MG1011 Introduction to Management Enquiry

Assignment/Coursework Brief for 2020/21

Brunel Business School

Assessment Title: MG1011 Portfolio

Module Leader: Dr Zoi Pittaki
Distribution Date: From 18/01/2020
Submission Deadline: 12:00 noon on 05/05/2021
Feedback by : 04.06.2021
Contribution to overall module
100%
assessment:
Indicative student time working on
180 Hours
assessment:
PART A: 6-10 mins video presentation and no more than 10 PowerPoint slides / PART B: 1000
Word or Page Limit (if applicable):
words (including references) / PART C: 1000 words
Assessment Type (individual or group): Combination of group and individual work

Main Objective of the assessment

The assessment for this module is a Portfolio (100%) that is composed of three elements with the following weightings as shown below.

PART A: Recording of a group video presentation including PowerPoint slides 20% of total mark

PART B: Writing a company report 35% of total mark

PART C: Writing a CV, cover letter and self-reflective statement and taking a psychometric test to submit as part of an internship application to
a company
45% of total mark

Description of the Assessment

PART A

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For PART A of the Portfolio you will work in a group/team to prepare a 6-10 minute presentation on an aspect of business and management.
You will record this on video and you will prepare no more than 10 PowerPoint slides.

Your group/team must identify a topic on management that is of interest to the group/team as a whole.

Select a specific subject/topic within management, which you believe will provide an interesting and relevant example of management
behaviour in action when applied to a management issue, story, news item, a case or a report.

The management issue, story, news, case or report should be drawn from a publication, documentary or movie based on a business of your
choice. You are not permitted to choose a TV programme.

Using relevant concepts introduced in this module and elsewhere in Level 1 (and those which you have discovered in your own reading),
describe the qualities of the manager(s) and assess their effectiveness or otherwise as managers. Relevant concepts could include (but are not
limited to):

 Management style, priorities, roles, skills etcetera.

 Issues relating to personality, education, experience, gender, ethnicity etcetera.
 Themes of culture, power relationships, group-centred and interpersonal conflict.
 Leadership issues.
 Issues to do with uncertainty and complexity.
 Issues to do with the kind of organisation the subject is involved in.

You are not confined to looking only at for-profit business organisations. You could instead choose not-for-profit organisations (for example,
hospital, police) or family ‘organisations’.

Every member of the group/team must submit the video file to Wiseflow, individually. So, for example, if there are five members in the
group/team, there will be five, identical, videos in Wiseflow. Each member will receive the same mark / grade for the presentation.

Questions about PART A asked by last year’s students (which might help you, this year’s students)/additional notes

Who is marking PART A?

Your seminar leader. All coursework for MG1011 will be subjected to moderation/review by others (see the College Student Handbook for the
‘checks and balances’ in place which ensure that the marks/grades are an appropriate reflection of your achievements).

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Questions/issues about the group/team formation

How many people should comprise the group/team?

In order to reflect ‘real world’ work situations, you have been allocated a set of team members for this assessment. Each student group/team
comprises around 5-9 members.

What happens if the number in the group/team changes?

It is not ‘if’ but ‘when’. It is pretty much guaranteed that the group/team will be different than that at the beginning. Why/how? Because during
Year 1 it is guaranteed that some students will drop out. They will not tell anyone that they have done so! It is guaranteed that some students
will be ill. They will not tell anyone that they are ill. It is guaranteed that some students will change School/course. They will not tell anyone in
the module (or even in the School) that they have done so! It is guaranteed that some students will enrol/turn up late. We will not know that they
are here until they actually turn up. It is guaranteed that some students will have some emergency/extenuating circumstances of one sort or
another, and may just disappear, either for a week, some weeks, a month or for the whole term. They will not tell anyone in the module (or even
in the School) that they will not be here. For all of these reasons (and perhaps others), the following may be the case.

It is not uncommon for a student to be a ‘group/team’ of one.

If our group/team is small(er), or just one, then we will be at a great disadvantage, surely?

No, no, no. It does not matter at all. We know that the groups/teams will change. We know how to deal with this. There is no school, or
university in the UK, that does not ask students to work in groups/teams. We have been doing it for … forever. It might be new to you, but it is
not new to us. Working in a group/team is what we all do, whether as a student or as someone working in the workplace. It is not a ‘disaster’
when it all goes ‘wrong’! We are used to things going ‘wrong’, and we have mechanisms in place to ensure that you are not disadvantaged.
More of this later.

If our group/team is less than five (or just one!), how will it work, marking-wise?

How will we deal with groups/teams where the number is less than five (or just one!)? We will mark them as a group/team of one, two, three or four (or
whatever)! Easy. We do it all the time. Odd though it might seem to students (from the correspondence we get), we are able to make suitable
adjustments in our thinking! We think ‘ah, a group/team of two, OK, I shall mark the performance against that which we would expect for a group/team
of two (rather than a group/team of three/four’ or whatever. We do it for other modules and have done it for … forever in higher education.

A presentation given by a group/team of less than five will be ‘worse’ than that of a group/team of the ‘right’ size, surely?
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We will mark them as a group/team of two (or whatever). We will not compare them to the performance of a group/team of five (or whatever).
That would be comparing/judging apples and pears, that is, two very different things. In brief, it makes no sense to say that one is ‘better’ than
another because of size/makeup of the group/team. Less/more in the group/team does not mean a ‘worse/better’ performance and thus
lower/more marks.

Can we request a change of group/team?

You cannot change the group/team or work as a sub-group of one or two. The only exception is where a pair of students from different
teams/groups both agree to swap places. However, this is subject to two conditions. One, this must be done by the end of week 19. Two, you
need the agreement from two people. One, agreement from the seminar leader. Two, written agreement from the module leader (giving the
module leader the names of the two students concerned, and email confirmation from the seminar leader of the agreement). No email of
confirmation from the module leader = no agreement!

I can’t remember who is in my group/team, so can you remind me?

You have been informed of which group / team you are in. The seminar leader will also do this for their own records. However, seminar leaders
do not expect to be contacted to be asked ‘who is in my group/team’ as this is for you to manage yourself.

Who allocates the students to the seminar groups/seminar leaders?

The Central Timetabling Team is responsible for the seminar group formation and you will be able to find your group information on your
timetable (in a grid view). This is not a task carried out by the module leader.

I’m not sure/confused about which seminar group I am in/who my seminar leader is

If you have a query about which seminar group you are in, email the TPO (copied to the module leader, for the module leader’s information). In
the first few weeks of Term 2, these groups seem to change pretty much daily, given that students are enrolling late/leaving or whatever. You
should email the TPO and get written (email) confirmation from them (not the module leader) about the accurate information re: groups.

