Assessment Guide

MBA 5007 - Managing Strategy and Innovation

For the assessment of MBA unit 5007, there are five assessment tasks you have to complete in order to satisfy the

unit requirements. Details are given in the unit descriptor and on “Studyboard@VIT”.

Assessment timetable

Each week, you will be guided by our LMS on all the course requirements of our MBA unit including what to do in that particular week, and how to fulfill task requirements. For each assessment, the “Studyboard@VIT” will provide details on the assessment task and guidelines including how you will be assessed on each assessment task, mark- ing criteria and so on. Some clarification on each assessment:

Some clarification on each assessment:

1. Assessment 1 - Discussion Participation: You will be assessed based on your accessible login on LMS, your participation on online DISCUSSION FORUM and your interaction through email etc with the faculty and coordinators here at VIT. Your facilitator will make the assessment.

2 Assessment 2 – Individual: New Venture Development, Strategic Plan: In this assessment task, you are required to develop a strategic plan of your new venture. In this task, you are required to propose a new idea for a business startup. The idea can be new to the world (invention), duplication, extension or synthesis innovation that is significantly different to existing product, service, or business model.

1. Assessment 3 – Group: Consultative Report: In this assessment you will be required to form a group (4-5). Groups have a choice to select one of the best ideas from Individual Assessment 2 or develop an entirely new idea (not presented in Assessment 2). Assessment 3 has two parts. In Part A, groups will pitch their ideas (present) using a lean canvas in tutorials and submit their presentation slides on LMS. In Part B, based of feedback obtained in Part A, the group will write a report of their Lean Business Model and submit on LMS.

Thefollowing instructions are strictly applied throughout our MBA programme:

» 1. The assessments are an important part of unit progression and are to be attended to diligently. Hence, no attempt at an assessment task means no marks.

» 2. Assessment tasks must be submitted within the timeframe given. Late submission will attract a 10% deduction in the mark for each day the submission is late.

» 3. Assessment guidelines must be followed, for example, if the assessment involves a written report of 2,000 words, the word count is important. If the word count is more than ±10% outside the guideline, there will be a deduction of 5% off the final mark.

» 4. All assessments must be submitted to VIT, Australia. The primary place of submission is LMS (refer to LMS User Guide). In case of unavailability of LMS, assessments need to be submitted by email, MBALSA@vit.edu.au.’

» 5. Students are required to achieve at least 40% in each assessment component and an overall mark of 50% to achieve a pass grade in the unit. If a student does not achieve 40% in an assessment and the overall mark for the unit is more than 50%, then a mark of 49% will be recorded for the unit.

» 6. The authorised agent/local facilitator can help students understand the various parts of the assessment and also will be appointed as “Invigilator” (supervision only) for the assessment.

NOTE: For all assignments, thepreferred layout is in12-point Calibri, with 1.5 line spacing, 5 centimetres left-hand margins and bold headings. Whenever you use the ideas and arguments of other writers, you must make reference to the writers and their work. By acknowledging the work of others, you avoid plagiarism. The APA style requires a reference list at the end of your assignment. It is arranged in alphabetical order by author surname.

For further clarification you can contact the coordinator via email.

Further details on each assessment for MBA 5007 can be found on the following pages.

Student Guidelines

Assessment 1- Discussion Participation –Weightage 20%

» 1. You are expected to participate in ALL FOUR ‘Discussion Participation’ forums Week 4, 6, 8, and 10). You should begin at least one thread and provide at least three posts in response to other participants’ threads.

Posting should be a minimum of one short paragraph and a maximum of two paragraphs. Word totals for each post should be in the 100-200 words range.

» 2. During the discussion, when you agree or disagree, explain why with supporting evidence and concepts from the readings or a related experience. Include a reference, link, or citation when appropriate.

» 3. During the discussion, be organized in your thoughts and ideas. Incorporate correlations with the assigned readings or topics. Stay on topic. Provide evidence of critical thinking in your responses or interactions. Avoid summarizing.

» 4. During the discussion, contribute to the learning community by being creative in your approaches to topics, being relevant in the presented viewpoints, and attempting to motivate the discussion.

