Assignment Case Study: Brush with Nature Cosmetics
Managerial Decision Making Block A
Assignment Case Study: Brush with Nature Cosmetics
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Assignment
Requirements:
Read the attached case study about Brush with Nature Cosmetics
You are the Senior Management Team at Brush with Nature Cosmetics (BNC). You report directly to Caroline Charles, CEO and a founder of the business. Caroline commissioned a team of final year undergraduate business students to do a consultancy project for her. They have been working with the organisation for the past few months, studying the business and some aspects of its external operating environment. They have submitted their report and Caroline has asked you as her trusted senior member to analyse and evaluate their report and prepare a complied report to present your findings to her
You have to read and analyse the report and determine what it means for the business. Your task will involve some reading and research in addition to reading the case study. Some sources are provided for you, however you are also expected to do your own research and find additional sources to support your work.
Assessment:
An individual written report. (5000 words, +/- 10% excluding cover, contents, bibliography, appendices)
In the report, first Identify all the key managerial decision-making issues and their context (internal and external) in the BNC case study. Then select and analyse the main managerial decision-making issue(s) at BNC and provide evaluated and justified recommendations to resolve them.
You need to prepare the report by answering the following requirements step by step.
- What is the nature and context of the key issues/problems for the business that require management level decisions to be made? Consider both internal and external context (STEEPLE, Balanced Score Card, Schein culture, Stakeholder analysis, SWOT).
- Identify the issues/problems for the business and justify why you think they are issues/problems, and what impact you think these issues are having on the business now/will have on Caroline’s future plans for the business?
- Identify one Tame problem/issue that you think is having a significant impact on the business and that should be addressed; explain your rationale.
- Critically analyse the different approaches that you could use to solve the problem/issue (eg rational model, bounded rationality, six step decision making etc.
- Select the structured approach that you will use to solve the problem, and justify why you think this is the most appropriate
- Work through the problem/issue, using your chosen structured approach, and applying appropriate tools and techniques at each stage of the process.
- Show clearly how you:
- Have fully understood the problem and why it is having a negative impact on the business
- Identify the root cause of the problem (this is important – once you know what is causing the problem, you have found your real issue/problem, and this is what you have to resolve)
- Generate solution options
- Systematically evaluate the options until you can identify the ideal solution; this will require several stages where you reduce the number of options until you have one preferred solution
- Ensure that your solution is legal, ethical, cost effective, practical, and politically acceptable (make sure that you explain all of these things)
- Recommend your preferred solution, and justify why it will benefit the business to implement this solution
All work should be supported with relevant academic theory and reference to sources from the module, your reading and your research. Please use Harvard referencing throughout.
You may include tables and diagrams in your work where these are relevant and appropriate and reasonably sized. You may also include a reasonable number of relevant appendices.
Pay close attention to the assessment criteria which are detailed in the module handbook.
Assignment Case Study: Brush with Nature Cosmetics
Submission Deadline for component:
Submit the report no later than 16.00 on 8th December 2020 via VLE where your work will be automatically checked for Plagiarism. NO PAPER copy is required.
Assignment Case Study: Brush with Nature Cosmetics (BNC).
Introduction to the business
Brush with Nature Cosmetics (BNC) is an online retailer based in the United Kingdom. It is an independent business, which sells a range of cosmetics, skin care and body care products for men, women and teenagers as well as accessories such as brushes, mirrors and bags.
Caroline and her friends Angela and Rupert established BNC on 1 March 2007; they all still work in the business and form the senior management team.
The business is successful and has a head office, warehouse and call centre in Leeds; there are now 200 staff employed in these operations. BNC use agency staff as well as their own employees in the warehouse.
The senior management team all earn six figure salaries, though Caroline earns more than the other two; Caroline owns 50% of the shares, Angela and Rupert each own 25%, and all three are on a performance related bonus scheme. No other employees in BNC are on a bonus scheme, and there are no plans to extend the scheme.
