Essay Question
Summer Semester 2016
‘Many organisations have proclaimed that "our people are our most valuable asset" or something similar. Do contemporary organisations really consider their employees to be an "assets" or is this just rhetoric??' Adapted from Nel et.al. (2017), chapter 2. Discuss.
General advice
The question asks you to discuss the statement. This means that you need to consider all of the views in the academic literature on this topic and, on the basis of the evidence, draw on conclusion as to whether you agree or disagree. You will find helpful advice on how to answer an essay which requires you to 'discuss' in the Essay Preparation and Writing Guide, which is on this Moodle site. In addition, this guide will give you very useful advice on how to organise your ideas, how to organise and structure your written answer, and how to use your own 'voice' and avoid potential plagiarism issues. Please read through the guide before you start on the essay.
The issues in the essay are set out on Chapter one and two of the Nel (2017) textbook. Reading this is a good place to start, as it will give you a good idea of the key issues and the different approaches to them. It will give you some key points to use in your literature research on the topic.
In order to demonstrate a full knowledge of the theoretical issues, you will need to read at least 4-6 academic references in addition to the chapter in the textbook. Academic references include both textbooks and academic journal articles. Academic references are those which have been peer reviewed for quality assurance. These include articles from academic journals and academic textbooks from reputable publishers.
It is always best to use the library database, or the references from the textbook, to choose your material. The best way to find academic journal articles is to use Fed Uni's online library databases which are available to all students. Simply typing in keywords from the question will bring up a selection of relevant journal article which are available on line.
Wikipedia is not peer reviewed, and many other internet sources similarly are not peer reviewed and cannot be verified. This is why you should only use the library database or references from the textbook (which you can search using the library database).
Referencing must be in APA format. In-text citations must be included, as well as a full reference list at the end of the essay.
Please complete a first draft of your essay at least 24 hours prior to the due date and upload it. You will receive a report from the site on the extent to which any sections of your answer 'match' either published material or other student assignments. Take this as an opportunity to revise your answer and resubmit - the section in the Essay Writing Guide on the use of 'voice' in academic writing will be of assistance. If you do not upload a first draft well in advance of the cut off time you will not have the opportunity to make any changes.