200693 Accounting Professional Engagement
2.4.4 Report Weight: 40% Type of Collaboration: Group Due: Week 10 begin of class Submission: Assessment and copies of the report handed to the industry partner on the day of presentation in week 10 . Your tutor will also receive a copy of your report in class in week 10. Format: Length: 4,500 words Curriculum Mode: Report Overview This assessment comprises the formal group report. The group report is worth 40 per cent, is expected to be 4,500 words in length but can be negotiated with your academic supervisor and industry partner as long as the deliverables (as per the project brief) are met. The report is due in class in week 10 and a printed copy to the client in week 11 on the day of the scheduled presentations. It is essential that all members in the team co-operate and contribute fully and that no member is a passenger. Members of each team will be required to prepare three peer evaluations on other members of the team at stages during the unit. These evaluations may be taken into account in awarding the mark for the project to each team member. Details This assessment is the key output for the industry partner. The specifics of the project report relate to each individual project. The needs and expectations of the industry partner will vary from project to project; thus it is essential that you familiarise yourself with the project scope and the project deliverables stated in the consulting brief. The professional business report needs to address the problem and the recommendation/s to the identified problem. In addition the report must address the application of relevant concepts and theories that you applied to help solve the problem. Students are to report on their primary and secondary research and link it to the discussion and recommendation/ s. The content of the report will include, but is not limited to: – Title page. – Executive summary/ Abstract – Acknowledgements page. – Table of contents, List of tables, figures and illustrations. – Introduction: Organisation and Project Background. – Project Scope Summary: Statement of Problem and relevant Literature Review – Methodology – Set Deliverable Discussion – Recommendations and conclusion – Appendices – Reference List – Minutes of Meetings Clear professional academic writing style including appropriate headings, sub-headings and clearly formatted figures, tables and exhibits is essential for this project report. Aside from the above-mentioned project report, students are required to keep copies of their meeting minutes as part of their documentation . A template for the meeting minutes a will be included on the unit vUWS site. – Title page – Executive Summary/Abstract This section should highlight key findings and recommendations in the report (It is not an introduction). Maximum 1-2 pages – Project Scope Summary Project Scope as specified in the consulting brief. Why were you hired? What was the problem you were asked to solve? What were the objectives/deliverables – Organisation and Project Background Relevant organisation details and project context Because this report is seeking a decision on a recommendation this section should provide the reader with enough history and context to proceed with an informed consideration of the issues under the next section. In essence it provides the framework within which a matter is analysed and determined. This section should be relatively short. If there is a need for more detail, for example, in the form of reference documents such as policies, legislation, or government statements, or other organisation documents or links these should be included as appendices. – Methodology Analysis and key activities undertaken by the student supporting the project scope (and any agreed variations) Theories and associated frameworks evaluated and applied to assist with the project analysis. Report on primary and secondary research that was undertaken and the key findings to assist the project. – Discussion / Problem Solving strategy, approach and meeting the Deliverables. This section provides a detailed description and argument around completing the project. Several points may be discussed in this section: Relevant research findings or issues impacting the project Issues and challenges identified Project limitations – Recommendation(s) and Conclusion This section is where students demonstrate their strategic analytic capabilities by offering both clear and simple recommendation/s - and - where applicable - effective mid-to-longer strategic perspectives References Appendices Appendices: Appendices need to be clearly labelled so that the reader knows what the document is without having to trace it back through the text. Where there are multiple appendices, an index of them should be included either at the bottom of the paper or as a coversheet to the appendices. Minutes of Meetings Specifications: – MS-word only (PDF files not permitted) – Report format – Maximum 4,500 words (excluding references and appendices) – Spell and grammar-checked 12
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BAO5524 PROFESSIONAL AUDITING
Assignment requires you to address the issues set out in the assignment. The task is to be done in group of two (2). The assignment has two parts, A and B. Part A requires you to set up a company and process a number of transactions using MYOB. Part B requires you to prepare a document to assist your Audit Manager in developing an audit plan for the financial audit of an entity. There is no word limit for Part A. Part B must not exceed 3000 words in length. A signed assessment declaration must be attached to the front of the assignment. Submission instruction Part A must be submitted in hardcopy only. Part B must to be submitted in both electronic and in hardcopy. Electronic copy: Part B must be submitted via VU Collaborate. An originality report is available to students. Note: VU Collaborate may take up to 24 hours to produce report. Assignment with originality report level of more than 30% will result in FOUR (4) marks being deducted. That is, assignment with originality report level of more than 30% may indicate that more than 30% of the contents of your assignment is similar to assignment submitted by other students OR that you have not properly referenced the materials you use in your assignment. Students can re-submit your assignment on VU Collaborate as many times as necessary. However, students must submit the final version of the assignment in both electronic and manual format by due date. Assignments not meeting these requirements will receive automatic penalty of four (4) marks in the case of exceeding similarity index and two (2) marks in the case of exceeding the word limit. Penalty of two (2) marks per day applies for late submission. Penalty - Exceeding the 3000 words limit: TWO (2) marks deduction. - Exceeding the 30% similarity index limit: FOUR (4) marks deduction. - Late submission: TWO (2) marks deduction per day including weekend. Plagiarism Plagiarism is defined as presenting someone else’s work, including the work of other students, as one’s own. Any ideas or materials taken from another source for either written or oral use must be fully acknowledged, unless the information is common knowledge. All students are strongly advised to do the following: - goto http://wcf.vu.edu.au/GovernancePolicy/PDF/POA040915000.PDF - enter School of Accounting and Finance - enter Student Resources - read the PLAGIARISM POLICY. Rationale The subject aims to familiarise the student to some of the key tools used by auditors for collecting and evaluating evidence, in both manual and computerised accounting information systems, so as to enable them to express an opinion on the fair presentation of financial reports. The subject also aims to provide students with an insight into the current environment in which auditors operate, including legal liability, ethical and other professional aspects such as the “audit expectation gap”. As such, the subject provides both a conceptual and practical approach to external, as well as internal and public sector auditing, enabling students to gain a complete picture of the audit process in light of contemporary audit issues. In addition, the subject aims to enhance a number of generic skills through both the formal components of assessment and the student’s class participation. These include: research, problem solving, and analytical skills; written and presentation skills; and interaction skills. This individual assignment aims to provide students with an appreciation of the initial stage of the audit process known as audit planning. Specifically, it allows students to develop an understanding of the steps involved in developing an audit plan. Students are required to follow the structure approach specified in Gay, G., Simnett, R., 2015, Auditing & Assurance Services in Australia, 6e, McGraw-Hill. Learning outcomes On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to: - Develop an appreciation of the reasons for the existence of a societal demand for audit and assurance services, and an understanding of the current environment in which auditors operate, including legal, ethical and professional aspects - Demonstrate an understanding of the key auditing principles, concepts and practices used by auditors to gather evidence and make judgments in order to form an audit opinion on the fair presentation of financial reports - Develop an insight into the audit of specific transactions and account balances - Be aware of the auditor’s responsibility in completing an audit - Obtain basis understanding of other types of assurance engagement Background There are two parts to the assignment. The first part requires students to set up an entity’s books in MYOB and process transactions to relevant accounts. The second part requires students to prepare a document for the Audit Manager. Part A You have recently graduated from VU and are now working for a small accounting firm. The firm recently purchases MYOB software for internal use. Upon learning that you had learnt MYOB as part of your study, the firm’s partner asks you to set up and process a number of transactions into relevant accounts. Required 1. Set up a company on MYOB. 2. The financial year must be 1 July 2018 to 30 June 2019 3. Process the transactions listed in Part A_MYOB_S22019 into relevant accounts. 