Caroline Charles’s personal vision for the business is to expand the range to include skin and body care products for the elderly, for babies and for children; more make up products for men; extend the hair care range and extend the cosmetic accessories range. She is also keen to build a reputation as an eco-friendly and responsible business.
The BNC mission is to “To be a responsible and profitable business, providing affordable cosmetics, skin and body care products and accessories and giving fantastic, friendly and personal service to all our customers.”
All current customers are based in the UK, and whilst Caroline would like to export in the future, there are no immediate plans to do this.
Caroline has set some challenging objectives for BNC:
- To at least double the profit from UK sales by the end of 2021,
- To significantly increase the range of products and the age range of customers in order to increase profits
- To position the BNC brand so it is perceived by customers to be a responsible organisation
Caroline’s perception is that being a ‘responsible organisation’ will become increasingly important in the future and that this will help to maintain and grow the company and its profits. The annual performance bonus for Caroline and her senior management team are linked to achieving the business objectives.
The call centre
- In order to expand the business according to Caroline’s vision, BNC has recently opened a call centre. They used to just have a small team of people working from an office in the Head Office building. Caroline resisted pressure from her senior management colleagues to locate this new call centre overseas and thus benefit from cheaper labour and overhead costs. She feels it important that all employees of the business are based at the same location and able to operate as a team. The BNC call centre is situated on the company Head Office site on the outskirts of Leeds, alongside the warehouse and packaging hall. The call centre benefits from investment in the latest technology in order to provide fast and accurate services to clients, and also to monitor record and measure staff performance. The technology also allows call centre staff to store, update and access all customer information and to track orders and payments in real time. Within the next 12 months Caroline wants the call centre to function as a 16 hour a day, seven day a week operation as the business competes for more customers and for greater customer loyalty. The key management positions in the call centre have been filled with people known to the senior management team who have worked in other parts of the business so they know and understand BNC, but have no call centre experience. They are implementing policies and procedures based on those at Head Office, regardless of whether they are ideally suited for the high pressure environment of the call centre. The managers are doing the best they can. Due to the planned expansion of the product range, and the investment in the call centre, finances are tight and the budgets available for such things as training and development throughout the business (Head Office, warehouse, packing and call centre) are limited. If managers were to submit a sound business case to the senior management team it would be considered, however, to date, no such bid has been made.
Working conditions and issues at the call centre are the subject of a separate report, and you are not required to consider this aspect of the business in detail, though you need to be aware that the call centre exists and is an important part of the business. Dealing with customer complaints and cancelling membership to the box scheme takes a considerable amount of their time.
Working conditions
Two hundred and fifty staff are now based at the Leeds site, 200 at Head Office and in the warehouse and packaging hall and an additional 50 in the call centre. About one third of the staff in the business are full-time, permanent staff; one third are part time, permanent staff with the biggest percentage of part-timers working in the call centre. The remainder of the staff are from an Agency, and most of these work in the warehouse and packaging hall. UNITE is the recognised trade union in BNC; membership for the business as a whole is about 20% of staff (those on permanent full or part-time contracts only), but the figure is much less than this in the call centre. Most of the UNITE members work in Head Office. At the moment, there is no other formal (or informal) channel for communication or consultation with staff.
Rates of pay are relatively low compared to the local labour market, with many warehouse and packing staff on the minimum wage. Many of these workers are under the age of 25. The warehouse is operational between 6am and 10pm Monday to Friday and 8am to 6pm Saturday and Sunday. The call centre currently operates between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday. Fringe benefits for permanent staff (both full time and part time) are relatively good. There is an excellent staff canteen and a staff discount on products; all staff have a 20% discount on everything they buy up to a fixed upper limit depending on seniority. This upper limit ranges from £200.00 a year for the lowest paid to £2000.00 per year for senior managers. Part time staff have a pro rata upper limit according their hours. Staff may subscribe to the ‘cosmetic boxes’ under the same terms as customers, though at their reduced price and as they collect their boxes from the warehouse, they pay no postage and packaging. Alternatively, they may purchase individual items that are displayed in a staff shop; these items tend to be stock that does not sell well to the public or stock that is nearing the end of its shelf life.
