| Module Title | Creative Management and Marketing | Assignment Number | One |
| Module Code | Assignment Title | Individual Blue Ocean Report | |
| Module Leader | Assignment Weighting | 50% |
| Submission Date/Time: |
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Assessment Information – What you need to do
This assignment is an individual report-
This report is designed to help you understand the practical aspects of developing a blue ocean strategy and steps undertaken to compile a strategy canvas. You will need to report on a blue ocean idea that you have developed during your seminars.
Please MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE AGREED WITH YOUR TUTOR ON YOUR BLUE OCEAN INDUSTRY AND IDEA.
You have two tasks:
Task 1) Task 2) Report (800 words)
- For the blue ocean curve of a strategy canvas, define the meaning of a) Focus; b) Divergence; and c) Tag line.
- You are required to develop a strategy canvas which should have at least two curves (1) Red Ocean value curve (existing industry) (2) Blue Ocean value curve (new industry curve).
- Through market research and analysis, identify critical success factors (CSFs) for the following perspective: Eliminate – D, Reduce – C, Raise – B, Create – A, New customer groups – X. (15 perspectives in total).
- Apply your blue ocean idea to the strategy canvas.
- Using focus, divergence and tagline, critically evaluate why YOUR IDEA is a blue ocean strategy. This evaluation should first be done from the perspective of your chosen industry.
Task 2) Appendix – Creative Sketches
Choose ONLY 1 of the 5 perspectives: (D, C, B, A or X). Using that perspective’s 3 x CSF’s, now draw 2 x sketches for each CSF – one blue ocean sketch and one red ocean sketch = 6 x sketches in total.
These drawings should – demonstrate pictorially the difference for each CSF between your red and blue industry curves. Individual originality being sought here. All three CSFs should have (1) Before (Red Ocean) and (2) After (Blue Ocean) sketch provided that clearly captures the differences between the two industries. You can briefly explain the differences using 1 or 2 sentences (make this as brief as possible).
Assessment Criteria – All reports are required to undertake the following
- Provide a front sheet with your p number, title of Report, tutor name, your Group, and a word count that ONLY includes the report content (excludes Reference List and Title sheet)
- NO Executive Summary
- The Introduction should be limited to three sentences
- Include a strategy canvas. The canvas should be an insert so that it is not included in the word count
- A reference List with 5 sources, two of which are industry sources
- Sketches should be your own originals. They can be in cartoon, comic, digital or other pictorial formats that are prepared by you
- There will be a penalty of a deduction of 10% of the mark for work exceeding the word limit by 10% or more
MARKING CRITERIA FOR ASSIGNMENT 1 – INDIVIDUAL REPORT
| CRITERIA | COMMENTS | MARK |
| DEFINITIONS (15%) Quality and depth of theoretical definitions The ability to clearly define the three blue ocean concepts focus, divergence and tagline, using well considered research evidence and showing a clear link to your chosen blue ocean industry/idea. Also, providing clear definition of you’re the critical success factor you have chosen to analyse from either: perspective A, B, C, D or X and justification as to why this are important for the industry. | ||
| CASE STUDY APPLICATION (10%) Quality of case study written applications The ability to develop a blue ocean strategy, identify essential and relevant critical success factors and capture this within the strategy canvas presented. | ||
| ANALYSIS (15%) Level of application to practice. The ability to critically evaluate why the blue ocean is uncontested market, makes the red ocean irrelevant, creates and captures new demand using the focus, divergence and tagline concepts. Further, the ability to creatively apply thecritical success factor chosen above and demonstrate why new technologies or ideas have been used to create value for the new customers. | ||
| STRUCTURE AND REFERENCING (10%) Level of clarity with flow of headings and text. Accuracy of in text referencing and Reference List x 5 (Harvard Style) | ||
| CREATIVITY (20%) Written clarity and research in the main report on creative implementation of your sketches, focused on your CSF chosen from the same perspective (A, or B, or C, or D, or X). | ||
| SKETCHES (30%) Creative content of sketches – originality and pictorial quality (before and after sketches of theCSF chosen from the same perspective (A, or B, or C, or D, or X). |
INDIVIDUAL REPORT: BLUE OCEAN STRUCTURE – In Pictures
Assignment learning outcomes
This assignment is designed to assess the following learning outcomes:
- Exploring their external business environments – such as their industry networks – in novel ways that maximise value to customers in global markets
- Developing creative organisational climates that will encourage the implementation of new internal processes and the learning of new skills
- Understanding networks and relationship marketing techniques that provide sources for new ideas – both downstream and upstream
- Demonstrating both entrepreneurial (growth in small firms) and intrapreneurial (renewal/transformation in large organisations) behaviour.