Questions/issues about the ‘content’ of the presentation

I/my group/team does not fully understand what is meant by ‘exploring management’

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Which publication, documentary or movie you choose is not relevant. You are not training to be a movie or a publication critic! You are doing a
degree related to business/management, and we are interested in exploring aspects of business/management. What you need to do is to think
about a particular aspect of management. Examples of this might be teamwork, leadership, dealing with a problem, the importance of vision,
success and failure, managing stress, the role of effective project management, time management ... well, the list goes on. The common thread
here? Every single one of these is about people (management in organisations can only be about people!). Whatever publication, documentary
or movie you choose has people in it. People who think, act, and behave in certain ways. And, it is human behaviour that 'management' is all
about.

You gave examples of teamwork, leadership, dealing with a problem, the importance of vision, success and failure, managing stress,
the role of effective project management, time management. Do we have to do all of these?

In 6-10 minutes?! No. You have a choice. Either choose one aspect and look at it in more depth. Or, look at one or two (or more) and do a more
‘broad brush’ treatment. Neither is ‘better’ than another. Neither will get you more/less marks. It is about quality, not quantity.

How do we find out about the literature on our chosen aspect(s), say, leadership?

The ‘literature’ is that around the subject area. You will need to search for this; it is part of what you need to learn about research. So, rather
than me/my academic colleagues saying ‘read x’ or ‘read y’ it is instead for you to do that searching. Which, you are more than capable of doing
as, not only have you had guidance re: the lecture/seminars on this about the Library (early in the module) but also that how to search/research
for literature is also available via the Library guidance (online).

You can present on whatever you like. It is your ‘story’ entirely. Present whatever ‘story’ you want about teamwork/leadership or whatever your
theme/aspect(s). No one said (and it is not in the instructions for the Task) that you are ‘meant to explain all the theories’. So, invent (and tell)
your own ‘story’. There is no such thing as a ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ story.

I'm having problems finding out about our topic(s) on the electronic database. Can you help me?

There is a mountain of literature available about how to search for information; this is available from Brunel’s Library. Or, indeed, from any
university Library (research is central to the work that goes on in universities; our work is research work).

Can you give me the author, title, year so that I can look it up on the library database?

Searching for this information is called 'research' and it is for you to do, not module leaders or any other member of the academic staff. In addition, we
do not know what you are going to be talking about/presenting, and thus we do not know what literature you need to search for. You have by now had
several sessions (lecture, and Library workshop) about how to search for literature, and so you are now prepared for this. If you are not, then you need

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to go to the Library (or its website). Learning how to search for literature is perhaps the most key of skills to learn as an undergraduate, which explains
why there are several tasks in this particular module (MG1011), as you will be doing lots and lots of this searching throughout your degree course.

Are we supposed to cite/reference books, journals or something else?

Books, journals, newspapers and trade publications are different things. One is not ‘better’ than another. Each serves a different audience, and
a different purpose. However, you are studying in an academic environment; you are doing an academic degree course. We (academics and
students) thus necessarily concern ourselves with the more academic side of a topic/area. So, let us take teamwork, as a topic/area.

Any bookshop (rather than library) is awash with ‘tips on being good in teamwork’. These books are fine; there is nothing ‘wrong’ with them.
They are/were written to help us be better at teamwork, and are often very practically focused, or provide us with an overview of the subject
matter, in case we do not know much about it. Some books are more academic in nature/tone, and the core books that you have been asked to
read/buy on other modules are examples of these. Books must be good - or we would not ask you to buy/use them! However, they are ‘broad
brush’. These books provide a helpful overview, which is great when you/we are new to topic/aspect/discipline. However, one of the downsides
of books is that they are old. Even if published in 2020, it probably took three years to get it to print, so what is in it is at least three years old.
This often does not matter at all; the subject/discipline does not change that much in such a very short time, after all. Another downside of
books is that they often report on the research that has been done, but the reader does not get to read the actual research itself. This is where
journals come in.

Journals report, directly, the research/studies done in the area/field/discipline. A journal often publishes three or four issues a year. So, when
you pick up the latest issue, you get the very latest data/information about the topic/area. The downside of journals is that they might be
considered a bit ‘dense’, a bit too ‘academic’. The language is that used by academics (us!), for academics (us!). It is not written in ‘student-
friendly’ language, unlike a book.

Which is ‘better’? One is not better than another. Each serves a different purpose. However, as you continue with your academic studies over
the three/four years, we expect undergraduates to become more and more familiar with the research written in journals. It will be particularly
important to do so for your final year project. But, that is a long way off! As you are in your first term of your first year, we are not expecting your
work to be crammed full of references to journal articles! Instead, we are expecting you to make more use of/reference to books. That said, if
you can include some references to journals, so much the better.

How many references to journal articles is ‘good’? There is no ‘magic number’. So, do not ask. Your work will not be ‘marked down’ because
you fail to reference a journal article! ‘All’ that is asked for in the marking scheme (for a pass mark/grade) is that you “demonstrate evidence of
satisfactory research into the subject matter [and a] reasonable understanding of … the relevant concepts in the business/management
literature”.

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How do I know the ‘good’ journals?

The answer, unsurprisingly, is in the Library (online or go there in person). The Library has a section (find it yourself) about journal articles:

“When reading journal articles, you might want to reflect on the relative importance of different journal titles in your research field. Similarly, if
you write an article, you will be interested in the rankings of potential journals, where you could have it published. Articles are sometimes
rejected by journals, so you may want to think about alternative journals for your article. To help you with these decisions, you will probably find
it useful to consult journal impact factors, which rank journals by citations. You can find the impact factors for around 7,600 journals across
science, medicine, engineering and the social sciences in Journal Citation Reports (JCR). If you are writing a journal article and your field of
research is within economics, finance, accounting, management and marketing, you might also want to check the Journal Quality List. This list
offers an alternative to the ranking system provided by journal impact factors.”

Can we use the TV progamme 'The Apprentice' as an example in our presentation?

An interesting one. We see why you would wish to draw on this, as nothing says 'management' more than this particular programme, of course!
But, it is best to stick to the rules here, so it will have to be a publication, documentary or movie. If exceptions are made to this, it will mean that
we, markers, are marking apples and pears (and we need to be marking the same 'product'). If not, not only does it make our marking
problematic, but other students will (wrongly) believe that they/you got a better/worse mark because of the choice of either movie or TV
programme. As we clearly wish to avoid students being upset, a standard approach is required. So, all in all, there are sound reasons for
sticking to a publication, documentary or movie. But, continue to enjoy watching 'The Apprentice' with what I imagine is the same enthusiasm
that we have for it (let us hope that there is another series soon)!

Questions/issues about the group/team meetings

Who should email the other members of the group/team first?

Take the initiative yourself. It is your responsibility, and not ours, to ensure that you become an active part of your student group/team. Take the
initiative and be the first to send an email to other members of your group/team.

When should our first group/team meeting take place?

