1. You will know about how sustainability issues present both opportunities and threats to business management

Submission Deadline

Marks and Feedback

Before 10am on:

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20 working days after deadline (L4, 5 and 7)
15 working days after deadline (L6)
10 working days after deadline (block delivery)

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Unit title & code

BSS017-2 Sustainable Business Management

Assignment number and title

A2 Final report

Assignment type

WR-1

Weighting of assignment

60%

Size or length of assessment

1,800 words

Unit learning outcomes

1. You will know about how sustainability issues present both opportunities and threats to business management

2. You will have the ability to carry out individual research on a real-life issue of business sustainability and report on practical solutions to business.

What am I required to do in this assignment?

Assessment 2 develops and applies your theoretical skills to a practical case.

Building on your report for assessment 1 (Adnams) , use the case study provided to write a formal academic report to Green Business Network members to help them increase the resilience of their business to local climate change impacts. You should imagine you work for the case study business and that you are sharing your research with other members.

Make sure you discuss key terms (eg resilience, adaptation, mitigation, climate change, resource scarcity) and address both the present, and potential future, risks and opportunities for Bedfordshire businesses. Use examples to support your answer and highlight the key skills discussed in the unit that may help them. Use good sources of information and correctly reference your ideas. You will need to apply global ideas to consider impacts at a regional level so you will need to carry out research on how climate change is likely to affect the local area.

Note: You must ‘build on’ not repeat work from your first assessment. Although the case study company is the same, your purpose here is to demonstrate continued and deeper research and understanding. Resubmitted work will not be marked.

What do I need to do to pass? (Threshold Expectations from UIF)

Submit your work through BREO by the deadline

• Produce a report evidencing individual research using academic journals listed in the UIF and research about the company given in the assignment task

• Demonstrate your application of knowledge about how sustainability poses at least two areas of threats and opportunities to the case study business

• Report on at least four practical issues and solutions for the business case provided

• Evidence critical reasoning using Harvard style of referencing

Note: Turnitin will be used for all submissions to check for plagiarism. We also reserve the right to initiate a viva voce examination if we have concerns regarding the originality of your submission. You need to be available for a viva if called following the submission of your work. Non-attendance counts as non-submission

How do I produce high quality work that merits a good grade?

We will be filling this section in together in class on week 1: make sure you have downloaded/printed out the Assignment Brief and bring it to the session with you.

How does this assignment relate to what we are doing in scheduled sessions?

Class sessions will help you understand the practice and theory behind the concept of sustainable business management. We will cover all areas of the assessment and consider how ideas are relate to business and the regional level. We will also look at the skills needed to deliver a sustainable business and think about how this applies to the needs of the case study. You will know about how sustainability issues present both opportunities and threats to business management and the need for business to think sustainably, and what this means in theory and practice.

3^rd Class – 40-49%

Lower 2^nd – 50-59%

Upper 2^nd – 60-69%

1^st Class – 70%+

1

25%

• Report evidences individual research using academic journals listed in the UIF and research about the company given in the assignment task
• There may be heavy reliance on limited sources, but sources are relevant.
• Some awareness of the literature surrounding this topic.

• Report clearly and soundly evidences individual research using academic journals listed in the UIF and research about the company given in the assignment task
• An adequate use of available sources.
• Sound awareness of the literature surrounding the topic

• Good evidence of individual research using academic journals listed in the UIF, additional individual research and research about the company given in the assignment task
• A good range of literature used. The answer demonstrates appreciation of its appropriateness.
• Clear evidence of critical thinking and how far ideas are appropriate
• The answer demonstrates an excellent and comprehensive review of literature and data gathering from a variety of good quality sources with a clear understanding of its relative (critical) value.
• Strong evidence of critical thinking and how far ideas are appropriate

2

30%

• Demonstrates a reasonable application of knowledge from theory to the case study and visa versa
• Clearly identifies how sustainability poses at least two areas of threats and opportunities to the case study business
• Demonstrates a sound application of knowledge from theory to the case study and visa versa
• Clearly identifies how sustainability poses a number of threats and opportunities to the case study business

• Demonstrates a good application of knowledge from theory to the case study and visa versa
• Clearly identifies and begin to critically discuss, how sustainability poses a number of threats and opportunities to the case study business
• Demonstrates an excellent application of knowledge from theory to the case study and visa versa
• Clearly identifies and critically discusses, how sustainability poses a number of threats and opportunities to the case study business

3

20%

Reports on at least four practical issues and solutions for the business case provided that have come logically from the report

• Sound and reasonable discussion on at least four practical issues and solutions for the business case provided that have come logically from the report

Good discussion with clear evidence of critical thinking on at least four practical issues and solutions for the business case provided that have come logically from the report

• Excellent discussion with sound evidence of critical thinking on at least four practical issues and solutions for the business case provided that have come logically from the report

4

25%

• Evidence of critical reasoning using Harvard style of referencing
• A reasonable attempt at a professional report. Many mistakes in referencing. Acceptable presentation and structure
• Reasonably argued report with little coherence to the points made

• Sound evidence of critical reasoning using Harvard style of referencing
• A broadly professional report which may fall short in fluency, style or presentation quality.  Correct referencing for the most part.
• A sound attempt at drawing conclusions and formulating a coherent argument based on appropriate critical analysis

• Good evidence of critical reasoning using Harvard style of referencing
• Cogent analysis and argument in the report. Sound conclusions are made and lead to persuasive argument based on good critical analysis
• A well-presented report.  Full and accurate referencing.
• Excellent evidence of critical reasoning using Harvard style of referencing
• A soundly argued piece of work which clearly demonstrates the student’s ability to synthesise complex arguments and shows insight into the topic
• A well-presented report which fully adopts a professional style and high standards of presentation.  Full and accurate referencing

How will my assignment be marked?

Your assignment will be marked according to the threshold expectations and the criteria on the following page.

You can use them to evaluate your own work and consider your grade before you submit.