7009 IBA Workshop Business Report Session Plan Any

7009 IBA Workshop: Business Report

Session Plan • Any general announcements/information • Business Report: Comprehensive Overview – – – – Where to access resources Task Brief Rubric/Marking Criteria Business Report Writing Tool Proposed Structure (incl. suggested word counts) How to submit (incl. declaration form) Additional information for task; starting resources • Research: How to conduct effective research for your Business Report

Business Report (General Info) • Weighting: 30% (marked out of 30) • 2000 words (+/- 10%) • Submission date: Extended to Sunday 25 th March Submission time: 5 pm (electronic) • One electronic copy should be submitted through Safe. Assign – No submissions accepted via email

Business Report (Task Brief) • Focused on products for home construction in the B 2 C (business-to-consumer) sector • Use secondary research; don’t contact Cement Australia directly • Key elements to your assignment • Structure to use – outlined here

Business Report (Rubric/Marking Criteria) • Available alongside other key documents for the Business Report on the course site • Ensure that you use the rubric to guide your approach • Mark allocation (from the Marking Criteria sheet) outlined on the following slide • Final mark will be determined by the rubric – your report is being marked using this

Business Report (Rubric/Marking Criteria) Marking Criteria Presentation (Writing Style) (10 marks) Clear & precise Executive Summary, conclusions & recommendations Information flow & concepts are clearly articulated Professional appearance – including diagrams, spelling & grammar lists Please note use of in-text referencing is mandatory (Harvard or APA style) Has followed the BRW tool format as instructed Under / over word limit – 2000 words Analysis & Synthesis (10 marks) Introduction – tailored to report task Clear ideas, effectively communicated Accurate analysis of appropriate sources Key concepts identified, integration of ideas & linkage to business issues Persuasiveness (10 marks) Report contextualised to the specific audience, tailoring both amount of information & style Recommendations are linked to the report & are able to be implemented

Business Report (Business Report Writing Tool) • Can be accessed in the relevant folder on the course site. – This tool is helpful and should be used • Three key areas – What is a business report? – Action Plan • Three key stages (pre-writing, post-writing) – Sample Report • Discussion section omitted here (this is due to variation in this section)

Proposed Structure • Preliminary Section: – – Title Page Executive Summary (3/4 – 1 page approx. ) Table of Contents Table of figures/charts (Separate Page to TOC) • Body: – 1. 0 Introduction (including 4 sub-sections, 400 words total): • 1. 1 Background (introduce the purpose of the report and provide a situation assessment – see the next slide, which was shown earlier) 150 -200 words • 1. 2 Aim (50 words) • 1. 3 Scope (50 -100 words) • 1. 4 Assumptions & Delimitations (75 -100 words)

P&G Cosmetics and the PIC Situation Assessment: – Underserved consumer market that wanted quality facial products such as cleansers, eye products, etc. – Supply chain was uncoordinated as production and shipments were not tied to demand > market forecasts were not driving shipping schedules. • PIC recommended a strategic focus on products for the face – other opportunities would not be pursued. – Simplified product range > better investment of remaining resources (evident in divestment strategies)

Proposed Structure • Body: – 2. 0 Central Analysis/Discussion (could be called ‘Opportunity Identification’), including (total 1000 -1100 words): • 2. 1 Market Overview (300 -400 words): – Current trends in the B 2 C Australian DIY market » i. e. cultural influence; sales figures etc. (tables/data a good inclusion here) • 2. 2 Opportunity Assessment (700 -800 words): – Outline and analyse three potential opportunities in the B 2 C market » Use correct terminology and categorisation (see next slides) » Provide evidence to support your assessment of the relative merits of each opportunity, i. e. which appears most viable? This will partially be down to your own view, but relevant data and observations are definitely available » Consider the influence of a product innovation charter (PIC) on the B 2 C strategic business unit (SBU). How can Cement Australia ensure that product development is consistent with this?

Sources of Identified Opportunities An underutilised resource (a manufacturing process, an operation, a strong franchise) A new resource (discovery of a new material with many potential uses) An external mandate (stagnant market combined with competitive threat) An internal mandate (new products used to close long-term sales gap, senior management desires)

Opportunity Identification: Emerging Societal Trends “Just-in-time” life – products on demand The transparent self – self-disclosure & social media In search of “enoughness” Virtual made real - blurring lines between virtual and real worlds • Co-creation • • Source: A. Hines, J. Calder, and D. Abraham, “Six Catalysts Shaping the Future of Product Development, ” Visions, 33(3), October 2009, pp. 20 -23.

What is the Product Innovation Charter (PIC)? It is the new product team’s strategy. – It is for Products (not processes). – It is for Innovation (think of the definition of a new product). – It is a Charter (a document specifying the conditions under which a firm will operate). • Typically, it is a document prepared by senior management designed to provide guidance to the strategic business units (SBUs) on the role of innovation.

The Contents of a Product Innovation Charter Figure 3. 5

An Illustrative PIC for the Apple i. Pad Focus: Technology strengths include Apple’s operating system, hardware, applications, and services, product design and development skills. Marketing requirements include products on the “cutting edge” that offer seamless integration and high performance, yet are intuitive, simple, and fun to use. Goals: Revolutionary new products should also be platforms for future products, due to the cost of “really new” product development (this is why we several iterations of Apple products). New products should occupy the leadership position in the market. Special Guidelines: Apple aims to be the best, not necessarily the first, in new product categories (evident with the Apple Watch). The Result: Apple’s first “tablet computer, ” a revolutionary new product seen by many at the time as the next big thing. No one tablet computer had established a dominant position yet, so Apple could be the standard bearer with the i. Pad. The plan for the future was to add capabilities and applications to future i. Pads (recent trends are downward though – see next slide). Q. Why is this occurring?

Proposed Structure • Body (continued): – 3. 0 Conclusion (200 words): provide a summary of your main discussion, with focus on an overview of the three opportunities identified. What are the relative strengths of the competitors? Don’t identify your final decision here (this is for the next section) – 4. 0 Recommendations (300 words): outline 3 -5 key recommendations based upon your previous discussion. Identify which of the options appears to be the most viable, and consider how the B 2 C SBU of Cement Australia can customise/design a product to meet this opportunity • Supplementary: – References: Just include those cited in your analysis. This should be around 15 reputable sources.

How to submit your report • One Safe. Assign copy is required on the deadline. – Safe. Assign used to measure level of originality in your assignment, i. e. if your work is plagiarised – 2 x draft submission points (optional but recommended) – 1 x final submission point (mandatory) • Online Declaration form/Coversheet – Couple of minutes to complete

Good Research – tips • Think flexibly when using search terms • Access journal databases through the Griffith library search. • Use all resources available (help available directly through the library website). • Discard sources if you find yourself needing to work hard to find relevant information. • Use the Griffith Referencing Tool

Selecting appropriate references Use the Griffith library search function (www. griffith. edu. au/library) Locate the search bar Enter your search term (for example, “Home renovation Australia”) Select search Read through your results Apply the ‘refine your search’ filter – “Limit to articles from scholarly publications, including peer-review”. This should ensure that your articles are appropriate for your assignment. • Consider limiting to journal articles. • All selections should be linked to the choices that you have made in relation to your Business Report • • •