联系我们： 手动添加方式: 微信>添加朋友>企业微信联系人>13262280223 或者 QQ: 1483266981

Module Coursework Guidelines

Module Code and Title:
EDCUC2028 Employability

Module Leader:
Professor Michael Tomlinson

Assignment: Drawing upon relevant research and scholarship, critically explore one of the employability themes covered in this module

Word Count: 3,000
Assignment 2 of 2

Word Count: This is the number of words from the start of your work, excluding any cover page, to the last sentence and will include all quotes and authors’ names acknowledged within the main body of the text. It does not include your list of References or any appendices. Please remember that there are penalties for over length work and work submitted late.

Submission date: On or before 11th January 2024
Notes:
This assignment must be uploaded to the correct submission portal on the module’s Blackboard page by 16:00 on the due date or a penalty may be applied (see “FSSHUB: Faculty Student Hub” Blackboard for details);

IMPORTANT: You are strongly advised to submit your work in PDF format.
In Microsoft Office, you can do this by choosing the ‘save as…’ option and then selecting .pdf. You should also make sure you convert your file to PDF if it was created using Open Office (where your original file will have a .odt file extension). Submitting .odt files to Turnitin may result in images / graphs being stripped from your submission.

This work is expected to adhere to the following Programme requirements for submission (at least 1.5 line spacing; word processed; word count clearly indicated; font Sans Serif e.g. Lucida Sans 10; page numbers on each page including the references and appendices. Marks may be deducted for not following these requirements.

Learning Outcome 1: Demonstrate an understanding of the complex political and socio-economic surrounding individuals’ transitions to, and integration, into the contemporary job market.

Specific guidelines relating to this learning outcome:
In the assignment, you will show an awareness of how the notion of employability has been influenced by political and economic situations and discuss the importance of conducting research into this area. This should include knowledge of how the discourse around employability has developed and the ways in which this relates to the changing nature of the contemporary job market.

Learning Outcome 2: Demonstrate an understanding of the issues and factors that shape individuals’ employment progression and outcomes and how employability is socially and personally constructed.

Specific guidelines relating to this learning outcome:
You are expected to critically examine employability in the light of competing challenges and contextual influences, drawing on evidence to support your argument. Your assignment should be informed by knowledge and understanding of the complex range of factors which may come to bear on individuals’ experiences and outcomes in the labour market.

Learning Outcome 3: Learning Outcome 3: Display evidence of critically examining how wider social and economic changes impact on education systems and education policy relating to skills,
professional and economic development.

Specific guidelines relating to this learning outcome:
In addition to research, your assignment should draw on critical analyses of policies and policy framing on the relationship between education and employment, particularly as they related to skills, employee development and training. Clear links should be made to policy and the wider policy context/debates in the analysis of your critical overview.

Other guidelines additional to those linked to the stated learning outcomes:

What would an outstanding piece of work look like

An outstanding assignment would draw on relevant literature, including research and policies and provide a clear rationale for exploring this area. It will contain a clear argument developed in the introduction, supported by evidence from the literature and illustrations from earlier research and be able to exemplify points. It will present a coherent consideration of the implication of this research, including policy implications well as anticipated outcomes.

Within your assignment you will be expected to address the following questions:

What aspect of employability do you wish to focus and why
How does it relate to the wider social, political, economic and employment issues
What are the issues and challenges does it raises
What concepts or theories can be used to analyse this aspect of employability
What does research in this area highlight and how does this add to our understanding of this issue
What further research questions does your coverage of the area lead to
What, if any, additional practical and policy implications emerge from your analysis

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_xfffe_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’