Faculty of Business and Law

Bristol Business School

ACADEMIC YEAR 2022/23

ASSESSMENT BRIEF : COMPONENT A

Module Code: UMCDQ-15-3

Module Title: ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Submission Deadline: Component A: The presentations will take place w/c 18 December
and the slides with the notes will be uploaded on Turnitin for all
groups by 5pm on the 15 December 2023.

Assessment Component: Online presentation

Assessment Weighting: 25%

Assessment Instructions

Your task will be to identify an area of Business and Management that you are interested in and which
relates with your degree e.g. Marketing, Operations, HRM, Accounting and Finance etc. You should
investigate 2 specific countries, addressing the following points:

1. What are the key characteristics of the chosen industry/sector in terms of growth and
development? How have these characteristics impacted on employers’ requirements in relation to
hiring graduates?
2. For each country, critically analyse graduates’ career readiness and any skills gap that exist.
3. Based on your analysis, make a comparison between the selected countries and critically discuss
similarities and differences.
4. Drawing on your research , what suggestions you can make to employers and graduates?

Guidance

● Working in groups of 3-4, you will present your work for about 20 minutes online to a group of
assessors using Blackboard Collaborate. The slides will have to be submitted in advance, along with
your scripts/notes.
● You are expected to use at least 15 academic references to inform your work and you should use
 Harvard Referencing on your slides.

Marking Criteria

MARK KNOWLEDGE (30%) ANALYSIS (30%) EVALUATION (30%) PRESENTATION

& INDIVUDAL
CONTRIBUTION
(10%)
Demonstrates a detailed and Perceptive analysis which raises Strong development of argument Professional use of
comprehensive knowledge and insightful issues and creates a technology
understanding of the theories and deeper understanding of the Excellent evidence of critical thinking
organisational context - Concepts are not unquestioningly
concepts used.
accepted at face value and are
Very good integration of theory questioned in the light of the analysis,
Shows excellent evidence of Excellent structure a strong
and practice, connections are pros and cons, strengths and
reading widely with extensive use opening or introduction with
made between what a given weaknesses d
of wide range of relevant ‘signposts’, a clear flow and
theory says and how it connects
literature and media.
to the given organisational Well supported evaluations based on logical transitions, between
context evidence informed by recent theory the points made and
between speakers
Well chosen, interesting and
Handles scholarly material highly relevant examples
excellently and is skillful in
70+ identifying relevant and Very good research into the
Excellent team co-ordination
appropriate theory. subject
in presentation with all team
members participating
equally

Excellent communication
with the audience – slides
were clear and free from
error; the team handled
questions skillfully and
professionally

Demonstrates a good knowledge Good evidence of analysis, that Good development of an argument Skilled use of technology
and understanding of theories and creates insight and understanding
concepts – clearly stated and Some evidence of critical thinking,
accurate – but some areas could Good integration of theory and sound judgement, clear reasoning
be stronger. practice – specific opinions and support for evaluations
A coherent structure
supported by theory and observed
Shows good evidence of reading, practice but unimaginatively demonstrating creative use
Some evidence informed by theory
going beyond the more basic texts of the medium, but some
supporting detailed observations
and sources, as evidenced by Good number and quality of areas could be stronger
reference to a good range of examples
relevant literature and media.

60+ Handles scholarly material well

Good research into the subject
Good team co-ordination in
and identifies relevant and
presentation
appropriate theory.

