Assignment title: Information
BUHRM5912
Human Resource Management
Essay Question
Summer Semester 2016
Essay Question
'Many organisations have proclaimed that "our people are our most valuable asset" or something
similar. Do contemporary organisations really consider their employees to be an "assets" or is this
just rhetoric??' Adapted from Nel et.al. (2017), chapter 2. Discuss.
General advice
The question asks you to discuss the statement. This means that you need to consider all of
the views in the academic literature on this topic and, on the basis of the evidence, draw on
conclusion as to whether you agree or disagree. You will find helpful advice on how to
answer an essay which requires you to 'discuss' in the Essay Preparation and Writing Guide,
which is on this Moodle site. In addition, this guide will give you very useful advice on how
to organise your ideas, how to organise and structure your written answer, and how to use
your own 'voice' and avoid potential plagiarism issues. Please read through the guide before
you start on the essay.
The issues in the essay are set out on Chapter one and two of the Nel (2017) textbook.
Reading this is a good place to start, as it will give you a good idea of the key issues and the
different approaches to them. It will give you some key points to use in your literature
research on the topic.
In order to demonstrate a full knowledge of the theoretical issues, you will need to read at
least 4-6 academic references in addition to the chapter in the textbook. Academic references
include both textbooks and academic journal articles. Academic references are those which
have been peer reviewed for quality assurance. These include articles from academic journals
and academic textbooks from reputable publishers.
It is always best to use the library database, or the references from the textbook, to choose
your material. The best way to find academic journal articles is to use Fed Uni's online library
databases which are available to all students. Simply typing in keywords from the question
will bring up a selection of relevant journal article which are available on line.
Wikipedia is not peer reviewed, and many other internet sources similarly are not peer
reviewed and cannot be verified. This is why you should only use the library database or
references from the textbook (which you can search using the library database).Referencing must be in APA format. In-text citations must be included, as well as a full
reference list at the end of the essay.
Due date: Friday 16 December (by 11.59 p.m.). Submit via Turnitin.
Length: 1500 words
Submission details: Upload your completed essay electronically by clicking onto the Essay Upload
tab in the General Information section of the Moodle site.
Advice on submission: Please complete a first draft of your essay at least 24 hours prior to the due
date and upload it. You will receive a report from the site on the extent to which any sections of
your answer 'match' either published material or other student assignments. Take this as an
opportunity to revise your answer and resubmit - the section in the Essay Writing Guide on the use
of 'voice' in academic writing will be of assistance. If you do not upload a first draft well in advance
of the cut off time you will not have the opportunity to make any changes.