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For staff reference only: template version 1.0 September 2023
Assessment (non-exam) Brief
Module code/name MSIN0048 Understanding Management
Module leader name Dr Sarah Warnes
Academic year 2023/24
Term 1
Assessment title Report
Individual/group assessment Individual
Submission deadlines: Students should submit all work by the published deadline date and time. Students
experiencing sudden or unexpected events beyond your control which impact your ability to complete assessed
work by the set deadlines may request mitigation via the extenuating circumstances procedure. Students with
disabilities or ongoing, long-term conditions should explore a Summary of Reasonable Adjustments.
Return and status of marked assessments: Students should expect to receive feedback within one calendar month
of the submission deadline, as per UCL guidelines. The module team will update you if there are delays through
unforeseen circumstances (e.g. ill health). All results when first published are provisional until confirmed by the
Examination Board.
Copyright Note to students: Copyright of this assessment brief is with UCL and the module leader(s) named above. If
this brief draws upon work by third parties (e.g. Case Study publishers) such third parties also hold copyright. It must
not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or shared with any other individual(s) and/or
organisations, including web-based organisations, without permission of the copyright holder(s) at any point in time.
Academic Misconduct: Academic Misconduct is defined as any action or attempted action that may result in a
student obtaining an unfair academic advantage. Academic misconduct includes plagiarism, obtaining help
from/sharing work with others be they individuals and/or organisations or any other form of cheating. Refer to
Academic Manual Chapter 6, Section 9: Student Academic Misconduct Procedure – 9.2 Definitions.
Referencing: You must reference and provide full citation for ALL sources used, including AI sources, articles, text
books, lecture slides and module materials. This includes any direct quotes and paraphrased text. If in doubt,
reference it. If you need further guidance on referencing please see UCL’s referencing tutorial for students. Failure
to cite references correctly may result in your work being referred to the Academic Misconduct Panel.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools in your Assessment: Your module leader will explain to you if and how AI
tools can be used to support your assessment. In some assessments, the use of generative AI is not permitted at all.
In others, AI may be used in an assistive role which means students are permitted to use AI tools to support the
development of specific skills required for the assessment as specified by the module leader. In others, the use of AI
tools may be an integral component of the assessment; in these cases the assessment will provide an opportunity to
demonstrate effective and responsible use of AI. See page 3 of this brief to check which category use of AI falls into
for this assessment. Students should refer to the UCL guidance on acknowledging use of AI and referencing AI.
Failure to correctly reference use of AI in assessments may result in students being reported via the Academic
Misconduct procedure. Refer to the section of the UCL Assessment success guide on Engaging with AI in your
education and assessment.
Content of this assessment brief
Section Content
A Core information
B Coursework brief and requirements
C Module learning outcomes covered in this assessment
D Groupwork instructions (if applicable)
E How your work is assessed
F Additional information
Section A: Core information
Submission date 20/11/2023
Submission time 10.00 AM (UK time)
Assessment is marked out of: 100
% weighting of this assessment
within total module mark
70%
Maximum word count/page
length/duration
2500 words
Footnotes, appendices, tables,
figures, diagrams, charts included
in/excluded from word count/page
length
Footnotes, tables, figures, diagrams, charts are included in the
word count.
Appendices are excluded in the wordcount.
Bibliographies, reference lists
included in/excluded from word
count/page length
Reference List and Bibliography are excluded from the wordcount
Penalty for exceeding word
count/page length
Penalty for exceeding word count will be a deduction of 10
percentage points, capped at 40% for Levels 4,5, 6, and 50% for
Level 7) Refer to Academic Manual Section 3: Module
Assessment – 3.13 Word Counts.
Penalty for late submission Standard UCL penalties apply. Students should refer to
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/academic-manual/chapters/chapter-4-
assessment-framework-taught-programmes/section-3-module_xfffe_assessment#3.12
Artificial Intelligence (AI) category Assistive
Submitting your assessment Please upload your work as a single file via the submission
link on Moodle.
