Module Code: LD 4004
Module Title: Entrepreneurship – Context, Process and Practice
Assessment Component 2 – Individual Reflective Essay
Distributed on: 26.9.2022 Hand in Time &Date: 12:00pm on 17.01.2023
Word Limit: 4000 words.
Weighting 80%
Submission of Assessment All assignments must be submitted electronically.
It is your responsibility to ensure that your assignment arrives before the submission deadline stated above. See the University policy on late submission of work (the relevant extract is set out below).
Electronic Management of Assessment (EMA): Please note if your assignment is submitted electronically it will be submitted online via Turnitin by the given deadline. You will find a Turnitin link on the module’s eLP site.
Further information about general assessment criteria, ARTA regulations, referencing and plagiarism can be found on the module’s site on the e-Learning Portal. Students are advised to read and follow this information.
Assessment Component 2 – 4000 WORD INDIVIDUAL REFLECTIVE ESSAY [80%] [Assesses all module learning outcomes]
Instructions on Assessment:
This is an individual assessment based upon your experiences of planning a new start-up business within the context of this module. Your work should:
Deliver a critical Assessment and reflection of the business planning process.
You should consider how your idea emerged and how it has evolved. Emphasis should be upon what you did in researching and planning your idea but also why and how. You should evaluate the value of such activity in developing, testing, and validating your idea and the problems or unexpected events you might have encountered but also how you overcame these. You should consider what you will or could do next with your idea and what you might do differently if you were you to repeat the process. You should document and reflect upon these experiences and offer a clear picture of your activities and reflections during the whole duration of the module.
Provide links to relevant academic theory and literature.
It is expected that your work will provide links between theory and your experiences through providing reference to appropriate academic literature and entrepreneurship theory. You should be critical in relation to the material cited within your work, discussing whetherit has validity within the context of your experiences. All references should be presented as per APA style conventions.
Contain supporting evidence.
Evidence of the activities engaged in as part of the business planning processshould be provided. Activities which might include ideation and opportunity recognition, vision development, value proposition development, business model development; primary and secondary market research, customer contact, supplier contact, pre-selling activity, elevator pitching, resource acquisition, networking, training/workshop attendance, and engagement withexternal support agencies. You should provide an appendix [not included in word count] which supports and evidences the activities and reflections contained in the essay. This might include [but is not limited to] directed study activity outputs, market research, customer contact, supplier contact, photos, illustrations, notes, feedback, CV, pre-selling activities, support obtained etc.
It is expected that a clear cross-referencing system will be used throughout your essay.
Be well structured and appropriately presented
Please ensure the work is written in a reflective style. This work should not be mistaken as a business plan. A suggested structure for the essay is as follows:
Introduction
Critical Assessment and reflection on the business planning process
Conclusion
Where to find additional assessment support:
Please consult the assessment folder on blackboard for further assessment support. Additionally, there will be an assessment briefing in week 7 of the module. During week 7you are also invited to prepare a draft 250-word piece of reflective writing upon which you will receive formativefeedback which can be fed forward into this component of assessment.
General notes:
ARNA regulations
The regulations specify that students must complete every assessment component contributing to the modules on their programme. This applies to all forms of assessment as defined in the module descriptor. Please note that:
if any assessment component is not completed, students will be failed in the module even if the module pass mark has been achieved.
if the requirements for referral specified in section 5 of ARNA1 are met, a resit opportunity will be given;
if unable to complete an assessment component because of extenuating circumstances, students should follow the procedure described in the Student Guide to Extenuating Circumstances1.
This change was approved by Academic Board on 12 October 2009 in consultation with the Students’ Union. Students should consult their Programme Leader or Guidance Tutor if they have any queries. Independent advice and support is also available from the Students’ Union Advice & Representation Centre (su.advice@northumbria.ac.uk) or from a student adviser in Student Services.
1ARNA and the Student Guide to Extenuating Circumstances Affecting Assessed Work are available from http://www.northumbria.ac.uk/sd/central/ar/lts/assess/assproc/assdocstud/
Word Count
The word count is to be declared on the front page of your assignment. The word count does not include title page, contents page, glossary, tables, figures, illustrations, reference list, bibliography and appendices.
Summarising and compressing the information in your assignment into the word limit is one of the skills that students are expected to acquire, and demonstrate as part of the assignment process.
Word limits and penalties for assignments
If the assignment is within +10% of the stated word limit no penalty will apply. However, if the word limit exceeds the +10% limit, 10% of the mark provisionally awarded to the assignment will be deducted. For example: if the assignment is worth 80% but is above the word limit by more than 10%, a penalty of 8% will be imposed, giving a final mark of 72%.
Time limits and penalties for presentations
The time allocated for the presentation must be adhered to. At the end of this time, the presentation will be stopped and will be marked based on what has been delivered within the time limit.
Submission of Assessment:
In all cases an electronic copy of SM4004 assignments should be uploaded onto the Assessment Folder on Blackboard (the eLP). Assignments submitted electronically, follow the instructions of the Elp. No hard copy will be accepted by the Postgraduate Programme Office. Marked assignments will be available on the eLP on the notified date. It is advisable to retain a copy of your assignment for you own records.
Late submission of work
Where coursework is submitted without approval, after the published hand-in deadline, the following penalties will apply.
For coursework submitted up to 1 working day (24 hours) after the published hand-in deadline without approval, 10% of the total marks available for the assessment (i.e.100%) shall be deducted from the assessment mark.
For clarity: a late piece of work that would have scored 65%, 55% or 45% had it been handed in on time will be awarded 55%, 45% or 35% respectively as 10% of the total available marks will have been deducted.
The Penalty does not apply to Pass/Fail Modules, i.e. there will be no penalty for late submission if assessments on Pass/Fail are submitted up to 1 working day (24 hours) after the published hand-in deadline.
Coursework submitted more than 1 working day (24 hours) after the published hand-in deadline without approval will be regarded as not having been completed. A mark of zero will be awarded for the assessment and the module will be failed, irrespective of the overall module mark.
For clarity: if the original hand-in time on working day A is 12noon the 24 hour late submission allowance will end at 12noon on working day B.
These provisions apply to all assessments
Feedback and Timescales for Release of Marks:
Feedback on work will be returned via the eLP within 20working days of submission.
Referencing your work
The APA method of referencing uses the author’s name and the date of the publication. References are listed at the end of the text in alphabetical order by author’s name. The general format of an electronic journal reference is shown below:
Coutu, D. (2009) ‘Why Teams Don’t Work’, Harvard Business Review, 87(5), pp.98-105. EBSCO [Online]. Available at http://searchebscohost.com (Accessed: 29th July 2011).
Author/s name and initials are listed first, followed by year of publication in brackets. Then there is the title of article and the journal where article appears, which is in italics. Then state the volume and issue number (in brackets) along with the pages where article can be located. Finally add the name of the database you found the information, followed by [Online] and the web address. Wherever possible use the homepage URL rather than the full and extended web address.
For further information go to the Referencing and Plagiarism topic in Skills Plus available from the Library website: www.northumbria.ac.uk/skillsplus
You will find other useful help guides on Skills Plus to help you with researching and writing your assessments.
For further information on the APA style of referencing see the Concise Rules of APA Style located in the Library at 808.06615/CON and the APA website http://www.apastyle.org/learn
Plagiarism and Cheating
Your attention is drawn to the University’s stated position on plagiarism. THE WORK OF OTHERS, WHICH IS INCLUDED IN THE ASSIGNMENT MUST BE ATTRIBUTED TO ITS SOURCE (a full bibliography and/or a list of references must be submitted as prescribed in the assessment brief).
Please note that this is intended to be an individual piece of work. Action will be taken where a student is suspected of having cheated or engaged in any dishonest practice. Students are referred to the University regulations on plagiarism and other forms of academic irregularity. Students must not copy or collude with one another or present any information that they themselves have not generated.
(Some basic instruction if required here)
For further information on Plagiarism, see the Referencing and Plagiarism topic on Skills Plus.
www.northumbria.ac.uk/skillsplus
Mapping to Programme Goals and Objectives:
This assessment will contribute directly to the following Postgraduate programme goals and objectives.
Goal One: To develop the skills necessary for employment and career progression
x 1. Demonstrate awareness of personal strengths and weaknesses and the ability to engage in continuing self-development.
x 2. Demonstrate the development of inter-personal and intra-personal skills.
x 3. Demonstrate competence in contemporary analytical and ICT applications.
Goal Two: Be culturally and ethically aware
1. Demonstrate their ability to work in culturally diverse groups and teams and make appropriate and personal contribution to team effectiveness.
2. Reflect on their own ethical values.
x 3. Understand the wider impact of individual or organisational decision making on social and environmental contexts.
Goal Three: Have developed leadership and management capability
x 1. Communicate complex issues effectively.
x 2. Demonstrate decision making and problem solving and project management skills.
Goal Four: Have developed and applied knowledge of international business and management theory.
International business and management theory refers to the study of the strategies, practices, and processes involved in conducting business across international borders. This field of study encompasses a wide range of concepts and models, including global strategic management, international trade and investment, cross-cultural management, and international marketing.
One key concept in international business and management theory is the concept of the cultural distance between countries. Cultural distance refers to the extent to which the values, beliefs, and behaviors of one culture differ from those of another culture. This concept is important in international business because it can affect how well a company’s products or services are received in a foreign market, and how well its employees are able to work in a foreign culture.
Another important concept in international business and management theory is the concept of the “home country advantage.” This refers to the idea that companies that are based in a particular country have certain advantages in that country over foreign companies. These advantages can include access to resources such as technology, skilled labor, and natural resources, as well as a better understanding of the local market and culture.
A popular model in international business and management theory is the “International Product Life Cycle” (IPLC) model. The IPLC model suggests that products go through different stages of development in different countries, and that companies must adapt their strategies accordingly. The model proposes that products start in the domestic market, then move to the export market, then to the multinational market and finally to the global market. The model suggests that companies should adapt their strategies based on the stage of development of their products in different countries.
The “PESTEL” framework is another popular model in international business and management theory, which is used to analyze the external environment of a company. PESTEL stands for Political, Economic, Sociocultural, Technological, Environmental and Legal factors. This framework helps a company to understand the external factors that might affect its operations and to identify potential opportunities and threats.
International business and management theory is a wide field of study that encompasses various concepts and models to understand the strategies, practices, and processes involved in conducting business across international borders. Understanding and application of these theories can help companies to navigate the challenges and opportunities of doing business in a globalized world.
x 1. Acquire, interpret and apply knowledge of international business, management and organisational functions.
x 2. Demonstrate an understanding of the impact of innovative and contemporary research on the business and management community.
x 3. Acquire, interpret and apply specialist functional knowledge in relation to their programme of study (specialist programmes only).
Goal Five: Have developed a range of research skills and project capabilities
1. Plan and complete a major individual piece of research on a contemporary business, financial, management or leadership topic of their choice.
x 2. Demonstrate skills of analysis and synthesis in the application of research methods to the exploration of contemporary business issues
