the notes section on PPT to provide additional discussion and this will form part of your 2,500 words. Minimum 10 references from 5 different academic sources.
A Suggested Individual Video/PPT structure
Introduction (approx 200 words). You need to state the aims and objectives of your video/ PPT. Introduce your business leader, the organisation and leadership context, the key concepts, ideas, theories, theorists you will use in your work. Identify which other real-life examples you will use from industry to apply the theory to if required.Academic Analysis (approx 1500 words),
This is where you evaluate key leadership concepts you have learned about on the module. You should identify the core the issues in relation to Leadership, Power, Influence, Ethics, and discuss these in relation to your leader.
For your Video and PPT, you should choose a leader and apply 2 leadership theories to them e.g., trait theory, transformational theory. Then you can either use the same leader or choose a different leader/business case study, to discuss power, influence and ethics using theory e.g., French and Raven 6 bases of power, Machiavellian perspectives. You should include your self-reflection of your learning on the module at the end of your video and PPT.
You must link theory to practice – the objective is to show your leadership knowledge learned on the module, how theory is reflected in real business life, and how it can help us better understand what is going on in the organisation and how to use it to develop the business. You should use in-text (PPT) / in-video citations e.g. “According to Northouse….
3.Conclusion (approx. 200 words)
Bring together the ideas and theories you discuss in relation to your real-life leader/business example(s). State how you have achieved the aims and objectives of your review and the 3 learning outcomes. Discuss how the assignment has helped you understand the theory and how this is applied in a business setting. Do not include any new information/ theory in the conclusion.
4.Self-reflective piece (600 words) This part of your portfolio is an opportunity for you to put yourself centre stage and explore your learning on the module. You will reflect on what you have learned, what specific theories impacted you most and evaluate how your engagement with the leadership theory/ models/ questionnaires can support your professional, academic, and personal development. Using your own personal examples, you will consider what has specifically challenged you as well as what theory/ learning on the module has broadened your thinking. It is an opportunity for creative, individual expression and to evidence how you will use your new leadership learning to support you in your future career and managerial/ leadership roles..
To conduct your self-reflection you should use a model such as Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle to ask and answer:
What have I learned – specifically? How has that impacted or influenced me?
How have I changed – my leadership mindset? my attitude? my skills? my leadership approach and behaviour? How will I do things differently at work?
How can I use this new self-awareness/knowledge to develop my leadership skills and approaches in the workplace and for my future career? What would I still like to learn going forward about leadership?
In your reflective section you should consider the following 3 core areas:
Academic – what specific areas of academic learning have impacted you most? How and why? What do you now know about your leadership traits and skills you didn’t know before– and what will you do differently? – how will this help you in the workplace? How do you view your use of power with your team and in your career? What academic articles, cases or youtube clips, activities developed, challenged or broadened your thinking and learning?Practice – what new skills, tools and techniques have you learned? e. g. critical analysis? Academic writing skills? Presentation skills? Research? Collaboration? Negotiation? How will this help you in your career?Personal – what have you learned about you in relation to what you have studied on the module? e.g., knowledge, skills, abilities, increased confidence, type of leader, understanding power? How could you use your learning to support you in your career better or get a promotion e.g., how might you use ‘power’ in your job and career differently now? How are you developing into an ethical leader?Research plan – e., how you approach your research and what research sources/ academic sources you use is optional and does not form part of word count.Reference list.
Key Points
Choose a business leader from one of the following categories:
AviationInfluencerFashionMediaMusicRetailSportTechnologyTravel/ Tourism
Or one of your own choice, which must be agreed with your tutor first.
Think widely and creatively about the business leader you would like to explore – consider your future career and which sector or business leader might be interesting and useful for you to learn more about. You can choose a traditional, contemporary or current leader e.g., Influencers, leaders in businesses such as TikTok, Google, Biju; leaders from multi-ethnic backgrounds and contexts, e.g. African/ Afro-Caribbean/ Asian as well as from different communities e.g. LGBTQ+. This is your opportunity to explore and interpret the notion of ‘what is leadership and who is a leader today? How do they exercise power and the impact of this? What influence do they have? And what role do ethics play? What can you learn from the application of theory to your leader? How can theory help you understand leadership in practice? And how could this help you in your future career?
You should analyse and critically apply 2 appropriate leadership theories/ models or theories g Trait theory/ transformational theory including the 4Is/ / Ethical Leadership/ Situational Leadership (e.g., Hersey and Blanchard) Models, you have learned about, critiqued, and applied, during the module. Using theory, you must evaluate the type of power they have and exert, the impact of this on the employees, business, customers, and what type of influence this creates. You should consider any ethical issues relating to their leadership.In your video/ppt you must use the academic journal articles and books recommended on weblearn, g. Northouse, and in the reading list and you must reference correct Harvard Referencing – see library website for guidance.Your Presentation must include minimum 10 references from at least 5 different academic sources e.g. Northouse/ Academic Journal Articles, Machiavelli’s The Prince, and Business quality references e.g. FT/ Economist/ Forbes
Here are some aspects you could use to develop your argument in your presentation.
Using theory in your presentation discuss…
Who is the leader?
What makes them a leader?
What is the leadership context?
What is the leadership issue?
How can you use leadership theory to critique their leadership?
What role do power, influence and ethics play?
