Purpose: To introduce you to conducting research, writing and referencing within
organisational management.
Business Report
The CEO of the global Hawkeye Research Corporation wants to improve the way in which
training and development is conducted in the organisation. To enable this, the CEO
needs a Report written that is to be called “Critical Individual Factors for Enhanced
Organisational Learning”. It is to be authored by you, the Head of Human Resources.
The Report must contain four sections addressing:
1. A brief explanation of what the brain does when it learns
2. Improving brain functioning for learning – practical steps
3. Optimising individual adult learning
4. Enhancing workplace learning
In addition to more general but reliable information, you must also look at research
evidence on each of the above to come to a well-argued position, taking care to relate
your findings to the operational workplace. Your Report should conclude with
Recommendations about what Hawkeye should do to improve training and organisational
learning that should lead to greater organisational capability.
The Report is to generate a clear list of Recommendations flowing from your research
findings. This may include investment in specific types of programmes for employees or
other activities you think appropriate. You may make additional recommendations
regarding further research that might be needed to form a more fulsome understanding
of other factors that would have a positive effect on making learning at work better.
In writing the Report look at least at the academic literature on how adults learn, how
the human mind can be made more ready to learn, how cognitive functioning can be
enhanced and the negative effects of alcohol, opioids, “ice”, cannabis and other drugs on
short and long-term brain function, and the impact of such substances on the ability to
learn and perform in the workplace.
You do not need to draw up a budget or an implementation schedule for your
Recommendations at this time. That is not within the scope of this Report.
Be sure to indicate the limitations of your Report, given its relative brevity.
The Business Report you attempt must demonstrate your ability to target suitable
research and reference correctly using credible sources including internet, published
books and at least six reputable journal articles on the topic.
It is important that your sources are credible and that you write the Business Report in
the standard Business Report format as shown in one of your textbooks. You will need
to find out about business report structures yourself as well as hearing about them in the
two hour weekly meetings.