Assessment Brief Level Six Undergraduate

Business and Management modules

MK0388 Marketing Management and Strategy
The following is an extract from the module assignment relating to the group work
component which starts from week 1. The complete assignment including the individual work
will be distributed in due course, however, the individual component, which carries the
highest weighting, follows on from the research undertaken by the group but allows for
individual interpretation.
The group tasks are provided along with the assessment/feedback sheets which will be
returned to you.
Overview of the Assignment
The assessment comprises both group and individual work, each weighted accordingly:

Group work (presentation and peer evaluation) contributes 25% to the overall mark

An individual report contributes 75% to the overall mark

Background:
Students will work in groups of 4 people within their seminar groups. Once groups are
established they remain fixed. The central tenet of the assignment relates to the
development of a new product/service for an organisation/brand of your choice around which
various marketing strategies and metrics will be evaluated and applied, therefore you should
assume the role of Marketing Managers involved in new product development in all
components of the assignment. Assessment will take place throughout the module and has
been designed in a systematic way to mirror and build on the topics addressed in the module
delivery to address the stages of the new product development process. Research
undertaken by the group and the proposals for marketing strategies in the group
presentations, along with the feedback that will be provided at every stage, will enable both
group and individual interpretation, critical review and application of theory which are
required in both group and individual components. As the assessment involves group work
students will be required to undertake peer evaluation (details provided later in this brief); the
individual component requires a self-reflection statement relating to the objectives and skills
for this module and its assessment.
Group Tasks (weighting 25%)
Students are required to deliver three presentations; the first is not assessed but is
instrumental in proposing a new product/service. The following two presentations will be
assessed, each with a 10% weighting. Standardised assessment/feedback sheets for the
respective presentations, which will be completed by all tutors and returned to groups, are
enclosed as Appendices at the end of this brief as is the template for group minutes, which
each group is required to undertake and submit as a compulsory, but non-weighted,
component of the assignment. The work undertaken in seminars will contribute 25% of the
final assessment mark: 20% from the group presentations and 5% from peer evaluation.

Individual Report (weighting 75%)

The individual contribution is a report, building on the research undertaken during the
preparation for, and proposals made in the presentation tasks.

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Assessment Brief Level Six Undergraduate

Business and Management modules
Group presentation and peer evaluation (25%)
Groups should read and consider the assignment brief carefully, to ensure the choice of new
product/service proposal for a company/brand fits the requirements of the brief, and have
that choice approved by their seminar tutor in weeks 2/3. Once groups are formed and the
proposal approved, they become non-negotiable. At this point the Group Composition sheet
(Appendix 1) at the end of this brief must be completed and handed to the seminar tutor
during the seminar in week 3 and you will be allocated a Group Reference Number which
should be referred to on all future documentation group and individual.
Students will receive formative feedback at every stage of the presentations process. Tutors
will use different assessment/feedback sheets for each presentation, as provided in
Appendices 2, 3 and 4 at the end of this brief, which will be returned to students as part of
the formative feedback process on this module. With the exception of Presentation 1, all
presentations will be scheduled over two seminar sessions. It is not only a requirement that
all groups attend all presentations in their seminars slots but that every group should pose
one question to each presenting group - failure to comply with the latter will result in a
deduction of 1 mark from your respective presentation mark (weighted at 10%). This
component is designed to enable groups to collect, and reflect on, feedback regarding how
their proposals are received so you are encouraged to be supportive and constructive. It
should be instrumental, as feed-forward, in enabling groups to critically review, develop and
enhance their proposals for subsequent group and individual components of the assessment.

Each round of assessed presentations, i.e. Presentations 2 and 3, is timetabled over two
seminar sessions. Scheduling of group presentations during each round will be determined
by the tutor and alternated at the next stage, i.e. those who present in the first week for
presentation 2 will be scheduled for the second week for presentation 3 and vice versa.
However, ALL groups must submit their Powerpoint presentation slides to their seminar
tutors at least 24 hours before the first round of every set of presentations, with the email
subject indicating the following:
Module No: Day/time of presentation: Seminar/Group Ref.: Presentation No: Brand/product
e.g. MK0388: Mon 9: Gp 15/3: Pres 1: Bose
Seminar tutors will save the files and make them accessible to students at the time of the
presentations to ensure that timing issues dont inhibit groups from presenting due to lengthy
changeovers. Only Powerpoint presentations will be accepted.
A schedule for the group presentations and respective task information is provided below and
should be consulted in conjunction with the Teaching and Learning Plan.
Equal contribution is expected from each group member during all presentations; assessed
presentations will have a time limit of 15 minutes from start to finish and will not be permitted
to overrun so groups should consider the compulsory questioning component from their
peers as well as the delivery of the content in their timings. Specifications for the
composition and submission of presentation slides provided later in the brief should be
adhered to.