» 5. During the discussion, beaware ofgrammar and sentence mechanics. Use proper etiquette.

» 6. Remember that being respectful is critical at all times in the classroom, online and during forum chat discussions.

ASSESSMENT TASK                  Discussion Participation                           WEIGHTAGE         20%

NAME OF THE

STUDENT
 

STUDENT NO.

Student Guidelines

Assessment 2– Individual - New Venture Development – Strategic Plan • 2500- 3000 word. Weightage: 40%

Task: This is an individual assessment. In this assessment task you will be required to develop a Strategic Plan of a new venture plan. In this task, you are required to propose a new idea for a business startup. The idea should be new and can be any of the following:

Duplication        Creative replication of an existing concept

Extension           New use or different application of an already existing product, service or process Synthesis            Combination of existing concepts and factors into a new formulation of use Invention                        Totally new product, service or process

Assessment 2 will cover topics discussed in Week 1 - 4 including (but not limited)

• SWOT external & internal business environments analysis to identify opportunities
• Blue ocean strategy
• Strategic management
• Competitive strategy
• Value chain
• Internal resources & capabilities analysis

In your report you are expected to demonstrate your skills to assess the external and internal business environments, evaluation of internal strategic resources and capabilities, identification of a viable market opportunity, evaluation of key competing offerings to develop a new customer value, analysis of competitive strategy options, selecting and crafting a strategy to compete in your target industry and design a value chain to implement your chosen strategy.

The report should be written in a formal academic report format. An example of a recommended template is as follows.

1. Title
   1. Executive Summary
   2. Table of contents

1. Introduction
   • Aim of the report
   • New venture idea
   • Reader roadmap
2. Literature Review (optional)
3. New Venture Idea
4. Discussion (integrating literature and evidence)
5. Conclusions
6. Recommendations
7. References (APA style)
8. Appendixes

The individual report must between 2,500 – 3000 words in length excluding the executive summary, references, and any appendices. You are expected to refer to at least 12 – 15 credible peer reviewed published research articles in addition to other sources. The referencing style must follow the APA referencing style.

You will be assessed as follows:

»

1. Structure of the written report: Introduction, literature review, analysis, discussion, conclusions, and recommendations are logically ordered and consistent.
2. Identify main issues: Prioritise choices, justify and prioritise issues chosen.
3. Analyse the issues: Each issue is analysed using evidences and relevant concepts and principles.
4. Critical evaluation: Consider all viable short-term and long-term alternatives to potentially solve each issue, examine the advantages and disadvantages of each alternative.

»

1. Explain resources: Identify resources including finances and human resources, enumerate the time frame and monitoring processes required for the recommendations to be put into practice.

1.  Write clearly and concisely:Arguments are explicit and succinct, appropriate headings are used, and spelling and grammar are accurate.

ASSESSMENT TASK      Srategic Plan of New Venture                             WEIGHTAGE         40%

NAME OF THE STUDENT NO.

Student Guidelines

Assessment 3 – Lean Business Model • 2500 – 3000 words - Weightage: 40%

Aim

Building on your experience in Assessment 2, students will work in groups to develop a new venture, pitch their idea

to “investors” and write a report of their new Lean Business Model.

Task

In Assessment 3, you will be required to form a group (4-5). Groups have a choice to select one of the best ideas from Individual Assessment 2 or develop an entirely new idea (not presented in Assessment 2). Similar to Assessment 2, the idea should not be a direct imitation of an existing product, process or business model. The idea must be new and can be of the following:

Duplication        Creative replication of an existing concept

Extension           New use or different application of an already existing product, service or process Synthesis            Combination of existing concepts and factors into a new formulation of use Invention                        Totally new product, service or process

Students are expected to work collaboratively to design new product/service concepts, digital prototypes, test, develop MVP and new business model.

Assessment 3 will cover topics (not limited to) discussed in Weeks 5 - 12 including:

• Designing new value proposition
• Creating and testing prototypes and MVPs
• Lean Startup Methodology
• Design Thinking, User Experience
• Agile product development model
• Lean business modelling
• Lean canvas

Assessment 3has twoparts. InPart A,groups will pitch their new ideas (present) using a Lean Canvas intutorials (to “investors”) and submit their presentation on LMS before the deadline. In Part B, based on feedback obtained in Part A, the group will write a report of their Lean Business Model and submit on LMS.

Part A

Group must use the Lean Canvas to pitch their idea in allocated tutorials. The following link provides a step-by-

step guide how to use a lean canvas to pitch your idea to “investors”.

https://www.linkedin.com/advice/0/how-do-you-use-lean-canvas-pitch-your-idea-investors

Part B

In Part B, groups must demonstrate application of entrepreneurial and innovation tools and models including lean value proposition canvas, the lean startup validation board, lean business model canvas and lean business planning to write your report. Teams will have the opportunity to integrate feedback obtained from pitching their idea in tutorials.

Thefollowing Internet links canbe helpful to find generic lean business model and lean business planning templates:

Lean Business Model Canvas

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-create-your-business-model-lean-canvas-edition-papanikolaou

Lean Business Planning https://business.gov.au

The report must be 2,500 – 3000 words in length excluding the executive summary, references, and any appendices. You are expected to refer to at least 12 – 15 credible peer reviewed published research articles in addition to other sources. The referencing style must follow the APA referencing style.

Group work

Due to the ‘group work’ feature of this assignment, the report needs to include a statement from all group mem- bers about their role and participation in the team process, deliberation and preparation of the report. To authen- ticate this, all the members need to sign off on the report (electronic signage). This fulfils integrity and allows each person to take responsibility and give feedback to others

Recommended Template

Title page             Report title, student name(s), course, date and student signature(s) recorded on declaration form

Executive summary           Brief statement of purpose, findings and recommendations.

Introduction           Context, background, purpose and scope of report, explanation of report organisa-

tion.

Body of report          Analysis and discussion under headings.

Summary or restatement of main issues.

Conclusion             Basis for recommendations. May indicate ‘next step’. May comment on the limita- tions of the topic/agenda (such as generalisability, availability of data).

Recommendations       Most important first; based on conclusions; specific; practical.

References            APA system with intext citations related toreference list.

Appendices            Additional information such as interview schedule used, relevant company docu- ments, spread sheets and statistics.

Language and Style

Reports are written in appropriate business language. The analysis and discussion in your report should there- fore have an objective tone. Your writing should be clear and concise and display appropriate style, based on the report’s purpose and the audience’s needs. Your voice and words should be your own. Use headings to guide the reader.

Additional information on how to finalise the Consultative Report

» 1. Identify what information you will need to collect to satisfy the given purpose, and how you can obtain

that information.

» 2. Read analytically and critically about the topic: interpret, compare information, work out relationships, check relevance.

» 3. Form an argument and organise the evidence for and against. Develop your recommendations.

» 4. Outline your report sections. (Check whether all sections are required).

» 5. Write a draft: develop your argument; provide evidence for your argument; present alternative views; justify your argument; build logical links; avoid plagiarism; cite sources correctly; write clearly and concisely; format the report.

» 6. Check that your argument and recommendations meet the purpose; check structure, language and style; check flow of argument; copy edit; crosscheck references in report and reference list.

» 7. Prepare appendices, place in numbered order of referral from your text.

» 8. Include table of contents if required.

» 9. Write executive summary.

» 10. Final preparation: proof read; check that all report elements are present and in the correct order; check grammar and spelling.

Assessment 3 – Group Project

*** FOR  FACULT Y M E M B ER  ONLY  ***

MARKING SHEET

ASSESSMENT TASK                     New Venture Lean Business Model     WEIGHTAGE         40%

NAME OF THE

STUDENT

STUDENT NO.

Criteria                                                                           Mark

ARGUMENT

Identification of opportunities and how to identify and make use of creative individuals, groups

and organisations in innovation and entrepreneurship are well presented                                                  /5

Entrepreneurship and innovation tools, models and frameworks are appropriately applied                             /5

12              MBA 5007 - Managing Strategy and Innovation

MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTR

© Copyright VIT(Victorian Institute of Technology) 2019-2020

RTO No: 20829 | TE