MBCC 2034 | Public Relations Management

School of Communication and Creative Arts

Department of Communication and Media Studies

Bachelor of Communication (Hons) / Bachelor of Communication (Hons) Public Relations

Assignment Brief 1

Subject title: Public Relations Management

Subject code: MBCC 2034/MBCC 2034N

Nature of Assignment: Individual Written Assignment

1. Topic: Opinion paper

2. Deliverables

This is an individual assignment and worth 10%. A basic requirement is that the assignment should show a high degree of professionalism in both content and presentation. Your assignment must be based on academic writing format. Therefore, references and citation will be required. You must include at least five different resources for referencing.

This assignment is to be submitted on the deadline specified in this brief. You are to write a minimum of 1500 words and maximum 2000 words on your topic of choice or from the suggested topics. Make a convincing evidence-based argument for why you have taken this position.

What is an opinion paper?

An opinion essay is nothing more than an essay that focuses on a single opinion. You pick a point of view that you re either in support of or against, and that s all you focus on. Your supporting information will all contribute to that one point of view.

In contrast to an argumentative essay, a persuasive essay, or a pros and cons essay, the opinion essay focuses on one opinion. There are no counterpoints. There are no contrasting points of view. There s no comparison of advantages and disadvantages.

Opinion essays are all about persuasion. These are essays that are written with a view to ensuring that whatever you do, you are in a good position to explain your ideas, your concepts and everything else about your paper to someone as though they had no prior idea of what you are talking about. Therefore, you must be rather articulate when you are working on this particular task

The first thing you ll have to think of when writing an opinion essay is a topic. It can be something pretty simple and opinionated, which means that you will not need to research a lot of information.

Nevertheless, opinion essay is still an academic paper, which means that any idea you prove should not be left without evidence from respectable academic sources. So, you ll have to research to support your idea.

Also, remember a couple of standard tips on choosing a topic for an opinion essay. For a start, it should be something you are passionate about. And, of course, your opinion on the subject should be pretty strong - that s the best way to ensure your work will be convincing and interesting to read.

Next, do not go for overly broad subjects. Even though the span of the topic will mostly depend on the length of an essay you are about to write, it is still advisable to choose one particular question and stick to it in your work. This will give a paper an excellent flow and will make it easy to read.

Finally, make sure the topic you choose can be supported by some factual evidence. As we have already mentioned, it is an academic paper, and any academic paper should be backed up by previous research on the subject.

How to write an opinion paper?

Step 1: Find Your Topic

Finding a topic might be the most difficult part of writing an opinion essay because the whole essay hinges on a single point-your opinion! Find something that really interests you or that you feel strongly about.

Get your imagination going with these simple prompts :

ï¿½I believe that ï¿½

ï¿½In my opinion ï¿½

ï¿½It seems to me thatï¿½ï¿½

Step 2: Construct Your Outline

Hereï¿½s an example:

1. Paragraph 1:

Introduction. Use a hook to engage your audience
Introduce your topic and provide 3 reasons for my opinion
Thesis statement (my main opinion)

2. Paragraph 2

Topic sentence includes your first reason

Develop the first reason by giving supporting examples, facts, and statements

3. Paragraph 3:

Topic sentence includes your second reason
Develop the second reason by giving supporting examples, facts, and statements

4. Paragraph 4:

Topic sentence includes your third reason
Develop the third reason by giving supporting examples, facts, and statements

5. Paragraph 5:

Conclusion. Restate your thesis
Give a brief summary of your reasons

Example:

Mobile phones at school

Nowadays more and more students bring their mobile phones to school. While I believe that students should carry mobile phones in case of an emergency, I am strongly opposed to phones being used at school, particularly in the classroom.

Firstly, many students travel to and from school without their parents. Therefore, it is important for them to have a mobile phone in case they need help or have an accident on the way to school or home.

Suggested Topics.

