MANAGEMENT EMPLOYEE RELATIONS – ASSIGNMENT 1 (RESEARCH ESSAY)

Weighting: 30%

Word Length: 2000 words

Due Date: 2 weeks after Lecture (for example, if you do assignment on Labour Markets in Week 6 than your assignment is due Week 8)

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

The purpose of this assignment is to research in depth one of the Discussion Topics associated with the Content Webpage for each lecture. For example, ONE of the Discussion Topics from Week 6 is the following:

As we discussed in the lecture,

The decades between 1950 and 2010 were associated with a steady decline in the percentage of working age males in work and a steady increase in the percentage of working age females in work. Increased female employment was associated with both low-paid insecure work (retail, hospitality) and high-paid secure work (education, health care). Since 2010, we have seen major steps to improve female employment – unpaid paternity leave of 12 months; guaranteed right to return to work, paid paternity leave.

Given the recent initiatives to improve female employment – and the deliberate strategy of large private and public entities in seeking to redress “gender imbalances” – we would expect female employment to increase in percentage terms. This has not happened. Why do you think this has happened? What strategies do you think would improve female – and male – labour force participation?

So, in this case, the assignment involves answering the questions given in relation to the above information.

Range of Reading to be Wide: The purpose of the assignment is to encourage students to engage in in depth research. This should involve both SECONDARY SOURCES (i.e. books, journal articles, etc) and PRIMARY SOURCES (i.e. Australian Bureau of Statistics Labour Force Survey, ABS Characteristics of Employment survey, Australian Council of Trade Union reports, Work Bank Reports, Reserve Bank of Australia reports ,Fair Work Commission decisions and research reports, https://www.fwc.gov.au/resources/research etc.). At a minimum, one would expect at least ONE PRIMARY SOURCE and SIX SECONDARY SOURCES will be used. It is expect that students will explore this information IN DEPTH.

Critical analysis: There is a tendency for students to cite and summarise information uncritically, repeating what one source indicates without critical evaluation of the sources. This leads to people arguing one thing in one paragraph and something totally contrary in the next.

Have a Clear Argument: Essentially you are answering a question or a series of questions, so you need to have this in mind. You should be able to provide an answer to this / these question/s in one or two sentences. A summary of your argument should be found in both the introduction and conclusion.

Referencing Style: You should use a recognised referencing system and stick to it. The preference is for either APA in-text referencing or Chicago footnote referencing.

MARKING CRITERIA (SUMMARY)

Extensive Research (10 Marks)

Students are expected to explore their topic area in depth via extensive readings of both PRIMARY sources and SECONDARY sources. At a MINIMUM, it is expected that ONE PRMARY and six SECONDARY sources should be used.

• Primary Sources: By primary sources, we mean forms of evidence that are collated by a body typically seen as impartial which researchers then interpret in their secondary research. Forms of primary research include:
  • Australian Bureau of Statistics Labour Force Survey Reports
  • Australian Bureau of Statistics Characteristics of Employment, Australia, Reports
  • ABS, Census Reports
  • Fair Work Commission – Awards, Enterprise Agreements, Research reports
  • Reports by the Reserve Bank of Australia, Commonwealth Treasury, World Bank, International Monetary Fund.
  • Melbourne Institute, Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey – note the 2018 Report is posted on the course website under Content – Week 6.
• Secondary Sources:
  • Secondary sources primarily consists of evidence that is published in academic journals and books.
  • For each week a list of essential readings is provided.
  • You need to expand upon this research.
  • NOTE: on any given topic there are invariably major DIFFERENCES of opinion and a DEBATE. It is important that you are able to convey the key issues that are being debated and where researchers agree and differ.
• TOTAL readings: The minimum expectation for each week is one primary source and six secondary sources.

Critical Analysis (10 Marks)

On the basis of their in-depth research students need to be able to indicate the following:

• What are the major issues that are being debated in relation to your topic?
• What are the major points of research difference?
• What are the sources of evidence used to support the differing research opinions in the field?
• Which viewpoint do you find most convincing and why?

In your critical analysis it is important that you do more than merely summarise the information that you have researched. You need to provide critical analysis. This must involve:

• An introduction that sets out (a) a summary of the key facts relating to the topic. For example, if you were doing your assignment on Labour Market Issues than you would refer to levels of male employment, female employment, key initiatives to encourage employment such as Paid Parental Leave (b) a BRIEF summary of the key debates in the field (c) a clear statement of what it is that you are arguing in your paper.
• An outlining AND a weighing up or evaluating of the evidence presented, both in the form of primary and secondary sources. It is NOT enough to simply summarize, you must evaluate.
• A conclusion that highlights your findings.

Demonstrated Knowledge of Topic Area (5 Marks)

It is expected that each paper will show a ground grasp of the information and research relating to their topic that both encompasses what we discuss in the lecture and which goes beyond it. It is expected that this demonstrated knowledge will be indicated through:

• Discussion of long-term and short-term trends in relation to their topic. For example, if you were discussing trade unionism than it is expected that you can point to (a) the process of union decline (b) current trade union membership and density (c) the status of trade unions under the Fair Work Act.
• The major research works in the topic area and how this research has developed and changed over time.
• The sources of evidence that has informed debate.

Writing Skills and Referencing (5 Marks)

It is expected that papers will be well-written, free of spelling and grammatical errors and correctly referenced.

In terms of writing the following is recommended:

• An introduction of roughly two paragraphs that introduces the topic, the major debates and the key argument that the paper will pursue.
• That the body of the paper develop a logical argument as it progresses from paragraph to paragraph. Note: a paragraph is typically 12-20 lines in length and encompasses a single point that is intelligible even if we read the paragraph in total isolation from the rest of the paragraph.
• A conclusion that summarizes the main findings of the paper

In terms of referencing it should be noted that there is no single “correct” referencing system, but rather a number of different referencing styles, each with their own distinct rules. Correct referencing is, nevertheless, an important research skill, and students should accurately follow ONE referencing style. They may wish to indicate the style used in a footnote on p. 1 of their paper.

MARKING CRITERIA

MARKING CRITERIA

MARKING CRITERIA