Value: 10%
Length: 2 pages (maximum)
Group Assessment: No
Submission method options: EASTS (online)
TASK
Scenario
As a senior executive officer you have presented at the virtual Policing Futures Conference. Your peers have provided feedback on your presentation and now your Commissioner/Minister has heard of your work and has requested an executive briefing paper on the topic you presented.
You are required to prepare an executive briefing paper outlining your assessment of the realistic potential implications posed by your chosen scenario and making recommendations on future directions, strategies or policy in response to the issue.
Your executive briefing should demonstrate an executive level understanding of the subject area and include:
- Realistic potential implications from a strategic rather than operational level.
- Evidence from a variety of sources.
- Acknowledgment of and response to alternative viewpoints.
- Recommendations aligned to the organisational and political context in which they are made.
RATIONALE
This assessment task will assess the following learning outcome/s:
- be able to investigate, analyse and synthesise the broad body of knowledge of the history and context of leadership in law enforcement and security, including relevant developments overseas
- be able to demonstrate mastery of the key theoretical underpinnings in leadership generally, public sector leadership, and law enforcement and security leadership, and critically reflect on the impact of these on professional practice
- be able to demonstrate an ability to analyse the contextual influences on leadership in the law enforcement and security contexts and to develop a strategic leadership approach capable of being communicated to a range of professional and high level audiences.
- be able to plan and execute a substantial piece of scholarship which demonstrates a capacity to locate and analyse relevant theory and research in the field of leadership in law enforcement and security and apply that theory and research to professional leadership practice
This assessment allows you to develop your capacity for strategic leadership and your ability to:
- Undertake research to analyse and evaluate emerging sector trends.
- Contemplate and effectively express strategic options in response to emerging issues.
- Make sound predictions based on quality evidence.
- Engage with contemporary leadership practices.
MARKING CRITERIA AND STANDARDS
Your work will be assessed against the following marking criteria.
| Criteria | High Distinction | Distinction | Credit | Pass | Fail |
| Issue and background | Clearly states the future directions issue and provides a concise and balanced explanation and justification for the recommended priorities. Insightfully addresses the limitations and implications of your predictions for a specialist audience. Locates, evaluates and syntheses highly relevant information from an extensive range of sources to provide evidence to support the scenario. Synthesises alternative points of view. | Clearly states the future directions issue and explains how the recommended priorities take into account the complexity of the identified challenges. Addresses the limitations and implications of your predictions for a specialist audience. Locates, evaluates and synthesises relevant information from an extensive range of sources to provide evidence to support the scenario. Addresses and responds to alternative viewpoints. | Clearly states the future directions issue and describes how the recommended priorities take into account the complexity of the identified challenges. Discusses the limitations and implications of your predictions for a specialist audience. Locates, evaluates and incorporates a range of relevant information from a range of sources to provide evidence to support the scenario. Considers and responds to alternative viewpoints. | Clearly states the future directions issue and identifies the priorities to meet these challenges. Details the limitations and acknowledges implications of your predictions for a specialist audience. Locates and collates relevant information from a variety of sources to provide evidence that supports the scenario. Acknowledges and responds to alternative viewpoints. | Does not state the future directions issue with clarity. Implications are not identified or addressed. Used information from sources that are unrelated or tenuously related to the scenario. Does not acknowledges or respond to alternative viewpoints. |
| Current position | Demonstrates sophisticated critical research, analysis and synthesis skills to articulate future challenges. Articulates highly sophisticated connections between the predictions and the recommendations. Systematically and methodically analyses own and others’ assumptions. | Demonstrates comprehensive critical research analysis and synthesis skills to articulate future challenges. Articulates a seamless connections between the predictions and the recommendations. Thoroughly analyses own and others’ assumptions. | Demonstrates advanced critical research analysis and synthesis skills to articulate future challenges. Articulates comprehensive, logical and persuasive connections between the predictions and the recommendations. Identifies and questions own and others’ assumptions. | Evidence of competent critical research analysis and synthesis skills to articulate future challenges. Demonstrates a logical and persuasive connections between the predictions and the recommendations. Identifies own and others’ assumptions. | Little or weak evidence of critical research, analysis and synthesis. No connections identified between the predictions and recommendations. Does not acknowledges or respond to assumptions. |
| Recommendations | Develops clear and succinct evidence based recommendations that demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the organisational and political context. Carefully evaluates evidence and perspectives to synthesise into priority order. | Develops clear evidence based recommendations that demonstrate a high level understanding of the organisational and political context. Evaluates evidence and perspectives to develop priorities. | Develops clear evidence based recommendations that demonstrate a deep understanding of the organisational and political context. Considers evidence and perspectives to explain priorities. | Develops evidence based recommendations that demonstrate an understanding of the organisational and political context. Considers evidence and perspectives to identify priorities | Recommendations are unclear, irrelevant and/or have no prioritisation. |
| Referencing and academic writing standards | Follows the required briefing paper structure. The flow of the paper is logical, allowing the reader to follow easily and anticipate the line of thought and arguments. Format standards are consistently applied. The sentence structure, punctuation and grammar are excellent and free from spelling mistakes, jargon or stilted expression. The writing conveys complex meaning in the prediction and recommendations in a clear and concise manner. Referencing complies with all APA 7th edition requirements. | Follows the required briefing paper structure. The paper includes section headings, logical and correct placement of arguments within paragraphs and sections. Format standards are consistently applied. The sentence structure, punctuation and grammar are very good and consistently free from spelling mistakes, jargon or stilted expression. The writing clearly articulates the prediction and recommendations. Referencing complies with all APA 7th edition requirements | Follows the required briefing paper structure. The flow of the paper is smooth and logical. The paper includes section headings, logical and correct placement of arguments within paragraphs and sections. The sentence structure, punctuation and grammar are satisfactory and free from spelling mistakes, jargon or stilted expression. Applies the required format standards. The writing is accurate and conveys meaning in a straightforward manner. Referencing complies with all APA 7th edition requirements. | Follows the required briefing paper structure, but arguments and evidence are not always presented in a logical sequence. Applies the required format standards. The writing is generally clear, but unnecessary words are occasionally used. Few spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors were made. Referencing complies with all APA 7th edition requirements. | Does not follow the required briefing paper structure. Arguments and evidence were presented randomly without any apparent logic (i.e. the reader could not follow the student’s line of thought). Paragraph and format standards not applied. The writing was sometimes convoluted, making it hard to know what was being expressed. Misspelled words, incorrect grammar, and improper punctuation were evident. Referencing does not comply with all APA 7th edition requirements. |
PRESENTATION
An executive briefing provides a summary of facts about a particular issue, and typically includes a suggested course of action. Briefing papers may be prepared for ministers, executives, or chairs of boards, and as such, should be written in easily understood and direct language. In this case your audience is the Commissioner/Minister.
The briefing paper should be structured as follows:
Issue
Provide a single sentence statement of the future directions issue you have identified. (e.g. Cryptocurrency and Future Corruption Risks).
Background
Explain your future scenario as an extension of current and emerging trends with reference to supporting evidence. Express your argument for the future scenario using persuasive logic while detailing the implications that accompany your predictions. Acknowledge and respond to alternative viewpoints.
Current Position
Identify and express the key strengths and weaknesses in the current capabilities of your organisation to meet these future challenges. Where applicable refer to the actions taken by other similar organisations to address this issue.
Recommendations
Outline your recommendations on future directions, strategies or policy in response to your issue. Recommendations must be aligned with the organisational and political context in which they are made.
References
Provide a reference list on a separate page compliant with APA 7th edition referencing requirements.
REQUIREMENTS
The following is guidance for your briefing paper:
The briefing paper must be in MS Word format.
The briefing paper should be 2 pages plus a reference list on a 3rd page.
The structure should include:
- Issue.
- Background.
- Current position.
- Recommendations.
- References.
12 point Times New Roman.
1.5 line spacing.
Text justified left.
One line separating paragraphs.
All referencing must comply with APA 7th Edition referencing requirements.
