MGMT11109 Assessment details for Assessment Task 2 -
Written Assessment - Management Report
Task Description
You are to write a Management Report providing analysis and recommendations about how a hairdressing salon called “Rock Paper Scissors” can be managed to success in the contemporary Australian environment. You are a management consultant hired by the owners of “Rock Paper Scissors” to help them better manage the salon. You will focus on;
• the principles, models and theories of management that you have read about in the 12 week unit and how the hairdressing salon is planned, organised, lead and controlled;
• you will also discuss the external environmental factors affecting the hairdressing salon; and
• the contemporary management challenge that this presents.
An example of a management principle is “leaders are critical to the success of a hairdressing salon”. An example of a model may be the ‘Competing Values Framework’ and an example of a theory of management is ‘goal setting theory’. You are required to critically think (which means judge) the value and use of these principles, models and theories. The more critical thinking (ie judging) about these principles, models and theories provided in your Management Report the higher will be your marks. I have counted 87 principles, models and theories discussed in detail in the prescribed text book. You are to rely on research from the last five years to back up your thinking and recommendations sourced from peer reviewed journals.
Critical thinking must be demonstrated in your Management Report. For example, you must show in your Management Report that you have deeply thought about or ‘critically thought’ how you are going to advise the owners to plan, organise, lead and control the hairdressing salon. Then you must demonstrate this ‘critical thinking’ when writing your Management Report using research (ie peer reviewed academic journals).
For example, you would need to critically think about specific questions, such as; “Will the hairdressing salon have a written ‘vision statement’?” You will have read about the strategic planning process in Week Seven and would address the planning function of as it applies to the hairdressing salon from the four basic management functions of planning, organising, leading and controlling, by discussing this process.
You will also need to demonstrate an understanding of the environment that the hairdressing salon operates in. For example, in the Australian context, management of staff at a hairdressing salon would be important to stakeholders and how theft of property (chemicals and providing free haircuts to the friends of staff) is a management issue. For example, you may give ‘critical thought’ to the establishment of written policies concerning the cutting of friend’s hair at the salon for “Rock Paper Scissors”. This would demonstrate your understanding of the managerial environment that the hairdressing salon operates in and the processes and priorities of managers of “Rock Paper Scissors”.
You will also need to identify contemporary management challenges that the salon must face. From research you should be able to identify that innovation and the management of innovation within your organisation is one way to keep ahead of competitors. Innovation is a contemporary management challenge. How can innovation be fostered at the salon?
What should a paragraph of my Management Report look like?
An example of the writing style required for your Management Report is provided in this paragraph.
“The findings of Dibrell, Craig and Neubaum (2013) that strategic planning and the innovativeness of organisations are positively related ensures that strategic planning and a written vision statement are vital to the establishment of a new business. A formal planning process involving all stakeholders is recommended to ensure that a contemporary management challenge such as innovation is addressed. Taherparvar, Esmaeilpour and Dostar (2014) go on to say that knowledge from customers has a positive impact on both innovation speed and innovation quality. Knowledge from customers about their preference for how they would like to be treated in a hairdressing salon would be important in developing customer service policies. Ensuring that customers, as stakeholders, are included in the strategic planning process is likely to improve the outcome and differentiate “Rock Paper Scissors” as an innovative new salon in the market.
Tim Whan, Unit Coordinator | SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND LAW MGMT11109 T2 2017
But how do I get started with the research required?
Links in moodle (see ‘Guides to assist with developing your Research Skills’ and each weeks
‘Other Resources’) have been provided regarding how to structure and present a Management Report and the elements that are required in an Australian Management Report. If you do not know how to start the research then please make an appointment with the Academic Learning Centre (distance students are welcome to make appointments as well – technology means that these can be done face to face).
But you could start with the ‘Guides to assist with developing your Research Skills’.
What grammatical style do I write the report in?
You will need to use the third person passive grammatical style. If you do not know how write in this style then please make an appointment with the Academic Learning Centre (distance students are welcome to make appointments as well – technology means that these can be done face to face).
You can make this appointment by following the link at the left of moodle for the MGMT11109 moodle site. Here is a picture of the link.
Tim Whan, Unit Coordinator | SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND LAW MGMT11109 T2 2017
4
Assessment type: Written Assessment – Management Report
Unit code and name MGMT11109 Assessment details for Assessment Task 1 - Written Assessment – Learning and Research Book – Task/Week One
Key Criteria Exceeds Expectations
(High Distinction) 85-100% Exceeds Expectations (Distinction) 75 - 84% Meets Expectations (Credit) 65 – 74% Meets Expectations (Pass) 50 – 64% Below Expectations (Fail) below 50%
Demonstrate the academic research skills necessary to at least pass this criterion by providing at least EIGHT (8) academic scholarly references. Further references, well summarised, will score above 8/15. Scholarly references must include the prescribed textbook. Scholarly references must be relevant to the discipline area of management, be from the last five years and be predominately peer reviewed
journals (15 marks)
Demonstrate a professional approach to the presentation of the Management Report – including structure and presentation, grammar, expression, punctuation
and correct spelling using Australian English (5 marks).
Demonstrates a balanced and very high level of detailed knowledge of core concepts by providing a very high level of analysis. An excellent writing style appropriate to task and addressing the Guide for this assessment and providing a very clear purpose which ensures all areas relevant to the topic are clearly outlined. Utilises 15 current, appropriate and credible scholarly sources in the ‘References’ list Demonstrates a balanced and high level of knowledge of core concepts by providing a high level of analysis. A good and appropriate writing style appropriate to the Guide for this assessment and providing a mostly clear purpose which ensures most areas relevant to the topic are clearly outlined. Utilises 12-14 current, appropriate and credible scholarly sources in the
‘References’ list A fair writing style appropriate to the Guide for this assessment which addresses some points, lacks some detail; ensures some areas relevant to the topic are outlined. Demonstrates a good level of knowledge of some of the core concepts by providing some level of analysis. Utilises 9-11 current, appropriate and credible scholarly sources in the ‘References’ list Demonstrates limited knowledge of core concepts by providing a limited level of analysis. A fair writing style appropriate to the Guide for this assessment that addresses
limited points, lacks detail; of which few areas are outlined. Utilises 8 current, appropriate and credible scholarly source in the ‘References’ list Demonstrates little, if any, knowledge of the core concepts with extremely limited, if any, analysis. Very poor or nonexistent writing style. Utilises little, if any, current, appropriate and credible sources with only seven or less than seven scholarly sources in the references list
Student achievement
Demonstrates a professional approach to the presentation of the Learning and Research Book – including overall design and logical structure, format and layout, including grammar, expression, punctuation and correct spelling using Australian English (5 marks).
The weekly tasks are arranged
in an extremely logical, structured and coherent manner. Quality of writing at a very high standard. Paragraphs are coherently connected to each other. Correct grammar, spelling and punctuation. Quality of writing is of a high standard. Paragraphs are mostly well structured. Few grammar, spelling and punctuation mistakes. The weekly tasks are arranged in a fairly logical, structured and coherent manner. Quality of writing is of a good standard. Few grammar, spelling and punctuation mistakes. The weekly tasks are arranged in a logical, somewhat structured and coherent manner. Some problems with sentence structure and presentation Frequent grammar, punctuation and spelling mistakes. Use of inappropriate language. The weekly tasks appear less logical, structured and presents in fairly incoherent manner. Quality of writing is at a very poor standard so barely understandable. Many spelling mistakes. Little or no evidence of proof reading. There is little, if any, coherent structure to the document.
5
Key Criteria Exceeds Expectations
(High Distinction) 85-100% Exceeds Expectations (Distinction) 75 - 84% Meets Expectations (Credit) 65 – 74% Meets Expectations (Pass) 50 – 64% Below Expectations (Fail) below 50%
Student achievement
Provide critical analysis and demonstrate critical thinking when responding to the assessment task and the inherent contemporary management challenges (15 marks).
Demonstrate an understanding of the environmental factors and their
impact on managerial and organisational processes and priorities (10 marks). Demonstrates a high degree of understanding and awareness of the discipline of
management and the concepts, principles and theories by discussing at least five. Demonstrates an understanding and awareness of the discipline of management and the concepts, principles and theories by discussing at least four. Demonstrates an understanding and awareness of the discipline of management and the concepts, principles and theories by discussing at least three. Demonstrates an understanding and awareness of the discipline of management and the concepts, principles and theories by discussing at least two. Demonstrates a lack of understanding and awareness of the discipline of management and the concepts, principles and theories.
Student achievement
Observe strict conformity to the referencing protocol as set out in the CQU American Psychological Association (APA) abridged guide updated Term 2 2016 when preparing the 'References' list (10 marks).
Demonstrates great skill in application of the APA Style Guide which is error free. Demonstrates great skill in application with only two errors in the application of the APA Style Guide. Demonstrates appropriate skill in application with only three errors in the application of the APA Style Guide. Demonstrates adequate skill in application with some errors in the application of the APA Style Guide. Failed to demonstrate conformity to the APA Guide.
