Assignment 1: Organisational Analysis and Project Proposal

Due Date: 6.00pm Friday of Week 5 of Term

Word Count: 1000-1200 words.

While your day-to-day work in your host company might be mainly task-related this is your chance to show your company the benefits of bringing in a university postgraduate intern.

There are two primary components of this assignment. The first is an accurate analysis of your host company, its structure and assessment of its external environment including competitor analysis. This is important as it will help you understand how your organisation works and whether it is using the right structure given its context. The objective of this section is to correctly describe the structural component of the organisation and to correctly classify its structure. The next part is to describe the external environment, identify the range of competitors and to classify the environment using appropriate literature. (This will be used as the basis for the analysis in assignment 2)

The second component is to focus on the key discipline of your enrolled program (that is, either Management for MME, HRM and MBM students; or Accounting for MPA students) and you should involve a strategic analysis of a problem or issue of relevance to your host company.

The purpose of this proposal is to integrate the academic content of your program into a practical problem/issue in your host company and "sell” it to your supervisors/advisors- both in the company and in the University. As such, the proposal should convince both audiences of the importance and relevance of the project, while also assuring them that you can successfully complete the project with suitable outcomes and within the given timeframe.

The report should therefore outline the following:

• a brief company background and its history
• a classification of its current structure using Mintzberg’s structural typology identifying key aspects including:

1. company size
2. extent of horizontal and vertical differentiation
3. assessment of the key parts of the organisation and prime co-ordinating mechanism
4. analysis of the external environment with competitor analysis.

• An outline of your major cognate discipline- i.e. HR, Marketing, Management, Accounting etc., and a proposed application to the company (i.e., why is it important to the host organisation?).
• the objectives aim and/or research questions of the project.
• the proposed underlying academic theory/literature to be used to inform the project (should involve a minimum of 10 academic references).
• a time plan for completion of the project; and
• an indication of the information you will have to gather from the organisation to complete the project (this should include appreciation of potential ethical and access issues, depending on what kind of information you may need to gather).

Note that your understanding of relevant literature sources is very important. Ten relevant literature sources properly referenced and cited will allow a Pass mark. For higher grades, you will need more extensive referencing to relevant literature.

This proposal should have a focus on an issue of some strategic value/importance to your host organisation aligned to your major field of study. The proposal should not mirror or replicate an assignment in one of the units you have previously studied, rather it should be a holistic analysis of the organisation and an identification of a major issue focusing on the core of your Masters. This might include, but is not limited to, the following issues:

• Development of a comprehensive marketing plan
• Development of a strategy for international expansion
• Analysis of the strategic environment of the firm and how it should respond structurally to changes in this environment
• Analysis of the financial management systems of the organisation
• Comprehensive review of the HRM systems including recruitment, training and development and performance management
• Selected product or process investigations with a view to possible improvement recommendations
• An investigation of maintenance programs in the organisation and the possibility of implementing TPM or similar.

You are encouraged to select other topics if these are of value to your host organisation. Please discuss your ideas with your internship and University supervisors/advisors.

The proposal is typically completed a few weeks into the placement, where you can reflect on your activities in light of the theoretical aspects of your program covered in previous courses. You are required to attend the scheduled sessions with your academic advisor and by Week 3 at the latest to get feedback on your proposal ideas, which will depend on the nature of your work placement.

Note that lateness penalties will apply for this assignment. Late submissions (without an approved extension) will be docked 5% of the total available marks per day or part thereof after the submission deadline.

The BUSN20020 Moodle site contains a detailed rubric for Assessment 1 that lists all assessment criteria and marking guidelines.

Assignment 2 - Major Report, Presentation and AI Progress Reports (50%)

Due Date: 6.00pm Friday of Week 10

Word Count: 3,500 - 4,000 in total

Total Assessment weighting for written Project report is 40%.

Other assessment components:

• 10% of total assessment will be based upon the Progress Reports provided by your host company, collated by CQU Internship staff and delivered to the BUSN20020 Unit Coordinator at the end of the placement period.

All students are required to complete a 3,500 - 4,000 word report (or equivalent) that connects academic theory to the activities undertaken in the internship. This will focus on analysing the organisation's structure, and the project that was the subject of the proposal in Assignment 1.

There are three major sections that this report must address. Firstly, the student will assess the organisation's structure and the environment to determine the level of fit. Structural inconsistencies should be identified and an assessment made as to whether this leads to any major problems for the organisation.

Secondly the report should address the major project or analysis related to the student's core or cognate content of their Masters. It is the aim of this process that the student can demonstrate to the host organisation, how their academic knowledge can add value to the organisation.