Please DOUBLE CHECK that the file you are uploading is
the correct one and is complete (with all pages visible).
You should only submit your final version of the work to
the submission box. Any submission made to the official
submission box will be taken as the final submission. Work
submitted after the original submission deadline will NOT
be removed and a new version cannot be submitted. It is
RECOMMENDED that you check your work before
submitting your final version, you can use the Turnitin
Similarity Checker rather than your official submission
inbox. Please be sure that the version of the assignment
you submit is the version you intend to be marked for that
module. If you are granted ECs in relation to a piece of
work already submitted, the mitigation applied will be a
deferral and not an extension. If you are unable to submit
on time, you may submit an EC form to request an
extension if you have legitimate mitigating circumstances.
If you encounter difficulties submitting your assessment
via Moodle, then please immediately notify (by email)
your department (Programme Administrators ONLY),
explaining the problem and including a copy of the work
you are trying to submit. ONLY use this approach if you
can show that you have tried to download from/upload to
Moodle and encountered technical difficulties.
Anonymity of identity. Normally, all
submissions are anonymous unless
the nature of the submission is such
that anonymity is not appropriate,
illustratively as in presentations or
where minutes of group meetings
are required as part of a group work
submission
The nature of this assessment is such that anonymity is required.
Section B: Assessment Brief and Requirements
MSIN0048 Term 1 Assessment 1 – Individual Written Report
Context
In this assessment, you will delve into the realm of social media, focusing on one of the industry’s
trailblazers: X formally known as Twitter, you will have the opportunity to explore the fascinating,
fast pace social media industry and explore strategies to guarantee the sustained prosperity and
relevance of this social media giant.
GETTY IMAGES
X logo, old and new
In 280 characters or less, X has revolutionised globally the way we communicate. In 2022, X had
368+ million active users worldwide, however, despite its phenomenal success competition is
fierce, with users decreasing in 2023 with a further decrease predicted in 2024. This makes it vital
for X to be agile to meet the ever-changing demands and expectations of its users and continue
to thrive in this ever-changing digital landscape.
Your task is to write a detailed business report as if you were appointed by a venture capitalist
looking to invest in X. You will need to analyse the challenges X is facing and explore
opportunities for its growth and long-term success.
Here is what your report needs to cover:
Introduction (approximately 150 words) – Include a brief introduction which outlines the purpose
of the report, and what the report covers.
Part 1 – Situation Analysis (approximately 750 words)
To understand ways for X to increase profits, you will use two management tools, the first is
Porter’s Five Forces Framework (Porter, 2008), which will support you in understanding the
current strategic landscape of the social media industry and the second is SWOT analysis (Mackay
et al., 2020) which will help you to evaluate X’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and
Threats.
Five Forces – Based on reliable research, amend, update and add your own considerations to
each aspect of the AI-generated Five Forces analysis (given in a seminar). Rank each force from 1
(weak) to 5 (strong) and justify your rankings. Then evaluate whether you think the social media
industry is attractive or unattractive to existing companies or new entrants.
SWOT – Based on reliable research amend, update and add your own considerations to each
aspect of the AI generated SWOT analysis (given in a seminar) and discuss which aspects of the
SWOT can help to ensure X’s longevity. Also, analyse the Threats driven by the ever-changing
social media industry and suggest how X can minimise two of these threats.
Note: add the AI generated Five Forces and SWOT to your Appendix and ensure your own Five
Forces and SWOT (which must show your own considerations/originality) are included in the
main body of the report.
Part 2 – Exploring Opportunities for Growth (approximately 750 words)
Now recommend two growth ideas for X. One must focus on beating existing competitors aligned
with ‘Red Ocean’ Strategy (Kim and Mauborgne 2015) where the goal is to remain in the same
market (the red ocean). The second strategic option for growth must focus on identifying an
opportunity for reinvention with the aim of seizing new profit and growth as aligned with ‘Blue
Ocean’ Strategy (ibid).
