Module Guide

Lord Ashcroft International Business School

Business Analysis Project

Department: Marketing, Enterprise and Tourism

Module Code: MOD001112
Level: 7

Academic Year: 2014/15

Semester/Trimester:
2

Module Guide

Contents

Business Analysis Project.......................................................................................................................... 1

Module title: Business Analysis Project.....................................................................................................2
2. Introduction to the Module..................................................................................................................... 2
2.1 Employability skills delivered in this Module....................................................................................3
3. Attendance............................................................................................................................................ 3
4. Learning Outcomes and Outline Delivery..............................................................................................4
5. Assessment........................................................................................................................................... 6
5.1. Element 010 Assignment submit work via Turnitin/Grademark..............................................6
5.3. Submitting your work via Turnitin/Grademark [Cambridge and Chelmsford students]..................8
5.3 Submitting your work [Students in all other locations at Associate Colleges]................................10
5.4. Feedback..................................................................................................................................... 10
6. How is My Work Marked?.................................................................................................................... 11
7. Assessment Criteria and Marking Standards.......................................................................................14
7.1 Specific Assessment Criteria and Marking Rubric or Grading Form..............................................14
7.2 University Generic Assessment Criteria........................................................................................16
ANGLIA RUSKIN UNIVERSITY GENERIC ASSESSMENT CRITERIA AND MARKING STANDARDS
............................................................................................................................................................ 16
8. Assessment Offences.......................................................................................................................... 17
9. Learning Resources............................................................................................................................ 19
9.1. Library.......................................................................................................................................... 19
Marr, Bernard (2012) Key Performance Indicators (KPI): The 75 Measures Every Manager Needs to
Know,............................................................................................................................................. 19
FT Prentice Hall....................................................................................................................................... 19
Bender, R. & Ward, K. (2009) Corporate Financial Strategy, Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann...............19
9.2. Other Resources.......................................................................................................................... 21
10. Module Evaluation............................................................................................................................. 21
11. Report on Last Delivery of Module.....................................................................................................22
Appendix 1: Re-Assessment Information................................................................................................23

Page 1

Module Guide

1. Key Information
Module title: Business Analysis Project
Module Leader:

Module Tutors:

t.b.a
Campus / Building / Room:
Extension:
Email:
Website:

Cambridge / LAB322
http://cambridgemba.wordpress.com/bap

t.b.a.

Every module has a Module Definition Form (MDF) which is the officially validated record of the module.
You can access the MDF for this module in three ways via:

the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)

the My.Anglia Module Catalogue at www.anglia.ac.uk/modulecatalogue
Anglia Ruskins module search engine facility at www.anglia.ac.uk/modules

All modules delivered by Anglia Ruskin University at its main campuses in the UK and at Associate
Colleges throughout the UK and overseas are governed by the Academic Regulations. You can view
these at www.anglia.ac.uk/academicregs. An extract of the Academic Regulations, known as the
Assessment Regulations, is available at this website too (all new students will have received a printed
copy as part of their welcome pack).
In the unlikely event of any discrepancy between the Academic Regulations and any other publication,
including this module guide, the Academic Regulations, as the definitive document, take precedence
over all other publications and will be applied in all cases.

2. Introduction to the Module

Key words: Sources of competitive advantage, benchmarking, KPIs.
This 15-credit module is largely self-managed.
It is centred on a single business of your choosing,
which you will benchmark with two similar organisations.
It is difficult to be prescriptive about this module. Imagine being called in to a meeting with the Chief
Executive and being told to sort out the organisation. It is difficult to define sort out, because if the CE
could explain it, the possible solutions would be self-evident. This sort of problem is faced by most senior
managers at some time in their career, especially in these turbulent times.
This module simulates the problems (issues) that real life managers deal with and requires you to test
some of your proposed solutions. The focus is on some aspect of competitive advantage and how this
is reported in published information and also in financial reports and statistics.
The module is integrative, it requires you to look at competitive strategy from different angles (e.g.
organisational, operational, market, financial etc). You must pull together these strands in order to form
a coherent picture of the issues (i.e. the problems and opportunities) inside and around your chosen
organisation.
Part of your analysis will be qualitative soft and part of your analysis will be quantitative hard. You
must pull together soft analysis and hard (financial and market data) in order to perform a complete
Page 2

Module Guide

analysis.

Page 3

Module Guide

2.1 Employability skills delivered in this Module

It is important that we help you develop employability skills throughout your course which will assist you
in securing employment and supporting you in your future career. During your course you will acquire a
wide range of key skills. In this module, you will develop those identified below:

SKILL

Skills acquired in this

module

Communication (oral)
Communication (written)
Commercial Awareness
Cultural sensitivity
Customer focus
Data Handling
Decision making
Enterprising
Flexibility
Initiative
Interpersonal Skills
Leadership/Management of others
Networking
Organisational adaptability
Project Management
Problem Solving and analytical skills
Responsibility
Team working
Time Management
Other

X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X

3. Attendance
Attending all your classes is very important and one of the best ways to help you succeed in this module.
In accordance with the Student Charter, you are expected to arrive on time and take an active part in all
your timetabled classes. If you are unable to attend a class for a valid reason (e.g.: illness), please
contact your Module Tutor.
Anglia Ruskin will closely monitor the attendance of all students and will contact you by e-mail if you
have been absent without notice for two weeks. Continued absence can result in various consequences
including the termination of your registration as you will be considered to have withdrawn from your
studies.
International students who are non-EEA nationals and in possession of entry clearance/leave to remain
as a student (Tier 4 student visa) are required to be in regular attendance at Anglia Ruskin. Failure to do
so is considered to be a breach of national immigration regulations. Failure to do so will have serious
implications for your immigration status in the UK. Anglia Ruskin, like all British Universities, is statutorily
obliged to inform UK Visa & Immigration (Home Office) of significant unauthorised absences by any
student visa holders.

