Assignment Brief Academic Year 2022-23

Module code Business Communication Module leader: Dr Kabir Hossain

and title:

Assignment Presentation Slides (1500 words Assessment

No. and type: speaker notes) weighting: 100%

Submission Monday 13th June 2022 before Target feedback 3 weeks from the date of final
time and date: 2pm time and date: submission

Assignment task

This assignment seeks to assess your understanding of business communication and the skills you have
acquired during your study in relation to how this helps in the operation and management of a business.
Your Summative Assessment will be an annotated presentation (1500 words in speaker notes) that allows
you to demonstrate your communication skills of the contemporary challenges or issues faced by
businesses.

This assignment has been designed to provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate your
achievement of the following module learning outcomes:

LO 1 Define the essential components of effective communication;

LO 2 Prepare an evidence-based presentation on a topic agreed in class;

LO 3 Defend your presentation in a question-and-answer session;

LO 4 Reflect on any feedback and how you could improve your next presentation.

Task requirements

OVERVIEW:

Presentation,1500 words

Following the assignment brief and guide, prepare an evidence-based business presentation and
deliver. You will then reflect on the presentation feedback and highlight how you can improve next
presentation.
Assignment Brief Academic Year 2022-23

DESCRIPTION OF THE TASK – WHAT YOU ARE BEING ASKED TO DO?

1. Each student will be required to prepare and deliver a 10-minute PowerPoint presentation in class to the
peer students and teacher on one of the following topics:

1.1 Communicating during a global pandemic and the potential issues.

1.2 Communicating with employees about significant company changes.

1.3 Negotiating an international and cross-cultural IT business deal.

1.4 Complaining as a group of employees about a policy or procedure.

2. Using the personal feedback from the lecturer on your presentation – reflect on how you can improve

your next presentation. Your reflection will be based on the following questions:

a. What went well in your presentation?

b. What improvements need to be made and why?

c. What action will you take to make suggested improvements?

3. When getting ready to upload your work on Moodle, you must transfer PowerPoint presentation to Word.
Copy image of slides, but type notes into Word document.

4.You should research broadly to develop a fully evidenced and referenced PowerPoint
presentation slides with notes. The presentation should make use of visual aids appropriate to the
business context and audience of the topic. You will be asked to ‘defend’ your presentation in a
Q&A session.

In developing the presentation, you should think about:

• your audience (based on the topic given) and appropriate modes of engaging
them.
• the kind of language you use in the presentation.
• clarity in language, speech, and visuals
• the level of detail you provide in visuals and in your notes.
• time management (making sure you get through what you need to in the time
provided)
• what is missing in the work – it is often not possible to cover everything so you
will have to choose what you leave out or only touch on; you might think about
signalling this as something to come back to in the Q&A
Assignment Brief Academic Year 2022-23

• what kinds of questions you might be asked in the Q&A.?

Referencing and research requirements

You must reference all information used in the presentation and the report, using the Harvard
Referencing Guide. You are required to include ONLY ONE reference list page at the end of the
report arranged in alphabetical order irrespective of the sources and ONE Appendix page following
the reference list page.
You can access guidance to Harvard referencing here:
https://libguides.uos.ac.uk/academic/referencing/Harvard

How your work will be assessed

Your work will be assessed on the extent to which it demonstrates your achievement of the stated learning
outcomes for this assignment (see above) and against other key criteria, as defined in the University’s
institutional grading descriptors. If it is appropriate to the format of your assignment and your subject area,
a proportion of your marks will also depend upon your use of academic referencing conventions.

This assignment will be marked according to the grading descriptors for Level 3

Submission details

This assignment should be submitted electronically via Moodle (module tutors will discuss this process with
you during class time).

• Please ensure that your work has been saved in an appropriate file format (Microsoft Word, Excel
or PowerPoint, or PDF are the most widely used; Google Docs is also accepted). Your file must
also contain at least 20 words of text, consist of fewer than 400 pages and be less than 40MB in
size.

