MAN7080 – The Integrated Business Assessment Brief

Background
The aim of this module is to provide you with the key knowledge and understanding of the integrated
nature of business functions focusing specifically on marketing and operations. The module explores
in detail the strategic and tactical scope of Marketing and Operations management and the
relationships between them. As you will discover there is little point selling a product a business does
not have the capability to produce and distribute, similarly there is little profit in making a product
that customers do not need or want.
The purpose of this assessment is to enable you to explore this relationship between demand
generation and management and the impact on operations, production and supply chain management
to ensure you will fully understand the complexity of matching supply-side to demand-side
requirements to achieve strategic fit.
As part of the module this assessment brief will help you explore these issues within a small team
setting. You and your team will develop skills in managerial decision making and professional
presentation whilst also developing data analysis skills using spreadsheets. By working in a small
team, you will improve and enhance your ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with
others both within the context of an integrated business, but also within the context of your award of
‘MSc Management’, which ever pathway you have chosen. This approach aligns with the
programme philosophy that ensures that as a future manager you will be able to make effective
decisions that take account of the fast changing external and enterprise environments.
The assessment process incorporates a time-based assessment incorporating an integrated
presentation process within a team situation comprising of two presentations within a given business
context, as detailed below. All elements are weighed equally and equate to 100% of the module
assessment.
PowerPoint slides with Detail notes underneath per slide, can be saved as PDF File for
submission. [Maximum 60 slides]
Part 1
In the first part of this assessment, you will provide a comprehensive situational analysis linked to
the marketing management and operations management of the business context. Your presentation
slides should cover a detailed exploration and analysis of the internal and external environment using
appropriate theories, concepts, frameworks, tools and techniques taught on the module. The aim of
the analysis is to ensure that you answer the following key questions:

1. What is your evaluation of the strategic and tactical fit of the organisation from a marketing
   and operations perspective?
2. What would you recommend that the organisation do to improve its strategic and tactical fit
   in respect of its marketing and operations strategies?
   Part 2
   For the second part of the assessment, use the attached new information about both the external and
   internal changing situation of your chosen brand (See Appendix 1), to react by proposing
   recommendations to optimise the performance of the organisation in light of the changing situation.
   The slides should therefore answer the following key questions:
3. How could the business optimise aspects of its digital marketing and operations to take
   advantage of this new situation?
4. What key reflections can you make about the efficiency and effectiveness of the team and its
   decision making during the assessment process? In your answer reflect on the team’s
   Strengths and weaknesses, including an assessment of its skills, and develop an action plan to
   improve future team working.
   The presentation slides should be submitted on Moodle on or before 8 th January, 2021 at 12.00.
   See details of the peer assessment process below.
   By introducing an element of change within the given business scenario, the assessment mirrors and
   simulates the challenging situation faced by professional managers in their day to day practice, thus
   realising the programme’s philosophy of theory into practice. The team-based context will reflect
   the nature of the integrated business where many individuals from different functional areas come
   together to make effective management decisions in a dynamic and time constrained environment.
   The Business Context
   Teams must choose a business from the Electronics industry. Companies that only engage in
   distribution and/or retail activities will not be approved. Companies that only act as sub-contractors
   to other companies will also not be approved.
   If the chosen organisation operates in multiple geographic markets with multiple products and
   services, teams can choose to narrow the focus of their analysis to a specific territory/and or brand
   but should seek approval from their module tutor before doing so.
   Teams can make justified assumptions, supported with evidence, about the nature and scope of the
   chosen business’ internal systems and processes.
   Assessment Constraint
   Assessment should demonstrate skills in the use of PowerPoint and spreadsheet software (such as
   Microsoft Excel) to generate graphs of demand and capacity analysis. It should also demonstrate
   significant evidence of research and the appropriate application of tools, techniques and theories that
   are related to the subject areas of Marketing and Operations. The Harvard Referencing system should
   be used throughout.
   In addition to the above, you must adhere to the following guidance:
    Please use Microsoft PowerPoint – with detail notes underneath per slide. Can be saved as
   PDF file for submission.
    Images and text should be used. Links to external websites or other content is not allowed.
    The presentation slides should use Harvard Referencing
   Plagiarism and Collusion
   You are reminded of the University’s Disciplinary Procedures that refer to plagiarism. A copy of the
   Disciplinary Procedure is available from iCity.
   Except where the assessment of an assignment is group based, the final piece of work that is
   submitted must be your own work. Close similarity between assignments is likely to lead to an
   investigation for cheating.
   You must also ensure that you acknowledge all sources you have used.
   Submissions that are considered to be the result of collusion or plagiarism will be dealt with under
   the University’s Disciplinary Procedures, and the penalty may involve the loss of academic credits.

If you have any doubts about the extent to which you are allowed to collaborate with your
colleagues, or the conventions for acknowledging the sources you have used, you should first of all
consult module documentation and, if still unclear, your tutor.

Mark Adjustments
Please note that assessing tutor(s) can change group and individual marks according to their
academic judgement, at their discretion, in line with published marking schemes and in accordance
with academic moderation processes and have the final say in all marks for all work.
Feedback
Final written summative feedback will be provided in line with Faculty deadlines for providing
feedback (usually within 20 working days).
Reflective Account
The submission should incorporate a significant reflective evaluation of your group and individual
roles as well as demonstrate, through a comprehensive action plan, how you can improve your team
and individual contribution in future team based tasks.
Team work
Working in a team is a key employability skill and as mentioned earlier, provides an opportunity to
develop your leadership, communication and collaboration skills. The resources section of the
module on Moodle provide key resources for you to help manage the team including:
(1) A team agreement form
(2) A meeting agenda and guidance on managing team meetings
(3) Guidance on giving feedback to team members about their work
(4) Managing team conflict
(5) Outline structure for team meeting minutes
(6) Role definition and links to online psychometric tests
If you have any queries or concerns about team work, please contact your module tutor. If team
conflicts cannot be resolved, please refer to your tutor for further advice – team conflicts are unlikely
to be resolved retrospectively after the submission of summative assessments.