Business Environment Module Code: MOD003353 Level: 4 Academic Year: 2015/16 Semester: 1-2 Module Leader: Nigel Grant
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MIDTERM ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS
Module Title: Business Environment Module Code: MOD003353 Level: 4 Academic Year: 2015/16 Semester: 1-2 Module Leader: Nigel Grant
Written Assignment:
This assignment must be completed individually. Written assignments must not exceed the maximum number of words specified below. All assignments which do so will be penalised. The penalty will be the deduction of marks at the Marker’s judgement.
The Harvard Referencing system must be used.
Value towards final grade: 50%
Word Limit: 3,000 words
Submission Date:
This assignment must be received by no later than 14:00 on Monday, 11 January 2016.
You must submit your assignment using Turnitin software and obtain a receipt.
Work cannot be uploaded on Turnitin after the stated date and time will receive a mark of 0% unless an extension has been approved in advance of the deadline.
Requests for short-term extensions will only be considered in the case of illness or other cause considered valid by the Student Adviser. These must normally be received and agreed by Student Adviser in writing at least TWENTY-FOUR (24) hours prior to the deadline.
Please refer to the Academic Regulations or your Student Handbook for full details.
Further details:
This assignment must be attached to a completed University Assignment Cover Sheet. You should obtain and keep your Turnitin Assignment Receipt after submission.
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Interim Assignment – Background
Africa has for a few years been touted by commentators as being „the next big thing? for investors. The appeal of Africa has been described as being that „its future lies ahead of it? (Reuters, 2014). This comment alludes to the comparatively large number of young people of working age, as a proportion of the total population.
You are a consultant in a firm that provides business development advice. You have been approached by the CEO of Tuffstuff Ltd, a company with well-established operations in the UK and continental Europe. Tuffstuff manufactures cement. It is actively considering setting up a manufacturing and distribution operation in sub-Saharan Africa, in particular Rwanda. The company has no previous distribution experience but thinks that there won?t be much competition in Africa.
In discussions with the CEO you have suggested that it would be a good idea for Tuffstuff to carry out a PEST analysis with regard to this proposed investment. The CEO replied that “People are always talking about PEST but I don?t really understand what it?s supposed to achieve; you people just present me with questions but no solutions.”
Tasks
i. Describe the organisational structure that is most likely to be applicable to Tuffstuff Ltd (10 marks)
ii. Discuss the utility, as an analytical tool, of a PEST analysis. (30 marks)
Apart from describing the tool and explaining why it is used, your discussion should consider limitations in its use and possible alternative tools.
iii. Prepare a business report for the CEO of Tuffstuff Ltd that analyses the key factors to be considered with regard to Tuffstuff’s proposed venture and sets out your recommendation. It is expected that a PEST analysis of Tuffstuff?s proposed venture in Rwanda will form the basis of your report. The CEO has also requested that your report includes an explanation of how the company could build on the PEST analysis by going on to perform a SWOT analysis. (50 marks)
iv. Additional Marks for the academic quality of the assignment (10 marks) These marks will be reserved for the overall quality of the assignment in terms of: appropriate use of referencing, extent and evidence of research, structure of the submission, coverage of issues, presentation and use of appropriate language
Total Marks (100 marks)
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Assessment Criteria
This assignment requires you to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of:
? Organisational structures their applicability to particular types of business
? The role of the PEST analysis tool when companies are considering change
? Relevant macro factors for a company considering investing in Rwanda
? The possible relationship between PEST and SWOT analyses.
Where you are asked to: discuss in task (i), analyse and recommend in task (ii) it is important that your answers are not descriptive in nature but should provide clear evidence of a deeper understanding of the issues surrounding the task under consideration. Your answers to these tasks must be supported by evidence of wider academic reading.
Your paper must comply with the business report format and the Harvard referencing guidelines.
There is no correct number of academic references to be utilised as the student must draw on as many references as required to provide a high quality answer. However, a minimum of 8 academic sources are expected, and a majority of these should be current, internationally peer reviewed articles/journals or accredited textbook references. Sources such as Wikipedia are not accepted. Sources available only online should be avoided.
You must be mindful that marks will be allocated based on your knowledge and comprehension and your ability to define, explain , apply, analyse and evaluate the key concepts. The chart below demonstrates how the marks (for content) will be allocated according to the criteria shown.
Note: The marks shown above total 90 and relate to the content of your assignment. An additional 10 marks are available for the academic quality of your assignment. Based on the above, if in your assignment you only demonstrate understanding, the maximum marks available for the content of your assignment would be 45. An additional 10 marks would be available for academic quality.
