You are required to select a hospitality organisation of your choice and undertake a critical and reflective evaluation of its business strategy. The assignment requires you to evaluate two aspects of the business strategy of the organisation, one at a time, in the following order: 1. The business positioning strategy of the organisation. 2. The existing and future development strategy of the organisation. 6.2 Guidance Notes Format • This assignment requires you to begin by producing a brief introduction to the organisation, followed by two separate pieces of written work which, whilst together not comprising a report as such, should be prepared and written following the conventions of report format. • This means that each of the two main pieces of work should begin with a short introduction (which includes a brief summary of the research undertaken) and end with some conclusions and, in the case of the second and final piece of work only, some recommendations. • The introduction should comprise no more than 300 words, the second piece of work no more than 1,500 words, and the third piece no more than 1,200 words, thereby representing an overall length of no more than 3,000 words, excluding references and appendices. • You can access Guidance Notes on Report Writing via Moodle. • An appropriate cover page should be attached to the front of your work. • All pages should be numbered. • A contents page should be included to include, where applicable, a list of appendices. • A summary page is not required. • Appropriate supporting information may be included in the form of Appendices although care must be taken to limit this to only essential information. The quality and purpose of the information is far more important than its quantity. You should be selective and only include material which adds to, clarifies or illustrates a point that you are making. Additional information should not be used to fill out your portfolio at the expense of original analysis and reflective commentary. You should not expect your tutor to read copious quantities of company material ! • Although a Bibliography is not required, a List of References is to be provided at the end of each of the four pieces of writing. Methodology Unlike the first assessment (Essay), where you were only expected to undertake secondary research, you are expected to complete primary research in the course of compiling this Portfolio, and indeed this will be necessary in order to produce a piece of work of the required content and standard. Content This second assessment is designed to provide you with an opportunity to evidence your knowledge and understanding of several aspects of the key theory that underpin the module through being asked to apply these within the context of evaluating the business strategy of an organisation of your choice within your country’s hospitality industry. You need to therefore ensure that your discussion is based upon and structured around several of the key theoretical frameworks that relate to the various aspects being evaluated. Equally importantly, the assessment is designed to support development of your powers of more critical and reflective thinking and writing, as appropriate to the stage and level of the programme and module. You need to therefore also ensure that you do not merely think superficially, and write in descriptive terms, but rather ensure that you present your personal opinions, and draw your own conclusions and recommendations, based upon the evidence that you have researched, as compared Assessment Two - Portfolio 27 Hospitality Business Development Student Study Guide with the related theory. Do not fall into the trap of simply repeating the theory verbatim – simply reference the selected frameworks and then concentrate upon applying them! As a guide, your portfolio should begin with a short general introduction to the organisation which should briefly describe the following: Introduction (300 words) o Operational concept of the business o Product/s and service/s offered to guests/customers o Geographical location/s of operation/s o Key market/s and segments o Portfolio of brands – if applicable Your portfolio should then continue with an evaluation of each of the two main aspects in turn. As a guide, each evaluation should address the undernoted points and be based upon appropriate theoretical frameworks such as those examples indicated in italics: Business positioning strategy (1,500 words) o Existing market/s and segment/s i.e. size, location, customer/guest base, trends o Marketing and promotion strategy i.e. marketing mix; promotional tools; distribution channels; use of intermediaries o Sales techniques e.g. retailing; merchandising o Existing capabilities i.e. resources and competences leading to unique selling points and means by which value is generated; brand promises and standards o Basis of existing competitive advantage i.e. cost leadership, focus or differentiation o Existing competition i.e. strengths/weaknesses; opportunities/threats; current position; Hospitality business positioning analysis framework (Adapted from