Module code and title: FY021 Introduction to Business Studies Module leader: Olusola Leighe
Assignment No. and type: CW1 Assessment weighting: 100%
Submission time and date: Thursday 20th January 2022 Target feedback time and date: 3 weeks after submission deadline
Assignment task
There are 3 elements to this assignment which are all detailed in the assignment task below. There will be opportunities within the module to get feedback on each element, before you need to submit them. Please check the module scheme which will detail when each task needs to be done, so that feedback can be given. All the elements of portfolio need to be submitted on the above mentioned deadline.
Students are required to take the screenshots of PowerPoint presentation and Poster and paste these in the appendix section of Report prior to submission on 20/01/2022.
This assignment has been designed to provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate your achievement of the following module learning outcomes:
LO 1 Describe the role of HR, Marketing and finance functions within organisations
LO 2 Develop an understanding of collaborative working practices
LO 3 Demonstrate an understanding of the main factors, both internal and external, which impact businesses
LO 4 Demonstrate knowledge of the role of financial management and reporting within the organisation
Task requirements
This assignment is a Portfolio assignment where you will work on 3 pieces of work throughout the module and then submit all 3 elements at the submission date. The assessments will include:-
Internal approval: Mary Simpson 28.09.2020
• A 10 min Group PowerPoint Presentation. This will relate to the internal and external factors which impact on business (Learning outcomes 2 and 3) (Week beginning 25/10/2021)
• A poster. This will relate to one part of the Marketing Mix, either Promotion, Price, Place or Product. This is an individual element. (Learning outcome 1) (Week beginning 15/11/2021)
• A report – 1500 words. This is an individual piece of work on The Body Shop. (Learning outcome 1, 2 and 4) – Formal submission of all elements on 20/01/2022
These will be completed throughout the module, and although a mark will not be awarded until the end of the module, detailed formative feedback will be provided together with the opportunity for the student to resubmit work until the final deadline providing formative developmental opportunities. Please see the module scheme for details of when formative feedback opportunities will be provided.
Referencing and research requirements
Please reference your work according to the Harvard referencing style as defined in Cite Them Right
Online (http://www.citethemrightonline.com). This information is also available in book form: Pears, R. and Shields, G. (2016) Cite them right: the essential reference guide. 10th edn. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Copies are available via the university library.
How your work will be assessed
Your work will be assessed on the extent to which it demonstrates your achievement of the stated learning outcomes for this assignment (see above) and against other key criteria, as defined in the University’s institutional grading descriptors. If it is appropriate to the format of your assignment and your subject area, a proportion of your marks will also depend upon your use of academic referencing conventions.
This assignment will be marked according to the grading descriptors for Foundation Level
Submission details
• This assignment should be submitted electronically. Please use the relevant Turnitin submission point in the Submit your work area in your VLE module shell.
• Please ensure that your work has been saved in an appropriate file format. Turnitin will only accept the following file types: Microsoft Word and PDF. Your file must also contain at least 20 words of text, consist of fewer than 400 pages and be less than 20MB in size.
• You can submit your work as many times as you like before the submission date. If you do submit your work more than once, your earlier submission will be replaced by the most recent version.
• Once you have submitted your work, you will receive a digital receipt as proof of submission, which will be sent to your forwarded e-mail address (provided you have set this up). Please keep this receipt for future reference, along with the original electronic copy of your assignment
You are reminded of the University’s regulations on academic misconduct, which can be viewed on the
University website: https://bucks.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0024/9546/Academic-Misconduct-Policy.pdf. In submitting your assignment, you are acknowledging that you have read and understood these regulations
Submission date and time
This assignment should be submitted before 14:00 UK time on Thursday 20th January 2022.
Work that is submitted up to 10 working days beyond the submission date will be accepted as a late submission. Late submissions will be marked and the actual mark recorded, but will be capped at the pass mark (typically 40%), provided that the work is of a passing standard. Work submitted after this period will not be marked and will be treated as a non-submission.