We suggest that you arrange your first meeting as soon as possible.

What should we do/discuss in our first group/team meeting?

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When you arrange your first meeting with your group/team, you should discuss about the topic that your presentation will focus on. You might
also want to discuss about your own individual strengths and possible shortcomings, but also those of others in the group/team. All group/team
members should also bring a copy of the Portfolio instructions and marking scheme.

How often should our group/team meet?

It is suggested that you meet weekly. Check your timetable to see when everyone is ‘free’ (not scheduled for lectures/seminars).

Should we record details of our group/team meetings?

Each group/team will likely find it necessary to record details of all meetings in a group logbook. It will be helpful if you take turns at being
meeting secretary, recording what is discussed, agreed, what actions follow, who is responsible for them etcetera (these form the ‘minutes’ of
the meetings). Each person present should sign the logbook at the end of each meeting. If you disagree with an entry in the logbook you can
record your disagreement.
Logbooks do not form part of the assessment, but in the event of any ‘issues’, it provides useful evidence of what has or has not been done and
by whom.

Questions/issues about the presentation itself

How best can we prepare?

Effective presentations must be planned, rehearsed and executed competently. Rehearse all aspects of the activity to ensure that you can keep
to time and to help anticipate unforeseen ‘glitches’.

What is a good or great presentation?

Good/excellent presentations are imaginative as well as being relevant to the audience and to the location. High-risk productions can succeed
wonderfully, but they can also fail dismally. Discuss the options among group/team members carefully! And, refer to the marking scheme.

What about timing/sticking to the time?

You must stick to the time allocated; you will not be permitted to over-run the allotted time.

Does every member of the group/team have to present?

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Plan both the content of your presentation and how best to deliver it. Decide who will present what. There is no requirement that every member
must do a part, or that each must play an equal part. After all, group/teamwork is about playing to each person’s strengths and weaknesses.
However, should one person not present, then a reasonable reason would need to be provided, as it is normal practice for everyone to play a
role, however small.

Will people who did not participate in the preparation be allowed to present?

It is highly unlikely that they will participate in the recording of the presentation. But, if they do, you will have to handle it tactfully and sensibly,
and gently inform them that you and x (whoever your other group/team members are) have been working as a group/team since the beginning
and thus that you will be presenting as a group/team of two/three or whatever. Whether the ‘other person or people’ present (as part of another
group/team) need not concern you (you need only concern yourself with your own group/team). After all, the ‘other person or people’ might
perhaps have been working as a group/team on their own, without you (for whatever reason). Not everyone works in the way that we think that
they will, despite our best planning/efforts!

Questions/issues about the submission

The things that will go ‘wrong’ …and how you/we will deal with them!

What if our group/team runs into difficulties/problems?

It is more a matter of when rather than if. You will need to manage minor problems in your group/team (e.g. agreeing and sticking to a suitable
meeting time) yourself. If you run into minor difficulties regarding the people in your group/team (e.g. one or more members are off long-term
sick, or leave the University, or you email a fellow member and get no reply within a reasonable time), then just continue with who you have/the
current situation. Keep a written record of your attempts to resolve the problems. Keeping written records is essential, whether or not there are
problems.

Shall I email the seminar leader when our group/team runs into difficulties/problems?

If you run into minor difficulties regarding the people in your group/team (e.g. one or more members are off long-term sick, or leave the
University, or you email a fellow member and get no reply within a reasonable time), the seminar leader will likely know no more than you. After
all, if the member of the group/team has not contacted you, they have likely not contacted us, either. So, the most likely answer will be ‘we do
not know where x is/what has happened to x’. Of course, if we do know, we will tell you.

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Can seminar leaders make attempts to email/contact missing/’problematic’ students?

Absolutely not. One, we know only what you know; their email address. We do not know their telephone number, their mobile number or their
home address. Even if we knew it, we would not contact them. Why not? It would be regarded as an invasion of their privacy/personal life.
Rightly so. They/you/we are adults. We do not ‘chase’ adults, checking up on what they are doing (or not doing). Adults have to behave
responsibly. They may not do so, but if this is the case, we do not ‘chase’ them and try and ‘force’ them to do the right thing. And, there may be
very, very good reason why they are not here/participating. What if, say, there has been a terrible tragedy at home, and someone has died, or
similar? To get a phone call saying ‘why didn’t you attend our group/team meeting’ and/or ‘when are you next going to be in’ is absolutely
wrong. This Portfolio (or anything else related to their studies) is not in the slightest bit important to such a person, and our phone call will be the
most awful intrusion at a terrible time in their lives. We will be adding to their grief, not helping.

Why don’t students turn up/do what they should do? It’s not right!

That people (in these case, students) do not show up/are ill/leave or whatever is absolutely standard, normal, human behaviour. Expecting
people/students to turn up/be 100%fit/never have a problem is unrealistic! So, knowing that people/students do not show up/are ill/leave, have
problems or whatever, we have planned for this, and we take account of this. You (now) know it, and you must plan for this, and take account of
this in your studying/working. If there are fewer members of a group/team, it does not matter. Fewer/more in the group/team does not mean a
‘worse/better’ performance and thus lower/more marks. In brief, there is no need to panic! Use your (considerable) resources (and by this I
mean your perseverance, commitment, etcetera) to ensure that you do what needs to be done (with or without the others!). Keep positive!

One of our group/team is not pulling their weight. We want to exclude them/not work with them any longer.

In the workplace, this is the equivalent of sacking someone. It is inappropriate to do this without having first made every effort to make the
group/team work. In the workplace, this means putting in place a range of ‘recovery’ processes and procedures. We do not just sack people on
the spot! Whilst working in group/team as part of your studies is a different thing (it is not the workplace), there are nonetheless important
lessons to learn about working in a group/team which will be useful to you in the workplace after graduation. So, just as in the workplace, you
will need to deal with the person in a professional manner (even if you/we do not like them or are convinced that they are ‘bad’ workers).

The person who has to “make every effort to make the group/team work” is you. The ‘good’, hardworking, committed, conscientious person.
This is what effective management/leadership is all about. You/we have to make the group/team work, regardless of who is allocated to
your/our group/team. We normally do not get to choose the group/team, and there is normally little that we can do to change it. We have to work
with what (and/or who) we have got.

Bear in mind one vital thing. You cannot change the behaviour of others. So, if they do ‘bad’ things, they do ‘bad’ things. This does not make
them ‘bad’ people, of course. You need to separate the behaviour(s) from the person here. We all, on occasion, do the wrong thing(s), but that

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does not make us bad people. You can nag, complain, argue, shout or anything else, but it will not result in them behaving differently. They will
change only if they wish to change. The only behaviour that we can change is our own. So, you/we have to make a decision about what you/we
are going to do, when faced with someone else’s ‘bad’ behaviour. Bear in mind, too, that what is ‘bad’ for/to one person is not necessarily ‘bad’
for/to another.