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Assessment Brief Level Six Undergraduate

Business and Management modules
Assessment/Presentation Task and Information Schedule: (Assessed Presentation component: weighting: 20%)
Week/Seminar

Tasks and Instructions

Weighting %

Week 1
Seminar 1

Assignment briefing; group formation; idea generation

Week 2

Part of the seminar will be given to a tutorial opportunity to discuss your initial ideas with your seminar
tutor. Where appropriate, tutors may provide confirmation of new product proposals.

Seminar 2
Week 3
Seminar 3

Time within the seminar allocated to a final tutorial opportunity for students to discuss their ideas for
the new product development proposal. Approval must be gained from the seminar tutor.

N/A

N/A

N/A

Complete Appendix 1 at the end of this brief confirming names/IDs of group members and products or
brands chosen for this assignment and submit to tutor during this seminar. Group Ref allocated
Week 4

Presentation 1: Poster Presentation

Seminar 4

Topic: new product/service proposal and marketing audit

In role as members of the marketing team for the company of choice, each group has to propose and
defend a new product idea. The poster should reflect a marketing audit by highlighting the target
market, current and future market potential and briefly explain how the innovation will fit into the
companys corporate objectives/product portfolio and conform to the new product development
process. Each group will have 5 minutes maximum, plus 2 minutes questioning, to explain and defend
the proposal. The poster presentation should comprise 3 slides: 1. a title slide (names of group
members and any appropriate corporate design); 2. the poster slide (presentation content on ONE
slide); 3. a References slide. The file of the presentation should be emailed to the seminar tutor 24
hours before the presentation and a hard copy of the slides should be made available to the seminar
tutor at the time of the presentation.
Timing: 5 minutes plus questioning overruns will be interrupted and stopped.
Equal contribution from all group members is expected.

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N/A
No marks
allocated.
However,
seminar tutors
will provide
formative
feedback via
Presentation 1
Feedback form
(Appendix 2)
during the
seminar
session.

Assessment Brief Level Six Undergraduate

Business and Management modules
Weeks 7 & 8
Assessed Presentation 2: Topic: branding
Seminars 7 & 8

Building on the research and feedback from Presentation 1, students should provide a brief description
of the brand attributes and whether/how the proposed new product fits with existing strategy.
You should explain and apply the three steps in branding (segmenting, targeting and positioning);
address issues specifically relating to brand equity and brand archetypes for the proposed new
product/service and explain how the proposed branding strategies could potentially differentiate the
companys product offerings in the sector in which the product/service resides.
Timing: 15 minutes including questioning.
Visual aids: Powerpoint presentation - maximum 12 slides plus Title and References slides

10%
Tutors will use
Presentation 2
Assessment &
Feedback form
(Appendix 3)
which will be
returned in
seminar 9

*; **, ***, **** - see Key notes at end of this section (page 5).
Weeks 10 & 11

Assessed Presentation 3: Topic Distribution retailing, internet and sales management strategies

Seminars 10 & 11

Groups should identify the relevance of sales management, retailing and Internet marketing strategies
to their new product/service and indicate how these strategies might be applied as part of the new
product development process. Recommendations should be consistent with the brand attributes and
branding strategies discussed in the Presentation 2.
Timing: 15 minutes plus questioning
Visual aids: Powerpoint presentation - maximum 10 slides
*; **, ***, **** - see Key notes at end of this section (page 5).

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10%
Tutors will use
Presentation 3
Assessment &
Feedback form
(Appendix 4)
which will be
returned in
week 12.

Assessment Brief Level Six Undergraduate

Business and Management modules
Key: for Presentations 2 and 3:
*
There will be a Question and Answer session after every presentation. In addition to the tutors questions, every group is required to
ask one question to every presenting group. Failure to do so will result in a reduction of 1 mark being deducted from your presentation mark.
Each presentation is marked out of 10 and carries a 10% assessment weighting.

**
For both assessed Presentations 2 and 3, there should be a maximum of 12 slides, plus the Title slide and References slide. The
files should be sent via email (refer to instructions on page 2) to the seminar tutor at least 24 hours before the first set of each round of
presentations, irrespective of whether your group is presenting in the first or second week of each round. Failure to do so will result in a nonsubmission mark of 0 being applied to the group unless an extension has been authorised or supported by Personal Extenuating
Circumstances.

