BUS7076 The Integrated Business Assignment
BIRMINGHAM CITY BUSINESS SCHOOL
POSTGRADUATE DEGREES
COURSEWORK FRONTSHEET
MODULE TITLE: The Integrated Business (Main)
MODULE CODE: BUS7076
LECTURER: Dr Juanling Huang
ISSUE DATE: January 2023
GROUP PRESENTATION: May10th& 11th, 2023
INDIVIDUAL REPORT: May17th, 2023 at 12:00pm noon on Moodle
HAND BACK DATE: 20 working days from date of deadline
| Learning outcomes and assessment criteria specific to this assignment: 1. Critically review and analyse the situation of an integrated business using appropriate spreadsheet software, to interrogate contextual data from a marketing and operations perspective, within a globalised business environment. 2. Create a range viable marketing and operations management options and propose and present comprehensive recommendations for a given digital business scenario, whilst ensuring the effective integration and optimisation of marketing and operations. 3. Interpret and evaluate PRME (Principle of Responsible Management Education) to ensure an inclusive and sustainable global economy through incorporating values of responsibility and sustainability in business. 4. Develop excellence in leadership, communication and team collaboration and to reflect on their personal and professional skill development. This module is 50% Group Presentation and 50% Individual Report assessed. You must achieve 50% or more to pass. Under the University’s Regulationsyou have one main attempt and one resit attempt opportunity to be assessed and to pass this module. If you have not achieved a pass in this module after all main and resit attempt have been used, no further opportunities are available and you will be withdrawn from the course. The marking scheme is provided at the end of this document. |
BUS7076The Integrated Business Assessment Brief
Background
The aim of this module is to provide you with the key knowledge and understanding of the integrated nature of business functions focusing specifically on marketing and operations. The module explores in detail the strategic and tactical scope of Marketing and Operations management and the relationships between them. As you will discover there is little point selling a product a business does not have the capability to produce and distribute, similarly there is little profit in making a product that customers do not need or want.
The purpose of this assessment is to enable you to explore this relationship between demand generation and management and the impact on operations, production and supply chain management to ensure you will fully understand the complexity of matching supply-side to demand-side requirements to achieve strategic fit.
As part of the module this assessment brief will help you explore these issues within a small group setting. You and your group will develop skills in managerial decision making and professional presentation whilst also developing data analysis skills using spreadsheets. By working in a small group, you will improve and enhance your ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with others both within the context of an integrated business, but also within the context of your award of ‘MSc Management’, which ever pathway you have chosen. This approach aligns with the programme philosophy that ensures that as a future manager you will be able to make effective decisions that take account of the fast changing external and enterprise environments.
The assessment process incorporates a time-based assessment incorporating an integrated presentation process within a group situation comprising of the presentationwithin a given business context, as detailed below.
Assessed GroupPresentation(15 minutes – Maximum 40 slides) – 50%
In the presentation as part of a group, you will provide a comprehensive situation analysis linked to the marketing management and operations management of the business context. Your presentation should cover a detailed exploration and analysis of the internal and external environment using the theory, concepts, frameworks, tools and techniques as taught on the module. The aim of the analysis is to ensure that you answer the following key questions:
- What is your evaluation of the strategic and tactical fit of the organisation from a marketing and operations perspective?
- What would you recommend that the organisation should do to improve its strategic and tactical fit in respect of marketing and operations?
Individual Report (Maximum 2,000 words) – 50%
The new information (at the end of this file) about both the external and internal enterprise situationand you will be required to react by proposing recommendations to optimise the organisation appropriately to this changing situation in the Individual Report together with Group reflection.The Individual Report should therefore answer the following key questions:
- How could the business optimise aspects of its digital marketing and operations to take advantage of this newsituation, through incorporating values of responsibility and sustainability in business?
- What key reflections can you make about the efficiency and effectiveness of the group and its decision making during the assessment process? In your answer reflect on the group’s strengths and weaknesses, including an assessment of your skills, and develop an action plan to improve future group working.
The assessment process involve an element of peer assessment. See details of the peer assessment process below.
By introducing an element of change within the given business scenario, the assessment mirrors and simulates the challenging situation faced by professional managers in their day to day practice, thus realising the programme’s philosophy of theory into practice. The presentation will develop your verbal communication skills whilst the groups based context will reflect the nature of the integrated business where many individuals from different functional areas come together to make effective management decisions in a dynamic and time constrained environment.
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The Business Context
Groups must choose a business from the industry indicated by the module tutor. All groups must choose a business from this industry. All choices MUST be approved by the module tutor before starting work.Companies that only engage in distribution and/or retail activities will not be approved. Companies that only act as sub-contractors to other companies will also not be approved.
Groups cannot choose the same organisation as other groups so choices are approved on a first come first served basis. Group choices must be made using the link on the module Moodle site as per the guidance provided.
If the chosen organisation operates in multiple geographic markets with multiple products and services, groups can choose to narrow the focus of their analysis to a specific territory/and or brand but should seek approval from their module tutor before doing so.
