MPM 731 – Business Communication for Managers

Assignment aim

The aim ofthis assignmentisfor you to learn how to read with effective understanding, internalising key facts, analytical insights and concepts and then being able to communicate them in your own words. Remember that you are learning to draw upon sources to support your ideas and claims. Keep in mind that original thought and insightful analysis are required as you synthesise multiple sources to make your argument. Using your sources Since the very essence of synthesis is the combining of information and ideas, you must have some basis on which to combine them. There needs to be meaningful relationships between the material in your sources to make them worth synthesising. It follows that the better able you are to discover such relationships, the better able you will be to use your sources in writing syntheses. Your purpose in writing (based on your assignment) will determine how you relate your source materials to one another. Your purpose in writing determines which sources you use, which parts of them you use, at which points in your paper you use them, and in what manner you relate them to one another.Organise your report logically:

1. State your main argument clearly and make sure that it reflects the focus of your paper.

2. Make sure your main points are clearly stated (use topic sentences), and connect each point to your paper as explicitly as possible.

3. Divide paragraphs logically.

4. Provide appropriate transitions both within and between paragraphs.

5. Develop each main idea thoroughly. Use specific examples and source materials appropriately as support.

This encompasses summarising, paraphrasing and referencing. In addition, you need to consider the layout and presentation ofthe reportto ensure thatitis of a professionalstandard. This includes (but is not limited to) aspects such as the use of professional language, spelling, grammar, formatting and the use of supporting graphics. In addition, where the words and ideas of other authors are included, these should be acknowledged with correct use of the Harvard style of referencing.

Assessment requirements

This assignment is designed to assess your capacity to research a management issue, identify and download appropriate refereed journal articles, read, comprehend, summarise, synthesise and critically analyse the key issues, provide recommendations, and write this up in a lucid business report in your own words.

You are a management consultant called to give recommendations to a Board of Directors of an organisation from the ASX 200 list of companies about how best to respond to issues relating to teamwork and effective communication within the company workplace which, like most Australian workplaces, is cultural and linguistically diverse (CALD).

You required to:

i.) Choose ONLY one (1) organisation from the ASX200 list 

ii.) Use a minimum of two (2) peer-reviewed journal articles published in the past 5 years on the issue of teamwork and the principle of clear and constructive communication to deal with teamwork within the workplace. At least one (1) of these articles must specifically deal with issues of cultural diversity.

iii.)Critically analyse the key points made in these articles.

iv.) Write a business report of 1,500 words to be presented to the Board of Directors.The business report must be written in your own words and must be thoroughly referenced with respect to the articles that you draw upon. The business report must deal with key principles for effective teamwork and communication in a culturally diverse workplace, and provide recommendations.