Feedback and marks for this assignment will be available by 3 weeks after the submission deadline.
Additional Information
TASK 1. 10 minute Group PowerPoint Presentation (in-class presentations to take place in week 5-6)
Note: this contributes to 33% of the weighting of the portfolio. Total =100 marks
Instruction:
Choose ONE organisation (preferably an SME) to carry out this and discuss how both internal and external environmental factors affect/impact that chosen organisation.
The presentation should include:-
a) Introduction/background of chosen business organisation 20 (MARKS)
b) Discussion on how one internal and one external environmental factor affect your chosen organisation?
30 (MARKS)
c) Narrative/written script for each slide 20 (MARKS)
Assessment Guidelines:
• Maximum use of time and slides (10 mins)
• Slide usage – between 8-10 slides
• Group work, creativity and content 15(MARKS)
• Knowledge, Understanding, Analysing, application 15 (MARKS)
Optional – Bonus marks
SWOT analysis and the importance of group work
TASK 2 : A Marketing Poster
This will relate to one part of the Marketing Mix, Promotion, Price, Place or Product. This is an individual element.
(Note: this contributes to 33% of the weighting) Total =100 Marks
You are required to choose an organisation of your choice and design a poster addressing one element of the Marketing mix (product, price, promotion, place). On the first page is the poster, the second page is your argument/write up about 1-2 paragraphs
Instructions
Choose a business or an organisation and select one product that the business provides. Produce a poster to demonstrate one of the 4 P's that make up the marketing mix (These are Product, Price, Place and Promotion). Don't forget, you are assessing only one from the four. E.g. Price: Is the pricing strategy effective? What problems might the business face if they get the pricing strategy wrong?
Poster Guideline
Check that your poster contains the under information below before printing.
A. Who is the audience (The general public, professionals, parents etc)? The language and message on the poster should meet the need of your audience.
B. What is the title: catchy title can draw attention to your poster.
C. What is the message? This should be clear and right to the point.
D. Make sure your poster can be read six feet away.
E. Do not use jargons
F. Word count should be not more than 300 words
G. Employ good balance of pictures, text, graphs and charts.
H. Do not cluster the poster use bullet points where possible I. Make sure you proofread your poster before printing
What to include:
Clear focus on one of the chosen 4 P’s (25 Marks)
Main body: This section should address all relevant issues relating to the title. You will have to use headings, pictures, graphs and charts in this section. (1st page) (50 Marks) The main argument discussed in a paragraph below the poster (2nd page) (20 marks) References: using Harvard referencing format, provide no less than 5 academic/industry references in support of your
content. (5 marks) _____________________________________________________________________________________
Task 3. Report – The Body Shop 1500 words. DUE - 20/01/2022
This is an individual piece of work. (Note: this contributes to 33% of the weightage to the portfolio)
Instructions
Analyse the strengths and weaknesses of the HR and financial management strategies within The Body Shop. Which of these do you feel contributes most significantly to their business success?
To complete this task you will need to include the following in your report:-
Introduction (10 marks)
Information on the HR strategies of the organisation. Consider their recruitment strategy, training and development reward. You will need to identify evidence to support this section. (30 marks) Information on the financial management strategies of the organisation. Review their Profit & Loss and Balance sheet and analyse their strategies through research. (30 Marks) Evaluation/Conclusion – which of these strategies do you believe contributes most significantly to their success?
Or is it something else? Marketing? CSR? (20 marks)
Assignment parameters – Harvard referencing, writing style, word count, layout etc. (10 marks)
• Introduction – introduce the purpose of the report and briefly what you would discuss and how you carried out your research, maybe some company background information
• Sub headings – Human Resources Strategies, Financial Management Strategies
• SWOT – to help form your conclusion
• Conclusion – which strategy contributes most significantly why (remember to recap and form a decision do not introduce any new ideas unless it is a recommendation
• References – a variety of sources, academic text, industry journals, company website
• Appendix – pictures, chart graphs and make sure it is labelled and you refer to it in your report