Groups can make justified assumptions, supported with evidence, about the nature and scope of the chosen business’ internal systems and processes.
Presentation Assessment Constraint
Presentations should demonstrate skills in the use of PowerPoint and spreadsheet software (such as Microsoft Excel) to generate graphs of demand and capacity analysis. Presentations should demonstrate significant evidence of research and the appropriate application of tools, techniques and theories that are related to the subject areas of Marketing and Operations. The Harvard Referencing system should be used throughout. Detail notes should be presented under each slides as additional information to expand from key information or bullet points presenting on the slides.
Plagiarism and Collusion
You are reminded of the University’s Disciplinary Procedures that refer to plagiarism. A copy of the Disciplinary Procedure is available from iCity.
Except where the assessment of an assignment is group based, the final piece of work that is submitted must be your own work. Close similarity between assignments is likely to lead to an investigation for cheating.
You must also ensure that you acknowledge all sources you have used.
Submissions that are considered to be the result of collusion or plagiarism will be dealt with under the University’s Disciplinary Procedures, and the penalty may involve the loss of academic credits.
If you have any doubts about the extent to which you are allowed to collaborate with your colleagues, or the conventions for acknowledging the sources you have used, you should first of all consult module documentation and, if still unclear, your tutor.
Mark Adjustments
Please note that assessing tutor(s) can change group and individual marks according to their academic judgement, at their discretion, in line with published marking schemes and in accordance with academic moderation processes and have the final say in all marks for all work.
Feedback
Formative feedback will be provided in sessions by the tutor and between peers based on in-class presentations of case-study analysis and via a practice presentation. This will help individuals and group reflect on their performance and improve over the course of the module. In addition, a small scale, practice presentation opportunity will be provided that mirrors the module assessment to provide an opportunity for feedforward. Practice presentations will be available for review by groups in addition to Tutor’s verbal feedback.
Groups will receive verbal summative assessment feedback to enable them to identify areas of improvement. Final written summative feedback will be provided in line with Faculty deadlines for providing feedback (usually within 20 working days).
Group work
Working in a group is a key employability skill and as mentioned earlier, provides an opportunity to develop your leadership, communication and collaboration skills. The resources section of the module moodle site provides key resources for you to help manage the group including:
- A group agreement form
- A meeting agenda and guidance on managing group meetings
- Guidance on giving feedback to group members about their work
- Managing group conflict
- Outline structure for group meeting minutes
- Role definition and links to online psychometric tests
If you have any queries or concerns about group work, please contact your module tutor. If group conflicts cannot be resolved, please refer to your tutor for further advice – group conflicts are unlikely to be resolved retrospectively after the submission of summative assessments.
Peer Assessment
This assessment is subject to a PEER Assessment (details included below) process. Peer assessment of individual contribution can result in the assignment of different grades to different group members subject to assessing tutor moderation.
Group Size
Tutors can change group members according to individual and group performance. Group size is limited to a min. of 3 to a max. of 6 members only. Groups that have more than 6 members or less than 3 will be significantly penalised when submitting assessments unless they have had written prior approval from their group tutor and/or the module co-ordinator.
If you are not in a group by Week 3 of the module, please contact the module tutor and request to be put in a group.
Any student failing to attend without extenuating circumstance will be failed in this component of assessment. Extenuating or exceptional circumstances need to be presented to your group tutor in advance of the presentation.
Any student who is registered with disability services will need to personally speak to their group tutor as a matter of urgency if they have specific issues or support requirements.
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Further Questions
Should you have any questions about the Presentation please contact your tutor.
Guidance and Structure
Part 1 – Group Presentation
Introduction
Company Information
Main body
1. Operations Management – Apply theories that you have learn in identifying how the case company operates to produce their products / services.
2. Process Mapping
3. External Situational Analysis – PESTEL analysis, Porter’s 5 Forces
4. Internal Situational Analysis – McKinsey 7S Framework, Porter’s Value Chain, SWOT
Conclusion
Recommendation – Marketing and Operations Management
Part 2 – Individual Report
Introduction
New Information Briefing
Present each of the New Situation issues according to the “New Information Briefing”, and to provide solutions / strategies accordingly.
Reflection
Demonstrate your Leadership skill, communication and professional skill especially in a team setting.
Conclusion
List of References
New Information Briefing
Following your Presentation that covered the assessment of strategic and tactical fit of your organisation with regards to Marketing and Operations, a series of internal and external events have come to light that will require you to review your initial considerations and recommendations and present them in your individual report (Maximum 2,000 words).
Following the first part of your assessment that covered the strategic and tactical fit of your organisation with regards to Marketing and Operations, a series of internal and external events have come to light that will require you to review your initial considerations and recommendations.
The overall economic outlook remains unpredictable under the Pandemic impact of COVID-19. Yet key industry indicators suggest overall productivity is up as exporting improves and exchange rates remain favourable. However, inflation remains a concern and is set to increase.
