Assignment 2

Length:    1500 words

Requirement:

Prepare a report on the current state of the Australian economy and its management by the Federal government. You need to do this by examining the four economic indicators of economic growth (GDP), unemployment, inflation and trade (including the terms of trade, the current account, net foreign debt and the value of the Australian dollar). In your report you are expected to outline the target values for these economic indicators as well as the trend in these economic indicators over the last 10 years. Finally, you should outline the current macroeconomic policies of the Federal government and RBA where you think these policies may relate to these four economic indicators and comment on whether you see these policies as suitable in the present economic environment.   Given your analysis, you are expected to conclude your report with policy recommendations to achieve targeted economic growth, unemployment, inflation and trade outcomes.

Presentation of report

The report should not exceed 1500 words. This word limit does not include the abstract, tables, graphs and reference list.

The report should be word processed using a font size 12 with 1.5 line spacing.

Structure of report

Your report must include:

• an appropriate title
• an abstract (sometimes called an executive summary) summarising the report
• an introduction in which you briefly explain what you are going to address in the report and why
• the body of the essay broken into sections (section headings are appropriate)
• a brief conclusion that should summarise your analysis and your predictions and recommendations
• appropriate referencing and a reference list as required.

Although the requirements for presentation and structure may appear pedantic, they are not. In the business world you may often find yourself involved in writing a report - perhaps even for multilateral and government organisations such as the IMF or OECD. We suggest that you devote some time to developing this skill. Your future career can only be enhanced by your ability to communicate effectively in writing