HOLMES INSTITUTE FACULTY OF HIGHER EDUCATION Assessment Details and Submission Guidelines Trimester T1 2020 Unit Code HC3031 Unit Title Trends in the Global Business Environment Assessment Type Group...

HOLMES INSTITUTE

FACULTY OF
HIGHER EDUCATION


Assessment Details and Submission Guidelines

Trimester T1 2020
Unit Code HC3031
Unit Title Trends in the Global Business Environment
Assessment Type Group Assignment
(Group Report)

Note: Groups of 4 students only. Once a group is formed and entered into
Blackboard, no changes are allowed.

This is strictly required to be your own original work. Plagiarism will be
penalised. Students must use co
ect in-text citation conventions in accordance
with the Harvard method.
Assessment Title Group Report
Purpose of
assessment and
linkage to Unit
Learning
Outcomes (ULO)
the To identify contemporary trends in today’s global business environment
This assessment will address the following unit learning outcomes:
1. Students will demonstrate familiarity with the academic literature.
2. Students will demonstrate the capacity to write persuasive reports
containing sound recommendations, in preparation for a career in
usiness or government.
Assessment
Weight
Group Report = 30%
Total = 30%

Total Marks 30 Marks
Word limit Report not more than 3,000 words
Due Date Week 10 for the group report.
[Late submission penalties accrue at the rate of - 5% per day]
Page 2 of 6
Submission
Guidelines
• All work must be submitted on Blackboard by the due date along with a
completed Assignment Cover Page.
• The assignment must be in MS Word format, 1.5 spacing, 12-pt Arial font
and 2 cm margins on all four sides of your page with appropriate section
headings and page numbers.
• Reference sources must be cited in the text of the report, and listed
appropriately at the end in a reference list, all using Harvard referencing
style.


Consult your lecturer if you are unsure or you require clarification on
plagiarism.

Note: You may not get the assignment submission links unless you are
egistered in a group on Blackboard.

Note: All students must contribute equally to the presentation or marks will be
deducted for students who do not contribute to the assignment.
Assignment Specifications
Required Structure/Format of the report
 The report must include a cover page
 Table of Contents
 Executive Summary
 An Introduction: Briefly introduce the purpose of the report. Within the introductory
paragraph, you need to address the key topics you will address in the body paragraphs.
 Body Paragraphs: With headings/subheadings: Please remember to support your
claims/arguments with in-text scholarly references.
 A Conclusion: The conclusion must
iefly summarise the key points in the body paragraphs.
 Reference List: Please include all in-text references in the list of references formatted in
Harvard style. A minimum of 10 references is required.
Each group of 4 students will select and analyse one of the following questions and submit a
collaborative written report.
Students’ reports will vary widely. Their writing should reflect an understanding of the
chapter’s basic concept(s), thorough research, and logic and critical thinking skills
Page 3 of 6
Please choose one question only from the following:
1. Using the Internet, research the prices of several products in one or more foreign countries
and compare them to their prices in the home country where the goods are produced. What
factors do you think determine the foreign prices? Do you think any of the prices are
artificially high or low in one country or another?
2. Managers and leaders are continually required to make decisions – to make ‘right’ decisions.
However, decision-making is affected by biases. Discuss some of the common biases in
decision-making and how they might be overcome.
3. Some researchers predict major impacts of information technology still to come in the
workplace. Discuss.
4. Assessing an individual’s performance and productivity are major challenges for managers.
Automating various processes has been identified as a way of improving performance. What
are the implications of automation in contemporary organisations particularly professional
jobs?
5. Discuss and identify how ‘globalisation’ impacts business today. What are some
competencies that are necessary for international managers?
6. Discuss why an understanding of national culture is crucial for multinational enterprises
seeking to operate in a global business environment. Outline the dimensions commonly
used in describing national culture.
7. Discuss the role of ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’ (CSR) in today’s world. Give practical
examples for your arguments.