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Module Guide

4. Learning Outcomes and Outline Delivery

Anglia Ruskin modules are taught on the basis of intended learning outcomes and on successful
completion of the module, students will be expected to be able to demonstrate they have met those
outcomes.
Knowledge and
understanding

1. Evaluate the ways in which competitive forces impinge on an

organisations performance;
2. Critically examine relationships between organisational issues and
strategic development;

Intellectual,
practical, affective
and transferable
skills

3. Apply appropriate qualitative and quantitative tools, techniques and

concepts to clarify, synthesise and evaluate an organisations current
effectiveness and future prospects;
4. Develop a critical and practice-based insight into the key issues facing
an organisation, supported by clear evidence-based findings and to
communicate those findings and make recommendations.

Part

Lecture

Seminar/Workshop

Student-managed learning

Pre-module

Module introduction
purpose, direction and
outcomes.

Briefing on purpose and

direction of module and
preparation
Selection of target
organisations; suitability for
study, access to company
information
Discovering, assessing and
exchanging details of favourite
sources valid, neutral,
reputable and reliable sources
Students preliminary
presentations on choice of focus
company and what they expect
to find out
Revise, review and test
knowledge of standard models
e.g. PEST, 5-forces, Ansoff etc.
Revise the standard accounting
ratios and their implications

Pre-module reading and research

on one focus company and its
competitors.
Research and data gathering for
chosen firms

Sources of information

Student presentations
(1)
formative, not assessed

Frameworks for
competitive advantage

Questioning & updating

academic frameworks

How we can adapt and update

frameworks?

Balanced Scorecard and

KPIs
and Strategy Map

Identifying and understanding

industry-specific key
performance indicators

Page 5

Testing and sharing sources of

information
Class dialogue on current
economic and business issues
and their influences on strategy
formulation.
Revision and updating of learning
from earlier strategy and
accounting modules.
Johnson, Scholes & Whittington
(2011) Exploring Corporate
Strategy, Pearson Education Ltd,
9th edition.
Read works of Downes & Mui,
Miller A., Bowman C., Yip., Ansoff
I.
Researching specific company
and industry sources and
identifying the special KPIs for that
sector. Read articles by Kaplan
and Norton on the Balanced
Scorecard and the Strategy Map.

Module Guide

Drivers of globalisation

Identifying and assessing the

main factors driving globalisation

Spreadsheet modelling
computer room

Spreadsheet modelling
computer room
Student presentations
(2)
formative not assessed
progress check

Replication of company P&L and

Balance Sheets in
spreadsheets. Revision and use
of spreadsheet formulae.
Development of students own
spreadsheet model

Case study
e.g. Marks & Spencer
Case study:e.g. Low cost airlines

10

11

Investment appraisal
frameworks, NPV, IRR,
Decision tree analysis
Review

12

Student presentations
updated (not assessed,
formative)
Review

Reading and researching e.g.

good quality press articles in order
to assess the influence of
globalisation (based on Yip, G.).
PWC and World Bank and WEF
and other reports

Short (3 Powerpoint slides)

presentations on the main
issues uncovered in focus
company and two comparators.

Identifying key problems / issues,

identifying industry-specific KPIs.

Application of academic
frameworks; modelling &
spread-sheeting figures

Identify industry-specific KPIs,

integrating soft (qualitative) and
hard (quantitative) data.

Selecting the appropriate

measurables.

Industry-specific KPIs, example of

airlines,
Doganis,R.

Applications and implications

Will be advised in lecture

Workshop

Realistic strategy options. Testing

options with a spreadsheet,
integrating the analysis into a
Powerpoint presentation

Workshop question and

answer session

Realistic strategy options. Testing

options with a spreadsheet,
integrating the analysis into a
Powerpoint presentation

It is valuable to be aware of the Key Performance Indicators that are employed in each market sector.
The traditional financial ratios are useful here, but do not give the full picture. Some sectors have very
specialised KPIs. How does your chosen organisation compare with your chosen benchmark
organisations in these key areas?
The module also requires an awareness of values and judgements in financial and other reporting. You
must interpret evidence from a number of different sources in order to give your judgement on
numerical data represented in the accounts.
The module requires you to test the outcomes of your recommendations using spreadsheet scenario
modelling. You should comment on the suitability, acceptability and feasibility of your
recommendations and integrate the figures derived from your scenario modelling in this section.
This module integrates learning from previous modules and is useful practice for your
dissertation.

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Module Guide

5. Assessment
NEW FOR 2014/15 EARLIER CLOSURE TIME for submission of work on deadline day:
The closure time for the submission of work the deadline date is 2pm (14:00 hours).
The assessment for this module consists of one element. Final submission dates for elements of
assessment vary.
Elemen
t

Type of assessment

010

Individual written
assignment

Word or
time
limit
3,000

Submission
method

Final Submission Date

TurnitinUK
GradeMark

TBC

or in hard copy (off

main UK campus
only)
5.1. Element 010 Assignment submit work via Turnitin/Grademark
You are required to prepare a 3,000 words report on an enterprise of your own choosing. This will be a
critical appraisal of the competitive position of the enterprise and you will benchmark with two similar
organisations.
This module simulates the problems (issues) that real life senior managers deal with and requires you to
test some of your proposed solutions. The focus is on some aspect of competitive advantage and how
this is reported in published information and also in financial reports and statistics.
The module is integrative, it requires you to look at competitive strategy from different angles (e.g.
organisational, operational, market, financial etc). You must pull together these strands in order to form
a coherent picture of the issues (i.e. the problems and opportunities) inside and around your chosen
organisation.
Part of your analysis will be qualitative - soft - and part of your analysis will be quantitative - hard. You
must pull together soft analysis and hard (financial and market data) in order to perform a complete
analysis.
It is valuable to be aware of the key performance indicators that are employed in each market sector.
The traditional financial ratios are useful here, but do not give the full picture. Some sectors have very
specialised KPIs. How does your chosen organisation compare with your chosen benchmark
organisations in these key areas?
The module also requires an awareness of values and judgements in financial and other reporting. You
must interpret evidence from a number of different sources in order to give your judgement on
numerical data represented in the accounts.
The module requires you to test the outcomes of your recommendations using spreadsheet scenario
modelling. You should comment on the suitability, acceptability and feasibility of your
recommendations and integrate the figures derived from your scenario modelling in this section.

