ASSESSMENTS

COMPONENT 1: 40% weighting

Group Project- 30%

Individual Report- 70%

Group Project

Your task is to choose a case study relating to a contemporary business issue based on the relevant theme you have been allocated by your tutor. Each group is expected to do a 7-10 minutes presentation to staff and students in your Seminar group.

Each group will be assessed and graded based on the PowerPoint presentation: (Each group member will receive the same grade for the group project).

Note: Remember to give a copy of the PowerPoint to your tutor before the start of the presentation. (See the marking Criteria Sheet for allocation of marks per section)

Presentations would be delivered on the following themes:

THEME 1: Globalisation: free markets or state intervention and impact of Foreign Direct Investment: The impact of Globalisation on Business performance.

THEME 2: Corporate Governance: The effect of corporate reputation on firm performance.

THEME 3: Technology and its implications on Business Processes:

The changing role of technology and artificial intelligence on business processes of companies.

THEME 4: Corporate Social Responsibility: The effect of contributions made by companies to the local economy they operate in.

THEME 5: Innovation: The influence of innovation on firm performance.

Guidance for the Group project- 30%

Contemporary Business Issue analysis of an Organisation

You need to complete a contemporary business issue analysis on an organisation of your choice. The following represents the different elements you will need to consider in this assignment:

1. Identify a key contemporary business issue in relation to your chosen theme.

Conduct a critical analysis in which you clearly identify a specific business issue relating to the theme of your chosen organisation (considering macro-environmental and competitive factors). The contemporary business issue may involve such matters as: technological advancements; political pressure; changing consumer taste; new competition in the marketplace; changing legislation; etc. To

highlight the contemporary business issue, your report should apply a number of the theories and concepts from the course, with justification for their use (10% of total marks).

2. Evaluate your organisation’s ability to respond

In relation to a), you will then need to critically analyse the impact of the contemporary business issue on the organisation’s strategic capabilities and assess their ability to respond to the contemporary business issue you identify. Here it is important that you consider any opportunities, challenges and tensions the issue may cause within the organisation and industry. Examples of such impact may include: changing/emerging stakeholder relationships; dynamics in the operating environment; implications for the value system/resources; implications for organisational culture; etc. (10% of total marks).

A further 5% is awarded on the basis of communication and presentation, and another 5% awarded based on appropriate use of evidence and referencing.

Note: You should choose an organization which is currently active and for which you are able to access publicly-available information in support of the points you make in the assignment. We will discuss the most important considerations in choosing your organisation in the lectures and tutorials.

Guidance for the Individual Report: 70%

SUBMISSION IS ONE WEEK AFTER GROUP PROJECT PRESENTATION

Based on the same question delivered for the group presentation, you will write and submit an individual report of 1500 words (±10% = 1350-1650 words). As this is an individual report, there should be no form of collaboration in writing the report to avoid plagiarism. You are allowed to use materials used in the group presentation.

1. Answer the question

Think carefully about how you structure your work and ensure that it explicitly meets the criteria set out in the assignment brief. Pay attention to the themes and issues set out and check that you have included everything that you need to when you submit the work.

2. Written presentation

Your work should take the form of a written paper of 1500 words (±10% = 1350-1650 words). You should include a word count at the front of your paper. Use headings, diagrams, brief tables if appropriate to illustrate points and to support your arguments. Ensure that these are relevant, based on your reading, and their significance to your argument is clear. The assessment focuses on the documentation of your analysis and discussion of a contemporary business issue in relation to your chosen theme of the company. An Executive Summary, Abstract or other formal additions to the paper are not required for this piece of work, however, a clear contents page may help you structure your work.

3. Citation

You should demonstrate your reading in the subject area through continuous reference to or occasional direct quotations from appropriate sources. Do not simply reproduce diagrams or extensive general information from the textbooks or articles! You should assume that the reader is familiar with any basic theoretical or analytical models you use and will allocate marks for the way you apply them to the question, clearly supporting a line of argument that helps you to answer the question. Where you use direct quotations or show diagrams, try to keep them short and ensure that they make a direct and clear contribution to your argument. Remember: absolutely everything that is not your own idea must be cited appropriately.

4. Style and Content

Your work summarizes your findings and evidence that is relevant to your chosen theme in relation to the business issue of the company. You do not need to make a complete listing of all the analytical and interpretative processes you went through. You should expect, therefore, to carry out considerably more analysis in the process of exploring the contemporary business issue than you will show in your presentation.

