.Assessment 2: Essay Activity: Essay Value: 40% of overall assessment Word count: 2,000 words (+/- 10%) Choose one of the following questions. Either: ‘Today’s workforce and the nature of work itself is changing, particularly in the climate of globalisation, and the new technological revolution. As a consequence issues facing HRM are expected to change dramatically in the next decade'. Consider this statement and draw upon at least two topics from the unit to discuss what some of these challenges are and the specific competencies required by organisations and HR professionals to support employees in the contemporary business environment. Or: Discuss some of the ways organisations, jobs and careers have changed over the past 10 years. What changes do you anticipate over the next 10 years? How can you prepare to manage in a ‘flat world’, a term used by Thomas Friedman to describe today’s business environment? Illustrate with examples from at least two topics covered in the unit. Please note: There is no fixed way to answer the essay topic. Students are being tested on their capacity to think critically and integrate their learning gained in lectures and through their readings and experience. ‘Discuss’ means you need to think about and write about the different possibilities before you present a point of view. This is likely to need both description and interpretation. Supporting evidence Opinions must be supported by carefully selected and authoritative evidence. For every claim you make in your writing, you will be required to prove your point. You need to be able to support your claims, opinions and generalisations with factual detail (evidence) to support them. Remember, if you are citing someone else’s opinion make sure you include a reference. Referencing is a crucial part of successful academic writing and is key to your assignments and research. This is why it is included in the marking criteria. Do not: • Use information without finding an authority (author) to support your statements. • Use authorities that have no academic credibility (e.g. Wikipedia, Mindtools and Businessballs). • Use your study guide and/or textbook (even with appropriate referencing) as the sole authority in your assignments. NB: You are expected to use at least 10 refereed journal articles in writing their essay. You will be taught how to find refereed journal articles in one of the Online lectures. If you don’t know how to find them, please make sure you ask. Inadequate or inaccurate referencing may result in a fail grade for this assessment item and/or the unit. Referencing style: You need to use the Harvard style. There are many varieties of the Harvard referencing system. We follow the standards described in the 'Style Manual for Authors, Editors and Printers' 6th edition, often referred to as the 'AGPS Manual'. It is also referred to as the 'Snooks manual'. Formatting: Double or 1.5 space all of the report/essay paragraphs including ‘long quotations’ (more than 40 words) which should have NO quotation marks, be indented 1.3 cm to the right, and have the same spacing as the rest of the essay paragraphs. Leave 1 blank line between paragraphs or indent the first word (not both). Font: Use a plain serif (e.g. Times New Roman) for the body text and a sans serif (e.g. Arial) font for headings. Suggested sizes are 12 for the text and 14 for headings. DO NOT change fonts in the course of writing the essay. Pagination: Put numbers in line with the right margin at the top or bottom of each page. Reference list/bibliography: All referencing lists start on a NEW PAGE. NB: Further guiding principles will be provided in the assignment resources area on the unit site, as well as a special Blackboard Collaborate Session. A few common errors/issues Please use Australian English. The Macquarie Dictionary should be used to check spelling. Common errors include using the letter ‘z’ instead of the letter ‘s’, for example in organisation and deleting the letter ‘u’ in words that end in ‘our’ such as neighbour and colour. The only time non-Australian English spelling should be used is when referencing a document title written in non-Australian English such as the ‘World Health Organization Report’ or ‘The Center for Engineering Research Report’. Remember, spelling checkers may not be based on an Australian dictionary. (You can set the Australian language as the dictionary in Word through the ‘Tools’ menu.) No colloquial words or phrases. Be precise as possible – no generalisations. Capitalisation: The current trend is to reduce the number of words given initial capital letters. Unnecessary and inappropriate capitalisation of words may make your document appear old-fashioned. Capitals should only be used for the first letter of the first word of a sentence and for the names of particular people, places and things (proper nouns). Many writers confuse names with descriptors or generic expressions (words and phrases that are general terms rather than specific names). Use capitals for names only. One way of differentiating between names and descriptors is to ask yourself whether the word or phrase names a particular thing or whether it refers to something in a general sense only. Use capitals if it names a particular thing and lower case if it is a general reference. Quote marks: Use single quote marks throughout your document not double quote marks.   Assessment Criteria: Assessment 2 Students will be assessed against the following criteria: 1. Content (35%) • Demonstrates breadth and depth of research using, at least 10, refereed journal articles. • Robust and detailed exposition of at least two topics from the unit to illustrate your answer. 2. Analysis (45%) • Creative use of provided study materials (e.g. evidence-based research and examples, textbook, Study Guide, Readings). • Well developed argument addressing the assignment question. • Application of theories/concepts dealt with in the topic or subject. 3. Presentation and Style (20%) • Creativity in organisation and presentation. • Clear and flowing structure of the essay. • Appropriate appendices. • Adherence to the word length (+ or – 10%). Please Note: It is strongly advised that these assignment instructions be considered alongside the Assessment 2 Marking Rubric, Assessment 2 Collaborate Session, Other Resources and Discussions posted on the Discussion Board. Penalties will apply for late submission of the essay. Students are reminded of the extremely serious view of the University with regard to plagiarism and are strongly advised to read the university’s policies on academic integrity and the penalties associated with academic misconduct (as noted in this document). Assignments must be lodged through Turnitin accompanied by an ‘Assignment Cover Sheet’. Students should also keep a copy of work submitted. The assignment should reflect the principles of scholarly work and students must demonstrate that adequate research has been undertaken.