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1. INTRODUCTION & WELCOME TO THE MODULE

The module builds on student learning at Level 5 and prepares students for participation in the world of business management. It considers many aspects of the issues faced by today’s leaders and managers. His module provides information on contemporary management, culture, and organizational leadership as well as important elements such as recruitment and selection.

2. MODULE AIMS, LEARNING OUTCOMES, AND INDICATIVE CONTENT

Learning Outcomes

1. Seek and apply new techniques and processes to own their performance and identify how this might be evaluated in the context of employability and leadership.
2. Work with ideas at a level of abstraction, arguing from competing perspectives, and identify the possibility of new concepts using existing knowledge frameworks and approaches as taught in the module.
3. Take responsibility for own learning and development using reflection and feedback to analyze own capabilities and appraise alternatives and develop plans and implement actions.
4. Reflect on learning, integrating relevant theory and concepts from the module, and relating this to their evidence when applying for graduate roles or further education.

Indicative Syllabus Content

The syllabus follows the guidance from the Higher Education Academy in embedding employability in the curriculum

Employer expectations and recruitment processes

Values and Behaviour

Career Management

Self and Cultural awareness

Leadership

– Leadership in crisis

– Responsible Leadership

– Leadership and Organisational Culture

Reflection and Articulation

Confidence Resilience and adaptability

ASSESSMENT

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, westminster.ac.uk/study/current-students/resources/academic-regulations

The pass mark for the module is 40%. To pass overall, the overall total calculated from adding weighted marks in each assessment component must be 40% (If your mark for the module is between 30-40 you will be required to complete one or more referral assessments and your mark for these will be capped at 40%).

Unless explicitly indicated otherwise all coursework must be submitted electronically via Blackboard. In addition to the detail given below, further information may be posted on the Blackboard site for the module.

 

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 either Safeassign or Turnitin 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.

Assessment rationale, methods, and weighting

The module delivers a range of experiences for the students and the assessment of each of these is designed as a Portfolio of activities around themes aligned to all the module learning outcomes, submitted after the module is complete (4000 words).

Key assessed Themes through the portfolio work submitted at the end of the module will cover Articulation of skills and attributes, Resilience and self /social/ cultural awareness; Leadership ambitions, and Becoming a reflective practitioner.

The portfolio will consist of reflective writing on these themes with appendices (not marked) providing evidence of student effort to secure graduate employment or further study.

Formative assessment on the key themes will be through working with the student action learning sets on each of the themes, providing feedback to students on formative work produced.

The portfolio assesses all of the four learning outcomes of the module

Assessment criteria

The portfolio of work will be assessed on the extent to which the student the learning outcomes:

1. i) Demonstrates the ability to find and apply appropriate new techniques and processes to improve their own performance and identify how this might be evaluated.
2. ii) Exhibits ability to work with ideas at a level of abstraction, arguing from competing perspectives, and identify the possibility of new concepts using existing knowledge frameworks and approaches relevant to employability and responsible leadership and management.

iii) Evidence taking responsibility for own learning and development using reflection and feedback to analyze their own capabilities and appraise alternatives and develop plans and implement actions.

1. iv) Ability to reflect on learning, integrating relevant theory and concepts from the module, relating this to their evidence when applying for graduate roles or further education

Note also that a penalty system of up to 10 marks will be applied for presentation issues – formatting, structure and referencing, and citation

Assessment criteria for all assessments on the module relate to the University Grade Descriptor

Generic Grade Descriptors at Level 6

80-100 An outstanding piece of work: All assessment criteria have been met at an exceptionally high standard • Demonstrates exceptional independent thought and reflection in relation to complex ideas and concepts. • Provides creative analysis of techniques/knowledge. • Critically analyses information sources, techniques, and approaches to analysis. • Demonstrates extensive research across a range of sources. • Communicates ideas and complexity with confidence, using appropriate format and excellent presentation.

70-79 An excellent piece of work: All assessment criteria have been met at a high standard.

• Takes a confident approach to critical analysis/reflection across a range of techniques/knowledge. • Shows in-depth understanding of ideas and concepts. • Demonstrates insightful/independent contextualization and implications of theories/practices. • Synthesises independent research across a range of authoritative sources. • Communicates with clarity using appropriate format and excellent presentation.

60-69 A good piece of work: All assessment criteria have been met at a good standard.

• Demonstrates systematic understanding across a range of techniques/knowledge in specialized areas. • Demonstrates confident analysis/reflection on key concepts/frameworks. • Explores the relationship of theories/practices within the wider context. • Provides additional independent research across a range of authoritative sources. • Communicates clearly, using appropriate format and with a sound presentation.

50-59 A sound piece of work: All assessment criteria have clearly been met.

• Demonstrates a clear understanding of techniques/knowledge in specialized areas. • Demonstrates some independent synthesis and reflective analysis across key concepts/ frameworks. • Provides evidence of research across a range of resources provided within the module. • Communicates using the appropriate format with a satisfactory presentation.

40-49 An adequate piece of work: All assessment criteria have just been met.

• Demonstrates descriptive understanding of techniques/knowledge. • Provides limited evaluation of ideas and concepts. • Undertakes minimal research within module content. • Communicates work using the appropriate format with some weaknesses of presentation.

30-39 FAIL An inadequate piece of work: One or more relevant assessment criteria are not met • Applies techniques/knowledge with limited with some weaknesses/omissions. • Demonstrates inadequate knowledge of key concepts and principles. • Uses a minimal amount of relevant information from within the module. • Communication is unclear with a poor standard of presentation.

0-29 FAIL: A poor piece of work: Most of the relevant assessment criteria area not been met.

• Applies techniques/knowledge with significant weaknesses and omissions. •Demonstrates major inaccuracies and/or misunderstandings flaws of key concepts and principles. • Uses inadequate information sources from within the module. • Communication is unclear with a poor standard of presentation.

Assignment criteria

Assessment name	Weighting %	Qualifying mark %	Qualifying set	Assessment type (e.g. essay, presentation, open exam or closed exam)
Portfolio	100			Portfolio of work related to module content 4000 words

 

Eligibility of students for an ‘alternative assessment’

Single semester study abroad students are eligible to take this assessment. Which will be set out at the start of the module teaching run.

Lecture capture

We support our students by providing complimentary recordings* to support education and learning. We aim to offer recorded versions of the following:

–          Course and module induction sessions
–          Key lectures
–          Assessment briefings

Other types of learning may be also provided, depending on the module and mode of study.

Workshops and seminars will not be routinely recorded.

*Recordings may be provided in a range of forms, including Panopto recording, audio, video, and other learning resources.

Recordings can be found in our virtual learning environment (Blackboard).

 

Assessment General Threshold Criteria

See: https://universityofwestminster.sharepoint.com/sites/Resources/Shared%20Documents/Generic%20guidance%20Grade%20Descriptors.pdf#search=Grade%20descriptors

Referencing requirements for assignments

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 Westminster Harvard format. If you are not sure about this, the library provides guidance (available via the library website pages).

Westminster Harvard is the College’s chosen referencing format. If another format must be used, state the chosen format here (in black text)

Difficulties in submitting assignments on time

If you have difficulties for reasons beyond your control (e.g. serious illness, family problems, etc.) that prevent you from submitting the assignment, make sure you apply to the Mitigating Circumstances board with evidence to support your claim as soon as possible. The WBS Registry or your personal tutor can advise on this.

Submitting your coursework – checks

You must include NOT your name, student ID, and word count on the first page of your assignment as the work is subject to anonymous marking.

Coursework is submitted via Blackboard. On the Blackboard home page for the module, you will find a button on the menu called ‘Submit Coursework’. Clicking this will take you to the submission link.

At busy times the coursework submission process may run slowly. To ensure that your submission is not recorded as late submission, avoid submitting very close to the deadline.

To submit your assignment:

1. Log on to Blackboard at  http://learning.westminster.ac.uk;
2. Go to the Blackboard site for this module
3. Click on the ‘Submit Coursework’ link in the navigation menu on the left-hand side
4. Click on the link for the assignment;
5. Follow the instructions.

REMEMBER

It is a requirement that you submit your work in this way. All coursework must be submitted by 13:00 (UK Time on the due date).

If you submit your coursework late but within 24 hours or one ‘working’ day of the specified deadline, 10% of the overall marks available for that assessment will be deducted as a penalty for late submission, except for work that is marked in the range 40-44% in which case the mark will be capped at the pass mark (40%).

If you submit your coursework more than 24 hours or more than one ‘working’ day after the specified deadline you will be given a mark of zero for the work in question.

The University’s mitigating circumstances procedures relating to the non-submission or late submission of coursework apply to all coursework.

If you are unclear about this, speak to your class leader or module leader.

3. FEEDBACK ARRANGEMENTS

Formative feedback will be given to the student during the later weeks of the semester, following their delivery of the 10-minute presentation on their research plan. Summative feedback is used and how it will be made available. This must respect the latest college policy. The key dates are on the inside front cover. Summative written feedback will be made available to the student online – via the Grade Centre, SafeAssign, or Turnitin.

4. USING YOUR STUDY TIME EFFECTIVELY

You have primary responsibility for your own learning. You will have a schedule of formal study where you will be working with academic staff and this is outlined later in this handbook.

Alongside your scheduled studies, your private or ‘independent’ study is very important. This is the time that you spend learning without direct supervision from, or contact with, a member of the teaching staff and this makes up a large part of your studies. It is likely to include background reading, preparation for seminars or tutorials, follow-up work, wider practice, the completion of assignments, revision, and so on. Some independent study may be structured for you as a key part of your learning, but it also is the additional study you choose to undertake to further improve your learning.

To summarise, in general, your study activity will break down into:

• Scheduled contact/activity time (such as lectures, classes, tutorials, workshops, supervisions, and other-directed activities)
• Structured independent study (such as reading and preparing for scheduled learning activities)
• Module and course-based wider study (such as reading the business media, employability activities, personal tutoring activity )
• Assessment (working on coursework and/or preparing for and taking tests/exams)

You should be putting in 10 hours of study time for every credit so you should plan to commit more hours than the class time in this module in order to gain the most out of your studies.

UG Activity Table

Learning and Teaching Activity Type	Category	Hours*
Lecture	Scheduled	2
Class	Scheduled
Seminar	Scheduled	2
Total Scheduled Contact/Activity Hours		48
Structured independent study	Independent	x
Module and course-based general study	Independent	x
Working on and taking assessments	Independent	x
Total Independent Study Hours		152
Total Learning and Teaching Hours		200

 

• These hours are indicative only and may be subject to change. They also indicate what would be typical. Your particular study needs may vary.

If you are unclear on any aspect of making the best use of your study time on this module, speak to your class leader or the module leader.

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 all are offenses and are dealt with accordingly. If you are not sure about this, then speak to your class 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 a submission for assessment of material (written, visual or oral) originally produced by another person or persons, without acknowledgment, in such a way that the work could be assumed to be your own. Plagiarism may involve the unattributed use of another person’s work, ideas, opinions, theory, facts, statistics, graphs, models, paintings, performance, computer code, drawings, quotations of another person’s actual spoken or written words, or paraphrases of another person’s 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 the attribution of the author, date, and source of the material including page numbers for the section(s) which have been summarised.