5. Combine practical information and academic theory

We will give marks for a well-supported argument and discussion of the question that draws on evidence; applies the evidence intelligently; and shows some insight in drawing conclusions. The aim of the assignment is to evaluate the issues embedded in your chosen theme/business issue of a company, not to descriptively reproduce factual information on a topic area. In order to do this, you will need to look far beyond the company accounts/websites and consider output from academic journals and books, industry texts, business media, and competitor information. Therefore, your evidence base should show that you have done a broad range of reading.

6. Sources of research and case development information

You will find information from a variety of sources, including academic and trade journals, press reports and company- or industry-produced information. Remember to consider the validity of the information and the writer’s viewpoint in the sources that you use in your final text. You should minimize the general descriptive information you include. You should focus on analysis and interpretation of the significant issues you identify, rather than describing them in excessive detail. Remember to credit all sources of information that you use, in your text and in the reference list, following the university’s guidance on referencing and citation conventions.

7. Structure and development

Try to ensure that the structure of your work follows a clear pattern and that the topical headings develop in a way that is appropriate to your line of argument. Ensure that what you write makes a direct and clear contribution to all parts of your chosen theme/business issue of a company and try to avoid including general or irrelevant information in your answers. However, please include appropriate headings, sub-headings and other ‘sign-posts’ so that we can see the direction of your thinking and analysis.

8. Appendices

You may wish to include some additional, contextual information or analysis that you have carried out in appendices. Appendices will not be included in the word-count. They should not act as a ‘dumping ground’ for information you don’t know what to do with. You cannot use appendices to get round the word count limit e.g., saying ‘See Appendix 1 for the strategic analyses! Remember that appendices work well for additional supportive information which shows the work you have undertaken but should not include anything that is essential to your arguments or main answers to the questions. You should be able to write a sound strategic analysis within the word count advised.

COMPONENT 1: PROJECT PRESENTATION -Criteria for Assessment

	A (70% + )	B (60-69%)	C (50-59%)	D (40-49%)	E (35-39%)	F (0-34%)	N/S	Mark Awarded
DEFINITION	EXCELLENTOutstanding Performance	COMMENDABLEMeritorious Performance	GOODCompetent Performance	SATISFACTORYAdequate Performance	THRESHOLDBorderline FAIL open tocompensation	FAILUnsatisfactory	NON- SUBMISSION
SOURCES OFASSESSMENT CRITERIA	IN ALL CASES WITHIN THE LIMITS APPROPRIATE TO THE LEVEL OF STUDY
IDENTIFY A KEY	A clear and logical	A clear	A contemporary	A contemporary	Contemporary	No contemporary	Minimal Effort
CONTEMPORARY	contemporary business	contemporary	business issue is	business issue is	business issue is	business issue is
BUSINESS ISSUE (10%	issue is identified with	business issue is	identified, but	identified, but	not expressed	identified and
weighting)	excellent links made to	identified which links	lacks in clarity in	interpretation is	clearly, and links	reference to the
	the theme of the chosen	directly with the	places, direct	needed in its links	with the theme	theme of the
	organisation.	theme of the chosen	links are made to	with the theme of	of the chosen	chosen
		organisation.	the theme of the	the chosen	organisation are	organisation.is
			chosen	organisation…	tentative.	neglected.
			organisation…
EVALUATE YOUR	Clear and critically	Clear and critically	Clear assessment	Clear assessment	Assessment of	Limited assessment	Minimal Effort
ORGANISATION’S	justified assessment of	justified assessment	of organisation’s	of organisation’s	organisation’s	of organisation’s
ABILITY TO RESPOND	the organisation’s ability	of organisation’s	ability to	ability to respond,	ability to respond	ability to respond,
(10% weighting)	to respond, from rich	ability to respond,	respond, but	but some	unclear, with	with no theoretical
	theoretical depth.	with sufficient	lacking in	justification	justification	justification
		theoretical depth.	theoretical	questionable.	lacking	provided
			justification of
			stance
COMMUNICATION	Clarity of expression	Thoughts and ideas	Language mainly	Meaning apparent	Often ambiguous,	Purpose and	Minimal Effort
AND PRESENTATION	excellent, consistently	clearly expressed.	fluent. Grammar	in most instances,	leading to	meaning of
(5% weighting)	accurate use of grammar	Grammar and	and spelling	but language not	meaning being	assignment
	and spelling with fluent	spelling accurate and	mainly accurate.	always fluent,	barely apparent.	unclear. Language,
	professional/academic	language fluent.	Communication	grammar and	Language,	grammar and
	writing style.		of thoughts and	spelling	grammar and	spelling poor.
			ideas beginning	poor/moderate.	spelling poor.
			to be affected.
EVIDENCE AND	Referencing clear,	Referencing relevant	Minor	Referencing	Very limited	Referencing	Minimal Effort
REFERENCING	relevant and consistently	and mostly accurate.	inconsistencies	present but had	referencing	inaccurate or
(5% weighting)	accurate. Appropriate	Appropriate number,	and inaccuracies	inconsistencies	including some	absent.
	number, all relevant.	most relevant.	in referencing.	and inaccuracies.	inconsistencies
			Some shortfall in	Some shortfall in	and inaccuracies.
			number, most	number, more
			relevant.	than half relevant.
Comments:			Final Grade:

