Length and format: 2500 words

Submission: Uploaded to MySCU

Weighting: 50%

Report background

The objective of this final assignment is to integrate the knowledge you have accumulated

during your studies and assist you in reflecting on your current learning. The report provides

an opportunity to express and illustrate the level of knowledge acquired throughout your

degree and indeed from your most recent internship experiences. It integrates your reflections

during your placement into a cohesive report that showcases your overall learning and

professional development achieved throughout your degree. Additionally, you have the

opportunity to make recommendations for future course and internship advancements.

A key component of your report is the Personal Impact and Reflection section. The

importance of reflective practice for management professionals is well-documented (see for

example Richert 1990; Schön 1996; Carson & Fisher 2006). ‘Reflection has been described as a

process of turning experience into learning. That is, a way of exploring experience in order to

learn new things from it’ (Boud 2001, p. 10). It is therefore an ideal way in which to explore the

learning outcomes of internship placements.

In the workforce, reflective practice is when managers critically evaluate their surroundings

and the events in which they are involved from different perspectives. Rather than seeing such

events as closed chapters, effective managers consciously take time out to evaluate past, present

and future work-related scenarios, considering their intuitive responses and actively searching

for valuable lessons and means of improving future professional performance. Your search

should involve reference to relevant theories and readings from your university studies as well

as industry journals and databases which can be accessed online through the University

Library. Integral to this process is recognising that reflection often involves exploring

challenging events in order to gain insight and understanding (Boud 2001). It is during such

reflection that you will become more aware of the synthesis and synergies between your

theoretical learning and real-life practice as you consider how theoretical learning is applied

and adapted in your internship workplace.

Often it is not until towards the end of your placement during a forced or voluntary reflective

period that you begin to realise the full extent of your learning and achievements. Taking the

time to do this is an important part of the learning cycle, and development of your critical

reflection skills will improve your potential as a manager.

Your report should include the following:

Executive Summary

Remember that an Executive Summary of a report is just that, a summary. It contains a

statement of report purpose and an overview of the actual and specific findings. Generally, it

should be no longer than one page and does not count towards the word limit of your report.

Assessment | 11

The Executive Summary can only be written after you have completed your report. Write in

past tense (e.g. The purpose of this report was to …). If an Executive Summary is well written

the reader should be able to understand the main points, findings, and conclusions of the

actual report without having to read the full report. Be sure to check the Executive Summary

Quick Guide for tips http://scu.edu.au/teachinglearning/

download.php?doc_id=12780&site_id=301&file_ext=.pdf

Contents

A contents table helps set the context for the reader and allows them to easily locate key

sections for reading or re-reading. Use the heading ‘Contents’ rather than ‘Table of Contents’

as this is the modern and more commonly accepted publishing convention. Ensure that each

heading number, heading and page number are included and professionally laid out. The

easiest and most professional way to achieve this is to use the Word feature that automatically

creates a contents table for you.

1.0 Introduction (250 words approximately)

Introduction to the report, indicate what you will be talking about and in what order.

2.0 Overview of [insert organisation name here] and Internship Placement (650 words

approximately)

2.1 Organisational Background (add sub-headings as appropriate)

• Include name of organisation and dates of placement.
• Present a brief overview of your organisation including its vision, core business and major

target markets (use your own words – do not cut and paste from the Internet or company

documents and ensure you accurately acknowledge all sources of information through

correct referencing technique).

• Describe the organisational structure and its impact on productivity. What changes (if any)

would you recommend?

• How would you characterise your company’s organisational culture and what impact does

this have on staff morale and job satisfaction?

2.2 Roles and Responsibilities during Internship Placement

Briefly outline what you did during your placement. (A position description may be attached

as an appendix.)

3.0 Personal Impact and Reflection (at least 1500 words)

In this section, you are required to provide insights into your professional growth as a result of

your placement experiences and course. Considering your experiences and expectations from

your placement, critically self-reflect on how this course and placement have impacted on your

learning and future career aspirations. Use the following as a guide to structure your

reflections:

3.1 The Role of Values, Beliefs and Assumptions

To what extent and how or why did you change or reassess your values, beliefs and

assumptions during the course of your internship? Link your discussions to relevant theory.

3.2 Examining Political, Cultural and Social Realities

To what extent did issues of power and politics; cultural realities; and social realities impact on

your placement experiences and learning? Link your discussions to relevant theory.

3.3 My Most Valuable Lessons

• What were your most valuable learning experiences in the domains of Knowledge, Self and

World? Link your discussions to relevant theory.

12 | MNG73005 Internship A (Session 3, 2016)

• Did you achieve the learning goals/objectives that you set in your Learning Plan? If not,

why? (Update the learning objective table from Assessment 1 and include as an Appendix.)

• How has your learning impacted on your future career goals and plans?
• How would you rate your overall internship performance (complete the Internship SelfEvaluation

form available from the Assessment link of the MySCU site and include as an

Appendix).

3.4 Recommendations for Whole Degree and Work Integrated Learning program

What recommendations can you make for the overall course and/or Work Integrated program

(including the Professional Development for the Workplace unit and the internship)?

4.0 Conclusion (100 words approximately)

Conclude and summarise the report.

References

Appendices

General notes

• Your report should be professionally presented and follow a formal report writing format.
• For the purposes of this assessment it is acceptable to use the first person (i.e. I, my, me).
• A minimum of ten well-integrated references are required in this report.
• The 2500-word length excludes your Executive Summary, your reference list and any

appendices.

• Reports should be word-processed and all pages should be numbered.
• It is your responsibility to ensure that you have all the appropriate resources and materials

to successfully complete the major report.

See the MySCU site – Assessment link – for the marking criteria of all assessments.