5. READING AND KEY LEARNING RESOURCES

Core Text

Rees, W. D. Porter C. (2015) Managing People in Organisations Macmillan

Further reading

MODULE CALENDAR

Learning Week	Lecture	Seminar	Reading for next week
1	Contemporary management and Leadership methodologies	Introduction to the module and assessment
2	Recruitment and Selection	Prince 2
3	Culture	SCRUM Seminar
4	Career Management
5	Responsible leadership	Amazon
6	Values and Behaviour	Responsible leadership
7	Leadership in crisis	Digital Management
8	Leadership and Organisational culture	APP
9	Reflection and Articulation	Ocado
10	Confidence, Resilience, and Adaptability	Publicis Sapient
11	Networking and Consolidating experience	HS2
12	Review	Agile

 

Note:

Additional preparation materials may be posted on Blackboard. To benefit fully from your face-to-face taught sessions, these should be accessed and completed beforehand.

If you need a similar but plagiarism-free “employment and leadership for business”, then feel free to contact us!

If you need a similar but plagiarism-free “digital analytics”, then feel free to contact us!

Coursework

Learning Outcomes Addressed

1. 1. Formulate and develop a digital analytic strategy.
   2. Test, select, and evaluate digital analytic concepts.
   3. Critically evaluate digital analytics reports.
   4. Critically examine, formulate and evaluate a business response to the information obtained from digital analytics and other business intelligence sources.
   5. Understand how digital analytics can be deployed to test and measure online innovation.

COURSEWORK BRIEF

Focusing on the given case study Web site www.johnlewis.com and relevant social media platforms, in one report, this coursework is worth 100% of the total marks available for this module. This is an individual piece of work. The word limit for the whole report is 3500 words.

Part one: 50%. Practical social media experiments and data analysis on the business ideas, innovation, brands, or products/services on the social media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter in relation to the specified and given Web site, www.johnlewis.com, and the business, with a word limit of 1500 words about Web analytics and the use of Facebook Insights, Twitter Analytics, SocialBlade and/or Twitonomy.

This part of the coursework will be making use of a popular social networking Website/platform, Facebook, or Twitter, and its mechanism for communication (i.e. Facebook pages and posts, Twitter profile page and tweets).

In order to complete this coursework, you will need to have a Facebook account or Twitter account, and focus on the business ideas, innovation, brands, or products/services on the social media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter in relation to the e-commerce Web site, www.johnlewis.com, and the business, develop relevant Facebook or Twitter page and start Facebook posts or Twitter tweets.

Once you have created the page and posts or tweets, and have attracted likes, you will be able to access and view the analytics system or functions, such as Facebook Insights or Twitter Analytics. It is the data generated by Facebook Insights or Twitter Analytics you will be discussing and analyzing in your coursework reports.

Your task is to attract and encourage people to “LIKE” your page, posts, or follow your tweets, you then need to conduct a series of experiments (i.e. Design and create a page, change a page or page elements, make posts or tweets, etc.) to see how viewers/audience react.

You will therefore need to focus on an experiment area, choose or develop a method or approach for these experiments and determine what your experiments are to discover (please ensure the testing is something that can be justified in a business context). You then need to write a report on your experiments.

The report should provide details about what you were testing for, the aims or objectives of your experiments, the method or approach you used for doing your experiments, the experimental procedure, data gathering or collection process, findings of your experiments, and analysis of the data collected, and conclusions and recommendations.

Furthermore, we would like you to analyze whether Facebook Insights or Twitter Analytics gathers and provides the right kind of information to support or enable organizations to make effective management decisions.

You may use Twitter or Instagram as an alternative if you cannot create a Facebook account or your Facebook account is disabled. 

In addition, social media data & analytics about the specified e-commerce Web site www.johnlewis.com, products, or services, may be analyzed using SocialBlade and/or Twitonomy.

For part one of your report, you must cover the following key elements

• Selection and analysis of an experiment area focusing on the business ideas or products/services in relation to the e-commerce Web site, johnlewis.com
• The method and procedure for conducting the experiments
• Data gathering and analysis using Facebook Insights, Twitter Analytics, SocialBlade, and/or Twitonomy
• Reflections upon the use of Facebook, Facebook Insights, Twitter, Twitter Analytics SocialBlade and/or Twitonomy, or others
• References

This part of your report should be approximately 1,500 words in length (excluding references, illustrations such as diagrams, charts and pictures, and appendices) and should cover the above-mentioned key elements, typical screenshots of your posts, Web pages, and the key analytics or data. The structure of part one of the report should cover the above-mentioned elements and should follow the Elements and Marking Criteria Guide.

Part two: 50%. For the specified and given Web site www.johnlewis.com and the business, you conduct a case study with a word limit of 2000 words; analyze Web analytics & business intelligence in action; apply and recommend associated frameworks and software tools, such as SimilarWeb.  

In this part of the coursework, you are required to conduct a case study, review, and propose a course of action for the Web site, www.johnlewis.com, and the business.

You should provide an overview of the site, stating where and what Web analytics paradigms, frameworks, models, techniques, and tools you could use. Indicating the rationale for this and how it could be used to understand visitors’ behavior, clickstreams, and how to improve the Website’s success, performance, and business decision making.

You should also include in your overview, a discussion about how the Web site and associated organization’s business intelligence can be linked to its web analytics data, providing a case for this based on relevant theories, frameworks, and/or architecture.

For part two of your report, the following key elements must be covered:

• Analysis and evaluation of the Web site, johnlewis.com, by applying relevant frameworks or models. You may use software tools such as SimilarWeb in support of your analysis.
• Discussion and analysis of the combined use of business intelligence and Web analytics for the specified Web site
• Proposing and justifying the appropriate use of relevant paradigms, frameworks, models, and Web analytics software tools in order to understand the visitors’ behavior, and clickstreams, improve the Web site usage and business performance, and support decision making for the specified Web site and business.
• References

Part two of your report should be approximately 2,000 words in length (excluding references, illustrations such as diagrams, charts and pictures, and appendices).

Your whole report should be presented in a format including the title page, executive summary, content page, part one and part two of your report, conclusions, acknowledgments if applicable, references, and appendices. The structure of part two of the report should cover the above-mentioned elements and should follow the Elements and Marking Criteria Guide.

 

The Elements and Marking Criteria Guide

The mark allocation will be balanced for each of the elements mentioned in the coursework requirements and will also consider the items listed in the following table.

Elements and marking criteria	Mark allocation
Part one & part two

 

A title page, executive summary & introduction for the whole report Title page. Clear and concise executive summary.  A clear introduction with the background; clear aims, goals, objectives, or purposes.	5%
Part One
Selection and analysis of social media experiment area in relation to www.johnlewis.com business, products, services, and/or innovation Background, aims, goals, objectives, purposes, questions, or strategies; justifying your selection of the experiment area; analysis of your experiment area; application of theories; critical argument; independent thought; originality.	5%
Methods, approaches, and procedures for the experiment Multivariate testing, A/B testing, and/or the use of research questions or business questions, or a step-by-step procedure; creation of Facebook pages and posts, or Twitter page and tweets; creativity.	5%
Data gathering, analysis & reflection Data gathering, data collection; using Facebook and Facebook Insights or Twitter and Twitter Analytics or other alternatives to collect and report relevant Internet data including reach, fans, likes; demographics; engaged users or audience if the data is available; screenshots; in-depth analysis; coherent argument; independent thought, creativity, and originality; application of concepts, frameworks, theories, and software tools learned from this module. Provide your own deep and careful thoughts and an account of the functions, strengths, advantages, weaknesses, and limitations of Facebook, Facebook Insights, Twitter, Twitter Analytics, and other tools such as SocialBlade.	25%
Conclusions of part one Referring to the business-related experiment area; being relevant and well-formulated; marking coherent links with your experiment area, methods, process, and analysis of the results; appropriate recommendations for potential business users, readers, and further work.	5%
Part Two

 

Analysis & evaluation of the specified Web site www.johnlewis.com  Critical analysis of business goals, strategies, Web site design, and usability. Appropriate application of relevant theories and frameworks. Critical argument. Independent thought. Identify the problems. Establish the need for Web analytics and business intelligence.	5%
Discussion and analysis of the combined use of business intelligence and Web analytics for the specified Web site Integration and combined use of business intelligence and Web analytics; supplementing each other; diverse sources of data and information; decision support.	5%
Making a proposal/recommendations/suggestions for the appropriate use of relevant paradigms, frameworks, models, and Web analytics tools in the specified Web site in order to understand the visitors’ behavior, improve the Web site usage and business performance  Propose and recommend the use of Web analytics paradigm, theories, frameworks, models, and software tools for collecting, measuring, analyzing, and reporting relevant Internet data. Clear evidence of how your ideas and critical thinking contribute to the topic, built upon appropriate research, extensive reading, synthesis of the literature, and reflection. Indication of originality in sound recommendations or suggestions. Good practical implications. Thorough flow and cohesion of argument.	25%
Conclusions of part two Conclusions are relevant and well formulated. Refer to the background, aims, or purposes. Make coherent links with your analysis suggestions. Summing up. Inference. Reflection. Critical thinking. Future work.	5%
Part one & part two
References and referencing The use of scientific literature and Web resources; references are cited and listed correctly; sources of information are acknowledged properly; appendices are used appropriately.	10%
Structure and presentation	5%
Report structure; logical follow; presentation; use of English and illustrations.

 

Marking

Marking guide

Mark band

Part 1 of the coursework: No evidence, little evidence, or a clear lack of evidence of using Facebook & Facebook Insights or an alternative such as Twitter and Twitter Analytics to conduct relevant experiments and associated analysis. Errors, fundamental misunderstanding, or clear lack of understanding of the issues concerned with relevant Web analytics, Facebook or Twitter or an alternative, and associated concepts, frameworks, methods, and tools. No evidence of conducting Facebook or Twitter experiments. Lack of reflection and analysis. Inappropriate referencing. Confused structure. Clumsy writing in English. No attempt, little or limited attempt has been made to cover the following elements: selection and analysis of an experiment area (business-related); the procedure and methods or approaches for conducting the experiments; data gathering and analysis; reflections upon the use of Facebook & Facebook Insights or Twitter & Twitter Analytics or other alternatives; structure, presentations, and references. Part 2 of the coursework: Errors, fundamental misunderstanding, or clear lack of understanding of the issues concerned with relevant Web analytics, business intelligence, and associated concepts, paradigm, frameworks, methods, and tools. A clear lack of analysis. Inappropriate referencing. Confused structure. Clumsy writing in English. No attempt, little or limited attempt has been made to cover the following elements: a title page; executive summary and introduction; analysis of the specified Web site; discussion and analysis about the link between business intelligence and Web analytics for the specified site; proposing and justifying the appropriate use of relevant paradigms, frameworks, models, and Web analytics tools in order to understand the visitors’ behavior, clickstream, improve the Web site usage and business performance, and support decision making for the specified site; conclusions; references.

