MQBS3010 – Agility & Excellence in Business

Assessment – Reflective Essay

Weight – 20%
Due – 11:59 pm, 9th August via Turn-It-In on iLearn
Format – 1,000 word essay and 1 A4 peer-review document – submitted as one
PDF with the last page being the peer-review document.
Word count: 1,000 words (+/- 10% with no penalty) and 1 A4

The peer-review document is not to contain any information that is not already in
your 1,000 word essay. It is to be a summary.
The purpose of the peer-review document is primarily for sharing with your team
members in Week 3 and onwards – so that they get a snapshot of what skills and
experience you bring to the team. The peer-review document can take any format
you wish – infographic, resume, CV, table, a combination, or any format – be
creative!
The peer-review document should display your name clearly.

A capstone unit is a final-year unit in a degree program, that brings together the knowledge you
have gained throughout your degree and looks forward to the future. As such, the first thing that
you need to do is to reflect on your journey so far.
To complete this assessment task, you must first go through and compete the ‘Reflection
Module’ on iLearn. Applying the knowledge gained from this module to write your reflection
will impact on your performance in this assessment task.
Throughout your reflective essay, you are to provide evidence. This evidence may
include photographs of events, or screenshots of your work in previous units, or any form of
evidence that backs-up what you are trying to convey.
Please do not use an appendix. Please use a reference list that begins on a new page with
the heading “Reference list” – this is not included in your word count.
If you are using evidence of work from a previous assignment, please do not cut-and-paste the
work, as it will impact on your word count of this assignment – perhaps you may want to include
a brief quote, or a screenshot of a page of your previous work, and size it to be about one-quarter
of an A4 page.
If you do not have access your past assignment responses, you can use the question as evidence
instead.
Your reflection should be about your formal university studies, but it may also include extra-
curricular activities that you have participated in during your time at university.

Dr Prashan S M Karunaratne, FHEA

After you submit this assessment
Based on your reflective essay, your timetable, and your choice of majors, you will be placed into
teams for the rest of the unit. The rest of the unit and the rest of the assessments will be based
on teamwork. You will be sharing the 1 A4 peer-review document with your team
members. The purpose of this is to complete the learning outcomes of the unit:

• ULO1: Integrate discipline specific knowledge and skills and apply subject knowledge critically,
analytically with appreciation of cross disciplinary requirements.
• ULO2: Identify and analyse issues from a variety of ethical and sustainability positions as applied
to the business context.
• ULO3: Reflect on outcomes of working in multi-functional teams to apply teamwork knowledge
and skills for effective collaboration to achieve business solutions in a range of contexts.

For the rest of the unit, you will be reflecting on each other’s work, as well as bringing all your
knowledge together to solve a business problem.

Task (continues to page 4)

Write a reflective essay, that looks back at your learning so far, keeping in mind that your end
goal is to be an agile and excellent business school graduate. When looking back at your journey
during your time at university – you are to consider the Macquarie University Graduate
Capability Framework:

Source:
https://webcentral.mq.edu.au/teaching/curriculum_assessment/curriculum_design/graduat
e_capabilities/

You are to use at least the 4 main themes in the outer circle (Scholarship, Engagement,
Sustainability, and Ethical Practice) of the above diagram as sub-headings in your reflection,
you may use more sub-headings if you wish. Again going through and completing the ‘Reflection
Module’ on iLearn will enable you to address how to write your reflective essay under each of
these themes.

Dr Prashan S M Karunaratne, FHEA

When writing your reflective essay and looking to the future – being an agile business school
graduate, you are to consider: The Business Agility Institute’s Domains of Business Agility.
You may incorporate these ideas within the sub-headings of Scholarship,
Engagement, Sustainability, and Ethical Practice – in any way you wish.

Source:
https://businessagility.institute/learn/domains-of-business-agility/

Dr Prashan S M Karunaratne, FHEA

When writing your reflective essay and looking to the future – being an excellent business school
graduate, you are to consider the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
You may incorporate these ideas within the sub-headings of Scholarship,
Engagement, Sustainability, and Ethical Practice – in any way you wish.

Source: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/?menu=1300

You are to specifically address at least one of the goals: 3, 5, 7, 9, and/or 11 in your reflection.
Remember, a reflection critically looks at your past achievements, as well as encourages you to
look forward to improving yourself in the future.

Dr Prashan S M Karunaratne, FHEA

Marking Rubric
Evidence for development or demonstration of graduate capability (5 / 20)
For the evidence presented in the reflective essay:
Level 1: All or most of the following… Exceeds
Expectations
• Evidence clearly demonstrates identified capability or improvement in identified
capability.
• Comprehensive reflection for identified capability – learning from the past and
looking forward to the future.
• Any limitations or disadvantages of the piece of evidence are discussed; and/or there
is discussion of possible better alternatives.
Level 2: All or most of the following… Meets
Expectations
• Evidence demonstrates identified capability or improvement in identified capability.
• Valid reasons given for selection of evidence.
• Some reflection is present.
Level 3: All or most of the following… Unsatisfactory
• Evidence is presented but does not demonstrate identified capability.
• Inadequate or no reasons provided.
• No evidence is presented.

Analysis and reflection on self-assessment and the nature of evidence (15 / 20)

Level 1: All or most of the following… Exceeds

Expectations
• Critical reflections – accurately describes and analyses ideas; questions root
causes, assumptions (at many levels). [How did it come to pass? Why? What
if?]
• New ideas, insights or generalisations presented; integrates knowledge from
other sources/experiences; presents valid conclusions based on evidence
and/or experience.
• Report is carefully organised and can be easily followed by the reader. The
writing is clear, the language is appropriate and there are no grammatical of
spelling errors
Level 2: All or most of the following… Meets
Expectations
• Analytical reflections – provides descriptions and (possible) explanations;
some attempt to uncover assumptions, but limited in scope. [What? Why?
How?]
• Some conclusions and/or generalisations presented; synthesis of some
aspects of experience.
• Organisation is evident in the report but is not completely developed.
Improvements in clarity of writing, use of language, grammar and spelling
are needed.
Level 3: All or most of the following… Unsatisfactory
• Mostly descriptive, with no/little attempt to uncover assumptions behind
ideas.
• Inadequate evidence of synthesis of thoughts and/or experiences; ideas are
random or unrelated; few conclusions or generalisations are presented.
• Report is not well organised, is unclear, uses inappropriate language and/or
has grammatical or spelling errors.

Dr Prashan S M Karunaratne, FHEA

Dr Prashan S M Karunaratne, FHEA