Manager José was bullied at work for many years. The bullies argued with him every day and stole his belongings. Eventually he left to work for an employer where bullying was not tolerated.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (Oct/Nov 2018). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. (a) Health effects such as symptoms of stress, possible post-traumatic stress syndrome.
2. (a) Withdrawal from work such as absenteeism; withdrawal from any work-based social activity.
3. (a) Inability to concentrate on tasks at work.
4. (a) Decision to leave the workplace.
5. (a) Some victims of bullying may have suicidal thoughts.
6. (b) Phase 1 (early phases): Victims are typically subjected to aggressive behaviour that is difficult to pinpoint by being very indirect and discreet.
7. (b) Phase 2 (later on): More direct aggressive acts appear. The victims are clearly isolated and avoided, humiliated in public by being made a laughing-stock of the department, and so on.
8. (b) Phase 3 (in the end): Both physical and psychological means of violence may be used.
9. (b) Alternative Model (Allport's phases or similar): Aggressive behaviour: a situation where rather subtle aggressive outlets start to be directed against one or more persons in the work group.
10. (b) Alternative Model: Bullying, where these aggressive outlets become more open, direct and frequent. In this second phase it becomes evident that the victim has problems in defending him/herself either as a consequence of already existing psychological or social factors, or as a consequence of the bullying itself, which after a while seems to place a social stigma on the victim.
11. (b) Alternative Model: Stigmatisation and severe trauma.
12. (c) Dispute-related bullying: aggression develops out of grievances and involves social control reactions to perceived wrong-doing, often stemming from a work-related conflict. Predatory bullying: refers to cases where the victim personally has done nothing provocative that may reasonably justify the behaviour of the bully, or the victim is attacked because he or she belongs to a certain out-group.
13. (c) Dispute-related bullying occurs as a result of a highly escalated interpersonal conflict. Predatory bullying involves a predator demonstrating power or trying to exploit an accidental victim into compliance.
14. (d) Advantages: interviews allow people to present their side of the study in full detail.
15. (d) Advantages: interviews can be done in a safe and private environment.
16. (d) Advantages: an interview could be unstructured, allowing free interaction; it could be structured allowing management to cover 'essential' questions.
17. (d) Advantages: the interview can be recorded providing evidence of what was said should it be needed.
18. (d) Disadvantages: people may be reluctant to be interviewed, to ‘blow the whistle', to bring the bullying into the open.
19. (d) Disadvantages: people may not tell the truth, hiding information or modifying it.
20. (d) Disadvantages: people may not tell the truth for fear of revenge or further attacks/bullying.
21. (d) Disadvantages: people think they will be perceived as weak, inferior or inadequate by management.
22. (d) Conclusion: any appropriate conclusion drawn from the discussion that has been presented. A conclusion is a 'decision reached by reasoning' and so a summary of points already made scores 0 marks.