0-39

 

Part 1: Demonstrates at least a basic, preferably detailed understanding of the major issues in relation to Web analytics, Facebook Insights, Twitter Analytics, or an alternative, and associated concepts, frameworks, methods, tools, their applications, reflection, and analysis. Evidence of conducting experiments using Facebook or Twitter or other alternatives with some likes attracted. Reading goes beyond basic textbooks. It should be well-structured and well-written. In addition, the main contents of the required elements should be covered in the report, with correct referencing and basic analysis of the data collected. Provide your own careful thoughts and an account of the functions, strengths, advantages, weaknesses, and limitations of Facebook & Facebook Insights or Twitter & Twitter Analytics, or other alternatives.   Part 2:  Demonstrates at least a basic, preferably detailed understanding of the major issues and at least a general awareness of problems and conflicting viewpoints in relation to Web analytics, business intelligence, and associated concepts, paradigm, frameworks, methods, process, tools, their applications, reflection, and analysis. Reading should go beyond basic textbooks and should show at least an emerging ability to compare and contrast the arguments in different sources of information. It should be well-structured and well-written. In addition, the main contents of the required elements should be covered in the report, with correct referencing and basic analysis of relevant problems, data, and information.

40-49

Part 1: Demonstrates a proficient understanding of the major issues and awareness of problems in relation to Web analytics, Facebook Insights, Twitter Analytics, and associated concepts, frameworks, methods, tools, their applications, reflection, and analysis. Clear evidence of conducting good experiments using Facebook or Twitter or an alternative with an acceptable number of likes. It should demonstrate at least an emerging ability to evaluate and criticize sources of information. The quality of the argument should demonstrate a degree of sophistication and elegance. In addition, most contents of the required elements should be covered in the report, with correct referencing, and a good degree of competence in analysis and evaluation of the data collected. Part 2: Demonstrates a proficient understanding of the major issues and awareness of problems in relation to Web analytics, business intelligence, and associated

50-59

 

concepts, paradigm, frameworks, process, methods, tools, their applications, reflection, and analysis. It should demonstrate at least an emerging ability to evaluate and criticize sources of information. The quality of the argument should demonstrate a degree of sophistication and elegance. In addition, most contents of the required elements should be covered in the report, with correct referencing, and a good degree of competence in analysis of relevant business and innovation problems, data, and information.
Part 1: Demonstrates a clear ability to evaluate and criticize wide sources of information and at least an emerging ability to apply original insight and thought to the issues in relation to Web analytics, Facebook, Twitter, or an alternative and associated concepts, frameworks, methods, tools, their applications, reflection, and analysis. Clear evidence of conducting carefully planned and complete experiments using Facebook or Twitter or an alternative with a good number of likes. There should be at least a limited understanding of theoretical issues. In addition, most of the contents of the relevant elements should be covered in the report, with correct referencing and a good or preferably in-depth analysis of the data collected.   Part 2: Demonstrates a clear ability to evaluate and criticize wide sources of information and at least an emerging ability to apply original insight and thought to the issues in relation to Web analytics, business intelligence, and associated concepts, paradigm, frameworks, methods, process, tools, their applications, reflection, and analysis. There should be a good understanding of theoretical issues. In addition, most of the contents of the required elements should be covered in the report, with correct referencing and good or preferably in-depth analysis of relevant business and innovation problems, data, and information.	60-69
Part 1: Strong evidence of conducting professional, thorough, and complete experiments using Facebook or Twitter or an alternative with excellent engagement and a good number of likes. Demonstrates a clear ability to apply original insight and critical thought to the issues in relation to Web analytics, Facebook or Twitter or an alternative, and associated concepts, frameworks, methods, software tools, their applications, reflection, and analysis. Demonstrates a clear understanding of the problems and limitations of the methods or approaches used. It should demonstrate a degree of	70-100
sophistication in the way in which theory and practice are integrated. Demonstrate complete competence and a degree of sophistication in the analysis of the data collected.   For very high marks, it should be theoretically informed, with a high degree of originality and effective integration of secondary and primary data, on the topics of Web analytics, Facebook Insights, Twitter Analytics, or an alternative and applications in business or management. For the highest marks or grades to be awarded, it should be capable of adaptation with innovative applications, and a limited amount of effort either for publication (though not necessarily in a peer-reviewed journal) or for effective professional use. In addition, most or all the contents of the required elements should be covered in the report, with correct referencing, good independent thought, original insight, and in-depth analysis of the data collected.   Part 2: Demonstrates a clear ability to apply original insight and critical thought to the issues in relation to Web analytics, business intelligence, and associated concepts, paradigm, frameworks, methods, processes, tools, applications, reflection, and analysis. Demonstrates a clear understanding of the problems and limitations of the methods or approaches used. It should demonstrate a degree of sophistication in the way in which theory and practice are integrated. Cite and use an extensive range of research sources properly. Demonstrate complete competence and a degree of sophistication in the analysis of relevant problems, data, and information. For very high marks, it should be theoretically informed, with a high degree of originality and effective integration of data, information, and knowledge, on the topics of Web analytics, business intelligence, and relevant applications in business, management, and innovation. For the highest marks or grades to be awarded, it should be capable of adaptation with a limited amount of effort either for publication (though not necessarily in a peer-reviewed journal) or for effective professional use. In addition, most or all the contents of the required elements should be covered in the report, with correct referencing, good independent thought, original insight, and in-depth analysis of the problems, data, and information.

 

DUE DEADLINE

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 Turnitin on Blackboard, the system will record your details anonymously and the 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. 

You need to submit ONLY an electronic copy via Blackboard Turnitin by the deadline. Therefore please ensure that you prepare your work for this form of submission (You can upload, Word/PDF files to Turnitin and it needs to be a single file). You are encouraged to submit your work as soon as possible before the deadline.

Please note Turnitin checks your work for potential academic offenses, so ensure you are very careful when referencing and quoting material. Please ensure when quoting that you use “quotation marks”.

You can only upload a single copy of your work to Blackboard, so please do not submit drafts and ask for them to be removed at a later stage.

It is your responsibility to ensure that work is submitted within the due deadlines.

Please DO NOT email your work to the module tutor rather than submitting your work to Turnitin. If you experience problems uploading your work to Turnitin you need to email the module leader as soon as possible (before the deadline) and await instructions. It is a requirement of this module that you upload your work to Turnitin, if you fail to comply with this request, your work will not be marked.

If you fail to meet the due deadline listed above, the normal University late penalties will be applied.

FEEDBACK

Feedback upon this assignment will be provided approximately 15 working days following the submission date.

An email will be also sent via Blackboard announcing when you can collect the assignment and feedback in person.

ACADEMIC REFERENCING

When writing an essay, report, or another assignment you will need to support your arguments by referring to published work such as books, journal or newspaper articles, government reports, dissertations and theses, and material from the Internet. It is expected that you use the Westminster Harvard Referencing style within this work.

You will need to give accurate references:

• To give credit to other authors’ concepts and ideas
• To provide the reader (often the marker/examiner of the assignment) with evidence of the breadth and depth of your reading
• To enable the readers of your work to locate the references easily
• To avoid being accused of plagiarism, an academic offense that can lead to loss of marks, module failure, or in severe cases exclusion from the University.

 

ASSESSMENT OFFENCES

Academic offenses, including plagiarism, are treated very seriously at the Westminster Business School. A student who is proven to have committed an academic offense may be placing his or her degree in jeopardy. It is your responsibility as a student to make sure that you understand what constitutes an academic offense, and in particular, what plagiarism is and how to avoid it.

 

Digital Analytics Example 1

This research paper will be divided into two parts. Part one will be aiming to explore and examine the digital analytical data that will be extracted via the popular social media network known as Facebook by using Facebook Analytics for the social media Facebook page experiment. The second part of the research paper will develop critical and thorough analysis and evaluation of the fashion clothing brand Ted Baker’s website while using relevant tools, frameworks, and theories such as WebQual methodology and HCI framework known as (Human-Computer Interaction Framework), conversion funnel and more.

Download Digital Analytics Example 1 PDF Below

Digital Analytics Coursework Example One

 

Digital Analytics Example 2

The following report is aimed at demonstrating the application of the Digital Analytics module’s indicative content along with its practical implementation. The main objective is to balance arguments and empirical examples. For this purpose, Part 1’s goal is to show practical work, enabled by Web-analytics tool, which subsequent completion would provide the basis for a reflection upon the experience.

Download Digital Analytics Example 2 PDF Below

Digital Analytics Coursework Example Two

 

Coursework Q&A & some formative comments

CW examples are provided in the Assessment area on Blackboard

Elements and marking criteria	Mark allocation	Formative comments and some Q&A
Part one & part two
A title page, executive summary & introduction for the whole report Title page. Clear and concise executive summary.  A clear introduction with the background; clear aims, goals, objectives, or purposes.	5%	For both part one and part two. As required. Q: Is there any word limit for each section? A: No word limit allocated for each section or element for the purpose of flexibility. Goals/aims (weeks 3 & 4 lectures). Please see the coursework examples.
Part One
Selection and analysis of social media experiment area  Background, aims, goals, objectives, purposes, questions, or strategies; justifying your selection of the experiment area; analysis of your experiment area; application of theories; critical argument; independent thought; originality.	5%	As required. Q: What is the number of strategies? A: Can be one good social media strategy (weeks 3 & 4 lectures). Can be two or more including a competitive strategy. It should be relevant. Please see the coursework examples.
Methods, approaches, and procedures for the experiment Multivariate testing, A/B testing, and/or the use of research questions or business questions, or a step-by-step procedure; creation of Facebook pages and posts, or Twitter page and tweets; creativity and originality	5%	Q: A testing method? May use only one testing method (See the latter part of the week 3 lecture) for the business experiment. Examples covered in week 3 lecture and computer seminar/workshop. As required. Please see the coursework examples.
Data gathering, analysis & reflection Data gathering, data collection; using Facebook and Facebook Insights or Twitter and Twitter Analytics or other alternatives to collect and report	25%	As required. Q: Should I use Facebook & Facebook Insights, Twitter & Analytics, Instagram, and/or SocialBlade?

 

relevant Internet data including reach, fans, likes; demographics; engaged users or audience if the data is available; screenshots; in-depth analysis; coherent argument; independent thought, creativity, and originality; application of concepts, frameworks, theories, and software tools learned from this module. Provide your own deep and careful thoughts and an account of the functions, strengths, weaknesses, and limitations of Facebook, Facebook Insights, Twitter, Twitter Analytics, and other tools such as SocialBlade.		A: You are required to use Facebook & Facebook Insights, Twitter & Analytics, or Instagram for data gathering and analysis. SocialBlade is optional. You may use it. Weeks 1-5 lectures and online research databases such as Google Scholar and the University’s e-library. Typical screenshots. Also reflection – deep thinking about social media & analytics tools, as required. Please see the coursework examples.
Conclusions of part one Referring to the business-related experiment area; being relevant and well-formulated; marking coherent links with your experiment area, methods, process, and analysis of the results; appropriate recommendations for potential business users, readers, and further work.	5%	As required.
Part Two
Analysis & evaluation of the specified Web site  Critical analysis of business goals, strategies, Web site design, and usability. Appropriate application of relevant theories and frameworks. Critical argument. Independent thought. Identify the problems. Establish the need for Web analytics and business intelligence.	5%	See the example. Q: Learning resources? A: Week 3 lecture and online research databases, such as Google Scholar and the University’s e-library. Q: Should I use any Web analytics tool for analysis? A: Yes. For example, you may use SimilarWeb here. Please see the coursework examples.
Discussion and analysis of the combined use of business intelligence and Web analytics for the specified Web site Integration and combined use of business intelligence and Web	5%	Q: Learning resources? A: Weeks 9, 10 & 11 lectures, and online research databases.

