Question Details

Assessment
Assessment details
Description Marks out of Wtg(%) Due date
Assignment 1 30 30 22 August 2011
Assignment 2 70 70 24 October 2011
The assessment for this course will comprise two assignments, both of which are to be
completed on an individual basis. Assignment 1 is worth 30% of the overall mark, and
Assignment two is worth the remaining 70% of the marks. There is no examination for this
course. You are required to obtain 50% overall in order to pass this course.
The assessments in this course will not be able to be completed during the last weekend
before their due date. They represent a considerable amount of work, with Assignment
two necessitating detailed and meticulous analysis, and the integration of a variety of
facts and figures. It is essential that you work on both these assignments every single
week of the semester. If you follow this approach you will have far less stress and a
higher mark, as well as get greater benefit and enjoyment from the course.
Please note the following very important points for correctly formatting your assignments:
1. They must be in Microsoft Word format, times new roman font, size 12, one-and-a-half
line spacing (except for the executive summary, where the line spacing is single spaced).
a. What is excluded from the word count:
b. Title page
c. Executive summary
d. Table of contents
e. Appendices
f. List of references
g. Anything else specified as being excluded (eg quotations) in Summers and Smith
(2010) (see below)
2. Table of contents (TOC) is to be generated automatically from Word - two marks will
be deducted from the overall total if you have not done this.
© University of Southern Queensland
2 MKT3006 - Small and medium enterprise development (SMED)
3. READ THIS WARNING VERY CAREFULLY You must reference any idea,
definition or other work which has been sourced from a text book, web site, journal
or any other source. Failure to do so will incur an allegation of plagiarism, which
will be dealt with in accordance with USQ policy. All assignments will be
electronically scanned for plagiarism, including checking them against previous
assignments from prior years. Plagiarism may lead to failure of the course, and
suspension or even dismissal from the University. Every year I regretfully report a
significant number of students for plagiarism, which often causes them to fail the
course. For some students this can mean not graduating when they planned, and
some may even have to wait another six months before being able to repeat the course.
Do not even look at another student- assignment - USQ- plagiarism detection
software will tell me if you have copied from another student- work, including the
Table of Contents (which some students did last year). For your own sake, do not
commit plagiarism!
4. Harvard referencing is the only referencing to be used - refer to the Communication
skills handbook (2010) by Summers and Smith. Follow the report format specified in the
book. Students are again warned that any allegation of plagiarism will be dealt with in
accordance with USQ policy.
5. The assignments must be submitted electronically via EASE, and uploaded to the Study
desk. This typically gives some students problems, as they have not checked that their PC
software has all USQ- requirements. Do not leave this until two minutes to the deadline
to try and sort out!
6. The first page of each assignment must be the cover sheet supplied to you via the study
desk. If your assignment does not have the correct cover sheet you will have one
mark deducted from the overall total.
7. Your assignments must be named according to the standard
surnameinitial(s)_studentnumber_ass1 (or 2).doc - e.g. smithj_000723541_ass1.doc. If
you have not correctly named your assignment you will have one mark deducted from the
overall total.
Submission details
All assignments are to be submitted electronically via the study desk, and named according
to the standards outlined in point 7 above. Instructions for uploading your assignment to the
Study Desk will be posted on the Study Desk prior to the Assignment Due Date.
© University of Southern Queensland
Assessment 3
Assignment 1
Description Marks out of Wtg(%) Due date
Assignment 1 30 30 22 August 2011
Length: 2,500 - 3,000 words (excluding appendices and references)
This assignment is NOT one which can be started and completed in the last two days
before submission! It demands progressive work throughout the semester.
Considerable background research and reflection by you will be required to complete it
satisfactorily.
Note: If you are basing your business on an existing company, and the organisation requires
signed authorisation for you to have access to any information, please contact the Course
Examiner for the necessary authorisation / release form.
This assignment is to be based on the following scenario:
You have found the perfect concept for your own business. It may be a brand new business
or the purchase of another business for which you have dynamic and interesting plans for
change. It will require financial backing, and a friend has recently put you in touch with Ms
Irene Cando, very recently arrived in Australia from Canada. Ms Cando is a self made
multi-millionaire who is an entrepreneurial legend in Canada. Over the years she
successfully started and grew a variety of different businesses, steadily increasing her
wealth.
