Business Solutions Portfolio 5BUSS018W Assignment

WESTMINSTER BUSINESS SCHOOL

SCHOOL OF ORGANISATIONS, ECONOMY, AND SOCIETY

Module title: New Methods in Data Analysis for Business Decisions

Module code: 5BUSS018W

Assessment title: Business Solutions Portfolio

Assessment weighting: 75%

Assessment deadline: 13:00 30^th April 2025

Submission method: Blackboard

Date and form of feedback: Written feedback via Blackboard by 15^th May 2025

Assessment format: Written report

Word limit or Length of presentation: 2,000 words in total (+/- 10%)

Semester 2, 2024/2025

ASSESSMENT BRIEFING

The Assessment

The second assessment for this module is the Business Solutions Portfolio. This is an individual assessment, not a group project. During the module we will be learning about different types of data, the methods used to analyse data, how these are applied in different contexts - and importantly - the strengths and limitation of different approaches. For this assessment, students will draw on the concepts introduced in lectures to critique two case-studies relevant for business, government or the third sector. The mark for the Business Solutions Portfolio will be worth 75% of the overall module.

Case studies and real-world examples will be used throughout the module to introduce techniques and concepts, and this assessment follows a similar practice-based approach the aim is not to provide the skills required to carry out the analytical techniques, but to ensure that students become critical consumers of research and analysis. Students will draw on the concepts presented during the lectures to complete this assessment. Each of the two case-study critiques should include an introduction to why this issue is important, and the policy or business background; a critique of the data, analysis and/or conclusions in the case study, drawing on the concepts introduced in the lectures; and present a clear summary to conclude. The complete assessment criteria are listed at the end of this document.

The assessment will take the form of a word document (max 2,000 words +/- 10%; approx. 1,000 words for each case study critique, excluding reference list) which should evidence your learning throughout this module.

The teaching and learning sessions in Week 11 will be a portfolio workshop dedicated to activities to provide formative feedback on CW2 draft work (pitches), and answering any remaining questions students may have. Students will also have the opportunity to work on this assessment during teaching and learning sessions; and bring any questions to the teaching team.

All portfolios must be submitted online via Blackboard before 1pm on 30^th April 2025.

A short video accompanying this Assessment Brief is available on the module Blackboard page in the Assessment: Coursework 2 folder (link to video).

LEARNING OUTCOMES ADDRESSED:

The learning outcomes this assessment contributes to are as follows:

1. Critically appraise real-world case-studies relevant for business, government and the third sector;

1. Critically evaluate the robustness of the main analytical techniques used across business and government to inform decision-making;

1. Identify key strengths and weaknesses of different types of data and analysis used in the workplace.

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

The assessment criteria and weightings show you what is important in the assessment and how marks are shared across each criterion. When you are completing your assessment remember you need to fulfil the brief and the assessment criteria below.

The University has arrangements for marking, internal moderation, and external scrutiny. Further information can be found in Section 12 of the Handbook of Academic Regulations.

ASSESSMENT MARKING BLACKBOARD RUBRIC

ANONYMOUS MARKING

Do NOT include your name or student number within the file name or anywhere within your submission. The submission will be subject to anonymous marking. Having logged into Blackboard the system will record your details anonymously and tutors will only see your name after the entire submission has been assessed and provisional marks have been released to all students at the same time.

REFERENCING REQUIREMENTS FOR THE ASSESSMENT

Statements, assertions, and ideas made in coursework should be supported by citing relevant sources. Sources cited in the text should be listed at the end of the assignment in a reference list. Any material that you read but do not cite in the report should go into a separate bibliography. Unless explicitly stated otherwise by the module teaching team, all referencing should be in Cite Them Right referencing format. If you are not sure about this, the library provides guidance (available via the library website pages): https://libguides.westminster.ac.uk/referencing

THE DEADLINE AND SUBMITTING YOUR COURSEWORK - CHECKS

Unless indicated otherwise, coursework is submitted via Blackboard. Remember to keep the receipt of your submission carefully, for your records.

The deadline for this assessment is 30^th April 2025 at 13:00 UK time. This means that your work should be fully uploaded before 13:00. The University would treat your submission as late if your work has not been fully uploaded and stored on the server before 13:00. To avoid your submission being marked as late, we highly recommend you upload your work as soon as possible before the deadline and not wait until or just before the deadline to start uploading your work. Please note that at busy times the coursework submission process may run slowly and hence it is in your best interest not to leave submitting your work very close to the deadline.

To submit your assignment:

1. Log on to Blackboard at http://learning.westminster.ac.uk;

1. Go to the Blackboard site for this module.

1. Click on the Assessment area for the module.

1. Click on the link Assessment: Coursework 2 then Submit Coursework for the assignment to submit.

1. Follow the instructions, ensuring that you have selected the correct file to upload.

PENALTIES FOR LATE SUBMISSION AND ADVICE ABOUT MITIGATING CIRCUMSTANCES

Any assessment submitted late online will be penalised unless you submit a claim for Mitigating Circumstances (MC) and the claim is accepted by the Registry. Check this page for more information about mitigating circumstances: https://www.westminster.ac.uk/current-students/guides-and-policies/assessment-guidelines/mitigating-circumstances-claims

Coursework submitted late but within 24 hours of the original deadline, will have 10 marks deducted from the original mark to a minimum of the pass mark (40% at undergraduate level). For example, a piece of assessment awarded a mark of 70% would be reduced to 60% as a penalty for late submission. If you submit your coursework more than 24 hours late after the specified deadline you will be given a mark of zero for the work in question unless the Mitigating Circumstances claim has been accepted officially by the Registry.