45
20
15
10
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
Understanding
Applying
Analysing
Evaluating
Mark Distribution for Content
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Specific Module Guidance
To achieve a pass level mark you must ensure that for:
Task
You should:
(i)
Select and describe an appropriate organisational structure for Tuffstuff Ltd
(ii)
Describe and explain how and why the PEST tool is used. Additionally you must apply knowledge gathered from a range of academic sources to explain limitations in its use. This will require secondary research.
(iii)
Prepare a business report based on your PEST analysis. This should explain the main findings of your PEST analysis.
To achieve higher marks, in addition to the requirements to achieve a pass mark, you will need to analyse, discuss and recommend as required in the relevant tasks. Secondary research will therefore be required.
To attain marks available for referencing and effective communication, your work will need to be referenced according to the Harvard Referencing System and produced in essay format. In addition, your ideas will need to be expressed clearly and fluently using a style of writing appropriate to the subject area. Sentences and paragraphs will need to be relevant, well-structured and incorporate the correct terminology. Ideally, there should be no errors of spelling, punctuation or grammar.
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Overall Marking Guide
Overall Marking Guide
Skill Level
Actions carried out by student
Maximum marks
Achievable
1)
UN
Student identifies/states key definitions, terms and concepts as required in various tasks
20
2)
UN
Student explains key definitions, terms and concepts relating to a PEST and SWOT analysis as required in various tasks. Reference should be made to the current and forecast situation in Rwanda where appropriate.
45
3)
AP
Student applies knowledge of the analytical tools to the specific situation given in the assignment.
65
4)
AN
Student analyses the destination country (Rwanda) in relation to the specific proposed venture.
80
5)
EV
Student recommends a proposed course of action based on the analysis carried out.
90
Total marks available for content of assignment
90
6)
Marks reserved for academic quality of assignment:
Student demonstrates competence in applying Harvard referencing. Student writes with a good flow and structure, with very few obvious spelling/grammatical errors
10
Total marks available for the assignment
100
Key to skills demonstrated
UN
Demonstrates Understanding
AP
Demonstrates Application of knowledge
AN
Demonstrates Analytical skills
EV
Demonstrates ability to evaluate
CEV
Demonstrates ability to critically evaluate
Page 6 of 6
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Business Environment Module Code: MOD003353 Level: 4 Academic Year: 2015/16 Semester: 1-2 Module Leader: Nigel Grant
Page 1 of 6
MIDTERM ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS
Module Title: Business Environment Module Code: MOD003353 Level: 4 Academic Year: 2015/16 Semester: 1-2 Module Leader: Nigel Grant
Written Assignment:
This assignment must be completed individually. Written assignments must not exceed the maximum number of words specified below. All assignments which do so will be penalised. The penalty will be the deduction of marks at the Marker’s judgement.
The Harvard Referencing system must be used.
Value towards final grade: 50%
Word Limit: 3,000 words
Submission Date:
This assignment must be received by no later than 14:00 on Monday, 11 January 2016.
You must submit your assignment using Turnitin software and obtain a receipt.
Work cannot be uploaded on Turnitin after the stated date and time will receive a mark of 0% unless an extension has been approved in advance of the deadline.
Requests for short-term extensions will only be considered in the case of illness or other cause considered valid by the Student Adviser. These must normally be received and agreed by Student Adviser in writing at least TWENTY-FOUR (24) hours prior to the deadline.
Please refer to the Academic Regulations or your Student Handbook for full details.
Further details:
This assignment must be attached to a completed University Assignment Cover Sheet. You should obtain and keep your Turnitin Assignment Receipt after submission.
Page 2 of 6
Interim Assignment – Background
Africa has for a few years been touted by commentators as being „the next big thing? for investors. The appeal of Africa has been described as being that „its future lies ahead of it? (Reuters, 2014). This comment alludes to the comparatively large number of young people of working age, as a proportion of the total population.
You are a consultant in a firm that provides business development advice. You have been approached by the CEO of Tuffstuff Ltd, a company with well-established operations in the UK and continental Europe. Tuffstuff manufactures cement. It is actively considering setting up a manufacturing and distribution operation in sub-Saharan Africa, in particular Rwanda. The company has no previous distribution experience but thinks that there won?t be much competition in Africa.
In discussions with the CEO you have suggested that it would be a good idea for Tuffstuff to carry out a PEST analysis with regard to this proposed investment. The CEO replied that “People are always talking about PEST but I don?t really understand what it?s supposed to achieve; you people just present me with questions but no solutions.”