Good communication with

the audience – slides were
mostly clear and free from
error; the team handled
questions well

Broadly adequate knowledge, but Reasonable analysis in places, but An argument is present, but Competent use of technology
contains errors. sometimes lapses into description sometimes difficult to follow
rather than analysis
Adequate evidence of reading Evidence of judgment, with some
 Some linkage between theory attempt at evaluation but tendency Some evidence of structure
with some reference to relevant and practice – more specific towards description that allowed the team to
literature and media. opinions supported by theory are communicate the message
needed Some evidence supporting more but much to improve
Handles scholarly material detailed observations
adequately and generally Satisfactory number and quality of
identifies relevant and illustrations and examples
appropriate theory.
Decent research into the subject Adequate team co-ordination
50+ in presentation

Clumsy - may use technical

language, but doesn’t show full
understanding. Adequate communication
with the audience – some
omissions and errors in the
slides and in the handling of
questions

Weak knowledge and Limited analysis, tending toward Has an argument, but it is weak and Limited use of technology
understanding of theories and description sometimes difficult to follow
concepts (generalized /
incomplete/ has errors). Little linkage between theory and Some evidence supporting general
practice – focusing on one at the statements but poor judgement The beginning of a coherent
Limited evidence of reading – core expense of the other) structure but overall poor
text/lecture material only. handling of the material
Weak or few illustrations and
Poor handling of scholarly examples Some unsupported assertions, largely
40+ material and problems in
identifying and applying
descriptive

appropriate / relevant theories. Little research into the subject Poor team co-ordination in
presentation

Poor communication with the

audience – ‘sloppy’
presentation

Knowledge and understanding of Little or no analysis which is Very little evidence supporting Poor use of technology
theories and concepts is very heavily descriptive. assertions and judgements
weak or non-existent. No evidence of coherent
37 No linkage between theory and structure – confused and
Little or no evidence of reading practice (Either: mostly practice- weak argument with no
with very few or no references to obvious line of thought
based, OR theory-based) Unsubstantiated, generalised
30 relevant literature and media. statements and opinions
Very poor, very few, irrelevant
Lack of theoretical framework or
illustrations or examples. Conclusions based on speculation
20 use of irrelevant / inappropriate
theories.
No team co-ordination in
presentation
Poor research into the subject

0
Poor communication with the
audience

Formative Feedback and Support

Formative feedback provides opportunities to reflect on your ongoing work and preparation for your
assignment. There will be specific sessions, both in the lecture and workshops, to help you with the
assignment. In addition, there will be dedicated drop-in sessions with the module leaders to provide you
with additional support (these will be both face to face and online).

Format

Please use the following file format(s): .doc / .docx / .ppt / .pdf (please note that files submitted in
formats associated with Apple Mac computers are not able to be opened, and thus, not able to be marked.
It is your responsibility to ensure that you submit your coursework in the appropriate format. We cannot
ensure that other formats are compatible with markers’ software.

Please ensure that you provide the following details on the first slide of your PowerPoint presentations:

● Student Numbers of all group members

● The module Name and Code

● Your group name

Word Limit

● There is no word or slide limit per se, but please do bear in mind that you will have 20 minutes in total
to present. It will be important therefore to decide on the optimal number of slides.

You can view the UWE word count policy here: http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/aboutus/policies

Further Guidance and Support

Guidance on study skills: http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/students/studysupport/studyskills.aspx

Support from the FBL Academic Success Centre:

http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/bl/bbs/aboutus/studentexperience/academicsupportcentre.aspx

Writing skills

https://www1.uwe.ac.uk/students/studysupport/studyskills/readingandwriting/writing.aspx

Guidance on UWE assessment regulations and terminology:

http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/students/academicadvice/assessments/assessmentsguide.aspx

Guidance on using the library: http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/library/usingthelibrary.aspx

Personal Circumstances

If you are experiencing difficulties in completing a piece of assessment on time due to unexpected
circumstances (for example illness, accident, bereavement), you should seek advice from a Student
Support Adviser at the earliest opportunity.
Please note the module leader cannot grant personal circumstances or extensions.

Appointments with a student adviser can be made via an Information Point or online at:

http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/students/academicadvice/studentadvisers.aspx

The Student Support Adviser will advise as to whether you should submit an application for ‘Personal
Circumstances (PCs)’, how to do so and what evidence is required to support the application.

Further details on PCs can be found here:

http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/students/academicadvice/assessments/personalcircumstances.aspx
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