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Module Guide

BUSINESS ANALYSIS PROJECT

MOD001112

SID:
LO
s
a 1-4

Benchmark 1

Focus company:

Research on industry sector and selected organisation,

Marking sheet
Benchmark 2

referencing

Weigh
t
10%

Wide research and reading - good bibliography and referencing - every piece of
information and all non-original work must be referenced to original author.
Information is not free, it is the intellectual property of the original author who must
be acknowledged
Do not describe analytical models. Sources: FT, Economist, HBR, quality
newspapers & journals, Mintel & Keynote market sector reports, Dunn &
Bradstreet , specialist journals. Be careful with online sources - DO NOT
download web-based material without referencing.

b 3

Detailed financial analysis, including financial spreadsheet

modelling of recommended strategy options

15%

Examine trends over 3 - 5 years:- e.g. sales, market share, profitability, cash,
debt, investment, p/e - and compare with key competitors. Use specific
Performance Indicators relevant to your chosen sector. Use only relevant financial
ratios (no need to examine all of them). WHAT ARE THE INDUSTRY-SPECIFIC
KPIs? Each sector has its own special KPIs. Interpret and discuss your findings IDENTIFY KEY ISSUES.

14

d 4

Analysis,

interpretation and discussion of strategic issues

30%

Establish the context and background - apply models to the case. Examine the
market and competitors, operations and organisation. Interpret and discuss your
findings - IDENTIFY KEY ISSUES
APPLY theory & models to help you ANALYSE - do not DESCRIBE the theory
It is advisable to select one or maximum two theoretical models
e.g. PESTEL plus modified Porter 5 Forces works well.
e.g. the Balanced Scorecard / Strategy Map, with industry-specific KPIs, works
well
DO NOT use SWOT

An appraisal of the limitations of financial models and conventional

analysis

10%

Remember to include this part. MBA people should be capable of seeing the
weaknesses as well as the strengths of conventional textbook wisdom and
concepts. For example, the traditional 5-forces model is out-of-date and we will
critique and update it.

e 14

14

g 14

Conclusions

10%

Conclusions must link strongly with the earlier parts of the report and pull
together your findings - do not introduce new evidence and thought here - no
surprises. Conclusions will restate the key issues that you have identified and
your major findings.
Recommendations must address these key issues and major findings. You are
writing to the CEO and advising on your favoured options for the future in terms of
costs, benefits (increased sales, profits etc), timescale and resource
implications for the organisation. You must model your recommendations in the
financial spreadsheet model in part (b); make some assumptions on costs, sales
etc and input these to the model; discuss and interpret the financial and other
outcomes of your recommendations in terms of acceptability, feasibility and
suitability.
Modelling

Model your recommendations from part (e) quantitatively using a

spreadsheet. Your recommendations inform the inputs then you will comment on

10%

15%

the outcomes.
TOTAL

100%
Overall:
raj/aibs/mba/BAP/Mark sheet/ jul2013

Page 8

Mark

Module Guide

OPTION A Grademark Submission

All coursework assignments and other forms of assessment must be submitted by the published
deadline which is detailed above. It is your responsibility to know when work is due to be submitted
ignorance of the deadline date will not be accepted as a reason for late or non-submission.
All student work which contributes to the eventual outcome of the module (i.e.: if it determines whether
you will pass or fail the module and counts towards the mark you achieve for the module) is submitted
via Turnitin/GradeMark. You CANNOT submit work for this element via the iCentres and Academic
staff CANNOT accept work directly from you.
Any late work (posted to Turnitin/Grademark) will NOT be considered and a mark of zero will be
awarded for the assessment task in question.
You are requested to keep a copy of your work.
OPTION B i-Centre Submission
All coursework assignments and other forms of assessment must be submitted by the published
deadline which is detailed above. It is your responsibility to know when work is due to be submitted
ignorance of the deadline date will not be accepted as a reason for late or non-submission.
All student work which contributes to the eventual outcome of the module (i.e.: if it determines whether
you will pass or fail the module and counts towards the mark you achieve for the module) is submitted
via the iCentre using the formal submission sheet. Academic staff CANNOT accept work directly from
you.
If you decide to submit your work to the iCentre by post, it must arrive by midday on the due date. If you
elect to post your work, you do so at your own risk and you must ensure that sufficient time is provided
for your work to arrive at the iCentre. Posting your work the day before a deadline, albeit by first class
post, is extremely risky and not advised.
Any late work (submitted in person or by post) will NOT be accepted and a mark of zero will be awarded
for the assessment task in question.
You are requested to keep a copy of your work.
5.3. Submitting your work via Turnitin/Grademark [Cambridge and Chelmsford students]
You are required to submit your written assignment(s) online via Turnitin/Grademark. Unless stated on
the assignment brief, all your assignments should be submitted online. Hard copy assignments handed
into the iCentre will NOT be marked. You must put YOUR Student ID number (SID) as the
submission title (details below).
You will be enrolled automatically to two types of Turnitin class: 1) Grademark Classes entitled by
module name, to which you will submit a ONE TIME ONLY final submission; 2) The Originality Report
Class to which you can submit multiple drafts for originality checking.
The Grademark class page shows the start date (when you can begin submitting work), the due date for
your assignment and the post date. All assignments must be submitted by 5pm on the due date. Any
late work will NOT be accepted and a mark of zero will be awarded for the assessment task in question.
The post date is the date when both feedback and provisional results will be posted online. You should
follow the detailed instructions provided on the VLE:
https://vle.anglia.ac.uk/sites/LTA/Grademark/Content/Home.aspx
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Module Guide

When you submit your paper, remember to include the information:

When you click Upload, you then see a preview of your file. If you are happy it is the right file, click
Confirm to submit your work.
POINTS TO NOTE
1. The due date as seen in eVision is the official submission deadline. Any late work will NOT be
accepted and a mark of zero will be awarded for the assessment task in question. Do not leave it
until the last minute to submit your work the system becomes extremely busy and can be
slower during the period of the deadline.
2. Grademark final submission classes will become available 10 working days before the final
submission date. Be aware that work can only be submitted ONCE to these classes and cannot
be removed or changed.
3. All work submitted MUST be entitled by your Student ID number.
4. Any work handed in via the iCentre will NOT be marked.
5. The Originality Report is automatically generated by Turnitin on submitting work. A paper copy of
the originality report is not required.
6. The Originality Report will not be used to make assessment decisions unless concerns arise as
to poor academic practice, plagiarism, or collusion. The report may then be considered as part of
the normal investigatory procedures undertaken by the academic team and the Director of
Studies (again, please see Section 10 of the Assessment Regulations).

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Module Guide

7. Re-sits and extensions are also to be submitted via Turnitin. New Turnitin classes will be created
for re-sits.
8. Full details as on submitting to Turnitin, the Originality Report, and a FAQs list, can be located on
the module VLE. If you have experience submission difficulties, please email: LAIBS-GrademarkSupport@anglia.ac.uk Furthermore, there is a support VLE site
(https://vle.anglia.ac.uk/sites/LTA/Grademark/Content/Home.aspx) there are links to videos to
show you how to submit your work and to view your feedback.
All coursework assignments and other forms of assessment must be submitted by the published
deadline which is detailed above. It is your responsibility to know when work is due to be submitted
ignorance of the deadline date will not be accepted as a reason for late or non-submission.
5.3 Submitting your work [Students in all other locations at Associate Colleges]
All student work which contributes to the eventual outcome of the module (i.e. if it determines whether
you will pass or fail the module and counts towards the mark you achieve for the module) is submitted
according to your institutions guidelines. Academic staff CANNOT accept work directly from you.
Any late work will NOT be accepted and a mark of zero will be awarded for the assessment task in
question.
You are requested to keep a copy of your work.

5.4. Feedback
You are entitled to feedback on your performance for all your assessed work. For all assessment tasks
which are not examinations, this is accomplished by a member of academic staff providing your mark
and associated comments which will relate to the achievement of the modules intended learning
outcomes and the assessment criteria you were given for the task when it was first issued. This
feedback will be available on-line via Turnitin/Grademark or may be sent directly to your Anglia Ruskin
e-mail account.
The marker of your assignment will include feedback on written assignments that includes answers to
these three key questions:
1.
What is your overall feedback?
2.
How does your assignment compare to the marking criteria?
3.
How can you improve in the future?
Examination scripts are retained by Anglia Ruskin and are not returned to students. However, you are
entitled to feedback on your performance in an examination and may request a meeting with the Module
Leader or Tutor to see your examination script and to discuss your performance.
Anglia Ruskin is committed to providing you with feedback on all assessed work within 20 working days
of the submission deadline or the date of an examination. This is extended to 30 days for feedback for a
Major Project module (please note that working days excludes those days when Anglia Ruskin University
is officially closed; e.g.: between Christmas and New Year). Personal tutors will offer to read feedback
from several modules and help you to address any common themes that may be emerging.
On occasion, you will receive feedback and marks for pieces of work that you completed in the earlier
stages of the module. We provide you with this feedback as part of the learning experience and to help
you prepare for other assessment tasks that you have still to complete. It is important to note that, in
these cases, the marks for these pieces of work are unconfirmed. This means that, potentially,
marks can change, in either direction!
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Module Guide

Marks for modules and individual pieces of work become confirmed on the Dates for the Official
Publication of Results which can be checked at www.anglia.ac.uk/results.
HOW TO VIEW YOUR FEEDBACK IN TURNITIN GRADEMARK
Click on the class that you wish to view and then you will see the assignments for the module listed.
Click the blue view button to open up the document viewer.

The Document Viewer will open and the main feedback on your work is shown in the General
Comments:

There may also be Quick Marks on your assignment or a Grading Form/Rubric to show how you
performed against the marking criteria, click on the tabs to open them.
Comments List
Expands
/collapse
s
comment
s on all
Expands
/collapse
s
comment

Rubric/Grading Form
Number
of
commen

Jumps to
the
comment
within your

Expand
ed

Page 12

Scroll to
see how
your
work
compare
d with

Module Guide

6. How is My Work Marked?

After you have handed your work in or you have completed an examination, Anglia Ruskin undertakes a
series of activities to assure that our marking processes are comparable with those employed at other
universities in the UK and that your work has been marked fairly, honestly and consistently. These
include:
Anonymous marking your name is not attached to your work so, at the point of marking, the
lecturer does not know whose work he/she is considering. When you undertake an assessment task
where your identity is known (e.g.: a presentation or Major Project), it is marked by more than one
lecturer (known as double marking)
Internal moderation a sample of all work for each assessment task in each module is moderated
by other Anglia Ruskin staff to check the standards and consistency of the marking
External moderation a sample of student work for all modules is moderated by external
examiners experienced academic staff from other universities (and sometimes practitioners who
represent relevant professions) - who scrutinise your work and provide Anglia Ruskin academic staff
with feedback, advice and assurance that the marking of your work is comparable to that in other UK
universities. Many of Anglia Ruskins staff act as external examiners at other universities.
Departmental Assessment Panel (DAP) performance by all students on all modules is discussed
and approved at the appropriate DAPs which are attended by all relevant Module Leaders and
external examiners. Anglia Ruskin has over 25 DAPs to cover all the different subjects we teach.
This module falls within the remit of the MET DAP. The following external examiners are appointed to
this DAP and will oversee the assessment of this and other modules within the DAPs remit:
Marketing, Enterprise and Tourism Departmental Assessment Panel
External Examiners Name
Dr. Kostas Galanakis

Academic Institution
Nottingham Trent

Position or Employer
Principal Lecturer

The above list is correct at the time of publication. However, external examiners are appointed at
various points throughout the year. An up-to-date list of external examiners is available to students and
staff at www.anglia.ac.uk/eeinfo.

Anglia Ruskins marking process is represented in the flowchart below:

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Module Guide

Flowchart of Anglia Ruski

Marking Stage

Student submits work / sits

Work
examinati
collat

Work is marked by Module Leader and Module

Internal Moderation Stage

Internal moderation samples sele

Unconfirmed
Students receive
marksinitial
and feedback
(unconfirmed)
to studen
fee

External Moderation Stage

External moderation samples

DAP4 Stage

Marks submitted t

Confirmed marks issued to students via e

Marks Approved by

All work is marked anonymously or double marked where identity of the student is known (e.g.: in a presentation)
The internal (and external) moderation process compares work from all locations where the module is delivered (e.g.: Cambridge, Chelmsford, Peterb
The sample for the internal moderation process comprises a minimum of eight pieces of work or 10% (whichever is the greater) for each marker and
Only modules at levels 5, 6 and 7 are subject to external moderation (unless required for separate reasons). The sample for the external moderation p
DAP: Departmental Assessment Panel Anglia Ruskin has over 25 different DAPs to reflect our subject coverage

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Module Guide

7. Assessment Criteria and Marking Standards

7.1 Specific Assessment Criteria and Marking Rubric or Grading Form

Executive Summary

A++ = 90-100

The executive
summary is wellfocused on the main
points for top
management. It is
exceptionally wellwritten to highlight
your proposed ebusiness strategy.

A+ = 80-89%

A = 70-79%

B = 60-69%

C = 50-59%

D = 40-49%

F = 30-39%

F- = 20-29%

F = 10 -19%

F---- = 0-9%

An outstanding
executive summary
that is well-focused
and considered. It
explains the purpose
and conclusions of
the report well.

An excellent
summary that is clear
and succinct. It
outlines the main
points for the senior
management team.

A very good
executive summary
that highlights the
main points which top
management would
be interested in.

The executive
summary highlighted
the major points in
the report, however,
some aspects were
missing.

There are the

beginnings of an
executive summary.
You really needed to
summarise what the
report recommended.
The idea of an
executive summary is
that if top
management read
just the summaries
they would know
what the report
proposes.

Your executive
summary is unclear
make sure to focus
on summarising the
most important
aspects in your
report.

You have
misunderstood the
purpose of the
executive summary.
You needed to
overview the whole
report, including the
main facts about your
recommendation.

There is some
attempt to explain the
report but this is not
really an executive
summary. The
executive summary
should have
overviewed the main
recommendation of
the report.

NO EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
The executive
summary should have
overviewed the main
recommendation of
the report. The idea
is that top
management do not
have to read the
whole report to know
what it is about.

For detailed grading scheme see part 5.1 above

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Module Guide

LO
s

Weigh
t
10%

a 1-

Research on industry sector and selected organisation, referencing

b 3

Detailed financial analysis, including financial spreadsheet modelling

of recommended strategy options

15%

Analysis, interpretation and discussion of strategic issues

30%

d 4

An appraisal of the limitations of financial models and conventional

analysis

10%

e 1-

Conclusions

10%

Recommendations

10%

Modelling

15%

14

4
f 14
g 14
TOTAL

100%
Overall:

See detailed guidance for this Grading Scheme in part 5.1

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7.2 University Generic Assessment Criteria

ANGLIA RUSKIN UNIVERSITY GENERIC ASSESSMENT CRITERIA AND MARKING STANDARDS
LEVEL 7
Level 7 is characterised by an expectation of students expertise in their specialism. Students are semi-autonomous, demonstrating
independence in the negotiation of assessment tasks (including the major project) and the ability to evaluate, challenge, modify and
develop theory and practice. Students are expected to demonstrate an ability to isolate and focus on the significant features of problems
and to offer synthetic and coherent solutions, with some students producing original or innovative work in their specialism that is worthy
of publication or public performance or display.

Generic Learning Outcomes (GLOs) (Academic Regulations, Section 2)

Characteristics of Student Achievement by Marking Band

Mark Bands

Outcome

Knowledge & Understanding

Intellectual (thinking), Practical,

Affective and Transferable Skills

90-100%

Exceptional analysis of key issues/concepts/ethics with

very clear originality and autonomy. Exceptional
development of conceptual structures and argument
making an exceptional use of scholarly conventions.
Demonstrates independence of thought and a very high
level of intellectual rigour and consistency. Work pushes
the boundaries of the discipline and may be considered for
external publication

Exceptional analysis of key issues/concepts/ethics.

Exceptional development of conceptual structures and
argument, making consistent use of scholarly conventions.
Exceptional research skills, independence of thought, an
extremely high level of intellectual rigour and consistency,
exceptional expressive/professional skills, and substantial
creativity and originality. Exceptional academic/intellectual
skills. Work pushes the boundaries of the discipline and
may be considered for external publication

80-89%

Outstanding analysis of key issues/concepts/ethics with

clear originality and autonomy. Outstanding development
of conceptual structures and argument making an
exemplary use of scholarly conventions. Demonstrates
independence of thought and a very high level of
intellectual rigour and consistency

Outstanding analysis of key issues/concepts/ethics. Very

high level development of conceptual structures and
argument, making consistent use of scholarly conventions.
Outstanding research skills, independence of thought, a
high level of intellectual rigour and consistency,
outstanding expressive/professional skills, and
considerable creativity and originality. Exemplary
academic/intellectual skills

70-79%

Excellent analysis of key issues/concepts/ethics. Excellent

development of conceptual structures and argument
making excellent use of scholarly conventions.
Demonstrates independence of thought and a high level of
intellectual rigour and consistency

Excellent analysis of key issues/concepts/ethics. High

level development of conceptual structures and argument,
making consistent use of scholarly conventions. Excellent
research skills, independence of thought, a high level of
intellectual rigour and consistency, excellent expressive/
professional skills, and considerable creativity and
originality. Excellent academic/intellectual skills, and
considerable creativity and originality

60-69%

Good analysis of key issues/concepts/ethics.

