Inquiry-Based Project on Current Trends in Retail Industry

Undertake an inquiry-based project on current trends in the retail industry and conduct an analysis of one company.

Assignment task

In this assignment, you will undertake an inquiry-based project.  

1. You will need to research current trends in the retail industry, using valid research sources.

2. Then you will choose one company and conduct an analysis of that company, using relevant business models.  The name of this organisation will need to be confirmed with your tutor.  

3.You will then need to make recommendations on what that organisation needs to do to focus on continuing their success, or alternatively what they need to focus on to survive.

 TIP: It would be valuable to choose an organisation where you might be able to visit and potentially do some primary research on friends and family who might be customers of that organisation.  

It is expected that the report (including any other requirements, will be around 2000 words; 650 words for the trends in retail, 650 for the analysis of the organisation and 650 for the recommendations.   

Structure:

Introduction: 100 words

Trends in Retail: 600-650 words

Analysis of the organisation: 600-650 words

Recommendations: 600-650 words

You will be expected to devote substantial time to completing this project independently, in addition to any scheduled teaching in the module.

You are expected to meet the following milestones (key actions and dates you need to achieve as part of the process). Precise dates will be agreed with your module tutor and supervisor:

1.Submit a plan for your project for approval and formative feedback from your supervisor

2.Provide a progress update on your project

3.Deliver the project report

This assignment has been designed to provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate your achievement of the following module learning outcomes:

LO 1 Collect, select and use information from a range of sources using different methods, appropriate to the academic discipline and context.

LO 2 Investigate the needs, problems and opportunities of a given situation.

LO 3 Plan and undertake a project to address a subject-related problem or answer a subject-related question

LO 4 Communicate effectively, with well-structured verbal and written reports, as demanded in academic and professional domains.

Task requirements

·Written work submitted as part of this assignment should be presented in Arial 12, 1.5 line spacing

·Other submissions should be submitted in an appropriate format, as agreed with your supervisor

Referencing and research requirements

Please reference your work according to Harvard referencing, as defined in Cite Them Right Online (http://www.citethemrightonline.com). This information is also available in book form: Pears, R. and Shields, G. (2016) Cite them right: the essential reference guide. 10th edn. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Copies are available via the University library.

How your work will be assessed

Your work will be assessed on the extent to which it demonstrates your achievement of the stated learning outcomes for this assignment (see above) and against other key criteria, as defined in the University’s Foundation Year grading descriptors.

This assignment will be marked according to the grading descriptors for Foundation Level.

Submission details

·Please also note that work that is submitted up to 10 working days beyond the submission date will be considered a late submission. Late submissions will be marked, and the actual mark recorded but will be capped at the pass mark (typically 40%), provided that the work is of a passing standard. Work submitted after this period will not be marked and will be treated as a non-submission.