 

analytics; supplementing each other; diverse sources of data and information; decision support.
Making recommendations/suggestions for the appropriate use of relevant paradigms, frameworks, models, and Web analytics tools in the specified Web site in order to understand the visitors’ behavior, improve the Web site usage and business performance  Propose and recommend the use of Web analytics paradigm, theories, frameworks, models, and software tools for collecting, measuring, analyzing, and reporting relevant Internet data. Clear evidence of how your ideas and critical thinking contribute to the topic, built upon appropriate research, extensive reading, synthesis of the literature, and reflection. Indication of originality in sound recommendations or suggestions. Good practical implications. Thorough flow and cohesion of argument.	25%	Q: Digital analytics concepts, paradigms, frameworks, etc.? A: Weeks 5-11 lectures, week 5 lecture for example; and online research databases, such as Google Scholar and the University’s e-library. Q: Software tools? A: You may use SimilarWeb here,  and recommend the use of much other digital analytics & Web analytics & business intelligence software tools. Please see the coursework examples.
Conclusions of part two Conclusions are relevant and well formulated. Refer to the background, aims, or purposes. Make coherent links with your analysis suggestions. Summing up. Inference. Reflection. Critical thinking. Future work.	5%	As required.
Part one & part two
References and referencing The use of scientific literature and Web resources; references are cited and listed correctly; sources of information are acknowledged properly; appendices are used appropriately.	10%	On relevant topics. As required.
Structure and presentation Report structure; logical follow; presentation; use of English and illustrations.	5%	As required. Westminster Harvard referencing style format/system

 

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Coursework

THIS IS AN INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT.  READ THE UNIVERSITY GUIDELINES ON PLAGIARISM TO MAKE SURE YOU COMPLY.

Learning Outcomes addressed

1. Seek and apply new techniques and processes to own their performance and identify how this might be evaluated in the context of employability and leadership.
2. Work with ideas at a level of abstraction, arguing from competing perspectives, and identify the possibility of new concepts using existing knowledge frameworks and approaches as taught in the module.
3. Take responsibility for own learning and development using reflection and feedback to analyze own capabilities and appraise alternatives and develop plans and implement actions.
4. Reflect on learning, integrating relevant theory and concepts from the module, and relating this to their evidence when applying for graduate roles or further education.

6LEAD003W

Assessment rationale

The assessment consists of one portfolio, which will be a collection of a range of information about the target organization, and how they have been organized and run in recent years. It will enable the critical reflection of the way the organization has managed itself and its stakeholders. Also, enabling you to provide your opinion on how it may have been done differently or using another method or leadership regime.

Assessment criteria

The portfolio of work will be assessed on the extent to which the student the learning outcomes:

1. i) Demonstrates the ability to find and apply appropriate new techniques and processes to improve their own performance and identify how this might be evaluated.
2. ii) Exhibits ability to work with ideas at a level of abstraction, arguing from competing perspectives, and identify the possibility of new concepts using existing knowledge frameworks and approaches relevant to employability and responsible leadership and management.

iii) Evidence taking responsibility for own learning and development using reflection and feedback to analyze their own capabilities and appraise alternatives and develop plans and implement actions.

1. iv) Ability to reflect on learning, integrating relevant theory and concepts from the module, relating this to their evidence when applying for graduate roles or further education.

Note also that a penalty system of up to 10 marks will be applied for presentation issues – formatting, structure and referencing, and citation.

Guidance

Coursework Portfolio

4000 words maximum

This coursework ( employment and leadership in management ) will entail the reporting of the results of your investigation into the organization and a critical review of how they have been organized in recent years. It should also include a clear statement of how it may have been run differently and to better effect. Ensure proper referencing of all sources according to the University of Westminster Harvard system. Include proper web-references, plus the date you accessed a site. References should be in a single list; do not keep web-references separate. You may also include a bibliography, which covers sources used as background reading.

To achieve a good mark, good quality critical analysis of the organization’s plan and consideration of the issues that the company may face in undertaking any change.

Structure

Structure/Layout of your report: as a minimum; this should contain:

• Introduction and outline of the report
• Evaluation of the research findings
• Issues and challenges for organizations in developing a coherent culture for management and leadership
• Conclusions and recommendations
• Appendices – if appropriate
• References and Bibliography – MUST be included

 

Assessment Criteria

Work assessed as Fail (below 40% typically does meet any of the criteria described below

Work assessed as Refer (30-39)  

Write a partially clear report

Demonstrate in writing some understanding of organizational digital transformation

Communicate a limited range of issues on digital transformation

Utilize research but of limited relevance and evaluation of practice is limited

Include in your paper some reference material but this may be of inappropriate quality

An attempt at referencing sources

To achieve a Pass with a mark of 40% to 49% for this element you must:

Produce a clear report

Demonstrate an understanding of digital transformation

Communicate key issues of digital transformation to the intended audience

Utilize appropriate research and evaluate practice in digital transformation

Include appropriately selected and arranged reference material

Reference sources to an accepted standard

To achieve a mark of 50% to 59% for this element you must:

Satisfy the above plus:

Produce a structured, clear, complete report

Demonstrate a depth of understanding of Responsible Sourcing and development of Responsible Sourcing Policy

Use a variety of appropriate sources to inform your presentation

Critically analyze and evaluate relevant source material as part of your report

To achieve a mark of 60% to 69%, you must:

Satisfy the above plus:

Bring all the elements of the answer together into a coherent and critical whole.

Show clear evidence of insight into digital transformation

To achieve a mark over 70%, you must

Satisfy the above plus:

All of the elements must form an appropriately and well-presented coherent and critical whole.

Show real insight into the issues, with clear evidence of original analytical thinking.

 

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Coursework

THIS IS AN INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT.  READ THE UNIVERSITY GUIDELINES ON PLAGIARISM TO MAKE SURE YOU COMPLY.

Learning Outcomes addressed

Primarily Learning Outcomes 3 to 5 are addressed in this assignment.

1. Demonstrate strong awareness of the challenges involved in improving supply chain sustainability
2. Apply theories and frameworks to analyze environmental issues relating to procurement activity in the organization
3. Evaluate the potential contribution of improvements in the procurement function to making organizations more sustainable

6DIBU003W Coursework 1, 2 and 3

Coursework 1 Presentation is 25% of the total mark

Coursework 2 Report is 25% of the total mark

Coursework 3 Portfolio is 50% of the total mark

Assessment rationale

The assessment consists of three assessment components with formative assessment embedded in the first component (Presentation)

The presentation will be conducted partway through the learning program of the module (week 7) and consist of student presentation of their research topic and plan to develop and write up. Topics and preparation for them will be covered in the second assessment component where students will submit a report of 1000-words evidencing their ability to plan for the module assessments.

The 2000-word Portfolio will consist of a single written report of 1500 words and additional documentation providing evidence.  Module assessment will require students to use a variety of electronic sources.

Assessment criteria

For a student to pass this module the student should demonstrate meeting the learning outcomes through effective case study analysis and evaluation using relevant theories and through critical evaluation of business utilization of digital technologies to support the activities.

All assessments require a demonstration of the effective use of electronic sources.

 

Guidance

Coursework 1 Presentation

A ten-minute individual presentation, which will provide a plan for your research of an organization to establish the technology transformation they have completed or one you think needs to be done. The selection of the organization is to be agreed upon with the module leader.

To gain a good mark, the presentation must clearly show an understanding of the chosen company and its structure. Including who they are, what they do, and the markets they are taking part in.

Coursework 2 Report

1000 words maximum

This will be reporting on the research that has been carried out and the knowledge gained. Detailing the findings and the plan you have considered for the company’s transformation.

To gain a higher mark, the quality of your research and findings are important.

Coursework 3 Portfolio

2000 words maximum

This coursework will entail the reporting of the results of your investigation into the organization and details of the transformation. Ensure proper referencing of all sources according to the University of Westminster Harvard system, as above. Include proper web-references, plus the date you accessed a site. References should be in a single list; do not keep web-references separate. You may also include a bibliography, which covers sources used as background reading.

To achieve a good mark, good quality critical analysis of the transformation plan and consideration of the issues that the company may face in undertaking the transformation.

Structure

Structure/Layout of your report: as a minimum; this should contain:

• Introduction and outline of the report
• Evaluation of the research findings
• Issues and challenges for organizations in developing a digital transformation plan
• Conclusions and recommendations
• Appendices – if appropriate
• References and Bibliography – MUST be included

Assessment Criteria

Work assessed as Fail (below 40% typically does meet any of the criteria described below

Work assessed as Refer (30-39)  

Write a partially clear report

Demonstrate in writing some understanding of organizational digital transformation

Communicate a limited range of issues on digital transformation

Utilize research but of limited relevance and evaluation of practice is limited

Include in your paper some reference material but this may be of inappropriate quality

An attempt at referencing sources

To achieve a Pass with a mark of 40% to 49% for this element you must:

Produce a clear report

Demonstrate an understanding of digital transformation

Communicate key issues of digital transformation to the intended audience

Utilize appropriate research and evaluate practice in digital transformation

Include appropriately selected and arranged reference material

Reference sources to an accepted standard

 

To achieve a mark of 50% to 59% for this element you must:

Satisfy the above plus:

Produce a structured, clear, complete report

Demonstrate a depth of understanding of Responsible Sourcing and development of Responsible Sourcing Policy

Use a variety of appropriate sources to inform your presentation

Critically analyze and evaluate relevant source material as part of your report

To achieve a mark of 60% to 69%, you must:

Satisfy the above plus:

Bring all of the elements of the answer together into a coherent and critical whole.

Show clear evidence of insight into digital transformation

To achieve a mark over 70%, you must

Satisfy the above plus:

All of the elements must form an appropriately and well-presented coherent and critical whole.

Show real insight into the issues, with clear evidence of original analytical thinking.

 

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Choose two retailers from the same sector, but with different target markets (for example, Waitrose and Aldi; Selfridges and Primark), to compare and contrast in 5 key areas, analyzing and identifying how the retailers take different approaches to meet the needs of their customers.

