TMA introduction

TMA introduction

Goals are essential at personal and professional levels. They provide motivation and satisfaction once achieved aiming for better results and outcomes. However, goals are not always with positive effects and they might come with negative side effects when over thought or over planned.

The covid-19 pandemic unified all countries, all companies, and all citizens around the same goals: to stay safe from the pandemic as much as possible and try to minimize the number of infected people as much as possible. Some have succeeded in setting clear actions leading to the achievement of such goal such as Australia, others do not seem to have succeeded on elaborating clear strategies allowing to accomplish such goal such as India.

This TMA sheds the light on goal setting from a national perspective. The below two questions allow you accordingly to reflect on goals in the context of covid-19 pandemic being it from a theoretical or practical standpoints while reflecting both positive and negative side effects of goals.

What needs to be done?

So what are you supposed to do in this TMA?

You are to consider your country’s case with regard to goal setting in the light of covid-19 pandemic as to answer the below two questions in approximately 1500 words. Your answer has to be in essay format with an introduction, and a conclusion for each question.

N.B.

Before starting your TMA, make sure to do your own research and ensure that the information needed for this TMA is available. This is very important since this TMA does not only rely on course material but on external resources that you will be choosing and referring to answer the question.

QUESTIONS

Question 1 (50% weighting) (Word limit: 750 words)

“Stay home, stay safe” is a superordinate goal that most countries if not all have set to protect people from covid-19 pandemic. By reflecting on your own country’s case, and in 750 words, discuss how your country has communicated such superordinate goal and how did it transform such slogan into a concrete goal. Your answer needs to be supported with clear examples.

Hint : in your essay, you need to consider the following:

· Explain superordinate goal and goal setting from a theoretical perspective.

· Explain how your country’s government has set the superordinate goal, what was it specifically, how it was communicated and how it affected people.

· Discuss goal setting (SMART goal) and how your country’s government has taken action to materialize it by discussing and providing examples about each letter of the acronym.

· Discuss to which extent such actions in terms of superordinate goal and goal setting were successful or not in limiting covid-19 cases. Support your answer with evidence.

· You have a plus or minus 10% with regard to word count.

Guidance

· Pay attention: do not to copy information as is whether from the course material or the internet. You are to provide a discussion and demonstrate understanding of various concepts and not just list and describe.

· YOU MUST REFER TO B325 COURSE MATERIAL AND TO EXTERNAL RESOURCES. External resources might your government official bodies responsible for managing the covid-19 pandemic (the ministry of health, the ministry of interior, hospitals, NGOs, etc.).

· Remember to cite your sources in the text and to prepare a table of references at the end.

· Referring to course material alone is not enough. Referring to external resources alone is not enough. You need to use the course material as the base to explore and explain the information in the chosen external resources.

Question 2 (50% weighting) (Word limit: 750 words)

Goals do not come without negative side effects. Whenever goals are too specific or too challenging, the end result is rarely a positive one. To which extent, the government of your country has set too challenging or too specific goals when it comes to facing the Covid-19 pandemic.

Hint : in your essay, you need to consider the following:

· Explain too specific and too challenging goals from B325 course material.

· Discuss to which extent goal setting set by your country’s government has been too specific and too challenging and the negative side effects with regard to goal implementation particularly in what concerns the limitation of covid-19 cases.

· You have a plus or minus 10% with regard to word count.

Guidance

· Do not copy information as is whether from the course material or the articles to which you refer too.

· You are to provide a discussion and demonstrate understanding of various concepts and not just list and describe.

· YOU HAVE TO REFER TO B325 COURSE MATERIAL AND EXTERNAL RESOURCES. External resources might your government official bodies responsible for managing the covid-19 pandemic (the ministry of health, the ministry of interior, hospitals, NGOs, etc.).

· Remember to cite your sources in the text and to prepare a table of references at the end.

· Referring to course material alone is not enough. Referring to external resources alone is not enough. You need to use the course material as the base to explore and explain the information in the course material and mentioned external resources.

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR STUDENTS

1. Cut-off date: Specific date to be specified later by deanship. If you feel that you are unable to meet the cut-off date of the TMA because of unusual circumstances, please contact your tutor as soon as possible to discuss a possible extension to the cut-off date. The exact cut-off date will be assigned in due course.
2. Format: Write your answers in essay format. Failing to do so could result in grade deduction from presentation marks up to 5 marks. You may, however, use bullet points, diagrams, tables, or any graphs to support your arguments.
3. Plagiarism: Write your answers using your own words. Plagiarism will be penalized depending on its severity and according to AOU plagiarism policy (Enclosed after these instructions you will find the Arab Open University Rules of Cheating and Plagiarism).
4. Word count: Answers are expected to be within +/- 10% of the word limit. Answers that fall below or above this range can lose up to 5 marks.
5. Referencing: Use Harvard referencing style for in-text citation and make a table of references at the end. Failing to do so could result grade deduction of referencing marks up to 5 marks.
6. Research: Use a minimum of two additional sources of information. It is strongly recommended that you use scholarly articles found in the E-library at LMS. You can lose up to 5 marks if you do not use at least two external sources. In addition, although text books assigned in the course may be used freely as references, you are required to use a minimum of 2 external sources . It is recommended that you use scholarly studies found in the E-library link at the LMS. Failing to do so could result in grade deduction of referencing marks up to 5 marks. If you do not find required additional information at the e-library, you can always refer to Google scholar.