***
Equal contribution is expected from all group members during the presentations thereby generating a group mark applying to all
group members. Where equal contribution is not apparent, tutors retain the right to mark individuals based on their contribution, or lack of it,
resulting in different marks awarded to certain members of the group. This is intended to be the exception rather than the rule.

****
Presentations will not be permitted to overrun beyond the allocated times. Where necessary, presentations will be interrupted and
stopped, in which case the mark awarded will be based on that which has been presented during the time allocation and no penalties will
apply to groups unable to pose questions.

Students are recommended to review and reflect on their contributions as soon as possible after their presentations. You may wish to
consider the questions posed, i.e. as issues which were not fully understood by the audience or issues which you had not considered, and
use this learning to reflect further when you receive formative feedback from your tutor and plan, or amend, your strategic proposals in
subsequent tasks.

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Assessment Brief Level Six Undergraduate

Business and Management modules
Peer evaluation and Group Minutes: weighting 5%
Peer evaluation and the minutes of group meetings will be used to assess individual
members contributions to their groups.
Peer Evaluation: weighting 5%
Every student is required to complete the peer evaluation form (Appendix 5) relating to the
group in which they were a member. Students cannot fail the group assessment by this task
alone but it is possible that this component may result in different marks being awarded to
individuals within the same group. Your individual peer evaluation mark will be indicated on
your individual assessment (report).

The peer evaluation is confidential and should be submitted individually to the seminar tutor
during the seminar in week 12. This document will not be returned to you. You will be
required to sign a form to indicate that you have submitted this component - it is not
necessary to complete an Assessed Work Form.

Minutes of Group Work compulsory; no weighting

All groups are required to have at least 6 meetings. The template for the minutes is provided
in Appendix 6. One set of minutes per group should be submitted to the seminar tutor during
the seminar in week 12. A signature will be required from the group member allocated to
hand in this component as acknowledgement of receipt.
Whilst this task does not carry a weighting it is a compulsory requirement and failure to
submit the minutes will result in all group members receiving 0 for the peer evaluation
component, as well as generating an incomplete tag for the overall assessment on your
profiles at the exam board, thereby preventing you from graduating until referral work for the
entire assignment is undertaken.
Students should refer to the templates attached at the end of this document in Appendices
relating to the various assessment components. These templates should be used where
required for specific tasks and are thus available for printing or download.

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Assessment Brief Level Six Undergraduate

Business and Management modules
Time limits and penalties for presentations
The time allocated for the presentations must be adhered to. At the end of this time, the presentation
will be stopped by the tutor and will be marked based on what has been delivered within the time limit.

Referencing your work

The APA method of referencing uses the author's name and the date of the publication. In-text
citations give brief details of the work you are referring to in your text. References are listed at the end
of the text in alphabetical order by the author's name. The general format of an electronic journal
reference in the APA style is shown below:
Coutu, D. (2009). Why Teams Don't Work. Harvard Business Review, 87(5), 98-105. Retrieved 29th
April 2012 from EBSCO http://searchebscohost.com
Author/s name and initials are listed first, followed by year of publication in brackets. Then there is the
title of article and the journal where the article appears, which is in italics. Then state the volume and
issue number (in brackets) along with the pages where article can be located. Finally add the date the
article was retrieved and then the name of the database, followed by the web address. Wherever
possible use the homepage URL rather than the full and extended web address.

For further information on why it is important to reference accurately go to the Referencing and
Plagiarism topic in Skills Plus available from the Library website:

www.northumbria.ac.uk/skillsplus
You will find other useful help guides on Skills Plus to help you with the skills involved in writing your
assessments and preparing for exams.
For further information on the APA style of referencing see the Concise Rules of the APA Style and
the APA website http://www.apastyle.org/

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Assessment Brief Level Six Undergraduate

Business and Management modules
Mapping to Programme Goals and Objectives:
This assessment will contribute directly to the following Undergraduate programme
goals and objectives.
1. Knowledgeable about the theory and practice of international business and
management
Objectives: Students will be able to:
X

1.

Acquire knowledge of functional areas of business and management.

2.

Acquire knowledge of specialist areas of business.

3.

Apply their knowledge to business and management contexts.

4.

Conduct contemporary research into business and management .

2. Skilful in the use of professional and managerial techniques and processes

Objectives: Students will be able to:
X

1.

Provide evidence of self reflection as a means of informing personal development planning.

2.

Demonstrate effective interpersonal communication skills and the ability to work in a team.

3.

Demonstrate critical thinking skills.

4.

Demonstrate problem solving skills.

3. Aware of ethical issues impacting on business and professional practice

Objectives: Students will be able to:
X

1.

