The individual essay is worth 30% of your final grade.

Each student shall submit an Individual Essay of 2,000 words, excluding reference list and appendices, by 10.30 am on Tuesday  12th August, 2014 (Week 5), to your tutor.  The required format for the assignment is an ESSAY.  

Details of the Individual Report, including submission, Turnitin, marking criteria, referencing requirements and presentation requirements are available in the Individual Report documentation posted on iLearn.   

Students are expected to develop coherent arguments, founded on thorough research, and provide insight into the topic area.

You will be individually allocated a selected topic.  As an analyst, you are required to undertake and analysis of the topic, answer the specified questions and make relevant recommendations. 

Your essay and recommendations must be supported by relevant references.  You must incorporate at least 12 different references.  These can be sourced from the following:

• Academic articles
• Relevant textbooks
• Periodicals
• Newspapers
• Relevant online sources

The 12 references should be evenly balanced between these five resource options. Examples of some of these reference options are on page 6.

Students are expected to maintain an appropriate standard in presenting their essay. Remember to acknowledge your sources throughout the paper using the Harvard referencing system (http://library.leeds.ac.uk/skills-referencing-harvard).

Essay Submission: The maximum essay length is 2000 words, excluding reference list and appendices. Include the word count at the end of essay.

The essay is to be typed single sided, 1.5 spaced and a standard 12 point font should be used.  It should be checked for spelling, grammar, consistency and clarity of expression. 

Essays  must be submitted to Turnitin prior to submission to your tutor.

There is no extension of time for submission of the Individual Report.  Late submissions will be penalised 10% per day (or part thereof) of the maximum marks for 5 days, and then zero marks.  Late assignments should be submitted to MQC front desk to be date stamped and forwarded to your tutor for marking. Note: electronic assignments will NOT be marked.  This penalty does not apply for cases in which an application for Disruption to Studies is made and approved. 

The report is to be completed in groups, which will be organised in your tutorial class in week 2.  Groups of 3-4 max. will be formed and they will complete a Team Agreement Form and Confirm Group Project organisation.  Each team member is required to complete a peer participation assessment.  

If you do not attend and join a group you will be unable to receive marks for this assessment.  Any student not in a group by week 4 will find it very difficult to successfully complete the unit.

Details of the Group Report, including submission, Turnitin requirements, marking standards, referencing requirements, presentation requirements and peer evaluation are available in the Group Report documentation posted on iLearn.

The AIM is to integrate your knowledge of strategy and business models to operate a company in a dynamic competitive market to achieve financial success and explain how and why you achieved your results.

Each student group is required to participate in a business simulation exercise (Back Battery Business Simulation).  The group will assume the role of a company board in setting business strategies and models.  The group will then compete in the “market” against other companies (other groups) in a time limited business simulation. 

One practice simulation will be allowed.

The group will then report on their financial success with particular emphasis on the strategies and business models, their development and implementation. 

Students’ research, communication, analytical, integrative and critical thinking skills will be developed by this analytical exercise.

Further briefing on this activity and specific assignments will be given as the course progresses.

As a minimum the report should:

• identify the intended purpose of the strategy/policy and the business model techniques which follow from them
• explain the rationale for the strategy/policy
• explain the way that the strategy/policy is influenced by internal (organisational) and external (environmental) factors.
• evaluate the extent to which the business model strategy/policy and related techniques contribute to organisational performance
• connect to the ideas in the course via the academic literature

Again, your report answers and recommendations must be supported by relevant references.  You must incorporate at least 20 different references.  These can be sourced from the following:

• Academic articles
• Relevant textbooks
• Periodicals
• Newspapers
• Relevant online sources

The 20 references should be evenly balanced between these five resource options. Examples of some of these reference options are on page 6.

Students are expected to maintain an appropriate standard in presenting their essay. Remember to acknowledge your sources throughout the paper using the Harvard referencing system (http://library.leeds.ac.uk/skills-referencing-harvard).

Report Submission: The maximum report length is 3000 words, excluding reference list and appendices. Include the word count at the end of report.

Reports shall be submitted to your Tutor in your tutorial at 10.30 on Tuesday 16th September, 2014 (Week 10).

There is no extension of time for submission of the Group Report.  Late submissions will be penalised 10% per day (or part thereof) of the maximum marks for 5 days, and then zero marks.  Late assignments should be submitted to the MQC front desk  to be date stamped and forwarded to your tutor for marking. Note: electronic assignments will NOT be marked.  This penalty does not apply for cases in which an application for Disruption to Studies is made and approved.

A final examination is included as an assessment task for this unit to provide assurance that:

i) the product belongs to the student and

ii) the student has attained the knowledge and skills tested in the exam.

A 3 hour final examination for this unit will be held during the University Examination period. It will address the whole of the unit and tutorial readings are also examinable in the final exam. Details of the final examination format will be given in class.

The Macquarie City University Examination period in the Second Semester 2014 is from 14th - 22nd October, 2014.  http://city.mq.edu.au/important_dates/

IT IS NOT POSSIBLE FOR THE LECTURER TO MOVE THE EXAM TIME. PLEASE DO NOT ASK.

You are expected to present yourself for examination at the time and place designated in the University Examination Timetable. The timetable will be available in Draft form approximately eight weeks before the commencement of the examinations and in Final form approximately four weeks before the commencement of the examinations.

The only exception to not sitting an examination at the designated time is because of documented illness or unavoidable disruption. In these circumstances you may wish to consider applying for Disruption to Studies consideration. The University’s policy on Disruption to Studies process is available at http://studentadmin.mq.edu.au/disruption%20to%20studies.html

If a Supplementary Examination is granted as a result of the Disruption to Studies process the examination will be scheduled after the conclusion of the official examination period. (Individual Faculties may wish to signal when the Faculties’ Supplementary Exams are normally scheduled.)

The Macquarie university examination policy details the principles and conduct of examinations at the University.  The policy is available at: http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/examination/policy.htm