Developing a Professional Mindset

Coursework 1 – Assessment Guidance

• Coursework 1 Assessment: Individual written REPORT (1400 – 1650 words)
• Submission date: (Uploaded to Turnitin) Monday 11th January 2021 by 11.59pm
  Scenario
  Each functional department can be thought of as a link in the company’s internal value chain in that each functional department carries out value-creating activities to design, produce, market, deliver and support the company’s products/services. The company’s success depends on not only how well each functional department performs its work but also on how well the various functional departments coordinate their activities. Therefore, it is essential that functional departments work together in order to achieve a company’s objectives.
  SimVenture Evolution is an online interactive business simulation that will provide you with an authentic learning experience in which you will experience the challenges of running a bicycle manufacturer. In teams of four or five you will compete against your peers on margin. During the simulation you will be provided with core information upon which you are required to make decisions in relation to production, sales and marketing, research and development, finance, and organization. The simulation must run for a minimum of 6 quarters.
  Task
  Drawing on your experience from SimVenture Evolution and using appropriate theoretical underpinning, examine how the different functions covered in the business simulation work together to achieve the objective of profit maximization and how their respective activities and processes may be influenced by each other.

Assessed Learning Outcomes:

Learning Outcome 1: Identify the functions of and interactions between different

departments needed in any successful business.

Considerations in Preparing Your Work:

1. Provide a header page for your work. An example is provided on page 12 of this
   document.
2. WriteyourassignmentinMicrosoftSansSeriforVerdanafont(useminimumsize
   12 font).
3. Please Use Line And Half(1.5)margins.
4. Usepagenumbersonyourwork.
5. Use The Following Structure For Your Work:

• ContentsPagewithpagenumbersforeachsectionofthereport
• Introduction – this should provide an outline of what you plan to do. It will
  provide the reader with an indication of a couple (probably two, but possibly three) of the key models or theories that you will use in greater detail in the work itself (this section will be approximately 150 – 200 words). Such models should include but are not limited to PESTLE, Porter’s Value Chain model, and the importance of communication and information in the value chain.
• Main Analysis – needs to link the departments / business functions outlining how each might help or influence decisions in the others. Here you are expected to include evidence of the decisions made in relation to the business simulation, the rationale behind your decisions, the resulting outcomes, and how the latter informed subsequent decisions. You may include evidence in the form of screenshots from the simulation and include these in an appendix. (this section will be approximately 1,100 – 1,250 words). Please Note: the screen shots in the appendix will not form part of the word count.
• Conclusions–outlinesthekeypointsfromthemainanalysisandmustinclude academic citations from those used in your main analysis. It must not include any new academic models or theories (this section will be approximately 150 – 200 words)
• References–please note it isN’T aBibliography,only include sources cited in the body of the report.

1. Only the sections 6b, 6c and 6d are included in your word count.

1. You Should Include A Minimum Of Ten(10)academic sources(references)in your work. While there is no maximum number, it is not likely to be more than eighteen (18). This can include a maximum of five (5) web sources. This consequently requires you to read books and journals to supplement your subject knowledge and understanding.
2. Please do not use single sentence paragraphs as they will not help the flow of your  ideas.
3. Do Not Use First Or Second Person Narrative(e.g.Ithink;they said;we believe etc.). Approach in terms of the analysis, the report, the examination, the evaluation etc. (i.e. use third person narrative).

10.Work within the word tolerances shown at the top of page 1.

Constructing the Report

• You Must Discuss A Minimum Of Three(and not more than four)business functions covered in the simulation and show how they might engage with each other in terms of working relationships.
• You must acknowledge through the use of academic models and theories how that relationship can or does work. Finding practical published examples from books and journals will add value to your work and is more likely to earn higher grades.
• In each point you construct, think about using at least two (2) or ideally three (3) different academic sources to create a more robust argument and appreciation of that working relationship.

DO NOT:

• Ignore the guidance provided. Doing so is likely to cost you grade points.
• Use anything other than Harvard style citing and referencing
• Write subjectively about the business functions without bringing academic models
  and theories into the discussion
• Write using single sentence paragraphs
• Work outside the word tolerances for the assessment (shown on page 1 of this
  document)