Identify an ethical dilemma in a business situation

2.

Suggest ethical solutions to this dilemma

4. Employable as graduates
Objectives: Students will be able to:
X

1.

In the context of securing graduate employment demonstrate the skills of self presentation.

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Assessment Brief Level Six Undergraduate

Business and Management modules
Assessment Criteria (NBS)
General Assessment Criteria
Trait

0 29

30 - 39

40 - 49

50 - 59

60 - 69

70 - 79

80 - 100

Knowledge
and
Understanding

Poor grasp of
topic concepts or
of awareness of
what concepts
are.

Minimal
awareness of
subject area.

Knowledge is
adequate but
limited and/or
superficial.

Sound
comprehension
of topic.

Knowledge
base is up-todate and
relevant, but
also may be
broad or
deep.

Knowledge and
understanding
is
comprehensive
both as to
breadth and
depth.

Exceptional
scholarship for
subject.

Structure
Alignment

Failure to apply
relevant skills.
Work is
inarticulate and/or
incomprehensible
.

Communication
of knowledge
frequently
inarticulate
and/or
irrelevant.

In the most
part,
description/
assertion
rather than
argument or
logical
reasoning is
used.
Insufficient
focus is
evident in work
presented.

Reasoning and
argument are
generally
relevant but not
necessarily
extensive.
Awareness of
concepts and
critical
appreciation are
apparent, but
the ability to
conceptualise,
and/or to apply
theory is slightly
limited.

Higher order
critical
appreciation
skills are
displayed. A
significant
ability to
apply theory,
concepts,
ideas and
their interrelationship is
illustrated.

A mature ability
to critically
appreciate
concepts and
their interrelationship is
demonstrated.
Clear evidence
of independent
thought.
Presentation of
work is fluent,
focused and
accurate.

Outstanding ability
to apply, in the right
measure, the skills
necessary to
achieve highly
sophisticated and
fluent challenges to
received wisdom.

and

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Assessment Brief Level Six Undergraduate

Business and Management modules
Module Specific Assessment Criteria
Trait
Knowledge and
Understanding

Structure and
Alignment

0 29

30 - 39

40 - 49

50 - 59

60 - 69

70 - 79

80 - 100

Work will
demonstrate little
marketing
awareness. Issues
will not have been
addressed with any
degree of
significance and
content is likely to
be of little
relevance.
Significant flaws will
be apparent.

Some
evidence of
marketing
awareness but
remedial work
is required to
align the
theories
addressed in
the tasks.

Basic response
to the issues
with minimal
effort to
demonstrate
an appreciation
of the
application of
theory to
practice.

Knowledge of
the important
issues is
apparent but
marketing
awareness of
the topics may
appear limited.

Demonstrates
a thorough
grasp of the
most important
issues using
topical and
relevant
sources to
enhance the
work.

Demonstrates
a sound and
clear
understanding
of the topic and
the application
of the
appropriate
marketing
models and
theory.

Extensive independent
learning activity
apparent via excellent
research and
references to evidence
an impressive
understanding of the
topics and theories and
how they relate to
practice. Clear
understanding of the
arguments. Extensive
use of relevant brand
strategy examples.

Work may not have

been presented in the
appropriate format
and the manner in
which the issues are
addressed lacks
clarity and evidence of
awareness and
understanding of the
issues under review.

Presentation is
poor and the
works lacks
clarity and
attention to
detail. May
contain error and
omissions in
both content and
overall
presentation

Little or no
critical review.
Work is mostly
descriptive and
is based on
minimal
additional
sources of
reliable
references.

Although there
may be limited
analysis of the
theory and few
examples to
evidence such
an attempt at
critical review is
apparent, if not
always
consistent.

Good range and

depth of
research and
examples used
within the work.
Evidence of an
appreciation of
how theory is
applied to
practice in the
tasks.

Impressive
research has
informed both an
appreciation of
critical review
and analysis in
the application of
theory to
practice, and a
mature writing
style.

Intelligent writing style

addresses all the key
issues. Critical review
apparent and synthesis of
the issues under review
is evident. Close attention
to detail across all areas.

Note: For those assessments or partial assessments based on calculation, multiple choice etc. Marks will be gained on an accumulative
basis. In these cases, marks allocated to each section will be made clear.
Students must retain an electronic copy of this assignment and it must be made available within 24 hours of them requesting it be
submitted.

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Assessment Brief Level Six Undergraduate

Business and Management modules
MK0388 Group Composition and Assessment

Appendix 1

Students are requested to complete this section:

Seminar Tutor

Day

Time

Seminar/Group Ref no.

