The assessment 1 is an individual task comprising of two components:

1.1 Project plan; and

1.2 Project proposal.

1.1 Project plan, worth 15%, requires the students to submit a project plan that should not exceed 500, excluding title page, table of content and references. The project plan need to include the following six sections:

1. Appropriate project topic or title related to one of the four disciplines (marketing, accounting, management, or human resource management) - max. 16 words.

2. Background and problem statement - briefly provide the background information of the topic/selected organisation. What you would like to research and why? You are advised to integrate the related literature in order to support of the problem statement (about 200 words).

3. Purpose statement - the aims and objective to address the identified problem (about 50 words).

4. Literature review - briefly mention the literature/theories (about 100 words).

5. Research methodology. Note that in this research you are required to use secondary data source. As such, please describe research methodology, source(s) of secondary data that you will be using and data analysis tools and techniques (about 150 words).

6. References - Provide at least five references following APA 6th style.

Note: The required length for this report is 500 words, excluding title page, table of content and reference list. Executive summary is not required for project plan.

1.2 Project proposal, worth 25%, is the extension of your project plan (assessment 1.1). Drawing upon the feedback and knowledge from the project plan, you are now required to develop a detailed project proposal including the following sections:

1. Background and problem statement - Provide sufficient background information of the topic/selected organisation including literature that places your project within the selected context. Identify the need/gap for your research and how your research will address the gap (about 550 words).

3. Purpose statement - the aims and objective to address the identified problem (about 50 words)

4. Literature review - Discuss the literature and/or theories related to your area of research (about 500 words)

5. Methodology. Note this project requires to use only secondary data source(s). As such, clearly describe research methodology and rationale, source(s) of secondary data that you will be using, data analysis tools and techniques, Gantt chart schedule. about 400 words

6. References - please provide the references following APA 6th style - at least 10 references from credible sources such as peer-reviewed journal articles, scholarly books, published research reports, business reviews, etc.

The required length for this report is 1500 words (+/- 10%), excluding table of content, reference list and appendices.

 Please don't forget to include title page, executive summary and table of content in the report.

Notably: To make sure that your topic/area selection is appropriate and you have a clear understanding of the project plan requirements, you have been provided with the opportunity to present (optional) your project plan in week 2 and 3. The on-campus students can present in classroom while distance student can present during the online zoom session (distance students). I believe that it's a great opportunity to receive constructive feedback from your tutor/lecturer and classmates and avoid potential mistakes. 

Your assignment will be marked on the following criteria:

• Selection of topic and description of problem and purpose statements (30%).
• Literature review (20%).
• Description of methodology (30%).
• Quality and appropriateness of at least 10 references (10%).
• Written communication (10%).

For further details on grading/assessment criteria, please refer to the marking rubric in the unit's Moodle site

This is an individual, written assessment, to be completed in report format. You are required to write around 3,000 words (+/- 10%), excluding title page, executive summary, table of content, tables, figures, reference list and appendices. The report requires in-text referencing and a full reference list in APA style, with evidence that you have critically read and integrated a minimum of 20 peer-reviewed references from credible sources.

The purpose of this assessment is to present the final report of the Professional Project you proposed in Assignment 1. This report should build upon both components of your Assessment 1 and it should be developed with the help of the tutor/co-ordinator feedback.

In order to successfully complete Assessment 2, you are required to carry out the investigation you have proposed in Assessment 1 and produce a professional research report that shows that you have followed through from finding a research question to answering that question and developing recommendations that arise from your findings. The report will follow the typical structure of a research report and will need to include the following:

• Project title
• Introduction including background information and justification of your topic, problem statement, aims and objective (about 500 words).
• Critical literature review (about 600 words)
• Research methodology (about 500 words)
• Findings from your secondary data analysis (about 400 words)
• Discussion of findings in light of your previously reviewed literature (600 words)
• Conclusion, including recommendations and limitations (about 400 words)
• References - at least 20 from credible sources following APA style. 
• Appendices (if any)

As a Masters-level student, you are required to engage in research as per the Australia Quality Framework (AQF) guidelines. Two specific requirements need to be considered. Students need to demonstrate “a body of knowledge that includes the understanding of recent developments in a discipline and/or area of professional practice, and demonstrate "knowledge of research principles and methods applicable to a field of work and/or learning”.

Each unit in the MBA has a number of required weekly readings in terms of academic texts, journals and business publications that represent the appropriate body of knowledge and recent developments referred to by the AQF. In order to demonstrate the ability to engage in appropriate research, students should read and utilise these texts and journals and publications, and as a Masters student, indicate a willingness to research beyond this minimum standard through additional texts, journals and studies that demonstrate an ability to engage in independent research. This is an advanced level course, and accrediting bodies are also looking for evidence of independent research, so the ability to conduct this project without continually relying on your tutors and lecturers is an important part of the learning process for this unit.

Students should insure that they understand the specific research that is required for each assessment piece and recognise that if they meet this minimum requirement, you will receive the minimum grade for demonstrated research.

Your attention is drawn to the University’s stated position on plagiarism. THE WORK OF OTHERS, WHICH IS INCLUDED IN THE ASSIGNMENT MUST BE ATTRIBUTED TO ITS SOURCE. A full list of references must be submitted as part of the assessment.

Your assignment will be marked on the following nine criteria:

• Introduction including background information and justification of your topic, problem statement, aims and objective (10%).
• Critical literature review (15%)
• Research methodology (15%)
• Data analysis and findings (20%)
• Discussion of findings in light of your previously reviewed literature (20%)
• Conclusion, including recommendations and limitations (10)
• References (10%)

For further details, please refer to the unit’s Moodle site.