Executive summary (required only for assignment 2) An Executive summary must be provided for assignment case study (before the Contents page). It provides a reader with a summary of why the report (assignment) was prepared, what it covers, and a summation of the conclusions, and/or recommendations. It should be about 10% of the assignment length, single line spacing, and is excluded from formal word counts. It is not an introduction, but should function as a totally self-contained removable document for readers who will read no more of the report. It should contain all pertinent information including conclusions and recommendations in a concise summary, but should not contain any theory. Table of contents and numbering (required only for assignment ) A comprehensive table of contents is required for assignment 2, with section numbers, section headings, and page numbers as per the assignment requirements. It will include the List of references, a List of appendices, a List of figures, and a List of tables, all with page numbers indicated. All sections and pages should be fully numbered. At this level of study, you should be able to use the automated table of contents function in MS Word to create a professional report. Introduction (for assignments) An Introduction should be provided at the beginning to summarise the structure of the following sections of the essay/report/assignment. The introduction does not contain theory, nor does it contain any conclusions nor recommendations. Do not assume that the reader has read any Executive Summary (if one is provided), as it is a totally separate document. Include any relevant information in the Introduction Body of assignment (for assignments 2) This is an academic assignment, so it is essential that your statements and views be justified by relevant academic theory. For example, don’t just use terms like ‘stakeholder’ – explain why you selected those terms, and the academic theory to justify their use and definition. A major failing of students is to simply ‘describe’ the processes that have happened. At postgraduate level, you are expected to be able to apply recognised theory to situations, and form opinions. You will often find conflicting opinions from so-called ‘experts’. You should be developing analytical and communication skills. Students coming from other universities, and especially overseas students, find this need for ‘analysis’ the most difficult transition to make to Australian university study. You are expected to use your judgement to analyse problems, make value judgements as to whether it is good or bad (or both), use existing academic theory from a range of sources to justify your position, and to argue whether something is valid or not. In the study of management, there are no right nor wrong answers, only lots of opinions, many of which change over a period of time. Show that you can act as managers, and communicate your opinions. Watch the video at http://usqstudydesk.usq.edu.au/m2/course/view.php?id=3335 to get a better understanding of ‘critical analysis’. The enrolment key for this course is: pmd. Major sections of assignment 2 should start on a new page. You will be surprised just how much more readable it makes your assignment / report. Referencing Referencing is NOT just inserting a list of publications at the end of the report and this is not acceptable. Referencing is NOT just inserting a citation at the end of each paragraph and this is not acceptable. At postgraduate level, you are expected to cite a wide range of different sources of reference material (at least 10-15), and to make multiple references to such material. This is where e-Books and e-Journals are valuable – they are accessed through the Library website. You are recommended to explore the following databases to find relevant information easily and quickly: Books 24x7 - http://resguide.usq.edu.au/index.php?type=eresources&letter=All&subject=subjec ts&ID=147 eBrary - http://resguide.usq.edu.au/index.php?type=eresources&letter=All&subject=subjec%20ts&ID=37 You can also explore all of the professional journals to which the USQ library subscribes through http://site.ebrary.com.ezproxy.usq.edu.au/lib/unisouthernqld/home.action. In all cases, you will be asked to log into ‘EzProxy’- simply use your UConnect username and password. References must be cited using Harvard AGPS system (which is author/date). Please do not use footnotes, etc. Read the Communication skills handbook for information on how to cite reference materials. This is where Endnote bibliographic software will be of value. You can download it for free from the Library website. Please refer to the USQ Library web site for referencing guidelines in the Harvard AGPS style. Go to http://www.usq.edu.au/library/referencing. Click on the Harvard AGPS link. This provides details on the referencing of print and electronic publications. There are exercises provided to give you practice in using the Harvard AGPS referencing system. Marks will be deducted for failure to use the Harvard AGPS style. In the Harvard AGPS references must be listed alphabetically by author in a single List of References at the end of each assignment. Do not put multiple lists of references at the end of each section or part. The required referencing style is Harvard AGPS and the recommended version is AGPS 6. Endnote users may download this style from the USQ Library website. If you have problems, contact the Library staff for assistance. Figures and tables There are many instances where diagrams and tables would assist in the communication of information, and the reduction of word length. For example, if a stakeholder analysis were required, it would be much more clearly understood if presented in a table. Figures and tables must be numbered in some logical way, so they can be listed on the Contents page, and referred to in the text. A recommendation is that you call it Figure/Table X.1, X.2 etc. where ‘X’ represents the section number. Consecutive numbering through the whole document (rather than by section) can mean lots of renumbering if there are changes. Tables should not run over onto following pages. Start them on a new page to avoid this. If they are multi-page tables, then think about making them into an appendix. Use a smaller font (10 point) and single line spacing to reduce the size of tables. Appendices Where required, larger amounts of relevant material (such as sample documents or supporting material) should be put at the end of the assignment in an Appendix after the List of References. Smaller charts or summaries could be located in the text, but anything over a page becomes a distraction. Where included, appendices should be numbered sequentially (Appendix 1, Appendix 2, etc.). Unnecessary and irrelevant information should not be attached. Size of assignments has no bearing on marks achieved. Comment Some students choose part of a project or organisation that is extremely simple in its structure, and has few issues to discuss. Those of you who choose a more complex organisation are given credit for the ‘degree of difficulty’. Make sure you answer all parts of the questions. Use the mark sheet as a checklist to ensure you have addressed all sections.