The essay brief (see Module Outline)
“You are asked to write an essay about an ethical issue that you have faced, or might hypothetically face, as
a leader in an organisational setting. Based on the theoretical and practical knowledge you have gained
about responsible leadership, reflect critically on the described ethical issues and suggest the appropriate
leadership responses, i
BUS243 Responsible Leadership – Essay Guidelines
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How should I structure my essay?
Below is a suggested rough structure, including some questions that may be useful for you to think about.
Introduction (c.a. 5% of word count)
Main Body (c.a. 90% of word count)
Ethical leadership issue
– provide an anonymised description of an actual or hypothetical ethical dilemma(s) that has arisen in the
workplace. What are the ethical issues involved (e.g. breaches of organisational codes, favouritism,
harassment, unfair treatment?) Which ethical principles (e.g. integrity, confidentiality, professionalism)
may be being compromised?
– Describe the actual or hypothetical leadership role in the situation. Who is the leader here? What makes
her/him the ‘leader’? What is the ethical dilemma faced by the leader, and who are the key stakeholders
affected? What would be the most responsible way for the leader to respond?
Critical discussion of relevant leadership theories
– While you will already have referred to leadership writings in the previous section, you should selectively
develop the linkages between your case study scenario and the most relevant leadership theories (e.g.
transformational, transactional, contingent/situational, responsible, shared leadership or followership
theories). How useful are the theories for helping you to diagnose the leadership issues involved and for
prescribing appropriate leadership responses? What are the limits of the theories, and how could they
be more helpful?
Reflection own leadership development needs
– Put yourself in the position of the leader in your scenario. How well did you/would you have responded
as a responsible leader? What did you learn about yourself as a (potential) leader from the ‘Giving Voice
to Values’ workshop? What are the main skills and behaviours that you need to develop as a responsible
leader in the future? Discuss your preferred development methods, including your rationale for these
preferred methods and their possible limitations in practice.
Conclusion (c.a. 5 % of word count)
What is the word count?
The word count for this assessment is 3000 words. This does not include reference lists and bibliographies.
The stated word count may be exceeded by a maximum of 10%.
BUS243 Responsible Leadership – Essay Guidelines
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How will my essay be graded, and what will I get feedback on?
Marking descriptors:
▪ Outstanding (80-100) Exemplary description of the ethical issue in the workplace, very thorough and
comprehensive literature review, outstanding connections between theory and practice, excellent
critical discussion of rationales, limitations and skill development.
▪ Excellent (70-79) Excellent description of the ethical issue in the workplace, thorough and
comprehensive literature review, excellent connections between theory and practice very good
discussion of rationales, limitations and skill development.
▪ Very Good (60-69) Very good description of the ethical issue in the workplace, thorough and
comprehensive literature review, very good connections between theory and practice, very good
discussion of rationales, limitations and skill development.
▪ Good (50-59) Good description of the ethical issue in the workplace, comprehensive literature
review, good connections between theory and practice, good discussion of rationales, limitations
and skill development.
▪ Satisfactory (40-49) Adequate description of the ethical issue in the workplace and relevant
literature review, satisfactory discussion of limitations and connections between theory and
practice, rationales, and skill development.
Your feedback will cover the four main areas in each the marking descriptors described above. We will
identify: what you did well; what you did less well; and what you could improve in your future work.
Do come and see either of us in our office hours if you want to discuss your essay one-to-one or in pairs.
Please note, however, that we will not be able to comment in detail on essay drafts, only on essay-outline
plans.
Good luck!