Lastly students are to provide a series of supported recommendations linked to increasing organisational effectiveness in both structure and functional aspects of the organisation. A minimum of three recommendations should be presented.

Students are expected to provide appropriate literature to support the analysis and recommendations. A minimum of 12 quality academic references must be demonstrated via the APA in-text referencing system and correctly cited in a reference list.

The experience of each student will be different because of the variety of organisations the Internship Companies work with, the variety of roles undertaken by the student, and the range of different Business programs involved in the internship activity. It is important, therefore, that the project is discussed and clearly scoped in conjunction with your Academic Advisor.

It is expected that a range of academic references will be used to provide a theoretical underpinning to activities that are conducted in the Placement.

Below are the components that will be used to assess the project report:

• Relevance to your CQU studies to date - you will need to apply relevant academic theory to your internship project. Identify and critique the organisation's activities in terms of the academic theory and make recommendations where relevant.
• Your ability to present a strategic analysis of the particular problem/issue you have selected. This requires you to take a holistic view of the issue and its impact/effect on the organisation's operations and future directions/development.
• Closing the Loop on the Proposal - Given the objectives you set in the proposal, how well did you achieve what you set out to do? If you had to take a different direction from that covered in the proposal, why, and did you still manage to deliver value?
• Academic Research, Referencing and Report Layout - You will need to undertake appropriate research that includes the identification of the problem or issue, outlining the research questions to examine, review of relevant literature, and use of appropriate research method(s). Use this 'new' knowledge you have gained to show how the organisation could improve its operations. Make reference to relevant theory in the report, and ensure the report includes correct citation and referencing using the APA method.
• Recommendations for Management - You will need to describe the industry in which your placement firm operates and think strategically to make recommendations on how the organisation can improve, using the knowledge you have gained in both your time there AND from your Literature Review. Make sure your research problem or questions, your research findings and conclusions, and your recommendations are all logically linked so the reader can understand the connections between these sections. For example, your research findings must be related to your research problem or question; and your recommendations must be related to your research findings.

Note that lateness penalties will apply for this assignment. Late submissions (without an approved extension) will be docked 5% of the total available marks per day or part thereof after the submission deadline.

The BUSN20020 Moodle site contains a detailed rubric for Assessment 2 that lists all assessment criteria and marking guidelines.

Assignment 3 – Reflective Learning Essay, Poster and Presentation (30%)

Due Date: Presentation completed in Week 12 of term.

Due Date: Written reflection, poster and powerpoint due 6.00pm Friday Week 13 of Term

Word Count:1200-1500 words.

(Written Reflective essay - 20%)
(Presentation including Poster- 10%)

This assignment will require submission of two separate documents:

1. A Reflective Essay on your Learning from the Internship (1,200 - 1,500 words) - this will be an essay in the student's own words outlining their personal learning and professional development from the internship. You are expected to describe a number of key events, incidents, or processes you experienced during your internship that directly relates to the themes and content you studied during your Masters. You should reflect on these issues and incidences and how they illustrate effective or ineffective practise. You should endeavour to directly identify content from units, including models, processes or examples of better practice as part of the reflection. You then need to explain how you will use the experience in the future as a manager, leader or organisational member.

Referencing is not required but can be used if you wish (This may help you make clearer links to concepts). Please ensure you know what is required in a reflective essay (see resources on the Moodle site and discussed in your on-campus workshop). (Assessment Weighting: 20%)

2. A presentation providing an overview of the student's placement and portraying the benefits of the internship. Students must include their poster as one of the slides as part of the presentation; this one slide (poster) must includes at least the following:

• A photo/picture of the student in their internship role

• An explanation of the student's background and what s/he has been doing on the internship placement

• At least four bullet points outlining the best things about the internship to date, including how the internship has contributed to the student’s career development.

• Oral Presentation of the Project Results - The results of the report will be presented by the student to a group of relevant academics, industry personnel and fellow students as part of a Presentation Day organised in Week 12 of the Term. In the presentation, you will need to provide the background to your  host organisation as well as a quick summary of  key events or incidents that you experienced.
•  The most important aspects of the presentation are your insights regarding the internship and how the experience allowed you to apply learnings from your major field of study.
• You should conclude with a clear statement of how you will use the experience and your studies in your future career.

Timing will depend on student numbers but will likely be 10mins presentation plus 2-5mins Q&A. Maximum 10-15 slides. ( Please note that due to the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic the face to face presentation may be replaced by a recorded presentation requirement).

Note that lateness penalties will apply for this assignment. Late submissions (without an approved extension) will be docked 5% of the total available marks per day or part thereof after the submission deadline.

The BUSN20020 Moodle site contains a detailed rubric for Assessment 3 that lists all assessment criteria and marking guidelines.