Sample MGT605 Business Capstone Project 2A Report

MGT605 Business Capstone Project 2A Report Sample

Context:

In Assessment 1, you proposed to tackle a problem or to explore an opportunity of your choice. In Assessment 2A you must produce a final report of the outcomes of the work you have done as per the proposal you made in Assessment 1.

Instructions:

This submission should be in the appropriate format required for your context and workplace. If your report is a Marketing Plan, a Business Report or New Venture Proposal it should be in the usual format and if your report is an academic paper then you will use the commonly accepted format. It should be presented as part of an overall package consisting of a form of presentation and supporting documentation. The supporting documentation may follow a report format, or it may be a set of supporting appendices that are referred to in your presentation submission. The two will be reviewed together and need to relate to each other and fit together. The submission should be a result of following the steps/method that you laid out in the proposal that you submitted in Assessment 1, and must include a reference list with a minimum of 6 academic sources presented in APA format.

Your reference list must be in the format of an Annotated Bibliography detailing why and where you have used each reference.The APA 7th Edition referencing guide can be located in the Academic Writing Guide at http://library.think.edu.au/ld.php?content_id=1882254

Your final report must use and list a minimum of 6 references books & peer-reviewed journal articles) to theoretical literature sources. You must make sure that all factual statements are referenced. You may have up to 20 data source references (newspaper article, trade publications, websites, company documents, government reports, online databases, social media, etc.). Unless it is a seminal author, use recent literature sources preferably less than 10 years old.

Solution

Introduction

COVID19 is one of the most impactful aspects in the higher education industry all over the world. Many educational institutions including colleges and universities have faced uphill challenges in catering to the overall cognitive development of the students in several ways. The impact of online education has not been up to the desired mark as well (Mele, Russo-Spena & Kaartemo, 2020). For Assignment Help, The division into the virtual teams and initiatives for the change management processes have always been important so the situations could be properly brought under control. This paper will highlight the concept of leadership and innovation through the higher education industry on how innovation in online studying could help out the students. Apart from that, the outcomes of the virtual teams while studying online would also be measured. It has to be said that the impact of COVID19 has completely dismantled the progress of the world and forced everyone to shift their processes in the virtual teams.

Aims of study

A new design of higher studies could be created through the online approach. The impact of change management in higher education could be evaluated. The role of leadership in higher education could be evaluated. The students in higher education will be able to apply new solutions to their existing problems. The students will be able to understand the depth of the problems in virtual learning. The students will be able to remember the approaches through which they can get successful in online classes.

Literature Review

Changes in pattern of higher education

According to the critics, it has become very important that higher education should be regarded as one of the most crucial aspects for the growth of the students. It is the role of the leaders in the higher education industry to promote something innovative that will help the students in better learning. Various new aspects of learning are coming through and online platforms are offering free or paid courses to the students. These courses are offering certificates that will help them to get better jobs indeed (Mele, Russo-Spena & Kaartemo, 2020).Moreover, the preparedness of the teachers to go through digital learning should also be measured for the benefit of the students. It seems that most teachers are not friendly or familiar with the digital learning process and taking classes online through platforms like Zoom, Google Meet or others.

The Federal Government also has to take the stand to finalize when and how they are going to reopen the schools. Otherwise, this habit of online learning forever will have negative impacts on the students. Lockdowns have proven the insufficient infrastructure for the schools and they believe it would be one of the greatest challenges for the students to cope up with these habits (Scull et al., 2020).The socioeconomic conditions of the students also matter over here. It is because the students must have smartphones or laptops and an active broadband connection so they can participate in the lectures. Unfortunately, many parents have lost their jobs due to the rise of COVID19 and they are struggling to provide these important things to their children.

Role of the Federal government

The government has to prepare a guideline on how the educational organizations should act as per the new situations. They have to help out all the needy people so the education system does not halt. The educational policies must be prepared for the benefit of the common students. The socioeconomic differences should not create a barrier in the learning process at all. The funding for digital learning should be provided by the Government to deprived classes for the smooth flow of education.
The change management process in education is equally important like all other industries. It has to be kept in mind that the dynamic changes tend to revolutionize the entire process of education and bring forth the growth of the students (Pobegaylov, 2021).The educational growth of the students will need to be undertaken so the COVID19 does not entangle the growth. There are several processes where virtual teams could become very handy. Leadership in the education industry is really important in Australia since the marginalized sections are needed to be pushed more (Khan et al., 2021).They are still among the classes who are not able to gain the proper education at all. This is the reason why the leaders of educational institutions have to be proactive and innovate new processes to educate children. In this time of crisis, higher education should be more creative.

Innovation in higher education

The innovative teaching methods should be applied since students are only familiar with the physical classrooms and interact with their teachers face-to-face. They will need some time to get adapted to this. The leaders in the education industry have noted the biggest challenges in conducting the examinations (Koopman & Koopman, 2021). As there are no classroom exams with invigilators, the students might opt for cheating as they are giving their exams from home. This is the reason they had to customize the technology to make sure that students are not cheating at all(Pobegaylov, 2021).All of these measures could prove to be immensely helpful in future studies. The virtual teams have effectively helped the teachers to be proactive and learn lessons through online modes. Still, some challenges will need to be mitigated (Sundarasen et al., 2020).It is very clear from the experience over the past 18 months that innovation will drive the future higher education industry.

