COMM5701 | Assessment Handbook | Term 2, 2025
8

Assessment 2: Research Paper


Submission due dates: Friday 8th August by 11.59pm (Week 10)
Weighting: 40% (Individual)
Length: 2000 words (+ / - 10%)
Format: Report

Task Summary:

In this assignment you will analyse two real life case studies applying systems thinking frameworks
and tools, along with the other unit topics, to real world social problems.
Task purpose and requirements:
The purpose of this Research Paper assessment is to conduct a high-level analysis using case
studies and the content learned through COMM5701. You should apply systems thinking
frameworks and tools, along with the other unit topics, to real world social problems. It will
stimulate your thinking around what it means, as well as the steps required to design solutions.
It will encourage a complex understanding of social issues, the systems surrounding them, and
the people they impact.
We will evaluate your ability to analyse and compare the social impact of two real-life case
studies. You will be required to critically evaluate the impact that the initiatives had on the
targeted communities and to draw meaningful conclusions from your analysis.
Instructions:
Choose two real-life case studies of initiatives that have aimed to bring about social impact. The
initiatives can be related to any social issue such as poverty, education, health, environment,
etc. An initiative can be an organisation (in any sector or hybrid) or a specific program or activity
run by an organisation.
• N.B. 1: your two selected cases must be demonstrably working on social impact
initiatives i.e. working on your preferred social issue is not enough; your cases should be
working on a common social or environmental issue with an explicit focus on creating
social impact. This can usually be ascertained by whether there is social Impact reporting
and data available.
• N.B. 2: your two selected cases should have sufficient available public data about their
operations and social impact to evidence the required elements of your report.
• Selection of cases that fail to scope to these two requirements will grade poorly.
There will be opportunities to develop and discuss your case study selection across the term in
discussion forums and webinars, but you should begin scoping an issue of interest and relevant
programs or organisations from week 1 of term.
Conduct thorough peer-reviewed and grey literature research on social impact and the two case
studies, including their background, goals, implementation, results, challenges, and limitations.
Include the following components in your comparative analysis of the two case studies, which
should take the form of a report:



COMM5701 | Assessment Handbook | Term 2, 2025
9
1. Executive Summary: A brief statement, of no more than 200 words, that provides a concise
but informative summary of the report and its findings.
a. Importantly, this is not an essay-style introduction. Executive summaries provide a
concise overview of the main points of a larger report, speaking to the headings of
the report and summarising findings.
2. Introduction: Provide a brief background of the two case studies and clearly explain the logic
of their selection for comparison.
a. At a minimum, systems thinking about the context and social or environmental
challenge should be demonstrated here in this section.
b. Systems thinking, and other unit concepts, should also be more generally
applied throughout the report to effect the analysis, as appropriate.
3. Goals and objectives: Briefly describe and compare each initiative's goals and objectives.
4. Implementation: Compare and explain how each initiative was implemented, including
the methods and strategies used.
a. Additionally identify, compare, and analyse any obstacles and constraints that
each initiative encountered during its implementation.
b. N.B. General description of activities would usually not be enough here. You
should analyse and compare the actual operation and implementation of these
activities. This will require evidence beyond output data on the activities run.
5. Results: Compare and discuss the results of each initiative in terms of their impact on
the targeted communities.
6. Conclusion: Summarise the key findings of your comparative analysis and provide
conclusions regarding the initiatives, solutions, and social impact.

Assessment criteria
A rubric detailing the range of levels of performance for each criterion is provided on the next page.