COMPONENT 1: INDIVIDUAL REPORT -Criteria for Assessment

Repetition of academic theory will not attract a high grade. You should aim to identify relevant theories and use these to justify your answers to the questions posed. IN ALL CASES your answers must be applied to the coursework question.

	A (70% + )	B (60-69%)	C (50-59%)	D (40-49%)	E (35-39%)	F (0-34%)	N/S	Mark Awarded
DEFINITION	EXCELLENTOutstanding Performance	COMMENDABLEMeritorious Performance	GOODCompetent Performance	SATISFACTORYAdequate Performance	THRESHOLDBorderline FAIL open to compensation	FAILUnsatisfactory	NON- SUBMISSION
SOURCES OF ASSESSMENT CRITERIA	IN ALL CASES WITHIN THE LIMITS APPROPRIATE TO THE LEVEL OF STUDY
IDENTIFY A KEY	A clear and logical	A clear contemporary	A contemporary	A contemporary	Contemporary business	No contemporary	Minimal
CONTEMPORARY	contemporary business	business issue is	business issue is	business issue is	issue is not expressed	business issue is	Effort
BUSINESS ISSUE (20%	issue is identified with	identified which links	identified, but	identified, but	clearly, and links with the	identified and
weighting)	excellent links made to	directly with the	lacks in clarity in	interpretation is	theme of the chosen	reference to the theme
	the theme of the chosen	theme of the chosen	places, direct	needed in its links	organisation are	of the chosen
	organisation.	organisation.	links are made to	with the theme of	tentative.	organisation.is
			the theme of the chosenorganisation.	the chosen organisation.		neglected.
EVALUATE YOUR	Clear and critically	Clear and critically	Clear assessment	Clear assessment	Assessment of	Limited assessment of	Minimal
ORGANISATION’SABILITY TO RESPOND	justified assessment ofthe organisation’s ability	justified assessmentof organisation’s	of organisation’sability to	of organisation’sability to respond,	organisation’s ability torespond unclear, with	organisation’s abilityto respond, with no	Effort
(30% weighting)	to respond, from rich theoretical depth.	ability to respond,with sufficient theoretical depth.	respond, butlacking in theoretical	but somejustification questionable.	justification lacking	theoretical justification provided
			justification of
			stance
CLARITY AND	The report is	The report is very	The report is	The report is	Poorly written,	Poorly written,	Minimal
PRESENTATION (10%	extremely well	well written,	well written,	satisfactorily	structured and	structured and	Effort
weighting)	written, structured	structured and	structured and	written,	presented at	presented.
	and presented.	presented.	presented.	structured	times. Unclear	Unclear and
	Language is clear	Language is clear	Language is	and presented. A	and confusing in	confusing. Very
	and expressive. Few	and expressive.	fairly clear and	number of lapses	many places. A	large number of
	spelling or	Minor spelling or	expressive. A	in clarity and	large number of	spelling or
	grammatical errors.	grammaticalerrors	number ofspelling or	expression.A significant	spelling orgrammatical	grammaticalerrors
			grammatical	number of	errors	throughout.
			errors.	spellings	throughout.
				or grammatical
				errors throughout.
EVIDENCE AND	Referencing clear,	Referencing relevant	Minor	Referencing	Very limited referencing	Referencing inaccurate	Minimal
REFERENCING(10% weighting)	relevant and consistently accurate. Appropriate number, all relevant.	and mostly accurate. Appropriate number, most relevant.	inconsistencies and inaccuracies in referencing.Some shortfall in	present but had inconsistencies and inaccuracies.Some shortfall in	including some inconsistencies and inaccuracies.	or absent.	Effort
			number, most	number, more
			relevant.	than half relevant.
Comments:		Final Grade: