The Business School, RMIT VN

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BUSM2570: Business Decision Making (S3-2024)

Assessment 1: Case Study (Individual Assignment)

Assessment type: Case study, written report.

Due Date: Week 5, Friday, November 29th 2024, by 5:00pm (Vietnam time)

Weighting: 20%

Word limit: 800 words. Exclude tables, figures, and references. Contents exceeding 800 words will
not be assessed.
A deduction of 1 mark for every 100 words excess may be applied. Additionally, please note that it is considered a breach
of academic integrity if there is sufficient evidence of concealing the true word count through hyphenated sentences or
any other forms detected by the marker. A minimum penalty of 20% will be applied if there's sufficient evidence of a
breach of academic integrity.
Submission:
The following assignment format requirements must be met:
• To be submitted through Canvas
• Save your completed paper with "Assignment_1_BUSM2570_ yourGroup_name.docx" as your filename.
• Text should be justified, 1.5 line spacing, character size 12 point, Times New Roman font,1-inch margins. Please
note that an Appendix contains information that is not essential to your report but supports your analysis and
discussion. If you put important information or discussion in an appendix, it will not be marked.
• References should be presented using the RMIT modified Harvard (author-date) referencing system.
• Quotations and sources of figures should be referenced.
• Clearly defined sections and sub-sections.
• You need to submit Word file and MS Excel files (if applicable).
Please note that RMIT treats plagiarism very strictly. All your work will be checked by
RMIT Online Detection Plagiarism System (ODPS). I recommend you write the report in
your own words and cite the information sources properly.

Overview
In this assessment you will answer a series of questions your understanding of cost behaviour, budget
preparation and analysis concept you have learned in Weeks 1-4 to answer the questions provided.
Assessment criteria
Each question in the assessment is awarded a number of marks, as indicated in the question.
Course learning outcomes
This assessment is relevant to the following course learning outcomes:
 CLO1 Describe and implement a structured approach to generating meaningful insights and informing
ethical decision making in business
Assessment instructions

Step Description

1 Read through the questions below.

Answer each of the questions using the information you have been provided with and
2
the results of your decisions made.

Submit your answers in Canvas by the due date. All Word, Excel files must be
submitted along with your answers. Require 02 submitted files:
1. Your answers in MS Word format. We will mark on this file.
3
2. A MS Excel file to show your workings. This file is a supplement to your
assignment, we do not mark this file. So please make your answer clear in the
MS Word file.

HINT: When calculating your answers, you may find it is easier and quicker to use spreadsheet software
such as Excel or Google Sheets.
Submit multiple files on Canvas:
To submit multiple files, you click on “Add Another File” and submit your assignment answers in one go.

Remember to include all your working files in your submitted answers.

