Report Structure A reminder: on the title page, please type your name, student number, tutor’s name and the topic title. Executive Summary The executive summary needs to provide an overview of the whole report. The executive summary outlines the purpose, research methods, your findings based on your research, and main conclusions (200 words max – not part of the word count). Introduction In your introduction outline what you are going to do and the position you are adopting - please use your introduction as a map to cover the points you outline sequentially in the body of your report to stay on track. An introduction needs to include: · the purpose of your report · key terms that need to be defined · context & background rationale (analysis of existing literature on the topic and how your project contributes to the field). You also need to set limits on the research by identifying what you are going to cover and sticking to it (your road map). The Study Method Here you should outline how you went about collecting your data. You should explain and justify aspects such as: · How many people you interviewed · Their characteristics (e.g. age, occupational background, student, retiree, etc.) · The average length of the interviews · When the interviews were conducted · How you went about your data analysis (e.g. thematic approach). The Findings In this section you will present your findings from the analysis of the interview data. You may choose to do this in terms of ‘themes’ found in your interviews, or a ‘narrative’ approach which tells the ‘stories’ of your research participants. You will want to present selective direct quotations that are illustrative of key themes which emerged from your data analysis. Remember, you do not need to present everything that your interviewees said. Be selective. When writing this section, think about: · Does every reference to the data speak to the theme that I am discussing? · Am I adequately telling a ‘story’ or simply summarising? · Have I included a good combination of quotes and description? · Have I focused on quality themes discussed in depth over a large number of themes that are briefly discussed? Discussion Together with the findings, this is the most important aspect of the report. In this section you need to discuss your findings in relation to the existing literature/research on your chosen topic. Your analysis and arguments must all be supported by your references - every comment you make that presents as a fact. Assertion or argument has to be substantiated with a good reference that is cited or quoted in the text. Marks are lost for unsubstantiated opinions. In fact, your opinion is not sought here. What we are interested in is your capacity to synthesise and communicate well-researched information and relate it to your own research findings. As you are writing your discussion, think about questions such as: · What does the research tell us? · How does our research findings relate to existin.

1. Report Structure
A reminder: on the title page, please type your name, student
number, tutor’s name and the topic title.
Executive Summary
The executive summary needs to provide an overview of the
whole report. The executive summary outlines the purpose,
research methods, your findings based on your research, and
main conclusions (200 words max – not part of the word count).
Introduction
In your introduction outline what you are going to do and the
position you are adopting - please use your introduction as a
map to cover the points you outline sequentially in the body of
your report to stay on track. An introduction needs to include:
· the purpose of your report
· key terms that need to be defined
· context & background rationale (analysis of existing literature
on the topic and how your project contributes to the field).
You also need to set limits on the research by identifying what
you are going to cover and sticking to it (your road map).
The Study Method
Here you should outline how you went about collecting your
data. You should explain and justify aspects such as:
· How many people you interviewed
· Their characteristics (e.g. age, occupational background,
student, retiree, etc.)
· The average length of the interviews
· When the interviews were conducted
· How you went about your data analysis (e.g. thematic
approach).
The Findings
In this section you will present your findings from the analysis
of the interview data. You may choose to do this in terms of
‘themes’ found in your interviews, or a ‘narrative’ approach
which tells the ‘stories’ of your research participants. You will
want to present selective direct quotations that are illustrative

2. of key themes which emerged from your data analysis.
Remember, you do not need to present everything that your
interviewees said. Be selective. When writing this section, think
about:
· Does every reference to the data speak to the theme that I am
discussing?
· Am I adequately telling a ‘story’ or simply summarising?
· Have I included a good combination of quotes and
description?
· Have I focused on quality themes discussed in depth over a
large number of themes that are briefly discussed?
Discussion
Together with the findings, this is the most important aspect of
the report. In this section you need to discuss your findings in
relation to the existing literature/research on your chosen topic.
Your analysis and arguments must all be supported by your
references - every comment you make that presents as a fact.
Assertion or argument has to be substantiated with a good
reference that is cited or quoted in the text. Marks are lost for
unsubstantiated opinions. In fact, your opinion is not sought
here. What we are interested in is your capacity to synthesise
and communicate well-researched information and relate it to
your own research findings. As you are writing your discussion,
think about questions such as:
· What does the research tell us?
· How does our research findings relate to existing research?
· Does our research support, challenge or find something new in
regards to existing research?
· Is there a theory that our research ‘speaks’ to?
Conclusion
This where you write what you have concluded based only on
your research – this is where you can base your opinion on your
research and express an opinion. The conclusion is not a
summary. You may wish to make recommendations here based
on your findings, and you should consider both the limitations
and areas for further research arising from your research.