The Brief

A brief overview of the two companies, identifying the values propositions of each and their relevant target audiences, highlighting the key differences between the two Retailers in these areas

Reflecting on the type of retailers that you choose, focus on the following areas, and critically compare and contrast how the retailers take different approaches to meeting the needs of their customers. The following must all be discussed: 

1. The assortment of products they sell (e.g., product mix, managing the brand, image, and identity, etc)
2. The way they design their store and their websites (e.g., use the SOR model, etc)
3. The way they use marketing to attract customers and communicate their value proposition
4. The way they approach customer service to enhance the shopper’s experience (e.g. SERVQUAL; training and collaboration/coordination etc)
5. The ways in which they are innovating and evolving

Please ensure a summary of key findings is also given at the end of your highlighting key areas that differ and any conclusions drawn to further demonstrate your comprehension.

Ensure a minimum of 6 credible academic sources are used (i.e. Academic Books, Journals, Papers, etc) and that credible research sources and data sources are provided throughout to demonstrate credibility.

 

Report Format and Submission Details

• The report should be 2000 words, +/- 10%.
• Additional appendices can be provided, but they should only be used for additional illustrative material such as data, charts, diagrams and photos, and brief accompanying explanatory notes.
• The report should be presented in Ariel, 12 pt font size, 1.5 spaced, page numbered, and in A4 format.
• Unless explicitly indicated otherwise all coursework must be submitted electronically via Blackboard. In addition to the detail given above, further information may be posted on the Blackboard site for the module.

Marking Criteria

Assessment 2 Marking Criteria 

Criterion	Weighting
Evaluate the merits and alternative strategies for different types of retail business (LO2)	15%
Appreciate the complexity of retail channels (store and online) used as alternative routes to market (LO2)	30%
Understand the functions and importance of retailing, the rise (and implications) of retail power, and the nature of the competitive environment within each retailer operate, and analyze the key forces driving change for particular sectors and types of retailers (LO3)	30%
Conclusion	10%
Appropriate use of wide-ranging credible references, including 6 academic references / clearly articulated and structured	15%
Total	100%

 

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Choose a Retailer and relevant own brand product produced by the chosen Retailer and write an individual report, that will analyze and discuss ethical & sustainability issues that affect the Organisation and the supply chain.

Identify how the Organisation is solving the ethical and sustainability issues and recommend and rationalize any further solutions, supporting decision making with evidence of best practices from other Organisations.

•     Choose a Retailer of your choice that operates and sells within the UK

• Then choose an own-brand product or product category from that Retailer and explain the key stages, processes, and organizations involved in sourcing, producing, distributing, and retailing the product through the supply chain (PLEASE NOTE: Own brand only NOT 3^rd party brands i.e., if Tesco as a Retailer then their own brand products such as Tesco Finest or Tesco Value, etc. / Burberry, then Burberry Scarves, etc.)
• Provide a brief overview of some of the ethical and sustainability issues facing the sector the chosen Retailer operates in (i.e. Fashion / Food Retail / Electronics, etc)
• Then identify one ethical issue, and one environmental issue specifically affecting the Organisation and its supply chain, discussing the two issues in depth. Ensure the two issues are discussed and analyzed separately, explaining the issues clearly (supported with relevant credible evidence i.e. credible research/data sources) highlighting the impact these practices are having.
• Discuss how the Organisation and the stakeholders in the product/s supply chain are changing their practice to respond to the ethical or sustainability issues raised, recommending and rationalizing any other changes that could be implemented drawing on best practices from other Organisations to substantiate.  
• Ensure a minimum of 6 credible academic sources are used (i.e. Academic Books, Journals, Papers, etc) and that credible research sources and data sources are provided throughout to demonstrate credibility.

Report Format and Submission Details

• The report should be 2000 words, +/- 10%.
• Additional appendices can be provided, but they should only be used for additional illustrative material such as data, charts, diagrams and photos, and brief accompanying explanatory notes.
• The report should be presented in Ariel, 12 pt font size, 1.5 spaced, page numbered, and in A4 format.
• Unless explicitly indicated otherwise all coursework must be submitted electronically via Blackboard. In addition to the detail given above, further information may be posted on the Blackboard site for the module.

Report Requirements

• Ensure the report is clearly presented and articulated, following the following report specification, using the following title headers below:
• Introduction (Selection of Retailer, topline overview of their business and Retail sector they operate in, the purpose of the report, and what it is setting out to achieve)
• Summary of the Key Processes and Stages (key stages, processes, and organizations involved in sourcing, producing, distributing, and retailing the product through the supply chain, using a supply chain map or models to help demonstrate further comprehension)
• Ethical and Sustainability issues affecting the Organisation and Retail Sector (discussion on what ethical and sustainability issues are affecting the Organisation and the sector generally, highlight and identify at least 4-5 issues, then 2 should be discussed in-depth in the next section, one which is ethical and one sustainability)
• Ethical issue affecting the Originations Product supply chain (identify a key problem supported with credible evidence, discuss what the problem is? and the cause and effect of the problem?)
• Organizational changes of practice in response to the Ethical Issue (how are responses to this issue, and recommend any further action the Organisation could take using best practice or evidence from others to rationalize and substantiate decision making)
• Sustainability issue affecting the Originations Product supply chain (identify a key problem supported with credible evidence, discuss what the problem is? and the cause and effect of the problem?)
• Organizational changes of practice in response to the Sustainability Issue (how are responses to this issue, and recommend any further action the Organisation could take using best practice or evidence from others to rationalize and substantiate decision making)
• Conclusion (summarise key points from the report and highlight areas they have improved, and areas they will need to continue to improve and monitor in the future to ensure best practice is adhered to)

 

Marking Criteria

Assessment 1 Marking Criteria

Criterion	Weighting
Introduction	10%
Understand the ethical and sustainability issues in retail supply chains and how they affect retail sourcing and marketing strategies (LO1)	30%
Understand how to apply a range of theoretical concepts and retail-specific business problems, diagnose critical issues, appraise strategies, and design alternative solutions (LO4)	30%
Conclusion	10%
Appropriate use of wide-ranging credible references, including 6 academic references / clearly articulated and structured	20%
Total	100%

 

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Part A

Introduction to Oman Tax System

The taxation laws of Oman are well-thought and practical laws. The laws made by the state of Oman cover all the situations that can occur regarding the taxation system. There are proper laws for all types of operations that can be conducted in the Sultanate. The three basic forms of taxation are withholding taxation, personal taxation, and corporate taxation. Out of these three forms, corporate taxation is the most complicated form. The laws cover all the operations of the corporate sector whether there is the involvement of the foreigners or the business is fully run by the locals. There is a yearly based revision of the tax percentage. The basics of the taxation laws are not changed and the application process of the law is also kept constant.

 

The penalties are an important part of any law. The penalties are an important part of the law and that is why the Taxation law of Oman has strict rules and regulations regarding the application of the penalties. The penalties in form of finance range from OMR 100 to OMR 2000. The upper limit of the fine was increased last year to make sure that people are fined enough to make them understand the importance of following the law. There is also a fine of 1% per month if the taxpayer is unable to pay the tax at the right time. This penalty is to make sure that the government is able to generate tax in time for the projects that have been planned (Murray, 2015).

Rules Regarding Deduction of Specific Expenses

The expense that the taxpayer had to pay for no positive financial outcome is defined as a deductible expense according to the law. This deduction in the tax is offered by the government to provide relief to the taxpayer from paying tax even for the expenses that produced nothing for the taxpayer. The relief is the make sure that the taxpayer stays assured that the government is not greedy for the money and nobody is going to do any injustice to the taxpayer. The amount that the taxpayer spent on the non-profitable expenses is regarded as the deductible income under the law this is because the taxpayer spent the income and got nothing out of that. This can happen in multiple ways and the Law addresses all the possibilities in such cases. It is important to cover all possibilities to make sure that the taxpayer is not overcharged and the government gets a fair amount of tax.

There is a standard for depreciation that is defined by the Sultanate of Oman. This is done to make sure that there is no confusion regarding the depreciation. There is no universal law for the depreciation and to some extent, this is subjected to society and the area of the property. There are so many factors that play a role in this and that is why it is important that there are some standards set by the government for the depreciation of the property (Moisescu, 2018). The building that is semi-permanent under the use of the corporate sector is depreciated at the rate of 15% but on the other hand, the building that is permanently under the use of the corporate sector is depreciated at the rate of 4%. If the building or the asset is being used by the industry the depreciation rate is doubled. This is to support the industrial system in the Sultanate. The buildings for the hospitals or any such public services are depreciated at the rate of 100% (Hameed, 2014).

The costs that were paid by the taxpayer in vain or the losses that were beard by the taxpayer can be considered as a deductible expense in cases but if that expense was recovered from any source like judicial ruling or insurance or due to any contract. In that case, the cost or the loss is not deductible at all. This is because the loss or the cost was recovered so in the eye of law that loss or cost didn’t even happen (Sultanate of Oman Ministry of Finance Secretariat General for Taxation, 2018). There is no compensation for the expenses that were made without outcome and then are recovered completely. The taxpayer got the money so the taxes that are applicable to that tax are also valid and need to be paid by the taxpayer (Secretariat General for Taxation Taxpayer Portal, 2018).

The expenses made in the production of the exempted income are also not deductible in the Oman Taxation Law. Even when the income has been exempted the expenses that are made for that income are not deductible. Capital expenditures can either be deductible or non-deductible depending on the situation. There is a guideline for the taxpayer so that the taxpayer can understand the difference between the capital expenditure that is taxable and the capital expenditure that can be recorded under deductible expense.

The start-up expenses that the owner has to bear just to start the business. These expenses are also noted as deductible expenses. This step is taken by the government to make sure that they provide a healthy and welcoming environment for the new business owners. This is important for the government to promote new businesses as they can support the economy of the Sultanate (Naidu-Ghelani, 2013).

The expenses that are made for the sake of generating the gross income are considered deductible taxes. So the expenses that are made to make more than the gross income are the expenses that are taxable. There is no deduction clause in the tax system for the expenses more than the expenses for generating the gross income (Eudelle & Shrestha, 2017). The tax that is already due on the taxpayer whether it is in Oman or in some foreign country is not deductible by the law. The amount or the tax that is already payable or is already paid is not the expense of the taxpayer that can get some compensation for the taxpayer. Such an amount is already the debt that the taxpayer has to pay to the authorities.

Conclusion

In Oman, strict laws and regulations are clearly defined for deductible expenses. Clear guidelines and strict rules are designed regarding deductible expenses. The major thing is the definition of deductible price, the trickiest and tough task is to define which should be the deductible expenses and which should not. In the entire world, different rules and laws are defined for deductible expenses but as far as the Oman Sultanate is concerned there is leniency to some extent. The laws are lenient and least complicated. In Oman Sultanate the deductions are provided for each expense that is not produced from any taxpayer income.

The Oman government has clearly defined the depreciation rates which are used by the corporate sectors. The government announced the depreciation rate because it is essential and highly important for the government to make the standards clear and remove the confusion. The Oman laws about taxation are very clear and extensive. The laws of Oman regarding taxation cover all the major and minor aspects and conditions which can occur for an individual or company. The articles described all aspects of tax considerations and conditions which are necessary to follow in Oman.