Development of conceptual structures and argument
making consistent use of scholarly conventions

Good analysis of key issues/concepts/ethics.

Development of conceptual structures and argument,
making consistent use of scholarly conventions

50-59%

Satisfactory knowledge of key issues/ concepts/ethics in

discipline. Descriptive in parts but some ability to
synthesise scholarship and argument. Minor lapses in use
of scholarly conventions

Satisfactory knowledge of key issues/ concepts/ethics in

discipline. Descriptive in parts but some ability to
synthesise scholarship and argument. Minor lapses in use
of scholarly conventions

Basic knowledge of key issues/concepts/ethics in

discipline. Generally descriptive, with restricted synthesis
of existing scholarship and little argument. Use of
scholarly conventions inconsistent

Basic knowledge of key issues/concepts/ethics in

discipline. Generally descriptive, with restricted synthesis
of existing scholarship and little argument. Use of
scholarly conventions inconsistent.

Limited knowledge of key issues/concepts/ethics in

discipline. Largely descriptive, with restricted synthesis of
existing scholarship and limited argument. Limited use of
scholarly conventions.

Limited research skills impede use of learning resources

and problem solving. Significant problems with
structure/accuracy in expression. Team/Practical/
Professional skills not yet secure. Weak academic/
intellectual skills. Limited use of scholarly conventions

Little evidence of knowledge of key issues/concepts/ethics

in discipline. Largely descriptive, with little synthesis of
existing scholarship and little evidence of argument. Little
evidence of use of scholarly conventions.

Little evidence of research skills, use of learning resources

and problem solving. Major problems with structure/
accuracy in expression. Team/Practical/Professional skills
virtually absent. Very weak academic/intellectual skills.
Little evidence of use of scholarly conventions

Achieves module
outcome(s) related to
GLO at this level

40-49%

30-39%

20-29%
10-19%

A marginal pass in
module outcome(s)
related to GLO at this
level
A marginal fail in
module outcome(s)
related to GLO at this
level. Possible
compensation.
Satisfies qualifying
mark
Fails to achieve
module outcome(s)
related to this GLO.
Qualifying mark not
satisfied. No
compensation
available

Inadequate knowledge of key issues/concepts/ethics in

discipline. Wholly descriptive, with inadequate synthesis
of existing scholarship and inadequate argument.
Inadequate use of scholarly conventions.

Page 17

Inadequate use of research skills, learning resources and

problem solving. Major problems with structure/accuracy in
expression. Team/Practical/Professional skills absent.
Extremely weak academic/intellectual skills. Inadequate
use of scholarly conventions

Module Guide

1-9%

No evidence of knowledge of key issues/concepts/ethics in

discipline. Incoherent and completely but poorly
descriptive, with no evidence of synthesis of existing
scholarship and no argument whatsoever. No evidence of
use of scholarly conventions.

0%

No evidence of use of research skills, learning resources

and problem solving. Incoherent structure/accuracy in
expression. Team/Practical/Professional skills nonexistent. No evidence of academic/intellectual skills. No
evidence of use of scholarly conventions

Awarded for: (i) non-submission; (ii) dangerous practice and; (iii) in situations where the student fails to address the
assignment brief (e.g.: answers the wrong question) and/or related learning outcomes

8. Assessment Offences
As an academic community, we recognise that the principles of truth, honesty and mutual respect are
central to the pursuit of knowledge. Behaviour that undermines those principles weakens the community,
both individually and collectively, and diminishes our values. We are committed to ensuring that every
student and member of staff is made aware of the responsibilities s/he bears in maintaining the highest
standards of academic integrity and how those standards are protected.
You are reminded that any work that you submit must be your own. When you are preparing your work
for submission, it is important that you understand the various academic conventions that you are
expected to follow in order to make sure that you do not leave yourself open to accusations of plagiarism
(e.g.: the correct use of referencing, citations, footnotes etc.) and that your work maintains its academic
integrity.
Definitions of Assessment Offences
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is theft and occurs when you present someone elses work, words, images, ideas, opinions or
discoveries, whether published or not, as your own. It is also when you take the artwork, images or
computer-generated work of others, without properly acknowledging where this is from or you do this
without their permission.
You can commit plagiarism in examinations, but it is most likely to happen in coursework, assignments,
portfolios, essays, dissertations and so on.
Examples of plagiarism include:

directly copying from written work, physical work, performances, recorded work or images, without
saying where this is from;
using information from the internet or electronic media (such as DVDs and CDs) which belongs to
someone else, and presenting it as your own;
rewording someone elses work, without referencing them; and
handing in something for assessment which has been produced by another student or person.

It is important that you do not plagiarise intentionally or unintentionally because the work of others
and their ideas are their own. There are benefits to producing original ideas in terms of awards, prizes,
qualifications, reputation and so on. To use someone elses work, words, images, ideas or discoveries is
a form of theft.
Collusion
Collusion is similar to plagiarism as it is an attempt to present anothers work as your own. In plagiarism
the original owner of the work is not aware you are using it, in collusion two or more people may be
involved in trying to produce one piece of work to benefit one individual, or plagiarising another persons
work.

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Examples of collusion include:

agreeing with others to cheat;

getting someone else to produce part or all of your work;
copying the work of another person (with their permission);
submitting work from essay banks;
paying someone to produce work for you; and
allowing another student to copy your own work.
Many parts of university life need students to work together. Working as a team, as directed by your
tutor, and producing group work is not collusion. Collusion only happens if you produce joint work to
benefit of one or more person and try to deceive another (for example the assessor).
Cheating
Cheating is when someone aims to get unfair advantage over others.
Examples of cheating include:

taking unauthorised material into the examination room;

inventing results (including experiments, research, interviews and observations);
handing your own previously graded work back in;
getting an examination paper before it is released;
behaving in a way that means other students perform poorly;
pretending to be another student; and
trying to bribe members of staff or examiners.
Help to Avoid Assessment Offences
Most of our students are honest and want to avoid committing assessment offences. We have a variety
of resources, advice and guidance available to help make sure you can develop good academic skills.
We will make sure that we make available consistent statements about what we expect. In accordance
with our Academic Honesty Policy, you will be able to do tutorials on being honest in your work from
the library (http://anglia.libguides.com/GAP) and other central support services and faculties, and will be
able to review your work for plagiarism using Turnitin UK (where appropriate), an online service for
matched-text. You can get advice on how to use honestly the work of others in your own work from the
library website (www.libweb.anglia.ac.uk/referencing/referencing.htm) and your lecturer and personal
tutor.
TurnitinUK will produce a report which clearly shows if passages in your work have been matched with
another source. Originality of assessment is an academic judgement and there is no generally
acceptable upper or lower similarity score. You may talk about the matched-text in the Turnitin UK
report with a member of academic staff to see where you may need to improve your academic practice.
If you are not sure whether the way you are working meets our requirements, you should talk to your
personal tutor, module tutor or other member of academic staff. They will be able to help you and tell you
about other resources that will help you develop your academic skills.
Procedures for Assessment Offences
An assessment offence is the general term used to define cases where a student has tried to get unfair
academic advantage in an assessment for himself or herself or another student.

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We will fully investigate all cases of suspected assessment offences. If we prove that you have
committed an assessment offence, an appropriate penalty will be imposed which, for the most serious
offences, includes expulsion from Anglia Ruskin. For full details of our assessment offences policy and
procedures, see Section 10 of the Academic Regulations at: www.anglia.ac.uk/academicregs.

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Module Guide

9. Learning Resources
9.1. Library
Library Contacts
Lord Ashcroft International Business School
libteam.aibs@anglia.ac.uk
Resources

Notes

Recommended text
Johnson, Scholes & Whittington (2011)
Exploring Corporate Strategy, 9th edition,

A very useful textbook - students are advised to

purchase a copy.
FT Pitman

Books
These books cover a broad range of strategy and financial
perspectives and you are strongly advised to refer to them
Vaitilingam, R. (2011) Financial Times Guide to Using
the Financial Pages, 6th edition, FT Prentice Hall

A very useful primer with mini case study articles

and their interpretation

Marr, Bernard (2012) Key Performance Indicators (KPI):

The 75 Measures Every Manager Needs to Know,
FT Prentice Hall

A useful book with case examples of application of

KPIs in practice.

Holmes, Sugden & Gee (2008) Interpreting

Company
Reports & Accounts, 10th ed, FT Prentice Hall

Simple accounting guidelines for non-accountants

Brealey, Myers & Allen (2010) Principles of Corporate

Finance Global Edition 10th ed
McGraw Hill

Excellent, interesting perspectives on corporate

finance, how financial markets work etc

Fraser L & Ormiston A (2012) Understanding Financial

Statements, 10th edition, Prentice Hall

Useful for non-accountants.

Watson D & Head A (2013)

Corporate
Finance
Principles & Practice, 6th edition
FT Prentice Hall

Provides a student-friendly approach to the key

topics in corporate finance and introduces
appropriate tools and techniques for the financial
manager

Miller, A (1998)
edition, McGraw Hill

Strategic

Management,

3rd
Read chapter 7 Corporate level strategy,
especially evaluating reasons to diversify

Ellis & Williams (1993) Corporate

Financial Analysis
Pitman

Strategy

and
An old text but good on basic principles

Smith, T
(1996)
Accounting for Growth
Stripping the Camouflage from Company Accounts,
2nd ed, New Century
Grundy, T et al (1998)
Financial Management,

Exploring
Prentice Hall

Another old text, this is the area we are in.

Strategic
A useful extension of Johnson, Scholes &
Whittington

Bender, R. & Ward, K. (2009) Corporate Financial

Strategy, Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann

A practical guide to how corporate finance can be

used to add value to a business

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Module Guide

Barker, R
(2001)
Determining Value
valuation models and financial statements, FT Pitman,
Journals
It is important that you draw from material contained in
academic journals.
Harvard Business Review

Available online via ARU Digital Library.

Long Range Planning

Specific journal articles
This is a key article.
Bowman, C. (Spring 2008) Generic strategies: a
substitute for thinking? The Ashridge Journal

This article will be supplied to you within the VLE in

digital format.

Websites
MINTEL

http://www.mintel.com/

Excellent market intelligence reports, key resource

in this module available via ARU Librarys website

FAME
http://www.bvdinfo.com/Products/CompanyInformation/National/FAME.aspx?
gclid=CPjP_vWc5qMCFan-2Aod-xRL-g

FAME financial analysis made easy, a key

source of financial ratios and trend graphs, excellent
resource (available via ARU Librarys website).

OSIRIS

OSIRIS - International public company database, a

key source of financial ratios and trend graphs,
excellent resource (available via ARU Librarys
website).