Agency staff have no access to staff discounts, though they are able to buy from the staff shop at full price, saving postage and packaging costs.
Staff are encouraged to cycle rather than drive to work, there is no financial incentive to do so, however there are plenty of cycle racks in the car park. Many of the racks are unused since staff seem to prefer driving to cycling. Drivers struggle to find space to park and when they cannot find space in the car park, they look for street parking in the surrounding residential area, where there are currently no parking restrictions.
The Head Office building is well appointed and each of the senior managers has a comfortable office with good quality furniture and carpeting. They each have the latest version of relevant IT including smartphones, tablets and computers. There is a meeting room where senior managers can take visitors, this is equipped with comfortable seating, a high specification coffee machine, fast wifi access and a quality snack bar which is kept fully supplied with healthy choices by the canteen staff. All senior managers have top of the range company cars and personal parking spaces. There is a separate canteen which can be used by all staff.
All staff have access to the canteen during the hours 8.00am – 5.00pm; breakfast is served between 8am and 10.30am; lunch between 11.30am and 2.00pm, snacks and hot drinks are available all day. There is an area of the canteen where management can reserve seating for visitors, when they do, they can ask for waitress service at the tables. The canteen seats a maximum of 85 people. When the canteen is closed, staff can still use the seating area, and have access to vending machines (for hot drinks and snacks such as crisps and chocolate) and one microwave oven.
Assignment Case Study: Brush with Nature Cosmetics
The product
Although it is possible to buy ‘one off’ purchases at full price plus postage and packaging from the BNC website, most of their money is made from a ‘membership’ based business model. Customers are attracted to BNC by the offer of carefully selected, good quality products at low prices, and they can sign up for bronze, silver or gold membership, each for a different monthly fee. Bronze membership costs £20 per month; silver is £30.00 and gold is £40.00 per month. There is a minimum membership period of 12 months. Within that time, customers can change to another type of box at the same membership level, or upgrade to a more expensive box, as long as they give 2 months’ notice of the change. They cannot change to a cheaper box. Ten percent of customers have been buying for five years or more; ten percent for 2 years or more, the remaining eighty percent cancel their membership after the minimum membership period. Postage and packaging is £3.50 for all deliveries, regardless of size and value.
Customers may select from a range of options as summarised in the following table:
| Membership Options | Bronze – £20.00
RRP – £30.00 min 5 products |
Silver – £30.00
RRP – £45.00 min 9 products |
Gold – £40.00
RRP – £60.00 min 12 products |
| Family | 1 Accessory per month
1 male product 1 female product 1 teen product 1 other product |
2 Accessories per month
2 male products 2 female products 2 teen products 1 other product |
2 Accessories per month
3 male products 3 female products 3 teen products 1 other product |
| Teenager | 1 accessory per month
4 products for teens |
2 accessories per month
7 products for teens |
2 accessories per month
10 products for teens |
| Women | 1 accessory per month
4 products for women |
2 accessories per month
7 products for women |
2 accessories per month
10 products for women |
| Men | 1 accessory per month
4 products for men |
2 accessories per month
7 products for men |
2 accessories per month
10 products for men |
The Recommended Retail Price of the items in each monthly box is listed above; so customers are receiving goods, which, if bought individually would cost them more than the monthly fee they pay. The boxes are therefore marketed as ‘value for money’. BNC offer loyalty points to customers based on their total spend (excluding p&p). £10.00 gains 1 point, and once a customer has gained 10 points, they get a free gift with their next delivery. Customers can also gain 10 loyalty points for every friend they introduce to the brand, who joins the membership scheme and pays monthly for the minimum of twelve months.