Insert the required information for each member of the group

Student No

Name

email address

New product/service idea:

Presentation #2 (10%)

Proposal approved
by tutor Yes/ No

Presentation #3 (10%)

Total (20%)

Final Group Assessment Task:

Student

Group Minutes submitted:

YES

Initial Peer
Eval handed
in

Presentation
Total (20%)

Initials/Date: Assessor

Peer
Eval
(5%)

Total Group
Mark (25%)

Initials/Date: Student

NO

MK0388: Presentation 1 Feedback Sheet

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Appendix 2

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Assessment Brief Level Six Undergraduate

Business and Management modules
Tutor:

Date:

Seminar Group:

Group Members

New product idea:

Timing: 5 mins

Start:

Finish:

The time schedule was adhered to

Yes / No

Presentation Style
Clear introduction to the group and topic

Speech was generally clear, and well-paced

Body language/eye contact was appropriate

The students appeared enthusiastic

Most students did not just read from notes/screen

Use of supporting aids was clear and appropriate

The group behaved in a professional manner

There was evidence of rehearsal

Comments:

Presentation Content
Content was well structured and clear

New product development concepts discussed

Rationale for product/company choice provided

Product ideas were logical, manageable & realistic

Issues were addressed in sufficient depth

There was evidence of indepth research

Comments:

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Assessment Brief Level Six Undergraduate

Business and Management modules
MK0388 Presentation 2 Assessment/Feedback Sheet (weighting 10
Assessor:

Date:

Appendix 3

Seminar Group:

Group Members / Marks

New product idea:

Timing: 15 mins

Start:

Finish:

The time schedule was adhered to

Yes / No

Presentation Style
Clear introduction to the group and topic

Speech was generally clear, and well-paced

Body language/eye contact was appropriate

The students appeared enthusiastic

Most students did not just read from notes/screen

Use of supporting aids was clear and appropriate

The group behaved in a professional manner

There was evidence of rehearsal

Comments:

Presentation Content
Product offering was clearly discussed

Brand attributes: clearly identified and analysed

Rationale for brand extension strategies provided

Segmentation, targeting and position considered

Brand equity and brand archetypes addressed

Issues were addressed in sufficient depth

Content was well structured and clear

There was evidence of indepth research

Handling of questions

Evidence of review from previous presentation

Comments:

MK0388 Presentation 3 Assessment/Feedback Sheet (weighting 10%)

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Appendix 4

Assessment Brief Level Six Undergraduate

Business and Management modules
Assessor:

Date:

Seminar Group:

Group Members / Marks

New product idea:

Timing: 15 mins

Start:

Finish:

The time schedule was adhered to

Yes / No

Presentation Style
Clear introduction to the group and topic

Speech was generally clear, and well-paced

Body language/eye contact was appropriate

The students appeared enthusiastic

Most students did not just read from notes/screen

Use of supporting aids was clear and appropriate

The group behaved in a professional manner

There was evidence of rehearsal

Comments:

Presentation Content
Content was well structured and clear

Sales management techniques discussed

Retailing strategies critically analysed

Internet marketing strategies explained

Issues were addressed in sufficient depth

There was evidence of indepth research

Handling of questions

Evidence of review from previous presentation

Comments:

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Assessment Brief Level Six Undergraduate

Business and Management modules
MK0388: Peer Evaluation Form
Seminar Ref Group:

Appendix 5

Product/Brand name:

As a result of working within a group for part of this assignment you are required to reflect on
this process and undertake peer evaluation on the contribution your group members
provided to all the work involved in producing the group tasks. Your response will be taken
into consideration regarding how credit should be allocated for the work you have done
together and will be kept completely confidential. Whilst individual members marks may
vary, a student cannot fail the assessment on peer evaluations alone. If serious issues did
occur during the process it would be expected that the group would endeavour to resolve the
situation, or failing that, draw it to the attention of the seminar tutor.
Fill in the name of each member, except yourself, then assign points for each category and
total the points. You should add comments and further explanation to justify your marks.
1 = Poor/None

2 = Little/Some
Name

3 = Average
Cooperation

4 = Very Good
Creativity

Effort

5 = Excellent
Reliability

Total

Comments:

To the best of my recollection, the above ratings accurately reflect the performance of my peers
Signature:
Print Name:
You are now required to consider how your group members might evaluate you:
Cooperation

Creativity

Comments:

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Effort

Reliability

Total

Assessment Brief Level Six Undergraduate

Business and Management modules
MK0388: Template for Minutes for Group Meetings

Group Ref. No.

Appendix 6

Group Members Names: ...

Date and Time

Attendees

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Issues Discussed

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Actions Required