Tim Whan, Unit Coordinator | SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND LAW MGMT11109 T2 2017
Resources
You will need to have the following resources in order to complete the assessment tasks below.
1. American Psychological Association (APA) abridged guide updated Term 2 2016;
2. The textbook.
Further Details
This is an individual assessment task with a maximum word count of 2500 words. Before starting this assessment please thoroughly read this document and the marking criteria below.
The above document (completed by the marker) will be returned to you following marking and contain your marks and comments regarding your management report. Your comments in this section will exceed 300 words from your marker with advice about how you can improve and why you were not marked at full marks for this criteria.
These comments and marks will be available following certification of grades on 3rd November 2017.
The Management Report provides evidence of your management competencies and research skills learnt during your study of this unit.
The Management Report has a focus on demonstrating your research skills developed in this unit and your ability to judge quality research materials (predominately peer reviewed academic journals) and provide a summary of this material to support your findings in a Management Report.
Your assessment will be assigned a mark (out of the possible marks in the brackets below) based on how well your overall assessment addresses the assessment criteria.
CONTENT:
Demonstrate the academic research skills necessary to at least pass this criterion by providing at least EIGHT (8) academic scholarly references. Further references, well summarised, will score above 8/15. Scholarly references must include the prescribed textbook. Scholarly references must be relevant to the discipline area of management, be from the last five years and be predominately peer reviewed journals (15 marks).
Provide critical analysis and demonstrate critical thinking when responding to the assessment task and the inherent contemporary management challenges (15 marks).
Demonstrate an understanding of the environmental factors and their impact on managerial and organisational processes and priorities (10 marks).
PRESENTATION:
Demonstrate a professional approach to the presentation of the Management Report – including structure and presentation, grammar, expression, punctuation and correct spelling using Australian English (5 marks).
Observe a strict conformity to the referencing protocol as set out in the CQU American Psychological Association (APA) abridged guide updated Term 2 2016 (5 marks).
50 marks = 50% weighting of assessment for this unit.
What are Scholarly References?
Scholarly references, defined for this assessment, are primarily peer reviewed journal articles written by academics. A textbook published by an academic publishing house is also defined as an academic reference. Textbooks score less than peer reviewed journal articles for this assessment. You should include the textbook in your reference list for this assessment. A passing ‘References’ list for this assessment, that scores 8/15 would contain the textbook and seven peer reviewed journal articles that are well used, current (published within the last five years with a publish year of 2011-2017) and considered a scholarly reference.
A reference list is required for the Management Report, however, it is excluded from the word count.
Should I use a software system to generate my reference list?
The answer here is ‘no’. A relatively small number of references are required for this assessment, the use of software system such as EndNote or Microsoft Word will not save time. You are required to create your references manually for this assessment using the American Psychological Association (APA) abridged guide updated Term 2 2016. The link to this document is below.
https://www.cqu.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/151126/APA-Abridged-Guide-EdnStudy-Period-2-2016.pdf.
If your list is not in accordance with this Guide above your PRESENTATION mark out of five for Criterion Five will be disappointing to you.
Late Penalty:
A late penalty of 2.5 marks per day will be deducted for each day AND each part day that the assessment is lodged late without a recorded and approved official extension. Students may apply for an extension on the left hand side of moodle under the ‘SUPPORT’ tab prior to the due date.
Word Length:
A word length of 2500 words is required excluding the ‘Reference List’. Significantly less than these words will impact on all criteria particularly the PRESENTATION criteria for structure and presentation of the Management Report. Management Reports under 2000 words are likely to not score highly in the demonstrated understanding of environmental factors and their impact on managerial and organisational processes and priorities. Also Management Reports under 2000 words are likely to not score highly as you will not have used all words to demonstrate your ‘critical thinking’ skills. Think of a concert that you attend (may be Adele). You think the artist will play on stage for 180 minutes. If they perform for 40 minutes, even though the 40 minutes is good, you will be disappointed and mark down the artists performance for this concert.
Management Reports over 2500 words are likely to score lowly in the fourth criteria for presentation and structure as the author would not have followed the directions for this assessment. Following directions is important in Management.
References
Dibrell, C., Craig, J.B., & Neubaum, D.O. (2014). Linking the formal strategic planning process, planning flexibility, and innovativeness to firm performance. Journal of Business Research,
67(9), 2000-2007. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2013.10.011
Taherparvar, N., Esmaeilpour, R., & Dostar, M. (2014). Customer knowledge management, innovation capability and business performance a case study of the banking industry. Journal of Knowledge Management, 18(3), 591-610. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JKM-11-2013-0446
How do I present the Management Report?
