You do not need to go through the M&A chapter before you start your assignment; explanation of theory is not required. In fact, you will lose marks for mere reproduction of materials from the textbook. However, there is of course no harm in gaining more knowledge in the area. Most students would try to think of an area within M&A and embark in an intensive 'Google' search and cut and paste/reference as many articles as possible. While this method may be suitable for other units, it is certainly not going to enable you to achieve a good grade for this assignment. You should start by picking a few articles (2- 3) on M&A. You can use the list of articles provided in the assessment booklet or search using Curtin's library journal database. Try to understand what the studies are about. Usually they are trying to prove a concept/idea using determinants/variables as a proxy to test for a relationship/link. When you find a particular area of interest, you can then search for more articles in that area. Remember, there is no right or wrong answer; you do not have to prove any theory/concept. All you are doing is documenting/commenting/providing critic on the 8-12 articles (we do not want more than 12 references) that you have researched on. There is no 'good' or 'bad' area/article. We will not reply to any emails sent to comment if the article or idea is good/bad. Emailing us sentences or paragraphs of your assignment will also be ignored. To narrow down your discussion, try to look at the variables/determinants, tests, sample seize, control, etc. used in the studies. Were these variables similarly defined across all studies? What is the significance of using these variables? Were the results conclusive? If not, what do you think accounted for it? You should get more questions as you read more articles. This is the journey we hope students would achieve in this assignment. If you have read 3 articles in full (not just the abstract), you would have gathered concepts that you can pursue further. You can then approach your tutors for help. Tutors are available in tutorial classes and consultation times, please approach us for help if you need it. We are committed to help you as much as we can. However, please understand that it is extremely difficult to provide guidance over emails for assignment of this nature. Please do not rely on extensions to complete your assignment. You will need to provide evidence that you have done your work according to the recommended time frame provided in the assessment booklet. If you don't know how to start, read 3 articles and come have a chat with us. Your tutors will be glad to point you in the right direction. I know all of you are busy, but this is an assignment you cannot leave till the last minute.