BMA6105-20 Managing Sustainability Assessment 1, 2026

Working individually, you will produce a consultancy report for a business or organisation (preferably, but not necessarily, an SME – small/medium-sized enterprise. ) outlining the steps it could take to develop its sustainability commitment and improve an element of its operations. 
Your submission should be written in a professional consultancy report style (clear headings, evidence-based analysis, and practical recommendations with feasibility considerations).

You could:
- Choose a business or organisation you work for/have worked for in the past,
OR
- Choose a business/organisation you have contacts/networked with (family or friends),
OR
- A business/organisation where you can access research and/or data online (web/research-based).

NB – the choice of business or organisation should be one you can either access directly or for which you have the potential to obtain some good research data and materials. 

You will consider the pressures upon the business to become more sustainable and the challenges it might face, and outline a strategic approach to making changes.

Please note:
FOCUS – All reports will be:
• a) broadly focused on sustainability thinking in the first instance
• b) All reports must be grounded in sustainability thinking and then focus in depth on ONE clearly defined operational area. A second area may only be included if it is directly interlinked, and this scope is explicitly agreed with your tutor. See suggestions for areas below.

POSSIBLE AREAS FOR FOCUS:
• Energy use; Reducing plastic, Product redesign, Water use; Transport, Pollution, and the alternatives; Waste; Supply chains and their management; Workplace issues; CSR; Merchandising materials; Marketing Communications; or a company-specific choice.

***Please follow the instructions below and write your report according to the following sections:
Further supplementary guidance on suggested section lengths, voice (first/third person), and citing personal communications is provided in the ‘Assessment 1 Supplementary Guidance’ document.

Part 1. Introduction: Setting the scene for/of the business: 
Who/what is the business or organisation, and what does it do? You need to provide some background and context. What type of industry or activity is it involved in? Is this industry responding well to the demands of sustainability, and where does this business/organisation fit in?

Part 2. Demonstrate an understanding and background of sustainable business operations: 
Contextualise the background to sustainable organisations or businesses; discuss the necessity and characteristics of new business models and ways of operating. Is sustainability part of this industry? What are the costs to business and society of inaction?

Part 3. Outline the areas of concern related to your chosen type of business:
What is your chosen business/organisation doing wrong (badly, unsustainably, impactfully, etc., perhaps in contrast to others doing better?) Outline the problem area(s), if possible, both for the industry more broadly and for your chosen business. Is it possible to quantify the impact in some way? You can add any calculations/estimates in the appendices.

Where direct measurement data are not available, you may use credible estimates (clearly stated assumptions) supported by reliable secondary sources. Include any calculations and assumptions in the appendices.

Part 4. A critical evaluation of alternative business practices relevant to the identified concern:
Now that you have identified the problem, give some thought to what possible solutions there might be. What are the alternative courses of action they might engage in? What solutions can you identify from other studies? Try to provide a range of possible ways for the business to address your focus area. 

Part 5. Recommendations and Conclusion 
In summing up your report, you need to make some recommendations based on your range of solution options. What should the business do? How should they do it?  Set out your suggestions for the way forward, strategically considering aspects such as feasibility, costs, and timeframes where possible. Briefly reflect on your whole report analysis to draw the report to a close.

Part 6. References:
Materials used in the writing of this report are specifically referred to in the text.

Part 7. Appendixes:
 Use appendices if you want to add additional material which is informative but not essential to the points being made; they can include calculations, technical materials, etc.
 

All coursework must contain a Reference List containing a listing of all the works you have referred to and quoted from in your work. This is good academic practice. You must cite the author’s work in your text when you refer to it and list it in your Reference List. If you are in any doubt about the correct procedures for referencing, please consult the Learning and Writing Centre resources.

- Consider a clear and professional report title and title page.
- Student number and name are clearly displayed on the front page of the report.
- Consider the professional features of your report, including page layout, font, paragraphs, format style (report), etc.
- Make sure each page is numbered.
- Please use 1.5-spaced typing, 11 points.
- Each paragraph should be separated by a line space/and paragraphs justified straight on the right-hand side.

