Details of Each Assessment Item
The assessments for this subject are described below. Other assessment information and/or assistance can be found in Moodle. Marking guides for Assessments follow the assessment descriptions. Students should compare their assessment final drafts against the marking guide before submission.
Assessment submission is included the instructions below. Please retain a photocopy and softcopy of all assessments.
Assessment 1
Assessment Type: Individual assessment.
Report on a small business in the form of a magazine article (1,000 words).
Purpose: This assessment builds students oral and written communication skills, and gives the students real life understanding of the challenges and rewards of running a business. This relates to Learning Outcome a.
Topic: Personal Business Management Experience
Task Details: This assessment has two (2) elements:
Interview:
Students are to collect information so that they can write about the challenges and benefits of running a business. Discuss what skills they feel are important in achieving business success. It is advised that students draft a list of questions and consult with their tutor as to the suitability of the questions.
Important: as this assessment is due in Week 4, it is advised that students draft their questions and review with their tutor by Week 2, so there is sufficient time to conduct the interview and form the written article response.
Written Report:
Students need to form their written response in a format suitable for a magazine article. This could be in question/answer form with appropriate background explanations, or could be in the form a story.
The article should be approximately 1000 words in length.
Presentation: Single spaced, font Times New Roman 12pt, Calibri 11pt or Arial 10pt.
Magazine article format - use a single column format.
Title, name and student number. You may include a small image of the interviewee if you wish, although this is not essential.
Assessment 2
Assessment Type: Research problem, library search and literature review - individual assessment (1,500 words)
Purpose: To allow students to develop skills in researching a problem (question, issue, opportunity etc.), conducting a library search, sorting and analysing information and writing a short literature review. These skills underpin all academic scholarship. This relates to Learning Outcomes a and b.
Topic: A current issue in business - students will be given the specific topic in class and via Moodle by Week 4.
Task Details: This assessment is designed to allow students to develop good research and interpretation skills.
Good reports demonstrate the ability to critically analyse relevant researched material, interpreting what it means for a given topic or issue. This then leads to supported recommendations and conclusions.
The literature review gives the opportunity to study an assigned topic in depth. It requires students to find relevant sources of information that will enable them to write the eventual individual report from an informed point of view. This will help students to develop writing and information literacy skills.
Reviews should include the following:
- Determine what has been written on a topic
- Provide an overview of key concepts from the sources
- Identify major relationships or patterns
- Identify strengths and weaknesses
- Identify any gaps in the research
- Identify any conflicting evidence
Presentation:
The Literature Review needs to be submitted as follows:
- 1500 + 10% word academic style report
- Word .doc or .docx
- Arial 10 point font
- Title page
- Introduction and conclusion
- Suitable headings and sub-headings
- Reference List
Assessment 3
Assessment Type: Group project on a topical issue on business ethics, cross-cultural communication, etc. Report (2,500 words)
Presentation (5 minutes per team member plus 5 minutes Q&A)
Purpose: To allow students to demonstrate their ability to research, critically analyse trends and issues in their chosen topic, and communicate their findings to their peers. The assessment also allows students to further develop their team working and professional communication skills. This assessment relates to Learning Outcomes a, b, c and d.
Presentation: oral presentation in class. Hard copy of the presentation visual aids to be handed to the tutor at the beginning of the tutorial on the day of presentation.
Topic: A topical issue on business ethics, cross-cultural communication, etc.
Groups should obtain the approval for their chosen topic from their tutor by Week 5.
Task Details: Students will complete a research-based analysis and evaluation of a topical issue on business ethics, cross-cultural communication, etc. The response needs to be developed into a professionally presented report of 2500 + 10% words.
Group responses need to be adapted into a short 5 minute presentation plus 5 minute Q & A.
Research: Students need to support their analysis with a minimum of 5 academic requirements journal articles plus the text. Students aiming for a Credit or higher grade will need to use more sources. Articles should be relevant and recent. Non-academic journal sources may also be used, but relevant and validity should be identified with the lecturer/tutor.
Presentation:
Report: Report format - 2500 + 10%word report - Word .doc or .docx
Title page, executive summary, table of contents, appropriate headings and sub-headings, recommendations/findings/conclusions, in-text referencing and reference list (Harvard - Anglia style), attachments if relevant. Single spaced, font Times New Roman 12pt, Calibri 11pt or Arial 10pt
Assessment 4
Assessment Type: Reflective Journal - individual assessment - 1500 words.
Purpose: The individual reflection report is designed to allow students to evaluate their growth in knowledge and skills throughout the subject. It is designed to encourage students to take ownership of their learning, their performance and their outcomes.
This assessment contributes specifically to Learning Outcome a, c and d.
Topic: Reflections on the student's increased communication and academic scholarship skills during the trimester, and identification points for future improvement.
Task Details: Students need to write a reflection report discussing and analysing their progress in communication and academic scholarship skill development. Students should demonstrate the improvement they have achieved to date, and conclude with at least three actions points that can improve their future performance, using the benefit of experience and hindsight.
Students who maintain a reflective journal (see below) will find this assessment very rewarding and have substantial data to support their reflections.
The report is to be reflective and evaluative (use referenced theory), and it is important that you offer critical insight. The review should focus on what you learnt as a consequence of the subject's assessment tasks, the use of new found skills, or "moments of truth" (e.g., finding out how to give and receive feedback - the hard way).
Reflective journal
Generally, a reflective journal requires you to map the progress and changes in your thinking about a subject or a topic, or about the learning journey in which you are engaged in.
- You may be asked to make regular entries in a journal (over a period of time), which would then have to be submitted and assessed.
- You may also be asked to use your reflections built up over a period of time as the basis of an essay or a report.
- If the journal is to be assessed, it should be well structured and clearly expressed for the benefit of your audience, even though it may have elements of personal writing.
- If the journal is for yourself, to be used as the basis of an essay or a report, make sure that your writing makes sense to you when you refer to it to compose your essay or report.
Consider the following when writing a reflective journal:
1. Describe the events and your experience - What did I do/hear/see?
2. Interpret and evaluate the events from your perspective - What do I think about it now? How does it relate to other things that I know? Explain your experience; reveal your new insights, connections with other learning, your hypotheses, and your conclusions.
3. Reflect on how this information will be useful to you - What questions do I have? Have I changed how I think about the situation? Where do I go from here?
If you have been given specific questions or tasks to perform, use these as headings to help organise your writing.
(Adapted from the following sources:
- Morley-Warner, T. 2000,
- Academic writing is... A guide to writing in a university context, Centre For Research and Education in the Arts, Sydney.
Research Students should use a minimum of eight (8) academic journal articles
Requirements: to support their reflections and analysis.