Managing Organisations (MNG10247) Assignment 3 Guidelines
Important: As noted in the UIG, it is not possible for students to replace this group assignment with an individual task. Also, it is expected that students are available to work on the assignment throughout weeks 8-11 of the session.
Title: Assignment 3 – Group project
Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is to encourage and support the development of students’ Teamwork skills.
Task: In groups of three, students are to develop a Study Guide for the management topic – Entrepreneurship. The document should be modelled on the current MNG10247 Study Guide.
Marks: 30 (which is 30% of the unit grade).
Students receive two sets of marks (worth 15 marks each). One is for the overall quality of their group’s Study Guide (i.e. a group mark) and the other is for the particular section of the Guide that they are responsible for (i.e. an individual mark). See below for further details.
Due: Prior to 9:00am Monday 20 May 2019 (Week 12)
Submitting: One team member submits the group document via the A3 – Group link. All team members submit their group’s Study Guide via the A3 – Individual link (available in the Task 3 folder in BlackBoard).
Teaching Support
It is recognised that many students are uncomfortable with the idea of doing groupwork. However, with the right attitude and support, working in groups can be a valuable learning experience. In particular, published research supports the view that group assignments are an effective way for students to attain strong subject knowledge and further develop their interpersonal skills.
To support students in this task, a member of the MNG10247 teaching team (tutor or assigned marker) will act as a Project Facilitator for each group. There are particular stages throughout the assignment process that groups will meet their Facilitator (face-2-face or online) in order to receive guidance and feedback on their progress. Refer to the Assignment Schedule (last page of this document) for the dates that groups are to meet with their facilitator.
Group Component Task (15 Marks)
Groups should not underestimate the amount of collaborate effort that is required for this assignment. There is a great deal of group-level decision making to be undertaken before members start working on their individual sections of the Guide.
To start this assignment, Groups must decide which Key Features of Entrepreneurship to focus on and include in their Study Guide. A ‘key feature’ is a distinct subject or theme that is central to the topic of Entrepreneurship; for example – ‘Financing a new venture’.
Only three key features can be covered in the Guide (one for each group member) so groups are advised to make their selections carefully.
Groups must also decide how to introduce the topic of Entrepreneurship in their Study Guide and how to conclude it.
The following table details the specific Study Guide structure and related content.
Section Responsibility Description Word Count (2000)
Title page Group Identify the Study Guide topic, the group members and the Key Feature of the Guide that they are individually responsible for.
Also identify the group’s Facilitator. NA
Executive Summary Group Brief (1 paragraph) overview of topic, aim of report and findings NA
Table of
Contents Group Use the ‘Table of Contents’ function in word for this purpose. Apply the appropriate Roman numeral for the page number. NA
Introduction Group Introduce and describe the topic and the purpose of the Study Guide (i.e. what will be gained from following it).
Explain why the three key features covered in the Guide are ‘individually’ and ‘collectively’ the most appropriate. 300-500
Key Feature A Individual See next section for full details 400
Key Feature B Individual See next section for full details 400
Key Feature B Individual See next section for full details 400
Conclusion Group Review what the Guide has focused on and its purpose.
Reinforce the value of its content
Nominate other features that might be studied to further the understanding of Entrepreneurship. 300-500
Reference List Group Follow the Library’s Harvard Referencing style guide and list all sources used here. NA
Adopt the following formatting elements for the (entire) Study Guide:
o Pagination – the ‘Introduction’ page is to be identified as ‘Page 1’ on the bottom right hand side. The remaining pages should then be numbered ‘Page 2’, ‘Page 3’, etc.
o Font style – Times New Roman, 12pt, justified, 1½ line spacing. o Margins – top and bottom to be 2.54cm. Left and right to be 2.54cm. No page borders. o Spelling – specify Australian English language/grammar when running your spell-check.
o Writing – grammar and expression must conform to the standards of a professional document.
Individual Component (15 Marks)
Each Key Feature section of the Study Guide will be developed by an individual group member and it will be assessed on an individual basis. The Key Feature sections are to contain the following:
• Introduction. Briefly identify and describe the Key Feature and provide a rationale for why it is an important subject or theme in the study of Entrepreneurship.
• Learning Outcomes. Nominate 2-4 learning outcomes that explain what it is that will be gained from studying this section of the Study Guide. These should be brief (short sentences) set out in dot points.
• Explanation. This is the content that is to be studied with links to appropriate learning materials. Three peer reviewed journal articles must be provided, and the textbook can be an extra (fourth) source. Regarding learning materials, students can draw on a range of sources, including; journal articles, textbooks, websites, videos and Open Education Resources. The same source cannot be used for more than one key feature of the Guide (approx. 300 words).
• Learning Activity: At least one learning activity that will help to reinforce one or more of the stated learning outcomes.
Assignment Schedule
Date Details
WEEK 7
Monday, 15th April By this date students are to advise their group details to their tutor.
Online students, and those on-campus students who have not provided their details, will be allocated to a group.
WEEK 8
Monday, 22th April, 2019 An email will be sent to advise/confirm the group membership details.
Students should immediately contact their group members to introduce themselves and discuss plans for starting the assignment. Important objectives at this stage are:
• get to know each other and build trust
• consider developing a group charter
• discuss possible group member roles
• discuss the project schedule
• familiarise yourselves with the topic,
• identify how to access Open Source/Creative Commons materials (i.e. Open Educational Resources).
During the week groups are to meet with their Project Facilitator to review and confirm their understanding of the project task. It is expected that all group members attend the meeting and that they have carefully read the Assignment Guidelines beforehand. Meetings can be in-person or online.
WEEK 9
April 29 - May 03, 2019 By 11:00 pm (AEST) on Friday, 03 May (the end of the week), a draft of the group’s Study Guide is to be emailed to the Project Facilitator; who will then provide ‘general’ feedback by the end of the following week.
WEEK 10
06 -10 May, 2019 Groups continue with the development of their Study Guide.
WEEK 11
13 – 17, May, 2019 Groups address the feedback provided by their Project Facilitator and finalise their assignment document.
Have it proof-read by a 3rd- party.
WEEK 12
Monday, 20th May, 2019 Project completed, and assignment submitted. One team member submits the group document for the group component. Team members also submit the group document in their individual submissions.