4. Print out and submit reports for the year ended 30 June 2019. Part B 1. You have recently been appointed external auditor of the entity. You are assisting your Audit Manager in planning for the audit of the entity’s financial statements. 2. You have accepted the appointment and communicated your decision to the client in the engagement letter. The audit fee is $130,000. 3. You are required to download the 2018 annual report published by the following entity: - Probiotec Limited (http://www.probiotec.com.au) 4. Using information from the relevant chapters of the textbook, prepare a document for your Audit Manager. Your document must include key information set out below. Required With reference to relevant chapters of the textbook, prepare a document for your Audit Manager. Your document must include the followings: 1. Executive summary 2. Introduction 3. Key information: a) Gain an understanding the client b) Identify five (5) significant accounts most at risk of being materially misstated c) Set planning materiality d) Assess what can go wrong (audit risk assessment) for each of the five (5) accounts selected in (b) 4. Conclusion 5. Appendix 6. References Additional information For the purposes of the assignment, the following auditing standards are relevant: - ASA210 Terms of Audit Engagements - ASA220 Quality Control for Audits of Historical Financial Information - ASA230 Audit Documentation - ASA250 Consideration of Laws and Regulations in an Audit of a Financial Report - ASA300 Planning an Audit of a Financial Report - ASA315 Understanding the Entity and its Environment and Assessing the Risks of - Material Misstatement - ASA320 Materiality and Audit Adjustments - ASA330 The Auditor’s Procedures in Response to Assessed Risks - ASA520 Analytical Procedures Hints and Tips 1. You are required to plan the audit using only information that is publicly available. That is, you only use the information that is published by the entity either on its website or printed materials. 2. You must download and use the pro-forma document on VU Collaborate. 3. In identifying significant accounts, you are advised to use analytical procedure – simple comparison to identify five (5) accounts most at risk of being materially misstated. 4. When making preliminary judgements about materiality levels and developing preliminary audit strategies for significant assertions, you are required to consider the Statement of Profit or Loss, Statement of Financial Position and the notes. 5. To calculate materiality level for this audit assignment, you are advised to calculate 0.5% of total revenue, i.e. 0.5% of total revenue of $76.4 million = $76.4 million x 0.005 = $382,202. 6. In considering what can go wrong for each of the five (5) accounts selected, you must assess the audit risk for each of those accounts using the audit risk model. 7. Quoting directly from textbooks and reports will increase the similarity index. Quoting without proper referencing will also increase the similarity index. As this assignment requires you to use auditing theory to prepare a document for a real-life organisation, quoting from textbook does NOT meet the requirements. Students are advised to prepare their own document. 8. VU Collaborate has the facility to report on whether your assignment is copied from other sources. Penalty of four (4) marks applies for exceeding similarity index. Serious breaches will be reported to the disciplinary panel. Penalty of two (2) marks applies for exceeding word limit. 9. Submit your assignment early. Penalty of two (2) marks per day applies to late submission. 10. If you want to remove the previous version of the assignment on VU Collaborate, submit a blank assignment or a new version.
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BAO5525 FINANCIAL AND CORPORATE ACCOUNTING
QUESTION On 1 July 2013, Flinders Ltd acquired all the share capital of Elizabeth Ltd for $700 000. At that date, Elizabeth Ltd’s equity consisted of the following: Share capital $ 500 000 General reserve 100 000 Retained earnings 50 000 At 1 July 2013, all the identifiable assets and liabilities of Elizabeth Ltd were recorded at fair value. Financial information for Flinders Ltd and Elizabeth Ltd for the year ended 30 June 2017 is presented in the left-hand columns of the worksheet .It is assumed that both companies use the perpetual inventory system. Additional information (a) On January 1 2017, Elizabeth Ltd sold merchandise costing $40 000 to Flinders Ltd for $50 000. Half this merchandise was sold to external entities for $30 000 before 30 June 2017. (b) It is estimated that goodwill acquired in Elizabeth Ltd has been impaired by an amount of $7 000 (c) Flinders Ltd sells plant to Elizabeth Ltd for $8 500. This plant had an initially cost Flinders Ltd $15 000, is 5 years old and has accumulated depreciation of $8000 at the date of sale. The remaining useful life is assessed as 7 years. (d) At July 1 2016, there was a profit in the inventory of Flinders Ltd of $4000 on goods acquired from Elizabeth Ltd in the previous period. (e) The tax rate is 30%. Required Prepare the consolidated financial statements for the year ended 30 June 2017. This assignment must be submitted as a printed copy to your lecturer and as an electronic copy via email to Mohammad.Hoque@vu.edu.au by no later than 8:30 pm Monday on 13 February 2017 in week 12 . Assignments submitted after this date will lose 5% of the possible assignment mark per day. Financial statements Flinders Ltd Elizabeth Ltd Adjustments Consolidation Dr Cr Sales revenue 2 000 000 1 200 000 Cost of sales Wages and salaries Depreciation Other expenses (700 000) (61 000) (5 100) (5 500) (710 000) (35 000) (4 800) - Total expenses (771 600) (749 800) 1 228 400 450 200 Profit from sale of plant Other income 1 500 30 000 - Legal fees (4 200) - Profit before income tax Income tax expense 1 255 700 (376710) 450 200 (135 060) Profit for the year Retained earnings (1/7/16) 878 990 70 820 315 140 60 860 Dividend paid 949 810 (123 710) 376 000 (30 000) Retained earnings (30/6/17) Share capital General reserve 826 100 600 000 120 000 346 000 500 000 100 000 1 546 100 946 000 Other components of equity (1/7/16) Avail-for-sale fin assets 10 000 1 000 7 000 3 000 Other components of equity (30/6/17) 11 000 10 000 Total equity Deferred tax liability 1 557 100 60 000 956 000 24 000 Total equity and liabilities 1 617 100 980 000 Shares in Elizabeth Ltd Cash Inventory Other current assets Avail-for-sale fin assets Land Plant and equipment Accum Depcn & Impair losses Goodwill Goodwill- Accum Impair Loss Deferred Tax Asset 700 000 200 000 370 000 6 100 41 000 230 000 100 000 (30 000) - - - 60 000 200 000 250 000 70 000 300 000 110 000 (10 000) - - 1 617 100 980 000
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BAO5535 Issues in Contemporary Accounting
VU BUSINESS SCHOOL BAO5535- Issues in Contemporary Accounting - Assignment Semester TRI 2 2019 DUE DATE: Week 8 Seminar Topic: Institutional Theory and the role of Accountants and Directors. Marks allocated: (30%): Research report (3000 words), due in Week 8 seminar. References Articles and documents as provided on VU collaborate. Required: Download the reports and articles from VU collaborate and answer the following questions. Question 1: Analyse the share price and profit (loss) for the Myer Holdings Ltd for the last three (3) years, 2016, 2017 and 2018 and provide an explanation for the changes. Question 2: Analyse the Intangibles section contained within the Balance Sheet (Statement of Financial Position) and explain any significant variations in intangible assets across the 3 years. Question 3: What strategies is the management of Myer Holdings Ltd putting in place to improve its performance? Do you think they will be effective? Why or why not? Question 4: Applying Institutional and legitimacy theories, examine the role of directors within the context of regulatory authorities and the accounting/auditing function. (as a starting point, read The Age Newspaper articles contained in VU collaborate). ? Submission requirement 1. Assignment submission a. Each group consists of no more than three members. Each group consists of no more than three members. For groups has more than three members, permission must be sought in writing from the Unit Coordinator. b. Submission of this assignment by due date is compulsory for the successful completion of the subject. c. Assignment - The submitted hardcopy of the assignment must be the identical version of the electronic copy submitted through the Dropbox (i.e. Turnitin) on VU Collaborate. Inconsistency between the hardcopy and the electronic copy may result in a zero mark of the assignment. Note: If you cannot submit your assignment through the Dropbox on VU Collaborate due to technical issue, then email your assignment to your tutor or lecturer no later than the due date. d. The Turnitin/Dropbox Similarity Report should be no more than 20%. e. Late submission without the extension approval from your local lecturer will be penalised at two marks (out of 30) per calendar day (including weekend). f. Completed extension application form must be submitted to your tutor at least three days in advance of the due date. g. Students are responsible to protect their work and save data by making necessary backup. Loss of data due to a computer or storage devices problems will not be considered a legitimate reason for an extension. 