Assessment descriptions

This module is assessed 50% by an individual report and 50% by an end of semester case study under examination conditions.

• Individual report

Assignment: Global trade strategy for a selected industry

Guideline word count: 1000 words (+/- 10%). Excluding references and appendices

Using one industry with which you are familiar and that you have agreed with your seminar leader, propose objectives and strategies explaining the organisation of global trade distribution activities in the sector in question.

Normally the structure should have three sections:

• The strategic objectives of the main cross-border trade flows taking place in your industry, be it on the production/supply chain side or the marketing/customer side
• The main obstacles and barriers to trade faced in organising these trade flows
• The main measures taken by companies in your sector to solve these problems

Discuss your industry in light of the topics studied during the first half of the term and ensure that your work highlights any international barriers to trade that it encounters.
Expectations:
This module is about global trade distribution. Credit will be given for drawing out issues covered in the module lectures illustrated by your industry. You should include a number of references to relevant books, journals, or other sources set out using a name-date (some people call that Harvard) style of referencing and citing, in order to ensure you have good academic underpinning to show your subject knowledge and understanding. The assignment should demonstrate some of your critical and analytical thinking, along with application of academic material to your practical cases. Keep in mind that this essay, along with your final assessment, is used to assess your achievement of the module intended learning outcomes and Level Descriptors for your level of work, which is Level 5.

• Individual case study under final exam conditions
The exam is a 2-hour examination of an unseen case study. There will be a choice of questions to apply to the company that you have chosen after agreeing this with your seminar leader.
Assessment Criteria
When you submit an assignment or answer exam questions, remember that these works of yours are the primary evidence of your learning for this module, in terms of both the module learning outcomes (they are in the module description above) and the Level 5 descriptors (these are set out below).

Marking is done in terms of generic marking criteria and a specific marking scheme for this module.
Generic Marking Criteria
The generic marking criteria for this module can be found in the ‘Assessment’ section of Blackboard.
Module Assignment Marking
Subject to the generic marking criteria, assignment marks are awarded for contribution to the module learning outcomes. Marks are given for each of four kinds of information in the assignment – these have been derived from the level descriptors:
Subject Knowledge and Understanding
(A9)
Analysis, Evaluation & Critical Judgment
(critical judgment)
Applications and Problem Solving
(B13)
Referencing and Presentation
(D9&D12 + refs)
Total

[The sections are weighted equally.]

Level 5 (Level-I) Descriptors
In the UK, there is a Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ) (there are variants for the different regions of the UK). This is mandatory for all accredited universities. This module is a Level 5 (some call it Level I), therefore the Level 5 descriptors apply to this module:
Level 5 – Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE)
The descriptor provided for this level of the FHEQ is for any Foundation Degree which should meet the descriptor in full. This qualification descriptor can also be used as a reference point for other level 5 qualifications, including Diplomas of Higher Education, Higher National Diplomas, etc.
[Diplomas of Higher Education] are awarded to students who have demonstrated:
• knowledge and critical understanding of the well-established principles of their area(s) of study, and of the way in which those principles have developed
• ability to apply underlying concepts and principles outside the context in which they were first studied, including, where appropriate, the application of those principles in an employment context
• knowledge of the main methods of enquiry in the subject(s) relevant to the named award, and ability to evaluate critically the appropriateness of different approaches to solving problems in the field of study
• an understanding of the limits of their knowledge, and how this influences analyses and interpretations based on that knowledge.
Typically, holders of the qualification will be able to:
• use a range of established techniques to initiate and undertake critical analysis of information, and to propose solutions to problems arising from that analysis
• effectively communicate information, arguments and analysis in a variety of forms to specialist and non-specialist audiences, and deploy key techniques of the discipline effectively
• undertake further training, develop existing skills and acquire new competences that will enable them to assume significant responsibility within organisations.
And holders will have:
• the qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment requiring the exercise of personal responsibility and decision-making.
[The Foundation Degree is an example of a qualification that meets, in full, the expectations of the qualification descriptor (and the Foundation Degree qualification benchmark).]
Holders of qualifications at this level will have developed a sound understanding of the principles in their field of study, and will have learned to apply those principles more widely. Through this, they will have learned to evaluate the appropriateness of different approaches to solving problems. Their studies may well have had a vocational orientation, for example HNDs, enabling them to perform effectively in their chosen field. Holders of qualifications at this level will have the qualities necessary for employment in situations requiring the exercise of personal responsibility and decision-making.
Your assignment and exam papers are the evidence that your learning is at least consistent with these Level 5 descriptors, and will be assessed for that.