All sales are via the BNC website which is professionally presented, (one of the senior management team specialised in website design during their time as an undergraduate) there are no shops or physical outlets for the BNC brand, and there are no plans to ever introduce any. The procurement team have developed good working relationships with three wholesalers and they are good at negotiating prices based on batch quantities. The more they buy from any individual wholesaler, the better the price they can agree. No single wholesaler supplies everything that BNC want to sell, though all provide a range of cosmetics, skin care and accessories. The three wholesalers all buy from manufacturers in the UK, Europe and China. The procurement team have been investigating whether they could buy accessories cheaper if they went direct to the manufacturers in China rather than buying via wholesalers. A small number of products are bought from independent UK producers who are friends and acquaintances of Caroline and her family.
BNC market their cosmetic boxes as exclusive, good quality and value for money; they feel they can do this as they are, to their knowledge, the only online retailers in the UK who offer the range and mix of products and accessories contained in any box.
The product quality is reasonably good, and most of the products sold are brands which are recognised in their country of manufacture. No products are designed or manufactured exclusively for BNC. The BNC tree logo is on all of the packaging, but not on the products themselves. The senior managers chose a tree for the logo because it gives the impression that the business cares about the environment.
The BNC procurement team place orders for what they think will sell; they buy as cheap as they can, and therefore sometimes find that they have been sent slightly substandard goods. Quality issues are with packaging and labelling and not with the cosmetic or skin care product itself. At times they also purchase end of line products, knowing that they can sell them in the UK as unique stock.
The products are sent to the warehouse in Leeds, packed in large crates. Warehouse staff in Leeds put individual products into branded packaging and sorts it so that it is stacked and stored correctly in the warehouse. When orders are placed for a product, there are ‘pickers’ and ‘packers’ in the warehouse who find and pack the product ready for delivery to the customer. Packers also put together the monthly boxes, in which each individual item is in a small branded plastic bag, placed in a cardboard box lined with tissue paper and a plastic sheet printed with the company logo. The monthly boxes are also printed with the logo on the inside and the outside.
BNC does not have any vehicles of its own; they use a logistics company to arrange all their incoming transport, which carries deliveries of product and packaging. They also have a contract with a courier business to deliver parcels to their customer. The procurement department which is responsible for agreeing contracts with all suppliers are very good at negotiating and have driven down transport costs. The courier company currently contracted uses zero hour contracts for their own warehouse staff and drivers; they have a 58% staff turnover rate.
The BNC warehouse is almost always very full and in order to store all of the stock, especially during the period immediately after a delivery has arrived, pallets are stacked on the floor at the end of the storage racks. Warehouse staff complains that this blocks visibility when using the fork lift trucks. However these complaints are never formally recorded, agency staff who do not like working in the warehouse just ask their agency to place them elsewhere when they get fed up. It is easy for the agency to find alternative placements for their staff, so none of them have passed on their concerns about health and safety and working conditions at BNC – it is easier to move on elsewhere. As there is no consistent voice raising concerns about health and safety, addressing this issue has not yet been a priority.
As products are ordered in bulk from the wholesalers, once the stock has been sold, it cannot easily be replaced at the same price per unit, and is therefore shown as ‘out of stock’ on the website. Any product that does not sell at full price to customers is displayed in the staff shop and promoted at sale price on the website. Generally the buyers judge quantities reasonably accurately, but there seems to be at least one misjudgement each month with a popular item selling out too fast and there is always some over buying of stock due to the policy of buying cheap offers from the wholesalers. There are a few product lines that are considered to be beauty basics which are sold all year round, however many products are seasonal (eg products containing glitter for party season; floral hand creams for mother’s day; red lipsticks for Valentine’s day and luxury shaving products for father’s day) . Any stock that cannot be sold either through the website or the staff shop, and which has a ‘use by’ date, or which is too seasonal to give away as the ‘free gift’ earned with bonus points, is given to a charity. Currently the preferred charity is one led by a friend of Caroline’s, their children go to the same school, and they have been on a few family holidays together. This makes life easy for the business, though Caroline has never really asked her friend about who benefits from the charity or where the products go, she merely feels that it is important for a business to be seen to be doing some good and charity ticks this box for her. In fact, they refer to their charitable giving in their marketing publicity.