2. Referencing and style a. The presentation of the response to each question should be clear, concise and accompanied by expository text accessible to the reader b. The presentation of the entire assignment should be written in English of an appropriate academic register and of a format and standard of presentation acceptable to business study c. Assignment must be typed using Word document, with double alignment, and 2.0-lines space. d. Assignment is required to use the Harvard referencing style (see VU library for Referencing Style guides https://www.vu.edu.au/library/access-borrowing/search-browse-resources/library-guides) e. Assignment without proper referencing (in text and end of text) will be subject to substantial deduction of marks. This may result in the assignment being marked zero. 3. Preventing plagiarism 3.1 Academic Honesty and Preventing Plagiarism Policy Plagiarism is defined as ‘The practice that involves use of another person’s intellectual output and presenting it (without appropriate acknowledgement) as one’s own’. Examples of plagiarism: • Word-for-word copying of sentences/paragraphs in an assignment without acknowledgement or with insufficient or improper acknowledgement; • Downloading essays or assignments from the web and presenting these for assessment; • Presenting another student’s work or research data as the student’s work; • Copying out parts of any text without acknowledging the source(s). This may be written text, structures within texts, diagrams, formulae, sound files, still photographs, audio-visual material (sound and image files), graphics/animations/multimedia objects, other computer based material, mathematical proofs, art objects, products and others. This can be done as verbatim copying or paraphrasing. • The use of someone else’s concepts, experimental results, experimental conclusions or conclusions drawn from analysing evidence or arguments without acknowledging the originator of the idea(s) or conclusion(s). 3.2 Students are responsible for: • Understanding and respecting the University’s policies and procedures regarding plagiarism, collusion, and other forms of academic misconduct, and as such should only submit work for correction or academic credit that is their own or that properly acknowledges the ideas, interpretations, words or creative works of others; • Avoiding the lending or making accessible original work to others; • Being clear about the appropriate referencing rules that are applicable to their field of study; • Refusing to be a party to another student’s efforts to undermine the academic integrity of the University. • Seeking assistance with their learning and assessment tasks if they are unsure of appropriate forms of acknowledgement.? BAO 5535 Issues in Contemporary Accounting Assignment Marking Sheet Student Name : ID Number Question Assessment Criteria Possible Marks Marks received 1 Demonstrates the ability to collect data and conduct analysis for the designated question and analyse share price and profitability data. 5 2 Demonstrate the ability to understand the impact of Myer Holdings intangibles on its financial statements (reference to AASB 138 Intangible Assets) 5 3 Demonstrate the ability to critically evaluate change management policies and strategies. 5 4 Demonstrates an understanding of the changing roles and duties of directors within the context of institutional and legitimacy theories. 10 English expression, structure, coherence, grammar, punctuation and spelling 5 Weighted marks out of 30% 30%
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BAO5734 - FINANCIAL ANALYSIS
BAO5734 - FINANCIAL ANALYSIS Analysts’ report group project Guidelines Due: See Vu Collaborate – Week 10 Weight: 25% Submission: electronic Length: 4 000 words (excluding bibliography, appendix, and cover page), absolute maximum is 5 000 words On the basis of official company sources and external literature, evaluate and report on the most recent annual report of a company, as if you were security analysts making a recommendation on whether or not your clients should invest in it. Please select one company from the list in Companies for group assignment file. Once your group agrees on the company, please email me at maria.prokofieva@vu.edu.au, so I can reserve this company for your group. The companies are allocated at first in-first out method. Group work: • Students are expected to organise their group work and keep regular (weekly) meetings. • A group is expected to appoint a group leader who will keep notes on group meetings. • If a person is unable to participate in a group meeting, he/she needs to notify their group immediately. • It is expected that each group member will make a fair and equal contribution to the group work. Free riding in group work will not be tolerated. • An overall group mark (out of 25%) will be awarded to each student but the unit coordinator reserves the right to provide a reduced mark (up to 0 marks) where a student has provided a sub-standard contribution to group activities. • In case of disputes/continuous absence/inability to contact a group member, a group needs to notify me at maria.prokofieva@vu.edu.au immediately. Your report should include the following: 1. Business and Strategic Analysis (30%-35% of your word count) Your report should include: Analysis of the economy: • discuss briefly (2-3 paragraphs) which macroeconomic factors (political, economic, social and/or technological factors – PEST analysis) may affect the industry that your company belongs to and your company performance. Industry analysis: • Identify the industry that you company belongs to and the company’s place in the industry (e.g. top performer, middle range, bottom). • Identify a competitor company that belongs to the same industry and occupies similar position in the industry. You will use this company further in your analysis. • Conduct Porter’s five forces analysis, conclude with assessment of industry’s current profitability and growth potential. Company’s competitive and corporate strategy: • Discuss company’s competitive strategy: o explain the company’s business model: focus on how the company creates value o discuss company’s resources AND capabilities (strategic advantages) o Evaluate growth potential of the company: discuss how the company’s sustain their strategic advantages and explain risks associated with the company’s business model • Discuss the company’s corporate strategy Practical: • Download a copy of the company’s annual report for current year and previous 2 years. • Download a copy of the competitor’s annual report for current year and previous 2 years. 2. Accounting Analysis (10% of your word count) Your report should include: • Using financial statements for your company and their competitor and your previous analysis (analysis of the economy and industry analysis) and identify o The link between the company’s industry (success/risk drivers) and accounting items o The link between the company’s business model and accounting items • Evaluate the quality of the disclosure of your company: you may use the checklist provided in the lecture slides. You can use comparison to the competitor. • Identify potential Red Flags (2-3): what are potential areas of earnings management Practical/ Excel file: • Use annual reports from part 1 and prepare Excel files with financial statements for your company and the competitor (Balance sheet, Income statement and Cash flow statement) for last 3 years (current year +2 previous years). 3. Financial Analysis (20%-25% of your word count) HINT: Complete the practical part first and then write up your analysis Your report should include: 1. DuPont analysis of your company and their competitor 2. Cross-sectional AND time-series analysis of your company’s and their competitors’ accounts over the last 3 years. • Using your analysis in sections 1 and 2, identify financial ratios to evaluate operating management, investment management, and financial management for your company and their competitor (generally 3-4 per each area) • Explain your choice of ratios: o Explain which ratios allow to benchmark your company with the rest of the industry (e.g. the competitor) o Explain which ratios allow to evaluate the company’s business model Note1: Please do not use ready-made ratios from databases. Note2: Please do not use generic ratios for (2). Your ratios need to be strongly linked to the company’s industry and competitive strategy. • Discuss major trends in the cross-sectional and time-series analysis of your company’s vs competitor’s. • Explain the above trends with the reference to changes in #macroeconomic factors/industry/business strategy. NOTE: This section is supported by YOUR calculations in Excel, but your report should include analysis of the results, NOT presentation of numbers The emphasis of your analysis should NOT be on fluctuations in ratios (just presentation of figures is NOT enough). Your analysis should identify significant trends and explain them by linking your findings to macroeconomic factors, industry analysis and/or competitive/corporate strategy analysis (if there is an uptrend/downtrend, you need to explain what factors/decisions caused