Comparative study between Asian and Western style of business 

• Assessment

Paired Presentation (15-20 minutes)

Topic 1:  Women Leadership in Business

OR

Topic 2: Comparative study between Asian and Western style of business             leadership

Choose any one of the above topic and express your views using paired presentation.

• You are required to relate your arguments with the leadership theory covered in syllabus.
• Demonstrate your understanding of Leadership & Management i.e. emerging theories using analytical diagram/ paradigm/ visuals
• Harvard referencing & professional presentation

• Aim: A critical evaluation of a current emerging leadership theme relating to academic theory and practice
• You should select a current debate or theme which you could relate to current academic leadership theory.
• g. A critique of the leadership theme of Brexit and Teresa May’s leadership style. Conceptualisation of leadership- advantages and critique of Trait theory as well as current and emerging theory e.g. Transformational Leadership
• Demonstrate your understanding of Leadership & Management i.e. emerging theories using analytical diagram/ paradigm/ visuals –     What is leadership?   Course concepts, current and emerging            theories of leadership and relevant examples of best practice should be used to investigate this issue further

Your Presentation must include12 academic/ business references

Using academic references e.g. Kotter, critically explain the difference  between Leadership and Management – use Harvard Referencing

Sample points:

• Why is it important to the organisation?
• Critically examine a current academic debate/ theory on leadership or strategic management. Critically evaluate how this area of academic research is demonstrated in the business
• How is this area of theory/or debate demonstrated in the business? how does/ could it impact the business?
• How does current practice currently reflect / fit with the current academic debate or not?
• What could the business do differently or learn from your analysis?
• Harvard referencing & professional presentation

Topic 1. Women Leadership in Business 

Sample outline:

SLIDE 1

Title of your presentation, agenda (what will be covered – 4 or 5 main points), your group member’s names

SLIDE 2.

SAMPLE POINTS, CHOOSE WHAT YOU WANT TO ANSWER, NO NEED TO COVER ALL

1. Define leadership? (compulsory)
2. Today business world is faced with a question of ……… / The main theme in contemporary business leadership is ….. (introduce the theme)

Women make significant mark in this area through their leadership (link the theme to your topic)

What is the current leadership theme in business world that you want to touch on? (compulsory) – e.g. role of women in leadership? concern with triple bottom line, environmental degradation and the responsibility of leaders, CSR, social changes, unprecedented changes businesses are going through because of Covid-19, management of working from home, digitalization of business, more emphasis of soft skills in leaders (choose one) and how do female leaders relate to that?

3. Statistics on female business leaders – how many top leadership positions in business are held by women
4. What is the rate of increase of females being appointed into top positions?
5. What do statistics show in terms of number of women taking business degrees?
6. What is the percentage of female entrepreneurs in a given country?
7. How many women leaders are currently engaged in tech companies? Give examples of names

SLIDE 3. (Optional)

8. What does research show about the style of women’s leadership in comparison to men’s leadership
   1. Similarities with men’s leadership
   2. Differences with men’s leadership – unique attributes the women bring

Both similarities and differences can be related to leadership theories studied so far:

CHOOSE YOUR APPROACH (1 or 2) – YOU DO NOT NEED TO COVER ALL

• g. SLIDE 3 Traits – briefly outline trait theory – then answer question of whether women leaders differ from male leaders in terms of traits that surface in their leadership
• g. SLIDE 4 Behaviour styles (task and relations) – briefly outline behaviour styles approach – then answer question of whether women leaders differ from male leaders in terms of behaviours that surface in their leadership
• you can choose any theory studied in the module and follow the above structure

SLIDE 4 .

9. Show the difference between Leadership and Management

What is the difference between leadership and management and how do women in business relate to that?

Do they tend to be more of managers? Or do they lean more towards typical Leadership aspects?

Are they showing no specific difference between the two?

How do similarities and differences relate to the context of your chosen theme?

SLIDE 5

10. Choose a specific female business leader and critically analyse her leadership

• brief information about the chosen leader – country background, age, significant facts/ roles / decisions from career path
• the company she currently heads (type of products or/and services, market share, turnover, net worth, major strategic decisions)

SLIDE 6

Critically analyse the leadership of your example chosen leader by applying

theories learned in the module:

CHOOSE YOUR QUESTIONS TO ANSWER, YOU DO NOT NEED TO ANSWER ALL

• Outline the theory that you are applying to your leader (compulsory) – its strengths and weaknesses, why this approach is important today in the context of your chosen theme?
• Does she show the qualities of charismatic/ transformational/ authentic/ servant leader?
• What is the evidence for the above? – depending on what approach you choose – from the strategic decision this leader takes or took in the past,
• how she relates to followers?
• how does she appear in media, says in interviews?
• what experiences shaped her in her life?
• how effective is she as a leader / in her business because of her specific (e.g. transformational/ authentic) approach?
• How her decisions impact the company?
• Relate to the current theme that you have outlined at the beginning

SLIDE 7

Summary of main points

SLIDE 8 + 9

References – no less than 12

Topic 2: Comparative study between Asian and Western style of business (leadership) – analyse, compare, contrast

Sample outline:

SLIDE 1

Title of your presentation, your group member’s names

SLIDE 2

Agenda – what will be covered – 4 or 5 main points

SLIDE 3

1. Define Business Leadership
2. Today business world is faced with a question of ……… / The main theme in contemporary business leadership is ….. (introduce the theme)

Asian and Western style of business show both similarities and differences in this area (link the theme to your topic)

What is the current leadership theme in business world that you want to touch on? (compulsory) – e.g. concern with triple bottom line, environmental degradation and the responsibility of leaders, CSR, social changes, unprecedented changes businesses are going through because of Covid-19, management of working from home, digitalization of business, more emphasis of soft skills in leaders (choose one)

SLIDE 4

1. a) Show the difference and similarities between Leadership and Management

What are the differences and similarities between leadership and management and how are these reflected in East and West?

Is East more concerned with leadership than management or vice versa? Same for West? Are both aspects equally weighted in both regions?

Show examples from business practices.

1. b) How do similarities and differences relate to the context of your chosen theme? (e.g. When it comes to handling Covid-19, are leaders expected to focus on tasks more or create motivating visions? How is that in East and West?).

SLIDE 5

Choose 1 Leadership approach/ theory  ( Traits, Capabilities, Behaviours, Situational approach, Transformational leadership, Charismatic Leadership, Authentic Leadership, Servant Leadership)

Outline the theory (main points, strengths and weaknesses)

SLIDE 6

1. a) Show similarities and differences for applying this theory in Asia and the West

For example: Traits theory of leadership

Which traits are desired/ seen as effective in leaders both in Asia and West?

Where the two regions differ in terms of what makes leader effective?

1. b) Link to the current theme you have chosen – are there similarities and differences in approaches between East and West there? (e.g in taking companies through Covid-19 related changes – what are the skills needed? And do they differ in East and West?)

SLIDE 7

Choose two specific examples of leaders – one from Asia, one from the West

Quick introduction of both

Illustrate their traits (or behaviours, skills, situational styles, transformational traits, etc . depending on your chosen theory you are discussing in your presentation) and show in what ways they are similar and different given the regions where they operate and what is desired leadership quality based on that culture?

How they both are effective?

How they could adjust their leadership (maybe adopt some approaches from different culture) to be more effective?

SLIDE 8

Summary of main points

SLIDE 9 + 10

References – no less than 12