Home assignment
Contact person: Hannu Hänninen, e-mail: hannu.hanninen@om.fi or Open University avoin@aalto.fi
Because of coronavirus restrictions, the book exam is arranged as a home assignment which will be evaluated normally (0-5). The assignment is to write a book review of each exam book. Passing the exam requires an acceptable review for every book.
Instructions:
A good book review is a thorough description, critical and reflective analysis, and evaluation of the quality, meaning, and significance of a book. The review should be written from the perspective of a business school student. It should include a statement about what the author has tried to do, evaluates how well you believe the author has succeeded in meeting the objectives of the study, and presents evidence to support this assessment. Reflect on the main issues of the book. You need to show that you have really read the book and understood its points. The questions listed below each book will help you to cover some of the main themes. You may write also in Finnish.
The reviewed books:
1. Orr, J. E. (1996) Talking about machines.
- How do the field service technicians help each other in their work?
- Why do the technicians need to project a credible image of authority to customers?
2. Fine, G. A. (2008) Kitchens: The culture of restaurant work.
- Describe the use of time in kitchen. How do pressures emerge from the temporal structure of the workday?
- Describe factors that threaten quality production and aesthetic standards in kitchen.
3. Ho, K. Z. (2009) Liquidated: An ethnography of Wall Street.
- Describe how elitism and the culture of smartness in Wall Street are constructed.
- How does the culture of high risk / high reward show in the work environment of investment bankers?
Technical instructions:
Length: 1500 words per review; Font: Times New Roman 12 cpi; all margins 2,5; spacing 1.
No cover page. On top of first page write your name and student number. Save and submit the assignment as a single PDF-document.
Questions that will help you in your reflective work:
- How did the book change my assumptions regarding working life and organizational development?
- What did I learn that will be useful for me in working life?
- Do I understand what I have learnt?
- What do I now think about the issues covered? Reveal your new insights.
- How has my thinking and behavior changed? Why not has it changed?