If it gets to the point where the relationship has broken down entirely, through no fault of either you or the person who is ‘not pulling their weight’
(in your view), then you need to deal with it professionally and appropriately. Yourselves. Dragging in the seminar leader to sort it out is not the
right response. Instead, you need to make a decision. You cannot change the ‘bad’ behaviour of the other person, so you have to change
yours. You have two choices.
One, continue as the original group/team, and accept that this person will contribute ‘less’. You may perhaps feel that this is ‘unfair’. Life is full of
things which are ‘unfair’, unfortunately. Look on the positive side, and see it as an experience from which you can learn/benefit. Two, decide
that the group/team has to be split into two groups/teams. As with everything else, keep it professional, keep notes, and deal with it all in writing,
formally. That way, everyone is clear what has been decided, when, how and why. Then, put it behind you, move on, and concentrate on the
future. After all, you cannot change the past; it is done. All you/we can do is to use it in order to influence (if possible) the future.

What if I myself run into some minor difficulties/problems?

If the difficulties/problems are such that you do not need to request a delay of level 1 then you have made the decision to continue with your
studies. If so, you need to work around it. What ‘work around it’ means will be different for different students, as it all depends on you
circumstances, and the work. As for working on PART A of the Portfolio, you will need to do your full share, of course. But, that can be when
you get back, assuming that the others in the group/team can accommodate this. So, you do less (than the others) whilst you are away, but far
more (than the others) when you get back. As for other lectures and seminars, on other modules or on MG1011, you will need to keep in touch
electronically, and also see if one of your new colleagues can lend you their notes, or similar, and brief you on your return.

As for extenuating circumstances more generally, and making the Board of Examiners aware of these (via the seminar leader or module leader
is not the mechanism), then please consult the College Student Handbook (online, via BlackBoard Learn or from the University’s
webpages).

If you are unfortunate enough to face such difficulties/problems, keep your group/team members informed. You do not have to tell them the
details of the difficulties/problems. All that you need to say is ‘I’ve run into some difficulties/problems. I probably won’t be returning until next
week/next month (or whatever), so please continue without me for PART A during this time, and I will email you when I get back’ or similar. This
is the professional behaviour that we expect of future graduates, and people in the workplace (where you will be after you graduate). To just
disappear, and say nothing, is not professional behaviour, regardless of the severity of the extenuating circumstances/problems.

What if I myself run into really serious difficulties/problems?

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You have to decide whether you will be missing so much of your studies that you might wish to delay level 1 until 2021/22. If so, this is simple
enough to arrange. Just email the module leader, and we will take it from there. As for extenuating circumstances more generally, and making
the Board of Examiners aware of these (via the seminar leader or module leader is not the mechanism), then please consult the College
Student Handbook (online, in BlackBoard Learn or from the University’s webpages).

If you are unfortunate enough to face such difficulties/problems, keep your group/team members informed. You do not have to tell them the
details of the difficulties/problems. All that you need to say is ‘I’ve run into some serious difficulties/problems. I probably won’t be returning, so
please continue without me for the rest of PART A’ or similar.

If I have extenuating circumstances which prevent(ed) me from submitting/doing PART A/B/C, will I still get a mark of zero for these?

Yes. We award marks for performance. If there is no performance, we cannot award marks. We cannot guess what that performance would
have been had x not happened. For more details on what we mark, and how we deal with extenuating circumstances in order to ensure that
students with extenuating circumstances are not disadvantaged, the College Student Handbook explains this.

Finally, and importantly …

What do past students say about PART A?

Of all the parts of the Portfolio, PART A is the one which generates the greatest number of queries, and the greatest angst/upset and similar.
Yet it is also the part that brings the greatest rewards, say students from previous years (and doing similar tasks on other modules at other
levels). So, of all three parts, it is for this one that you need to need a clear and calm approach - throughout! And, from which you will likely
learn the most. About yourself. Which is inextricably linked with ‘success’, whether in the workplace or in your studies at university.

MARKING SCHEME FOR PART A

Criteria Grade descriptors

Content of A (A*, A+, A, A-) B (B+, B, B-) C (C+, C, C-) D (D+, D, D-) E (E+, E) F
recorded You demonstrated You You demonstrated You demonstrated Some of the All of the following
presentation: evidence of demonstrated evidence of good evidence of following applied: applied: little or no
correctness and comprehensive evidence of research into the satisfactory little or no evidence of
completeness of research into the very good subject matter. research into the evidence of satisfactory research
material; use of subject matter. research into Your assessment subject matter. satisfactory into the subject

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relevant Your assessment the subject of the qualities of Your assessment research into the matter. Assessment
examples and of the qualities of matter. Your the subject(s) of the qualities of subject matter. of the qualities of
concepts; links the subject(s) assessment chosen, and their the subject(s) Assessment of the subject(s) chosen,
with the chosen, and their of the effectiveness (or chosen, the qualities of and their
academic effectiveness (or qualities of otherwise) as and their the subject(s) effectiveness (or
literature otherwise) as the subject(s) managers was effectiveness (or chosen, and their otherwise) as
managers was chosen, good, in part or otherwise) as effectiveness (or managers was
100% excellent, in part or and their wholly because of managers was otherwise) as inadequate. The links
wholly because of effectiveness the good links that satisfactory, in managers was made, if any, between
the excellent links (or otherwise) you made part or wholly inadequate. The the subject(s)
that you made as managers between this and because of the links made, if any, and the concepts in
between this and was very your good links that you between the the
your excellent good, in part understanding of, made between subject(s) business/managemen
understanding of, or wholly and reference to, this and the concepts t literature
and reference to, because of the relevant and your in the demonstrated lack of
the relevant the very good concepts in the reasonable business/manage awareness of one, or
concepts in the links that you business/manage understanding of, ment literature both.
business/managem made ment literature. and reference to, demonstrated lack
ent literature. between this the relevant of awareness of
There were and your very concepts in the one, or both.
indications of good business/manage
originality in what understandin ment literature.
you included g of, and
reference to,
the relevant
concepts in
the
business/man
agement
literature.

PART B

In PART B the main objective is to write a report of no more than 1000 words that focuses on four aspects of business and management
based on a company. You can choose one of the following four companies: GSK, Sky, FDM or NetApp.

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The four aspects your report should focus on are the following:

1. Business strengths and weaknesses.

2. Portfolio of products/services.
3. Competitors.
4. Marketing strategies.

Preparation/data gathering

Your first step is to locate the Company’s website and find their Annual Report. This is often flagged as ‘about the firm’, ‘information for
investors’, 'investor relations' or similar. Some of these data may be contained in Acrobat pdf files, which you can read with the Acrobat Reader
programme.

Download and save to disk all the relevant pages for future reference. Search for additional information about the Company in journals,
newspapers etcetera. It is most important to make use of all the electronic databases available via the Brunel Library such as Business Source
Premier, Fame, ABI Inform, Mintel, GMID, Snapshots, etcetera. Electronic resources at any university, including that of Brunel, are of proven
high academic standard. In contrast, many sources found through commercial search engines such as Google might not have the academic
rigour/quality as those that you will find through the Library.

Prepare a simple matrix of available data about the company in Excel. Your purpose is to use it to perform simple calculations and prepare
simple graphs, bar charts, pie charts, etcetera in order to help a potential reader make sense of what may be complex data. Your task is to
make it simple enough for the lay person (someone who is less familiar with the subject matter) to read and also to keep their interest. You can
use graphs, bar charts, line charts and pie chart where appropriate to present your data on the company.

When you have done the work in Excel, paste all the graphs and charts into a word document, which you will then have to convert into pdf. This
is vital; a separate Excel spreadsheet will not be accepted or marked. PART B (Writing a company report) must be submitted in one document,
a Pdf document. You may also paste in other interesting logos, photos etcetera as downloaded from the website. Each graph or chart will need
what is called a ‘legend’, explaining what it is.

Before you begin the actual writing of the report, check the ‘housestyle’, and various other issues concerning coursework. Once you know these
‘basics’, you are ready to begin the task of compiling the report that you will submit. As the study guide makes clear, “You should make sure
that you are fully aware of the School's policy on plagiarism … (and others). You should be aware that you cannot later claim that you did not
know the rules and regulations; like all of us working at Brunel, you must make yourself familiar with them. If you cannot do any work on time,
you should look at the College instructions on what to do.”

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The report should be no more than 1000 words long. This includes all words, that is, from the first word of the title to the very last word in the list
of references. The marking scheme details the ‘penalty’ for going under or above this limit.

What your report will look like in terms of its structure:

• Title of the report

• Introduction, including overview of what is to follow

• Main body of the report:

- Business strengths and weaknesses

- Portfolio of products/services

- Competitors

- Marketing strategies

- Concluding comments

• List of references

MARKING SCHEME FOR PART B

Criteria Grade descriptors

Content: A(A*, A+, A, A-) B (B+, B, B-) C (C+, C, C-) D (D+, D, D-) E (E+, E) F
appropriateness of Your All of the following
material; discussion, Your Your discussion, Your discussion, Many of the apply: the discussion
interpretation; drawing on discussion, drawing on your drawing on your following apply: lacked adequate
criticality; analysis your excellent drawing on good adequate the discussion interpretation and/or
30% interpretation your very good interpretation and interpretation and lacked adequate understanding of the
and interpretation understanding of understanding of interpretation data. Inadequate
understanding and the data gathered the data gathered and/or critical powers
of the data understanding to support your to support your understanding of were evident.
gathered to of the data claim(s), claim(s), the data. Inadequate insights

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support your gathered to demonstrated demonstrated Inadequate critical into the aspects of
claim(s), was support your your good your powers business/managemen
sophisticated claim(s), critical powers. adequate critical were evident. t chosen for
in its demonstrated The analysis powers. The Inadequate exploration.
your
critical powers. demonstrated analysis insights into the
The analysis very good your good insights demonstrated aspects of
demonstrated critical powers. into the aspect(s) your adequate business/manage
your excellent The analysis of insights into the ment chosen for
insights into demonstrated business/manage aspect(s) of exploration.
the aspect(s) your very good ment that you business/manage
of insights into the chose to explore. ment that you
business/mana aspect(s) of chose to
gement that business/mana explore.
you chose to gement that
explore. you chose to
explore.
Writing quality and A. B. C. D. E. F.
style: grammar and Your Your Your grammar The grammar and Many of the All of the following
punctuation; grammar/punct grammar/punct and punctuation punctuation was following apply: apply: The grammar
spelling; incorrect uation was uation was was reasonable. adequate. There the grammar and and punctuation was
words; length error-free. near error-free. There were a few were a number of punctuation was poor. There were
20% There were no There were spelling mistakes spelling mistakes poor. There were many spelling
spelling very few and/or incorrectly- and/or incorrectly- many spelling mistakes and/or
mistakes or spelling used words. Your used words. The mistakes and/or incorrectly used
incorrectly- mistakes or writing quality and writing quality and incorrectly used words.
used words. incorrectly- style style was words. The writing quality
Your writing used words. was good. It was adequate. It was The writing quality and style was
quality and Your writing within the word within the word and style was inadequate. It was
style were quality and limit of 1000 limit of 1000 inadequate. It was either above the word
excellent. It style words and was words and was either above the limit of 1000 words or
was within the was very good. not less than 900 not less than 800 word limit of 1000 was much less than
word limit of It was within words in length. words in length. words or was 800 words in length.
1000 words the word limit of much less than
and was not 1000 words 800 words in
less than 900 and was not length.
words in less than 900
length. words in length.

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Telling the ‘story’: A. B. C. D. E. F.
comprehensibility; Your excellent Your very good Your good Your reasonable Many of the All of the following
‘voice’; introduction introduction introduction introduction following apply: apply: the introduction
structure/organisat included an included an included an included an the introduction may have been
ion overview and overview and overview and overview and may have been missing or, if present,
30% motivation for motivation for motivation for motivation for missing or, if lacked an adequate
what followed. what followed. what followed. what followed. present, lacked an overview and
The ‘story’ was The ‘story’ was The ‘story’ was The ‘story’ was adequate motivation for what
simplicity itself very easy to easy to read given not too difficult to overview and followed. The
to read given read given the the effective read given the motivation for structure of the text
the highly very effective structuring (use of effective what was inadequate. The
effective structuring (use section headings, structuring (use of followed. The ‘story’ was lacking.
structuring of section bullet points and section headings, structure of the The ‘story’ was not
(use of section headings, bullet paragraphs and bullet points and text was ‘rounded off’ with a
headings, points and the linking of paragraphs and inadequate. The suitable conclusion.
bullet points paragraphs and these). The ‘story’ the linking of ‘story’ was The lay
and the linking of was ‘rounded off’ these). The ‘story’ lacking. The person would have
paragraphs these). The with a good was ‘rounded off’ ‘story’ was not found it difficult to
and the linking ‘story’ was conclusion. The with a reasonable ‘rounded off’ with gain an adequate
of these). The ‘rounded off’ lay person conclusion. The a suitable understanding of the
‘story’ was with a very could easily have lay person could conclusion. The subject. Material
‘rounded off’ good understood most have gained a lay taken from other
with an conclusion. The of it. If there was limited person would sources was
excellent lay person jargon, it was well understanding of have found it inadequately
conclusion. could easily explained. the subject. difficult to gain an paraphrased.
The lay person have Material that you Material that you adequate
could easily understood took from other took from other understanding of
have nearly all of it. sources was fairly sources was only the subject.
understood it. Material that well adequately Material taken
If there was you took from paraphrased; the paraphrased; from other
jargon, it was other sources overall some of the sources was
fully explained. was well text/style/content overall inadequately
Material that paraphrased; was for the most text/style/content paraphrased.
you took from the part that of you, was that of you,
other overall the report writer. the report writer,
sources was text/style/ but with some of
accurately content was the style of the
paraphrased; generally that original