Price Waterhouse Coopers Emerging Markets

(EM) reports:-

These compare the risk vs. reward profiles for the

top 20 Emerging Nations in two categories:manufacturing and services.

http://www.pwc.co.uk/eng/publications/2008_em20_index.h
tml and
http://www.pwc.co.uk/eng/publications/0309_em20_podcas
t.html

UKTI
https://www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk/ukti/appmanager/ukti/cou
ntries?_nfls=false&_nfpb=true

ControlRisks

For up-to-date info, take a look at the UK

governments. UKTI runs a desk or team
specializing in each nation and they give each
nation a headline assessment.

http://www.controlrisks.com/

A private consultancy assessing national risk

profiles

IMF Global Financial Stability Report

Highly topical reports.

http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/GFSR/index.htm

Transparency International

Corruption and bribery can be problems. The

Economist newspaper regularly prints updates from
Transparency International

http://www.transparency.org/

World Bank Doing Business

This compares nations in terms of setting up and

ease (or not) of doing business, looking at 11
criteria.

http://www.doingbusiness.org/EconomyRankings/

The GCR is based on 12 pillars of competitiveness,

providing a comprehensive picture of the
competitiveness landscape in countries around the
world at all stages of development. The pillars

World Economic Forum WEF Global

Competitiveness Report GCR
http://www.weforum.org/en/media/Latest%20Press
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Module Guide

%20Releases/GCR08Release
.

include: Institutions, Infrastructure, Macroeconomic

Stability, Health and Primary Education, Higher
Education and Training, Goods Market Efficiency,
Labour Market Efficiency, Financial Market
Sophistication, Technological Readiness, Market
Size, Business Sophistication and Innovation

Accenture Managing Risk: Solid Strategy for Risky Times

https://microsite.accenture.com/mcim/managingrisk/Pages/default.aspx?
c=ad_gp09ukconpsgs_1208&n=g_Enterprise_Risk_Manag
ement/a_0_k/risk_management&s_kwcid=TC|7448|risk
%20management||S|b|3541203126
The Economist

http://www.economist.com/

Excellent and sometimes quirky (contrarian) news

and commentary, great macro-analysis (PESTEL)

Bloomberg Business Week

http://www.businessweek.com/
Wirtschaftswoche

http://www.wiwo.de/

Journal of International Business Studies

Financial Times
BBC News

Excellent German language business weekly

www.jibs.net

http://www.ft.com/home/uk

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business/

McKinsey Quarterly

http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com
You can subscribe to McKinsey free-of-charge

Additional reading will be recommended weekly in class.

University Library catalogue and Digital Library http://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/
Harvard Referencing guide http://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/referencing/harvard.htm

9.2. Other Resources

You will be advised of additional resources during the course of the module.

10. Module Evaluation

During the second half of the delivery of this module, you will be asked to complete a module evaluation
questionnaire to help us obtain your views on all aspects of the module.
This is an extremely important process which helps us to continue to improve the delivery of the module
in the future and to respond to issues that you bring to our attention. The module report in section 11 of
this module guide includes a section which comments on the feedback we received from other students
who have studied this module previously.
Your questionnaire response is anonymous.

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Module Guide

Please help us to help you and other students at Anglia Ruskin by completing the Module Evaluation
survey. We very much value our students views and it is very important to us that you provide feedback
to help us make improvements.
In addition to the Module Evaluation process, you can send any comment on anything related to your
experience at Anglia Ruskin to tellus@anglia.ac.uk at any time.

11. Report on Last Delivery of Module

MODULE REPORT FORM

This form should be completed by module tutors (where there is more than one delivery) and forwarded to Module Leaders who
compiles the results on to one form for use at the Programme Committee and other methods of disseminating feedback to
students.

Module Code and Title:

MOD001112

Anglia Ruskin Department:

Business Analysis Project

MET

Location(s) of Delivery: Cambridge

Academic Year:

2014

Enrolment Numbers (at each location):

Module Leader:

Semester/Trimester:

Robert Jones

Other Module Tutors:

Student Achievement Provide a brief overview of student achievement on the module as evidenced by the range of marks awarded. A
detailed breakdown of marks will be available at the Departmental Assessment Panel.

The full-time MBA cohort found great challenges with the module, in common with earlier f/t MBA cohorts, 60% of these
students typically fail. In contrast, the part-time MBA students and Berlin Dual Award MBA students typically score 6365% average, producing detailed critical reports that are well researched and full of insight.
Feedback from Students Briefly summarise student responses, including any written comments
Full-time MBA students: this module is difficult.
Part-time MBA students: this is a very stimulating module that pulls together a lot of our earlier learning
Berlin Dual Award MBA students: this is one of our favourite modules.
Module Leader/Tutors Reflection on Delivery of the Module, including Response to Feedback from Students
(including resources if appropriate)
This module is based on strategy with spreadsheets and is designed to reflect desk research projects from real life
business. Dialogue and commitment of the part-time and Berlin students are excellent.
Developments during the current year or planned for next year (if appropriate)
None, this module is not part of the new core curriculum.
HWR Berlin is continuing with this module, it is highly rated by Berlin MBA students.

External Examiners Comments State whether the external examiner agreed the marks and/or commented on the
module

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Module Guide

Appendix 1: Re-Assessment Information

THIS INFORMATION ONLY APPLIES TO STUDENTS WHO ARE

UNSUCCESSFUL IN THEIR FIRST SUBMISSION
The re-assessment for this module consists of one element, check your results in e-vision. As
this is a unique assignment, you may re-work your assignment in order to improve it. Your tutor will give
you guidance.
Elemen
t

Type of assessment

010

3,000 words assignment.

Word or
time
limit

Deadline for assessment

2pm 10th August 2015 tbc

Element 010 assignment

LO
s
a 1Research on industry sector and selected organisation, referencing

Weigh
t
10%

b 3

Detailed financial analysis, including financial spreadsheet modelling

of recommended strategy options

15%

Analysis, interpretation and discussion of strategic issues

30%

d 4

An appraisal of the limitations of financial models and conventional

analysis

10%

e 1-

Conclusions

10%

Recommendations

10%

Modelling

15%

14

4
f 14
g 14
TOTAL

100%
Overall:

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