3. References
Use the Harvard referencing style following the College of
Business’ style guide
(https://www.dlsweb.rmit.edu.au/bus/public/referencing/index.h
tml). The Library Easy Cite referencing tool will provide you
with assistance http://www1.rmit.edu.au/library/easy-cite. The
style we use is RMIT Harvard. There are examples and tutorials
on this page. Your references will not be included in the word
count.
You must reference your interviews and should cite them as eg
(Former bakery worker, 17 March 2017) with the date being the
date that you interviewed the person. Below are some examples
on how to reference your interviewees in the Findings section.
There was a general consensus amongst the workers that that
technology had reduced the amount of time consuming and
mundane work they were required to perform (Retail worker A,
2018; Retail worker B, 2018; Health worker, 2018). As one of
the participants put it “technology has meant that I no longer
spend my time compiling patient statistics by hand. The data
now is produced automatically every week” (Health worker,
2018).
Longer quotes of say more than 25 words should be indented
equally on both sides and the “” omitted eg
…. community and campaigning there and in the process
reinvigorating the union.
We need to redefine what it is that the unions are actually
capable of helping people to live. We need to find out what
people want in their future and help them get there. That's why
it's a really exciting time to be in the unions because it's like
the phoenix rising from the ashes. Thirty years it's the same
attacks and now we're suddenly getting a bit okay let's redefine.
Let's regroup, redefine, re-engage, it's a perfect time it's
brilliant (Unions Workshop, 25 February 2015)

4. The unions had faith in their structures, the good sense of their
members and their history …..
Appendices
In your appendices, include your interview questions and the
transcript of your interviews. This will not be included in the
word count.
Font and spacing: Times New Roman, font size 12, space and a
half.
Other tips
· A report is not an essay. Its purpose and structure is very
different. Check out the resources on Canvas on report writing
· Your report will not turn out very good if you do not analyse
the data before writing it up. Analysis is the key to making
interesting and compelling findings
· Your report is presenting your research, so your audience will
not have as much knowledge of the topic as you (consider this
as you write it up)
· There is nothing wrong with contradictions in research
findings. Embrace them!
· You are not summarising your interview findings. You are
analysing them and thinking deeply about what your
interviewees say and what it means
We interviewed five incumbents. These people come from
different fields of work with different work experiences and
ideas. We analysed the characteristics of each interviewee and
their answers to potential questions. We see it as the impact and
development of skills at work. Interviewees between the ages of
21 to 35, both male and female genders. The characteristics of
each respondent are described in detail in Table 1.1 below.
Table 1.1
Patricia’s Interviewee

5. Harry’s Interviewee
Vanessa’s Interviewee
Wade’s Interviewer
Khalid’s Interviewee
Interviewees’ Name
Yu Hu
Chen Xiaoli
Diana
Bruce
Lourdes De La Arena Mena Anaya
Age and Gender
35 Years Old, Female
27 Years Old, Female
28 Years Old, Female
21 Years Old, Male
27 Years Old, Female
Occupation
Accountant
Accountant
Seller
Server
Accounts Payable Specialist
Type of Company
Medical Private Business
Banking Institution in China
Fashion Retail Company Now
Work in Crown Casino
Faurecia - Automotive Enterprise
Education Level
Skills & Qualifications
High School
Managing Corporate Finance
Communication Skills

6. Accounting Certificate
Accounting Degree
Marketing Skills
Planning Skills
Market Research Skills
Keen Market Insight
Communication Skills
High School
Sales Skills
Communication Skills
High School
Cook Skills
Sale Skills
Finances Degree
Nationality
Chinese
Chinese
Korean
Chinese
Mexican
Findings
We have interviewed five family members or friends regarding
their opinions of skills impact on their occupation. Since the

