Page 1 of 7 ASSESSMENT BRIEF Course Code and Title COMR2000 Management, Leadership and Professional Practice Assessment Assessment 4 Case Study Individual/Group Individual Learning Outcomes  Understanding of business and business environment  Awareness of the nature of the management profession  Sound judgement in applying knowledge and skills to identify and solve business problems  Sound judgement in identifying relevant information for internal decision making purposes  Skills of working and communicating effectively in a team. Submission Assessment – 4 Case Study Analysis Submit Week 11 1800 Words (+/- 10%) Weighting 40% Total Marks 90 Page 2 of 7 Assessment Brief The Assessment consists of three parts. Students should: 1. Answer the questions in Question and Answer format. 2. Submit the assignment electronically in Word format, 12pt. and 1.5 line spacing. 3. Fully reference their work according to the Torrens University guide: (see the Academic Skills section of the learning Portal). 4. Clearly identify their student name and number on the answer page. Part 1 (Word count 600; Marks 30) Students are required to read the Case Study on the Outback Steakhouse below and answer the questions following. Use a question-and-answer format. The focus of theory application should be on weeks 9 and 10. Outback Steakhouse With their years of experience in the restaurant business, Robert Basham, Timothy Gannon and Chris Sullivan, founders of Outback Steakhouse, were acutely aware of the hygiene factors in the foodservice industry. Outback is an Australian-themed restaurant founded in the US that deliberately adopts an Australian theme, sells Australian menu items and is decorated with Australian artefacts. While the average restaurant is designed to maximise the number of customers at the expense of the food preparation area, Outback puts the emphasis on providing the best possible spaces for servers and kitchen staff to do their jobs effectively, even at peak business times. Outback’s dinner-only policy and maximum five-day working week give managers and staff time for a life outside the restaurant, which cuts down on employee turnover. Each server handles only three tables at a time, ensuring firstclass service to customers and higher tips for servers. To motivate managers, Outback provides ownership. After making a US$25000 investment and signing a five year contract, Outback managers receive 10 per cent of the earnings of their restaurants each month. In 2012 this provided the average manager with a total of about US$118600 per year, far above rest of the industry. In addition, managers receive about 4000 shares that vest at the end of five years. Regular staff also participate in a share ownership plan. Managers are further motivated by the level of responsibility Outback bestows on them. Restaurant managers have the authority to make their own decisions rather than merely implement decisions dictated by headquarters. Has Outback’s motivational approach worked? In December 1994, six years after its launch, there were 210 Outbacks, with revenues estimated at US$544 million. As Timothy Gannon put it, ‘We believe if you treat employees as if you were one of them and give them the right environment, they will blow you away with their performance.’ (Finegan 1994). By 2004-2005, Outback boasted 1105 restaurants and revenue of US$3.3 billion, with 82 875 employees! (Mauder, 2004). Page 3 of 7 Outback’s co-founders, who are all significant shareholders in the parent company OSI, have innovated with kerbside takeaway, Internet booking and new brands, menu items and formulas combining to keep them at the leading edge. The founders clearly believe and live the idea that they succeed through their people, known as ‘Outbackers’. By keeping their employees motivated, and ‘having a good time’, Outback’s executives know that their customer service will be good. By 2012, Outback’s successful approach to motivating its staff has led to expansion to 21 countries with many hundreds of restaurants operating in numerous brand names, with such growth signifying a company and group of mangers who are clearly getting a lot of things, including staff motivation, right. Source: Samson, D., Daft, R.L. 2012. Fundamentals of Management, 4th Asia Pacific ed, Cengage Learning Australia, South Melbourne, Australia. Questions: 1. Describe how Personality Theories have influenced Outback in developing their reward practices for different levels of employees. 2. What theories of motivation underlie the way in which Outback’s leaders motivate their managers and staff? (Reflect on the theories studied in Week 7 to develop your answer.) 