You must apply these two growth opportunities to two of the four vectors of the Ansoff Matrix
(Whittington et al., 2020):
Market Penetration – what opportunities are there to increase share in current markets
with current products or services
Red Ocean because it will be easy for existing competitors to imitate.
Product Development – what products or services need to be developed to meet changes
in existing customer needs
Red Ocean because X will be serving existing customers.
Blue Ocean only if the new product and/or service idea is innovative, and difficult for
competitors to imitate.
Market Development – what opportunities are there to sell existing products or services
to new markets Market Development takes two forms; ‘New Users’ and/or ‘New
Geographies’ which could be a new town/location in an existing country or a new location
in a new country.
Red Ocean if existing competitors can easily reach the new market.
Blue Ocean only if you can justify why it will be difficult for existing competitors to enter the new
market.
Diversification – what opportunities are there to enter a new market with a new product
or service.
Blue Ocean as it captures new demand with a new product or service in a new market with
minimized competition.
Note: To assist with demonstrating your understanding of the Ansoff Matrix, you need to draw
on and apply the Seminar 3 Case: ‘Choosing new directions at Tesco’, where Tesco’s growth was
discussed.
Note: To assist with demonstrating your understanding of Red and Blue Ocean Strategy, you
need to draw on and apply at least one of the organisational examples of Blue Ocean strategy
covered during the Managing Strategy Lecture. For example, the case ‘A Maestro without
Borders’.
Part 3 – X’s Users (approximately 450 words)
Choose one of your growth ideas for X and create a ‘Customer Persona’ based on an AI generated
persona (given during a seminar) or your own alternative persona. Decide on the customer
persona’s country and location and through research gather more details to add to the persona.
The detail must cover the segmentation factors related to Demographic, Geographic, Behavioural
and Psychographic (Abernathy and Sciarrino 2019). You can include a visual representation of
your customer persona.
To ensure your chosen growth idea creates maximum value for X, take one aspect of the
Marketing Mix namely ‘Promotion’ and put forward suggestions in terms of the best ways to
promote the idea to the above customer segment. The aim of promotional activities is to reach
the customer in the best way to generate interest, awareness and action – ideally
purchase/usage.
Note: In addition to your non-academic readings, across Parts 1-3 you are required to read a
minimum of 10 quality and relevant academic sources and cite them correctly following Harvard
or Vancouver academic standards. Your Reference List will have two sections, the first section
with the subheading ‘Academic References’ and the second section with the sub-heading ‘Non Academic References’.
Part 4 – Personal Reflections (approximately 400 words)
In this final section reflect on your learnings from this assessment and answer the following
questions:
1. What you found most challenging about researching and writing this business report.
2. How you selected the information you used in your report, for example, what resources
did you find most useful
3. How has your understanding of X as a business and social media platform evolved For
example, what aspects surprised you or challenged your preconceived notions
4. How has completing this assessment influenced your understanding of business
management concepts
5. How did you ensure you had good academic integrity throughout the writing of this
report
Mark Allocation: Higher marks will be awarded to work which clearly demonstrates own
understanding and originality, critical and analytical thinking and which draws on a range of
relevant readings from both academic and non-academic sources. All citations must be read, you
may be asked questions regarding these readings.
The report must be referenced correctly following Harvard or Vancouver academic standards.
Remember, academic integrity is crucial, and any form of academic dishonesty can lead to
penalties according to the UCL Student Academic Misconduct Procedure.
Reference List
Abernathy, P.M. and Sciarrino, J. (2019) The Strategic Digital Media Entrepreneur. NJ USA, John
Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Kim, C. and Mauborgne, R. (2015) Blue Ocean Strategy. USA: Harvard Business Review Press.
Mackay, B., Arevuo, M., Mackay, D. and Meadows, M. (2020) Strategy Theory Practice and
Implementation. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Porter (2008) The Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy. United States: Harvard Business
School Press, Harvard Business Review, Vol.86 (1) p. 78-137.
