Subject Name: MBA Capstone Assessment Title: Synthesis of Completed MBA Subjects Assessment Type: Self-reflective essay Word Limit: 2000 words References : 16 Weighting: 40% Due Date: 19/04/2017 Assessment Description As this is your capstone subject, this assessment will consolidate and explore the knowledge you have accumulated throughout your course. This assessment requires you to write a self-reflective essay as per the following instructions. Part A 1. four subjects from what you have already completed in your MBA: 1) Designing, Improving and Implementing Processes 2) Leadership Strategies for a Changing World 3) Marketing Management 4) Managing the Value Chain 2. Critically analyse these subjects and demonstrate how they interconnect to solve business problems and promote effective management practice using the four critical skills: theoretical skills, applied skills, practical skills, and reflective skills. You will offer examples of where you engaged with each of these skills in the associated subject and how it improved your level of knowledge. Part B 2. 4 theories: 1) Competitive Advantage 2) Porter’s five forces 3) Design thinking 4) Resource-based theory You have learnt in your chosen subjects and discuss the interrelationships and application of these 4 theories, and show how they can be used in analysis and the solving of business problems. Part C 4. Reflect on how your level of understanding of both the subjects and the theoretical models has developed an advanced level of knowledge for you as an effective manager. It is important to be guided by the following points: • Demonstrating theoretical skills requires you to identify some of the academic research, models, processes, and concepts that your chosen subjects share. What are the similarities and differences? How have they been integrated? Why do they span disciplines? • Demonstrating applied skills requires you to identify how these have been applied in varying contexts across your chosen subjects. What are some of the resource-related implications? How do they affect strategic decisions? What information do they provide? Assessment Information • Demonstrating practical skills requires you to think like a decision-maker. How does the identification of these connections, relationships and opportunities alter the way you make decisions? How do they affect your leadership style? What have you already changed? • Demonstrating reflective skills requires you to consider the person you’ve become. What have you learned about yourself? What did you find most challenging? What did you enjoy most? How has this study informed your values, beliefs and behaviours? Since this is a reflective essay, you only need to include referencing when specifically referring to academic theories, all of which should be annotated as per the Harvard method. Assessment Marking Rubric This reflective essay will be marked on the grounds of whether or not the following competencies are present. The sum of the evident competencies will then be divided by the total marks available in order to generate your grade for this assessment. At first this rubric may seem overwhelming. You might feel it is impossible to incorporate all of these competencies within a 2000-word limit. However, with careful planning, what you will find is that many of them actually overlap and can be effectively combined into the one competency. Writing Style Present. The introduction states the purpose of the essay, its central argument, and its structure. The conclusion summarises the arguments and draws them together into a cohesive finish. The body of the reflective essay contains paragraphs that are logically connected to each other. There are not spelling or grammatical errors ! The format of the paper is double-spaced, using 12-point font. References are included where required with each one recorded in the Harvard format. Theoretical Skills Present? Four theories, models, and/or concepts have been identified. Connections between each one have been made. Relationships between each one have been articulated. Opportunities arising from this cross-pollination of theory have been suggested. The types of strategic problems these opportunities could solve have been outlined. These connections, relationships, and opportunities have been critically analysed. Applied Skills Present. Context-relevant examples have been provided for each of the connections and relationships. Resource-related implications have been specified for each of these connections and relationships. The information generated by this accumulated knowledge has been made clear. The impact that this information has on strategic decision-making has been established. The difficulties in applying one or more of the theories in the real world have been declared. Organisational benefits and consequences have been specified. Practical Skills Present. Factors that influence the student’s decision-making processes have been made clear. The change to the student’s leadership style has been declared. The student has listed real-world examples of having already implemented these learning outcomes. The student has shown how this accumulated knowledge affects multiple decision makers. The impracticality of one or more theories has been declared. Challenges in the implementation of solutions have been declared. Reflective Skills Present The student has declared what he/she has learned about him/herself throughout this qualification. The student has declared his/her challenges and obstacles. The student has detailed how those challenges and obstacles were overcome. The student has reflected on his/her values and how they were shaped by this learning. The student has reflected on his/her beliefs and how they were tested during previous trimesters. Assessment Information The student has identified how his/her behaviour has been modified as a result.