7. occupations and working experiences are varied, they have
different attitudes towards the research questions as follows.
· Question One: In a technologically advanced environment,
people are concerned about automation replacing their jobs. At
the same time, the demand for skill person in enterprises are
increasing. Do you think automation will affect your job?
What kind of skills are enabled to further develop in the
enterprise?
Yu Hu’s opinion: From her words, the automation would not
affect her current occupation significantly although some
techniques and application will assist her calculating some
difficult equations. However, automation could not take the role
of dealing with the relationship between the industry and
employers.
Chen Xiaoli’s opinion: As an accountant working in banking
industry, Ms. Chen think the application of automation has been
affecting her job in many perspectives. In fact, she has obtained
more benefits from the automation, which outweighs the risks.
Meanwhile, she has indicated that human beings still take the
lead regarding communication process and handling unexpected
problems.
Diana’s opinion: On one hand, Diana has committed that
automation has brought huge changes to her jobs. In order to get
familiar with the new operation systems, she needs more time to
study extra computer skills. On the other hand, employees still
play an important part in the organization because most of the
daily tasks and communications are handling by human.
Bruce’s opinion: Bruce has some different opinions on
automation. He thinks automation will definitely take place of
basic workers. With the assistance of technology and automated
robots, company will no longer hire basic workers. As the
result, Bruce may worry that his job will be replaced.
Anaya’s opinion: On Anaya’s perspectives, automation could
take her place while doing some basic and duplicated tasks.
Therefore, she could concentrate more on developing extra soft
skills such as leadership and entrepreneurship.

8. · Question Two: Most of employers are looking for core skills
person. How are technical skills impacting your job？What is
specific skill required in your position？
Yu Hu’s opinion: Yu Hu has admired that some technical skills
are important for her daily tasks. Due to the nature and
responsibility of her position, she needs to identify and verify
huge amount of transactions per day. With the assistance of
programs and software, Yu Hu has more confidence on catching
up with the current new challenges and business trend.
Chen Xiaoli’s opinion: Chen has admired that technology has
been resolving the difficulties and saving much time. For
instance, the application of social network has extended the
connection with clients and workmates.
Diana’s opinion: The most significant technical skills should be
computer skills and administration skills. For example, Diana
must know how to write a report through email and write it with
a proper format in computer. The specific skills required in my
position is kills to operate the relevant computer software, and
knowledge in company enterprise system.
Bruce’s opinion: Contrarily, Bruce possesses different opinions
regarding the significance of technological skills. He prefers
studying soft skills rather than learning too much technical
skills. In fact, Bruce needs more soft skills during his work
compared to technical skills.
Anaya’s opinion: Anaya thinks highly of technical skills
especially when dealing with complex and duplicated tasks. In
Anaya’s position, the most relevant skills should be making
good use of enterprise resource program.
· Question Three: Do you think it is important to acquire
transfer skills? Do you have the opportunity to use this skill in
your work?
Yu Hu’s opinion: On Yu Hu’s opinion, it is important to master
transfer skills when facing challenges and competition. In a
highly competitive environment, employees could response to
the problems more effectively. The more transfer skills you

9. have, the more diversity employees will have at work.
Chen Xiaoli’s opinion: Chen has emphasized that under such
competitive circumstance, people may need to switch different
roles and become multi-tasking than before. Moreover, as
different clients have different needs, it is better for employees
to transfer themselves into different roles when handling
different clients. Only through this way could the business
attract and fulfil more clients’ needs.
Diana’s opinion: Diana has indicated that mastering more
transfer skills could provide more future opportunity to make
use of skills. More importantly, transfer skills could help
employees catch up with the latest fashion trend, which is an
important sense for sellers.
Bruce’s opinion: On one perspectives, Bruce has admitted that
mastering transfer skills has many benefits such as broadening
the horizons and improving the personal competitiveness.
However, as a basic worker, there is not enough time for him to
study too many transfer skills.
Anaya’s opinion: Anaya has a strong willingness of being a
good future leader. As the result, in order to become a leader
and to develop further in any position, it is completely
necessary to acquire this type of skills. In addition, transfer
skills is a basic technique to enhance the teamwork cooperation.
· Question Four: Why are non-technical skills (generic skills)
important to everyone at work?
Besides transfer skills and technical skills, it is discovered that
non-technical skills seem to be emphasized several times by our
interviewees. The forth question aims to explore the
significance of generic skills.
Yu Hu’s opinion: Many companies require employees to have
generic skills, because today's work requires flexibility and the
ability to perform many different tasks. In order to improve
efficiency, companies will require employees to solve problems,
respond to processes, and make decisions. Eventually,
employees with these specific skills have great advantages in
the labour market.

