Assessment Task 3 (45%)
Essay on Work-Life Balance Submission Guidelines
Course: Managing Human Resources
Course Code: HRMT 20024, Term 1, 2016 Course Coordinator: Dr Ezaz Ahmed (e.ahmed@cqu.edu.au)
General Guidelines:
• All assignments for HRMT20024 must be submitted through Moodle site. No email submissions will be accepted. All email submissions will be ignored, will not be replied to, will not be marked, and will directly result in a zero (0) score
• All assignments submitted electronically through Moodle must be through the Student Portal http://my.cqu.edu.au
• Failure to submit electronically will be taken as a failure to submit and therefore a zero (0) score will apply to the specific assignment
• No assignment coversheet is needed to be attached while submitting through Moodle
• NOTE: Copy detection software (TurnitIn) is used in this course and work found in contravention of the copying and plagiarism rules will be investigated. Penalties apply in the case of proven instances of copying, plagiarism and academic dishonesty. For more details
about the penalty, refer to the marking criteria for each assessment task
• Please check the following links to know more about TurnitIn:
http://turnitin.com/en_us/training/student-training/viewing-originality-reports http://turnitin.com/en_us/training/student-training/about-originalitycheck
• TurnitIn is only a tool and judgement needs to be used when you view your Originality Report. TurnitIn does not make a judgement as to what is referenced properly, it highlights the nonoriginal material in a piece of work. You should use the similarity score as a guide only and must then check the originality report to determine whether or not changes need to be made to the assignment. You may have unwillingly forgotten to reference a quote or you may need to consider paraphrasing if the amount of quoted material is too high.
• For Assessments 2 and 3, late submissions without approval will result in penalty in final marks. Five percent (5%) of the total marks allocated to a specific assessment are deducted for each calendar day. For example, Assessment Task 3 (Essay) has 45 marks, and 2.25 marks will be deducted for each calendar days of delayed submission
• Students DO NOT have the chance to participate in Assessment Task 1 (online quizzes) after the quizzes are closed, as the system directly prevents students from submitting after the due time
• According to CQU’s policy, students must submit their requests for extension of assignment submission date through the CQU system (“Assessment Extension Request” under the
“Support” block of the course website), no email or telephone request will be accepted • Important to note:
o No extensions will be granted for Assessment Task 1. Failure to submit on time directly results in a zero (0) score for online quiz for that week.
o For Assessment Tasks 2 and 3, requests for extension will NOT be approved without relevant supporting documents (e.g. a medical certificate showing the issue date, recommended number of days off work and the doctor’s contact details etc.).
o All requests MUST be applied through Moodle (or Webfuse) at least 48 hours prior to the due time (Assessment Task 2 and Assessment Task 3).
o Extension requests without supporting documents and those applied less than 48 hours before the due time will NOT be granted. Therefore, you are suggested to submit as early as possible to avoid any unexpected situations.
• As mentioned above, you should prepare and submit your assignments as early as possible and DO NOT wait for the last minute. It is your responsibility to ensure that the assignment is submitted on time.
• When submitting your Assessment Tasks 2 and 3, you MUST complete all steps listed in Moodle site, CQU ID and password are needed to access the Moodle site. Penalty in final marks for late submission applies to drafts that are already on Moodle but not submitted for marking at the due time. Please note assignments which are submitted as draft will be automatically submitted for marking after the due date and time.
• Those drafts which are still not submitted for Marking twenty (20) calendar days after the due
time will not be marked and will be directly graded “zero (0)”.
Policies and Procedures for Assessment:
• Students may familiarise themselves with the following policies and procedures at http://policy.cqu.edu.au: Assessment and examination policy and procedures, Assessment of Coursework Policy, Assessment of Coursework Principles and Assessment of Coursework Procedures
• Assignment preparation and presentation Guide for Students, Referencing style links:
http://www.cqu.edu.au/current-student/international-students/student-support/learning-skillsunit/resources
• From Term 1 2016, School of Business and Law uses the APA style of referencing. More information on the style can be found at https://www.cqu.edu.au/?a=14033
• Applying for assignment submission extensions, Assessment grading and Plagiarism links http://www.cqu.edu.au/current-student/domestic-students/first-year-students/getting-help Important Dates:
Assignment 1 Online Quizzes (4 Quizzes) Participation Date and Time:
Weeks 4, 6, 8 and 10
Quizzes open on Mondays of the week at 9.00 am AEST (Australian Eastern Standard Time) and
close on Sundays, 5.00 pm AEST (Australian Eastern Standard Time)
Assessment Task 2 Report on HRM Planning Submission Date and Time:
Week 6: 22 April, 2016, Friday, 5.00 pm AEST (Australian Eastern Standard Time)
Assessment Task 3 Essay on Work-Life Balance Submission Date and Time:
Week 12: 3 June, 2016, Friday, 5.00 pm AEST (Australian Eastern Standard Time)
Contacting Teaching Staff
During the course, students should initially contact their local teaching staff to answer any queries related to the course that they may have. Contact details for local teaching staff can be found on the Moodle course website (“Course Contacts” under the “Information” block). If local teaching staff cannot fully answer the query or it is of a personal nature, students can contact the Course Coordinator Dr Ezaz Ahmed. Distance students should contact Dr Ezaz Ahmed with their questions regarding the course, its content, and assessments and here is Dr Ahmed’s contact information:
Dr Ezaz Ahmed
Head of Postgraduate Business Programs
Course Coordinator, HRMT 20024, School of Business and Law
Central Queensland University, Melbourne Campus
120 Spencer Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000
Email: e.ahmed@cqu.edu.au
Tel: +61 03 9616 0638 (ext. 50638) (office), Mob: 0431745329, Skype: ahmedezaz
Student Contact
The university allocates every student an individual email address, the format of which is firstname.lastname@cqumail.com (e.g. john.citizen@cqumail.com). This is the official email address that the university will use for all email correspondence. Student emails can be accessed through http://my.cqu.edu.au
Students are expected and requested to check their official email address on a frequent and consistent basis (at least once weekly). Students are encouraged to review the new Student Email Principles university policy relating to email communication at http://policy.cqu.edu.au which has been introduced to ensure all course and program updates are received. Regular student access to email is required for this course. Regular student access to the Internet is required for this course. Students are expected to follow a self-directed study schedule which meets the required deadlines. Student use of the course website is mandatory. This is provided using the Learning Management System (LMS) which can be accessed through the MyCQU Student Portal: http://my.cqu.edu.au. This course uses Moodle extensively. If you have difficulty logging in, please contact IT Helpdesk on (07) 4930 9233, 1300 666 620 Monday to Friday between 7.30 am to 5.30 pm.
Important Dates
Week 1: March 7, 2016 – March 13, 2016 -
Commencement Week of Term 1 2016
Week 4: March 28, 2016 – - Online Quiz 1 opens on Monday March 28, 2016
April 3, 2016 at 9.00 am AEST and closes on Sunday April 3,
2016 at 5.00 pm AEST
Week 6: April 18, 2016 – - Online Quiz 2 opens on Monday April 18, 2016 at
April 24, 2016 9.00 am AEST and closes on Sunday April 24,
2016 at 5.00 pm AEST
- Assessment 2 Report on HRM Planning due on
Friday, April 22, 2016 at 5.00 pm AEST
Week 8: May 2, 2016 – - Online Quiz 3 opens on Monday May 2, 2016 at
May 8, 2016 9.00 am AEST and closes on Sunday May 8, 2016 at 5.00 pm AEST
Week 10: May 16, 2016 – - Online Quiz 4 opens on Monday May 16, 2016 at
May 22, 2016 9.00 am AEST and closes on Sunday May 22,
Week 12: May 30, 2016 – June 5, 2016
2016 at 5.00 pm AEST
- Assessment 3 Essay on Work-Life Balance due on
Friday, June 3, 2016 at 5.00 pm AEST
Assessment Task 3 – Essay on Work-Life Balance
Due Date: 5:00 PM AEST, Friday of Week 12 (June 3, 2016) ASSESSMENT
Length: 2500 words ± 10% (excluding title page and reference list)
Weighting: 45% 3
Reference Style: APA Style https://www.cqu.edu.au/?a=14033
Document type: MS Word document only, do not submit in PDF format
Objectives
This assessment item relates to course learning outcomes numbers, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 as stated in the course profile.
Purpose
The primary purpose of this assessment task is to assist students to develop skills in the application of Human Resource Management (HRM) principles, work-life balance theories and models in the analysis of the present and future role of the HRM function in organisations. The assessment task encourages exploration of the effectiveness of the HRM functions (work-life balance, flexible work arrangements etc.) in dynamic environments and how that effectiveness should be evaluated. The secondary purpose of this assignment is to give students the opportunity to enhance their research, analysis, critical thinking and written communications skills including the identification and development of an argument.
Before starting this assessment, please read the marking criteria (at the end of this document) and refer to Academic Learning Centre and CQU Library Help pages for the guidelines regarding writing argumentative essays. The Moodle course website also provides useful information in regard to the development of this assessment task. You should always check the course website for course-specific instructions, which may be updated continuously.
Description
Assessment task 3 requires the writing of an argumentative essay. This essay should be an ‘argumentative/ academic essay’, and must therefore contain an argument that is used as the structuring element of the paper. The assignment is based on a case study that describes the impact of leadership styles and change management on business activities. The purpose of the essay is to identify the roles of work-life balance, flexibility in work arrangements and other challenges in managing dynamic organisations. Students are expected to engage in extensive research within the academic literature relating to work-life balance, flexible work arrangements, job satisfaction and employee performances. Students are expected to engage in extensive research within the academic literature relating to human resource management.
Format of the Essay:
The argumentative essay should include following sections and formatted as mentioned below:
Word count and Format: All academic writing is subject to word limits. A general rule of thumb is 10% above or below the recommended word count in accepted. That means, the argumentative essay should ideally be written within 2700 words. Not all sections of the essay attracts word count. Word count includes words in Abstract, main body or texts and Conclusions. Please check word count for the above mentioned sections before submission.
As a general rule, the following document settings are suitable for most academic reports.
Font type Use a simple font such as Times New Roman
Font size Use 12 point as the base size
Headings and sub headings No headings or sub headings be used in essays
Margins Use 25 mm (1 inch) for all margins
Line spacing Use 1.5 line spacing
The writing style and layout should be consistent throughout the document. Creating a consistent and professional looking document is not difficult. Failure to do so is an indication that the writer is either careless, or places no importance on the work being undertaken.
Copy Detection Software:
Copy detection software (TurnitIn) is used in this course and work found in contravention of the copying and plagiarism rules will be investigated. Penalties apply in the case of proven instances of copying, plagiarism and academic dishonesty. For more details about the penalty, refer to the marking criteria for each assessment task
Please check the following links to know more about TurnitIn: http://turnitin.com/en_us/training/student-training/viewing-originality-reports http://turnitin.com/en_us/training/student-training/about-originalitycheck
TurnitIn is only a tool and judgement needs to be used when you view your Originality Report. TurnitIn does not make a judgement as to what is referenced properly, it highlights the non-original material in a piece of work. You should use the similarity score as a guide only and must then check the originality report to determine whether or not changes need to be made to the assignment. You may have unwillingly forgotten to reference a quote or you may need to consider paraphrasing if the amount of quoted material is too high. Before submitting for grading of assignments, you are allowed to submit your assignments as draft in Moodle site (as many time as you want) and wait for TurnitIn to generate a similarity report. Please review the similarity report carefully, check copied or plagiarised sections and rewrite those sections to avoid penalty.
Different Sections of the Argumentative Essay:
Title page: The title page of an essay should be brief and precise. It contains the following information: the name of the essay, who prepared the essay, the date the essay was prepared.
Most academic essays follows a similar general structure, with FOUR main components:
1. Abstract
2. An introduction,
3. A series of body paragraphs (the number will depend on the complexity of your topic, the information available and the word limit of your essay), and
4. A conclusion.
Abstract (ideally be approx. 100 words): Abstract is a concise summary of your essay and should state the following: the purpose of the assignment, the main areas or aspects covered and the main conclusions or findings. It should be written as continuous text, without headings, numbers or bullet points (dot points). All academic journal articles require authors to write abstracts for their papers, so these can provide useful exemplars on which to model your own writing.
Introduction (ideally be approx. 100 words): The introduction consists of two or three paragraphs in which the aims, structure and methodology of the essay are outlined. It states clearly the purpose or main task of the essay and what the reader can expect to obtain from it. Important background information is included, such as what are the main arguments in the essay. Please include a thesis statement that clearly mentions the main purpose of the essay. The introduction should introduce the essay and include your argument.
