CASE STUDY THE FILE IS INCLUDED
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SMAAssignment1.docx
Faculty of Business and Law
aCADEMIC YEAR 2018-19
assessment brief
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Module Code: |
UMACRQ-15-M |
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Module Title: |
Strategic Management Accounting (SMA) |
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Submission Deadline: |
14th November 2018 |
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Assessment Component |
B - Assignment |
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Assessment Weighting: |
40 per cent of total module mark |
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Marking and feedback deadline (20 working days) |
12th December 2018 |
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Assessment Instructions
Overview of the assessment This coursework assessment comprises an organisational scenario and three questions. You are required to address the three questions in the context of the organisational scenario, and present your work in the form of an essay. The word count for this assessment is 2000 words. All questions must be attempted and carry equal marks.
Organisational Scenario: Devon Crab To compete on speed of response to customers, demands a fast efficient operations facility that is supported by a dynamic customer-service function. The competitive advantage of the Blue Sea Food Company (www.devoncrab.com ) is derived from rapidly breaking down each crab into its component parts, which not only dramatically reduces cooking time from 35 minutes for a whole crab, down to eight minutes, but also increases overall yield and supports level capacity utilisation. Nonetheless, once cooked, the crab components still require four hours to cool for fresh produce and then a further eight hours in a blast freezer for frozen products. However, processing time prior to cooking is reduced through using specialised machinery – a spinning machine to remove the ‘purse’ meat and a machine that blows out the leg meat in a ‘pea-shooter’ action. Yet speedy processing is only one element in emphasising speed of order processing to customers. An effective supply chain is needed to acquire the 3500 tonnes of annual crab load. Here, 30% (800 tonnes) is drawn from the company’s own fleet of fishing vessels, with the balance (2700 tonnes) from third-party fleets. Since quality of finished product is a key objective, fishing fleets work to strict guidelines. However, because of significant seasonal variation in the availability of crabs and the variability of the quality of crab meat, the Blue Sea Food Company relies on significant investment in stocks, fluctuating from £700K to a high of £2.5m depending on the time of year. This does allow the organisation to be reactive to customer orders and facilitates a mixing of white and brown crab meat to ensure consistency, flavour and texture conforms to their tastes and preferences. To ensure managerial control, a detailed matrix is used to identify component costs at each stage of production, combined with key metrics such as cooking times and yield produced. Nonetheless, management continually wrestle with the issue of how best to dispose of the production by-products – water from cooking and the discarded crab shell. The Blue Sea Food Company is now supplying crab to Europe and South-East Asia, with demand currently exceeding supply in China, and an annual turnover around £11m.
(Extract of case organisation taken from: Evans, C. (2015) Shipwreck to Buoyant Business: The case of the Blue Sea Food Company, Management Services, Autumn, p. 37-38)
Q1 Critically discuss the effectiveness of using a ‘Balanced Scorecard’ as a tool for measuring organisational performance.
Q2 Examine the limitations of using benchmarking to improve organisational performance
Q3 ‘Competitor analysis is fundamental to the pursuit of competitive advantage’. Discuss
This assignment addresses the following learning outcomes:
· Apply strategic management accounting techniques to improve an organisation’s competitive position (Q’s 1, 2 and 3)
· Critically evaluate measures of organisational performance (Q1 and 2)
· Evaluate approaches to strategic cost management to support organisational planning, control and decision-making (Q’s 1 and 2)
You are expected to engage with wide academic reading to support your assignment. Refer to learning material and articles available on Blackboard, as well as library sources referred to in the module reading list:
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Marking Criteria
See marking criteria below
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Formative feedback and Support Formative feedback Formative feedback provides opportunities to reflect on your ongoing work and preparation for your assignment. There is an assignment support session scheduled for 31st October. At this session, there will be an opportunity to discuss the assignment and receive Tutor feedback on any notes/reading.
Further information about this assessment is available on the Blackboard site for this module and includes: Module handbook, learning materials, articles and reading lists.
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Formatting Please use the following file format(s): MS Word. We cannot ensure that other formats are compatible with markers’ software.
All work should be word processed in 12-point font Times New Roman or Arial and single spaced.
The first page of your coursework must include: · Your student Number · The module Name and Number · Your word Count · The coursework title: Devon Crab
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Word Limit The maximum word limit for this coursework is 2000 words · This word count includes everything in the main body of the text (including headings, tables, citations, quotes, lists, etc.). · The references, bibliography and footnotes (provided footnotes only include references) are NOT included in this word count. · There is no direct penalty for exceeding the word count, but the marker WILL stop reading once the maximum word limit has been reached and nothing further will be taken into account in the allocation of marks. You can view the UWE word count policy here: http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/aboutus/policies
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Referencing: Please adhere to the principles of good academic practice and ensure you reference all sources used when developing your assessment, using the UWE Harvard system. Failure to properly reference your work to original source material can be grounds for the assessment offence of plagiarism and may result in failure of the assessment or have more serious implications.
For further guidance on correct referencing go to: http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/students/studysupport/studyskills/referencing.aspx
Details of what constitutes plagiarism and how to avoid it can be found here: http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/students/studysupport/studyskills/readingandwriting/plagiarism.aspx
For general guidance on how to avoid assessment offences see: http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/students/academicadvice/assessments/assessmentoffences.aspx
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Instructions for submission You must submit your assignment before the stated deadline by electronic submission through Blackboard. Notification that the electronic submission portal is open for your assignment is displayed (usually two weeks before the submission date) in the Coursework tab in myUWE, the Coursework tab in Blackboard and via an announcement in the Blackboard course.
