BBIM613
Online Social Entrepreneurship
Assignment Two
Semester 2 – 2016/17
Introduction
This document lists the requirements for the second assignment for this module as well as the marking scheme which will be used when assessing the work.
The assignment is worth 70% of the module mark.
Document objectives
By the end of this document the following should be clear:
- What is required for the assignment
- The marking scheme which will be used to assess the work
Version 0.7
1 : Individual Assignment
Assignment 2 – 70% of module mark
Brief
Publication date: Monday 13th March 2017.
Hand in date: Tuesday 2nd May 2017 before 13:00.
Please note the strict University rules for late submission of coursework.
This assignment is worth 70% of the overall module’s marks.
This is an individual assignment.
Write a paper which analyses the use of the internet and related technology to support circular economy initiatives in two organisations (and their supply chain partners). The ventures chosen should be competent both in the application of circular economy principles and in the use of the technology.
The paper should use an appropriate theoretical framework or model and apply it to the chosen organisations in order to critically analyse their application of internet and related technology to environmental problems.
A circular economy is an alternative to a traditional linear economy (make, use, dispose) in which resources are kept in use for as long as possible, in order to extract the maximum value from them whilst in use[i]. A circular economy is one that is restorative and regenerative by design, and one which aims to keep products, components and materials at their highest utility and value always[ii].
A model is a conceptual tool of analysis; it typically highlights a relationship between some of the elements of the item under analysis.
A framework is a conceptual tool which provides guidance; it typically offers a set procedure to be followed to achieve a desired outcome.
(When using a framework for analysis, the framework is typically used as a benchmark against which to assess the performance of the entity under analysis.)
Several relevant academic papers, from the Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal (SEJ), the Journal of Management Studies (JMS), the Harvard Business Review (HBR), and other journals, have been provided on Blackboard to assist in the preparation of this assignment.
When accessing the (SEJ, JMS and other) papers outside the university, you may need to:
- Find the institutional login section (typically using Shibboleth)
- Enter University of Westminster in the institution field
- Sign in with your university login and password.
You have also been provided with a large number of electronic resources related to the module domain and the focus of the assessment. These are designed to assist you in completing the assignment and can be accessed via Blackboard.
Where more than one student in the same seminar group chooses the same organisations, each student should analyse the organisations using a different framework or model.
The word count for this assignment is 2,500 words plus or minus 10% (around eight or nine pages). Include a word count on the cover page of the work. The abstract should be no more than 200 words (around two-thirds of a page). At least 15 references should be included in the work and the reference list.
The work must be submitted to Turnitin on Blackboard. Instructions for doing this will be posted to Blackboard.
Where an individual achieves a mark of 90% or more in this assignment, the paper may be submitted to a pertinent academic journal as a joint publication (with the student, the module leader, and any tutor or academic involved in its preparation, as authors). Where appropriate, the work of two students may be combined for publication.
If you wish to publish your work, it is a good idea to have a specific journal in mind. And, if you are targeting a journal, do not forget to include at least two papers (preferably more) from it in your literature review. You should also structure your paper in a similar fashion to papers published in the journal, and indicate the name of the target journal on the cover page of your work.
Further guidance on academic writing and publishing has been provided in the Resources section on Blackboard. If a student does not want the paper to be considered for publication, he or she should indicate this on the cover page of the work.
The suggested structure for the paper is as follows:
- Abstract
- A concise summary of the paper outlining:
- the context (why the topic is important),
- the objective (possibly in the form of a research question),
- the framework or model used in the analysis,
- the rationale for the choice of ventures,
- the data used in the analysis
- the key findings, and
- the contribution to the domain (the new insights the work provides).
- It should be no more than 200 words in length
- Introduction
- Overview
- Research objective (possibly in the form of a research question)
- Structure of the paper
- Background
- Discussion of the chosen organisations
- Discussion of some of the issues they face which are relevant to the analysis
- Literature Review
- A critical (evidence-based) discussion of relevant models and/or frameworks
- and/or
- A critical discussion of other relevant literature and theories
- and/or
- A discussion of relevant circular economy case studies
- Research Method
- How the research objective is to be achieved
- Specifically, the model or framework which will be used to analyse the case studies and how the analysis will be conducted
- The organisations and the rationale for their choice
- The data to be used in the analysis and their sources
- Analysis
- Analysis of the case studies using the selected framework or model (as outlined in the Research Method section)
- Discussion of Findings
- Collation and interpretation of the findings
- Discussion of the likely implications for the organisations (and other similar social ventures)
- Propositions summarising any new insights relating to the framework or model (or other theory discussed) which the analysis demonstrates the validity of
- Conclusions & Recommendations
- Summary of the findings regarding the use of the internet for the circular economy
- Contribution of the paper to the (literature in the) domain
- Recommendations for the management of the ventures concerned
- Recommendations for further research in this area
- References
- Appendices
2: Mark Weightings & Hand in Details
Mark weightings
The allocation of marks below should be considered as a guide to the emphasis which should be placed on specific aspects of your assignment, both for yourselves and the tutor marking your work.
| Category | % |
| Abstract | 10 |
| Introduction & Background | 10 |
| Literature review | 10 |
| Research methodology | 10 |
| Analysis | 20 |
| Discussion of Findings | 10 |
| Propositions (sentences summarising key insights) | 10 |
| Conclusions and recommendations | 10 |
| Presentation (clarity, coherence, spelling, grammar) | 10 |
Hand-in
Your paper should be 2,500 words plus or minus 10% (around eight or nine pages) in length (excluding appendices) and one copy of it should be submitted to Turnitin on Blackboard (instructions for doing this will be provided on Blackboard). Include a word count on the cover page of the assignment, and at least 15 references in the work and the reference list.
You are reminded that late submissions will be penalised unless mitigating circumstances (MCs) are submitted to, and accepted by, the MC Board.
3: Plagiarism
The following is an extract from the Undergraduate Student Guide:
Plagiarism is defined as submission of material (written, visual or oral) originally produced by another person or persons, without acknowledgement, such that the work could be assumed to be the student’s own.
If you use text, data, drawings, designs or artefacts without properly acknowledging who produced the material, than you are likely to be accused of plagiarism. This can be avoided by making clear the sources of information used (eg books, articles, interviews, reports, Internet reference or government publications). All must be properly referenced, in the body of the work and in the reference list.
Plagiarism covers both direct copying and/or paraphrasing with only minor adjustments. A direct quotation from a text must be indicated by the use of quotation marks and the source of the material including page numbers for the section(s) which have been summarised.
NB: A paper cannot consist merely of summaries of other people’s ideas and texts.