BNC aim to purchase and operate responsibly and this is a part of their mission statement; though as there is no clear organisational definition of ‘responsible’, managers have to interpret this in their own, individual ways.
The procurement team have decided that presentation of their products on their website is an important factor in selling their brand; all products are photographed to make them look very appealing and of perfect quality. Customers are buying from pictures on the website and receiving their orders through the post; therefore the product should look amazing in the photo, and reach the customer in good condition and attractive packaging. BNC has a very good photographer, and the pictures present the product very favourably; products are photographed with a plain background and customers have said that this leads to confusion about the actual size of the product. Any package worth over £100.00 also includes a novelty key ring in the shape of a tree; this is packed in a plastic bag containing blue and green glitter, and then placed in the cardboard box. The company is keen to develop and maintain a reputation for quality, and they feel that the extravagant branded packing will help.
If BNC meets the annual objectives that Caroline has agreed with her senior managers, to expand the business and the product ranges, and if they continue with the same procurement policy, they will need more warehousing space. There is limited scope for expansion at the current site as it is on the edge of the green belt. However two of the senior managers are members of the local golf club and are very friendly with the chief planning officer who plays there regularly. They are quietly confident that they will be able to get some inside information on how to put together a persuasive bid for expansion, increasing the capacity of the warehouse by lifting the height of the roof to create a second (and possibly a third) floor and adding an extension to the existing building for more offices. This is the cheapest option for the business, and they are keen to make it happen whatever it takes. They would be happy to paint the exterior of the extended warehouse green and plant a few trees to make it all blend in; after all, most of the neighbourhood is affluent and the immediate neighbourhood is residential, they might appreciate it looking ‘pretty’ and this might stop any ‘not in my back yard’ objections. The office and warehouse extension will need a small reduction in the size of the existing staff car park and no more car parking could be created; access to the warehouse loading bays, the cycle racks and the senior manager parking bays would not be affected.
Because the senior management team are all friends and have worked together since the company was founded, they do not see any purpose in completing performance appraisals for each other; although they are on performance related bonuses, none of them has ever missed a bonus payment, regardless of the business performance. What kind of friend would question either individual performance or an annual bonus? Some of the middle managers in the business have questioned why the senior managers get a bonus and no one else does. However they never really feel that they are listened to.
Reference this case study as follows:
Trem, K.R. (2019) Brush with Nature Cosmetics (Managerial Decision Making), Leeds Beckett University
If you quote from the case study, then reference in text as follows: Trem (2018 pX) where X is the page number from this document.
H5 Managerial Decision Making 2020 – 2021
Some articles that you might find interesting
Remember as you read through these articles that there is always more than one side to an argument. As managers, you will need to consider issues such as those raised in the articles below as well as fulfilling your work related responsibilities, working to your own performance targets and meeting organisational strategic objectives which will almost certainly include financial/profit related targets. There is never just one right answer or just one perspective to consider. Therefore read these articles, but also look for others which give you an understanding of issues from the perspectives of a range of stakeholders.
