GROUP Written Report
Completing this assignment will help you gain an understanding of how management practice can impact organisations and the differing views expressed in high-quality academic journal articles on key management topics. Students will be required to familiarise themselves with ECU journal databases to research contemporary management concepts. The librarian’s material on the blackboard will help you with this.
This assignment has two parts: (1) Group Written Report and (2) Individual Evaluation (Process). One member of your group will submit your Group Report here.
Value: 25% - This assessment task is worth 25% of your final grade. It will be marked out of 75 and scaled to be worth the final 25%.
Group or individual: Group (3-4 people)
Word limit and format: 1500 (+/- 10%); 12 pt. font with 1.5-line spacing, APA 7th style including references and headings.
Unit Learning Outcomes:
• ULO1: Evaluate organisational processes that can enhance organisational performance.
• ULO3: Evaluate own managerial knowledge, skills and abilities to assist in your development as an effective manager.
• ULO4: Analyse the relationship between management thinking and the practice of management in contemporary organisations.
• ULO5: Define the purpose and the range of activities associated with the effective management of people in organisations.
Course Learning Outcomes:
• CLO3: Demonstrate effective communication and teamwork skills.
• CLO5: Justify decisions and judgements that address a complex business issue considering the ethical and social consequences.
Background
You have been engaged as a consultant team by an organisation (the ‘Client’) that welcomes thousands of students to their different student accommodation locations across university campuses around Australia. The mission of the Client is to help students make the most of their years at university by offering a combination of modern facilities, social opportunities, and a general environment where students can study and have fun.
The Client employs nearly 1000 people in various functions and roles to fulfil its mission at both the strategic and operational levels. A point of difference of the Client is its diverse staff of different ages, genders, and countries of origin. The Client is thus able to engage students on different cultural, language, demographic, and other interest levels to help the students use their accommodation as a platform to grow and succeed during their time at university.
However, in the last three years, the Client has observed a decline in the work engagement of its employees. Key reasons cited in their annual staff engagement survey were that a) individual differences appear to be not be valued and diversity is perceived as tokenistic, and b) the lack of reward initiatives for their engagement. Connecting employee engagement and diversity to business performance requires considerable effort and top management focus. It is to a large degree how you do it. This is where your team comes in.
The key to this assignment is to provide advice how the CEO of an organisation can ensure appropriate motivation strategies to address and embrace diversity in the organisation.
Instructions
You have been engaged as a consultant to produce a 1,500-word report with diagrams and tables for the CEO of an organisation which embraces diversity. The organisation manages student accommodation facilities on university campuses around Australia and it is located in Perth. It employs nearly 1000 people of different ages, genders and countries of origin. The purpose of your report is to provide advice to the CEO to how the organisation can ensure that appropriate motivation strategies address this diversity. Discuss your assumptions and the positives and negatives of the various motivational strategies for this diverse employee group and provide recommendations. In your report, you will critically research and evaluate three (3) effective strategies on how general management and/or human resources (HR) can embrace the diverse workforce, and present two (2) actionable recommendations on how management may re-ignite their employee engagement to leverage their point of difference.
Your team should ideally have 3 or 4 people. If your team decides to have more members, please seek approval from your facilitator beforehand. To convince the client of your arguments and recommendations, you need to demonstrate both your research skills and the ability to construct arguments from academic research as well as work together as a team.
This report (product) should be approximately 1,500 words (please indicate the word count on the first page of your assignment; plus, or minus 10% words is acceptable) in length, using both scholarly publications and professional articles. The process component is not included in this word count!
Marks are awarded for both the final report (Report: Product) and teamwork skills (Process) employed by each member throughout the project. All communication should be kept as a demonstration of the group’s work. How your group will operate must be discussed and agreed upon at the commencement of the project.
Note for Online Students: Online students may utilise the tools in their Canvas Groups to complete this assignment. Generally, it is advantageous to keep communication records for later demonstration of the team's work.
Key components:
Group Report (Product)
The report must consist of the following key components:
1. Title page
2. Table of contents.
3. Introduction (10%)
First, you need to set the boundaries of your report. Bring some key research here why diversity is a debated issue and why it has gained so much attention in recent years. There are many different definitions of diversity and based on research, define what diversity is for your group. Your whole argument will be in the context of that definition. Also briefly explain why it needs to be managed.
