Reference no: EM131098850 , Length: word count:700

ASSESSMENT TASK 2: Case Study/Report: Group Based Research Report

Students will undertake a research project on one of the topics listed below. The objective of the project is to provide students an opportunity to further develop their written communication skills in creative ways, express information in a coherent and integrated
manner, and to analyse and interpret data about a ‘real' organisation. This assessment provides students with an opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge of the concepts underpinning this unit through the quality of their work completed for this research project.

Students should be able to make sense of the concepts and re-interpret knowledge to provide well-considered responses to questions. This provides further opportunity for students to develop their critical analysis skills, problem-solving skills and creative thinking skills from the assessment tasks.

Students will work in small groups. At the tutor's discretion students will be assigned to a group of 3 to 4 students. Tutors will randomly assign students with topics in the tutorial in Week 4, allowing a maximum of three groups submitting their reports on each topic. It is expected that the report will be presented as a logical argument based on sound analysis of the facts and not on opinion or speculation. Point-form analysis is not acceptable. The report must be comprehensive, that is, maximum Twelve typed pages (including table of contents, abstract, references, figures, tables and appendices), and to the point. Excessive verbosity, lack of precision or otherwise poor writing skill will affect the grade. Student must use: Time New Roman font size 12, 1.5 line spacing, and (b) 2.5cm margins. The following should roughly be the structure of the report:

Cover sheet
Title page
Abstract/summary
Table of contents
Introduction
The body
Conclusion
Recommendations
References (Bibliography)
Appendices

All research reports must have a ‘Research Report Cover Sheet' (given on page 11) and a title page. The research report cover sheet can be downloaded from the unit website. Late submission will also not be accepted for marking, i.e., a mark of ZERO will be assigned accordingly. All research reports must be submitted via Turnitin to assess the academic integrity of this assessment task including plagiarism. More details of the report submission will be provided during lectures. In Week 7 or 8, all groups are required to submit to their tutors a Group Progress Report consisting of the following information: (1) Completeness status of the group report, (2) Number of meetings held between the group members, (3) Individual contributions of members up to the end of Week 7, (4) your strategies and plans that are to be followed in order to complete the report until the submission date. Submission of this Progress Report is mandatory and will be included in the process of marking group assignments.

Topic and requirements-

1. Managing Customers and Time

Based on the organisation that you have selected, identify and describe their customers. Using one of Porters' competitive forces, namely "Bargaining Power of Customers", determine the extent to which the organisations' customers have the ability to influence your
organisation. Discuss and evaluate the organisations' customer relation management, how they create value (e.g. costs, time, and other sources of customer value) for their customers; make recommendations based on your evaluation as to how your organisation could increase the value created for their customers. Finally, comment on the relevance and usefulness of the information that you find in relation to theoretical concepts (for example, customer profitability analyses) concerning their management of customers.

2. Strategic Profitability Analysis and Porters Five Forces Framework

Based on the organisation that you have selected, you are required to describe the organisation's mission, describe and classify the organisation's strategy, and identify its' value proposition and core competencies. Using Porters Five Forces Framework illustrate these five forces for your organisation, and provide brief comments on how these forces influence your organisation's profit potential.

3. Strategy and the Balanced Scorecard

Based on the organisation that you have selected, using the Balanced Scorecard as a contemporary performance measurement framework, evaluate the current financial and non-financial measures that your organisation uses. Based on your evaluation, indicate in
your opinion, the extent to which the strategies have been implemented, and make recommendations concerning additional areas (with some examples of performance measures) that your organisation could include in their Balanced Scorecard.

4. Managing Suppliers, Inventory and Quality

Based on the organisation that you have selected, identify and describe their suppliers. Using one of Porters' competitive forces, namely "Bargaining Power of Input Suppliers", determine the extent to which the organisation's suppliers have the ability to influence your organisation. Further, describe how your organisation manages their inventory and using your theoretical knowledge of conventional and contemporary approaches to inventory management, discuss and evaluate the effectiveness of your organisations' inventory management practices. You are also required to describe how your organisation manages quality and determine the effectiveness thereof. Finally, comment on the relevance and usefulness of the information that you find in relation to your theoretical knowledge on suppliers, inventory management and quality.

5. Motivating Employees and Compensation

Based on the organisation that you have selected, review the information on employees from the organisations' website and annual report. Using any four theories on motivation (discussed in the lecture, for example - Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, Herzberg two-factor
theory, Expectancy Theory, Equity Theory) evaluate the extent to which your organisations' employees are motivated. Identify and describe the reward and compensation systems that your organisation uses to motivate their employees. Students are expected to think critically and recommend improvements in the compensation system.

Only Abstract and Conclusion of the report.

Need to read the case study and do the abstract and conclusion.

Attachment:- Report.rar