Faculty of Business and Law Grade Descriptors
This is a guide to the criteria used by staff in the Faculty of Business and Law assigning a mark to a piece of undergraduate work. The final mark awarded to a piece of work will be informed by its predominant correspondence to these descriptors. The University generic descriptors as well as advice for students can be accessed at: http://www.dmu.ac.uk/about-dmu/quality-management-and-policy/academic- quality/learning-teaching-assessment/mark-descriptors.aspx
Modules are marked on a range of 0-100%. Mark descriptors are given in the table below. A mark below 40% indicates a Fail grade (the shaded boxes).
| Mark | Criteria | Classification |
| 90-100% | Indicates that no fault can be found with the work other than very minor errors, for example typographical, or perhaps failure to satisfy the most challenging and exacting demands of the assessment. | First class honours Distinction |
| 80-89% | Indicates a very high level of understanding evidenced by an ability to engage critically and analytically with source material. Likely to exhibit independent lines of argument. Only minor errors or omissions. | First class honours Distinction |
| 70-79% | Judged to be very good, yet not outstanding. May contain minor errors or omissions. A well-developed response showing clear knowledge and the ability to interpret and/or apply that knowledge. | First class honours Distinction |
| 60-69% | Indicates a sound understanding of basic points and principles but with some failure to express or to apply them properly. Hence the answer is essentially correct, has some errors or omissions, and is not seriously flawed. | Upper second-class honours (2:1) Merit |
| 50-59% | Indicates a more limited understanding of basic points and principles, with significant errors and omissions. These errors and omissions, however, do not cast doubt on the basic level of understanding. | Lower second-class honours (2:2) Pass |
| 40-49% | Indicates questionable understanding of basic points and principles yet sufficient to show that learning outcomes have been achieved at a rudimentary level. | Third-class honours Pass |
| 30-39% | Indicates an answer that shows only weakly developed elements of understanding. The learning outcomes have been insufficiently realised. | Fail |
| 20-29% | Very little knowledge has been demonstrated and the presentation shows little coherence of material or argument. | Fail |
| 0-19% | Only isolated or no knowledge displayed. | Fail |
This assignment is designed to assess the following learning outcomes:
- Exploring their external business environments – such as their industry networks – in novel ways that maximise value to customers in global markets
- Developing creative organisational climates that will encourage the implementation of new internal processes and the learning of new skills
- Understanding networks and relationship marketing techniques that provide sources for new ideas – both downstream and upstream
- Demonstrating both entrepreneurial (growth in small firms) and intrapreneurial (renewal/transformation in large organisations) behaviour.
How to Submit your Assessment
The assessment must be submitted on Turnitin. No paper copies are required. You can access the submission link through the module web.
- Your coursework will be given a zero mark if you do not submit a copy through Turnitin. Please take care to ensure that you have fully submitted your work.
- Please ensure that you have submitted your work using the correct file format, unreadable files will receive a mark of zero. The Faculty accepts Microsoft Office and PDF documents, unless otherwise advised by the module leader.
- All work submitted after the submission deadline without a valid and approved reason will be subject to the University regulations on late submissions.
- If an assessment is submitted up to 14 days late the mark for the work will be capped at the pass mark of 40 per cent for undergraduate modules or 50 per cent for postgraduate modules
- If an assessment is submitted beyond 14 calendar days late the work will receive a mark of zero per cent
- The above applies to a student’s first attempt at the assessment. If work submitted as a reassessment of a previously failed assessment task is submitted later than the deadline the work will immediately be given a mark of zero per cent
- If an assessment which is marked as pass/fail rather than given a percentage mark is submitted later than the deadline, the work will immediately be marked as a fail
- The University wants you to do your best. However, we know that sometimes events happen which mean that you can’t submit your coursework by the deadline – these events should be beyond your control and not easy to predict. If this happens, you can apply for an extension to your deadline for up to two weeks, or if you need longer, you can apply for a deferral, which takes you to the next assessment period (for example, to the re-sit period following the main Assessment Boards). You must apply before the deadline. You will find information about applying for extensions and deferrals here.
- Students MUST keep a copy and/or an electronic file of their assignment.