Please allow sufficient time to upload your assignment, noting that the system becomes busier and slower as the deadline approaches. Only your final upload will be counted. Ensure all your information is submitted at one attempt to avoid ‘overwriting’ your intended submission. Always check and retain your receipts.
http://info.uwe.ac.uk/online/Blackboard/students/guides/assignments/default.asp
Submissions of coursework by any other method (including a paper copy, on disk or by email) are NOT permissible for this module unless specifically agreed in advance of the submission date.
Before submitting your work, please ensure that: · You have proof read you work thoroughly to ensure your work is presented appropriately · You have addressed all the required elements of the assessment · You have referenced in accordance with the guidance provided · You have addressed each of the marking criterion · The submission is in the correct format
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Final feedback and marks release Students will normally receive marks and feedback on their submission within 20 working days of the submission deadline (not including any public holidays or university closure days). Any delay in returning students’ work will be communicated by the module leader via Blackboard. Feedback on this module is not limited to the written comments you will receive on individual written assessment submissions.
Feedback and marks for this module will be available by 12th December 2018.
For further guidance on feedback, please refer to the module handbook.
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Further Guidance and Support General guidance on study skills: is available at: http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/students/studysupport/studyskills.aspx
Specific study skills pages relating to this module include: Writing skills: https://www1.uwe.ac.uk/students/studysupport/studyskills/readingandwriting/writing.aspx
Support from the FBL Academic Success Centre: http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/bl/bbs/aboutus/studentexperience/academicsupportcentre.aspx
Guidance on UWE assessment regulations and terminology: http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/students/academicadvice/assessments/assessmentsguide.aspx
Guidance on using the library: http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/library/usingthelibrary.aspx
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Personal Circumstances If you are experiencing difficulties in completing a piece of assessment on time due to unexpected circumstances (for example illness, accident, bereavement), you should seek advice from a Student Support Adviser at the earliest opportunity.
Please note the module leader cannot grant personal circumstances or extensions.
Appointments with a student adviser can be made via an Information Point or online at: http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/students/academicadvice/studentadvisers.aspx
The Student Support Adviser will advise as to whether you should submit an application for ‘Personal Circumstances (PCs)’, how to do so and what evidence is required to support the application.
Further details on ECs can be found here: http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/students/academicadvice/assessments/personalcircumstances.aspx |
Marking Criteria
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Distinction 70%+ Evidence of…
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Pass (strong) 60-69% Evidence of… |
Pass (threshold +) 50-59% Evidence of… |
Fail 30-49% Evidence of… |
Fail 0-29%
Evidence of… |
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Knowledge & Understanding of the academic discipline, field of study, and/or area of professional practice (20%) |
as 60-69 & excellent coverage, offering sophisticated or original insights; a synthesis, possibly, of disparate material. 14-20 marks |
as 50-59 & an awareness of problems & insights much of which is at, or informed by, the forefront of the discipline/practice. 12-13 marks |
a systematic understanding of relevant knowledge; good identification, selection and & understanding of key issues; awareness of current problems &/or new insights; conceptual awareness enabling critical analysis; accuracy in detail. 10-11 marks |
Coverage of some relevant issues with moderate understanding; identification of some underpinning issues. 6-9 marks |
paucity of relevant material in support of response 0-5 marks |
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Research, Reading & Use of Other Appropriate Resources (20%) |
as 60-69 & extensive, well-referenced research both in breadth & depth. 14-20 marks |
as 50-59 & a range in breadth or depth of well-referenced research 12-13 marks |
a good range of reading, beyond core or basic texts, with sources appropriately acknowledged according to academic conventions of referencing. 10-11 marks
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the range of reading may be limited; sources not always explicitly or accurately acknowledged 6-9 marks |
inadequate resourcing &/or sources insufficiently acknowledged0-5 marks
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Critical Analysis & Interpretation(30%)
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as 60-69 & imaginative, insightful, original or creative interpretations; impressive, sustained level of analysis & evaluation; a cogent argument with awareness of limitations. 21-30 marks |
as 50-59 & a command of accepted critical positions; conceptual understanding that enables the student to propose new hypotheses. 18-20 marks |
the ability to deal with complex issues both systematically & creatively, & make sound judgements; consistent analysis and critical evaluation of current research & advanced scholarship in the discipline; a coherent argument supported by evidence. 15-17 marks |
some ability to deal with complex issues; judgements not all well substantiated; some evaluation of research & scholarship; the ability to construct an argument may be limited. 9-14 marks |
analysis is limited, deriving from limited sources &/or too limited to a single perspective; argument or position not made clear; self-contradiction or confusion. 0-9 marks |
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Distinction 70%+ Evidence of…
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Pass (strong) 60-69% Evidence of… |
Pass (threshold +) 50-59% Evidence of… |
Fail 29-49% Evidence of… |
Fail 0-29%
Evidence of… |
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Communication Skills & Presentation (10%) |
as 60-69 & Authoritative, articulate communication demonstrating a balance of enthusiasm and control 7-10 marks |
as 50-59 & Persuasive communication skills; the academic form largely matches that expected in published work 6 marks |
clear expression, observing academic form; (in written work) predominantly accurate in spelling & grammar; conclusions communicated clearly for specialist & non-specialist audiences as appropriate. 5 marks |
there may be errors in academic form and/or (in written work) spelling & grammar. 4 marks |
poor observation of academic conventions; deficiencies in spelling & grammar. 0-3 marks |
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Org. application & Eval. (20%) |
as 60-69 & new insights informing practical situations. 14-20 marks |
as 50-59 & originality in addressing needs of the org. and /or solving problems. 12-13 marks |
Ability to apply knowledge & understanding, appropriate to the org. context. 10-11 marks |
some exercise of application 6-9 marks
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weakness in application 0-5 marks |
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