HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAMMES

ASSIGNMENT BRIEFING & FEEDBACK SHEET NB It is your responsibility as a student to keep a folder containing all your assessed work, including briefing & feedback sheets, to be made available on request for internal and external moderation.(A)Programme/Course: HND HNCValidating body: EDEXCELSubject/unit/module: Unit 6Assignment no./ref/title: Business Decision MakingTutor: Paul MathersStudent:Internal moderator:Selected for internal moderation: Yes No Issue date:Submission deadline:Date submitted:Date returned (following internal moderation if applicable):Resubmission deadline (if applicable – see feedback):(B) Declaration of ownership (to be completed by the student)This submission is the result of my own work. All help and advice other than that received from tutors has been acknowledged and primary and secondary sources of information have been properly attributed. Should this prove to be untrue, I recognise the right of the College to recommend what action should be taken in line with the Regulations on assessment and plagiarism.

Signed: Date:

(C) Purpose of assignment (learning outcomes/objectives and skills to be assessed)LO1 Be able to use a variety of sources for the collection of data, both primary and secondaryLO2 Understand a range of techniques to analyse data effectively for business purposesLO3 Be able to produce information in appropriate formats for decision making in an organisational contextLO4 Be able to use software generated information to make decisions in an organisation

(D) Assignment task(s) (see additional sheet for detailed questions, if applicable)The assessment for this module is in two parts an examination, which forms the bulk of the assessment, and an assignment, copy attached.

(E) Reference material (recommended reading/sources of information)

(F) Assessment/grading criteria (including information on weighting, if applicable, and policies on late submission and resubmission)

(G) Tutor Comments Grade/Mark

Signed: Date

(H) Internal moderator comments (if selected for moderation)

Signed: Date

(I) Assessment Policies

Formative FeedbackStudents are encouraged to meet with module tutors to receive feedback at regular intervals during the preparation of their course work. Each tutor will make their own arrangements for this (probably during the normal teaching sessions).

Keeping a copy of your workIt is important to KEEP A COPY OF YOUR ASSIGNMENT. This will cover the eventuality of your assignment being lost. If this rare event occurs, you will be able to re-submit the assignment as required.

Submission of assignment workAll assignment work should be submitted by the SUBMISSION date to reception in the St. Johns centre. You will receive a RECEIPT, which should be kept safely to prove your assignment has been officially given to your tutor.

Summative grade & feedback turnaroundYour module tutor will mark your assignment and will give it a grade in relation to the assessment criteria attached to the assignment brief. Your assignment will graded as either Distinction, Merit or Pass. In some circumstances you may be asked to re-submit the assignment (refer), after discussing where it could be improved with your module tutor. You will then have up to six weeks to resubmit the assignment. Your tutor may choose a difference length of time depending on the nature of the assignment (eg a test/exam, role play, presentation)

The assignment grade and feedback will be returned within 2 working weeks of the submission date.

Penalties for late submissionIf you miss the submission date (without good reason) your assignment will be down graded due to LATE SUBMISSION. If you miss the submission date, the highest grade you can receive is MERIT. If you miss the submission date by two weeks or more, the highest grade your assignment can received is a pass.

PlagiarismStudents are reminded that plagiarism (copying) is a disciplinary matter. If you use the work of others it should be attributed to those authors. It is important that the sources of material obtained and used by you is acknowledged. This is achieved through the use of a references system. On the HNC/D programme the system to use is the HARVARD system. See your tutor if you need a reminder of how to accomplish this. It is important that students sign the front sheet of the assignment brief accepting responsibility that it is YOUR own work.

Mitigating and exceptional circumstances affecting your performanceWhere students experience situations or exceptional factors which affect their performance on the assignment, these should be brought to the attention of the module tutor. Your tutor will give you the information on how this process operates. It is important that we have evidence which relates to your claim for mitigation.

Academic appeals procedureStudents are reminded that there is an appeals procedure which is identified in the student handbook. If you are concerned about your assessment in a module, then ask your tutor or the programme team leader for advice on this.

WeightingSometimes, module tutors attach different weightings to different parts of the assignment. This means that some tasks may be viewed as more difficult or more demanding than others, and this will be reflected in the grading structure. This will be explained in the assignment brief. If in doubt ask your tutor.

HND/C UNIT 6 BUSINESS DECISION MAKING

Part 1 The AssignmentThe number of student using the canteen at The Manchester College has changed over the last six months. With the opening of new restaurants and other ‘fast food’ outlets nearby, the number of students eating in the college has been falling.

You have been asked to survey the students to identify key factors around this change, and to make recommendations to the college board for appropriate changes to be made to the operation of the canteen.

Part one data collection [LO 1.1,1.2,1.3]1. prepare a plan for the collection of primary and secondary data to address the problem

above2. justify the method used for collecting data, and the sampling frame used3. design an appropriate questionnaire to collect data, and trial run the questionnaire with 25

respondents

Part two data presentation and analysis [LO 3.1, 3.3, 3.4]1. Prepare a formal business report of your analysis. This report should include a brief outline

of your approach to the question, an analysis of your findings, and conclusions and recommendation of how the college should proceed.The report should include two appendices. The first of these should be the questionnaire itself, together with a brief analysis of your approach to the collection of data, together with it several sample questionnaires [not all 25] As a second appendix to your report show the graphs and charts displaying the information collected. These might include line, pie bar charts and histograms

Linking Document

The assessment on this module falls is done in two ways

1. The assignment2. The examination

To obtain the higher grades [merit, and distinction] you will need to show a number of skills which are difficult to demonstrate within the scope of the examination. Therefore as part of the assignment, you will be required to: Merit

Identify and apply strategies to find appropriate solutions Select/design and apply appropriate techniques Present and communicate appropriate findings

• a range of methods and techniques have been applied• a range of sources of information used• the selection of methods and techniques/sources justified• the design of methods/techniques justified• complex information/data have been synthesised and processed• appropriate learning methods/techniques applied• relevant theories and techniques have been applied• effective judgements have been made• complex problems with more than one variable have been explored• an effective approach to study and research has been used• appropriate structure and approach has been used• logical and coherent arguments have been presented• technical language accurately used• a range of methods of presentation has been used• appropriate media used• familiar and unfamiliar contexts have been used• it is appropriate for familiar and unfamiliar audiences

Distinction Use critical reflection to evaluate own work and justify valid conclusions [this is the

hardest part of this statement] Take responsibility for managing and organising activities Demonstrate converging, lateral and creative thinking

• synthesis has been used to generate and justify valid conclusions• the validity of results has been judged• self criticism of approach has taken place• evaluation has taken place using defined criteria• realistic improvements have been proposed against defined characteristics for success autonomy/independence demonstrated• substantial activities/projects or investigations have been planned, managed and organised• joint/activities of others have been managed• the unforeseen has been accommodated• the importance of interdependencehas been recognised ideas generated and decisions taken• self evaluation has taken place• convergent and lateral thinking have been applied• problems have been solved• capacity for innovation and creative thought has been used

• receptiveness to new ideas have been demonstrated• unfamiliar contexts have been applied

What does this all mean [in English]

Basically to get a merit, you need to justify your approach to the assignment, showing shy you have taken a particular path to answering the question

To get a distinction you need to show more planning, organisation and a placing the subject in a wider context.

Obviously [?] the above is not a check or tick list, rather it should be used as indicative of what a good/excellent/outstanding assignment should look like. The above ideas should be placed alongside the passing grade materials