Topic conclusion
Assignment preparation
OK, on with Assignment 1. What you need to do now is extract the relevant information obtained to date throughout this topic and start to compose your first assignment – the Introduction to your selected event and your Project Definition. Your Subject Outline contains the Assignment 1 guidelines and also a copy of the marking criteria/sheet that will be used to assess your assignment. Take a moment now to look through these and acquaint yourself with the assignment requirement and marking sheet.
The first assignment contains two parts. Part A contains the introduction and description of your selected event. Part B contains your project definition and the identification and explanation of sources of information you will use in your project. The project definition is similar to what you have done in previous assignment work within earlier subjects.
Let us briefly review the project definition components:
Project aim
The aim is a general statement of the purpose of the project.
Project objectives
The objectives describe in more detail the specific goals of the project. They are those things that must be achieved to satisfy your Aim. Objectives should be achievable and realistic, mandatory (if a specific objective is not achieved, then the aim has not been satisfied) and measurable (you can provide evidence that the objective has been achieved).
Project authority
The authority refers to the source of permission for the project and production of the final report (Assignment 2).
Project scope
The determination of an appropriate scope for your project is critical to the success of any research activity. If the scope is set broadly you may find that you will not have the time to complete the project satisfactorily. On the other hand if it is too loose then you may stray into areas and topics which are not related to your project, its Aim or Objectives.
Remember, you are setting the parameters for the analysis of the pre-impact and impact phases of your selected event, as you did in the case study earlier in this topic. You need to explain to the reader what constitutes your pre-impact and impact periods and it would be useful to explain why you have made this decision. Your scope should also include identification and explanation of any geographical, temporal (time), social, organisational and emergency management limitations within your study.
Project context
The Context will vary for all of you, and will depend upon the event you have chosen, where it occurred, possibly the agency/organisation for which you work, those who might benefit or suffer as a result of your analysis of the event and a number of other variables. Some questions that you might answer to better describe your context are:
- Who are the stakeholders? i.e. who could benefit or suffer from your analysis of the chosen event and how?
- Are there any applicable legislation, regulations, policies or procedures that will influence how you analyse the event?
- Could your own organisation or an organisation you have affiliation with, benefit from your analysis of the event? If so, how?
- Are there any political, economic, social or cultural circumstances or issues that might influence the analysis of the event?
Relevant history
This enables you to detail similar events that have occurred prior to your selected study event. This may involve events occurring in the same location or under similar conditions in other locations.