it). Practical/ Excel file • Calculate DuPont ratios for your company and their competitors (see section 3.1) Cross-sectional and time series analysis: • Calculate ratios identified in your report for your company and competitor over last 3 years 4. Prospective Analysis (10%-20% of your word count) Your report should include: • Justify major estimates for the forecast of your company (sales growth rate, NOPAT margin, WC to sales, LT assets to sales, Debt ratio, after-tax cost of debt, dividend rate). Your justification should be based on your company’s prior performance (major trends identified in section 3), macroeconomic/industry factors (identified in section 1), changes in business strategy (identified in section 1). • Brief analysis of your forecast with emphasis on overall performance. • Analysis of valuation of your company using the abnormal earnings method and market multiple approach. Practical/ Excel file • Use your prior analysis to prepare a forecast of condensed income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statements for your company for one financial year (the next year for which the company has not published an annual report). • Prepare a valuation for your company using one of the present value methods (discounted cash flows OR abnormal earnings method). • Prepare a valuation for your company using market multiples approach. Add the following data for your company, their competitor and industry averages for the current year (to be used in your report for market multiple valuation): o price to earnings ratio, o price to book value ratio, o ROE This data is available through databases and additional resources. Your statements should, where possible, incorporate the latest information about the company, its industry, and general economic conditions and should not be the result of naïve extrapolation of past trends. 5. Recommendation for the clients, drawing on the whole analysis of the company/company reporting (5% of your word count). Your report should include: • Recommendation for your clients as to sell/buy decision Excel: n/a Points to note: • There is no one unique and correct solution to this task for a given company. Many approaches are valid and a variety of answers may be equally correct. The emphasis is on logical justification of your answer. • Each company should be allocated to one group ONLY • The report must be clearly divided into five sections, with one section devoted to each of the five tasks specified above. • The mark awarded for the assignment will be determined based on an assessment of the report’s accuracy, comprehensiveness, cohesiveness, professionalism and overall quality. • Commercial data services may be used to source annual report and other information, provided that they are correctly acknowledged. However, students should also consult the company’s annual report for complete and more accurate information as the information from commercial data services frequently reclassifies information in the financial statements. Note that plagiarism from commercial analysts’ reports can be easily identified and will result in zero marks for this assignment. • All assumptions should be clearly stated and supported if possible. All references should be provided. • This report is to meet the report style set out in Campbell G. “The Little Black Book”: it needs to have a content page, executive summary, introduction, main body, conclusion. Your recommendation (=part 5) is your conclusion. • Penalty for late assignments: 1 mark per day. • Your submission should include: o Report itself in a .doc format o Excel Files with all calcuations o .doc file with Appendix (optional)
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BCO6603 Enterprise Resource Planning Systems
BCO6603 Enterprise Resource Planning Systems Research Report (worth 30% of your overall mark) Due Dates : See VU Collaborate • Assignment dropbox (Turnitin) closes on : See Collaborate for final due date • For each day the assignment is late a 10% penalty will apply • Please start immediately with the assignment and you may submit as many times as you like from today on VU Collaborate. “ERP Systems in the Cloud” There has been significant media attention and hype about the potential of cloud technologies. Companies are investigating how these technologies can be applied to their ERP Systems requirements. Companies are presented with a number of options which they need to consider. These include: • On-premise: This refers to the traditional approach where a company purchases the licences for an ERP systems and then installs it within their company. • Hosted ERP System: This refers to where the company purchases the licences for an ERP systems and then installs it on a third party’s infrastructure (hosted) in the cloud. This is sometimes referred to as Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). • Cloud ERP System: This refers to an ERP system which is developed to operate purely in a cloud environment. The company pays a subscription to access the ERP system and shares it with other companies. This is often referred to as Software as a Service (SaaS). Companies are faced with increasing pressure to investigate the potential of these different offerings and the strengths and weaknesses of each. Management have become aware that you are studying ERP Systems at Victoria University and have given you the task to prepare a research paper on the different ERP system offerings described above, their benefits and risks. In the discussion you should use case study examples (from literature searches) to demonstrate different company’s experiences in reinforcing the different benefits and weaknesses. Your task is to produce a 3000 word research paper which discusses the issues relating to the above. The paper should demonstrate a depth and breadth of reading and should be appropriately referenced. The paper should be referenced using the Harvard referencing standards and formatted according to the approved style guide. You must submit two documents, your assessment declaration and your report to Turnitin. Assessment Declaration: Use the assessment declaration (coversheet) provided on VU Collaborate. Complete all sections including the Title, Assignment number, Student Name and Number and Unit. This document must be uploaded separately to your report to ensure your Turnitin similarity results are not compromised. ? Your report must include the following: Introduction: Introduction to the topic, a statement of the purpose of the report and a brief description of the report’s structure. Body: Discuss, compare and/or contrast different perspectives and present arguments supporting the purpose of the report. Use relevant business case studies to illustrate key points. All points must be presented with Harvard citations to high quality (journal/book) references that have a corresponding entry in your reference list. Conclusion: A summary of the points you have made in the body of the report. These should match your stated purpose. Reference list: A complete Harvard format reference list. Review the Library style guide for citation and reference list examples http://libraryguides.vu.edu.au/harvard. Presentation: You should include a title page that has your name and the title of your report. Every page should feature a footer that includes your name, student ID, and page number. You should review: http://www.vu.edu.au/campuses-services/student-support/academic-support-development/academic-writing for some general help on academic writing, especially the sections on essays and referencing. Review the Library Harvard style guide for citation and reference list examples http://libraryguides.vu.edu.au/harvard. Submission: Your report must be submitted via the Assessment 4 drop box link on VU Collaborate (this links to Turnitin) in MS Word format. Name your assessment 4 file in the form s3999999Assn4.docx and where the 39999999 is replaced by your student number. You must submit your assessment declaration as a separate document. Your report document submitted to Turnitin must include only a title page, your report, and the reference list. Your submission on Turnitin will be marked electronically, so ensure it is complete. Note that if your lecturer asks you for a hard copy, you must submit the complete originality report version produced from Turnitin. Notes on referencing, paraphrasing, Turnitin and similarity You must include citations with matching references to demonstrate research relating to the discussion and analysis in the body of your report. You should aim to paraphrase sources where possible, writing the report in your own words and including citations and corresponding reference list entries to demonstrate research where appropriate. You should submit your report to Turnitin well in advance of the due date to ensure your similarity does not exceed twenty per cent (for a submission including your reference list). Note that: • Turnitin scores for your report higher than 20% will be heavily penalised. Note this percentage does not apply to your assessment declaration document which should be uploaded separately. It is normal that your reference list is highlighted in Turnitin; this is acceptable and is factored into the 20% threshold. It is not acceptable for whole sentences and paragraphs to be highlighted. This usually indicates exact similarity with another source. If this happens you must revise your work and resubmit. Note that you can resubmit your report up until the submission deadline. Originality results can take up to twenty four hours to process. Therefore, ensure you submit early so you can avoid problems at the last minute.
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BE01106 - BUSINESS STATISTICS
BE01106 - BUSINESS STATISTICS Assignment SEMESTER 2, 2017 Due in Week 8, submit in class _________________________________________________________________________ The BEO1106 assignment has a total of seven (7) tasks for students to complete. Each task accounts for 10 marks. The total marks available for the entire assignment is 70. The assignment accounts for 35% of the overall assessment in the unit. So the total mark you receive for your assignment will be converted to a mark (out of 35) before being aggregated with your test and examination marks to produce your final result for the unit. The assignment consists of two parts. Part I is to collect a set of sample data which will be used to answer six questions in Part II. In Week 4, 5, 6 and 7, the Model assignment questions will be discussed during the seminar sessions. This will assist you to understand the requirements for those questions. Both Part I and II must be submitted together for correction due in the seminar of week 8. Late submission will be penalised by 1 mark per day for a maximum of 5 working days. The assignment must be submitted in hard copy. An Assessment Declaration (the form can be downloaded from the Assessment Information page on the unit website) is required and must be stapled to the front of your assignment. To avoid any complications associated with misplaced assignments, make a copy of your assignment before you hand in the original to your seminar leader for correction. Although we will discuss the assignment tasks in the seminars, you will need to complete the tasks in your own time. For most students, Assignment Part I tasks can be completed within one hour on average. It is recommended that to start working on the assignment the earlier the better and do not leave it to the last minute. Presentation • Your answers must be presented in task number order and be clearly labelled with the appropriate task number. • Your assignment must be presented in Microsoft (MS) Word. Copy and paste any relevant Excel outputs to this document immediately before (above) any relevant written answers to each task. • If you are unfamiliar with the use of the MS Word Equations Editor, you may write algebraic/mathematical/statistical symbols and notation in neat handwritten form. • Your answers must be clear. You must highlight relevant items on any required Excel outputs and make reference to them in your written answers. • When asked to perform a manual calculation (i.e. the use of MS Excel is not specified) you must show all working. This must include intermediate steps where relevant. Failure to do so will result in a loss of marks. • Completed assignments are to be presented for correction on A4 paper, stapled in the top left hand corner. You are permitted to print on both sides of the paper. Colour printing is recommended for graphs/charts. If printed as greyscale, be mindful and creative to make the greyscales distinct shades. • Do not submit the assignment with fancy bindings, folders or plastic envelopes. • Do not include the assignment questions nor the population property data with your submitted assignment. • You are permitted to consult reference textbooks and notes and to communicate with other students. However, the work you hand-in for correction must be your own. Be aware that the University penalties for plagiarism are severe. Introduction The Assignment Data (PopulationPropertyData.xls) file, which you can access from the Assessment Information page on the unit website contains, in the range A1:I401, real estate sales data for a population of 400 properties around Melbourne in a particular week. You are required to select a random sample of 50 properties from this population. The variables in the data set are as follows: V1 = Region where property is located (1 = North, 2 = West, 3 = East, 4 = Central) V2 = Property type (0 = Unit, 1 = House) V3 = Sale result (1 = Sold at auction, 2 = Passed-in, 3 = Private sale, 4 = Sold before auction). Note that a blank cell for this variable indicates that the property did not sell. V4 = Building type (1 = Brick, 2 = Brick veneer, 3 = Weatherboard, 4 = Vacant land) V5 = Number of rooms V6 = Land size (Square metres) V7 = Sold Price ($000s) V8 = Advertised Price ($000s) Column A (PN), contains the property identification numbers from 001 to 400 properties. Selecting your Random Sample and Creating your Sample Data File To select your random sample, you need: • A printed copy of the Random Number Table handy. • Open the PopulationPropertyData.xls file on computer screen. • Create a SamplePropertyData Excel file and keep it open on computer screen. In order to select the sample data that will form the basis of your assignment you will need to make use of the random number table provided as a pdf file (RandomNumbers.pdf) on the Assessment Information page of the unit website. The provided table of random numbers is, as the title suggests, a sequence of randomly generated numerical digits (0 to 9). These digits are arranged in a table with ten columns (numbered 0 to 9) and one hundred rows (numbered 01 to 00) spread over two pages. The entries in each column of each row consist of six single digits. Your first task is to select 50 three-digit random (property) numbers ranging from 001 to 400 from the table of random numbers. The type of simple random sampling that we will be engaged in here is termed “without replacement” because we specifically do not want to allow a property number to be selected more than once. If we allowed this to occur we would run the risk of the sample being biased and so not representative of the population. In the population, a particular property only occurs once and so it would not do to allow a particular property to occur more than once in your sample. In this way we can be more assured that the sample is typical of the population and so perform inferential statistical analyses about the population with some confidence. In order to select your 50 random property numbers you will need to first go to a starting position row and column in the random number table (Note ~ not the population property data) defined by the last three digits of your VU student identification number (the assignment marker will check your student ID number against the three digits number you use to collect the random sample). The last two digits of your VU ID number identifies the row and the third last digit identifies the column of your (relatively) “unique” starting position. For demonstration purposes, if the last three digits of your student identification were 7, 4 and 9 (i.e. 749), you would commence your property number selection at the starting position - row 49 and column 7 of the random number table. You are required to colour/highlight the starting row number 49 and the starting column number 7. You should be able to see that the six digit number occupying that position is 217035. Then, moving across the row, from left to right from the starting position, examine the first three digits of each six digit number and then the second three digits in each of the columns of the table. If any of these three digit numbers are between 001 to 400 inclusive, they are “good” numbers (the population data numbered from 001 to 400). Ignore any number greater than 400 or equal to 000. They are “not-good” numbers Continue reading across row 49 from left to right starting at column 7 as instructed, you would encounter the following three digit good numbers: 217, 035, 306, 150, … You need to record the first good property numbers, i.e. 217, and open the PopulationPropertyData.xls Excel file located on the Assessment Information page of the unit website. On the spreadsheet, scroll down the PN column to locate 217 (note: do not select the Excel spreadsheet row number 217. Select the row with 217 in the PN column). At this row, highlight from 217 under the PN column across to the right up to the V8 column, use Cut and Paste procedure to cut the row of data and paste the data into a new Excel file (name it and save it as SamplePropertyData.xlsx). Next is to repeat the Cut and Paste process for PN 035, and for PN 306 and the subsequent three digit good numbers selected from Random Number Table up to the point when the row of the spreadsheet in the SamplePropertyData file grown up to 50 rows of data. Make sure you copy the column headings, PN, V1, ... V8 into your sample data file as the heading for the columns. Each time a number is selected from the Random Number Table, insert a strikethrough mark over the selected number on the Random Number Table to mark it off. It is possible that you may come across some three digit good numbers more than once (we call them “repeated” number). The use of the Cut and Paste procedure is the “without replacement” sampling procedure to ensure that no repeated PN number and the corresponding data can be select more than once in this sample selection process. When a repeated number is found, colour/highlight/cross-out it in the Random Number Table to indicate that this good number