Criteria Weighting
Executive Summary: Provides concise and informative
summary of the report and findings, following the headings
of the report
10%
Introduction: Identifies the background to the cases and
the social or environmental issue and analyses the specific
context of the two cases with systems thinking
20%

Goals and objectives: Briefly describes and compares each
initiative's goals and objectives
10%

Implementation: Compares, analyses and explains how each
initiative was implemented, including analysis of any obstacles
or constraints faced, and employs evidence of the activities in
practice to effect the analysis
20%

Results and conclusion: Compares and discusses the results of
each initiative in terms of their impact on the targeted
communities and summarises the key findings of the
comparative analysis and provides clear conclusions regarding
the comparative analysis of the initiatives' solutions and social
impact
20%
Depth of research and demonstrated knowledge: Identifies and
competently employs relevant business and social impact
10%



COMM5701 | Assessment Handbook | Term 2, 2025
10
materials, balancing materials from both peer-reviewed
academic sources and grey literature sources and speaking to
relevant COMM5701 themes
Presentation of written assessments: Uses the report format
and conventions to communicate effectively, writing style,
structure, editing, Harvard referencing and word limit
10%




COMM5701 | Assessment Handbook | Term 2, 2025
11
Assessment 2 Rubric

CRITERIA UnsatiUnsatisfactory
(<49%)factory (F)
Pass
(50-64%)
Credit Credit
(65-74%)
DistiDistinction
(75-84%)
is High Distinction
(85-100%)tinction
Executive Summary

10%
Absent or completely
incoherent executive
summary.
Present, with significant
limitations, which may
include more than one
of these: failure to
summarise report and /
or findings and / or to
speak to report
headings and / or reads
like an essay
introduction.
Present and informative,
with no significant
limitations. May include
no more than one of
these: failure to
summarise report and /
or findings and / or to
speak to report headings
and / or reads like an
essay introduction.
Present and effective.
Clearly includes an
informative summary of
the report and findings
and speaks to the report
headings. Does not read
like an essay introduction.
Present and
professional.
Exceptional clarity and
effective synthesis of
summary of the report
and findings and speaks
to the report headings.
Does not read like an
essay introduction.
Introduction

20%
Absent or completely
incoherent introduction
that comprehensively fails
to identifiably address the
two cases selected, the
background to the social
or environmental issue
and fails to employ any
systems thinking.
Present introduction, with
significant limitations. May
include more than one of
these: fails to identifiably
address the two cases
selected and / or the
background to the social
or environmental issue
and / or fails to employ
any systems thinking.
Present, with no
significant limitations. Any
issues with no more than
one of these are minor:
fails to identifiably
address the two cases
selected and / or the
background to the social
or environmental issue
and / or fails to employ
any systems thinking.
Present and effective.
Clearly identifies the
background to the cases
and the social or
environmental issue and
analyses the specific
context of the two cases
with depth of systems
thinking.
Present and
sophisticated.
Exceptional clarity of
background to the
cases and the social or
environmental issue
and analyses the
specific context of the
two cases with
exceptional depth of
systems thinking to
create new knowledge
and insight.
Goals and Objectives

10%
Absent or completely
incoherent
description and
comparison of goals
and objectives.
Present, with significant
limitations to the description
and comparison of goals
and objectives e.g. too long,
not informative, no
comparison, limited
demonstrated knowledge or
understanding.
Present, with no
significant limitations. Any
issues to the following are
minor e.g. length,
comparison, informative,
demonstrated knowledge
or understanding.
Present and effective.
Clearly describes and
compares each initiatives
goals and objectives with
demonstrated knowledge
and understanding.
Present and sophisticated.
Exceptional clarity of
description and compares
each initiatives goals and
objectives with depth of
demonstrated knowledge
and understanding to
create new knowledge and
insight.
Implementation

20%
Absent or completely
incoherent
comparison, analysis
and explanation of
implementation.
Present implementation
section, with significant
limitations. May include
more than one of these:
fails to identify
Present implementation
section, with no
significant limitations. Any
issues to the following, or
other issues, are minor:
Present and effective.
Clearly and demonstrably
compares, analyses and
explains how each
initiative was
Present and sophisticated.
Exceptional clarity and
sophisticated comparison,
analysis and explanation
of how each initiative was



COMM5701 | Assessment Handbook | Term 2, 2025
12
implementation i.e. only
describes activities and / or
fails to compare and / or
fails to use COMM5701
themes to analyse
implementation and / or
fails to identify and compare
obstacles and constraints.
fails to identify
implementation i.e. only
describes activities and /
or fails to compare and /
or fails to use
COMM5701 themes to
analyse implementation
and / or fails to identify
and compare obstacles
and constraints.
implemented, including
analysis of any obstacles
or constraints faced, and
employs evidence of the
activities in practice to
effect the analysis. Uses at
least one COMM5701
theme to do so.
implemented, including
similarly sophisticated
analysis of any obstacles
or constraints faced, and
employs depth of evidence
of the activities in practice
to effect the analysis. Uses
at least one COMM5701
theme to do so.
Results and Conclusion

20%
Absent or completely
incoherent results
and conclusion
sections.
Present results and
conclusions sections, with
significant limitations. May
include more than one of
these: fails to compare and
/ or fails to correctly
distinguish social impact
from outputs and outcomes
and / or fails to employ
evidence of impact to such
a degree that clear results
and conclusions regarding
the comparative analysis of
the initiatives' solutions and
social impact cannot be
drawn.
Present results and
conclusions section, with
no significant limitations.
Any issues to the
following, or other issues,
are minor: comparison
and / or correct
distinction between social
impact from outputs and
outcomes and / or
evidence of impact and
clear results and
conclusions regarding the
comparative analysis of
the initiatives' solutions
and social impact.
Present and effective.
Clearly and demonstrably
compares and discusses
the results of each
initiative in terms of their
impact on the targeted
communities and
summarises the key
findings of the
comparative analysis and
provides clear conclusions
regarding the comparative
analysis of the initiatives'
solutions and social
impact. Demonstrably
understands and
differentiates social
impact from outputs and
outcomes. Uses evidence
and data effectively.
Present and sophisticated.
Exceptional clarity and
sophisticated comparison
and discussion of the
results of each initiative in
terms of their impact on
the targeted communities
and deeply informative
summary of the key
findings of the
comparative analysis and
provides clear conclusions
regarding the comparative
analysis of the initiatives'
solutions and social
impact. Demonstrably
understands and critically
differentiates social impact
from outputs and
outcomes. Uses evidence
and data with depth and
sophistication.
Depth of Research and
Demonstrated Knowledge

10%
Absent or completely
incoherent or
comprehensively
inadequate research.
Minimal but adequate
research.
Minimal research meets
requirements, but perhaps
lacks demonstrated
knowledge.
Good research, using
mostly appropriate
sources, meeting all
requirements.
Demonstrated knowledge
mostly appropriate.
Very good research, using
appropriate sources and
meeting all requirements.
Demonstrated knowledge
approaching mastery.
Excellent research, using
appropriate sources and
meeting all requirements.
Demonstrated knowledge
exceptional.
Presentation of Written
Assessments

10%
Writing style: unclear /
non-academic style;
distracted from content /
readability.
Report structure: poor and
unclear.
Editing: frequent errors of
Writing style: clear and
basic academic style.
Report structure: Mostly
clear.
Editing: some errors with
spelling / grammar.
Referencing: a few errors.
Writing style: generally
expressed complex
disciplinary ideas and
information clearly.
Report structure:
generally coherent and
logical.
Writing style: Consistently
expressed complex
disciplinary ideas and
information clearly.
Report structure:
consistently coherent and
logical.
Writing style: excellent
academic style detailing
disciplinary ideas and
arguments clearly and
precisely.
Report structure: strong,
providing coherent



COMM5701 | Assessment Handbook | Term 2, 2025
13
spelling
/ grammar.
Referencing: significant
errors.
Word limit: did not comply
with word limit.
Word limit: slight deviation
from prescribed word limit.
Editing: very few errors.
Referencing: very few
errors.
Word limit: complied with
word limit
Editing: fewer than two
errors in spelling /
grammar.
Referencing: fewer than
two errors in referencing.
Word limit: complied with
word limit.
arguments, ideas and
information in a logical
way.
Editing: thorough, with no
errors in spelling /
grammar.
Referencing: no errors.
Word limit: complied with
word limit.

学霸联盟