BUS

Coursework: Group Activity: 30% of total mark for module

Submission

Coursework Deadline: 12 noon on 19th March 2015

Coursework should be submitted to Student Support on Cookworthy Level 3 on or before the deadline. Work submitted late will receive a zero mark. Module staffs are unable to give students extensions to deadlines. The group member submitting the work must show Student Support staff their own student card and a photocopy of the student card for each group member, without this the coursework cannot be accepted.

If you have a valid reason for late or non submission, you will need to complete an extenuating circumstances form. For more information on what constitutes valid extenuating circumstances and the extenuating circumstances procedure, please see http://intranet.plymouth.ac.uk/acregsc/acadregs/intranet.htm .

Assignment

As a group you are required to write a short business report to the Trustees of the locally based Theatre Royal. The report should analyse the current business environment and the competitive position of the organisation and make recommendations for the future of the business based on this analysis.

Notes

· You are expected to make use of at least a PESTLE, SWOT and Porter’s 5 Forces for the analysis.

· As part of your analysis, you are expected to identify at least 5 current business drivers and to make at least one business/management recommendation for each business driver.

· A Business Driver is something in the current business environment which will effectively ‘drive’ the business in the forthcoming period. It may be either positive or negative, but it will have a significant impact on the business and therefore requires action to either capitalise on the opportunity it presents, or mitigate the threat it poses.

· The minimum requirement is 5 business drivers and 5 recommendations.

· More information on Plymouth’s Theatre Royal can be found at www.theatreroyal.com . You are NOT permitted to contact the theatre direct – you should use their website and any information from secondary sources such as newspapers etc for any research. You may of course visit!

· You should refer to your text book, lecture notes and any other sources of information you feel are appropriate to back up your arguments

· All models, theories etc. should be referenced using the Harvard Referencing Systems; for more information refer to referencing notes from the library.

Marking Scheme

Clarity & Succinctness 10%

Structure & Presentation 10%

Analysis of the business and competitive environment 40%

Recommendations appropriateness and viability 40%

The assignment must be structured as a business report and should be clear and easy to read and understand. It should also be succinct and to-the-point – you MUST stick to the 2500 word limit (+/- 10%). Diagrams and tables should be included in the word count. Judicious use of appendices is allowed.

Working in Groups

This coursework must be completed as part of a group of 4 (max) people. Smaller or larger groups may be necessary, but should be the exception rather than the rule. Smaller groups will have to work harder to produce the minimum requirement. Larger groups will be expected to show a greater amount of analysis and number of recommendations but stay within the word count.

To facilitate getting the groups together you may use the discussion area on the portal to advertise for group members or to find a group to join. Once you have finalised your group composition, you MUST pass a paper document to the lecturer or an e-mail with the title ‘Final Group Confirmation’ confirming full names of group members and student numbers.

The way you organise the group is up to you. For example, you may decide to work on each element of the report together, or to divide it up so each group member works on a single element. Alternatively, one or two people could write the report, while the others collect the data for each element. However, please note that you will be assessed as a group, which means that you will receive one mark for the entire piece of work.

If you feel that the contributions of each group member differ significantly, you need to offer proof. You may then decide, as a group, to split the mark according to contribution, by specifying on the submitted coursework the percentage contribution by each group member (see example below). The group mark will then be split using the following formula:

(Group Mark x No of Group Members) / 100% x Percentage Contribution = Individual Mark

For a group of 4, the percentage contribution by each member would constitute 25% each of the total contribution – i.e. 100% / 4 people. Therefore, if the overall group mark is 60%, the individual marks would be:

(60 x 4) = 240

240 / 100 = 2.4

2.4 x 25 = 60 …so each member will receive 60%.

However, if you agreed that two group members had made a significantly higher contribution than the other 2 group members and decided to split the marks so those 2 members get 30%, with the other two members receiving 20%, if the overall group mark is 60%, the students that made the higher contribution would receive 72%, as follows:

(60 x 4) = 240

240 / 100 = 2.4

2.4 x 30 = 72

Whilst the other 2 group members would receive 48%, because:

2.4 x 20 = 48

Every group member is required to sign a statement on the submitted work stating that either you are happy for the overall mark to be allocated equally to each student or that you wish the marks to be divided according to the specified percentages.

Feedback

Feedback for coursework assignments will be included on the marking sheet, which will be available for collection when the coursework is returned. Module staff will normally aim to return all coursework within 4 working weeks of submission, via the student support office in Cookworthy.

Plagiarism

Academic offences, including plagiarism, are treated very seriously in the Faculty of Social Science and Business.  A student who is proven to have committed an academic offence may be placing his or her degree in jeopardy.  It is your responsibility as a student to make sure that you understand what constitutes an academic offence, and in particular, what plagiarism is and how to avoid it. 

Read through the information in the Faculty Undergraduate Programmes Handbook under ‘Assessment and Examinations Offences’, including the penalties for offences.  If you still do not understand what constitutes an academic offence, please consult the Student Support Office, your personal tutor or your programme manager.