has not been used to select the sample data (See the Assignment Part I Model Answers file). Note that if you reach to the end of Row 50 on the first page of the Random Number Table but still not yet to collect 50 good numbers, continue the process on to Row 51 on the top of the second page of the Random Number Table (as the same practice in the Assignment Part I Model Answer). Similarly if you reach to the end of Row 00 on the second page, proceed on to row 01 on the top of the first page. Once 50 good numbers are selected and the 50 rows of data have been copied from the PopulationPropertyData file into the SamplePropertyData file, this will form a completed sample data set occupying spreadsheet columns A to I and spreadsheet rows 1 to 51 (Refer to the Assignment Part I Model Answers file on the Assessment Information). Assignment Part I Part I of the assignment simply requires the submission of a hard copy of your sample property data presented in a maximum of no more than 3 printed pages in total. (See the Assignment Part I Model Answer). This sample data set will form the basis of the statistical presentation and analysis tasks contained in Part II of the assignment. Task 1 ( 10 marks) (a) Make a hard copy of your Random Number Table containing the following: (i) The highlight of the starting row and starting column of the sample selection process. (Refer to the Assignment Part I Model Answer). (1 mark) (ii) The strikethrough/mark on the three digits good numbers and the cross-out of the repeated number(s). (Refer to the Assignment Part I Model Answer). (4 marks) (b) Print a hard copy (see note below) of your sample property data (9 columns x 51 rows of data plus the column headings row) from the Excel file (SamplePropertyData) obtained per the above instructions. (5 marks) Note: when printing the hard copies in (b) please select Page Setup in Excel and then under Print in the Sheet window, tick the Gridlines and Row and column headings check boxes. This will ensure that the Excel row and column headings are included in your Excel printout. The screenshot for printing row and column heading is attached below for reference. END OF PART I OF THE ASSIGNMENT Assignment Part II Answers to the six assignment tasks in Part II must be based on the sample data file that you have created in Part I. All tasks in this assignment require you to obtain an Excel output prior to performing some analysis. Copy and Paste these outputs to your assignment MS- Word document immediately preceding any subsequent analysis. Explanations must be precise and to the point. Charts and tables must have appropriate titles and numerical values must be rounded to an appropriate number of decimal places and accompanied by the correct units of measure. Task 2 (10 marks) Use Excel to produce a Frequency Column Chart (4 marks) and a Relative Frequency Pie-Chart (3 marks) for your sample to show the number and proportion, respectively, of each building type. Use these graphical summaries to answer the following questions: (a) How many properties in your sample consist of brick buildings? (1 mark) (b) Which building type occurs most frequently in your sample? (1 mark) (c) What proportion of properties in your sample consists of weatherboard buildings? (1 mark) Task 3 (10 marks) (a) Use Excel to sort your sample “Sold Price” data and paste into your MS Word assignment document. (1 mark) (b) Use the percentile location formula; , and the three associated rules (Slide 11 of Week 2 Seminar, Session 1) (1 mark) to determine: (i) The 70th percentile. (1 mark) (ii) The first and third quartiles. (2 mark) (c) Briefly explain what the 70th percentile that you have determined informs you about your sample “Sold Price” data. (2 mark) (d) Determine the Inter-Quartile Range of your sample “Sold Price” data and provide a brief explanation of what information this statistic provides about your sample data. (3 marks) Task 4 (10 marks) (a) Use Excel to produce a Descriptive Statistics table for your sample “Sold Price” data and paste into your MS Word assignment document. (4 marks) (b) Use results from Task 3 to determine manually for this data, the upper and lower inner fence limits; IFUL = Q3 + 1.5 x IQR (1.5 marks) and IFLL = Q1 – 1.5 x IQR (1.5 marks) (c) Based on the limits calculated in (b), choose from the numerical summary measures provided in the Descriptive Statistics table, and/or measures calculated previously in Task 3; (i) an appropriate measure of central tendency, and, (1 mark) (ii) an appropriate measure of dispersion for your sample “Sold Price” data. (1 mark) Provide a brief explanation of the reasoning behind your choice in both cases. (1 mark) Task 5 (10 marks) Remember to show all working! Failure to do so will result in the loss of marks. (a) From the Descriptive Statistics table obtained in Task 5, identity three pieces of evidence that indicate whether your sample “Sold Price” data has been obtained from a normally distributed population or not. What is your conclusion? Note: Make sure only one piece of evidence relates to the shape of the sample data. ( 2 marks) (b) Regardless of your conclusion in above, assume the “Sold Price” population data is normally distributed. Applying the Standard Normal tables, calculate how many “Sold Price” observations in your sample would expect to lie within 1.5 standard deviations of the mean (i.e. between z = –1.5 and z = +1.5). (4 marks) (c) Use the mean and standard deviation from the Descriptive Statistics table of Task 5 to calculate the bound for 1.5 standard deviation spread from the mean. Using the “Sold Price” sample data, manually count the number of observations fall within the bound. State whether this count matches, approximately, your answer to (b) and hence whether this result confirms (or not) your conclusion in (a). (4 marks) Task 6 (10 marks) Remember to show all working! Failure to do so will result in the loss of marks. (a) Use Excel to produce a Descriptive Statistics table for the “Sold Price” variable in your sample suitable for constructing an interval estimate of the population mean “Sold Price”. (2 marks) Hence determine: (i) A point estimate of the mean “Sold Price” of the population of properties. (1 mark) (ii) A 90% confidence interval estimate of the mean “Sold Price” of the population of properties. (2 marks) (iii) Make a brief verbal statement explaining the meaning of the confidence interval estimate obtained in (ii) in the context of the variable in this task. (3 marks) (b) If the population mean “Sold Price” is actually 650 ($000s), would you consider the interval estimate obtained in (a), to be satisfactory? Explain why or why not. (2 marks) Task 7 (10 marks) Remember to show all working! Failure to do so will result in the loss of marks. (a) Use Excel to produce a Descriptive Statistics table for the brick veneer properties in your sample suitable for constructing an interval estimate of the population proportion of brick veneer properties. Hence determine: (2 marks) (i) A point estimate of the proportion of brick veneer properties in the population. (1 mark) (ii) A 99% confidence interval estimate of the proportion of brick veneer properties in the population. (1 mark) (b) Using the following formula: (sample statistic) ? (critical z or t) ? (standard error of the sample statistic) Use the rule of thumb for good normal approximation (Slide 3 of Week 7 Session 2) for proportion, then the Empirical Rule (Slide 8 of Week 5 Session 1) for a Normal distribution to determine a 95% confidence interval estimate of the proportion of brick veneer properties in the population. (4 marks) (c) Compare, in terms of the precision, the interval manually calculated in (b) with the interval obtained from the Descriptive Statistics table in (a). Explain why the direction of the change in precision is expected. (2 marks) END OF PART II OF THE ASSIGNMENT
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BEO1105 Economic Principles
BEO1105 ASSIGNMENT (20%) SEMESTER TRI 2, 2019 Total = 20 marks. ** LATE SUBMISSION WILL ATTRACT A PENALTY OF 10 PERCENT PER DAY, UP TO A MAXIMUM OF 3 DAYS, INCLUDING WEEKENDS & PUBLIC HOLIDAYS ** PLAGIARISM - ALLOWABLE SIMILARITY INDEX IS 20% 1)Suppose a news article reports, “Poor wine-grape harvests in France have broughtfinancial gains to Australian winemakers. Sales of Australian wines in France arebooming and wine prices are the best ever” a)How has the market for French wines been affected by the poor harvest? b)How has the change in the French wine market affect the market for Australianwines in France? NOTE: In your answer, include the adjustment process of the market moving towards a new equilibrium. 2.5 * 2 = 5 Marks 2)“Each year Apple Computers produces a new line of IPods with greaterstorage capacity and more features. Sales continue to soar even though theprices each year rise as well”. Does this go against the law of demand? Usegraphical demand and supply analysis to support your explanation. 3 Marks 3)Ceteris paribus, both the demand for and supply of new commercialapartments has decreased at the same time. Use graphical demand andsupply analysis to support your explanation of the impact on equilibrium priceand quantity of the market for new commercial apartments. 5 Marks (HINT: Explain all possible impact on price and quantity) 4)Explain and compare, with the aid of graph(s), the impact on price, quantityand total revenue of an increase in supply of the product that has: i)an elastic demand curve iii)an inelastic demand curve 2 * 2 = 4 Marks 5)The Western Australian government is thinking of setting a minimum price onalcohol in order to minimise the risk of alcohol related illness. Using adiagram, explain the solutions/measures a government can take in addressingthe unintended consequence of a minimum price. 3 Marks
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BEO6600 Business Economics
BEO6600 Business Economics
T2 2019
This assignment is to be completed in pairs or groups of three and submitted via VU collaborate. Please answer all parts and questions.
Assignment Weight: 30%
(Maximum 3000 words)
Structure of Assignment
1. Cover Sheet (next page) properly completed.
2. Assessment Declaration (signed by all group members)
3. Report in Word format (pdf format will not be accepted)
Assignments will not be accepted or marked if it is not accompanied by a signed assessment declaration.
Due: Week 10. All assignments must be submitted via Turnitin.
PART 1: TRADE WAR BETWEEN CHINA & THE US
The world’s two largest economies, China and the US, have been engaged in a trade war for nearly a year imposing tariffs of billions of dollars on each other’s imports (Bartz, 2018; Tan, 2018). The Trump administration started the trade dispute in March 2018 by announcing import tariffs and also, alleging that China used unfair tactics to build a large trade surplus with the US as well as expropriating American technology. China retaliated against the US ‘s action by similarly imposing import tariffs on US goods.
Analysts and observers have criticised this protectionist stance as it is hurting US companies and farmers, consumer and business confidence, poorer nations and ultimately global trade (Bartz, 2018; Agence France Presse, 2018; Mohamed, 2019). US trade associations (such as the US Chamber of Commerce, the National Retail Federation and the Information Technology Industry Council) representing some of the largest companies in the US, urged Trump not to impose tariffs on China, warning it would be detrimental to the US economy and consumers (Bartz, 2018). US companies and farmers complained that this trade war was hurting their business and forcing them to incur higher production costs (Agence France Presse, 2018). It has also been criticised on the basis that US’s imposition of import tariffs will inflict collateral damage on smaller producers in poorer nations that pose no threat to the US domestic producers (Agence France Presse, 2018). Economists estimated that tariffs imposed on every US$100 billion of imports would decrease global trade by approximately 0.5% (Reuters, 2018). Morgan Stanley, an American multinational investment bank and financial services company, predicted that the escalating trade dispute between China and the US could catapult the latter’s economy into a recession.
Questions
(Note: Questions must be answered in the context of this case)
1.1 Leather handbags made in China is one of the items that was imposed with a high import tariff by the US in this trade dispute. Using a diagram, illustrate and explain the effects of the US’s import tariffs for Chinese leather handbags on:
- US consumer surplus;
- US producer surplus;
- domestic quantity demanded and supplied for leather handbags in the US;
- import quantity of Chinese leather handbags in the US;
- US government budget.
1.2 Steel is also another item that was imposed with a high import tariff by the US in this trade dispute. Using a diagram, illustrate and explain what happened to the price of US produced cars (which rely on steel) and the market quantity of cars as a result of this import tariff.
Victoria University Business School
4
References
Agence France Presse. 2018. Trump says China wants trade deal, more tariffs may not be needed, November 17, viewed 30 June 2019,
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BGP7730 Business Research Project
ASSESSMENT 1 & 2: Research Project The research project consists of three phases: • Research proposal; • Data collection and analysis; and • The final research report. The assessment for the research project is broken down into two parts. Assessment 1 is a brief research proposal and Assessment 2 is the full research report including findings of the data collection and analysis. The assessment is to be undertaken in teams of three (or four) students. Assessment 1: Brief Proposal Brief Proposal 10% Word Length: 1500 words Due: Week 4 Identify a research project relevant to your field of study. Your project could include the topic covered in your BMO6630 Business Research Methods assessment. You should brainstorm ideas with your research team and discuss these with your workshop leader. Provide a title for your proposed study in your research proposal. In a research report, the early sections of the report contain background information on the organisation, the industry and relevant information relevant to the research (question/objectives) at hand. A literature review is also undertaken to understand the key constructs (i.e., theory) that should be examined which is relevant to the topic and guides the direction of your research. For example, if your research objective was to (a) investigate what level of knowledge exists in the general community about diabetes; (b) to examine the information needs of individuals; and (c) to understand how and where people currently get information about Diabetes, then your literature review for your research would include: • How people acquire information about health and wellbeing (e.g., construct – information search) • What is the role of education and information in healthy living (e.g., construct – health education or something more specific) In writing a literature review, start by finding general articles and then move to articles, which provide more specific and detailed information on the constructs under investigation. For example, using the example above you may start by finding articles on ‘information search’ and ‘health’ the then more specifically about Diabetes. The literature review provides the context for your research and will take into account the broader issues relating to your topic. Assessment Requirements: Assessment 1 requires the research team to prepare a report that includes: • Introduction that provides background information on the topic • The research question/research objectives • A literature review, incorporating the relevant literature on the topic and identifying key constructs, with several (approx. 3) appropriate research questions, hypotheses or propositions. This assessment should be presented as a report (i.e., cover page, table of contents, headings, sub-headings and bibliography). A minimum of 5 academic journal references is expected, journal articles are preferable over textbooks and trade magazines. We are not expecting a detailed literature review at this stage but would like you to demonstrate the direction of your research so that your workshop leader can help you refine your topic. A literature review should be your own work. If you make reference to concepts, other authors have written or researched, you must acknowledge their work in text (i.e., make reference to their work), using the Harvard referencing system (author, year of publication). The assessment criteria are on the following Research Report 50% Word Length: 4000 words Due: Week 13 You are required to prepare a research report. The research report should include: ? Title page; ? Executive summary; ? Table of contents; ? Introduction (background to the research); ? The research question and/or objectives; ? The literature review including propositions and hypotheses; ? Research design o type of research undertaken, o measurement and scaling techniques (if appropriate), o sample design (make sure you take into account the population of interest), o data collection methods, and o plan of data analysis; ? Results or findings (using the most appropriate statistics or themes); ? Conclusions and Recommendations (with a focus on business strategies); ? Appendices (e.g. include the questionnaire or interview guide or other relevant instrument and any detailed analysis). It is expected that you will have addressed any feedback your workshop leader provided in Assessment 1. Refer to details presented in the lecture for the structure and additional detail on report writing. The assessment criteria are presented on the following page. Note: Your research report must be in MS Word format and submitted into VU Collaborate (accompanied by a properly completed Assessment Declaration form) by the deadline. No multiple submissions from different group members within a group – each group must nominate a team leader who will be responsible for the submission of the group assessment.
