Assessment 2 Information
Subject Code: BUS101
Subject Name: Business Communication
Assessment Title: Individual Report
Assessment Type: Report
Word Count: 1000 Words (+/-10%)
Weighting: 30 %
Total Marks: 30
Submission: via Turnitin
Due Date: Week 8
Your Task
In week 4 you will cover report writing and be given a sample of the elements required when writing reports. You will write a report following this format, using the information below as a starting point and conducting further research to support your analysis. In weeks 5, 6 and 7, there will be a number of activities during class that will also help you support you in developing your report.
Assessment Description
LO1: Employ the principles of communication to develop strategies to overcome barriers to communication
LO2: Relate the ways culture influences communication and affects meaning to a business context
LO3: Apply professional written communication skills to a range of contexts
LO4: Demonstrate the ability to effectively communicate with diverse groups
You are working as a Graduate Communications Officer for “Apurla Community Services”, and the Operations Manager has approached you to work on a project of high importance. The organisation is struggling to work effectively because the different departments are operating independently and not communicating well with each other. The Operations Manager wants you to prepare a report to make some recommendations on how the situation can be improved. The Operations Manager would like you to provide an analysis and recommendations, outlining how improved communication flow between the departments could improve operational outcomes. Key issues identified include:
• Each of these groups has a tendency to operate independently, using different communication structures resulting in a lack of cohesion and poor team synergy.
• At times their tasks overlap so conflicting information and outcomes can occur this is reducing organisational effectiveness.
• Some of the formal and structured communication is working well but there are also some informal structures that are spreading incorrect information.
The organisation has a number of key employee groups, volunteers and external community groups that they work with. The organisations structure is outlined below:
In your report you need to provide a theoretical summary of how organisational communication should flow and how group synergy can be improved to maximise work team effectiveness to support your recommendations.
Assessment Instructions
The assessment is to be presented in a Report Format using headings and requires the following sections:
• Cover page
• Table of contents
• Introduction (100 words) – state simply the purpose of the report and the structure it will follow.
• Theoretical Analysis of Communication Flow (250 words) – your own research and in your own words provide an analysis of how organisational communication should flow (this can be based on activities we do in class in week 5).
• Theoretical Analysis of Communication in Work Teams (250 words) – your own research and in your own words provide an analysis of how improved group communication could develop team effectiveness.
• Conclusion (100 words) – a summary of the key information you identified in your report.
• Recommendations (300 words) – identify a total of 2 strategies the organisation could implement to develop a communication process that enables the different departments to have consistent internal communication (some of the activities we do in week 7 will help with this).
• Reference List
Important Study Information
Please refer to the marking criteria as a guideline to help you complete the report.
Reference guide: Use a minimum of four references. This may include weekly readings, textbooks and journal articles. Referencing should be in the Harvard style – please refer to Kaplan’s ‘Harvard Referencing Guide’.
KBS presentation guidelines: Arial, size 11 font, 1.5 spacing
Submission: Word document and submit to Turnitin by the due date. Late submissions will incur a late penalty.
Academic Integrity Policy
KBS values academic integrity. All students must understand the meaning and consequences of cheating, plagiarism and other academic offences under the Academic Integrity and Conduct Policy.
What is academic integrity and misconduct?
What are the penalties for academic misconduct?
What are the late penalties?
How can I appeal my grade?
Click here for answers to these questions:
http://www.kbs.edu.au/current-students/student-policies/.
Word Limits for Written Assessments
Submissions that exceed the word limit by more than 10% will cease to be marked from the point at which that limit is exceeded.
Study Assistance
Students may seek study assistance from their local Academic Learning Advisor or refer to the resources on the MyKBS Academic Success Centre page. Click here for this information.
Assessment Marking Guide
Criteria HD (High Distinction) 85%-100% DN (Distinction)
75%-84% CR (Credit) 74%-65% P (Pass)
50%-64% NN (Fail)
0%-49%
Report
Structure
15 Marks • A clear and succinct introduction including purpose and report structure
• Clear and succinct recommendations based on analysis that demonstrates an understanding of organisational communication.
• Conclusion clearly, succinctly and accurately summarises the report
• Graphics are appropriate, labelled and placed close to the text that refers to them. Up to 15 marks • A clear introduction including purpose and report structure
• Clear recommendations based on analysis that demonstrates an understanding of organisational communication.
• Conclusion clearly and accurately summarises the report
• Graphics are appropriate and labelled.
Up to 12.5 marks • Introduction includes purpose and report structure
• Recommendations are based on analysis which demonstrates some understanding of organisational communication.
• Conclusion summarises the report
• Graphics are appropriate.
Up to 11 marks • Introduction may be missing purpose or report structure
• Recommendations are based on description and show limited understanding of organisational communication
• Conclusion does not fully reflect the contents of the report
• Graphics are used to illustrate points but not fully discussed.
Up to 9.5 marks • Introduction is vague and does not include purpose
and report structure
• Recommendations are not justified and do not show understanding of
organisational communication
• Conclusion does not reflect the contents of the report
• Graphics do not relate to the discussion. Up to 7 marks
Research
and Analysis
15 Marks
• Located, evaluated and synthesised relevant information from the readings and academic sources to accurately support discussions
• A clear, succinct and critical analysis demonstrating critical understanding and valid judgements
• Discussion is of comprehensive depth and all aspects presented are
relevant to the situation
Up to 15 marks • Located, evaluated and incorporated relevant information from the readings and local sources to support discussions
• clear and succinct analysis demonstrating understanding and valid judgements
• Discussion is of appropriate depth and many aspects presented are relevant to the
situation
Up to 12.5 marks • Located and incorporated relevant information from the readings and local sources to support discussions
• Analysis demonstrating some understanding and judgement
• Discussion has some depth and some aspects presented
are relevant to the situation
Up to 11 marks • Located relevant information from the course readings to support discussions
• A description demonstrating limited understanding and judgements
• Most aspects of the discussion are relevant to the situation but not in depth
Up to 9.5 marks • Used information from sources that are tenuously related or are not relevant to the discussions
• A description with limited understanding
• Many aspects of the discussion are not relevant
to the situation
Up to 7 marks
Presentation
10 Marks
• The content has been logically and succinctly structured to create a cohesive and coherent analytical piece of work
• Grammar, spelling and punctuation are flawless
• Intext referencing and reference list format is accurate and consistently adheres to KBS
Harvard Reference style
Up to 10 marks • The content has been logically structured to create a cohesive and coherent analytical piece of work
• Grammar, spelling and punctuation are good.
• Intext referencing and reference list format is almost always accurate and consistently adheres
to KBS Harvard Reference style
Up to 8 marks • The content has been logically structured to create a cohesive and coherent piece of work • Few errors in grammar, spelling and punctuation
• Intext referencing and reference list format is accurate
to KBS Harvard Reference style
Up to 7 marks • The content has been partially structured to create a comprehensible descriptive piece of work consisting of loosely linked rudimentary paragraphs
• Sentences and paragraphs are readable but with grammatical errors
• Attempt made to adhere to
KBS Harvard referencing in both Intext referencing and reference
list but with errors Up to 6 marks • The content has limited structure to create a piece of work consisting of rudimentary paragraphs • Many grammatical, vocabulary and spelling errors
• Did not adhere to KBS
Harvard referencing in both Intext referencing and
reference list
Up to 4 marks
Page 4 Kaplan Business School Assessment Outline