Executive MSc in Strategic Marketing

The Work Based Strategic Business Project

1. Individual Project

The Work based Strategic Business project is considered compulsory course work in the
executive MSc. in Strategic Marketing and candidates are expected to submit the project paper
through self-managed learning as well as supervised learning. Candidates will be able to add
value to your organization and/or business sector and develop your personal and professional
skills, knowledge and behaviors at the completion of the Work based strategic Business project.

You should submit a report of up to 12,000 words including the Project Proposal and the
implementation of the project as well as your role within it.

You are expected to design, implement and evaluate a strategic business project for an
organization of your choice in either of the following scenarios;



A project designed to respond to an increase in competitive pressures in the market
for a product or service currently offered by your organization.


 product or service into a market
A project designed to re-launch an existing
currently served by the organization.


A project designed to launcha new product or service into a market not currently
served by the organization.


offered
A project designed to exploit opportunities for a product or service currently
by your organization, as a result of changes in the external environment
 

 by
A project designed to mitigate threats to a product or service currently offered
your organization, as a result of changes in the external environment.

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
Part 1 Defining the Project – 3000 words
There are three sections to this part of the assessment: Project Proposal, Literature Review
and Self-evaluation.

a) Project Proposal

You are required to produce a project proposal that should be submitted and agreed with
your project supervisor before progressing with the rest of the project. The project proposal
should include:


 An overview of the department,  organization and/or business sector that will be the focus of
the strategic business project
 
 Confirmation of employer/organization agreement for your project and support for it
 
Identification of the business mentor


A description of
the chosen scenario and why it is important/relevant to the organization and/or
business sector


  timelines, with a brief description of what will be
An outline plan for the project including
covered at each stage of the project
 
 Communicate your ideas, arguments, conclusions and recommendations coherently
 
Apply the Harvard Referencing System.

b) Literature Review


You are required to review and critically assess current literature and conceptual
frameworks you have learnt in the 6 modules  of the Executive MSc in Strategic
Marketing pertaining to the chosen scenario.


Critical review of the exhaustive list of current knowledge, literature, conceptual
frameworks, theories, speculations,propositions, ideas, hypothesizes, philosophies,
worldviews on the chosen scenario.


The literature review may also identify gaps in knowledge, inconsistencies in studies or
conflicting viewpoints


Use a variety of resources to produce a comprehensive analysis, includingbooks, journal
articles, internet sites and blogs, conference papers and business data sources



Produce reliable, valid and incisive conclusions and recommendations for both the chosen
organization/business sector and your personal development

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  
 Apply the Harvard Referencing System.

c) Self-evaluation

You should critically assess your leadership knowledge, skills and behaviors against those
identified within your literature review. You are expected to assess your current strengths
and weaknesses to determine any skills or knowledge gaps that you may have.

Your assessment should demonstrate that you understand your competence. Marks will be
awarded for the use of assessment tools and evidence of self-awareness. You should also
produce personal development objectives that focus on the areas you intend to develop
through leading and implementing this project.
 
Critically assess your leadership knowledge, skills and behaviors


  such as a 360o assessment, MBTI, Insights,
Determine and use appropriate assessment tools,
SDI, etc to produce your critical assessment.
 
Identify areas of strength, weakness and skills or knowledge gaps


 
Produce objectives for personal development covering the knowledge, skills and behaviors you
intend to develop through the implementation of the project
 
Apply the Harvard Referencing System.


  effectiveness as a leader and marketer through critical self-awareness and
Improve your
reflection
 
Select an appropriate leadership style to lead and implement a project.

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
Part 2 – A Project Report on Project Implementation and Assessment – 6500 words
There are three sections to this part of the assessment: Project Plan, the Business Project
and Project Evaluation.

a) Project Plan


You should produce a project plan using established project planning tools and
approaches that you will follow when implementing your project. Your plan should
include objectives, deliverables, stakeholder identification, the schedule, tasks,
dependencies, resources, etc. Your project plan should be formulated through
 into literature and business sources, to determine best practice in
appropriate research
project planning.


You should also specify the research methods, processes and techniques you will use
to assess the outcomes of your project. You should provide detail on your research
design, research methods, sample size and selection, analysis of data and the validity,
reliability and limitations of the research.