The tax has some conditions to be applied to the taxpayer, the tax will be not applied to that type of loss which the taxpayer can recover from different resources. That’s why the taxpayers consider the laws of the Oman Sultanate feasible and lenient. The Oman Sultanate has liniment strategies by which the taxpayer can get relaxation.

 

Part B

Introduction

Oman Sultanate has a well-defined structure of rules and regulations or laws. In the Oman sultanate, the rules and regulations are clearly defined by the state and the proper procedure for each thing or each activity is defined under the legalities. The importance of fully defined procedures and definitions is considered by the state and in articles, the detailed description of procedures, rules, and regulations is defined regarding all entities. The articles defined all the limitations on the operations of company owners and businesses in terms of taxes. The taxes are essential to pay and who is responsible to pay the taxes, these all things are defined in articles.

The articles of the law have defined the categories under which the taxpayer falls. The articles clearly highlighted the circumstances which can be resulted in the case of an operation by the company or any individual. The company and the individual business holder must follow some rules to pay the tax, for the debt deductions, tax year which is defined in articles with complete detail.  In multiple countries, there are different rules and multiple definitions of taxable, that’s why before establishing a business in Oman it is necessary to clearly understand or make sure the guidelines. The individual working in Oman and the taxable organization must follow the given details and conditions to run the business under laws and regulations.

Body

The procedure of administering the Tax Law

In Article 4, it is thoroughly discussed that a foreign person shall be subjected to pay the tax in that case where he/she is not running the business in Oman by the source of permanent establishment and he/she is collecting the money from royalties, management fees, development, and research, obtaining the rights of a software house or collecting money from any other resource (Strolla & Peri, 2016).

In accordance with article 2 (Almutairi, 2014), it is clearly declared that the tax provisions are applied to the GCC country’s national. If the person was legally permitted to live in or born here on the premises that he /she is subjected to tax provisions. It is based on the Economic Agreement which was signed by the GCC country’s Supreme council in 2001 (Besley & Persson, 2014).

Article 6 declared the fourteen professional activities where the provisions of laws can be implemented. The fourteen professional activities are Dentistry, economic and administrative consultancy, physiotherapy, engineering branches, photography, painting, translation, veterinary medicine, Administrative expertise, and other authorities, etc. (Agarwal, 2017).

Article 28 (Eudelle & Shrestha, 2017) defined the sponsor properly. According to article 28, a sponsor is a person by which the foreign company can enter into any contract to run or carry out any business in Oman. The sponsor is the source of entry for a foreign company in the Oman Sultanate (Ennis, 2015).

According to the article, the changes in any taxpayer information or the notifications regarding the taxpayer changes shall be submitted according to the time limit of the Income-tax Form No 6 which is two months after the changes (Hasan, 2015). During the tax year, some rules and conditions are defined to deduct the bad debts. Article 22, highlighted the three major conditions regarding the bad debt deductions. The conditions discussed in the article are following

• The first condition is that the debt must be recorded in the records of accounting by which the taxpayer can track all the transactions.
• The second condition is that the debt is just because of the production of the gross income, or because of that transaction which is done by the taxpayer in business.
• Articles 23 and 24 are necessary to follow by the taxpayer for the debt collection and failed collected amount which the taxpayer owed in debts.

According to article 29, the detailed deals and conditions are following which are foreign company and sponsor in accordance with the amount paid from the gross income. The sponsor’s fees deals and conditions are defined in article 29 in detail which are three

• The contract of the sponsorship is necessary for which all the terms and conditions must be clearly defined and all the liabilities and responsibilities of both parties must be discussed.
• The fees which are paid to the sponsor must not be for any sale or any trade or any purchase of goods or services, but they should be in the capacity of the sponsor not for any other company operations.
• During the tax year, the permanent establishment must be incurred the fees such as payable or paid fees.

Article 33 discussed some scenarios of donation deductions while defining the taxable income. There are three scenarios that are discussed for deductible donations.

• The donations are paid to the law of private Bodies which are recognized by the sports field or the Private bodies which are working in the sports
• The donation is made to societies or any non-governmental charitable organizations which are recognized by any Non-Governmental Societies Law.
• On the special occasions like Eid, religious events, or any national day the amounts paid by the public organizations, ministries, or any taxpayer

Article 48 declared the salaries which are payable to the owner of any Omani establishment or any company partner in return for the management. article 48 discussed the amount which is returned to the owner in terms of management return shall be treated as bonuses, wages, shares, commissions, and profits whether it is electricity, water, telephone, medical facilities, residential facilities, transportation facilities, or any other facilities regarding living standard provided by the company to the owner or any partner of the company.

Article 34 (Brandenburg, 2013) is clearly described the real estate and rents deductions. In accordance with article 34, the rent is considered in the deductions which are occupied by any taxpayer when it is a registered contract of rent under the Royal Decree N° 6/89 provisions.

Conclusion

Oman has defined some rules and regulations regarding tax provisions etc. The clearly defined law of Oman is that everyone who is carrying business in Oman or earning money in Oman from any business any individual set-up or any organization or in another foreign country will pay the tax. They all are considered taxable entities. The tax laws are defined to provide relaxation to the multiple forms. Sponsorship is common in Oman. The trend of having a sponsor is very old and common in Oman and the laws of tax have separately announced or defined their terms or provisions about the payments in return for the sponsor services. To enjoy the bad debts perks some rules and regulations are necessary and highly optimal to follow because the tax laws are offering relaxation in that case if the conditions are fulfilled.

In Oman, the tax laws are defined for all types of contracts and all types of business whether it is individual or based o partnership or sponsorship. The partnership agreement is also possible in Oman. But the partnership agreement required some considerations of laws by which the tenant may also have some compensations on the rent which will be paid. The rules and terms are defined by which an owner can enjoy the compensations and awards from the company or the partner can also enjoy the same rights. The owner and partner of the company have multiple compensations like the standard of living style or the medical facilities and residential facilities. They are also enjoying bonuses, profits, and commissions in return for management.

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1.0 Introduction

Conjoining is the part of speech that is used in English grammar to join two separate identities. Mostly when the conversation is carried out the English Grammar and syntax are often associated with the true use of written styles. Conjoining is the term used to add the effect of two separate identifies which are not linked to the writing to provide expression. Most of the time in the text there are thoughts that require being connected with each other in the form of true rules of syntax and grammar (Litman, et al., 2017). The conjunction terms are normally added to solve the issues and the language style keeps on expressing the thoughts with an independent frame of mind.

 

In English grammar specifically relating to the generative portion, embedding is a process where one clause in the English language is nested in other. This response to the use of two different clauses for the same opinion (Millaku, 2017 ). This portion refers to the inclusion of any linguistic part that is used for expressing the meaning of the same idea with the help of different clauses. This also reports on the use of language tools for providing an example of effective and ineffective embedding. Basically, the embedding is carried out in the form of a process where a key planned idea is related to the sentence. This idea is embedded with the help of second thoughts of a person and keeps on changing the nature of sentence style with Embedding.

2.0 Literature Review

The phrases prove an important part in building the syntax for the English language. This syntax is the main area that defines the use of phrases and the base of the elements of grammar. The main weakness of the phrase is the effectiveness of Subject and Object. This forms the area where meaning cannot be delivered alone without any helping article (Jalilifar, et al., 2017). As identified by the Author Noun phrase is a combination of words that have the same unity as the Noun functions in a sentence. This phrase is most commonly used in the form of the pronoun. This phrase can take the help of a Noun to complete the sentence’s meaning.

The noun phrase can be expressed in the form of using a noun with the modifiers. For example, the Noun phrase is represented in the following sentence where “They hired a huge beautiful home indicates that a huge beautiful home is the Noun phrase added in the form of noun relation with the subject.

The second phrase is identified with a prepositional phrase. According to the author, this phrase comprises an object along with the desired proposition. There are chances for modifiers to take a part in this category as the literature suggests that the proportions phase has the use of a noun as well as the pronoun for a single meaning (Millaku & Topanica, 2017). For example, if near a wall is related to the proposition phase the location along with the noun element also comes into play for meaning.

The third type of phrase is related with the adjective phrases where the establishing the link of adjective forms the main element of the phrase (Collins & Hollo, 2016). According to the author, this phrase modifies the meaning of the noun in such a way that sentence becomes clear as compared to the part without the adjective phrase (Millaku, 2016). For example, in the sentence Kids on the roof, this phrase modified the meaning of nouns related to the position of the subject.

If an adverb phrase is related to the author’s point then adding meaning to the verb in a sentence can be related to the true function of the adverb phrase. This is explained as a word added to change the effect of the verb. If very high is added to speed then very high speed becomes the source of adverb phrases (Thornton, 2016.). The inclusion of verb phrases also provides a significant effect on sentence structure. This can be in the form of verbs and help verbs where the action is denoted by the link of the phrase (Cheung, 2014). The last type of phrase is mentioned by the author in terms of infinitive phrase. This is linked with the addition of two for adding an action in the sentence. For example, to drive is an infinitive phrase. The review of the author on infinitive phrases states that it is commonly used in sentences to add meaning to a verb or noun (Bresnan, et al., 2015).

In a study made by Hannah and coauthors the embedding and conjoining terms were related to the forms and function of the sentences (Rohde, et al., 2017). The author states that the coherence of the sentence depends upon the conjoining and embedding strategies. The embedding basically forwards a basic for increasing sentence structure relationship. In conjoining the sentences are divided based on separate variables (Cichosz & Gaszewski, 2014). Integrating a linguistic element depend on the key level of schematics where the syntax holds the basic key for efficient linguistics (Durrleman, et al., 2015).

Conjoining is the reason which is used to make the comprehension measures as compared the part of disclosure (Rohde, et al., 2017). For example, a mayor is elected. A riot happened. These two elements are mutually independent and provide no information about what happened on which evidence. If there are joined with them, as a result, a cause and effect sequence will be established to easier comprehension. This is the conjoining practice (Cacoullos & Travis, 2014).

Similarly adding one clause into another is called embedding where for example adding she told [he would do] is an example of embedding in the linguistic structure a sentence is long and there is a requirement for independent occurrences then embedding will be carried out in relation with the supported events (Rinke & Aßmann, 2017). For example, if it is said that a company proposed that a manager was elected and that there was a problem shows a complex matrix. This can be resolved with the help of adding and working to level the meaning of the first person. This will be a major removal from the matrix clause. The embedding process adds support to the mental model for the reader (Burridge, 2014. ).

 

3.0 Analysis of Text

The Embedded phrases within phrases are identified in the form of green color in both of the texts while embedding clauses within phrases are highlighted as blue. Embedded clauses within sentences are identified with the help of square brackets. The conjoined phrases are spotted as yellow and clauses are spotted as brown colour.

[If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.] Embedding phrase {It’s the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen}; {by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.} [It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled]– {Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of the Red States and the Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.} {It’s the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.} [It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.] I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. {He fought long and hard in this campaign, and he’s fought even longer and harder for the country he loves}. {He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. {I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation’s promise in the months ahead. Barack Obama: Election Night Victory Speech: Grant Park, Illinois: November 4, 2008.