Business examples relating to the environment and recycling:
https://www.unilever.com/sustainable-living/reducing-environmental-impact/waste-and-packaging/
http://corporate.marksandspencer.com/plan-a/our-approach
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41397345
Palm oil:
https://www.worldwildlife.org/pages/which-everyday-products-contain-palm-oil
https://uk.lush.com/article/does-lush-use-palm-oil
https://goodonyou.eco/palm-oil-and-make-up/
https://goodonyou.eco/palm-oil-and-make-up/
Sustainable cosmetics:
http://www.sustainablebeautyawards.com/2018press.pdf
http://www.sustainablecosmeticssummit.com/Europe/aboutthesummit.htm
Wipes:
http://www.thefactsabout.co.uk/cosmetic-wipes/content/167
https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/2018/05/198509/environmentally-friendly-wet-wipes
https://www.greenpeople.co.uk/beauty-hub/blog/cleansing-wipes-why-we-should-avoid-them
Other information about cosmetics and associated products:
http://www.thefactsabout.co.uk/plastic-microbeads—in-depth/content/251#plastic
https://davidsuzuki.org/queen-of-green/dirty-dozen-cosmetic-chemicals-avoid/
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/emily-lyons/makeup-pollution_b_10758282.html
https://www.treehugger.com/organic-beauty/7-gross-ingredients-found-cosmetics.html
http://www.animalfreezone.co.uk/animalfreecosmetics.html
https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/beauty+environment/ethical-living
https://myplasticfreelife.com/2015/12/the-truth-about-your-biodegradable-bamboo-toothbrush/
The cosmetics industry:
https://uk.kantar.com/consumer/shoppers/2018/male-grooming-on-the-rise/
http://theconversation.com/why-more-men-are-wearing-makeup-than-ever-before-88347
https://www.statista.com/topics/3137/cosmetics-industry/
https://www.franchisehelp.com/industry-reports/beauty-industry-analysis-2018-cost-trends/
https://www.loreal-finance.com/en/annual-report-2016/cosmetics-market
https://www.byrdie.co.uk/best-makeup-for-dark-skin/slide7
The environment
http://uk.businessinsider.com/ocean-cleanup-great-pacific-garbage-patch-launch-2018-9?r=US&IR=T
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/02/150212-ocean-debris-plastic-garbage-patches-science/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-41945650
https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn14412-33-of-chinas-carbon-footprint-blamed-on-exports/
https://www.carbonbrief.org/mapped-worlds-largest-co2-importers-exporters
Packaging:
http://www.bpf.co.uk/packaging/why-do-we-need-plastic-packaging.aspx
https://www.earthday.org/2018/04/05/fact-sheet-plastics-in-the-ocean/
https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/what-we-do/oceans/plastics/
https://news.sky.com/story/9999-of-plastic-in-the-worlds-oceans-hidden-out-of-sight-11496241
https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/44921950
https://www.stylist.co.uk/beauty/beauty-products-eco-conscious-packaging/183786
https://uk.lush.com/article/cut-wrap-how-makeup-packaging-ruining-face-planet-0
https://uk.lush.com/article/everything-you-need-know-about-recycling-our-black-pots
Employing people
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/37908263/deliveroo-and-uber-what-is-the-gig-economy
https://www.gov.uk/take-on-an-apprentice
http://www.twinemployment.com/news/why-hire-an-apprentice
https://www.ft.com/content/28a858cc-b5bf-11e8-bbc3-ccd7de085ffe
Other perspectives
https://hbr.org/2012/07/what-good-are-shareholders
Please read Quote Unquote and ensure that you reference web sources correctly.
Never include the full web address in the text of your report.
Always include the date that you accessed the source, when you list it in your bibliography.
Please read carefully the grade/marking descriptors overleaf:
| individual Report will be assessed on the following criteria:
|
||
| Assessment Criteria | % Weighting | Learning Outcomes |
| Demonstration of an understanding of appropriate theoretical concepts (STEEPLE, Balanced Score Card, Schein, Stakeholder, SWOT) and their application in the context of analysing a situation and defining the context and nature of a managerial problem or issue in a given case study.