Tasks
i. Describe the organisational structure that is most likely to be applicable to Tuffstuff Ltd (10 marks)
ii. Discuss the utility, as an analytical tool, of a PEST analysis. (30 marks)
Apart from describing the tool and explaining why it is used, your discussion should consider limitations in its use and possible alternative tools.
iii. Prepare a business report for the CEO of Tuffstuff Ltd that analyses the key factors to be considered with regard to Tuffstuff’s proposed venture and sets out your recommendation. It is expected that a PEST analysis of Tuffstuff?s proposed venture in Rwanda will form the basis of your report. The CEO has also requested that your report includes an explanation of how the company could build on the PEST analysis by going on to perform a SWOT analysis. (50 marks)
iv. Additional Marks for the academic quality of the assignment (10 marks) These marks will be reserved for the overall quality of the assignment in terms of: appropriate use of referencing, extent and evidence of research, structure of the submission, coverage of issues, presentation and use of appropriate language
Total Marks (100 marks)
Page 3 of 6
Assessment Criteria
This assignment requires you to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of:
? Organisational structures their applicability to particular types of business
? The role of the PEST analysis tool when companies are considering change
? Relevant macro factors for a company considering investing in Rwanda
? The possible relationship between PEST and SWOT analyses.
Where you are asked to: discuss in task (i), analyse and recommend in task (ii) it is important that your answers are not descriptive in nature but should provide clear evidence of a deeper understanding of the issues surrounding the task under consideration. Your answers to these tasks must be supported by evidence of wider academic reading.
Your paper must comply with the business report format and the Harvard referencing guidelines.
There is no correct number of academic references to be utilised as the student must draw on as many references as required to provide a high quality answer. However, a minimum of 8 academic sources are expected, and a majority of these should be current, internationally peer reviewed articles/journals or accredited textbook references. Sources such as Wikipedia are not accepted. Sources available only online should be avoided.
You must be mindful that marks will be allocated based on your knowledge and comprehension and your ability to define, explain , apply, analyse and evaluate the key concepts. The chart below demonstrates how the marks (for content) will be allocated according to the criteria shown.
Note: The marks shown above total 90 and relate to the content of your assignment. An additional 10 marks are available for the academic quality of your assignment. Based on the above, if in your assignment you only demonstrate understanding, the maximum marks available for the content of your assignment would be 45. An additional 10 marks would be available for academic quality.
45
20
15
10
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
Understanding
Applying
Analysing
Evaluating
Mark Distribution for Content
Page 4 of 6
Specific Module Guidance
To achieve a pass level mark you must ensure that for:
Task
You should:
(i)
Select and describe an appropriate organisational structure for Tuffstuff Ltd
(ii)
Describe and explain how and why the PEST tool is used. Additionally you must apply knowledge gathered from a range of academic sources to explain limitations in its use. This will require secondary research.
(iii)
Prepare a business report based on your PEST analysis. This should explain the main findings of your PEST analysis.
To achieve higher marks, in addition to the requirements to achieve a pass mark, you will need to analyse, discuss and recommend as required in the relevant tasks. Secondary research will therefore be required.
To attain marks available for referencing and effective communication, your work will need to be referenced according to the Harvard Referencing System and produced in essay format. In addition, your ideas will need to be expressed clearly and fluently using a style of writing appropriate to the subject area. Sentences and paragraphs will need to be relevant, well-structured and incorporate the correct terminology. Ideally, there should be no errors of spelling, punctuation or grammar.
Page 5 of 6
Overall Marking Guide
Overall Marking Guide
Skill Level
Actions carried out by student
Maximum marks
Achievable
1)
UN
Student identifies/states key definitions, terms and concepts as required in various tasks
20
2)
UN
Student explains key definitions, terms and concepts relating to a PEST and SWOT analysis as required in various tasks. Reference should be made to the current and forecast situation in Rwanda where appropriate.
45
3)
AP
Student applies knowledge of the analytical tools to the specific situation given in the assignment.
65
4)
AN
Student analyses the destination country (Rwanda) in relation to the specific proposed venture.
80
5)
EV
Student recommends a proposed course of action based on the analysis carried out.
90
Total marks available for content of assignment
90
6)
Marks reserved for academic quality of assignment:
Student demonstrates competence in applying Harvard referencing. Student writes with a good flow and structure, with very few obvious spelling/grammatical errors
10
Total marks available for the assignment
100
Key to skills demonstrated
UN
Demonstrates Understanding
AP
Demonstrates Application of knowledge
AN
Demonstrates Analytical skills
EV
Demonstrates ability to evaluate
CEV
Demonstrates ability to critically evaluate
Page 6 of 6
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