Assessment 2: Academic essay: 30%
You will write a 2000 word (+/- 10% acceptable) ‘academic essay’ that will assess your knowledge of course content and application of that knowledge to the assigned topic. The purpose of the assignment is to get you thinking more deeply about the application of organisational behaviour concepts and theories in real world organisations. The assessment will introduce you to reading research articles and integrating research evidence to further your argument. It will also help in honing your academic writing skills.
The topic for the academic essay is:
Critically evaluate the organisational opportunities and challenges of workforce diversity.
You will need to ‘critically analyse’ the opportunities and challenges of workforce diversity. Please remember that your analysis should be evidence-based and consider all consequences of diversity. You will also support your argument by providing relevant work examples.
You are required to cite at least eight (8) peer-reviewed journal articles relevant to the topic in addition to the textbook and other non-academic resources to get a high grade.
You are required to use Chicago 17B referencing style for this assessment.
The ‘academic skills’ folder under ‘assessments’ on BB has articles/flyers on how to do a ‘literature review’ and ‘critically analyse’ a topic. You might find these resources useful in preparation for this assessment.
Guidelines on formatting the essay
Title page
The title page should contain: name, student number, unit title/number, due date, tutor name (details are present on BB under contacts tab) and word count.
On the computer – use your ‘Font’ & ‘Paragraph’ tools to work on the layout.

Margins
Margins - minimum 2.5 cm, maximum 3 cm all around.
On the computer – use the ‘Page Layout’ tool to set up your margins. Using ‘normal’ margins is a good way of setting it.

Paragraphs
Double or 1.5 space all of the essay paragraphs
Leave 1 blank line between paragraphs or indent the first word (not both).
On the computer – use ‘Paragraph’ or ’Line and paragraph spacing’ for 1.5 or double spacing.
Font
Use a plain serif (e.g. Times New Roman) or sans serif (e.g. Arial) font. A serif font is easier to read. Suggested sizes are 12 for the text and 14 for headings. Do not change fonts in the course of writing the essay.
On the computer – use ‘Font’ tools to select font and appropriate style.
Pagination
Put numbers in line with the right margin at the top or bottom of each page. Centre the number of the first page of chapters or appendices at the bottom. It is also acceptable, although less common, to centre all page numbers. Pagination is best done with Header and Footer.
On the computer – use ‘Insert’ header or footer insert your name, student number, assignment number, page number.

Reference list
All referencing lists start on a NEW PAGE.
The referencing style for this unit is Chicago 17B. Please refer to Chicago 17B referencing manual via Curtin Library; the manual is also available on BB under assessments. Some simple guidelines for referencing are also available with the first 4 modules.
Appendices
Appendices (if using) are attached after the reference list.
Each appendix should be numbered/named (e.g. 1, 2, 3 or A, B, C), starts on a new page and should be referred to in the main body of the text.