Weighting: This assessment item accounts for 30% of your final grade for this unit and must be completed by students individually.

Length: The review must be 1500 words in length excluding references. 

Cover page: The essay must include a cover page that contains your name, student number, resident campus, assessment title, lecturer and word count.

Both on-campus students and distance students must write a review article and submit online via Moodle by the due date.

Format: Text should be word-processed, Times New Roman, 12 size font and line spacing (1.5). Please save/upload your file in a Word format (.doc or .docx).

Task Description: The purpose of this task is for you to demonstrate your ability to critically analyze, synthesize and evaluate information and present that information in a written format. You are expected to analyse the arguments used by the author(s), the quality of the evidence provided and the application of the content to management practice . 

A list of articles will be available on the unit’s Moodle site for you to choose from. You will then write a critical article review based around your responses to the following questions.

Critical Analysis

• What is the background of the research? (Background)
• What is the research objective?
• What are the core research questions the article addresses? Why are they important to address? (Research questions)
• How was the research conducted? (Methodology)
• What evidence is presented to support the main contention? (Evidence)
• What are the basic arguments presented and are these supported by the evidence? (Argumentation)
• What are the major findings? (Findings)
• What is the significance of the findings for future research or management practice? (Significance/implications)

Critical evaluation

• Critically state what you agree with and do not agree about the article and explain why? (with specific examples from the article)
• What are its strengths and weaknesses?
• In your view, what is the overall value (e.g. contributions, advances, impacts, etc ) of the article?

Please do not simply list the questions and your response to them. The questions are to be used simply as a means for you to critically think about your chosen article. Your review needs to contain answers to these questions, but they need to be in essay format, that is, containing introduction section, body paragraphs and a conclusion section.

• A clear and structure report including introduction main body and conclusion.
• Use of key critical thinking, problem solving and argumentation as the basis for analysing the nominated article.
• Identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the article against the critical thinking concepts
• Providing a clear perspective of the practical value of the article to management practice
• Using a minimum of 12-quality references made up of recommended texts and academic journal articles so as to demonstrate breadth and quality of research, including citation of the recommended texts
• The use of the APA in text referencing system to correctly cite academic sources.
• Ensuring a list of references used in the presentation is attached to the report.

This is the minimum standard expected for this assignment. Students who only meet the minimum, should expect to receive the minimum pass grade.

As Masters students, 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 the 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 topic in your course 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 Masters students, indicate a willingness to research beyond this minimum standard through additional texts, journals and studies that demonstrate an ability to engage in independent research.

A detailed rubric and audio file is available in the Assessment folder on the Moodle site that provides further information regarding this assessment.

This assessment item accounts for 30% of your final grade for this unit and must be completed by students as a group. This assessment consists of two parts:

(1). A summary report (15%)

(2). An online presentation (15%)

Task: Students are to examine an organisation with which they are familiar and to critically analyse a key decision or series of decisions made by the organisation. The specific task will be determined by the facilitator and unit coordinator in consultation with each group. Using appropriate critical thinking and decision-making models, the group is to analyse the decisions made by the organisations and explain whether the decisions were sound and justified.

Students need to consider the data available to the organisation, the demonstrated decision tools and techniques used, including Kepner-Tregoe Methodology and the six-step good decision-making process  (Lau's six-step decision tool), and ethical decision-making frameworks.

Length: The report must be 1200 words in length excluding references. The presentation is about 10-15 minutes long depending on the size of the group.

Cover page: The essay must include a cover page that contains student names, student numbers, resident campus, assessment title, lecturer and word count.

There is a minimum of (12-16 peer-reviewed journal articles in APA style

Submission: only ONE (1) member of the group must submit. If more than one member of the group submits, then a high overlap score will be generated. Please save and upload your argumentative essay in a Word format (.doc or .docx) via the assessment link on Moodle. Please also submit ONE (1) PPT slide per group on MoodleThis is the minimum standard expected for this assignment. Students who only meet the minimum should expect to receive the minimum pass grade.

As Masters students, 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 the 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 topic in your course 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 Masters students, indicate a willingness to research beyond this minimum standard through additional texts, journals and studies that demonstrate an ability to engage in independent research. 

A detailed rubric and audio file is available in the Assessment folder on the Moodle site that provides further information regarding this assessment.

