The Business and Financial Environment
Assignment Instructions
You are required to address the following:
1. You are required to identify and discuss the elements that make up an organisation’s macro and micro environment.
2. Discuss the role of social mediain the way businesses operate in the 21st century.
3. Assess your contribution to the group presentations in Term 1. Provide a reflection of why you failed the module.
4. Explain what you would do differently to improve the aspects youidentified to have contributed to the failure of the Module in Term 1.
The following assignment instructions provide a more detailed explanation of the requirements for your submission.
Details of the task
This assignment requires you to:
a) Demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of how business organisations monitor and respond to contemporary issues faced in their environment. Support your argument with relevant evidence.
b) Demonstrate your understanding of the impact of the use of social media in the business world.
c) Support your answer in a) & b) above with academic references
A suggested structure for your report:
If you choose to structure the main body of your work in a different way, make sure you provide similar coverage of the material.
Introduction: 250 words
1. Introduce the key topics of the report. Provide background material/s which should make the purpose of the report relevant. You may find it appropriate even at this early stage to use theoretical concepts.
2. Explain the purpose of the report. This should be phrased in the terms you would expect to use if the report was to be handed as a professional consultancy report to the organisation concerned.
3. Outline the structure of your response.
4. Define any key terms (this might have been achieved in “1” above).
5. Be engaging and professional. By this, you should try to avoid the trap of starting the report with the words “in this report I am going to …” or similar.
Main Body: 2500 words
This is where you discuss the main issues identified in the task in paragraphs as appropriate.
Keep the headings meaningful and informative. Remember that using the phrase “main body” is not an appropriate heading. The heading must signpost the content beneath.
Conclusion: 250 words
This should:
1 Briefly refer back to your task
2 Summarise the key issues raised in sections 1 – 3 the main body.
3 Summarise your findings
It should not:
1. Contain any information that has not been discussed in the main body,
2. Summarise the topics covered – e.g. “this reportreviewed the operations undertaken and identified where improvements can be made.” without summarising the actual content (a common mistake).
3. Contain any recommendations.
Care should be taken with grammar and spelling and your work should be referenced in accordance with Cite them Right.
Provide your word count at the end of the report:
If you prepare a good answer, you will probably find the word limit quite tight:
• Do make sure that all your content is relevant.
• Refer your reader to each appendix when discussing the associated concept.
• Remember: You are not just presenting information. You should try to persuade your reader that you are right.
Word Count.
Your word count should not include your title or reference list.
It should be provided at the end of your report. Provide an accurate word count. If your report does not appear to be of the correct length it will be checked.
If you significantly exceed the word count, your work will be penalised, by the same percentage as the percentage by which the word count is exceeded. If your work is significantly shorter, then you will probably have failed to provide the level of detail required.
Presentation
Your work should be word processed in accordance with the following:
• Font style, Lucida Sans, font size 12
• 1.5 line spacing.
• The page orientation should be ‘portrait’
• Margins on both sides of the page should be no less than 2.5 cm
• Pages should be numbered
• Your name should not appear on the script.
• Your student number should be included on every page.
Submission to Turnitin of Work Submitted for Assessment
Turnitin is an internet-based text matching service that has been developed by a commercial company. It is used, under license, by most UK Universities, including the University of East London. Work that is submitted to Turnitin generates a Turnitin Originality report, showing which parts of it have been reproduced from which sources. The system compares submissions to material that is to be found: on the world-wide web; in its database of previous submissions; and in its growing number of databases of published articles. You should not assume that a Turnitin Originality report with a low similarity index is evidence that the piece of work concerned is free from plagiarism.
Our policy on the use of Turnitin recognises the educational desirability that all of our students should enjoy the opportunity to self-submit their work to Turnitin (before submitting for assessment). We also recognise that Turnitin Originality Reports will sometimes assist in the identification of plagiarised work submitted for assessment.
Notice is hereby given that all submissions of reports for this Module must be submitted to Turnitin. Detailed guidance on how to submit your work to Turnitin will be made available on this Module’s
Note
The material that you submit to Turnitin will be marked. The deadline applies so you are advised not to submit after 23.00pm, because it could take some time for your submission to upload, and the delay could cause the work to be received after 23.55pm.
Moodle site.
Submissions that are late, but by less than 24 hours,will be accepted but will attract a 5%
penalty.Submissions that are between 24 hours and 7days late may be uploaded, but a mark will only be received if extenuation is granted. In these cases you should seek advice from the student union without delay.
Please be aware that:
• Withdrawal from the module could result in your access to the Turnitin site being unavailable even if you have been reinstated to the module. Please check that you have access to the site during working hours before the due date because you may need to contact your module leader to ask for the link to be reinstated.
Please read the material in the assessment folder and save the document using the format for the name of the document as specified.
Assessment criteria
a) Quality of reflection 30%
b) Application of tools /theory/concepts relevant to the business environment40%
c) Overall presentation including referencing 20%
d) Structure 10%
Assessment criteria explained.
Quality of reflection
This must demonstrate lessons learned for why the module has to be retrieved. It must be critical and not just descriptive or defensive.
Application of tools /theory/concepts relevant the business environment
The accurate demonstration of the application of relevant concepts and tools as taught in the Module.
Overall presentation including referencing
This must include the writing style and referencing technique. Could this report be given to the company concerned? Would they consider it demonstrates sufficient understanding of their particular situation?
Structure
This includes the layout of the argument in a logical and organised manner e.g. Introduction, Main body and Conclusion.
More detail regarding the assessment criteria and associated standards will be available on Moodle.
Assessment Standards
First
(70% or above) Ideas critically analysed
Argument is clear, succinct and well supported.
Evidence of a wide range of reading and some independent thought.
Upper second
(60-69%) Critical consideration of relevant ideas.
Arguments are precisely defined and appropriately referenced.
The work is structurally sound and well written.
Lower second
(50-59%) Reasonable understanding of the relevant concepts, but some inconsistencies in application.
Arguments are referenced, but disjointed.
Poor structure, spelling or grammar.
Third
(40-49%) Generally descriptive work with limited evidence of a critical consideration of ideas.
Inadequate referencing.
Weaknesses in structure, spelling and grammar.
Fail
(below 40%) Uncritical
Poorly referenced
Argument indicates little use of relevant literature.
Chaotic structure and generally badly written
No reference to theory