Page 4 of 6
Your final submission is due Friday of Week 10 at Midnight. Late submissions will attract penalties
at the rate of 5 % per day.
Assignment Structure Required:
 Holmes Institute Cover Page [This is essential and must be completed accurately]
 Executive Summary – This should be a concise synopsis of the whole report.
 Table of Contents – This should be well formatted with numerical sub headings
 Main Body of the report contains Section Headings for each paragraph listed
 Sub-sections are numbered.
 Appropriate paragraphing must be used.
 Introduction – Briefly introduce the purpose of the report. Within the introductory paragraph,
you need to address the key topics you will address in the body paragraphs.
 Body Paragraphs – With headings/sub-headings: Please remember to support your
claims/arguments with in-text scholarly references.
 Conclusion – The conclusion must
iefly summarise the key points in the body paragraphs.
 Reference List – Please include all in-text references in the list of references formatted in
Harvard style. A minimum of 10 references is required.
 The report must be within the 3,000-word limit.
Page 5 of 6
Marking Ru
ic for the Written Report
Criteria XXXXXXXXXXRatings
Comprehension
Max 7 marks
Excellent
6.5 – 7
Very Good
5 – 6.5
Good
4 -5
Satisfactory
3 – 3.5
Unsatisfactory
0 – 2.5
Has
understood
and
esponded to
each of the
task
equirements
appropriately.
Has understood
and responded to
most task
equirements
appropriately.
Has understood
some task
equirement and
attempted to
espond
appropriately.
Limited
understandin
g of the task
was evident,
ut some
equirements
are missing.
No evidence
that the student
has understood
what is required
in this task.
Structure,
Synthesis of
Research
Max 7 marks
Excellent
6.5 – 7
Very Good
5 – 6.5
Good
4 -5
Satisfactory
3 – 3.5
Unsatisfactory
0 – 2.5
Cohesive
paragraph
structure
consistently
encourages
engagement
with the
content. New
information
from research
is synthesised
and presented
thematically
(topic by
topic) to
address the
assessment
question in an
analytical
way.
Cohesive
paragraph
structure
supports
engagement with
the contents.
Uses discrete
paragraphs to
present
information. New
material from
esearch is
structured into
themes to
address the
assessment
question in an
analytical way.
Some effort to
achieve cohesive
paragraph
structure. Ideas
are not always
presented in
discrete
paragraphs.
Some effort to
include new
material from
esearch into
themes to
address the
assessment
question in an
analytical way.
Has used a
eport
structure to
organise
information
logically. But
has presented
esponse
composed of
a series of
discrete
paragraphs
ased on the
summary of
main ideas
from each
article. This
eport reads
more like a
ook report
than a piece
of analysis.
Limited or no
attempt at a
eport
structure.
Information
presented
andomly or as
a series of
questions/answ
ers only. No
sense of
cohesion
etween ideas.
No evidence for
synthesis of
new ideas from
esearch. No
analysis
attempted.
Research and
Referencing Skills
Max 4 marks
Excellent
4
Very Good
3
Good
2.5
Satisfactory
2
Unsatisfactory
0-1.5
Uses
academic
esearch skills
to select 8 or
more cu
ent,
credible and
authoritative
academic
eferences.
The student
has
considered
how the
articles relate
directly to
assessment
equirements.
Uses Harvard
style
eferencing
style and in-
Uses academic
esearch skills to
select 6 or more
cu
ent, credible
and authoritative
academic
eferences. Some
evidence that the
student
understands the
elevance of the
articles to the
assessment
equirements.
Uses Harvard
eferencing style
and in-text
citations with
few e
ors.
Uses academic
esearch skills to
select 4 or more
cu
ent, credible,
and authoritative
academic
eferences.
Attempt to
understand
elevance of the
articles to the
assessment
equirements.
Uses Harvard
eferencing style
and in-text
citations, but
with e
ors.
Uses
academic
esearch skills
to source 3
academic
eferences.
No real
evidence that
the student
understands
the relevance
of the