Make the aim of the paper clear. Be explicit. For example:
“the aim of the paper is to analyse motivations strategies that managers can employ to promote diversity and provide recommendations of how to apply those strategies in student accommodation facilities on university campuses around Australia/or Perth”.
With this introduction, you provide a good background of why we need to understand diversity and what you are presenting to the reader.
4. Findings from the textbook and the literature (60%)
In this section, your team wants to address: What are motivation strategies? Fundamentally, a motivation strategy is an approach and way, which management can use to promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace. There are many different strategies managers can use, for example, leadership. By practising inclusive leadership towards the differences that employees have, they will embrace those differences much more and contribute to this positive environment. On the other hand, leadership, if not exercised properly, can lead to polarisation and people are treated as separate and different.
Be critical about the strategies that you use; they all have advantages and disadvantages. At the same time, choose which ones you deem the most relevant or interesting for your team. Please make sure that all your arguments are research-supported! Simply making claims will not do and will result in mark reduction.
Important: You are not making recommendations here. You are providing a well-researched overview of the strategies that are at your disposal. Please remember: LESS IS MORE. This means, perhaps choose around 3 strategies and explain those in-depth, instead of providing 5-6 with barely any explanation.
You need at least 15 sources of references. However, this is for a pass. A good distinction and high distinction have around 25 – 30 sources.
Your research should include recent peer-reviewed journal articles. At least fifteen (15) or more relevant scholarly articles are expected. Remember that you must choose scholarly articles (otherwise called ‘peer-reviewed or academic’) from the ECU Library electronic databases or the Google Scholar databases. You may additionally add professional articles (Forbes, Economist, Bloomberg, etc) to support your arguments. Remember: An opinion that is backed with good research carries more weight!
5. Recommendations (20%)
Here, you can be creative. Propose how you would apply some of the strategies you analysed to managing accommodation facilities? How would you encourage the strategies as a manager? Why do you recommend it?
2-3 recommendations is sufficient.
6. Conclusion (10%)
This can be quite short and should summarise what the assignment has covered. It is also an opportunity for you to look into the future and perhaps theorise why diversity will continue to be important in future workplaces and why.
7. Reference List (not part of the word count)
All reference sources must be acknowledged within the body of the text (in-text citationLinks to an external site.) and listed at the end (end-text referenceLinks to an external site.). Standard APA 7th edition referencing style should be used. It is NOT acceptable to cut and paste material from source directly into your assignment. Please ensure you understand how to paraphrase and reference correctly.
8. Appendix
Here you will place all the evidence of your teamwork. We are looking for (i) three meeting minutes, as this shows both the accountability of the team and that the tasks for the project were accomplished.
In summary you must demonstrate that you have worked as a team.
Assignment Criteria/Rubric- REFER the attached file name: FBL5010 Report Rubic.
Resources
Read some resources provided by the Learning Adviser and Librarian to help you with your report. Refer to them when developing your report: File Name for resources as follows:
o Managing_Information_Helpsheet.pdfDownload Managing_Information_Helpsheet.pdf
o Language for Citing helpsheet.pdfDownload Language for Citing helpsheet.pdf
o Paraphrasing Helpsheet.pdfDownload Paraphrasing Helpsheet.pdf
• APA 7th Referencing GuideLinks to an external site.
• Academic Integrity
• Learn more about how to interpret your Turnitin Similarity Report and submit your assignment and access your feedback on the Student Learning Technologies Support Portal.
Feedback
When your results are released, select View rubric evaluation to the right of this assignment page to access your detailed feedback.
Students will receive rubric feedback and additional team feedback for the Team Report. Students will receive rubric feedback for the Individual Evaluation.