• You can submit your work as many times as you like before the submission date. If you do submit
your work more than once, your earlier submission will be replaced by the most recent version.
Assignment Brief Academic Year 2022-23

• Once you have submitted your work, you will receive a digital receipt as proof of submission, which
will be sent to your forwarded e-mail address (provided you have set this up). Please keep this
receipt for future reference, along with the original electronic copy of your assignment

• You are reminded of the University’s regulations on academic misconduct, which can be viewed on
the University website: https://www.uos.ac.uk/sites/default/files/Academic-Misconduct-Policy.pdf. In
submitting your assignment, you are acknowledging that you have read and understood these
regulations.

Summative Submission Deadline date and time: 13th June 2022 before 2pm

You should submit all work for summative assessments by the above deadline. Work submitted up to three
working days after the deadline will be accepted and marked, but the mark will be capped at the pass mark
(40%) unless there is a valid reason for the late submission (i.e. having been granted an extension to the
deadline or a deferral under the terms of the Extenuating Circumstances Policy). Work submitted more
than three working days after the deadline without a valid reason will not be accepted and will be recorded
as 0% RN (refer, no work submitted).

For more information, please refer to:

http://studenthandbook.uos.ac.uk/index.php/studentguides/assessment-the-basics-undergraduate
Assignment Brief Academic Year 2022-23

MARKING CRITERIA
Level 3 (Foundation Year)
Provision at Level 3 (often forming part of a Foundation Year course) is designed to prepare students
for higher education. At the end of Level 3, students will be expected to demonstrate the acquisition of
foundation level skills, knowledge and understanding necessary to embark on a higher education
programme of study at Level 4. In accordance with the national Qualifications and Credit Framework
(QCF), this includes the ability to identify and use relevant understanding, methods and skills to
complete tasks and address problems that, while well defined, have a measure of complexity. It
includes taking responsibility for initiating and completing tasks and procedures as well as exercising
autonomy and judgement within limited parameters. It also reflects awareness of different
perspectives or approaches within an area of study or work.
Assessment category
Introductory Cognitive and intellectual Reading and Presentation,
knowledge and skills referencing style and
understanding of structure
the basic Work that
underlying significantly
concepts and exceeds the
principles of the specified
subject(s) word limit
may be
penalized
Excellent work Insightful and accurate Insightful and Exemplary
showing flawless interpretation and evaluation of effective use of a presentation of
Pass mark, demonstrating achievement of all associated

understanding of the information and ideas, based carefully selected work that is
90%-100%

basic underlying on an excellent application of range of relevant fluent and

concepts and the most appropriate skills, reading. flawless
principles of the methods and procedures. Consistently throughout.
subject(s), resulting in Work shows full awareness of accurate
students being fully the nature of the area of study application of
prepared for study at and different perspectives or referencing.
learning outcomes

Level 4. approaches within it

High quality work Excellent interpretation and Consistent and Highly effective
showing fluent evaluation of information and balanced presentation of
understanding of the ideas, employing highly engagement with a work that is
basic underlying appropriate skills, methods refined selection of coherently
80%-89%

concepts and and procedures. Work shows many types of structured and
principles of the strong awareness of the nature relevant reading. clearly
subject(s), resulting in of the area of study and Consistently expressed
students being fully different perspectives or accurate throughout.
prepared for study at approaches within it application of
Level 4. referencing.
Commendable work Effective interpretation and Consistent Well-formed
showing detailed evaluation of information and engagement with a presentation of
70% –
79%

understanding of the ideas, showing effective use of wide range of work that is
basic underlying appropriate skills, methods relevant reading. coherently
concepts and and procedures. Work shows Consistently structured and
Assignment Brief Academic Year 2022-23

