BUS5016

Business Start Up

Part 2 Business Plan

Date for Submission: Please refer to the timetable on ilearn

(The submission portal on ilearn will close at 14:00 UK time

on the date of submission)

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Part 2 – Business Plan

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materials or this publication may be reproduced, shared (including in private social media groups), stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or means,
including without limitation electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of Arden University. To find out more about
the use and distribution of programme materials please see the Arden Student Terms and Conditions.
Assignment Brief

As part of the formal assessment for the programme you are required to submit a
Business Start Up assignment. Please refer to your Student Handbook for full
details of the programme assessment scheme and general information on preparing
and submitting assignments.

Learning Outcomes:

After completing the module, you should be able to:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the concepts, theories and models that

underpin new business start-up in different contexts.
2. Explore the critical aspects of starting and operating a business, including
the role of business functions and their interrelationships in the process of
new business start-up.
3. Develop a business plan and choice of a business model to realise a
business idea.
4. Apply financial/accounting tools and techniques to ascertain the viability
and sustainability of a new business venture.
5. Effective communication: students will communicate effectively both
verbally and in writing, using a range of media widely used in relevant
professional context. They will be IT, digitally and information literate.

All learning outcomes must be met to pass the module.

Page 2 of 8
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Part 2 – Business Plan

Arden University © reserves all rights of copyright and all other intellectual property rights in the learning materials and this publication. No part of any of the learning
materials or this publication may be reproduced, shared (including in private social media groups), stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or means,
including without limitation electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of Arden University. To find out more about
the use and distribution of programme materials please see the Arden Student Terms and Conditions.
Guidance

Your assignment should include: a title page containing your student number, the
module name, the submission deadline and the exact word count of your submitted
document; the appendices if relevant; and a reference list in AU Harvard system(s).
You should address all the elements of the assignment task listed below. Please
note that tutors will use the assessment criteria set out below in assessing your work.

You must not include your name in your submission because Arden University
operates anonymous marking, which means that markers should not be aware of the
identity of the student. However, please do not forget to include your STU number.
Maximum word count: 2500 words

Please refer to the full word count policy which can be found in the Student Policies
section here: Arden University | Regulatory Framework

Please note the following:

Students are required to indicate the exact word count on the title page of the
assessment.

The word count includes everything in the main body of the assessment (including in
text citations and references). The word count excludes numerical data in tables,
figures, diagrams, footnotes, reference list and appendices. ALL other printed
words ARE included in the word count.

Please note that exceeding the word count by over 10% will result in a 10-percentage
point deduction.

Page 3 of 8
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Part 2 – Business Plan

Arden University © reserves all rights of copyright and all other intellectual property rights in the learning materials and this publication. No part of any of the learning
materials or this publication may be reproduced, shared (including in private social media groups), stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or means,
including without limitation electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of Arden University. To find out more about
the use and distribution of programme materials please see the Arden Student Terms and Conditions.
Assignment Task

The assessment is weighted 60% of the overall module grade.

Consider the following:

You have got a creative entrepreneurial idea that needs to be implemented. You
have decided to develop a Lean Start-Up venture with a highly promising minimum
viable product (MVP). Due to a lack of funds, you have decided to go on the
Dragon’s Den TV show to seek funding from the Dragon investors. The investors
have heard about your new idea and want to know more. You are required to
communicate your strategic business plan (with the inclusion of academic
references) explaining your business opportunity to prospective investors. Your
business plan must demonstrate the skills required to turn the business idea into
practical applications. Use this to support your 10-minute business pitch narrated
PowerPoint.

Task 1 – Business Plan

Produce a business plan for your new business venture. The business plan will
include the following main elements of a plan with the inclusion of academic
references:

A. Executive Summary
• This should include a short overview of the entire business plan. It should provide
a busy reader with everything that needs to be known about the new venture’s
distinctive nature including summaries of the problem/gap, solution, target market,
competitor analysis, management expertise, sales forecasts, financial highlights
and amount of finance needed.
(15 marks)
(LOs 3, 4 & 5)
B. The Business Concept/Business Model
• This section should include the vision and mission statements based on the
market problem or gap and SMART overall business objectives. It must
demonstrate how you meet the requirements for setting up sustainable
business model operating within internal and external competitive
environments.
(10 marks)
(LO 3)
C. Management Team Expertise
• Include a brief background profile (educational, industry experience and
achievements) of the top management team demonstrating their
entrepreneurial capabilities and competences to justify their appointment.
Explain the role that you play as an entrepreneur. Discuss and justify the
legal form of business and ownership structure.

