LD7191 International Business Simulation Assessment Brief | NU

LD7191 Introduction 

You will participate in an international business simulation based on the Global Telecommunications industry- think of it as an educational game which you will play. The purpose of the simulation is to give you the opportunity to apply the knowledge you have gained from the modules completed in semester one of your study by setting up and running a business.

To be successful in this module, you must demonstrate your understanding of the four core functional areas of business (marketing, finance, human resources and operations management) and how they interact with each other. You will be introduced to these topics in teaching weeks 2, 3, 4 and 5 using both theory and how this theory can be applied in practice in the simulation. 

In teaching week 6 of the semester, you will attend skills sessions which will explain the objectives of the simulation and the process for making decisions.

LD7191 Assessment A - Group Business Action Plan (10%) 

The business action plan will assess the following Module Outcomes: - 

Intellectual / Professional Skills & Abilities: 
MLO3. Be able to critically apply simulation-based software in a given problem scenario.

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA): 
MLO4. Demonstrate ability to work in cross-cultural teams.

In Week 8, using the template provided on Blackboard, each team will submit a Group Business Action Plan highlighting their company's early successes and failures after Round 1:

1.Create a one-page business action planhighlighting the key details that could encourage the entry of your global telecommunications business into new markets. This should include key elements of the items marked (a-e) below and the targets to be met after you have completed round 1. 

2.You will be marked individually on the quality of your presentation during timetabled studio session in which your group presents your action plan, and how these strategies feed into your overall market strategy and its impact on SDG's.

1. Mission/Vision Statement- what is the purpose of your company?
2. Business Objectives- measurabletargets for the end of Round 5 (e.g., Market Share, Sales Revenue, SDG's) 
3. Chosen market segments:(Price, Customer Intimacy and Quality)with brief descriptions of your growth strategy. 
4. Competitive Strategy- What are the rationales/unique features that differentiate your product from your competitors? How is this linked to your overall strategy? e.Target Ranking:What is the rationale underlying the choices of markets, delivery, prices and expansion target.

LD7191 Assessment C - Individual Analytical and Reflective Report (100%)

The individual report will assess the following Module Outcomes: - 

Knowledge & Understanding: 
MLO 1. Demonstrate critical understanding of how different business functions interact and contribute to meeting strategic objectives.

Intellectual / Professional Skills & Abilities: 
MLO 2. Systematically identify and be able to critically analyze and evaluate responsible and integrated strategic decision-making through a cross-functional approach. 

MLO 3. Be able to critically apply simulation-based software in a given problem scenario. 

Each student will submit an Individual Analytical and Reflective Report (2,500 words)as a single document on business simulation. This is the final summary of your company's performance over all 5 rounds of business and it must include the following sections:

1. Front page,with your name, ID, Studio Group/Team number, and word count. 
2. Table of Contents(with page numbers) 
3. Introduction: A brief (maximum 100 words)statement of the business objectives (which you presented in Assessment B) and company performance during the simulated business environment, This should highlight how you succeeded in meeting the core five (5) business targets; a table/diagram in each functional business areas showing the uniqueness of meeting these targets. It is important to highlight if your company has met strategic objectives such as meeting the highest annual profit, highest overall reserve, highest annual sales number, highest global annual turnover, highest turnover in Europe and outside Europe at the end of your trading activity in round 5. [5%].
4. Company Performance:A concise analysis and rationale of growth strategy and sustainability policy (800 words) ensuring that a detail explanation of all events and scenario of what happened during the simulation studio exercise aided by graphs/tables of key financial and non-financial data for the company [35%].

Guidance: It is important to show that you are fully aware and understand what happened during the seminar sessions in the simulation studio.You MUST start with the Round 1 forecasted targets and measure this against the key performance indicators (KPIs), compare the Round 1 results with the targets explain the differences in detail, and the key issues that arose. Go on to explain the rationale for the Round 2 decisions, what these were, then present the Round 2 forecast. Follow this approach for each subsequent round. You should then comment on the trendsin KPIs regarding the simulation exercise. The KPIs should include the highest annual profit, highest overall reserve, highest annual sales number, highest global annual turnover.It is suggested that you discuss suitable KPIs with the tutors for each of the four functional areas during your studio session each week. The main question you want to answer here is how your growth strategy has impacted individual or organizational decision making on social or environmental contexts. Correctly setting your targets might ensure your team victory and meeting these targets around the sustainable development goals (SDG's) will earn additional marks.

5. Learning: A critical analysis (1,300 words) on how the team used the business functional areas (financial, marketing, operations, and human resources management) material taught during the first few weeks of the term helped the company make responsible business decisions.

You are required to conduct a critical, comprehensive analysis of the internal and external business environment, highlighting key trends, challenges and opportunities that fuel the company's international competitive advantage. Justify your analysis by applying the applicable theories and models to generate growth strategies. Ensure that you include a detailed analysis of the business scenarios during the simulation studio exercise aided by graphs/tables of key financial and non- financial data for the company. The overarching goal here is to ensure that you apply strategic growth models and frameworks in your analysis. You should endeavor to evaluate market dynamics and competition, develop a business model for a sustainable multinational corporation. [45%] 

Guidance: For each of the decisions, explain how you made the decisions during the simulation exercise. Looking back, discuss how you could have made better decisions by making better use of the material taught during the semester, particularly how the functions integrate into a competitive corporate strategy. You want to ensure that you have included a business environment analysis incorporating either an internationalization strategy broken down into internal and external analysis or just using a generic Industry analysis alone. Include citations within the text to refer to relevant readings covered in class

6.Team Performance: A critical evaluation (200 words) of the performance of the teamand a personal reflection on your role in the team [10%].

Guidance: Discuss, for example, the organization of the team, the effectiveness of the decision- making process, and the roles played by individuals including leadership during the simulation exercises in the studio. How effective was your contribution to the team? What did you learn about effective teamwork and decision making? 

Reflect on your experience in working in a culturally diverse team. What would you do differently if you were given a clean slate to simulate a new business again? It is important to go beyond simply "telling a story" and to make use of relevant material from the Leadership and Management module. 

Make use of the meeting logs that you kept during the exercise. Do not talk about the specific areas of contribution, e.g. how you made financial or marketing decisions, but how you developed as a team member and how you would approach a similar exercise differently should such an opportunity arise.

7. Conclusion: An evaluation (100 words)of the extent to which your organization met the key strategic objectives set out in part 3 above, with an indication of the reasons these objectives were fully met, partially met, or not met at all. You should refer to the action plan developed in round 1 and how these strategic decisions were achieved or not achieved in your team. [5%]. 

8. References: Remember that all sources cited in the assignment should appear in the reference list. 

9. Appendices(not more than 6 pages): These should be used for supporting data and can include tables and graphs. However, Section 4 should include graphs of key data to support the explanation of performance. Key graphs and tables should appear in the body of your work.