Assessment 2: Project Report (60%)
This is an individual, written assessment, to be completed in report format. You are required to write around 3,000 (excluding title page, preliminaries, tables, figures, reference list and appendices). The report requires in-text referencing and a full reference list in APA style.
The purpose of this assessment is to present the final report of the Professional Project you proposed in Assignment 1. This report should build upon your assessment 1 and it should address the campus tutor/lecturer or unit co-ordinator (for external students) feedback.
In order to successfully complete Assessment 2, you are required to carry out the investigation you have proposed in Assessment 1 and produce a professional research report that shows how you have followed through from finding a research question to answering that question and developing recommendations that out of the answer.
• Project title;
• Background and definition of the issue/problem, including a justification why the issue/problem is crucially relevant to your profession;
• Your project’s aim and objectives/research questions;
• A more detailed critical and well-structured literature review;
• A detailed discussion of how you carried out your project (commensurate with a ‘Methodology’ chapter);
• Findings from your secondary information analysis;
• Discussion of findings in light of previously reviewed literature;
• Conclusion – this may address recommendations for (soon-to-be) professionals, possible areas of further research, and limitations of your project.
Since this assessment is written in report format, it needs to be presented in professional layout, including: title page, executive summary, table of contents, and full reference list (at least 25 high-quality academic, peer-reviewed journal articles, properly referenced). Figures, tables and other appendices are optional and should only be used if required.
Assessment criteria (click here to view the marking rubric):
As a Masters-level student, you are required to engage in research as per the Australia Quality Framework (AQF) guidelines. Two specific requirements need to be considered. Students need to demonstrate “a body of knowledge that includes the understanding of recent developments in a discipline and/or area of professional practice, and demonstrate -knowledge of research principles and methods applicable to a field of work and/or learning”.
Each unit in the MBA has a number of required weekly readings in terms of academic texts, journals and business publications that represent the appropriate body of knowledge and recent developments referred to by the AQF. In order to demonstrate the ability to engage in appropriate research, students should read and utilise these texts and journals and publications, and as a Masters student, indicate a willingness to research beyond this minimum standard through additional texts, journals and studies that demonstrate an ability to engage in independent research. This is an advanced level course, and accrediting bodies are also looking for evidence of independent research, so the ability to conduct this project without continually relying on your tutors and lecturers is an important part of the learning process for this unit.
Students should insure that they understand the specific research that is required for each assessment piece and recognise that if they meet this minimum requirement, you will receive the minimum grade for demonstrated research.
Your attention is drawn to the University’s stated position on plagiarism. THE WORK OF OTHERS, WHICH IS INCLUDED IN THE ASSIGNMENT MUST BE ATTRIBUTED TO ITS SOURCE. A full list of references must be submitted as part of the assessment.