Warning: Do not submit multiple times. If so, the latest submission will overwrite the previous submission.
ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS
In this assessment, you will act as an entrepreneur starting a new business in an assigned sector. You will
introduce your start-up, prepare revenue, cost, and profit budgets, and conduct sensitivity analysis.
0. Education Technology (EdTech): Online courses, tutoring platforms, or skill-based learning apps.
1. Sustainable Products: Eco-friendly consumer goods, such as reusable items or zero-waste products.
2. Pet Care: Services and products for pets, including grooming, training, or organic pet food.
3. Home Fitness: At-home workout equipment or virtual fitness programs.
The industry for your selected business will be assigned to you randomly. To determine your assigned industry,
use the last two digits of your student ID, divide by 4, and use the remainder. The remainder corresponds to one
of the business types listed above. If you do not choose the assigned industry, your mark will be reduced by
50%.
For example, you have the last 2 digits in your student IDs are 25. 25 = 6 × 4 + 1, so the remainder is one.
Sustainable Products is the assigned industry for you. If you need help to find out the remainder, you can use
the function MOD in MS Excel, e.g. =MOD(25,4)
You must submit 2 files: an Excel file with the budget planning and calculations, and a Word file for the report.
Answer the questions in the word file. We will mark the word file only. The Excel file is required for checking
the student’s work.
Task 1: Introduction to the Start-Up (3 pts)
Provide a detailed introduction to your start-up. Describe the business idea, the product or service, and
the target market. Explain why you chose this sector and the potential for growth. Relevant citations are
required.
Task 2: Strategic and Tactical Decisions (5 pts)
Identify one strategic decision and justify why it is critical for the business's success, using market
research or industry trends as support. Outline specific tactical decisions for each quarter that support
the strategic decision. Include goals, key activities, and metrics to track progress.
Task 3: Revenue, Cost, and Profit Budgets (6 pts)
Prepare a revenue budget, cost budget, and profit budget for your start-up for the first four quarters of
operation. Include detailed tables showing your assumptions and calculations. Analyze the financial
performance of your start-up based on these budgets. Discuss key financial indicators such as gross
profit margin, net profit margin. Relevant citations required.
Task 4: What-If Analysis (4 pts)
Select one tactical decision from Task 2 that is essential for achieving your strategic goal, and justify
this choice. Create two contrasting scenarios for this decision (e.g., best case and worst case), analyze
how each impacts revenue, costs, and profits, and present your findings in a comparative table. Conclude
with insights on how these results might influence future tactical or strategic adjustments.
Task 5: Inter-teaching (2 pts)
Inter-teaching: Performing well in discussion and contribute to both online and face-to-face classes.
Remember to submit all contributions from Week 1 – 4 via the Contribution Form before 29th
Nomvember 2024 5pm.
(Total marks = 20 marks)

Submission format
Written format.
Do you want to ask questions?
If you have questions, please consult with your workshop lecturer.
Extensions
If unforeseen circumstances have impeded your assessment preparation, you may be eligible for an extension.
Submit requests for extensions to the course coordinator using this Link, at least one working day before the
assessment deadline. The extension request form is available HERE.

Eligibility Criteria: Examples of circumstances that may be considered include: a) Unexpected short-term
physical or mental illness b) Primary carer responsibility for a family member with an unexpected illness c)
An unexpected, unavoidable employment commitment d) Other unexpected personal circumstances outside
your control such as: Bereavement, Being the victim of a crime or other trauma, Severe disruption to living
arrangements, Financial hardship, such as the sudden loss of employment or income

If you are seeking an extension on or after an assessment due date, or you require an extension of more than 7
days, you must apply for special consideration. This is a confidential process.
More information on the RMIT Extensions website.
Referencing guidelines
Use RMIT Harvard referencing style for this assessment.
You must acknowledge all the sources of information that you have used in your assessments.
Refer to the RMIT Easy Cite referencing tool to see examples and tips on how to reference in the appropriate
style. You can also refer to the library referencing page for more tools such as EndNote, referencing tutorials
and referencing guides for printing.
Academic integrity and plagiarism
Academic integrity is about honest presentation of your academic work. It means acknowledging the work of
others while developing your own insights, knowledge and ideas.
You should take extreme care that you have:

• Acknowledged words, data, diagrams, models, frameworks and/or ideas of others you have quoted
(i.e., directly copied), summarised, paraphrased, discussed or mentioned in your assessment through
the appropriate referencing methods
• Provided a reference list of the publication details so your reader can locate the source if necessary.
This includes material taken from internet sites
If you do not acknowledge the sources of your material, you may be accused of plagiarism because you have
passed off the work and ideas of another person without appropriate referencing, as if they were your own.
RMIT University treats plagiarism as a very serious offence constituting misconduct.
Plagiarism covers a variety of inappropriate behaviours, including:

• Failure to properly document a source

• Copyright material from the internet or databases
• Collusion between students
For further information on our policies and procedures, please refer to the University website.
Assessment declaration
When you submit work electronically, you agree to the assessment declaration.