Assignment Rules and Regulations:

- All assignments should be submitted on or before the due date unless an extension has been granted by the marking tutor. 
- Please check your Student Handbook for regulations and the assessment framework. Coursework must always be submitted by 17:00 (UK time) on the due date via VLE to Turnitin UK in electronic form (unless you are specifically advised otherwise). 
- Plagiarism checking (originality scoring) – Electronic versions of your text will be compared with millions of other essays, other coursework items and published works throughout the UK university system and an ‘originality score’ will be calculated automatically to help us check for any academic unfair practice.

Feedback on Assessed Work: 

- Your work is first assessed by the tutor(s) responsible for that item. Each item is graded against its criteria, and a mark out of 100% is given. The tutor writes comments to indicate strengths and weaknesses, and suggestions on how to improve your work. It is important to read these comments if you wish to gain higher marks in future. Normally, we aim to return coursework within three weeks of the deadline.
- Moderation – your work will be moderated by the module team and compared against the module cohort marking ranges. The moderation duration is normally 15 working days (please allow for unforeseen circumstances, holiday periods, bank holidays, etc.)
- Academic judgement is final – though we are scrupulously fair, please note that marking is not an exact, quantifiable process. Academic judgement of the module team is applied in all cases.
- Your mark will be final after the EE and the exam boards have verified the work/cohort.
- Mitigation – Please refer to the Business and Management Student Handbook (available on Minerva) for details of how to apply for mitigating circumstances.
- Referencing – All references MUST conform to the BSU version of the Harvard style of referencing. For further details about referencing using the Harvard style, see Researching and referencing – Bath Spa University
- Resources – Please note that these sources appear in the Harvard style. This is the format you will need to use for all bibliographic entries made in your assignments.

 
ASSIGNMENT 1: INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANCY REPORT – Marking criteria.

85-100
You display a comprehensive understanding of the issues, and your explanations demonstrate extreme clarity of thought. You use pertinent and original case studies to illustrate your ideas. Your analysis will be authoritative and supported by the highest level of scholarship. The briefing paper is firmly contextualised within the framework of business. Your work is excellently structured and supported by faultless referencing. You will display flair and originality in your approach to achieve the highest grades.

70-84
You display a thorough understanding of the issues, and your explanations will demonstrate a high degree of clarity and be well illustrated with examples from the course material. Your analysis will be authoritative and supported by an appropriate level of scholarship. The briefing paper is firmly contextualised within the framework of business. Your work is well structured and supported by careful referencing. 

60-69
You display a detailed understanding of the issues, and your explanations will demonstrate a high degree of clarity and be well illustrated with examples from the course material. Your analysis is robust and supported by an appropriate level of scholarship. The briefing paper is contextualised specifically within the framework of business. Your work is well structured and supported by careful referencing.

50-59
You display a good understanding of the issues, and your explanations demonstrate clarity and are illustrated with examples from the course material. Your analysis is good and supported by an appropriate level of scholarship. The briefing paper is, for the most part, contextualised specifically within the framework of business.

40-49
For a pass, you display some understanding of the issues, although your explanations may lack clarity. Nevertheless, they are supported by some illustrations from the course material. You offer some analysis, but this may be limited. The briefing paper tends towards the general and is not focused specifically on business.

35-39
You display little understanding of the issues, and your explanations lack clarity. There are a few illustrations from the course material. There is little attempt at analysis. The briefing paper is not contextualised within the framework of business. Work is poorly structured, and referencing is poor.

0-34
You display no understanding of the issues, and your explanations lack coherence. There are no illustrations in the course material. There is no attempt at analysis. Your work is badly structured, and referencing is weak or non-existent. In the worst cases, the rubric of the assessment is ignored and/or there is evidence of plagiarism. Your paper offers a general approach without any attempt to contextualise it within the framework of business.

The weighted marking rubric below determines your final mark. The grade-band descriptors provide qualitative descriptions of performance at different levels. 
BM6105-20 Managing Sustainability: ASSESSMENT 1 – INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANCY REPORT. Marking Criteria