principles of the well established awareness of accurate clearly

subject(s), resulting in the nature of the area of study application of expressed
students being highly and different perspectives or referencing. throughout.
prepared for study at approaches within it.
Level 4.
Work of solid quality Good interpretation and Engagement with a Competent
showing competent evaluation of information and wide range of presentation of
and consistent ideas, using appropriate skills, relevant reading. work in terms
understanding of the methods and procedures. Sound application of structure and
60% – 69%

basic underlying Work shows sound awareness of referencing, with clarity of

concepts and of the nature of the area of no inaccuracies or expression.
principles of the study and different inconsistencies.
subject(s), resulting in perspectives or approaches
students being well within it.
prepared for study at
Level 4.
Assignment Brief Academic Year 2022-23

Introductory Cognitive and Reading and Presentation,

Level 3 knowledge intellectual skills referencing style and
structure
Adequate work showing Adequate interpretation Engagement with Work is structured
understanding of the and evaluation of an appropriate in a largely
basic underlying information and ideas, range of reading coherent manner
concepts and principles largely using appropriate beyond essential and is for the most
50% – 59%

of the subject(s), skills, methods and texts. Referencing part clearly

resulting in students procedures. Work shows may show minor expressed.
being prepared for study awareness of the nature inaccuracies or
at Level 4, but lacking of the area of study and inconsistencies.
depth and breadth. an emerging awareness
of different perspectives
Pass mark

or approaches within it.

Simple factual approach A limited interpretation Evidence of Ordered
showing understanding and evaluation of reading, largely presentation in
of the basic underlying information and ideas, confined to which relevant
concepts and principles showing emerging essential texts, ideas / concepts
40% – 49%

of the subject(s), awareness of the nature but mainly reliant are reasonably
resulting in students of the area of study and on taught expressed.
being largely prepared different perspectives or elements.
for study at Level 4. approaches within it, Referencing may
Narrow or misguided although not always show inaccuracies
selection of material, logical or coherent and and/or
with elements missing or with inaccuracies. inconsistencies.
inaccurate.
Work shows limited but Weak and at times flawed Poor engagement Work is loosely,
fragmentary interpretation and with essential and at times
understanding of the evaluation of information texts and no incoherently,
Marginal fail

basic underlying and ideas, resulting in evidence of wider structured, with

35% – 39%

concepts and principles largely descriptive work reading. Heavily information and
of the subject(s), for that shows lack of reliant on taught ideas often poorly
example through awareness of the nature elements. expressed.
inaccuracies, inclusion of of the area of study and Inconsistent and
irrelevant material and/or different perspectives or weak use of
absence of appropriate approaches within it. referencing.
information.
Unsatisfactory work Very weak interpretation Limited evidence Work is poorly
showing weak and and evaluation of of reading and/or presented in a
flawed understanding of information and ideas, reliance on disjointed and
the basic underlying resulting in descriptive inappropriate incoherent manner.
20% – 34%

concepts and principles work that is often illogical, sources. Limited Information and
of the subject(s), for invalid or irrelevant. Little engagement with ideas are very
Fail

example through serious awareness of the nature taught elements. poorly expressed,
inaccuracies, inclusion of of the area of study and Very poor use of with weak English
a significant amount of no appreciation of referencing. and/or
irrelevant material and/or different perspectives or inappropriate style.
absence of appropriate approaches within it.
information.
Assignment Brief Academic Year 2022-23

Highly unsatisfactory Work is largely irrelevant No evidence of Work is extremely

work showing major or inaccurate, reading or disorganised, with
gaps in understanding of characterised by engagement with much of the
the basic underlying descriptive text and taught elements. content confusingly
concepts and principles unsubstantiated Absent or expressed. Very
of the subject(s). generalisations. Minimal incoherent poor English and/or
< 20%

Inclusion of largely or no use of evidence to referencing. very inappropriate

irrelevant material, back up views, showing style.
absence of appropriate complete lack of
information and awareness of the nature
significant inaccuracies. of the area of study and
different perspectives or
approaches within it.