Whittington, R., Regner, P., Angwin, D., Johnson, G. and Scholes, K. (2020) Exploring Strategy, 12th
Ed. Harlow: Pearson.
Acknowledgement
OpenAI was used to generate ideas for this assessment brief. OpenAI, ChatGPTPlus, 25th July
2023, ChatGPT (openai.com)
Section C: Module Learning Outcomes covered in this
Assessment
This assessment contributes towards the achievement of the following stated module Learning
Outcomes as highlighted below:
Discuss the problems and issues that surround management practice in organisations,
using a critical and informed approach.
Explain and evaluate the main environmental, strategic and operating concerns facing
organisations and managers.
Produce, justify, and support arguments in favour of or against particular initiatives
and approaches.
Apply effectively a range of concepts, methods, and analytical approaches to
specific cases.
Section D: Groupwork Instructions (where
relevant/appropriate)
N/A – this is an individual assessment
Section E: How your work is assessed
Within each section of this assessment you may be assessed on the following aspects, as applicable and
appropriate to this assessment, and should thus consider these aspects when fulfilling the requirements of
each section:
The accuracy of any calculations required.
The strengths and quality of your overall analysis and evaluation;
Appropriate use of relevant theoretical models, concepts and frameworks;
The rationale and evidence that you provide in support of your arguments;
The credibility and viability of the evidenced conclusions/recommendations/plans of action
you put forward;
Structure and coherence of your considerations and reports;
Appropriate and relevant use of, as and where relevant and appropriate, real world examples,
academic materials and referenced sources. Any references should use either the Harvard OR
Vancouver referencing system (see References, Citations and Avoiding Plagiarism)
Academic judgement regarding the blend of scope, thrust and communication of ideas,
contentions, evidence, knowledge, arguments, conclusions.
Each assessment requirement(s) has allocated marks/weightings.
Student submissions are reviewed/scrutinised by an internal assessor and are available to an External
Examiner for further review/scrutiny before consideration by the relevant Examination Board.
It is not uncommon for some students to feel that their submissions deserve higher marks (irrespective of
whether they actually deserve higher marks). To help you assess the relative strengths and weaknesses of
your submission please refer to SOM Assessment Criteria Guidelines, located on the Assessment tab of
the SOM Student Information Centre Moodle site.
The above is an important link as it specifies the criteria for attaining the pass/fail bandings shown below:
At UG Levels 4, 5 and 6:
80% to 100%: Outstanding Pass – 1st; 70% to 79%: Excellent Pass – 1st; 60%-69%: Very Good Pass – 2.1;
50% to 59%: Good Pass – 2.2; 40% to 49%: Satisfactory Pass – 3rd; 20% to 39%: Insufficient to Pass –
Fail; 0% to 19%: Poor and Insufficient to Pass – Fail.
At PG Level 7:
86% to 100%: Outstanding Pass – Distinction; 70% to 85%: Excellent Pass – Distinction; 60%-69%: Good
Pass – Merit; 50% to 59%: Satisfactory – Pass; 40% to 49%: Insufficient to Pass – Fail; 0% to 39%: Poor and
Insufficient to Pass – Fail.
You are strongly advised to review these criteria before you start your work and during your work, and
before you submit.
You are strongly advised to not compare your mark with marks of other submissions from your student
colleagues. Each submission has its own range of characteristics which differ from others in terms of
breadth, scope, depth, insights, and subtleties and nuances. On the surface one submission may appear to
be similar to another but invariably, digging beneath the surface reveals a range of differing
characteristics.
Students who wish to request a review of a decision made by the Board of Examiners should refer to
the UCL Academic Appeals Procedure, taking note of the acceptable grounds for such appeals.
Note that the purpose of this procedure is not to dispute academic judgement – it is to ensure correct
application of UCL’s regulations and procedures. The appeals process is evidence-based and
circumstances must be supported by independent evidence.
Section F: Additional information from module leader
(as appropriate)
The Assessment Rubric can be found on Moodle under the heading:
‘Assessment Briefs, Submission Links and Essential Guidance’