The curriculum is treated as an educational space for planned interaction of students with instructional content, materials, resources, and processes for evaluating the attainment of learning outcomes. The team had to ensure that the teaching pedagogies are aligned with the learning outcomes of the module. It also needed to be maximally transparent to students, so [that they know what they are learning when they are learning (the order of topics for example), how they are learning (the teaching and learning strategies)] and {the measures to ensure that they have actually learned}. {Scaffolding is also another aspect of the curriculum and it guides students towards their learning objectives.} It is often overlooked and more often underestimated that in an academic institution, students contribute significantly to the delivery of a programmed. For Majan College and specifically for the Faculty of English Language Studies, [ students coming from various backgrounds cutting across nationalities, geographical locations, and academic traditions play a very important role in the delivery of the modules through their responses], through their feedback provided on different modules and on other non-academic issues, through linguistic and {theoretical inputs brought into the classroom through homework}. Since language and its structure and function are the major topics in most of the modules, [ the prelinguistic and composite nature of the student groups bring in varieties of perspectives into the teaching-learning process.  ] Source: Adapted from the Annual Monitoring Report (2013) of Majan University College.

4.0 Conclusion

This study was designed to look for the practice of embedding and conjoining in English language syntax. The main objective was to look for different phrases of conjoining and embedding in sentence structure and review the possible research carried out by scholars. The final part was the practice of two texts where embedding and conjoining were spotted for clauses and phrases within the structure. It was found that the embedding technique helps to arrange the structure of sentence for simplicity. It helps to remove the confusion from the syntax while conjoining adds towards separate parts of the sentence in a single manner.

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Introduction

Legal consideration is related to the terms of the contract with the original auditor’s company. The legal consideration varies from Country to Country.  In Oman, these considerations are related to the governing body and company. It is an accepted pattern from legal books that the company has been neglected for the job requirement should be informed with the help of positive tenure and time period (Knechel & Salterio, 2016). This will be done either with the help of notice to companies’ management and decision-makers.

 

Ethical consideration is the mode that affects the concept of ethics in an organization. It happens in all the companies where ethics and social responsibility are connected with the manager’s use of power (Mu & Carroll, 2016). Ethical modes become important for the company because it looks for the right of people working in an organization.

The evidence is important for the audit process as investigated in the second case. The SAS 400 Audit evidence is related to the examination and investigation of the sources of evidence. These methods actually help to change and modify the quality of evidence from key defining areas.

The system of blank cheques is basically understood as accepting the accountant for most of the financial transactions (Mo, et al., 2015). The case basically highlights the loopholes which are present between Ms. Juliet and her accountant. This should be carried out in an appropriate way and monitoring the invoice system forms the basis of checking on the subordinates in a company or system.

Body

The legal and ethical consideration arises from the approach of Mr. Ismail in selecting the firms outside the agreement. One of the legal considerations will be Messers Hannod & Co’s agreement with Al Sharqiya Enterprises because this company can state the violation of the agreement and use an approach that is not defined under the books of law (Bennouri, et al., 2015). The enterprises have not issued any notice prior to removing the company from the auditing specification.

Legal and Ethical Considerations for Al Sharqiya Enterprises Ltd

Legally Al Sharqiya Enterprises Ltd has to look at a number of factors for both the removal of existing and appointment of new auditors. The auditors are to be removed by the shareholders of the company and not by the management on its own. For removal, there is a legal process to be followed according to Commercial Companies Law (OMAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, 2010) :

Shareholders/shareholders should serve the notice to the company regarding the removal of auditors. In addition, to convene a general meeting for the said purpose (Kleinman, et al., 2014). The notice must serve before the company meeting is to hold and should address to the company secretary.

• The purpose of the notice of intent is to inform the company of the intention of the shareholder to propose a resolution to remove the company’s auditor.

Mr. Ismail as Managing Director himself cannot remove the auditors; this is to decide upon the happening of the general meeting. The shareholder should send notice to the company for the removal of Messer’s Rolando & Co. and to arrange a general meeting for that.

On receipt of notice by the company, should send one copy of the notice to and Investment Commission as soon as possible and one copy to the auditors informing them about the potential resolution of their removal?

• AL SHARQIYA Enterprises Ltd must serve notice to the commission and to Messer’s Rolando & Co.
• A notice of the meeting must give to persons entitled to receive notice by the company. These include the directors of the company, members/shareholders, and

• An ordinary resolution must have passed to remove the auditor’s majority of those members voting in person at the general meeting, or by proxy if it is allowed.

However, from the given case it is evident that this legal process according to Oman Commercial Company law is not followed (Chambers, 2015). This could result in heavy fines and penalties or disqualification of Mr. Ismail as Managing director.

The legal aspect of appointing Rolando & Co. is as under:

When an auditor is removed, the new auditor must have appointed at a general meeting of the company by passing a resolution to ‘appoint an auditor of the company if a copy of the notice of nomination has been sent to the potential new auditors that are Rolando & Co in the current case (Weirich & Reinstein, 2014. ).

However, this provision of the Commercial Company Law is adhered to by AL SHARQIYA LTD.

Ethical Consequences are as follows:

• Without giving prior notice to the outgoing auditors and appointing new auditors is unethical and unjust as it seems from the case

• Asking the potential new auditors to waive off fifty percent of their first audit fee does not seem to be professional(Hennes, 2014). Although the business has to look after its profits and cash flows but asking auditors to reduce fees and making it contingent on the appointment as auditors are

 Audit Evidence from Different Sources

Auditor’s opinion is based on sufficient appropriate audit evidence. Sufficient refers to quantity whereas appropriateness refers to the quality of evidence collected. How much evidence is needed is subjective and is based on the judgment of the auditors (Velte & Freidank, 2015). Strength and sampling method of the internal control system are among the factors that might include but is not exhaustive to materiality, the company has chosen by the auditors.

The auditor obtains audit evidence from different sources such as evidence generated by the auditors themselves, audit evidence from the management of the company, and third-party provided documentation (Downey & Bedard, 2018). Each of these sources has its own significance, however, audit evidence generated by the auditors themselves is of prime importance and the opinion of auditors relies greatly on this as it is more reliable than other sources.

Auditor-generated audit evidence is of more reasonable quality than other sources. Quality depends on how relevant and reliable the audit evidence is.

Auditor generates audit evidence through a number of audit procedures these include:

• Observation
• Inquiry
• Re-calculation
• Re-performance
• Analytical procedures
• External Confirmations
• Inspection

When auditors generate audit evidence, they are much more aware of its basis and authenticity rather than just relying on management representations.

SAS 400 provides provisions for analyzing the quality of audit evidence (Brown-Liburd & Vasarhelyi, 2015).  Audit evidence is more reliable when the auditor obtains it from independent sources; internally generated audit evidence is more reliable when internal controls are effective. Audit evidence in documentary form is more reliable than in non-documented form, for example, minutes of the board meeting or written correspondence between the company and its bank is more reliable than the oral declaration of the management of the company.

 

When Auditor directly obtains audit evidence, it is more reliable than when evidence is obtained indirectly for example recalculation performed by auditors themselves (Asare, et al., 2015). Another example is an observation of a control procedure by the auditor like sales cycle walk-through tasks. The original document provides more reliable audit evidence than photocopies.

Audit evidence is relevant when it is connected with the purpose of the audit procedure. This is to do with the relevant assertion. For example, when testing overstatement of the existence of assets, physically verifying the assets generated audit evidence. However, when testing the understatement of assets, the relevant audit procedure to generate audit evidence is not physically verifying the assets of the company but inspection of the asset register (Sonnier, et al., 2015). Thus, confirming the completeness assertion.

When management provides audit evidence, the auditor’s show assesses the basis and its reasonableness to count it in. Further auditors should assess the efficiency and effectiveness of the internal control systems of the company.

Robust control system

A robust control system would provide audit evidence of reasonable quality. Written representations made by the management of the company should be relied upon if their basis seems to be logical and in good faith (Han, et al., 2015). Another example to be looked upon is the reliance on the work of the internal control department of the company. For that, auditors should assess the reporting lines, qualifications, experience, and appointment of internal control staff to form a thought of objectivity of the internal control department.

Evaluation of Quality auditor

The third party also provides audit evidence. To evaluate its quality auditor has to look at the source. For example, bank balance confirmation provided by the bank is more reliable than the bank balance provided by the management of the company in the cash book (Ettredge, et al., 2014). The auditor should further perform bank reconciliation to confirm the balance.

Third-party expertise

Another third party could be the expert who provides an opinion regarding his field. For example, a civil engineer engaged to obtain his opinion about the percentage of completion of the ongoing building of the company (Cianci, et al., 2016). The auditor should assess and evaluate the expert’s independence and technical knowledge of the subject matter. Had an expert been non-independent and was in some form of affiliation with the company, his provided opinion or report would not be reliable. Further, the reputation of the expert in his industry and his skills would also be considered to count the audit evidence.

Management of companies from third parties

The third-party can provide the opinion regarding the internal audit functions and they will view the matter from the technology perspective. For example, the manufacturer of the global goods introduced the audit system for evaluating the internal control and the pre-implementation of ERP security. The third party was the expert who assessed the business process control, application security, general computer controls, and data interface controls. These controls are assessed to predict the accurate information by the audit system (Deloitte, 2010).

Possible Consequences Associated with Internal Control System and Corrective Measures

The internal control system is related to the audit functions. In this case, a clear example is described between the accountant and owner in a fashion design business. As an Internal Auditor, I have the responsibility of evaluating the internal controls and taking corrective measures in order to ensure they are robust and effective to protect every asset and subject matter falling under the jurisdiction of the internal control department of the Ms. Juliet’s firm (Keune & Johnstone, 2015). Upon analyzing the given scenario of the firm and the tasks performed by staff, I have pointed out the following consequences of the internal control system of the firm and their corrective measures:

One of the possible consequence is that Abeer, Accountant of Ms. Juliet is performing the job of listing the purchase invoices which needs to be paid, as well as he is also preparing the cheque for Ms. Juliet’s signature. There is a lack of segregation of duties. Performing both tasks creates a risk that the accountant might prepare a cheque for the supplier, which is not the genuine supplier of the firm, and he has listed the purchase invoice in the name of a ghost supplier. There is also a risk that these two tasks could have a lot of burden on Abeer, looking into two tasks, which might also indulge him in making mistakes.

In that case, different standards are violated. First of all the ethical standard of the work is violated here. Ethically, Abeer is responsible for all the blank cheques which are given by Ms.Julliet. She was responsible to manage all the tasks ethically. It was her duty to work with ethics and follow all the working standards. Her ethical standard is that she must utilize all the blank cheques for official purposes and she must investigate the invoice before paying any amount on the behalf of a blank cheque. The professional working standard is also violated there. Ms.Julliet violated the professional working standard. She has a responsibility to manage all its tasks and she is also responsible for not signing any blank cheques.

