Entrepreneurial Business Plan Assignment Brief

Assignment Brief

1. Purpose of the Assessment

The assignment is designed to enable you to show and an understanding of key principles and concepts on which business, and the entrepreneurial nature of business functions. It also will allow you to identify and verify good information from bad information. The final presentation is to allow you to present a logical, structured and researched entrepreneurial business plan in a professional manner.

2. Assessment Task

Individual Written Assignment (AS1), weighting 50% of the mark (LO1, LO3, LO4)

There are many sources of information available for entrepreneurs, however many of these sources may be conflicting and incomplete in the information that is provided. Critical Thinking is a skill that can be developed. For entrepreneurs especially the ability to think critically and logically can support many of the emotive decisions that they have to make. You are required to:

• Summarise five questions that could be used to apply critical thinking to information received by an entrepreneur.
• Detail three established management techniques that can assist an entrepreneur in decision making.
• Submit in Report Style format

Word Limit

The assignment should be limited to 2,000 words (+/- 10%). If the assignment exceeds 2,200 words or less than 1800 words you must revise and edit the text to deliver the assignment within the word limit

 Style Requirements

Except for the Titles and Sub-titles, you are not allowed to highlight text, which should be Arial size 11, and without indentations. The main title is highlighted in size 16, and the sub-titles in size 14. The margins should be justified, not aligned to the left. Additionally, the space between the lines should be single and the space between paragraphs should be double. The work will be in Report format, and not Essay.

2.2 Business Plan (AS2) weighting 50% of the mark (LO2, LO4)

You should develop and research an entrepreneurial idea, product or project. Undertake a Market Opportunity Analysis with the objective of allowing you to make the decision of whether to proceed or abandon the idea. You should also be able to present your business plan through a 15-minute professional presentation online. You should submit on Moodle a copy of your visual presentation as well as a written report, both in the same document.

Word Limit

The assignment should be limited to 2,000 words (+/- 10%). If the assignment exceeds 2,200 words or less than 1800 words you must revise and edit the text to deliver the assignment within the word limit. You are advised to limit your individual presentation to maximum eight slides.

Style Requirements

Except for the Titles and Sub-titles, you are not allowed to highlight text, which should be Arial size 11, and without indentations. The main title is highlighted in size 16, and the sub-titles in size 14. The margins should be justified, not aligned to the left. Additionally, the space between the lines should be single and the space between paragraphs should be double. The work will be in Report format, and not Essay.

Assessment Task

3. Sources

For all parts of the Assignments, it is expected that the reference list of the reports will contain between ten and fifteen sources. As a MINIMUM the reference list should include two refereed academic journal, and four academic books.

4. Specific Assessment Criteria

Please note that the General Assessment Criteria will also apply

Individual Written Assignment (AS1), weighting 50% of the mark (LO1, LO3, LO4) Assignment 1

You are expected to:

Identify the five fundamental questions that can assist critical thinking

1. Who said it?            (5/100 marks)
2.   What did they say? Facts or Opinions? (5/100 marks)
3.  Where did they say it? (5/100 marks)
4.  When did they say it? (5/100 marks)
5.  Why did they say it? (5/100 marks)

Identification of three proven management techniques to assist entrepreneurs critical thinking:

1. Groupthink (20/100 marks)
2.   Six Thinking Hats (20/100 marks)
3.  Rational Manager (20/100 marks)

Market Opportunity Analysis (AS2) weighting 50% of the mark (LO2, LO4)

The students are expected to:

Research and develop an entrepreneurial idea, product or process: (10/100 marks)

Produce a market opportunity analysis, justifying the need for your product/service; price strategy your distribution strategy; your promotion strategy: (35/100 marks)

Financial forecast based on accessible and realistic projections; estimations of sales; breakdown of costs; any investment required; potential profit and payback of investment: (35/100 marks)

Written slides and video presentation of your entrepreneurial idea: (20/100 marks).

Total for assignment: 100 marks.

5. Assessment Submission

Your assignments should be word processed and presented in report format with simple subheadings. The word count should be as specified in the assignment +/- 10% (Tables; Diagrams; References and Appendices are excluded from the word count)

The assignment report should have a Front Sheet showing your name, your student number, the module name, the assignment title, the module tutors name, the date and the word count.

All assignments will be submitted, graded and fed-back electronically via TURNITIN. Several submissions will be permitted before the hand-in date in order to enable you to refine the content in your report.

You have to submit your presentation’s slides as an annex to your business plan. Presentations will be recorded.

To submit your work, please go to the ‘Submit your work’ area of the Module MOODLE site. It is important that your work is submitted on time.

Feedback on assignments in general will be provided to the whole group when marked assignments are returned. Feedback on assignments for everyone will be provided electronically via TURNITIN.

A student may obtain an individual appointment to discuss feedback with the tutor.

 The quality of your presentation and academic referencing is very important. Please, use the Harvard Referencing System.

Within your assignment your tutor will be looking for content that addresses the key elements of the assignment brief.

Try not to overcomplicate your assignment using unnecessary graphics. Keep to simple processes that you know well.

7. Academic Practice

These are individual assignments. Amity University (IN) London policy will apply in all cases of copying, plagiarism or any other methods by which students have obtained (or attempted to obtain) an unfair advantage.

Support and guidance on assessments and academic integrity can be found form the following resources:

(a)   MOODLE/ Policies and Procedures

(b)   MOODLE/Student Corner

8. Learning Outcomes

 LO1 – Appraise the concept of entrepreneurship and its role in social and economic development.

LO2 - Develop an effective business plan for a selected business.

LO3 - Analyse and compare different types of enterprise activity.

LO4 - Analyse different types of information, statements in terms of   evidence to detect false logic on reasoning and provide logical solutions.

9. General Assessment Guidelines for Written Assessments Level HE5