(10 marks)
(LOs 3 & 5)

Page 4 of 8
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Part 2 – Business Plan

Arden University © reserves all rights of copyright and all other intellectual property rights in the learning materials and this publication. No part of any of the learning
materials or this publication may be reproduced, shared (including in private social media groups), stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or means,
including without limitation electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of Arden University. To find out more about
the use and distribution of programme materials please see the Arden Student Terms and Conditions.
D. Market and Industry Analysis (Feasibility)
• This section should present your market research assessment of the
external and competitive environments using appropriate tools. Highlight
target market, segmentation, targeting and positioning strategy and
competitor analysis.
(20 Marks)
(LOs 1, 2. & 3)

E. Marketing Strategy
• Include overall marketing plan, positioning and differentiating propositions,
marketing mix, market entry and sales process
(15 marks)
(LOs 3 & 5)

F. Business Sales and Operations Strategy

• Keep this short and crisp; outline general approach to operations, sales plan,
business location, facilities and equipment and key milestones.
(15 marks)
(LOs 3 ,4& 5)

G. Financial Strategy and Risks

• This section should include start-up costs, sales forecasts, proforma financial
statements (income statement, balance sheet and cashflow statement),
sources of funds and financing sought and business risks.
(10 marks)
[LOs 3 ,4& 5)
H. Closing Summary
• Summarise key parts of the business plan, draw conclusions from your
business plan that are appealing to investors, make it interesting and
demonstrate that the proposed business concept will make money.
(5 marks)
(LOs 3, 4 & 5)
You must also include:
• References – to be AU Harvard Referencing Standards.
• Appendix – to include a copy of the PowerPoint presentation.

(2500 words)
(100 marks)
(LOs: 3, 4 & 5)

End of questions

Page 5 of 8
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Part 2 – Business Plan

Arden University © reserves all rights of copyright and all other intellectual property rights in the learning materials and this publication. No part of any of the learning
materials or this publication may be reproduced, shared (including in private social media groups), stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or means,
including without limitation electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of Arden University. To find out more about
the use and distribution of programme materials please see the Arden Student Terms and Conditions.
Formative Feedback

You have the opportunity to submit a Business Design Template to receive

formative feedback.

The feedback is designed to help you develop areas of your work and it helps you
develop your skills as an independent learner.

If you are a distance learning student, you should submit your work, by email, to your
tutor, no later than 2 weeks before the actual submission deadline. If you are a blended
learning student, your tutor will give you a deadline for formative feedback and further
details.

Formative feedback will not be given to work submitted after the above date or the date
specified by your tutor - if a blended learning student.

How to upload the Business Plan assessment

Please read the following instructions very carefully and ask if you do not understand
what is required. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure the assessments are
uploaded into the correct submission portal.

Part 1 Task - Business Plan:

The assessment should be submitted in the normal way, via the Portal labelled
“Business Plan” in the My Assessment section of the iLearn page. You should also
insert pictures of the PowerPoint presentation from Part 2 as an appendix into your
Business Plan assignment, as follows:

Once you have prepared your PowerPoint slides, go to the ‘File’ menu, click ‘Save
as Pictures’. This will save each slide as a separate JPEG or TIFF file. These can
then be copied and pasted into the appendix part of the assignment. NB: The PPT
pictures must be pasted into the assignment and must NOT be submitted as a
separate file.

Referencing Guidance
You MUST underpin your analysis and evaluation of the key issues with appropriate
and wide ranging academic research and ensure this is referenced using the AU
Harvard system(s).

Follow this link to find the referencing guides for your subject: Arden Library

Page 6 of 8
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Part 2 – Business Plan

Arden University © reserves all rights of copyright and all other intellectual property rights in the learning materials and this publication. No part of any of the learning
materials or this publication may be reproduced, shared (including in private social media groups), stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or means,
including without limitation electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of Arden University. To find out more about
the use and distribution of programme materials please see the Arden Student Terms and Conditions.
Submission Guidance

Assignments submitted late will not be accepted and will be marked as a 0%

fail.

Your assessment can be submitted as a single Word (MS Word) or PDF file, or, as
multiple files.

If you chose to submit multiple files, you must name each document as the question/part
you are answering along with your student number ie Q1 Section A STUXXXX. If you
wish to overwrite your submission or one of your submissions, you must ensure
that your new submission is named exactly the same as the previous in order for
the system to overwrite it.

You must ensure that the submitted assignment is all your own work and that all
sources used are correctly attributed. Penalties apply to assignments which show
evidence of academic unfair practice. (See the Student Handbook which is available
on the A-Z key information on iLearn.)

Page 7 of 8
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Part 2 – Business Plan

Arden University © reserves all rights of copyright and all other intellectual property rights in the learning materials and this publication. No part of any of the learning
materials or this publication may be reproduced, shared (including in private social media groups), stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or means,
including without limitation electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of Arden University. To find out more about
the use and distribution of programme materials please see the Arden Student Terms and Conditions.
 Page 8 of 8
[1428]
Part 1 – Business Plan
Arden University © reserves all rights of copyright and all other intellectual property rights in the learning materials and this publication. No part of any of the learning materials or this publication may be reproduced, shared (including in private social media groups), stored
in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or means, including without limitation electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of Arden University. To find out more about the use and distribution of programme materials
please see the Arden Student Terms and Conditions.