Individual SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT
Submission format: Written Report (2000 words) highlights of the project are to be briefly presentedin class
Aims and Objective
This final individual project report ‘Analysis – A Sustainable Business Scenario in 2060’ builds on the formative assessment (see the above brief for the formative assessment) and should reflect your ability to consolidate your knowledge and understanding of the key concepts and tools learned throughout the module and whilst being free to express your creativity in a medium term future context.
The project consists ofdeveloping a scenario for a sustainable businessset ~ 45 years ahead in 2060. You should provide a rationale for a future business/industry that is plausible. You should also show that it offers an ‘innovative’ solution to a set of identified, difficult, environmental and social challenges that might exist at that time.The aim of the scenario analysis is to help you gain insights into how business can plan and innovate for the future in an uncertain world and into the far medium term. The chosen 2060 business scenario should be justified by analysis of current, emerging and future trends related to the chosen business sector and country, and take into account environmental limitations and the socio-political issues and technology changes. This should be illustrated through the creation of key intermediate milestones on a timeline that stretches from today to 2060..
The aim is to demonstrate your analytical skills, understanding of the complex issues, risks and opportunities business face and apply the appropriate knowledge, as well as creative and entrepreneurial thinking to reach convincing solutions for a sustainable global business. The future setting will allow you greater creative freedom. However, you are also expected to document your rationale using currently credible sources and bibliography based both on key readings on the module as well as in your individual research.
Format
Written report (can contain illustrations and bullet points) (2000 words +- 10%), Word processed, using 11pt with 1.5 line spacing.
Guidelinesfor content and structure (Indicative)
This project will be assessed on the way the document is structured and written. Make sure you check spelling and grammar. It is highly recommended to include illustrations such as images, drawings, tables, graphs if appropriate but make sure you provide captions that include the sources correctly, authors/ copyright under the image. To construct a coherent structure for your report you should consider the following:
• Stick to what is relevant and be concise, write in a clear, brief and direct style
• Make sure you make logical sections with clear headings • Any extra background information should go in the appendices.
• Include figures/diagrams/charts if need be (don’t put these in the appendix)
Title page: the title, sub-title if any, date, student name and module.
Contents page: including the headings for the sections
Introduction: provide a brief overview of what the report contains and highlight clearly the aims and objectives. (c. 250 words) (write this last)
Sustainability Situation analysis 2060: In a concise manner introduce the context in which the project is set. Based upon your Formative assessment research and analysis, briefly describe what will be the external sustainability drivers and barriers in your chosen Industry and Country in the year 2060. Consider the Environmental constraints, Social- economic position, Technical advances and Legal influences that you will rely upon later in the report. (c.200-300 words)
Business Scenario 2060: Introduce the scenario set in 2060 that describes a sustainable business that operates within the Industry/ Country previously described. What is happening? (You may base this on findings from using PESTEL analysis and SWOT analysis, however these tools must NOT be included here but in the appendix only). Then present a market ‘offer’ of this company in 2060 that is plausible and ‘innovative’ and addresses the difficult environmental and social challenges of that time. Aim to describe how the company has adapted to the challenges through technological and other advances based on various trends you will have researched previously. (c. 500-800words)
Connect the Scenario in 2060 to today: Based upon your Formative assessment, analyse how the current Industry/ Country situation with regards to the environmental and social challenges will develop toward the scenario presented above for 2060. Aim to illustrate though key intermediate milestones roughly 15 years apart. Using sustainability concepts and models aim to explain why the future business strategy will develop through the milestones you propose? In addition reference and analyse currently published trends in the environmental, social and technical challenges you have identified for today, to explain why the future business strategy will develop through the milestones you propose. Why should certain environmental impacts be prioritized? What changes in society need to take place and why? Did the business model need to change? How are the global markets reacting? How is industry responding? What technological advancements make your scenario logical? (c. 500 -750 words)
Timeline 2016-2060: provide a timeline using ‘guestimates’ of various events (see ‘backtracking’) as described above, that will have led to your future scenario. This can be a done using a diagram.
Bibliography: All sources need to be cited including Internet.References should be traceable – anyone reading your report should be able to follow up your references so they must be able to find them from what you’ve written.Use the Harvard system: AUTHOR LAST NAME, first name (DATE), Full Title, where published, name of publisher.
Research and documentation:
To support your scenario and strategy you should apply core information and concepts presented inthe textbook and the lecture/seminar presentations alongside an array of reliable and relevant sources of information that you will research independently. You should consult official (government) as well as industry and company sources. Additional, third party sources should be used, see the RULDiscoverylibrary on-line resources such as such as EBSCOhost databases, Greenfiles etc. If you use selected quotes from any source you must indicate the source properly. All quotes, and resources used in the report must be referenced using the standard Harvard system (see the Student College Handbook for guidance). Make sure the sources are relevant to your topic and what you write. For good practice you should aim to have a minimum of 7-8 sources of which 3 should be from the RULDiscovery database.
In Class presentation:
As part of your assessment you have to perform a brief in class presentation of the main section of your report for a minimum duration of 3 minutes. That is, you must perform if you are to pass the module. However, the quality of your presentation will not count towards your assessment however the content should reflect the main points of your analysis. It is good practice to learn to present your work to a group of your peers. It will be interesting for them to understand, in a structured way, what you have been working on. You can present in any format that is both visual and audible. If you have not finished your presentation it will be stopped at 7 minutes.
Assessment
This project report is a summative assessment and weights 100% of the final grade for this module.
The assessment will be moderated. No negotiation of marks will be possible once the final mark is given to you with feedback.
