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MN7185 assessment brief: Leadership theory and strategic management report

September 17, 2026 ·

MN7185 Leadership and Strategic Management Assessment Brief

This assessment brief sets out the instructions, requirements and marking criteria for the MN7185 Leadership and Strategic Management individual investigative report at London Metropolitan University. The brief covers the task structure, learning outcomes, word count, submission rules and academic integrity expectations. Sample answer extracts demonstrate how to link leadership theory to strategic management practice. The brief also includes references, an FAQ, writing guidance and a follow-up assessment suggestion for the study session.

Assessment Context and Module Details

The Guildhall School of Business and Law at London Metropolitan University delivers MN7185 Leadership and Strategic Management at Level 7. The module carries 20 credits and contributes 70 per cent of the total module mark through an individual investigative report of 4,000 words. The remaining 30 per cent comes from a paired group presentation of 20 to 30 minutes. Submission is via the module’s virtual learning environment before the stated deadline. The module specification confirms that the assessment strategy emphasises effectiveness in a leadership role together with doing this in a socially and ethically responsible manner[reference:0]. The module draws on a wide range of academic research and professional experience and encourages students to develop a critical, analytical approach to solving work-based leadership and management issues[reference:1]. The report tests your ability to apply leadership and strategic management theory to a real organisational context, evaluate current practice in light of relevant academic theories, and communicate findings in a structured academic format.

Assessment Task Instructions

Produce a 4,000-word individual investigative report that critically examines a leadership and strategic management issue within a chosen organisation. You may use your own employer or select a large international organisation. The report must identify a specific leadership or strategic management challenge, analyse it through relevant theoretical frameworks, and evaluate the organisation’s current approach. You must draw on a minimum of fifteen credible sources, including peer-reviewed journal articles and authoritative textbooks. The report should include an introduction that states the organisational context and the issue under investigation, a literature review that establishes the theoretical foundation, an analysis section that applies theory to the organisational evidence, and a conclusion that synthesises findings and offers evidence-based recommendations. The module specification states that students will develop an awareness of different theoretical perspectives so that the complexity of managerial work is explored rigorously[reference:2]. The report must demonstrate this critical engagement with theory, not just describe what the organisation does.

Learning Outcomes Tested in This Assessment

The assessment tests the module’s core knowledge and skills outcomes. You must demonstrate critical awareness of key leadership and strategic management theories and their application to practice. You must evaluate current organisational practice in the light of relevant academic theories. You must show how leadership and strategic management concepts relate to improving organisational performance. The module aims to stimulate critical awareness and application of key leadership and strategic management theories to students’ own practice and to develop their ability to evaluate current practice in the light of relevant academic theories[reference:3]. The University of Sheffield explains that assessment briefs include a link to the marking criteria and that students should read the brief carefully before starting work, as many details about how to approach the assessment sit in the brief rather than the rubric. Mapping your report sections to these learning outcomes before you write sharpens your focus and ensures you address what the marker expects.

Formatting and Submission Requirements

Submit your assignment through the module’s virtual learning environment before the stated deadline. Include the module name and number and your student number, not your name. Use .doc or .pdf file formats. The university cannot guarantee to mark incorrect formats. Do not leave submission to the last minute, and always allow time for technical issues. The date and time of submission are taken from the server and recorded when the submission is complete, not when you click submit. Check that you have submitted the correct file. The report must be fully referenced using the Harvard style, and the reference list should include only sources cited in the text. The module specification notes that the module contains a strong experiential learning approach[reference:4]. That means your report should connect theoretical concepts to practical organisational realities, not treat theory and practice as separate domains.

Marking Criteria and Feedback

Performance is assessed against the learning outcomes and the module’s grading criteria. The marking criteria weight four areas: knowledge and understanding of leadership and strategic management concepts, application of those concepts to the chosen organisation, critical evaluation of the issue and its implications, and structure, clarity and presentation. The University of Sheffield advises students to engage with marking criteria early and to tailor their approach to each individual assessment. For this report, that means allocating word count to critical evaluation in proportion to the rubric weighting, and ensuring every section advances the analysis rather than repeating theoretical definitions. Feedback will be provided in writing and will indicate how well each learning outcome was met. The module specification confirms that the module aims to develop learners’ critical awareness and application of key theories to their own practice[reference:5].

