SET721 T2 2014 Assignment 2 An economic case for renewable energy Worth (20%) What You Need to Do In the second half of this trimester, we are studying management for sustainability (Life Cycle Management) and design for sustainability (Whole System Design) to determine how sustainability can be incorporated into an organisation’s strategic planning to seek competitive advantage and / or survival. In this assignment you are required to write a report that analyses one of the current major issues receiving significant attention with regard to sustainability: Is there an economic case for renewable energy? This issue was recently a “hot topic” in the news, and you are referred to the following newspaper article for a representation from the media. LETTS, S. 2014. Technology, not regulation, will kill coal fired power [Online]. Online. Available: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-06-04/technology-not-regulation-will-kill-coal-firedpower/5500356 [Accessed 5 June 2014]. I’m allowing some flexibility on specifically what you cover in your report, but it must tie the two themes of renewable energy and economic stakeholders. You must justify any opinions you express with cited data and analysis from multiple independent, credible sources. A list of items you must cover are as follows: ? Focus on the Australian situation with reference to other countries and the global context. ? What is the current situation and what is the future (projected) scenario? ? How can Life Cycle Management be applied? o What can be readily implemented? o What are the greatest challenges? o Use the UNEP Life Cycle Management process detailed in the Core Readings ? Choose a particular type of energy generation and explain how this issue will affect its success in future years. A few suggestions of items you may wish to consider are as follows, but note that you may not have space to address all items. ? Is economic rationalising an effective tool for improving sustainability? ? The influence of business on increasing the availability of renewable energy. ? How can engineers use pricing information to improve sustainable outcomes? ? Is the Engineers Australia Sustainability Charter relevant to the issue? If you have any questions about this assignment or are unclear on what is needed, please post your queries on the Discussion Board within our Cloud Unit Site. Make sure that the analysis you present in your report is your own – not simply a summary of what is presented in source or reference materials. Be analytical and willing to be critical in your report. You may even identify flaws or faults with definitions, policies, procedures, processes, organisations, groups and individuals and it’s helpful to present this (and justify it of course). Remember that the standard of writing is important and that as postgraduate students you are now expected to write at a professional postgraduate level. Write factually and concisely and use the correct terminology. Do not write emotively or use superfluous language. Proof read your document and ensure you check your spelling and grammar. General Requirements for This Assignment ? This assignment is to be undertaken individually by each student. ? The acceptable word count range is 2000 to 2500 words – not including the references section. o Minimum of 2000 words. You are encouraged to write concisely and use close to 2000 words. o Maximum of 2500 words. This gives some extra “room” if needed to adequately cover the issue in your report. Do not use this allowance to “pad” your report with needless writing. Marks will be deducted for superfluous word use. o Word count includes the first word of the first section heading to the last word of the last section in your report (but it does not include the References section, nor the Abstract). ? The submitted report file format must be MS Word and must include a word count. ? Don’t waste time with fancy layouts, colours, cover pages, and so on. Focus on the quality of your written text. Use paragraphs organised into sections and use section headings. ? Use photos or diagrams sparingly and only if necessary in your report. Just use a basic and common text font such as Arial or Times New Roman with at least 10 point font size for body text. Single-spaced paragraphs are acceptable. ? There must be a Reference Section (Bibliography) in your submission which is suitably formatted. Use a suitable referencing style such as the Harvard Style or IEEE. ? Ensure your references include at least 5 relevant and credible sources, at least 2 academic journal articles, and a minimum of 3 sources which were not provided in the Unit resources. ? Do not cite unreliable online resources such as Wikipedia. You can use Wikipedia as part of your research process but always seek verifiable and reliable sources of information to cite in your report. ? Do not cite the study notes for this unit in your report. You can use the reading materials. ? Refer to the Marking Rubric for guidance on how this assignment will be marked. This assignment is worth 20% of the total marks for this unit and it is expected that a correspondingly reasonable amount of effort is displayed in your submitted report. If your work fails to demonstrate a reasonable level of effort in the research, writing, and editing of your report then it is unlikely it will rank well according to the marking criteria. ? A desired outcome of the assignment work in this unit is for you to produce original work that can become part of your individual portfolio. If you keep this in mind it should help with guiding you on what level of effort and what level of proficiency is expected in your submission. ? Don’t be tempted to plagiarise or cheat. If you are unsure what plagiarism or cheating is (or isn’t) then refer to the information on academic honesty and misconduct available on DSO. Submission Deadline ? Friday 19th September 2014 by 11:59pm (to be submitted in the drop box on Cloud Deakin). ? (Drafts will be accepted via the DRAFT dropbox until Friday 12th September.)