Use a variety of resources to produce and justify your approach to project planning and
determine Key Performance Indicators and critical success factors


 Determine appropriate methods that may be used to assess the project, including (but not
limited to) accounting, productivity, customer and internal measures
 
 Apply the Harvard Referencing System.

b) Business Project


You should now implement your project plan and keep a record of the implementation and your
role within it.


Within the report, you should provide a descriptive overview of the project and its
implementation. The  description should include actual events, as well as your role
within the project.


 with your project plan, highlighting both where they correspond and
Compare actual events
where they differ.
c) Project Evaluation


 the outcomes of the project, using the methods you identified
You should critically assess
within your Project Plan.

Following this assessment, you should make recommendations to your organization
and/or business sector in relation to the project outcomes and processes, which  will
improve the success of future projects within your organization or business sector.

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  Your recommendations should follow logically from your critical assessment of the project. 
 
 Perform secondary and primary research to measure the success of the project
 
Evaluate successes and failures and investigate their causes

Draw conclusions and make valid, logical recommendations in relation to the project
 of future strategic business projects within your organization or
for the improvement
business sector.

 rigor and validity of published research to determine a viable approach to project
Evaluate the
planning


Make decisions, establish criteria and use appropriate decision making techniques to formulate
and evaluate plans

acquire and analyze data and information to draw conclusions and
Demonstrate the ability to
make recommendations

 Part 3 Self-Review and Continuing Developments – 2500 words

There are two sections to this part of the assessment: Self-evaluation and Future Plans.

a) Self-evaluation



You should critically assess the leadership skills, knowledge, behaviors and competences that
you used in the implementation of the project plan.


You should assess your progress by identifying areas where you have developed and
improved, areas where you consider yourself to be an expert, and areas that you intend
to develop further in the future.


You should also assess your achievement against the personal developmental objectives you
identified in Part One of the project.


Determine and use appropriate assessment tools, such as a 360o assessment, 
 MBTI,
Insights, SDI etc.


You will gain marks for your use of assessment 
tools and your self-awareness. You are not
being marked on your strengths and weaknesses.


Demonstrate as to how you can improve your effectiveness as a leader and marketer through
critical self- awareness and reflection

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  
 Apply the Harvard Referencing System.

b) Future Plans


You should produce a personal development plan for the coming year. Your plan should

include both developmental goals and the activities you intend to complete in order to
achieve your goals.


Produce objectives for personal development covering the knowledge, skills and
behaviors you intend to develop. You may use your organizational approach to
development planning.


  of activities that you will complete to achieve your personal developmental
Identify a range
objectives
 
Apply the Harvard Referencing System.


 for continuing to develop your personal and professional knowledge, skills
Take responsibility
and behaviors.

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Assessment Rules for Candidates
2. Page layout

The document must be word processed and must be printed on one side of only white
 paper. 

 Margins: 1” from each side (Left/Right/Top/Bottom) 

 Paper size: A4 

 Orientation: Portrait 

Decorative borders, shading and other effects (including decorative clip art) should
 not be used anywhere in an assignment including the cover page. 

The typeface (font) used in the text should be 12 point Times New Roman and for
headings 14 point Times New Roman. 

 Lines spacing should be 1.15 spaced 

Use footer on every page including the title page and contents page (if used). The
 footer should contain the following information only: 

Student ID (left justified; i.e. aligned to the left margin) and page number (right
 justified; i.e. aligned to the right margin). 

Submit the Complete Assignment & CD (Please refer to the binding rules and
regulations) 

3. Cover Page
 Include only the following information:
Program Name, Title, Student Name , Study
Center & Month and Year of Submission,
Student Number & University

4. Softcopy of the Assignment

 Soft copy of the Assignment in a CD in PDF format only. One File per Assignment (Zip all the
Tasks into one file)
 Name the file Eg. STRATEGY-Student No
 Write the Student No /your name & contact number on the CD.

5. General Requirements

 Student who registered for the module can submitted the assignment on the given
deadline.

Students should follow lectures for at least four classes to be eligible to carry out the
project. Any projects which do not fulfill the above criteria will be rejected in project
marking process.

Students receive a submission period of 3 months. Thereafter, a late submission
deadline of an additional month will be granted up on a penalty payment.

 The last date for acceptance of this assignment is May 2018 before 5.00pm.
(Submission Fee Rs: 3000) Students who fail to submit on the given deadline will be
granted with an extended deadline, June 29th 2018 upon bearing a penalty charge of
Rs: 8000. Assignments will not be accepted after the last date of acceptance under any
circumstances.

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