It is best that you decide on the topics of your choice. A topic that you are passionate about or have strong opinion about it. However, if you cannot find a topic of your choice, you may select the topic below:

Covid-19 pandemic forces education to be online. Will this widen digital divide? What should we do?
Are companies in Malaysia paying attention to climate change?
Are schools allowed to take actions against students who translate their individual identity through popular culture such as body tattoo or body piercing?
What is your opinion about LGBTQ+ equality at workplace in Malaysia context?
Privacy invasion. Should the use of CCTV in curbing crime be thrown out as it invades peopleï¿½s privacy?
Climate change and global warming. What is our role to stop global warming?
Social networking and the restrictions. Should social network be restricted to under age children?
Should the government of Malaysia ban TikTok?
Are Malaysians ready to live in the new normal?
Why perfect grades arenï¿½t everything?

Requirements:

Essay is saved as Microsoft Word format.
Essay is named as ï¿½StudentID_ProgrammeName_MBCC2034_September2021_Assignment1ï¿½ (0130020_UCOMM_MBCC2034_September2021_Assignment1)
Submit into Google Drive folder > Upload. Make sure that you have your own folder.
Attach the grading scheme, course work submission form and turnitin report after ï¿½Referencesï¿½.

Format:

Single column
Justify text
Double-spacing
11 point Arial font
Add page numbers in the footer of your essay

All assignments are to be in softcopy and submitted on the deadline to the lecturer with a front cover:

Subject Name
Student name and ID
Assignment Description
Deadline

NOTE:

Assignment must be submitted on Turnitin 24/48 hours before uploading it on Google Drive.
Do not attach the front cover, marking rubric and assignment submission form with your essay on Turnitin as it will increase the similarity percentage.

3. Plagiarism

You are encouraged to use the APA format for citations and referencing (https://apastyle.apa.org/). Other standardised formats are acceptable as long as all full details of source including author, title, publisher and year are fully cited. For websites, the date of access and link should also be cited. Failure to cite sources or copying is considered plagiarism and students will be penalised. Plagiarism is considered academic misconduct and, such, will be severely penalized. Plagiarism involves using the work of another person and presenting it as oneï¿½s own. These rules of plagiarism apply whatever the source of the work relied upon may be, whether printed or other medium. Plagiarism is defined as any unacknowledged use of ideas and material produced by someone other than the writer him/herself.

The following rules apply:

Any information taken from any source must be cited.
If you copy the words (more than 3 words in the same sequence) from the source, this is called a direct quotation. Quotation marks ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ must be used and this must be cited.
If you re-write or summarize the information in your own words, this is called a

para-phrase.

ï¿½No quotation marks are necessary, but the source must be cited.

Turnitin

To avoid plagiarism you are required to use the Turnitin program.

What is Turnitin?

Turnitin is a web-based electronic system designed to locate and report similarities between the form and content of student assignments and other material. When a studentï¿½s work is submitted to the site, advanced research technology checks it against current and archived Internet content. It also matches submissions against a database containing millions of past and current assignments by other students at thousands of institutions in more than eighty countries.

What you need to do?

Log on to Turnitin and login using the following access code:

Class Id: 31645058

Password: MBCC2034

Originality report must be 10% and below. Please ensure that you attached the report with the assignment.

4. Grading Scheme

4. Submission Date

Deadline: Friday, October 15, 2021

Time : 11.59pm

Late submission

Deadlines are important in PR. All due dates for assignments, once set are final. Late submission will be penalized. Extensions will only be granted on medical or compassionate grounds under extreme circumstances, and will not be granted because of work or other commitments. Requests for extension must be made in writing to the lecturer prior to the due date. All late submissions granted by the lecturer must be attached with relevant documents.

If you are late without prior permission, I reserve the right to give you a lower grade or refuse to accept it.

As a PR practitioner, it is unprofessional to submit an unfinished product. As you prepare your assignments, anticipate difficulties such as computer problems, Turnitin failure etc. Excuses will translate into loss of reputation and business in the profession.

PR is a copy quality business. Accuracy, spelling, grammar and overall presentation will be evaluated as part of your grade. You must proof-read assignments carefully. Do not rely on spell check.

Blog