You are required to write a 2000 word reflective essay with the title: ‘My reflections on the application of elements of organisational behaviour to me in my studies and/or work life’ Hints and tips 1. Research what is meant by ‘reflective writing’. It is not merely a description of an event or experience. Rather, a reflective essay is an evaluation. It is a record of your feelings and findings from the beginning of your experience until the end of it. For example, a student may write, ‘I was not really interested in motivation theory at the start of the unit, but by the end of it I learned that … and …’. Lastly, the most important factor to remember in writing a reflective essay is that your opinions and conclusions should directly relate to the experiences you examined in the essay’s main body. A suggested essay structure for a standard university essay of up to 2,000 words (based on succeed@writing; Peck and Coyle, 2005:101). Write eight paragraphs of 8 – 15 lines long. Do not use as sub-headings. • Para 1 Introduction – briefly tell the reader what you are going to tell her. Briefly describe your main information sources • Para 2 The Situation – set the scene and outline the OB concept being covered. • Para 3 The Incident– a critical incident, or a concept that is being questioned • Paras 4 and 5 Application of theory – propose at least two alternate theories that explain the critical incident / concept • Paras 6 and 7 Evaluation – evaluate what happened; now you know the theory, could you have done it any differently and perhaps got a better result? • Para 8 Conclusion – briefly sum up what you have just told the reader. Include a separate references page (use the Harvard system). Take care to only cite those sources you actually read, not secondary ones. • Start by reading the question carefully, identifying the ‘process’ words • Identify at least one critical incident • Explain links between the critical incident(s) and your behaviour – what happened how did you feel, what did you realise/learn • Suggest solutions, based on relevant organisational behaviour theory • Evaluate which solution is best for you, and explain how you will use that learning in future • It might be helpful to write the introduction last • Use one and a half lined spacing, size 12 Arial font • Do not use sub-headings, bullet points, figures or tables. They are fine to use in reports. However, this is an essay. If in doubt, check with your seminar tutor • Try to avoid using too many long quotations, but if you do use one (defined as more than 20 words) indent it and use single line spacing. Always state the page number if using a quotation. However, it is usually better to paraphrase and cite 2. The choice of OB concepts and theories that you want to discuss is up to you. However, you are advised that it is usually better to choose one of the main OB concepts, and argue its relevance to you in more depth. For example, the link between your behaviour and a ‘content’ versus a ‘process’ motivation theory, or your leadership and ‘situational’ versus ‘trait’ leadership theory. Do support theory with illustrative examples. 3. Revise from the textbooks recommended in the unit reading list. For example: BEECH, J., and CHADWICK, S., (2006). The Business of Tourism Management. Harlow: Prentice Hall FRENCH, R., C. RAYNER, G. REES and S. RUMBLES, (2015). Organizational Behaviour. 3rd ed. Chichester: Wiley HUCZYNSKI, A., and BUCHANAN, D., (2017). Organisational Behaviour.9th Ed. Harlow: Prentice Hall LASHLEY, C., LEE-ROSS, D., (2003). Organization behaviour for leisure services. Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann.