This assessment will take the form of an online collaborative forum.

Students are required to submit a short response (less than 300 words) on a contemporary article based on the role of the building and construction industry in Australia.

The following criteria will be used to evaluate the submissions.

• Level of understanding of the scope of work for relevant aspects as evidenced by the extent of information available;
• Evidence of comprehension of the key issues through the use of appropriate conventions and the accuracy and relevance of information provided;

For this assignment you will have to do individual research and collect information from the Australian Bureau of Statistics website as well as other sources of information.

Question 1

Examine and prepare a report on the trend in the construction sector of the Australian economy for the period 2006 to 2016.  This report should include:

1. Gross value added (GVA) and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2006-2016
2. Discussion on the trend of GVA of the construction sector in 2006-2016
3. Employed persons (identify prominent employment industries) including specific focus on demographics (gender, location, level of education, social-economic status, etc.) in 2006-2016
4. Discussion on the impact of the housing market on the construction sector in 2006-2016

Question 2

In Australia, state/territoy and federal government fulfils various roles. Some authors describe these as legislator, client, regulator, designer, contractor and user. Analyse this statement with reference to construction industry related situations where government has acted in each of these roles.

Use and reference topical material from the local press in your area, published tenders, notices or any other form of information at your disposal to gain an insight into how “government” functions in its various levels and include your findings in your submission.  You may scan appropriate documentation or articles to supplement your analysis.

Assessments A3, A6 and A7 are linked.

This assignment requires you to submit your research proposal.  The research proposal is the first component of your formal research report (Assessment 6) and presentation (Assessment 7).

Choose your own topic (course related based in the Built Environment)

Choose a topic relating to the building sector and this unit, and submit your proposal. 

A pass result in Assessment 3 indicates approval to continue your research for Assessment 6 and 7. You will be able to nominate if you wish to submit your article for formal publication at the end of term.

You should choose a topic that can clearly demonstrate a connection to the unit and be able to outline your proposal when you submit it for approval.  Your proposal must contain aspects of research into the subject matter and can be based on a project that you worked on.  Make sure that you have approval if your project is confidential or contains company sensitive information.

Make sure that it is a contemporary proposal and make it interesting. This assignment can be difficult to complete and pass if you do not start early and do not select a topic that is aligned with the unit or the built environment and that you are passionate about – choose something that you have relevant data for and can combine with your day to day work or other activities.

In order to use your own topic, you should seek approval for your topic no later than the due date. If you submit early and need feedback, please post your request for early assessment to the Q&A Forum.

Do not work with other students on selecting your topic – this is an individual assignment. 

Once your topic has been accepted you can ask other students to provide feedback on your selection and provide feedback on your project.

Prepare a one-page written proposal on your topic of choice and submit your document before the due date.

Information on the presentation arrangements will be published in the Moodle News forum for this unit.

This assessment will take the form of an online collaborative forum.

Students are required to submit a short response (less than 300 words) on a contemporary article based on the role of the building and construction industry and the role of government science and technology policies in Australia.

The following criteria will be used to evaluate the submissions.

• Level of understanding of the scope of work for relevant aspects as evidenced by the extent of information available;
• Evidence of comprehension of the key issues through the use of appropriate conventions and the accuracy and relevance of information provided;
• Appropriate application of legal or related procedures;
• Evidence of technical ability through clarity, neatness and presentation of work and application of legal principles to the information at hand.

Question 1

Project managers’ skills should be enhanced in accordance with the development of the building and construction industry. Please identify the five most important skills of project managers, and explain the reasons. (100-150 words per skill)

Question 2

“Industry 4.0” has become a buzz word. It originates from a project in the high-tech strategy of the German government, which promotes the computerization of manufacturing. Please search information on “Industry 4.0” and discuss:

1)      The impact of “Industry 4.0” on the construction and building industry

2)      The challenges of promoting “Industry 4.0” in the con on the construction and building industry 

Instructions:

This assignment requires you to submit your written research report previously submitted and approved in Assessment 3.

In Assessment 3 you identified and selected a topic for a research project.  Your topic should be clearly aligned with the course and industry.

Do not work with other students this is an individual assignment and presentation.

Prepare a 10-page written report (see style guide for details) on your topic of choice and submit your document before the due date.

Your report should include at least the following sections:

BACKGROUND

A brief background of the study or the change in industry practice reported in this paper, including the context and motivation. Give some indication of what is already known about the topic.

PURPOSE

Describe the research question (that is, what you wanted to find out), hypothesis or the reason for the change in industry practice. What were you trying to understand better by doing this study? Why does it benefit the other participants in this course?

DESIGN/METHOD

Include a brief summary of what was done in the study or the change in industry practice, what data or evidence was collected and how it was analysed.

RESULTS

Summarise the key results of the study or the outcomes of the change in industry practice based on the data analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

What conclusions can you draw on the basis of the evidence presented and how do they compare to what is currently known about the topic? If the study is ongoing, what are the likely conclusions and impacts for the industry? Why would it benefit the industry to follow your suggestions and conclusions?

REFERENCES

A full list of references (Harvard) must be included (not part of the 10 page limit)

You should supplement your report with your own individual headings as required.  Diagrams and tables should be used to further elaborate on your results and conclusions. 

General pointers:

·         Ensure that the quality of your written English is good.  Be concise in your writing.

·         Ensure that it is obvious what the industry problem/issue is that the research work is trying to address.

·         The methodology must focus on what sort of intervention is proposed to address the problem and how you are going to measure success (or otherwise) of the intervention.

·         The Outcomes must focus on the results or anticipated results and how you are going to interpret them.

·         The work must make reference to the literature on the built environment or related industry.

This assignment requires you to

• submit your presentation (in MS PowerPoint format) based on the findings and conclusions of your written report (A6) before 23.45 QLD Time, 9 Feb 2018; and
• present it to the lecturer and class

Prepare a 10 slide (maximum) presentation to present your findings to the rest of the class.  Your presentation must be no more than 15 minutes.   

Information on the presentation arrangements will be announced in the Moodle News forum.