If a coursework deadline extension has been granted as a reasonable adjustment approved by Disability Learning Support, and/or a successful Mitigating Circumstances claim, the late submission penalties will be applied to the extended deadline.

If you do not submit an MC claim or if your MC claim is rejected, then your work will be penalised in line with the assessment regulations.

DIFFICULTIES IN SUBMITTING ASSIGNMENTS ON TIME

If you are having technical difficulties with submission, please email the module leader Peter Urwin on urwinp@westminster.ac.uk to ask for advice.

If you have difficulties for reasons beyond your control (e.g., serious illness, family problems etc.) that prevent you from submitting the assessment, make sure you apply to the Mitigating Circumstances board with evidence to support your claim as soon as possible. Further details can be found on the following URL: https://www.westminster.ac.uk/current-students/guides-and-policies/assessment-guidelines/mitigating-circumstances-claims

If you do not submit the coursework on time log a call via the IT Service Desk that can be found on this webpage: https://servicedesk.westminster.ac.uk/support/home

Please make sure that your message is very specific. The Service Desk will then email you confirmation that you will be able to use it as supporting written evidence for your MC claim. You should take screenshots or make short videos that capture the issue, such as the error messages on the screen, as you may use them as supporting written evidence for your MC claim.

ACADEMIC SUPPORT & FEEDBACK ARRANGEMENTS

For this assessment there will be an opportunity for academic support & feedback during a dedicated workshop during the teaching and learning sessions in Week 11, where you can work on your assessment, and you can receive support and feedback on your assessment prior to submission. Further details are provided in the module handbook. There will also be opportunities to receive academic support during lectures and through the discussion board on the module blackboard site.

After submission, summative feedback will be provided online via blackboard, where feedback takes the form of an indication of performance on the provided making grid. You will also receive a number on key points of strength, weakness and academic skills you can improve upon. We aim to provide you this feedback within 15 working days, i.e., by the 15^th of May 2025. After the feedback has been released online there will also be an opportunity to meet with marker for oral feedback. If you are unsure about how to see your provisional marks and feedback, the following LINK will explain how you can do this - https://blog.westminster.ac.uk/blackboardhelp/marks-and-feedback/

General feedback for the entire module will also be made via blackboard to the module, which will discuss the key areas of shared strengths, weaknesses, and academic skills improvements. This general feedback is likely to be issued before your specific summative feedback and we would strongly encourage you to read this feedback to improve your understanding of the module and potentially areas of weaknesses in your academic skills which you could develop before your next submission within your course.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

What you submit for assessment must be your own current work. It will automatically be scanned through a text-matching system to check for possible plagiarism.

Do not reuse material from other assessments that you may have completed on other modules. Collusion with other students (except when working in groups), recycling previous assignments (unless this is explicitly allowed by the module leader) and/or plagiarism (copying) of other sources including Generative AI (unless allowed within the module), all are offences and are dealt with accordingly. Please see the detailed guidance on Academic misconduct. If you are not sure about this, then speak to your module leader.

University of Westminster Quality & Standards statement

Plagiarism is a particular form of cheating. Plagiarism must be avoided at all costs and students who break the rules, however innocently, will be penalized. It is your responsibility to ensure that you understand correct referencing practices. As a university-level student, you are expected to use appropriate references and keep carefully detailed notes of all your sources of material, including any material downloaded from the www.

Plagiarism is defined as submission for assessment of material (written, visual or oral) originally produced by another person or persons, without acknowledgement, in such a way that the work could be assumed to be your own. Plagiarism may involve the unattributed use of another persons work, ideas, opinions, theory, facts, statistics, graphs, models, paintings, performance, computer code, drawings, quotations of another persons actual spoken or written words, or paraphrases of another persons spoken or written words.

Plagiarism covers both direct copying and copying or paraphrasing with only minor adjustments:

• a direct quotation from a text must be indicated by the use of quotation marks (or an indented paragraph in italics for a substantive section) and the source of the quote (title, author, page number and date of publication) provided.

• a paraphrased summary must be indicated by attribution of the author, date and source of the material including page numbers for the section(s) which have been summarized.

Generative AI in your Studies

Rapidly advancing AI technologies, notably in language and image generation, necessitate clarity on the Universitys stance towards tools like ChatGPT and DALL-E. The University insists on original work from students, requiring independent thought and proper source citation. Outsourcing assignments to machines or third parties constitutes cheating, undermines critical thinking skills, hinders student development, and diminishes their potential contributions in both the academic and professional world.

The University recognises that students may legitimately use GenAI in a number of ways including for example: Assisting with grammar and spelling, utilizing it as a search tool for researching assignment topics, helping with planning, and developing the outline structure of a written assessment, generating ideas for graphics, images, and visuals, obtaining explanations of concepts, debugging code, overcoming writers block. These specific applications of GenAI can support students in their academic endeavours. However, its important to note that while these uses are permissible, students must still adhere to the principles of academic integrity and properly cite any sources or references derived from the assistance provided by GenAI. Please see the link below for more details on this

https://www.westminster.ac.uk/current-students/news/universitys-policy-on-use-of-generative-ai

Please note that some subject areas/specific taught modules will potentially have other legitimate ways for you to use GenAI and that details of this will be communicated to you by module leaders where necessary.

For details on different forms of academic misconduct and associated penalties, please see the details on the link.