3. Discuss how empowerment is employed in the Outback Steakhouses to meet higher motivational needs and suggest practical ways in which other staff could also be motivated through empowerment. Page 4 of 7 Marking Criteria Part 1 Criterion Exceptional Excellent Advanced Acceptable Poor Analysis of the Case 18-20 15-17 13-14 10-12 0-9 Thoughtful, insightful and comprehensive analysis of the case with exceptional interpretation and application of the theory. Comprehensive analysis of the case with a high standard of interpretation and application of the theory. Thorough analysis of the case with an above average standard of interpretation and application of the theory. Adequate analysis of the case with sufficient standard of interpretation and application of the theory. Inadequate analysis lacking sufficient detail of the case with poor standard of interpretation and application of the theory. Presentation 5 4 3 2 0-1 Exceptional presentation, grammar and writing. Excellent presentation, writing and grammar. Good presentation, writing and grammar. Sufficient standard of presentation, writing and grammar. Inadequate standard of presentation, writing and grammar. Referencing 5 4 3 2 0-1 Exceptional referencing. Exceptional quality of sources researched and cited correctly. Excellent referencing. Excellent quality of sources researched and cited correctly. Good referencing. Good quality of sources researched and cited correctly. Sufficient standard of referencing. Sufficient quality of sources researched and cited correctly. Inadequate standard of referencing. Inadequate quality of sources researched and cited correctly. Total Mark /30 Page 5 of 7 Part 2 (Word count 600; Marks 30) Students are required to research and analyse a contemporary Australian business leader of their choice. The focus of the analysis should be the application of the content of Week 11 (Leadership and Trust), however wider application is recommended. The leader should be thoroughly researched and the analysis should be fully referenced (in-text as well as in a Torrens University standard reference list). Marking Criteria Part 2 Criterion Exceptional Excellent Advanced Acceptable Poor Analysis of the Case 18-20 15-17 13-14 10-12 0-9 Thoughtful, insightful and comprehensive analysis of the case with exceptional interpretation and application of the theory. Comprehensive analysis of the case with a high standard of interpretation and application of the theory. Thorough analysis of the case with an above average standard of interpretation and application of the theory. Adequate analysis of the case with sufficient standard of interpretation and application of the theory. Inadequate analysis lacking sufficient detail of the case with poor standard of interpretation and application of the theory. Presentation 5 4 3 2 0-1 Exceptional presentation, grammar and writing. Excellent presentation, writing and grammar. Good presentation, writing and grammar. Sufficient standard of presentation, writing and grammar. Inadequate standard of presentation, writing and grammar. Referencing 5 4 3 2 0-1 Exceptional referencing. Exceptional quality of sources researched and cited correctly. Excellent referencing. Excellent quality of sources researched and cited correctly. Good referencing. Good quality of sources researched and cited correctly. Sufficient standard of referencing. Sufficient quality of sources researched and cited correctly. Inadequate standard of referencing. Inadequate quality of sources researched and cited correctly. Total Mark /30 Page 6 of 7 Part 3 (Word Count: 600 Marks 30) The Case: Semco Partners Brazil Read the article: "Managing without Managers" by Ricardo Semler, HBR Sept – Oct 1989 https://hbr.org/1989/09/managing-without-managers After reading the article you will need to conduct further research into the company Semco Partners and its owner Ricardo Semler in order to answer the following questions. Important note: Please be sure to search for Semco Partners, the Brazilian-based company. Case Questions: 1. What type of business was Semco partners in 1989, and what type of business has Semco Partners become today? 2. Describe the type of organisational structure present within Semco Partners 3. To what degree does Semco Partners 'formalise' its structure? 4. How does Semco Partners deal with the concepts of responsibility and authority? 5. Could Semco Partner's structure be replicated into other businesses? Justify your response with reference to theory and use of examples/scenarios. Page 7 of 7 Marking Criteria Part 3 Criterion Exceptional Excellent Advanced Acceptable Poor Analysis of the Case 18-20 15-17 13-14 10-12 0-9 Thoughtful, insightful and comprehensive analysis of the case with exceptional interpretation and application of the theory. Comprehensive analysis of the case with a high standard of interpretation and application of the theory. Thorough analysis of the case with an above average standard of interpretation and application of the theory. Adequate analysis of the case with sufficient standard of interpretation and application of the theory. Inadequate analysis lacking sufficient detail of the case with poor standard of interpretation and application of the theory. Presentation 5 4 3 2 0-1 Exceptional presentation, grammar and writing. Excellent presentation, writing and grammar. Good presentation, writing and grammar. Sufficient standard of presentation, writing and grammar. Inadequate standard of presentation, writing and grammar. Referencing 5 4 3 2 0-1 Exceptional referencing. Exceptional quality of sources researched and cited correctly. Excellent referencing. Excellent quality of sources researched and cited correctly. Good referencing. Good quality of sources researched and cited correctly. Sufficient standard of referencing. Sufficient quality of sources researched and cited correctly. Inadequate standard of referencing. Inadequate quality of sources researched and cited correctly. Total Mark /30