Assessment - Group report and group presentation: The business case
Length: 2000 words
Assessment Overview
This assessment must be completed by student groups. Students will be networking to form the groups. The assessment is designed for students to develop and pitch a business case in a real-world setting. The business case must be for an innovation of your choice within a specific organisation. The assessment involves writing a 2000 word group business case report and pitching the report's main arguments and its content at a group presentation session in class (on-campus students) or video presentation (distance students). The presentation should be of roughly 12 minutes duration (depending on student numbers).
Students must be networking to form the groups. Students are required to self-select into and form groups of 3 to 4 students, maximum of 5 students. On-campus students confirm groups with the assigned lecturer. Distance students confirm groups via email with the unit coordinator. This activity is to be completed by week 5. You will have the opportunity to work on the business case with your group in class from week 6.
To obtain marks for assessment 2, students must actively contribute to and participate in the creation of the group's report and actively contribute to and participate in the presentation of their group's report.
Please note that academic misconduct and late submission penalties will apply to this assessment as per the university policies.
Assessment Guidance
Danfoss case study example - Man on the Moon
Further assessment guidance will be provided here. It is important that you check out the assessment guidance on a regular basis. Advice will be added here by the unit coordinator as we progress in response to student questions and discussions. Create a post today on the discussion forum if there is anything you need clarified.
Assessment Tasks
This section describes the assessment tasks. There are two components, a group business case report and a group presentation. To successfully complete these two assessment components, you are required to join a group. As part of a group you will develop a business case document and a presentation. Your group will present your business case using PowerPoint.
To successfully complete the business case report, you and your group are required to undertake the following activities:
Activity 1:
In the first few weeks of term, you are required to self-select into and form groups of 3 to 4 students, maximum of 5 students. On-campus students confirm groups with the assigned lecturer. Distance students confirm groups via email with the unit coordinator. This activity is to be completed by week 5. You will have the opportunity to work on the business case with your group in class from week 6.
Activity 2:
To successfully complete the assessment, your group is required to identify a business and the business stakeholder you will be writing the business case for. You might be pitching to an investor or the management of a business. Identify the business and the stakeholder. It can be:
a. A business that one of the group members is or has been employed at and therefore knows well. It is a very good option if other members of the group are familiar with a similar business too. It is important that no confidential business information is included in the business case report.
b. A business that in the public eye, meaning there is a lot of publicly available information about this business.
c. If you suggest an organisation other than the ones above, you will need approval from the assigned lecturer.
On-campus groups confirm the selected business with the assigned lecturer. Distance groups confirm the selected business via email with the unit coordinator. This activity is to be completed by week 7.
Activity 3:
Identify an innovation that your group believes could be reasonably discussed as the subject of the business case. The innovation you choose should have the potential to be developed sustainably over a commercially viable period of time. The suggested innovation must not be implemented by the firm yet. It can be an innovation your team come up with yourselves or something you learned about through any media.
Activity 4:
Consider and evaluate the possible business models that could be used to realise the opportunities inherent in the innovation.
Activity 5:
Develop the business case document based on the business template provided in class and online. This will require you to write a business case with five separate sections: 1) the problem the innovation can solve; 2) benefits of the innovation; 3) strategic response or plan; 4) project options analysis; and 5) delivery of the recommended solution.
Each group is required to demonstrate both scholarly independence and academic integrity in undertaking all steps of the business case development process. Students are required to base their analyses on data that is reasonably and ethically sourced, and to use assumptions that can be justified in a commercial setting.
Responsibility for structuring, coordinating, and managing processes to finalise the business case lies with each group. Groups are encouraged to work with content beyond Tidd & Bessant (2013) and Osterwalder & Pigneur (2013). Groups must take charge and deliver a business case capable of convincing key or principal stakeholders that a return is assured.
You should have at least 5 refereed journal articles, at least 15 other sources (e.g. statistics, annual reports, industry publications, etc.), appropriate justification or mathematical models (such as, net present value analysis, Wolfram alpha), and business development issues specific to the problem or need expressed. You may utilise appendices to support your business case.
As part of your working in groups, you are required to provide evidence of your team formation and ongoing team work with your business case. The team working evidence should be provided in the form of an appendix, by including team charter and meeting agendas/minutes.
Business case presentation, 20% of the total marks for the unit
In business, concise yet convincing pitches and solid presentations are important in many contexts, such as board meetings. Key stakeholders are given compelling reasons as to why they ought to accept, endorse, and finance the business case. The upside gains versus the downside risks are addressed in full. For example, important details associated with payback such as Return on Investment (ROI) forms part of the recommendation to act on the business opportunity.
Therefore, the assessment culminates in a short ‘pitch' followed by a group business case presentation. The presentation is to contain a more detailed presentation of the business case. Each group is to present a PowerPoint presentation that summarises the key points of your business case. The entire ‘pitch' and presentation should be roughly 12 minutes in duration (depending on student numbers). Everyone in the group should equally contribute to the delivery of the presentation.
Each presentation should begin with a 2 minute ‘pitch' of why the business case should be approved. The pitch will give you the opportunity to practice making a case succinctly, just in case you do get the opportunity to talk alone with a decision-maker for a short period of time prior to a more formal presentation of your ideas. You should nominate one person to present the 2 minute ‘pitch'. The more formal 10-minute PowerPoint presentation should follow the ‘pitch' and involve everyone else in your group.
On-campus students: you will present live in class during the final workshop on campus.
Distance students: you have two options:
1. You can choose to deliver your ‘pitch' and presentation live to the unit coordinator via a Zoom conference (specific presentation dates and times will be agreed during term time).
2. You can choose to record your pitch and presentation and submit the video file via Moodle. If you select this option, you should record each group member presenting their part of the presentation and then combine the recordings into one single MP4 video file. Please note that it is important that you are visible in the video - hence, submitting a PowerPoint with voice-over is not sufficient. It is recommended you use software such as Camtasia or Zoom, which allows you to be in the video, while also giving you the opportunity to share your PowerPoint slides with the audience.
Attachment:- Business case template.rar