Building and Marketing High Performing Organisations

Individual Report Assessment A

Coursework A Assessment

2500 (+/- 10%) word report

contributing 45% to your final grade for this module

Deadline: Friday (UK Time) Week 14.

This  document  provides  the  questions  and  assessment  criteria  for  your  first assessment for this module which is an individual report.

Prior Reading

As background information, familiarise yourself EFQM model (link provided on Moodle under the brief).

Overall Task

1.  Apply the EFQM Business Excellence model, using relevant theory and concepts learnt on the module, to one organisation of your choice. Draw on your analysis to identify and capture strengths and areas for improvement to the chosen organisation (40%):

Criterion 4 – Partnerships & Resources:

i.      How well do they build sustainable relationships with their partners & suppliers?

ii.      Do they manage their buildings, equipment and resources in a sustainable way?

Criterion 5 - Processes, Products and Services:

i.      Have they defined the key processes required to deliver their strategy?

ii.     Do they develop new, innovative products and services?

2.  Based on your analysis, offer and justify one operations/supply chain management strategy that the chosen organisation could pursue to drive business excellence (40%)

Marks will be awarded for structure, presentation and quality of references (10%).

Note: You should draw on relevant theory, concepts and principles learnt on the module throughout the report

You may wish to use the RADAR elements to help you address questions 2. This may

also influence the key points raised in your executive summary.

Advice on the practical application of theory

There is an expectation that you go beyond learning gained on the MBHPO module. This includes a need to conduct your own research into the key themes underpinning the questions above using the academic literature (e.g. journal articles and other credible sources).

You will need to briefly introduce your chosen organisation to familiarise the reader with the appropriate context. There are no marks for detailed background to the company. You are being assessed on your reflections, interpretation and application of theory in practice and analytical reasoning using accepted academic practice and literature.

Key sections with suggestions as to word count

Your report should be a maximum of 2500 words (+/- 10%) excluding title page, references, and appendices. Sticking to a strict word limit is difficult and an important skill for you to acquire, so make sure that you write in a concise and focused manner. It should be typed font size 12 and 1.5 line spacing and must be presented in portrait format, not landscape. This report is worth 45% of your total grade for this module.

An essential feature of the report is to illustrate how theoretical constructs or models can be critically analysed and applied to organisations in practice. You are therefore advised to read widely. In fact, unless you have read and referenced at least 10 discrete references, it is unlikely that you have done sufficient reading (you need to go beyond this to achieve higher marks). Beware of sources from the Internet (no Wikipedia or business balls): apart from reputable and academic references that can be downloaded through the Internet (commonly via the library catalogue); most Internet references are not considered reliable for an academic piece of work. Academic journals generally offer a better source than textbooks.

You must use the  APA 6th Referencing system.

                                                          Submission                                                                      

All work must be submitted electronically via Turnitin by the deadline. Your submission must be accompanied by the front cover declaration that this is your own work being submitted for academic credit. Plagiarism is academic misconduct and any instances found will be referred to the Academic Misconduct Officer (ACO).

                                                       Marking Criteria                                                                  

Your submission will be marked against four criteria presented on the marking guide. You are expected to demonstrate strong critical thinking and analytical reasoning at postgraduate level.  Please make sure you are clear on these requirements and seek advice as required.

                                                            Feedback                                                                        

Up to three working weeks is provided for marking to be completed and then feedback will be returned to you. All feedback will be provided in written format and will be accessible via Moodle.

General comments on submission and advice on areas for improvement: