Module code and title:

GMDGBS202 – Business Decision Making

Module leader:

Assignment No. and type:

Report (3000 words)

Assessment weighting:

100%

Submission time and date:

Target feedback time and date:

Assignment task

You must, utilising appropriate methodology and secondary data, produce a report which provides an analysis of a specific market related challenge faced by a business, and based on your analysis, propose recommendations to deal with the challenge. The report must also include relevant models, theories and concepts.

This assignment has been designed to provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate your achievement of the following module learning outcomes:

LO 1

Understand the context of business decision making and characteristics of decision-making problems;

LO 2

Identify issues involved in making complex business decisions, including relevant ethical aspects and compare various quantitative and qualitative decision-making models;

LO 3

Appreciate the need for approaching business problem solving as an integrated critical analysis as well as more specialist, functional approach;

LO 4

Be able to select and use appropriate methodologies, tools and techniques to analyse data and present a professional report.

Task requirements

OVERVIEW

Report (3000 words):    

As a business consultant you are required to assess the market and apply business decision making theories, concepts and relevant models, such as the 5 or 7 step decision making process. Market research should point the way for the company and its decision making by providing information that helps to reduce the uncertainty surrounding the decisions to be made.

You are required to make a decision concerning the specified project regarding viability and practicability, and then produce a report that recommends feasible solutions.

DESCRIPTION OF THE TASK – WHAT YOU ARE BEING ASKED TO DO?

Scenario: Business decision making is an important concept which requires full consideration. Effective research is essential as a basis for decision making. In this Report, you will undertake business decision making in relation to the scenario below using research findings and analysis.

This report will focus on the business decision making for ‘Space for Rent’, a company specialising in acquiring buildings at a reasonable price, refurbishing them to an acceptable professional standard and then renting out a space at a desk in a room, or whole rooms. The company will be a new start-up company that plans to enter the UK market within one year.

You are required to:

Report Tasks

Task 1

1.1 Select and justify an appropriate business decision-making model that would enable the business to make and take key decisions (e.g., the 5,6, or 7-step decision making process; MCDA; utilization of critical thinking, etc.).

1.2 Create a plan for the collection of primary and secondary data for the above business issue and discuss the issues involved in making complex business decisions. Note that an outline plan is required rather than an actual carrying out of a survey(s).

1.3 Select and justify an appropriate decision-making framework that you could use? Logically, it must be one which most appropriately suits the business you have chosen to set-up, e.g., AARRR; OKR; Market Opportunity Navigator.

Task 2

2.1 Identify competitors and undertake a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) of the business in relation to these competitors.

2.2 Select and justify one problem-solving technique most appropriate for your choice of business from the following: Rational Decision-Making Model; Intuitive Decision-Making Model; Creative Decision-Making Model; or Recognition-Primed Decision-Making Model.

You must demonstrate evidence of wider research, real world application and reading of core textbooks, learning materials on Moodle and academic scholarly work through Harvard referencing.

The word count excludes the cover page, table of contents, financials, references, and appendices.

References:

Akdere, M. 2011, "An analysis of decision-making process in organizations: Implications for quality management and systematic practice", Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, vol. 22, no. 12, pp. 1317-1330.
Drummond, H. & Hodgson, J. 2011;2012; 2016; Escalation in Decision-Making: Behavioural Economics in Business, Gower, GB.
Fox, M., Tost, L.P. & Wade-Benzoni, K.A. 2010, "The Legacy Motive: A Catalyst for Sustainable Decision Making in Organizations", Business Ethics Quarterly, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 153-185.
Iqbal, J., Shahi, A. & Khan, A. 2012, "DECISION MAKING IN ORGANIZATIONS: A REVIEW OF NINE YEARS", Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business, vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 660.
Jackson, R.W., Wood, C.M. & Zboja, J.J. 2013, "The Dissolution of Ethical Decision-Making in Organizations: A Comprehensive Review and Model", Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 116, no. 2. Understand the context of business decision making and characteristics of decision-making problems

You must reference all information used in the report, using the Harvard Referencing Guide.  

See attached grid for grade descriptors.

Referencing and research requirements

Please reference your work according to the Harvard style; you can access guidance on this here: https://libguides.uos.ac.uk/academic/referencing/Harvard

How your work will be assessed

Your work will be assessed on the extent to which it demonstrates your achievement of the stated learning outcomes for this assignment (see above) and against other key criteria, as defined in the University’s institutional grading descriptors. If it is appropriate to the format of your assignment and your subject area, a proportion of your marks will also depend upon your use of academic referencing conventions.

This assignment will be marked according to the grading descriptors for Level 5. 1.1 Select and justify an appropriate business decision-making model that would enable the business to make and take key decisions (e.g., the 5,6, or 7-step decision making process; MCDA; utilization of critical thinking.

Submission details

This assignment should be submitted electronically via Moodle (module tutors will discuss this process with you during class time).

• Please ensure that your work has been saved in an appropriate file format (Microsoft Word, Excel or PowerPoint, or PDF are the most widely used; Google Docs is also accepted). Your file must also contain at least 20 words of text, consist of fewer than 400 pages and be less than 40MB in size.

• You can submit your work as many times as you like before the submission date. If you do submit your work more than once, your earlier submission will be replaced by the most recent version.

• Once you have submitted your work, you will receive a digital receipt as proof of submission, which will be sent to your forwarded e-mail address (provided you have set this up). Please keep this receipt for future reference, along with the original electronic copy of your assignment

• You are reminded of the University’s regulations on academic misconduct, which can be viewed on the University website: https://www.uos.ac.uk/sites/default/files/Academic-Misconduct-Policy.pdf. In submitting your assignment, you are acknowledging that you have read and understood these regulations

Submission date and time

This assignment should be submitted before 11:59 PM UK time on 14th November 2022

You should submit all work for summative assessments by the above deadline. Work submitted up to three working days after the deadline will be accepted and marked, but the mark will be capped at the pass mark (40%) unless there is a valid reason for the late submission (i.e., having been granted an extension to the deadline or a deferral under the terms of the Extenuating Circumstances Policy).

Work submitted more than three working days after the deadline without a valid reason will not be accepted and will be recorded as 0% RN (refer, no work submitted).

For more information, please refer to: http://studenthandbook.uos.ac.uk/index.php/student-guides/assessment-the-basics-undergraduate

Feedback and marks for this assignment will be available in three weeks from the deadline.