The corrective measure is that one person should list the purchase invoice and some other employee of the firm should prepare cheques for Ms. Juliet. So, one person can have checked the other person’s work and segregation of duties would reduce the burden on Abeer as well (Dove, et al., 2015). The purchase invoices should be electronically listed thus minimizing the manual input by the Accountant. One method could be of integrating or developing a link between the supplier system and the purchaser system.

The second issue is although Ms. Juliet has a check on the invoices that they are correctly listed for every signed cheque, on the other hand, she leaves a few signed cheques with Abeer (Bennouri, et al., 2015). There is a risk that these signed blank cheques could be filled with any amount exceeding the amount to be paid to the supplier according to the purchase invoices. This might indicate potential fraud or misuse of the signed cheques.

The corrective measure is that in business the policy or the rules can be defined by which these issues can b overcome. In the business code of conduct, the rules can be defined in which no one is allowed to give a blank cheque to the accounting office. From top management to lower hierarchy in business, no one will have permission to sign the blank cheque and give it to an accountant for anything. the second rule is that the accountant will take strict action against that person who will give a blank cheque. In the company code of conduct, strict punishments and penalties can be designed against that person who will give a blank cheque and who will not investigate the reason behind the blank cheque issue (Bennouri, et al., 2015).

 

Conclusion

This study was based on three different types of cases that involved a practical pattern for the Auditing role. One of the cases represented the ethical and legal considerations for Al Sharqiya company which has appointed a new auditing company violating the ethical and legal considerations. The main part was the legal rules and application of the manager policy of Al Sharqiya Enterprises. There was ethical consideration present for selecting a new company without the formal agreement of company management.

In the second case, the importance of evidence was highlighted in terms of the auditing process. It was focused that SAS 400 can be used appropriately for drawing the audit opinion for the sources of management and the third parties. This can become an important part of recording the evidence and producing a new shape for the complete audit.

The third case was about the internal control system where the owner and accountant relationship was highlighted in regard to the inventory. It was observed that Ms. Juliet has shortcomings with blank cheques and it can affect the nature of the business. Therefore, the most important part was related to disbanding the regular approach and devising a strict portion for regulating the cash invoices. The accountant’s job is basically designed with respect to cash receipts and monitoring. This duty should be monitored with effective implementation of the system.

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Case: The Children’s Trust Southampton: Towards a culture of partnership working

Introduction

The Children’s Trust Southampton is an organization that is focused on the provision of different services for children and young people (The Children’s Trust, 2018). The aim of the organization is to minimize service failures. The organization aims to improve the service-providing mechanisms for children and young people. For this purpose, the organization employs partnership working. The organization ensures the collaboration of different agencies or organizations to address the needs of children and young people. The organization realizes the significance of partnership working to minimize the service failures and increase the efficiency of service providing mechanisms. The development of partnership working demands changes that can support the change of culture and positively influence the organizational activities.

 

The drivers of culture change

The increasing rate of high-profile service failure demands a change in the working culture. Although there is a range of services for children and young people, there is no mechanism that could maximize the utility of these services. The absence of a mechanism to address the needs of children often results in the deaths of children. A mechanism should be developed that reduces the rate of high-profile service failure. The collaboration of multiple agencies could constitute such a mechanism that minimizes the high-profile service failure (Jasper, et al., 2016). The culture of partnership working can address the issue of service failures.

Another key driver of the culture of partnership working is the efficiency of resources. The integration of resources could prevent duplication and optimize the utility of these resources. Collaborative working will reduce the financial burdens of the agencies involved in the arrangement. The culture of partnership working is beneficial for the service-providing agencies as well as the children and young people (Glasby & Dickinson, 2014).

Culture change activities

To implement the culture of partnership working, the organizations have to carry out certain change activities. The organizations have to redesign the organizational structure that could support the culture of partnership working. The children’s trust redeveloped its organizational structure that could facilitate the multiple-agency working. The children’s trust made organizational changes that could support the collaboration of the organization with local authorities and educational and social care organizations.

The development of values to support the change is the key activity for the implementation of the culture of partnership working. The children’s trust focused on the development of these values and explored the ways to foster the partnership by working in collaboration with its partners. The trust strived to develop the shared protocols for the working partners and held meetings to invite the recommendations. Moreover, the leaders were appointed as the agents of change. The leaders were motivated to supervise and control the process of change. It was expected the support of leadership will increase the ability of the organizations to absorb the change.

Reflection of change agents on the culture change

The change agents reflected that communication should be focused on during the implementation of change. Effective communication can improve the efficiency of the process. The change agents identified that the organization has employed only formal channels for communication. In this practice, the narrative of the organization about the change in culture is not communicated to all levels of the organization.

In the politicized context, the change agents confronted the challenges of ensuring the government and other authorities that the change will have a positive impact on the system. Moreover, the budgetary issues and other related problems forced the change agents to disrupt the existing mechanism to build a culture of partnership working.

The change agents reflected that the involvement of staff was minimum during the implementation of change. The middle managers and workforce belonging to the lower levels of hierarchy were not involved in the decision-making process. The feedback was slow and limited which hindered the evaluation of change. Now the organization is consulting the middle managers to increase the effectiveness of change.

Reflection of staff on the culture change

The staff reflected that the vision of change was not clear that minimized the effectiveness of change. The staff of all working partners was motivated to adopt the culture of partnership working that could improve the provision of services to children and young people. The management failed to communicate the significance of certain activities. The staff remained unaware of certain activities that were crucial to achieving the change. The staff did not comprehend the need for certain processes and how they contribute to the change.

During the process of change, certain staff members were uncertain about their role in the organization. They were unable to understand their position in the organization and how the change will influence their role. The changes in organizational structure caused the reconfiguration of many professional roles but these reconfigurations were not communicated clearly to the staff.

Impact of the culture change activities

It was a challenging task for the staff to absorb the change (Van der Voet, 2014). The changes in organizational structure influenced their performance. The loopholes in the change process minimize the effectiveness of change. However, the change of culture encouraged the partnership working and developed the relationship among the workers of all agencies that are involved in the collaborative arrangement. The change has increased the efficiency of all agencies and improved the provision of services for children and young people. The change of culture has accelerated the use of shared processes by the working partners.

Recommendations

A clear vision should be communicated to all levels of the hierarchy to achieve the objectives of change. All employees should be involved in the decision-making process and their feedback should be taken to evaluate the process (Dale, 2015). All working partners should plan the reconfiguration of professional roles and these reconfigurations should be clearly communicated to the staff before the initiation of the process.

Conclusion

The Children’s Trust Southampton aims to provide services for children and young people through the collaboration of different agencies. The culture of partnership working reduces the high-profile failure of services and optimizes the resources of all organizations. The challenges involved in the process of change can be addressed by communicating a clear vision to the staff of all working partners.

 

Case 1: Managing People and Organizations, Humanized Robots?

Introduction

Helen Bowers transformed the organizational policies and introduced new strategies to improve the competitive positioning of the company in the presence of Japanese firms in the lucrative parts market. Its strategies of Helen focused on the control of the cost of production and maximization of profitability. Helen opinionated that the wages of employees were enough and the company has to terminate the profit-sharing plan. Moreover, Helen believed that she could better perform her duties without consulting her employees. However, this plan does not produce the desired output. There was a minimal increase in the profitability and the rate of turnover was quite high.

The success of Helen’s new plan

The results of Helen’s strategies were not according to her expectations. The consultant advised her to return back to the humanistic approach to achieve the organizational goals. Accounting for this approach, Helen decided that she would implement a strategy that will enforce the employees to increase their productivity by 10 percent. If they failed to achieve this goal, they will experience a cut in their salaries. The chances of the success of Helen’s new plan are low to moderate. This strategy of Helen can increase the productivity of employees but at the same time, the chances of turnover are quite high. It would be difficult for Helen to sustain this plan for a long period of time. This plan can fail if the employees showed resistance. However, the implementation of this plan will temporarily boost the profitability of the company.

Challenges for Helen

Helen is confronting the competition from Japanese competitors. It is challenging for Helen to formulate strategies to increase the productivity of the company. It is challenging for Helen to devise an appropriate plan that could minimize the cost of production and increase the profit margins. It is difficult for her to figure out a middle ground where she could maximize productivity along with maintaining employee engagement and satisfaction. The implementation of her strategies is not giving the expected results.

Recommendations

As a consultant for Helen, I would convince her to modify her strategies. It would be recommended to include the activities as part of her plan that could increase employee motivation. I would recommend that the employees that would increase their productivity by 20 percent would experience an increment of 30 percent in their salaries. In my opinion, this approach would boost employee motivation and positively influence employee performance. I would recommend to Helen perform the cost-benefit analysis of this action and set the figures according to the analysis.

Conclusion

It is crucial to employ the humanistic approach while formulating organizational strategies. Employee satisfaction is essential to achieving organizational goals. The owners should formulate a strategy that focuses on the alignment of the interest of employees with the interests of the organization. The company can achieve its goals by investing in employee motivation. Moreover, organizations should involve their employees in the decision-making process to maximize organizational performance.

Case 2: Dimensions of Organization Structure

Changing the rules at Cosmo Plastics

Introduction

The formulation of rules and procedures is a crucial task for the top management. The former chief executive officer of Cosmos Plastics introduced a new set of rules and procedures that we’re quite flexible. The new chief executive officer of the company, Alice Thornton, noticed that the company was experiencing a decline in performance. She analyzed the rules and procedures and investigated the impact of these rules and procedures on the operations of different departments. She concluded that the rules and procedures are too humane and they have caused chaos in some departments. She came up with the idea that the managers or supervisors of all departments would recommend the rules and procedures for their respective departments.

 

The success of Alice Thornton’s proposal

The issues regarding the day-to-day operations vary from department to department. The issues faced by the research and development department are in contrast with the issues faced by the manufacturing department. The routine activities of each department highly differ. A common set of rules and procedures cannot be applied to each department. The decentralization of rules and procedures will enable the managers to devise the rules for their department according to their requirements. The managers have the ability to analyze the issues of their respective departments and they effectively devise rules and regulations to increase the productivity and efficiency of their subordinates. I think that this proposal will work effectively and minimize the loopholes in the existing rules and procedures of the company.

Rules and procedures for different departments

The managers of the research and development department would come up with more flexible rules and regulations. They would minimize the practice of punching a time clock. Instead of monthly evaluation, the managers would propose an annual evaluation of the employee’s performance. The managers of the manufacturing department would come up with rigid rules and regulations that would enforce the employees to follow the tight work schedules. The managers would employ the monthly evaluation of employees. These kinds of rules and procedures will enable the managers to maintain discipline and maintain a competent workforce.

Risks for the company

The decentralized rules and procedures would create challenges for the central management. It would be difficult for them to ensure the implementation of different rules and procedures for different departments. It could create a conflict of interests among different departments. It would be challenging for the organization to ensure the alignment of all departments with the organizational goals.

Conclusion

The decentralized rules and regulations can maximize the productivity of each department. Managers can formulate the rules and procedures that can maintain discipline and increase the productivity of their subordinates. Organizations should empower their managers to draft the rules and procedures for their departments that could maximize the efficiency of employees.

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