This is why all people should be very much active in providing the blueprint for restructuring the higher education industry (Ismaili, 2021). The leaders of the universities have to sketch out the perfect plans on how these change management processes will take place for the benefit of the students. Moreover, the introduction of these virtual students could help in better one-to-one learning opportunities. Some critics have also notified the fact that online students can also pursue part-time jobs in their leisure time (Koopman & Koopman, 2021). They can implement their knowledge and skills very well since they are learning still now. They can help their families and support them during these critical times. The national economy will also be boosted through this.

Research methodology

In this study, the focus has been to study various changes that have been witnessed across the higher education sector in Australia in the wake of covid-19 outbreak. During the year 2020, it was observed that both the students and teachers had to work and learn from their respective homes. Lockdown measures imposed by the government to contain covid-19 virus had caused white scale destruction across the education sector. Therefore a detailed analysis about various possibilities and challenges that have emerged duty covid-19 have been done by carrying out secondary data analysis where different journals, books, magazines, and company websites have been used to collect data. Interpretivism research philosophy has been found to be beneficial as it involves selection of small sample size as well as it is beneficial for carrying out qualitative or quantitative analysis. Exploratory research design will be followed to develop meaningful findings and present them in a logical sequence.

It is important to note that the study has followed a deductive research approach. Existing theories and models have been used to analyse the current situation of work delivery structure in the higher education sector. Along with this, relevant information and data has been collected to analyse the impact of each possibilities and challenges ahead of the Australian higher education sector in the coming future. Researcher has followed all the necessary at the ethical guidelines and consideration to ensure that only the relevant and valid information is presented in the study.

Data Findings and Analysis

The study has been conducted according to the qualitative and secondary analysis. Several articles have been compared to find out the challenges on how the situation could be made better despite all of these challenges. The research philosophy of interpretivism has been used in this paper to assume the difficulties caused by the COVID19. It has been found that the Australian universities are set to lose a revenue of around $19 billion by 2023 due to the impact of the pandemic. Many children challenged by their socioeconomic conditions had to leave the universities also(Ismaili 2021). This has always been one of the biggest problems why the pandemic has created barriers for better studying. The studies have also found out the numbers of student enrolments have decreased as well. It was around 4,608,520 during 2019. On the contrary, it has dropped down to 708,671 in the month of May 2020. This shows the unforeseen negative impact on the higher education industry.

Due to being unable to buy smartphones and having a stable internet connectivity options, many students of marginalized sections had to leave their studies also. Though the classes are taking place online, but classroom teaching creates more influence in the minds of children (Koopman & Koopman, 2021). The international flight restrictions have been very challenging for all these students to come back to Australia. The higher education industry is believed to be the fourth largest export in the country.

The studies have revealed that it contributes an amount of $40.4 to the Australian economy (Scull et al. 2020).When the studies were being conducted, the statement of Catriona Jackson, the CEO of Universities Australia was observed. It says “Universities estimate that more than 21,000 jobs are at risk in the next six months, and more after that”. The impacts are indeed deep since revenue generation has suffered a major blow along with employment opportunities in the universities(Pobegaylov, 2021).

It is no doubt that the students should be provided with the best kind of positive learning experiences. This is the reason they must be bringing in new creative aspects into the whole sphere of studies. Surely the educators have described several new options through the digital mode of learning (Ismaili 2021). Therefore, they will look to follow them and include the marginalized sections of Australia as well. These are the only ways that can give positive leverage to the Australian economy in the future.

Different Challenges and Possibilities That Rose Due To Covid-19 in Work Delivery Structure

Possibility: Growing acceptance towards online study

Covid-19 has taught people to work from home, learn from home and various other activities. It has been analysed that students are now accepting online study methods even if it is not a preferred method in their respective institutions. It has been noted that several Universities and institutions have transitioned from campus based courses to online delivery so as to enable students to experience and enjoy the benefits of online study (melbourne-cshe, 2021). This particular aspect has become a major possibility after covid-19 and even large institutions in Australia across higher education systems have made the shift. Although, it is expected that online course delivery will be considered inferior as face to face delivery among certain students. However, this particular perception may potentially change once the workforce is able to improve their quality and capability of offering a wide range of learning opportunities.

Challenge: Diminishing capacity of government to invest in higher education

It has been analysed that covid-19 situation has not just been a public health crisis, but, has also economically damaged several countries', companies and enterprises. Governments across the world are struggling to manage their revenue, thereby, leading them towards reduced funds as well as the challenge of vaccination, ensuring robust public health systems and other expenditure (melbourne-cshe, 2021). It has been realised that future governments will have less capacity to invest in the higher education sector. Several citizens have raised the demand to increase expenditure on public policy and public service delivery across health care and school education.

Possibility: Reorganisation of universities and entire workforce

Covid-19 has introduced sudden and serious changes in the higher education sector so much so that it has been realised that Universities and other higher education providers will have to progressively reorganize the activities and workforce to a certain extent.

The massive disruption that was observed during the 2020 has raised challenges for the workforce and other staff workers employed in the higher education sector. It has been realised that various casual staff workers and others employed on short-term contracts will have to seek employment opportunities outside the sector. Student demand has also changed significantly during the covid-19 for different courses and because of the shift towards online delivery methods (melbourne-cshe, 2021). This means that universities will have to rethink the number of staff workers required in different areas, as there is a change in the skills requirement.The nature of academic work has significantly changed in the past one year, emphasizing the role of learning designers, educational technologist and study support staff.
Future implications on higher education sector

Uncertain future due to COVID19 in Australian higher education

It has been analysed that covid-19 has called high uncertainty around future opportunities for research collaborations. Because of restricted international travel and a more shift towards on and communication, several questions have been raised regarding research systems and its ability to cope with new challenges (melbourne-cshe 2021). It is expected that there will be less number of collaborations and reduced opportunities among researchers. Along with this, because of reduced government funds and capacity to support projects, there will be decline in the number of new ideas and collaboration.

Analysing the impact of growing student acceptance towards online study, it can be said that Australia is currently unevenly positioned. Several universities have already developed their sophisticated modes of online delivery while some are still at the forefront of online education provision. Several of them have partnered with MOOC massive open online courses that form to transform their educational delivery methods (Mupenzi, Mude, & Baker, 2020).It is expected that the entire situation will be advantageous for Australia as it has close proximity with Asia Pacific countries, thereby, having a shared time zone. This will enable synchronous communication service and support.

Reorganization in the structure

The impact of reorganization of universities and the workforce may have future implications since the next generation of academics and researchers digress towards other careers. There is the risk of permanently reduced capacity in the coming years in research and development areas (Martin, 2020). It has also been anticipated that Australia may observe decline in its expertise in certain specific areas and lose its valuable Natural resource. Since, there would be lack of opportunities and research, thereby, students may prefer to move towards other international locations for higher education.
The impact of uncertainty around research collaboration would mean that the Australian higher education sector would witness slow growth International collaboration, there is a possibility that it may stagnate for coming years (Nash& Churchill, 2020). This would have long-term implications on the Australian higher education sector advancement in various research fields in Australia.

Conclusion

On summarising important points discussed above it can be said that leaders have played a very important role in the higher education sector to promote innovation as well as meeting all challenges during the covid-19 pandemic. Agility and flexibility adopted by educators have been highly crucial to enable continuous learning for students from remote places. The Australian government has taken proper note of the current situation and its influence on the higher education sector, thereby, it has promoted proper training among the workforce as well as connected assessments. The government has released new guidelines for universities to reduce challenges and barriers. It has been observed that various new possibilities and challenges have emerged with covid-19.

Recommendations

According to Thatcher et al, (2020), it has been stated that sudden closure of all universities in the wake of covid-19 had caused unprecedented transformative changes in the delivery of education. As discussed above, it can be said that the Australian Higher Education sector has been rethinking its strategy and education delivery model as a response to the covid-19 induced changes. Many universities and institutes adopted remote learning methods, however, it was affected because of substantial challenges. Currently, a vast number of Universities and institutes have opened up across different states and territories. In order to prepare leaders for the future, it is highly important to address ongoing professional development needs. Every University and Institute is required to operate in an accelerated digital environment, where it becomes necessary to provide all digital resources and related training to the workforce. This will significantly help in supporting critical teaching skills.

Secondly, in order to function smoothly in the post covid world, it is important that workforce across universities should develop and reinforce the importance of agility and leadership skills. These are considered to be too important hallmarks of success. During the covid-19 pandemic, it was the agility and leadership skills among the workforce which helped them to navigate the challenging time. Since, the future will continue to involve various social challenges, therefore, leadership and agility will be crucial.

It has been learnt that the overall education outcomes have been declining in Australia. However, the covid-19 pandemic has brought changes across the entire sector empowering the workforce to look for new ways and solutions (Thatcher et al, 2020). This particular situation should be capitalised by encouraging front line educators to act collaboratively and flexibly to ultimately lead to better learning outcomes for students. Therefore, universities and institutes should prioritise workforce wellbeing and sustainability to develop a more resilient workforce as well as reduce attrition rates.

Considering the impact of low government capacity to invest in the higher education sector, it would be that the modest scale of the Australian government package for universities will have the least prospect of supporting domestically focused universities. In the immediate term, universities will have to look for other areas together with necessary funds and resources (Ewing, 2021). It is also expected that universities may choose to increase fixed term contracts as well as casual employees rather than employing highly paid permanent academics for research and teaching. It is also expected that the Australian government make choose to introduce a radical policy option by introducing higher student fees, targeting equity and other support programs separating research funding. While universities in Australia will have to look for methods to reduce outlay in the immediate term so as to restructure their business model.

References