Body Paragraphs (ideally be approx. 2300 to 2400 words): In this section, you should answer all the assignment questions in paragraphs. That means, there should not be any headings or sub headings in this section. Within each paragraph you must refer to (cite) the sources of specific information and ideas that you found during your literature research to support the topic that you are addressing. At the end of your essay, you should prepare a list of all sources (references), arranged alphabetically. If you compile a full record of your sources as you write your essay you will save yourself a lot of time and stress in the final stages of preparation. An academic essay will often contain an argument beginning with a contentious statement, the author will consider different viewpoints before arriving at a conclusion. Please note that all answers to the assessment questions should be based on arguments, answers developed through research findings (references). Please ensure that you have answered all questions and provide similar lengths of answers for all questions. Avoid using bullet points, direct quotes and unnecessary discussion which are not related to the question.
Please note that a paragraph is a series of around five or six sentences that are all related to a single point or idea. Typically a paragraph is about 200–250 words and starts with a topic sentence that states the main point you are making in that paragraph. The other sentences in the paragraph should all relate to this topic sentence, providing additional: • explanation • evidence and/or • examples. The final sentence in each paragraph should sum up the material on that aspect. It is often useful to revisit those final sentences when you write your conclusion.
Conclusion (ideally be approx. 100 words): The conclusion is a brief section (less than a page) in which the writer analyses the significance of the essay's findings and reiterates the main points of the essay. These findings must derive logically from material presented in the essay. A generalisation is then drawn from the specific findings of the research. New information is not included in the conclusion. Information in a conclusion should not be presented as dot points.
References: A Reference List is a listing of all external resources that were consulted and mentioned during research for the essay, and information from which is directly referred to in the text of the report. It is strongly recommended to avoid secondary referencing in assignments. Such as, try to avoid too many mention of Cited in …….. Ricardo (2005) mentioned that ……. You are supposed to read the references before mentioning in reference list and applied in the essay. There are a number of different styles of referencing used in academic literature. As mentioned before, please use APA referencing style for reference list. Here is the CQUniversity Australia library link to APA referencing style: https://www.cqu.edu.au/?a=14033 The word count of the Reference List does not contribute towards the word count of the report.
Appendices (if needed): An appendix is a section containing large amounts of data or information pertaining to a specific topic that has been collected from an external source. It may have been collected from a reference source during preparation of the essay, or have been generated from experiments or from field work. It may, for instance, be the technical description of a piece of equipment, or the calibration data of a measurement instrument.
CQUniversity Australia has a developed a webpage with generic information on essay and can be found at
https://my.cqu.edu.au/documents/10165/2178077/Great+Guide+to+University+Study+Topic+5++Developing+academic+writing+skills/ad106a89-377b-4395-a076-869eb6f6e9ec
Details
The assessment item is based on the case study titled Flexibility and work-life balance: who benefits? (pg. 315-316 of textbook: Human Resource Management in Australia (5th Ed., 2014) by Kramar, Bartram, De Cieri, Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart & Wright, McGraw-Hill Australia). You should read, and carefully analyse, the case and respond to the issues presented at the end of the case study within the context of an argumentative essay. You are required to support your argument with appropriate theoretical discussion and references.
This assignment MUST be a properly constructed academic essay. It should contain an effective introduction, body, and conclusion. The body should present the evidence you have collected to support your argument, and the conclusion should restate your argument, summarise the evidence and make a conclusion regarding your argument. You are required to support your argument with appropriate theoretical discussion and references.
The essay should contain a coherent and critical review of the academic literature on the Human Resource Management topics in question. The literature review should be integrated into the essay, not a separate section. A reference list is compulsory. Further information regarding formatting of assignments and other information is available at https://www.cqu.edu.au/student-life/services-andfacilites/referencing
This assessment item involves researching your assigned topic to enhance your understanding of
Human Resource Management (HRM) concepts and utilisation of academic literature. AVOID using only textbooks, however, the prescribed textbook for the course should be cited in regard to broad HRM principles. You will be expected to present information and evidence from, and cite, at LEAST fifteen (15) relevant peer-reviewed, academic journal articles (twelve relevant and well applied academic articles will gain a pass mark for this criterion). Refer to your recommended readings for examples of academic journals. While you can cite these you must find fifteen (15) journal articles not listed in the course materials. Your citations will show the breadth and depth of the literature used to answer the questions. Your marker is interested in the analysis that you have developed from YOUR review of the literature and how well you use the literature to respond to the topic.