FBL5010 Report Grading Rubric
FBL5010 Report Grading Rubric
Criteria Ratings Pts
This criterion is linked to a learning outcomeReport focal point and argument [PGCLO3.1 Written] 55 to 43.99 Pts
High Distinction (80% - 100%)
Focal point is well defined and sophisticated; each paragraph builds upon and supports the focal point or implied argument; supports argument with exemplary examples; analyses with sophistication how the examples from the text and references support the argument. 43.99 to 38.49 Pts
Distinction (70.99% - 70%)
Focal point is clearly expressed; most paragraphs build upon and support the focal point or implied argument; supports argument with relevant examples; clearly analyses how the examples from the text or references support the argument. 38.49 to 32.99 Pts
Credit (69.99% - 60%)
Argument is implied or descriptive; some paragraphs build upon and support the focal point or the implied argument; cites examples related to implied or descriptive argument; uses description as analysis. 32.99 to 27.49 Pts
Pass (59.99% - 50%)
More than one focal point; few paragraphs connect to the focal point or the implied argument; provides evidence of engagement with text or references without focussing on examples; uses description only. 27.49 to 0 Pts
Fail (49.99% -0%)
Lacks argument; paragraphs rarely or do not connect to the focal point or implied argument; no examples from the text or references included; description is inadequate.
55 pts
This criterion is linked to a learning outcomeDocument format and structure [PGCLO3.1 Written] 20 to 15.99 Pts
High Distinction (80% - 100%)
Report formatted using APA guidelines; paragraphs unified around a clear topic sentence; flows smoothly within and between paragraphs; complex style and structure appropriate for audience and genre. 15.99 to 13.99 Pts
Distinction (70.99% - 70%)
Report formatted using most APA guidelines; most paragraphs unified around a clear topic sentence; good flow within and between paragraphs; style and structure appropriate for task, audience, and genre. 13.99 to 11.99 Pts
Credit (69.99% - 60%)
Report formatted using some APA guidelines; most paragraphs unified around one topic; some attention to flow within and between paragraphs; style and structure mostly appropriate for audience and assessment type. 11.99 to 9.99 Pts
Pass (59.99% - 50%)
Report formatted using a few APA guidelines; some paragraphs unified around one topic; flows well at times; shows understanding of audience and genre through basic organisation and style. 9.99 to 0 Pts
Pass (59.99% - 50%)
Report not formatted using APA guidelines; paragraphs consistently contain more than one topic; consistently disjointed, and lacks flow; style/structure inappropriate for audience and assessment type.
20 pts
This criterion is linked to a learning outcomeSentence structure, punctuation and grammar [PGCLO3.1 Written] 15 to 11.99 Pts
High Distinction (80% - 100%)
Varied and complex sentence structure; accurate punctuation and grammar; precise vocabulary and discipline terms used; APA style guide used in Report and Works Cited with no errors. 11.99 to 10.49 Pts
Distinction (70.99% - 70%)
Varied sentence structure; accurate punctuation and grammar; appropriate and accurate discipline vocabulary; APA style guide used in Report and Works Cited with very few errors. 10.49 to 8.99 Pts
Credit (69.99% - 60%)
Mostly error free sentences; infrequent errors in spelling and punctuation; a range of vocabulary; APA style guide used in Report and Works Cited with few errors. 8.99 to 7.49 Pts
Pass
Sentences show some variety and accuracy; errors in spelling, punctuation and/ or grammar may impede understanding. Generally appropriate vocabulary, word choice, APA style guide used in Report and Works Cited with a number of errors. 7.49 to 0 Pts
Fail (49.99% -0%)
Sentences are repetitive or simplistic, incomplete or run-on; errors in grammar, spelling and / or punctuation that interfere with understanding. Limited or inappropriate vocabulary; does not use APA style.
15 pts
This criterion is linked to a learning outcomeReferencing [PGCLO3.1 Written] 10 to 7.99 Pts
High Distinction (80% - 100%)
Text examples and some academic sources are incorporated clearly into the Report; secondary sources support and enhance the argument. 7.99 to 6.99 Pts
Distinction (70.99% - 70%)
Text examples and some academic sources are incorporated into the Report; secondary sources support the argument. 6.99 to 5.99 Pts
Credit (69.99% - 60%)
Text examples and some academic sources are cited in the Report; secondary sources connect to the argument. 5.99 to 4.99 Pts
Pass (59.99% - 50%)
Text examples and some academic sources are present in the Report. 4.99 to 0 Pts
Fail (49.99% -0%)
No referencing or reference to text examples only
10 pts
Total points: 100
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