Students are to demonstrate knowledge of the subject matter, and effective presentation skills by:

• Providing a concise and structured presentation with introduction, main presentation and conclusion.
• Effectively using audio visuals and verbal communication delivered within the time allocation (15 mins per group)
• Use of key critical thinking, problem solving models, concepts and theories as an analytical frame.
• Identifying of company strengths and weaknesses against the these analytical frames.
• Providing a clear set of recommendations supported by literature (if and when appropriate)
• Demonstrating a commitment to professional business presentation standard, paralleling those of professional consulting firms.
• Ensuring all group members to make a balanced contribution in the presentation.
• A copy of the presentation (powerpoints) MUST be provided to the unit facilitator prior to the presentation.

Students are to demonstrate knowledge of the subject matter, and effective written skills by:

• Providing a concise overview of the content of the presentation of approximately 1200 words
• Use of key critical thinking, problem solving models, concepts and theories as an analytical frame.
• Identifying the organisation's strengths and weaknesses against the these analytical frames
• Providing a clear set of recommendations supported by literature (if and when appropriate)
• Using a minimum of 12-16 quality references made up of recommended texts and academic journal articles so as to demonstrate breadth and quality of research, including citation of the recommended texts
• The use of the APA in text referencing system to correctly cite academic sources
• Ensuring a list of references used in the presentation is attached to the executive report.

Weighting: This assessment item accounts for 40% of your final grade for this unit and must be completed by students individually.

Length: The essay must be 2000 words in length excluding references.

Cover page: The essay must include a cover page that contains your name, student number, resident campus, assessment title, lecturer and word count

Referencing: A minimum of 12 academic references are required.

Submission: Please save and upload your file in a Word format (.doc or .docx) via the assessment link on Moodle. There will be a late penalty of 2 marks (5% of 40) for each day late.

Task Description: The objectives of this reflective essay are for students to:

(1) summarize, critically review and reinforce key concepts and theories learned from week 1 to week 8 of this unit.

2) reflect on these concepts/theories’ potential impact on students’ decision making, and how these learning is being applied and could be applied in their current jobs, development of future career and/or their life generally. Students will also complete at least 2 diagnostic tools related to learning styles and critical thinking and reflect be these results.

(3) reflect on new insights gained about oneself as a result of learning the unit, and propose a plan for self-development.

Students are expected to reflect on the topics (week 1- week 8) this unit has covered and evaluate which topics have inspired their thinking or influenced their decision making. You must pick FOUR topics covered during the eight (8) weeks. Each topic needs to contain a CONVINCING and PERSONAL justification of why these topics are chosen and how the mentioned topics have changed/might change the students’ thinking or the students’ decisions.

Are the following questions well addressed? What have you learned about yourself through the course activities? What skills do you possess and what skills are you lacking? How are you going to improve your decision-making in the future? (Self-knowledge and self-development) You should tie all your arguments/insights together at the end of your paper, highlighting how you think you will be able to use your learnings in your future

For example, students could identify the topic of “automatic versus critical thinking” as a theme for one week’s reflection, and illustrate with personal examples how having learned about the differences has enabled him/her to be more effective in making a certain decision at work. Close to the end, the essay needs to reflect on self-knowledge and highlight implications for future self-development.

To successfully complete this assessment task, students should answer the following reflective essay questions:

· Which concepts/theories from which week’s learning activities are significant or important to you?

 Why are these concepts/theories you have identified important or significant to you? (Theoretical review)

 How are the concepts/theories you have learned influencing/impacting your decision-making in relation to your current interpersonal relationships, professional workplaces and/or personal life? (Practical Application)

 What have you learned about yourself through the unit activities? What skills do you possess and what skills are you lacking? How are you going to improve your decision-making in the future? (Self-knowledge and self-development)

 You should tie all your arguments/insights together at the end of your paper, highlighting how you think you will be able to use your learning in your future career and in life generally.

• A well structured reflective essay that demonstrates key aspects of critical and rational thinking.
• Utilise and reflect on the results of a minimum of 2 diagnostic tools  to assess personal learning styles and approaches to decision making
• Discuss the four selected topics and provide  clear reflection linking personal preferences in the light of the diagnostic results.
• Utilise key critical thinking concepts and models to describe and analyse their own positions or beliefs.
• The use of between 12 quality references that includes key readings and recommended texts, using
• Use of APA referencing and including a reference list.

These are the minimum requirements. Students should note that satisfactorily meeting the minimum requirements will typically result in the minimum pass grade being awarded

A detailed rubric and audio file are available on the Moodle site that provides further details for this assessment task.

Refer to the unit Moodle site for further details.