What is of far greater concern is the news that with regards to your company, your Finance Director has resigned following allegations of misreporting the company finances. Your company’s profit statement was overvalued by at least 30% in the last financial year and the Serious Fraud Office has contacted you to initiate a full investigation. Following the news, the share price has de-valued as shareholders look for more attractive investment opportunities with serious implications for the financial stability of the company and its market reputation with key stakeholders. Unrelated but of significance, you are also shocked to discover the excessive expense accounts submitted by your Business-to-business sales account team spent on ‘Corporate Hospitality’ with channel partners.
Your closest competitor has launched an almost identically performing product range to your own but at a significantly reduced price, in fact 20% lower than your own. Whilst you are not sure how they are achieving this aggressive pricing strategy whilst retaining profitability, the fact is that they now have a significant pricing advantage in your key market and consumers are starting to switch to their alternative product(s).
Meanwhile, it has become apparent that other competitors are starting to offer a variety of innovative added value online. Insider information suggests they are investing heavily in a wide range of digital management approaches to streamline their businesses and their online value propositions.
Your Stock Controller has come to you with concerns that you will run out of warehouse space within the next 3-4 weeks for inventory if manufacturing output continues at the same rate going forward. Whilst manufacturing output is high, quality issues suggest problems with sourcing components from suppliers and your own in-house assembly. Consumer complaints are increasing, particularly regarding lead times and stock-outs, and customer returns suggest high levels of dissatisfaction with both your product and service levels. You wish you had more accurate and timely management information.
In light of the information above and as a first step to help you decide what to do next, you reforecast your product sales and then reconsider your strategy and tactics going forward.
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PEER CONTRIBUTION EVALUATION & ASSESSMENT
The following evaluation of your group members is a tool to determine those who have been active and cooperative members as well as to identify those who did not participate. Be consistent when evaluating each group member’s performance by using the guidelines below. REMEMBER you are evaluating the contribution of the group member to the group tasks.
FOR EACH MEMBER OF YOUR GROUP, INCLUDING YOURSELF, EVALUATE EACH GROUP MEMBER USING THE SCALE PROVIDED BELOW. PLEASE NOTE THAT IT IS ESSENTIAL NOT TO SHARE YOUR RATINGS WITH OTHER GROUP MEMBERS.
Evidence of collusion in submitting these forms will be taken seriously as a deliberate attempt to cheat and will be dealt with through the University’s disciplinary processes. Students should under no circumstances attempt to influence other group members in their evaluation of contributions.
SUBMIT THE COMPLETED CONSOLIDATED RATINGS FORM TO YOUR TUTOR BEFORE THE PRESENTATION.
Assign an overall rating using the scale below for each member of your group, including yourself:
RATING WORDS:
A PASS OR MORE Rating Description
Excellent Consistently carried more than his/her fair share of the workload
Very good Consistently did what he/she was supposed to do, very well prepared and cooperative
Satisfactory Usually did what he/she was supposed to do, acceptably prepared and cooperative
Ordinary Often did what he/she was supposed to do, minimally prepared and cooperative
A FAIL OR LESS
Marginal Sometimes failed to show up or complete assigned work, rarely
prepared
Deficient Often failed to show up or complete assigned work, rarely prepared
Unsatisfactory Consistently failed to show up or complete assigned work, rarely
prepared
Superficial Practically no participation
No show No participation at all
By rating members of your group differently to other group members, you will redistribute the total marks achievable between group members. For example:
GROUP A achieves an examiner mark of 60% in their group presentation. Group A has five members, so the total maximum marks achievable by Group A is 300 (5 times 60). Different ratings between Group A members will redistribute the 300 marks as appropriate, resulting in some members receiving less than 60 and some members receiving more than 60. But the total marks when all members’ marks are added together will always be equal to 300.
GROUP MEMBER CONSOLIDATED RATING TABLE
This is an example form only, please ask your tutor for a form which will have your group member’s names pre-filled below (in the grey area).
Group number: ___________ Your name: _______________________
Once you have rated each member, including yourself using the rating scale provided, please consolidate your ratings on the table below and submit this page to your group tutor by the presentation date. You can hand this to your tutor at the presentation.
| Group Member | Group Member Name | Rating |
| 1 | Example – JOHN SMITH | Very Good |
| 2 | ||
| 3 | ||
| 4 | ||
| 5 | ||
| 6 |
NOTES*
The rating you give to the student will be combined with the rating given by other students in your group and then converted into an individual weighting for that student. This weighting will be used to adjust the overall grade given to your group by your examiner to create an individual grade for each member of your group for the presentation group work assessment only. The adjustment component (the addition or subtraction of marks according to the calculated weighting) is based on the perceived contribution of the individual by their group and not an assessment of the group’s workaccording to the rating scale provided. Your tutor will explain how the weighting is calculated in more detail in group seminars. In the event that a form or rating is not submitted by a group member, the tutor mark will be used in lieu to calculate the final marks. Tutors will moderate these marks as appropriate.