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the of you, the source(s) evident.
text/style/conte report writer.
nt was that of
you, the report
writer.
Referencing/refere A. B. C. D. E. F.
nces, The citations The citations The citations There were Many of the All of the following
citing/citations within the text within the text within the text several errors in following apply: apply: the references
20% itself were itself were near itself were for the the citations within the references both within and/or at
100% accurate 100% accurate most part the text. There both within and/or the end of the text
in every in every accurate, were several at the end of the were missing or
respect. The respect. All of although one or errors in the text were missing inadequately cited
references at the references two errors, only references or inadequately and presented.
the end of the at the end of very minor, may at the end of the cited and
text were the text were have been made. text. presented.
100% accurate near 100% The
in every accurate references at the
respect. That in every end of the text
cited was respect. That were for the most
referenced, cited was part accurate,
and vice versa. referenced, and although one or
vice versa. two errors, only
very minor, may
have been made.
That cited
was referenced,
and vice versa.

PART C

For PART C of your Portfolio you are required to write a self-reflective statement, a cover letter, a CV and take a psychometric test to
submit as part of an internship application to the company examined in PART B.

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You can choose any one of the three (3) internship advertisements outlined in the following pages. Note that this is an application for an
internship and not a job for after you graduate. For example, if you wrote a report on FDM for PART B you can choose to apply for either the
Human Resources, or the Accounting and Finance or the Marketing internship as if it were based in FDM. If you wrote a report on Sky for
PART B you can choose to apply for either the Human Resources, or the Accounting and Finance or the Marketing internship as if it were
based in Sky.

In more detail, you are required to submit the following:

1. Self-reflective Statement: 600 -700 words

2. Covering Letter: 300 - 400 words

3. CV: this must be a copy of your genuine CV. i.e. do not include anything fictitious.

4. The result of a psychometric test that you have completed (see below *** for instructions)

NB: While only the covering letter and self-reflective statement are marked please note that your CV and the experience of completing a
psychometric test are integral parts of your assessment and should be used to validate your choices in both the covering letter and self-
reflective statement.

The internships:

Job 1: Human Resources (HR) Intern

The key responsibilities of the role include:

 Facilitate administration for all stages throughout the employee lifecycle

 Provision of basic HR advice to the business and employees
 Production of maternity and sickness absence correspondence
 Provision of administrative support for flexible benefits programme
 Ensure accurate and up to date record keeping of all employee personal data in line with GDPR

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 Supporting the recruitment process, working closely with hiring managers
 Providing support to the HR team on various projects, as required
 Provision of references for past employees

Selection Criteria:

 Current Business Management student with an interest in a career in HR

 Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
 Strong organisation skills with a high level of attention to detail
 Proven ability to work well in a team
 Adaptable and flexible
 Able to use initiative

Job 2: Accounting and Finance Intern

The key responsibilities of the role include:

 Assisting with managing the monthly end close

 Analysis and reconciliation of accounts
 Assist with internal and external audits and analysis
 Monthly finance reviews
 Production of a variety of management reports
 Miscellaneous projects as allocated by the Finance Manager/Senior Analysts
 VAT and Intrastat reporting
 Ensure we operate with a high level of financial integrity

Selection criteria:

 Current Business Management student with an interest in a career in Finance/Accounting

 Good analytical and numerical skills
 Able to solve problems logically and creatively
 Attention to detail
 Knowledge of Excel essential
 Able to communicate with people from all departments

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Job 3: Marketing Assistant Intern

The key responsibilities of the role include:

 Create social media content, launch materials and press advertisements

 Assist the Marketing Executive in sourcing and designing marketing materials.
 Updating website and social media channels and assessing user engagement
 Draft and gain approval for email marketing campaigns.
 Capture and manage subscribers to plan and execute successful email marketing campaigns
 Work alongside the technical team to ensure datasheets & brochures are 100% technically correct prior to sign off
 Assist with the organisation of and administration for major events
 Providing day to day administrative support to the Marketing Team

Selection criteria:
 Current Business Management student with an interest in a career in Marketing
 Motivated team player with strong communication skills
 Good organisational skills with the ability to work to deadlines
 A flexible attitude and a “can do” approach
 Proficient across Microsoft packages
 Ideally, some experience of using social media channels (e.g. Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn) to enhance audience engagement

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Further Instructions for the completion of each part of the assignment:

1. Self-reflective statement (600-700 words)

The process of self-reflection is a very important part of any application process. It is where you build your case for applying to both the role
and the organisation you have selected. This is based on your interests and motivations for applying to that organisation and an appraisal of
your skills and experiences that will support your application.

NB: Remember this self-reflection, while marked for the purposes of this assessment, will not be seen by the prospective employer and so your
statement should address the gaps in your skills and/or experience as well as the positive supporting evidence that will ultimately form a part of
your covering letter.

Your Self-Reflective Supporting Statement should include the following information:

About the Organisation (your interest/motivation):

An explanation for why you would like to work the company. This could include an explanation of why you like some or all of the following:
(a) The nature of the company’s business (the sector in which it operates / the services it offers or goods it produces)
(b) Its size, location and management structure. For example, you could look at its geographical reach: is it global with multiple branches
worldwide / European with branches across Europe or based only in the UK? You could also / alternatively consider the management
structure: is it relatively flat or more hierarchical?
(c) The company’s reputation (awards it has won / market share / innovations)
(d) Its values and/or mission statement of the company
(e) The support offered to interns / members of staff; what do you like about the support the company offers new staff?
(g) If you have any concerns about working for this company you can write about these concerns in this self-reflective statement.

Remember the statement is for your own use and so you can express your concerns about working at the company in it. Obviously, you would
not express such concerns to a potential employer when submitting an application.

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About the Role

Explain why you are applying for this particular internship. This could include:

(a) The reasons for your interest in this role. What appeals to you about working in either HR, Marketing or Accounting and Finance?
(b) You could use www.prospects.ac.uk to research a career as a HR Officer or Accountant or Marketing Executive
- https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/human-resources-officer
- https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/chartered-accountant
- https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/marketing-executive
-
(c) Explain why you think you would find this particular role rewarding.
(d) You could also explain why you might not like to work in this field; use this self-reflective statement to consider the downsides of a
career in this field. This will help you to make an informed decision about the type of placement you apply for.
(e) You could complete the Prospects Planner interactive guidance tool https://www.prospects.ac.uk/planner which matches your answers
to questions about your interests with different careers. You could refer to the results of your Prospects Planner questionnaire in your
statement to provide evidence for why you are applying for this particular internship.