10. Chen Xiaoli’s opinion: Generic skills not only important in
work but also in life. Employees could not prevent themselves
from communicating with colleagues, clients and their
managers. Thus, good understanding and communication skills
are essential. If an employee fail to acquire adequate generic
skills and communication skills, he/she may fail to cooperate
well in the organization.
Diana’s opinion: Diana also agreed that mastering generic skills
is important for employees. Typically, listening, understanding
and speaking clearly are important for those workers in selling
position.
Bruce’s opinion: In service industry, soft skills seem to be more
significant than other technical skills. Therefore, employees
will spend more times on cultivating their soft skills rather than
studying too many technical skills.
Anaya’s opinion: Currently, enterprises are not only looking for
people who knows how to do things, but also looking for a
person who can transfer these technical skills to others.
Therefore, soft skills has become more and more significant.
· Question Five: If you are a manager, would you recruit
employees with personal attributes (soft skills)? Which
personality do you most want to recruit?
Yu Hu’s opinion: Whether the manager will hire the employees
not only depends on his/her soft skills, but also technical skills.
Employees with the right personality will have an easier time
integrating into the office and working with their colleagues.
Chen Xiaoli’s opinion: It is widely acceptable that people with
more professional skills and communication skills would be the
best talents for future organization.
Diana’s opinion: Personal attributes are important in working.
Especially for a teamwork, soft skills like communication skills,
attributes like outgoing personality and good manners will be
ideal skills.
Bruce’s opinion: Bruce has agreed and emphasized that
communication skills will be the initial personality which
employers will be looking for.

11. Anaya’s opinion: Anaya will first look for multi-tasking person
with different types of generic skills.
Discussion and Analysis
According to the interview mentioned above, it is generally
demonstrated that different interviewees have different opinions
on the skills impact. Such conflicts are mainly due to the
difference of culture, education level and most importantly, the
nature of position.
In this case, we have interviewed five incumbents, three people
have possessed high school educational level and the other two
have the bachelor degree. All of them has agreed that both
technical skills and soft skills are of great significance to their
career and have changed the industry dramatically.
Interestingly, all of them have willingness to improve their soft
skills in order to tackle the future challenges. Accordingly, the
extent of educational level does not seem to be the main factor
to alter the attitude towards skills impact. Nevertheless, soft
skills have become more and more significant to employees and
business.
Secondly, our interviewees have different attitudes towards
technical skills since they have different job position. In most
cases, our interviewees have emphasized and agreed with the
opinion that technology has become widely used and has
affected their job. With the replacement of technological
application and automated robot, some duplicated and complex
jobs have been handed out. (Crosbie, 2005) Interestingly,
interviewees who possess a basic job position (sellers and
server) have outweigh the generic skills. Due to the position
nature, they have more chances to get in touch with customers
and communicate with them. Therefore, it is better for those
people with basic job responsibility to know more about soft
skills rather than precise technical skills. (Litecky, Arnett and
Prabhakar, 2004) As the result, it is concluded that the
difference of job position has affected the attitude towards
career development.

12. Last but not lease, we required each candidate to present the
ideal skills they would like to have or the preferred skills which
manager might think highly of. All the interviewees have listed
a few specific technical skills, which match their position. Most
importantly, more and more candidates tend to emphasize the
concentration on developing soft skills such as communication
and multi-tasking. (Mitchell, Skinner and White, 2010) Those
soft skills could not be replaced by the implementation of
automation and technological system. As the result, it is
required that employees and basic workers not only possess
their specific technical skills within their job responsibility, but
learn more about the useful transfer skills and generic skills.
Reference Lists:
Crosbie, R. (2005). Learning the soft skills of leadership.
Industrial & Commercial Training, 37(1), 45-51.
Litecky, C. R. , Arnett, K. P. , & Prabhakar, B. . (2004). The
paradox of soft skills versus technical skills in is hiring. Journal
of Computer Information Systems, 45(1), 69-76.
Mitchell, G. W. , Skinner, L. B. , & White, B. J. . (2010).
Essential soft skills for success in the twenty-first century
workforce as perceived by business educators. Delta Pi Epsilon
Journal.