You are working as a Business Start Up Advisor for your local council, providing advice and mentoring to small businesses on how to manage the pitch process and tender for contracts.

Submission Format (Task 1)

The submission is in the form of a PDF guide for small businesses. Templates for guides and brochures can be accessed from Microsoft Word. You are required to make use of headings, paragraphs, subsections and illustrations, as appropriate. All work must be supported with research and referenced using the Harvard referencing system. Please also provide a bibliography using the Harvard referencing system. The recommended word limit is 2,000–2,500 words, although you will not be penalised for exceeding the total word limit.

Purpose of this assessment

The assessment will test the students’ knowledge of the negotiating process and their ability to:

• explain its main elements/key steps;
• describe the skills required to successfully manage/conduct negotiations and produce required documentation;
• summarise all this in a concise and efficient way in one document.

These skills are essential for the management of a small business.

Scenario (Task 1)

You are working as a Business Start Up Advisor for your local council, providing advice and mentoring to small businesses on how to manage the pitch process and tender for contracts.

You have been asked to create a guidance document on how to effectively prepare and manage the negotiation process. This is to be presented as a short booklet that includes the following type of information and advice:

1. What is a negotiation in the business context?
2. The key steps for negotiating and generating business deals.
3. The context of negotiation and the importance of key individuals in a negotiation.
4. How to gain the best deals/contract.
5. How to generate new business and win deals.
6. Tendering for contracts.
7. Preparing for negotiation through a request for proposal (RFP) form.
8. Responding to RFP – creating a business proposal.
9. The contractual process and agreements.

The ‘Guide’ is to be submitted to Turnitin.

This provides evidence for LO1 & LO2

Word count: 2,000 – 2,500 words

Submission Format (Task 2)

The submission for Task 2 has a number of components:

2.1  A completed request for proposal

The recommended word limit is 750–1,000 words, although you will not be penalised for exceeding the total word limit.

2.2  A completed response to RFP (a formal proposal).

The recommended word limit is 750–1,000 words, although you will not be penalised for exceeding the total word limit.

Both - request and response should be submitted as a single document.

2.3  A 5 minute pitch

The delivery needs to be recorded by student for evidence and submission purposes. Instructions for submission will be provided in due course.

2.4  A 10-minute negotiation

This will be delivered and recorded in class for evidence and submission purposes. Instructions for submission will be provided in due course.

2.5  A short report that evaluates the stages of the pitch and negotiation process.

All work must be supported with research and referenced using the Harvard referencing system. Please also provide a bibliography using the Harvard referencing system.

Scenario(Task 2)

A major bank, which has its headquarters in the City of London, submitted a request for proposal (RFP) for a company to run their coffee shop. To help with their image they prefer to contract a small independent company as opposed to a national chain. You are a small business owner of Cuisine Coffee, a new start-up looking to expand, and see this as an ideal opportunity.

This is formal negotiation process and therefore you have to prepare a formal RFP on behalf of the bank.

Next – you will need to submit a completed Response to RFP - on behalf of Cuisine Coffee - before you are invited to pitch to the panel. Both documents should be submitted to Turnitin.

When your proposal has been submitted, you will need to prepare a short 5-minute pitch, record it for submission to the panel and submit it (submission instructions to be provided).

The bank will want to negotiate the terms of the contract with you. Therefore, you will need to enter into a negotiation with the panel, using a variety of techniques, to get them to agree to sign the contract.

The students in your group will be split to two groups, acting respectively on behalf of the Bank and Cuisine Coffee. The negotiations will take place in a classroom; every student should take a part in the negotiations. The negotiations will be recorded and the recording will be submitted (submission instructions to be provided).

Next – You have to submit a short report where you evaluate the pitch and negotiation process by analysing it from the early stages to the contracting/drafting stage. Reflect on your own performance in the pitching/negotiating process. The Report is to be submitted to Turnitin.

This provides evidence for LO3 and LO4

Word count: 2000 – 2500 words for all Task 2 documents (you will not be penalised for exceeding the total word limit)