The final mark will be assessed using the criteria below.
CRITERIA
Demonstrates analytical evaluation and systemic understanding
Relevancy and quality of the scenario plan
Correct use and application of sustainability concepts and tools to sustain the analysis and recommendations
Structure, coherence and clarity of the text
Research skills and correct use of referencing and bibliography
Presentation and argumentation skills displayed in the report and reflected in the presentation material
Project Title: Analysis – A Sustainable Business Scenario in 2060
Individual Formative assessment:
Submission format: 6 sides A4 – A synopsis/ summary of your research and analysis – see guidelines below.
For this individual project you are requested:
Firstly, to research the current sustainability challenges of an industry/business in a country of your choice, but consider your home country first.
Secondly, based on your findings you should project these same sustainability challenges into the future to the year 2060, this should be illustrated at key date milestones which should be justified through some form of analysis.
Thirdly, based upon your projection and using analytical tools practiced within the module, you should create a scenario, set in 2060, which describes the sustainability challenges your chosen industry/business is facing then. For example, it could be a resource-constrained, low carbon economy, with harsh environmental and social conditions and significant technological advances.
The aim of using scenario planning and other analytical tools, is to help you gain insights into how Industry/business can plan for a sustainable future in an uncertain world.
The aim is also to help you establish a context for understanding the sustainability drivers and barriers that affect a chosen industry/business in your chosen country and to demonstrate the relational aspects between global and local sustainability related factors.
Articulating this in more detail, this assessment builds on three successive tasks:
Task 1: ‘Situating Sustainability challenges in current Industry/Business’
You will need to examine the national need for sustainable development and the current mind-set about its benefits and challenges. Based on research into current geo-political, socio-economic, legal and environmental factors affecting the nation; the industry; or the business; you should select the major challenges in terms of environmental risks and socio-political issues that pose a direct risk to the Industry/company and its community. In addition, you should research existing industry standards and country /government laws and regulations to understand how these affect business decisions in terms of sustainability going forward. This will be the baseline from which your 2060 scenario must be linked. This should constitute no more than 20% of your project.
Task 2: ‘Trend analysis for future industry/business ’
Starting from what you have established from your research into the current Industry/company sustainability situation you will research emerging and future trends related to the business sector you have chosen, (see peSTLE factors) as well as the predictions and future visions for 2050/2060 from the EU, UN and several organisations. In addition you need to highlight which environmental factors will impact your business/ industry sector the most such as: fresh water shortage, waste, land-use, climate change, pollution and bio-diversity loss. This will serve as a backdrop for your futures scenario. Key milestones between now and 2060 must be highlighted from your analysis of your projection to form a ‘timeline’. Ask what if? Using ‘blue-sky’ thinking means daring to imagine what the world would be like in the future. This should constitute at least 25% of your project
Task 3: Create a future industry/business sustainability scenario set in 2060’
Building upon the initial research (current business context and futures trends) you must project the sustainability challenges into the future – year 2060. There will be several possible futures, but you must select and develop one scenario for your chosen industry/business that is plausible but also allows your industry/business to be ‘innovative’.
Secondly you should describe, again using ‘blue sky’ thinking, how your future industry/business is operating and creating competitive advantage by addressing the difficult environmental and social challenges of that time in terms of innovative technologies and business models, etc. Your projected solution should focus around the technical, social and environmental. This should constitute at least 40% of your project.
Formative Assessment Format:
Up to 6 sides of A4
The findings should be analysed and summarised on up to 6 sides of A4 that captures the headlines of the scenario set in 2060 (Task 3) and the path it travelled from today (Task 2) and the situation today (Task 1). Aim to show your analytical thinking. In addition you must include a list of references that carefully documents the bibliography and other sources used in the research.
Guidelines
• Can be loose leaf or in an A4 folder of no more than 6 sides (consider printing on both sides)
• The contents should be legible. This task requires you to be VERY selective in the information you present. The idea is not to present the whole of your findings but to draw out the headlines and make a coherent story. Recommend you use Power-point to create A4 slides (you can amend these for your Summative presentation). However the overall effect should be neat and
‘professional looking’.
• Use visuals such as illustrations, photos, drawings, tables, graphs but you must make sure to acknowledge the sources correctly (author, title, publisher, copyright date). Make sure you check spelling and grammar.
Formative Assessment Prompts:
Scenario
Here are some scenario prompts to help you on your way:
• When: The timeline between now and2060
• Where: The geographical location, as well as the socio-economic-environmental setting.
• Who: The users and what does the industry/business cater for? (e.g. demographics, needs, interests, aspirations, values, range…)
• What: the innovation/ business offer? What strategy is the best to meet the challenges of the environmental limitation/s (e.g. water shortage or climate change) and or social issues in relation to the industry’s and country’s specific conditions in 2060?
• Why: thedrivers/ barriers/ challenges and opportunities that will affect your industry/business in 2060 and how have they changed since 2015? (think potential environmental and social impacts?) Think projecting a timeline showing intermediate milestones
• How: describe how the industry/business is innovative, feasible and responsive to the sustainability challenges of 2060.
Research and documentation:
To support your findings you are encouraged to use an array of reliable and relevant sources of information. You should consult official (government) as well as industry and company sources. Additionally, third party sources are also useful see the college on-line resources such as such as via RUL Discovery, Greenfiles etc.
Remember to also apply the information from your textbook and lecture/seminar presentations as well. If you select quotes from any source you must indicate that source properly. All quotes, and
resources used in the presentation must be referenced using the standard Harvard system (see the
Student College Handbook for guidance).