Tasks
Case Study: Flexibility and work-life balance: who benefits? (pg. 315-316 of the textbook)
Based on the above mentioned case study, write an essay entitled “Work-Life Balance” to critically discuss the following questions:
1. Do you agree with Juliet Bourke that the use of flexibility has moved away from its original paradigms?
2. Critically discuss the implications of excessive working hours on the performance of employees and managers.
3. Analyse ways in which employers could facilitate work-life balance during an economic downturn.
All the answers must be written with supporting academic references
HRMT20024 – Managing Human Resources
Assessment 3 – Marking Criteria for Essay on Work-Life Balance
Case Study: Flexibility and work-life balance: who benefits? (pg. 315-316 of the textbook)
Click here to enter text. Student Number: Click here to enter text.
Student Name:
Your essay will be assessed on the extent to which it meets each of the following criteria. Only one of the available marking options is to be chosen for each criterion. Please be aware that for some criteria, unequal intervals between tick marks are used.
Criteria Marks
Content (40 Marks): Does your essay demonstrate:
1. A thorough knowledge and critical analysis of the HRM topics expressed in a coherent format with a clear beginning, body and conclusion? (10 Marks) 1.0 ? 3.5 ? 5.5 ? 6.5 ? 7.5 ? 8.5 ? 10.0 ?
2. Knowledge and application of relevant HRM theories and/or models in response to the topic questions expressed in a clear argument? (10 Marks) 1.0 ? 3.5 ? 5.5 ? 6.5 ? 7.5 ? 8.5 ? 10.0 ?
3. Appropriateness of response to the topic questions? (10 Marks) 1.0 ? 3.5 ? 5.5 ? 6.5 ? 7.5 ? 8.5 ? 10.0 ?
4. Relevant and accurate literature is used to develop and support arguments (cited at least fifteen (15) academic journal articles)? (5.0 Marks) 0.5 ? 1.0 ? 2.0 ? 3.0 ? 4.0 ? 5.0 ?
5. Additional research beyond the course materials and textbook including use of recent and relevant peer reviewed academic journal articles? (2.5 Marks) 0.0 ? 0.5 ? 1.0 ? 1.5 ? 2.0 ? 2.5 ?
6. An overall high-quality evaluation and analysis of the essay topic? (2.5 Marks) 0.0 ? 0.5 ? 1.0 ? 1.5 ? 2.0 ? 2.5 ?
Presentation (5 Marks): Does your essay demonstrate:
7. Clarity of expression, grammar and spelling? (2.0 Marks) 0.0 ? 0.5 ? 1.0 ? 1.5 ? 2.0 ?
8. Strict conformity to APA referencing style (e.g., all in-text references and reference list are correct)? (2.0 Marks) 0.0 ? 0.5 ? 1.0 ? 1.5 ? 2.0 ?
9. Appropriate presentation format (academic essay) as required by assignment writing
guidelines (e.g., no headings, tables, and figures; paragraphs are structured to include topic sentence, explanation, and proof)? (0.5 Marks) 0.0 ? 0.25 ? 0.5 ?
10. Length of 2500 words (± 10%) (Excluding the title page and reference list)? (0.5 Marks) 0.0 ? 0.25 ? 0.5 ?
Penalty: Marks are to be deducted because of:
11. Late submission without approval if applicable [(-5% × 45) / day = – 2.25 Marks/day ] – 2.0 × (Choose an item.) Days = – ( ) Marks
Important: Plagiarism will result in a “zero” score and will be reported to the Academic Services Centre of the University. Turnitin will help identify plagiarism through the level of similarity. A
certain level of similarity does not necessarily indicate plagiarism, but you are suggested to minimis plagiarism case by case. e the level of similarity as much as you can. Markers will make academic judgements about
FINAL MARKS = The aggregate of all the 11 criteria (0/45 – 45/45)
(Note: marks for 11 are minus; once the calculation produces a minus final mark, 0/45 should be given) Click here to enter text. /45
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