Having recently retired, and now living at 88 Mansionrow Street in Hervey Bay, Ms Cando
is keen to return some of her money to help budding entrepreneurs. You have had one
meeting with her, and briefly outlined your own concept. Irene was interested, but admitted
that she knew very little about SMEs in Australia. She has asked you to put together a
comprehensive, but succinct overview of the SME environment in Australia, including
success and failure rates and reasons for this. Irene has heard about Carolyn Creswell, and
is curious about her. She has asked you to describe her successes, and outline what
characteristics she possesses that has made her so successful as an entrepreneur. Lastly she
of course expects to see a synopsis of your business, and a brief justification of its viability.
You know this is a fantastic opportunity to get both financial backing and access to Irene as
a business mentor. You also know that Irene has spoken to a number of other aspiring
business owners, and that your report to her needs to be outstanding. Irene has told you that
she wants to access your sources so that she can research more detail if she wishes - so
make sure you identify and correctly reference these.
The required layout, and mark allocation of your first report to Irene is below.
© University of Southern Queensland
4 MKT3006 - Small and medium enterprise development (SMED)
1. Transmittal letter 2
2. Executive summary 3
3. The nature, number and characteristics of Australian SMEs 5
4. Factors influencing SMEs' success and failure 4
5. Entrepreneurial characteristics
5.1 Describe the characteristics of successful entrepreneurs 2
5.2 Analyse Carolyn Creswell against these characteristics 2
6. Analysing opportunities and developing a framework for the business
6.1 The nature of your chosen business 3
6.2 Analyse the viability of this business against the following:
6.2.1 Legal structure: analyse options and justify choice 1
6.2.2 Core benefit of the product (according to Kotler's concept) 1
6.2.3 Competitive edge - USP 2
6.2.4 Financial overview 3
7. Style / grammar / referencing 2
Total 30
The assignment is due by midnight AEST time on 22 August 2011. Extensions will be
granted only in exceptional circumstances and will require submission of evidence of
previous work on the assignment. A five per cent penalty per day will be applied to all late
assignments up to a maximum of ten days, unless an extension has been granted.
Assignments submitted more than ten days late will not be marked. No extension will
be granted later than two weeks after the original submission date.
It is essential that you have listened to the lecture slides and read through all the
relevant course material before completing this assignment. There are many hints and
other guidelines in these materials, and failure to consult them will lead to low marks
through failure to provide the required information.
© University of Southern Queensland
Assessment 5
Assignment 2
Description Marks out of Wtg(%) Due date
Assignment 2 70 70 24 October 2011
Length: 6,500 - 7,000 words (excluding appendices and references)
It is absolutely essential that you work on each area of this assignment as it is being
addressed or has been scheduled in the study schedule. This assignment is NOT one
which can be completed in the last week before submission! It demands progressive
work throughout the semester. Considerable background research and personal
reflection will be required to complete it satisfactorily.
Whilst a full report format is not required, a formal presentation nevertheless is required.
The overall objective of the assignment is to compile an appropriate business plan for your
chosen business. It extends the business concept you used for Assignment One, but if you
feel it is essential to do so, you may choose a totally different concept for this assignment. It
is something students are recommended to do only if the idea you first thought of is
unworkable for whatever reason. Essentially, each area requires you to apply the principles
and concepts in the relevant sections and chapters of your notes and text to your selected
SME case situation. Appropriate referencing must be used where required.
The business plan must assume that the business will be launched in January 2012, and all
financial figures should cover the twelve month period January 2012 to December 2012. You
are not required to take any tax issues into consideration. The business must be a SME -
assignments which document a publicly listed company will be assigned a mark of zero.
The report is to be compiled as though it is being submitted to Irene Cando from Assignment
One. However no transmittal letter is required.
This assignment is due by midnight AEST time on 24 October 2011. Extensions will be
granted only in exceptional circumstances and will require submission of evidence of
previous work on the assignment. A five per cent penalty per day will be applied to all late
assignments up to a maximum of ten days, unless an extension has been granted.
Assignments submitted more than ten days late will not be marked. No extension will
be granted later than two weeks after the original submission date.
The assignment is to be between 6,500 to 7,000 words, with the content to be as specified
below. It must be submitted in electronic format using the same cover sheet format as was
provided for Assignment One (download another copy from the study desk as required).
Work after the 7,000 word limit has been reached may not be awarded any further marks.
© University of Southern Queensland
6 MKT3006 - Small and medium enterprise development (SMED)
The report layout is to be as follows:
1.Title page:
1.1 Select a suitable title. It is of your own choosing, but must be meaningful and
relevant.