You will need a title page. There is an example provided on the next page. Then following on examples of how to complete the rest of the Report.

Student Name:
Insert Student Name
Student Number: Insert Student Number
Unit:
MGMT11109 Introduction to Management
Term:
Term 2 2017
Assessment:
Written Assessment – Management Report
Campus:
Insert your campus/Mode of study
Unit Coordinator:
Tim Whan
Lecturer: Insert your Lecturer’s name (if Distance or Flex then it is Tim Whan)
Management Report for
Rock Paper Scissors
by
include your employers name here
prepared by
Insert Your Name Here
and Position Title
Date to be inserted here
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
(DO NOT PUT A NUMBER ON THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY HEADING)
The Executive Summary (ES) is a snapshot of the entire report including specific recommendations (which you can state in full). A busy Executive should be able to read your ES and glean key information without having to read the full detail of the report.
The Executive Summary is not an introduction to the report.
This is on a single page. Should be no more than 1 x A4 page in single spacing.
This page is not to be page numbered, and not counted in the overall report page numbering, and must not be listed in the Table of Contents.
WRITE THIS AFTER YOU FINISH THE REPORT


TABLE OF CONTENTS
You can generate the Table of Contents automatically in word if you are sufficiently skilled.
Alternately, you can create manually. It must reflect the headings/sub-headings of your report. Only the page number where a heading commences is to be included as per above. Your page numbering will reflect in your report.
1.0 Introduction (14pt) 1
1.1 Background (12pt) 1
1.2 Recommendations (12pt) 1
2.0 Management concepts, principles and theories discussed in this report 2
3.0 Include the other numbered headings and sub-headings as per your report content to reflect your response to the task.
?.0 Conclusion
?.0 Recommendations
?.0 References
1.0 Introduction (no more than 250 words)
(Use 14pt font for major headings and bold no underlining)
1.1 Background (12pt)
This is a couple of paragraphs providing a brief summary of your involvement with Rock Paper Scissors and the key issues/focus of the task.
This gives context to the report and allows you to best position the reader of your discussion to understand the critical analysis/discussion that takes place in your report.
DO NOT RESTATE THE ENTIRE HISTORY OF YOUR INVOLVEMENT WITH Rock
Paper Scissors.
The introduction would commence on the page immediately following the Table of Contents and this would be page number 1. Body text should be 11pt either Arial or Calibri with single line spacing.
1.2 Recommendations
The recommendations should be inserted in full from the report proper in this section.
Suggest at least 5 recommendations; do not limit yourself to 5 if your approach indicates more. This will depend on your focus in relation to task and your research. Ensure you put yourself in the context of a professional setting and what would be appropriate.

2.0 Management concepts, principles and theories discussed in this report
(This is a list of the concepts, principles and theories discussed in this report)
3.0 Second Topic Heading
3.1 Include sub-headings if they are relevant to your discussion (12pt and bold)
Body text in here should be 11pt
?.0 Next Topic Heading
Use as many topic main headings (and sub-headings) as required to best present your topic discussion
Body text in here should be 11pt
?.0 Next Topic Heading (if required)
Body text in here should be 11pt
The structure of the report (headings) should reflect your direct response to the task. It’s up to you to work out the number of headings and heading titles.
?.0 Conclusion (approx. 10% of total word count)
This draws together your discussion. The conclusion does not include any new content material and would not usually contain references.
?.0 Recommendations (keep this to the point)
These are specific strategies for future action; exactly what it is that you are advising.
Suggest you approach as follows –
It is recommended that:
(each specific recommendation can be listed as a dot point; there should not be any justification discussion here / you already would have done that up in the body of the report to reach this point)
• Adopt …. (these are written as action statements)
• Implement…
• Provide…
?.0 References (This is on a separate page)
Ensure you refer to the CQU APA referencing Guide for the correct format
Refer to the APA referencing style and include here only those sources you have cited in-text above. Access via the Moodle site.
Please pay attention to the finer detail of the referencing protocol across all the different types of sources. Students lose marks unnecessarily by not referring to this guide.
You must have a minimum of 7 peer reviewed academic journal articles and the text used appropriately to achieve even a pass. Must be relevant and should be no later than 2011 unless a defining moment or have special significance in the discipline. Stay within this timeframe to be on the safe side.
By researching to obtain relevant, accurate and quality references. It is then up to you as to how you use these to best formulate and present your discussion.
APPENDIX
If you include material here you must have referred to it in your report proper. Material included in the Appendix will not count towards your final marks.