Sample Answer Writing Help

A strong response to MN7185 opens by identifying a specific leadership challenge within the chosen organisation and stating why that challenge matters for strategic outcomes. A student analysing a healthcare trust might focus on the tension between transactional management practices and the need for transformational leadership during a period of service redesign. The literature review then establishes the theoretical foundation by comparing Bass’s transformational leadership model with transactional approaches and situating them within the broader strategic management literature. The analysis section applies these frameworks to interview data or organisational reports, examining how leadership style has shaped staff engagement and whether that engagement translated into improved strategic performance. The conclusion weighs the evidence and offers recommendations that are specific to the organisational context. This structure demonstrates the critical engagement the rubric rewards, rather than simply describing what the theories say.

For the application component, the marker looks for evidence that you can connect theory to organisational reality, not just summarise academic texts. A student might argue that Goleman’s emotional intelligence framework offers a useful lens for understanding why a particular leadership intervention succeeded, but note that the framework was developed in a Western corporate context and may need adaptation for public sector organisations with different accountability structures. The stronger approach names these contextual limitations and then explains how they affect the analysis. Similarly, Mintzberg’s ten managerial roles can help map what leaders actually do, but the framework is descriptive rather than prescriptive, so it needs supplementing with normative theories when the report moves to recommendations. A report that uses theory diagnostically, rather than as content to be described, scores higher than one that treats frameworks as ends in themselves. The Guildhall School of Business and Law grading criteria reward this level of critical engagement.

Frequently Asked Question

How do I choose a suitable organisation and issue for the MN7185 investigative report?

Pick an organisation you can access credible information about. Public limited companies and public sector bodies publish annual reports, strategic plans and performance data that give you verifiable evidence. The brief allows you to use your own employer if you can gather appropriate evidence without breaching confidentiality. Choose a leadership or strategic management issue that links clearly to the module learning outcomes, such as change management, stakeholder engagement, or the relationship between leadership style and strategic delivery. Avoid topics that are purely operational and do not engage with leadership or strategic theory. The module specification emphasises solving work-based leadership and management issues, so the closer your topic is to a real organisational problem, the stronger your analysis will be.

Why This Matters in Practice

Leadership and strategic management assessment mirrors the analytical work that managers do when they evaluate organisational performance, diagnose culture problems or justify a change initiative. The frameworks you practise in this module, transformational leadership, emotional intelligence, and Mintzberg’s managerial roles, are the same tools used in executive coaching, organisational development and public sector reform. Learning to apply them with incomplete information and to acknowledge their limitations builds the judgement that employers value. The MN7185 report format tests whether you can research independently, synthesise theory and evidence, and reach defensible conclusions. That capability transfers directly to professional settings where decisions cannot wait for perfect data.

References

  • London Metropolitan University (2024) MN7185 Leadership and Strategic Management Module Specification. Available at: https://intranet.londonmet.ac.uk/module-catalogue/record.cfm?msid=62BD1751-2C9C-48B4-B9FA9A9E48424CB1 (Accessed: 17 September 2026).
  • Bass, B.M. and Riggio, R.E. (2006) Transformational Leadership. 2nd edn. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
  • Goleman, D. (1995) Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. New York: Bantam Books.
  • Mintzberg, H. (1973) The Nature of Managerial Work. New York: Harper and Row.
  • University of Sheffield (2025) How to use marking criteria and assessment briefs. Available at: https://www2.sheffield.ac.uk/study-skills/assessment/literacy/marking-criteria (Accessed: 17 September 2026).

Next Assessment

Week 6 Assessment: Paired Group Presentation (30% weighting). This assessment runs alongside the investigative report and asks you to deliver a 20 to 30 minute presentation on a critical leadership or strategic management issue. You will work in pairs to research a contemporary organisational challenge and present your analysis and recommendations to the cohort. The presentation must include a slide deck and a spoken narrative shared between both presenters. Submit your slides via the module portal by the stated deadline. The rubric weights content knowledge at 40 per cent, analytical depth at 30 per cent, presentation structure at 20 per cent and delivery at 10 per cent. Refer to the module handbook for the group allocation process and presentation schedule.

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