2. Table of contents:
2.1 Generate this automatically from Word (marks deducted if it is not).
3. Business plan structure:
3.1 As per the sample which follows as an appendix to this document
3.2 This starts with an ‘Executive summary’ and finishes with an Implementation
timetable for three months before and after the start of the business
4. Final section is ‘Conclusions and future directions’
4.1 Wrap up your business plan with a paragraph about its overall viability, and where
you would like to see the business headed in the future
5. So, to summarise, your assignment comprises:
5.1 USQ assignment Cover sheet
5.2 Title page
5.3 TOC
5.4 Business plan structure as per the Appendix at the end of this document
5.5 Conclusions and future directions
5.6 Appendix
6. The marking guide is as follows:
© University of Southern Queensland
Assessment 7
Section Comment Marks
Title page Relevant title, professionally presented /0
Table of contents Automatically generated (If not auto generated assign -
2)
/0
Executive summary (5) Full marks for succinct but ample coverage of all the
business plan- important topics. Enough information
provided to enable the reader to understand what the
business is, and the main point(s) of each topic. Ideally
limited to one page.
/5
Background (3) Mission statement
Business goals
There should be at least two correctly specified (follow
SMART acronym) goals for the business. They should
apply over the next 12 to 18 months.
/1
/2
Marketing (20) Market research (market size; source of information)
Market segmentation: (valid, profitable segments)
Marketing plan: 4 Ps
Evaluation of marketing
Full marks awarded for a comprehensive treatment of
the section, with all relevant topics adequately covered.
Plan is logically laid out and appears achievable. The
four Ps have been given insightful treatment, with clear
evidence of a well thought out and structured
marketing approach.
/3
/4
/11
/2
Operations (10) Full marks awarded for a comprehensive treatment of
the section, with all relevant topics adequately covered.
This section is logically laid out, with all areas clearly
considered for their relevance and application for the
chosen business.
/10
Financial projections
(10)
Full marks awarded for a comprehensive treatment of
the section, with all relevant financial topics present
and adequately covered. The financial goals are
realistic / appear achievable. (Table layout is fine for
any figures presented, as is a cut and pasted excel
spreadsheet for the various forecasts).
/10
Environmental
responsibility: what will
the business do to
address this (3)
What will the business do; why will it do it; and what
is the benefit to society/the environment
/3
Eco-sustainability (3) What will the business do to address this issue, why,
and what is the benefit
/3
© University of Southern Queensland
8 MKT3006 - Small and medium enterprise development (SMED)
Section Comment Marks
Implementation
timetable (3)
Comprehensive timeline of significant events and
activities that need to be completed from three months
before start of business to three months after start of
business. Easiest is to use a table of dates plotted
against ‘tasks to be achieved’ - don’t spend time
compiling complex Gantt charts etc!
/3
Conclusions and future
directions (3)
Wraps up the plan with a positive ‘spin’ leaving the
reader feeling upbeat and confident about the success
of the business.
/1.5
Interesting ‘crystal ball gazing’ for the future -
ambitious perhaps, but still feasible.
/1.5
Creativity and / or
novelty of business idea
(4)
Clever choice of business: novel idea and/or business
has a clear competitive edge
/4
Viability of business
plan (3)
Business plan presents a persuasive case as to the
likelihood of the business flourishing: well integrated
and comprehensive overall strategy
/3
Writing style /
grammar / overall
presentation (3)
Professional and well constructed document, only very
minor grammatical and spelling errors, excellent
presentation
/3
TOTAL /70
Note: You may incorporate a SWOT analysis if you wish (it- a useful tool, as it will help
focus your thinking and planning), but if you do please include it as an appendix and just
refer to the outcome in the main body of your assignment. This will help you with the word
count too.
© University of Southern Queensland
Assessment 9
Appendix: Business plan structure
Use these headings and subheadings:
1 Executive summary
2 Background
2.1 Mission statement
2.2 Business goals
3 Marketing
3.1 Market research (location and size of market)
3.2 Market segmentation (which segments will you target)
3.3 Marketing plan
3.3.1 Products/services and target market(s)
3.3.2 Placement
3.3.3 Promotions and advertising
3.3.4 Pricing policy
3.4 Evaluation of marketing
4 Operations
4.1 Legal and licencing requirements
4.2 Organisational structure and staffing
4.3 Insurance and security issues
4.4 Business premises
4.5 Equipment required
4.6 Production process
4.7 Critical risks/contingency plans
5 Financial projections
5.1 Capital expenditure forecast
5.2 Sales forecast
5.3 Cash flow forecast
5.4 Projected profit and loss statement
5.5 Owner's personal expenses (continued on next page)
© University of Southern Queensland
10 MKT3006 - Small and medium enterprise development (SMED)
6.0 Environmental responsibility
7.0 Eco-sustainability
8.0 Implementation timetable
9.0 Conclusions and future directions

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