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BMO5501 Business Ethics and Sustainability
Assessment 2: article on a special topic (25%) Article – individual work (or as a co-operative pair) 25% Due: As per teaching schedule General Instructions • Assessment 2 is either to be done as an individual assignment or as a co-operative work pair - i.e. a maximum of two people is allowed and encouraged • Due for electronic submission as a PDF file into the Assessment 2 Dropbox in Collaborate at the date specified in the teaching schedule • For the filename ONLY use the heading ‘A2 sXXXXXXXsYYYYYY’ – where the X’s & Y’s are the student numbers of the one or two students involved (files not named as above will not be accepted or marked) • Pairs working together must submit ONE written version; one partner to submit and note the names of both authors in the article itself – the other partner does NOT submit a file • Do NOT include an assignment cover sheet – by submitting to collaborate you are attesting that the article is your original work Objective To compile an article on a special topic that reports on, and critically analyses, the objectives, operations and performance outcomes of either: i. a social enterprise in the country in which your course is conducted; or ii. a sustainable tourism’hospitality business in the country in which your course is conducted; or iii. a B-Corporation in the country in which your course is conducted; or iv. a topic – as advanced or approved by your local lecturer - that has relevance to matters of ethics or sustainability and can inform your lived life - things like Palm oil; ‘clean coal energy’, application of the ‘circular economy’, we technologies or practices that promote sustainability etc. Scenario A major international business magazine - HBR (Herbert Management Review) - has contracted you to write a ‘profile’ article on either a social enterprise OR a sustainable tourism business OR a special topic. They believe there are some really interesting organisations or topics that would be of interest to local and overseas readers. Alternative i - note on social enterprises (for further details see Topic 9): Social enterprises are businesses established by entrepreneurs with an emphasis on human values rather than just profit. They are not charities or welfare agencies, but seek to achieve social change by having an economically viable business model that services societal needs while drawing support from the community. Some Australian examples (there are many also in Malaysia and other countries): the MADCAP Café that employees young people with mental health issues to make the coffee in stands at Masters Hardware stores; Fifty-six threads café run by AMES - which trains young refugees and migrants in hospitality skills; Streateats – trains & employs homeless youth; Who gives a crap – recycled toilet paper; Dress for success – clothes for women in need of support in getting a job; Scarf hospitality that trains refugees; and Goodcycles – trains and employs disengaged youth in bicycle repairs Alternative ii - note on sustainable tourism/hospitality businesses (for further details see Topic 8): Sustainable tourism takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing and balancing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities. Things like eco-hotels, nature tours, or hotels/hotel chains that have strong sustainability credentials, restaurants that have sustainable sourcing or waste minimisation practices, etc. Alternative iii - note on B-Corporations (for further details see Topic 8): B-Corporations are a relatively new form of business that require certification and have objectives centred around balancing the triple bottom line – economic, social & environmental responsibility. Alternative iv - note on special topics: in some locations in various semesters your local lecturer may provide you with, or approve , an alternative area of study to social enterprises or sustainable tourism (you can find some ideas at corporateknights.com or checking out the unit resources). Required Prepare an article for the business magazine that reports on, and critically analyses, the objectives, operations and outcomes of a social enterprise or sustainable tourism business or special topic – and include performance data and photos where possible. The magazine (it could be a fashion mag; a travel mag; a hospitality mag; a sustainability mag; a professional mag {like HBR, Fortune, Forbes etc.}; or some other mag) is expecting: great content in a feature which is engaging, and exhibits a clear and crisp writing style. Article quality not quantity is the key. One author: about 1,200 to 1,500 words plus illustrations. Two authors: about 1,800 to 2,200 words plus illustrations. Notes 1. You report should provide the reader with a brief background of social enterprises or sustainable tourism businesses or special topic: what are they; what they do; how recent a phenomena are they; who are the stakeholders; and how they fit with a modern capitalist economy. 2. Your report is expected to contain pertinent primary data – information that has been developed by your group. Your primary data can come from: your observations of the social enterprise or sustainable tourism business in action (e.g. what you experience visiting say a café, bar or wherever the public interface of the organisation is); and/or discussions (and quotes) that you get directly from the operators or clients that you gather in person, by phone or by electronic means. As this is a magazine article, no formal Harvard referencing at the end (‘out of text’) is required - but sources would usually be given ‘in-text’ e.g.: “ … the website notes that 300 people were assisted …”; “ … staff said that business is increasing rapidly …”. 3. Your paper must contain a ‘Research Appendix’ of one or 2 paragraphs that describes the nature and sources of your primary research and notes the name(s) and contact detail(s) – phone number or email or some other appropriate evidence - of interviewee(s). No paper will be considered for marking that does not contain an appropriate Research Appendix. 4. This is not a ‘cut and paste from the internet’ exercise - articles that do not contain substantive primary data and do not provide a critical analysis cannot receive a pass grade. 5. It is useful to evidence and illustrate your research to include a contextual photograph of the article author(s) – where practicable 6. Why is co-operative work by a maximum of two people allowed and encouraged? Learning by doing and discussing is important, so it is useful to work co-operatively to form and consolidate ideas. It is also practical for pairs to operate as: there are less individuals battling for opportunities to do things like meet with or call actors (e.g. managers or consumers of organisations); and it can feel more supportive if you have someone else to help collect primary data or discuss insights and formulate ideas. 7. How do pairs submit their work? The article is written under name of both members (the article must be clearly labelled with names and IDs) and submitted by ONLY one of the members to the Assessment 2 dropbox in collaborate. If your partner appears to be ‘free-riding’, recognise this early and submit your own article in your name. ARTICLE: GRADING SHEET - 25% Names: ________________________________ Written presentation Content • Identification of key contextual elements (5) • Description of objectives, operations and outcomes (8) • Primary data*, performance data and photographs (6) 19 (*if no substantial primary data a fail result overall will ensue) Style • Engaging (3) • Clear crisp writing (3) 6 Total /25