About You

Write an appraisal of both your strengths that make you a good candidate for the role and also your weaknesses that make you less likely to be
successful. You should:

(a) Write about the skills, knowledge and experiences you have that make you a suitable candidate. Give precise examples of occasions
when you have used the skills needed for the internship.
(b) Refer to the sections of your CV that contain the most relevant information about your experience
(c) Also write about gaps in your skills/experiences that you have identified
(d) Describe activities that you could undertake during your time at university to fill any gaps and could make you a more well-rounded and
stronger candidate
(e) Refer to the results of your psychometric test in this section. If your results are good then you could use this as evidence of your
(f) suitability for this role or, if you were disappointed with the results, you could explain what you could do to improve your results in future
tests.

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2. Covering Letter (300 – 400 words)

(a) No more than 400 words and on one side of A4

(b) Presented as a formal covering letter
(c) Tailored to the specific organisation that you have chosen to apply to
(d) Contain all the positive reasons you have identified in your Self-Reflective Statement

PLEASE NOTE: please do not include your own name and address on the letter. Instead of your name please use your Brunel student
number and use Brunel’s address instead of your own: Kingston Lane, Uxbridge, UB8 3PH.

Format
• Use standard business layout with your address top right and the name and address of the recipient on the left.

Style
• Write in plain English and short sentences. Try to avoid stereotyped phrases and over-generalisations. Don’t be one of the thousands of
applicants who say they want to work in a multi-national organisation with good training opportunities.

Main sections/paragraphs

• Introduction – For the purposes of this task please address the letter to “Dear Sir or Madam.” Explain your reason for writing. Give the
job title and say where you saw it advertised. (For the purposes of this assignment you can invent where you saw the job advertised.)
Give one key fact about you that shows your suitability for this role. This could be the subject of your degree.
• Paragraph two – Why them? Explain why you would like to work for this organisation. Use your knowledge of the company to explain
your interest.
• Paragraph three - Why you? Explain how you can prove that you meet the selection criteria. Highlight relevant work experience, course
modules and projects. Refer to your CV but don’t just repeat points; expand on them by making a match between your specific skills
and the job requirements.
• Conclusion – Keep the conclusion brief. You could thank the employer for considering your application and/or repeat your enthusiasm
for the role. Finally, close the letter with Yours faithfully” if it has been addressed to “Dear Sir or Madam”.. End a letter with, “'Yours
sincerely' if it has been addressed to a named individual.

There is further advice about covering letters on the Professional Development Centre website: https://students.brunel.ac.uk/career/cvs-and-
applications/cover-letter and sample cover letters: https://students.brunel.ac.uk/career/sample-cover-letters

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3. CV
You must submit your CV although it will not be assessed. For advice about how to write an effective CV go to the “Making effective
applications” section on the Careers part of the Professional Development Centre’s website: https://students.brunel.ac.uk/career/cvs-
and-applications/cvs .There are multiple template CVs on the PDC website at https://students.brunel.ac.uk/career/cv-samples .

PLEASE NOTE: please do not include your name and own contact details on the CV. Instead of your name please use your Brunel
student number and use Brunel’s address instead of your own: Kingston Lane, Uxbridge, UB8 3PH. Tel: 07000 123456 Email:
isambard.kingdom@brunel.ac.uk

Tips for your CV

• Your CV can either be one or two sides of A4 long but must not exceed 2 sides. If you have a 2 sided CV it must fill both sides. It is not
good to have a CV that is one and a half sides long (it gives the impression that you leave things half finished)
• You don’t need to include your age, nationality, marital status or addresses of employers.
• Match each CV to the specific role for which you are applying
• Use clear sub headings that make it easy for recruiters to navigate their way through your CV
• The usual sections of a CV are: Personal Details; Profile; Education, Employment History or Work Experience (which can include
Voluntary Work); Activities and Interests
• Use bullet points and avoid large blocks of chunky text
• Use dynamic, active language to show both the skills you have gained by undertaking specific activities and also your achievements

4. *** Instructions for the completion and submission of the psychometric test

• Please note that the score you achieve for the psychometric test does NOT form part of the grade you will be awarded for this task.
• Complete an online psychometric aptitude test and submit a screenshot or copy of part of your test report you receive at the end of the
test as evidence. You do not need to include the score you achieved in the test.
• Follow this link to the psychometric aptitude tests: https://www.graduatesfirst.com/university-career-services/brunel/
• Choose and complete ONE of the following types of test: Verbal / Numerical /Logical Reasoning
• You must register before you can access the tests on Graduates First. You must register using your Brunel email address.
• You will be asked to give some information about yourself but you can choose not to answer most questions if you prefer.
• Select one test – either a numerical, verbal or logical reasoning test (NR1, VR1 or LR1)

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• Complete the test, save a PDF copy of the report and take a screenshot of the cover page of the report which should contain the code
for the test (for example, VR1 / NR1 or LR1), your name and the date you took the test.
• Submit the screenshot electronically via WISEflow
• If you have problems accessing the Graduates First aptitude tests then you may undertake a test from another test website listed on the
Brunel PDC website: https://students.brunel.ac.uk/career/interviews-and-assessment-centres/psychometric-tests

Guidance on how to improve your score in psychometric tests

• Read the advice on the PDC website: https://students.brunel.ac.uk/career/interviews-and-assessment-centres/psychometric-tests

• Watch the short Pick and Mix video “How to ace aptitude tests” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4C0HlOMvN8&t=32s
• Practise, practise, practise! The more tests you take the higher your score is likely to be.

MARKING SCHEME FOR PART C

Criteria Grade descriptors NB: THE CV AND THE PSYCHOMETRIC TEST ARE NOT MARKED
Understanding & A (A*, A+, A, A-) B (B+, B, C (C+, C, C-) D (D+, D, D-) E (E+, E) F
Relevance B-)
Demonstrates a Demonstra Demonstrates a Provides evidence Provides some No evidence of
25% sophisticated, tes a well- systematic and of a basic evidence of knowledge or
critical and developed, substantial understanding of familiarity with understanding of, or
Identifying relevant thorough critical and understanding of the key aspects of your strengths familiarity with any of
information, from your understanding of comprehe yourself, your yourself, your and weaknesses; the key aspects of the
• CV, yourself, your nsive strengths and strengths and might contain topic.
strengths and understan weaknesses. The weaknesses. The some
• psychometric test, weaknesses. ding of covering letter covering letter inappropriate
& The covering yourself, and the self- and self-reflective material. The
letter and the your reflective statement are covering letter
• what you know self-reflective strengths statement are well adequately and self-reflective
statement are and matched to the matched to the statement indicate
about the company
excellently weakness job applied for; job applied for; insufficient
applied to; es. The there are few if there may be understanding of
matched to the
job applied for, covering any major errors inaccuracies or the task.
to include in both the letter and
with no errors or or omissions. miss key points.