Lovelock, 1984, cited in Hassanien, Dale & Clarke, 2010, p.67) Marketing mix for services (Booms and Bitner, 1981, cited in Hudson, 2008, p. 16) The hospitality communication mix (Bowie &Buttle, 2004, p.201) Generic competitive strategies (Adapted from Porter, 1985, cited in Hassanien, Dale & Clarke, 2010, p.159) Existing and future development strategy (1,200 words) o Existing growth strategy i.e. market penetration, market development, product development or diversification o Existing operating model e.g. single ownership and operation; joint venture; management contracting; franchising o Recommendations regarding future development directions Decision-making criteria for routes and directions (Hassanien, Dale & Clarke, 2010, p.172) Directional matrix (Adapted from Ansoff, 1988, cited in Hassanien, Dale & Clarke, 2010, p.165) Referencing • It is crucial that you provide a List of References at the end of each piece of work, and reference thoroughly within your written work. • As you approach completion of your Portfolio, you are also most strongly encouraged to run a draft through Turnitin. • You should also note that all students on this module are required to submit their final coursework not only in hard copy format, but also electronically through Turnitin, by the due submission date and time. Length Limit • It is important that you observe the stipulated limit regarding the length of each of the two pieces of work. You are expected to indicate the total word count at the end of each piece of writing. It is normal practice to allow +/- 10% of a stipulated limit before penalties begin to be imposed for undue length or brevity. N.B. Any Portfolio longer than 3,600 words will automatically receive a capped mark of 40 Word Processing • All student work should be word processed using Arial size 12 font. Submission • Your Portfolio must be submitted by no later than the end of Week 14, under arrangements that will be notified locally, both in hard copy to the Local Tutor and also electronically to the Module Leader through Moodle, using “Turnitin” software. • Marks and feedback will be provided by no later than the end of Week 1 of the following Trimester. A copy of the related proforma may be found below. • Submissions received up to five days after the due date and time will be accepted but can only be given a maximum mark of 40%. Any subsequent submissions will neither be accepted nor marked. • University Regulations permit only two possible exceptions to the above rulings: o An Extension (of up to a maximum of two weeks) has been requested of, and granted by, the Module Leader in advance. o A Claim for Extenuating Circumstances to be taken into consideration has been submitted and subsequently upheld by the Faculty Committee concerned. • Ensure you keep an electronic copy of your work. 6.3 Assessment Criteria. (a) Specific Assessment Criteria (As related to Module Learning Outcomes) • General introduction: appropriateness of content; structure and balance of commentary; clarity and conciseness - 10% • Analysis and evaluation: use, interpretation and application of theoretical frameworks; knowledge and understanding of related subject material; breadth and depth of analysis; levels of critical and reflective discussion; structure and balance of commentary; ability to draw appropriate conclusions and, where appropriate, recommendations – 55% Total: 65% (b) General Assessment Criteria • Research, investigation and approach: appropriateness of organisation/brand selected; extent, relevance and quality of secondary sources utilised and primary information gathered; overall approach - 15% • Presentation and format: writing style; clarity; spelling and grammar; conformance with conventions of report format; neatness and tidiness; inclusion of appropriate supporting information - 10% • References and referencing: extent of referencing within work; standard of listings of references; breadth, relevance, currency, and balance of sources utilised; citation practice - 10% Total: 35% Indicative Marking Structure An Indicative Marking Structure relating to each of the two pieces of coursework that you are required to undertake in respect of this module is accessible via Moodle. This is designed to help to explain how your coursework is marked in relation to the various related criteria. You should pay careful attention to this Structure, and indeed other such Structures, as they provide you with clear indications of where and how marks are gained – and lost! They are therefore invaluable in helping you gain a better understanding of what we call “mark thresholds”, that is to say what is required and expected in order to achieve given mark ranges. ASSESSMENT 2 - PORTFOLIO MARKING AND COMMENT SHEET (Weighting 50% of Total Module Assessment) Student: Aspect Assessed/ Marking Criterion Max Mark Mark Given Comments • General Introduction 10% • Business Positioning Strategy 30% • Existing and Future Development Strategy 25% • Research, Investigation and Approach 15% • Presentation and Format 10% • References and Referencing 10% • Total mark for this assessment 100