| HOLMES INSTITUTE FACULTY OF HIGHER EDUCATION |
| Assessment Details and Submission Guidelines | |
| Trimester | T3 2020 |
| Unit Code | HC1021 |
| Unit Title | Interpersonal & E-Communication |
| Assessment Type | Group Assignment (Max 5 Students per group) |
| Assessment Title | Evaluating the advancements in communication strategies of International and domestic Business |
| Purpose of the assessment (with ULO Mapping) | Students are required to perform academic research on any nominated international company to identify and assess the effectiveness of its current “Non Electronic and Electronic Communication” strategies |
| Weight | 40 % of the total assessments |
| Total Marks | Group Report (25 marks) Group presentation (15 marks) |
| Word limit | Not more than 2500 words |
| Due Date | Both Report and Presentation (Friday in week 10 by 11:59pm) |
| Companies: You will join one of the 19 groups (max of 5 students). The companies for each group have been predetermined. No individual assignments will be allowed. Any unassigned students by week 5 will be automatically allocated to a group. If you do not contribute to the assignment and/or presentation, you will receive No Marks. |
Group 1: IKEA, Group 2: McDonalds, Group 3: Heinz, Group 4: Cadbury, Group 5: PepsiCo, Group 6: Arnotts, Group 7: Kellogg’s, Group 8: Netflix, Group 9: Unilever, Group 10: Australia Post, Group 11: Procter and Gamble, Group 12: Santos, Group 13: Disney, Group 14: Honda Group 15: Coles, Group 16: Tesla, Group 17: HSBC, Group 18: Hungry Jacks, Group 19: Subway |
Assignment 1 Specifications
Purpose:
This assignment aims at applying theoretical and practical knowledge of communication to formulate
effective business communication strategies. In groups of 5 (max) students must:
| i. | Select a suitable group and associated company. Then write a formal report on their business |
| communication trend over the past 10 years. | |
| ii. | The nominated company has already been assigned to a group number (1 – 12). This is to ensure |
| each group does a different company and report. Joining a group is basis on a ‘first-come firstserved’ basis. |
|
| iii. | You will be required to perform academic research on the nominated companies to assess how |
changes in business communication strategies have impacted the way that business is being done
today. iv. You are to make a group presentation for 5-12 minutes on the key findings from your report
using PowerPoint slides or video and submit by end of Week 10.
Assignment Structure should be as the following:
Title Page
Executive Summary
| Submission Guidelines | All work must be submitted on Blackboard by the due date along with a completed Assignment Cover Page. The assignment must be in MS Word format, no spacing, 12-pt Arial font and 2 cm margins on all four sides of your page with appropriate section headings and page numbers. Reference sources must be cited in the text of the report, and listed appropriately at the end in a reference list using Harvard referencing style. |
Brief Introduction and Background
Body of the Report:
Section 1: Synopsis of the key communication methods and practices that the company previously used
to engage customers, suppliers, staff members and the public.
Section 2: Overview of the current communication strategies used by the company, including websites,
social media, and electronic platforms. Moreover, how they conduct and use PR to promote or protect
the company from public distrust etc.
Section 3: Perform a SWOT Analysis on the company’s overall communication methods and practices,
and describe your findings.
Section 4: Assess and compare the company’s previous and current communication practices
Final Section:
Recommendations: Provide suggestions and recommendations on how your chosen companies can
improve their business communication Conclusion
Marking Criteria
| Marking criteria Marking criteria | Weighting |
| Overall Structure, format and presentation | 3 marks |
| Overview of the company’s communication strategy changes over time. Including use of PR within the organization. |
4 marks |
| SWOT Analysis of the company’s communication strategies |
6 marks |
| Comparison of the previous and current company’s communication strategies |
5 marks |
| Summary of findings and Recommendations | 4 marks |
| Evidence of quality research and Referencing | 3 marks |
| TOTAL Weight of Written Report | 25 marks (+ presentation 15 marks) |
Marking Rubric
| Excellent | Very Good | Good | Satisfactory | Unsatisfactory | |
| Overall Structure, format and presentation (3) |
Report is excellently structured, with sub sections and logical paragraphing. Correct layout including Arial, font size 12, about the right length. |
Report is very well-structured, with subsections and logical paragraphing. Correct layout including Arial, font size 12, about the right length. |
Report is well structured, with sub sections and logical paragraphing Correct layout including Arial, font size 12, about the right length. |
Report is sufficiently structured, with sub sections and logical paragraphing Some elements of layout or length incorrect. |
No or little logical structure of report. Many direct quotes and/or very little paraphrasing. Some elements of layout or length incorrect. |
| Overview of the company’s communication strategy changes over time (4) |
Very detailed discussion on key communication strategies with examples |
Detailed discussion on key communication strategies with examples |
Sufficient discussion on key communication strategies with examples |
Barely adequate discussion on key communication strategies |
Insufficient discussion on key communication strategies |
| SWOT Analysis of the company’s communication strategies (6) |
Outstanding in-depth SWOT analysis of company communication strategies |
A very sound SWOT analysis of company communication strategies |
A good SWOT analysis of company communication strategies |
A satisfactory SWOT analysis of company’s communication strategies. |
A very shallow analysis. Failed to adapt a SWOT analysis technique. |
| Comparison of the company’s previous and current communication strategies (5) |
Excellent comparisons drawn on the company’s previous and current communication strategies |
Very good comparisons drawn on the company’s previous and current communication strategies |
Good comparisons drawn on the company’s previous and current communication strategies |
Satisfactory comparisons drawn on the company’s previous and current communication strategies |
Little or no comparisons drawn on the company’s previous and current communication strategies |
| Summary of Findings and Recommendation n (4) |
An interesting, well written summary of the main points. An excellent final comment on the topic, based on the information provided. |
A very good summary of he main points. A good final comment on the topic, based on the information provided. |
Good summary of the main points. A final comment on the topic based on the information provided. |
Satisfactory summary of the main points. A final comment on the topic, but introduced new material |
Poor/no summary of the main points. A poor final comment on the topic and/or new material introduced |
| Evidence of quality research and Referencing (3) |
Correctly se-tout reference list and in text citations included. Cited sources are all current and relevant |
Correctly set out reference list and in-text citations included. Cited sources are mostly current and relevant |
Correctly set out reference list and intext citations included. Cited sources are somewhat current and relevant |
Some problems with the reference list and/or in-text citations. Cited sources are marginally current and relevant |
So many problems with the reference list and/or in-text citations. Irrelevant or poorly-selected sources |
| Total Marks (25) | /25 |