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- Covering key omissions. the self- Displays a good Displays an
Letter (CL) & Displays an reflective grasp of detail adequate grasp of
the excellent grasp statement (evidenced by the detail (evidenced
of detail are very choice of relevant by the choice of
- Self-reflective
(evidenced by well examples which relevant examples
Statement (SS).
the choice of matched to are well integrated which are
relevant the job into the structure). adequately
examples which applied for, integrated into the
are excellently with no structure).
integrated into errors or
the structure). major
omissions.
Displays a
very good
grasp of
detail
(evidenced
by the
choice of
relevant
examples
which are
very well
integrated
into the
structure).

Analysis; A. B. C. D. E. F.
Independent/Critical Demonstrate Demonstrates Demonstrates the Mostly No evidence of No evidence of
Thinking s excellence competence ability to descriptive; there understanding understanding why
in the ability in the ability understand and are very few why you have you have chosen the
25% to to understand acknowledge why elements chosen the particular work
understand and you have chosen suggesting an particular work experience to apply
and acknowledge the particular work understanding of experience to for. The covering
acknowledge why you have experience to why you have apply for. The letter and self-
why you chosen the apply for. The chosen the covering letter reflective statement
have chosen particular covering letter particular work and self-reflective demonstrate no

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the particular work and self-reflective experience to statement elements of critical
work experience to statement apply for. The demonstrate no thinking. No self-
experience to apply for. demonstrate covering letter elements of reflection.
apply for. The covering some elements of and self-reflective critical thinking.
The covering letter and self- critical thinking. statement
letter and reflective There are demonstrate
self-reflective statement elements of self- some elements of
statement demonstrate reflection in the critical thinking.
demonstrate many SS.
excellence in elements of
critical critical
thinking. The thinking. The
SS is SS is very
excellent in good in terms
terms of its of its self-
self- reflection.
reflection.

Organisation & A. B. C. D. E. F.
Structure (Synthesis The The The organization There are issues There are issues There are issues with
of Information) organization organization and structure is with the with the the organization and
and structure and structure good. The organization and organization and structure. The
25% is excellent, is very good, development of structure. The structure. There is development of
as is the as is the theme from development of an effort to theme from
synthesis of synthesis of introduction theme from present the introduction through
information. information. through to introduction information, to conclusion(s) in
There is an There is a conclusion(s) in through to however there is both the covering
excellent very good both the covering conclusion(s) in insufficient letter and the self-
development development letter and the self- both the covering development of reflective statement.
of theme of theme from reflective letter and the self- theme from There are severe
from introduction statement is good. reflective introduction issues with the
introduction through to statement is through to synthesis of
through to conclusion(s) adequate. conclusion(s) in information.

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conclusion(s) in both the both the covering
in both the covering letter letter and the self-
covering and the self- reflective
letter and the reflective statement.
self-reflective statement.
statement.
Writing Style A. B. C. D. E. F.
Shows a high Shows clarity, Provides evidence Provides certain Poor Very poor
25% level of focus and of clarity and evidence of communication; communication,
clarity, focus cogency in focus in effective poor syntax and syntax and / or
and cogency communicatio communication. communication. spelling which spelling.
in n. The The covering The covering detract from
communicati covering letter letter and self- letter and self- understanding.
on. The and self- reflective reflective
covering reflective statement, in statement, in
letter and statement are terms of a formal terms of a formal
self-reflective very good in writing style are writing style are
statement all respects in good. It contains a adequate. There
are excellent terms of a few errors syntax are errors in
in all formal writing and spelling. syntax and
respects in style; may spelling but they
terms of a contain minor do not detract
formal writing errors in from
style. There syntax and understanding.
are no errors spelling.
of syntax or
spelling.

UG mark bands, degree equivalent and grade point bands [Senate Regulation 2 (2009 starters onwards)] are:
Grade
Indicative Mark Band Degree class equivalent Point
90 and above 1 17

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80-89 1 16
73-79 1 15
70-72 1 14
68-69 2.1 13
63-67 2.1 12
60-62 2.1 11
58-59 2.2 10
53-57 2.2 9
50-52 2.2 8
48-49 3 7
43-47 3 6
40-42 3 5
38-39 Fail 4
33-37 Fail 3
30-32 Fail 2
29 and below Fail 1

Assessment Criteria

You will be provided with formal feedback by way of a provisional mark/grade. You will receive the agreed mark/grade for this module only
after the meeting of the Board of Examiners. The Board meets only once a year, in July. This feedback will be given to you within twenty
working days of the deadline, in accordance with the rules and regulations of the School (which apply to all items of coursework, regardless
of module or level). Although your work will not be returned to you, you may like to discuss your skills and abilities further. If so, then you
should arrange a meeting with the seminar leader (or the module leader if your seminar leader is not available). If you wish to discuss the
actual work itself, you will need to bring along a copy of your coursework (you should always keep a copy of all work; we expect students,
especially in this discipline, to keep accurate and full records!). You should note that your seminar leader will not be permitted to tell you what
marks were awarded for each section, or the final mark given for this item of coursework. However, discussing your work in detail, via a one-
to-one meeting, may provide insights in addition to that provided via the feedback form below.

Submission Instructions

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Coursework must be submitted electronically via the University’s WISEflow system. The required file format for this report is Adobe PDF. Your
student ID number must be used as the file name (e.g. 0123456.pdf). You must ensure that you upload your file in the correct format and use
the College’s electronic coursework coversheet. Please note that submissions of ‘.pages / .docx etc’ documents will not be accepted and must
be converted to approved format.

The electronic coursework coversheet must be completed and included at the beginning of all coursework submissions prior to submitting on
WISEflow.

Academic Misconduct, Plagiarism and Collusion

Any coursework or examined submission for assessment where plagiarism, collusion or any form of cheating is suspected will be dealt with
according to the University processes which are detailed in Senate Regulation 6.

You can access information about plagiarism here.

The University regulations on plagiarism apply to published as well as unpublished work, collusion and the plagiarism of the work of other
students.
Please ensure that you fully understand what constitutes plagiarism before you submit your work.

University’s Coursework Submission Policy

Please refer to the College’s Student Handbook for information on submitting late, penalties applied and procedures.

College’s Coursework Submission Policy

Please refer to the College’s Student Handbook for information relating to the College’s Coursework Submission Policy and procedures.
* this can be found at the bottom of the page under the ‘Documents’ section *

Extenuating Circumstances Policy

Please refer to the College’s Student Handbook for information relating to extenuating circumstances and procedures.

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