|
30 | LO1
Analyse the context within which managerial decisions are made
|
| Demonstration of an ability to understand, analyse and evaluate a range of alternative theoretical and practical approaches to decision making and the different contexts in which they can be used (based on a given case study) | 20 |
LO2 Analyse and evaluate a range of alternative approaches to decision making in differing contexts
LO3 Evaluate the tensions between cost effectiveness and ethics in making managerial decisions
LO4 Decide and justify the appropriate courses of action from a range of alternatives
|
| Demonstration of the ability to understand and apply theoretical and practical concepts in an evaluation of the tensions between cost effectiveness and ethics in making managerial decisions. | 20 | |
| Develop a range of alternative options in a managerial decision-making context and apply appropriate theoretical approaches to decide and justify a preferred course of action. | 20 | |
| Academic skills and competences
Style and presentation, referencing and correctly formatted bibliography |
10 | |
Marking Criteria:
| PASS | FAIL | |||||||||
| Criterion | Learning Outcomes | 90-100% | 80-89% | 70-79% | 60-69% | 50-59% | 40-49% | 30-39% | 20-29% | Less than 20% |
| Demonstration of an understanding of appropriate theoretical concepts (STEEPLE, Balanced Score Card, Schein, Stakeholder, SWOT) and their application in the context of analysing a situation and defining the context and nature of a managerial problem or issue in a given case study.
30%
|
LO1
Analyse the context within which managerial decisions are made
|
Exemplary inclusion of academic and theoretical concepts in the discussion; showing insight as well as a thorough knowledge and understanding of the case and the relevant concepts. Reference to the external as well as the internal context relevant to the case. It will be very clear that a wide range of theory and concepts have been applied in the analysis of the case and that the understanding comes from application of research as well as module teaching.
|
Outstanding inclusion of academic and theoretical concepts in the discussion; showing insight as well as a significant understanding of the case and the relevant concepts. Reference to the external as well as the internal context relevant to the case. It will be clear that a good range of theory and concepts have been applied in the analysis of the case and that the understanding comes from application of research as well as module teaching. | Excellent inclusion of academic and theoretical concepts in the discussion; showing insight as well as a very good understanding of the case and the relevant concepts. Reference to the external as well as the internal context relevant to the case. It will be clear that a range of theory and concepts have been applied in the analysis of the case and that the understanding comes from application of research as well as module teaching. | Very good inclusion of academic and theoretical concepts in the discussion; showing some insight as well as a good understanding of the case and the relevant concepts. Reference to the external as well as the internal context relevant to the case. It will be clear that a range of theory and concepts have been applied in the analysis of the case and that the understanding comes from application of some additional research as well as module teaching. | Good inclusion of academic and theoretical concepts in the discussion; showing a good understanding of the case and the relevant concepts. Contribution is likely to include the external as well as the internal context relevant to the case. It will be clear that some theory and concepts have been applied in the analysis of the case and it is likely that the understanding comes from application of some additional research as well as module teaching. | Adequate inclusion of academic and theoretical concepts in the discussion; showing some understanding of the case and the relevant concepts. Contribution is likely to include the external as well as the internal context relevant to the case. Some theory and concepts are likely to have been applied in the analysis of the case though this seems to come from module teaching rather than additional reading and research. | Very little inclusion of academic and theoretical concepts in the discussion; showing limited understanding of the case and the relevant concepts. Contribution is likely to include either the external or the internal context relevant to the case, but not both. Some theory and concepts may have been applied in the analysis of the case though this seems to come from module teaching – there is no evidence of any additional reading and research. | No inclusion of academic and theoretical concepts in the discussion; very limited understanding of the case and the relevant concepts. Contribution includes either the external or the internal context relevant to the case, but not both.
No evidence of any reading or research. If there is reference to the case study it is descriptive. |
No evidence of any knowledge or understanding of theoretical concepts relating to the case.
|
| Demonstration of an ability to understand, analyse and evaluate a range of alternative theoretical and practical approaches to decision making and the different contexts in which they can be used (based on a given case study)
20% |
LO2
Analyse and evaluate a range of alternative approaches to decision making in differing contexts
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Exceptional knowledge and understanding of problem solving and decision making in a managerial context with inclusion of rational, intuitive, qualitative, quantitative, formal, informal, individual and group approaches, when and how each should be used. Presented with insight and showing synthesis. Answer supported with appropriate application to the case study. | Outstanding knowledge and understanding of problem solving and decision making in a managerial context with inclusion of rational, intuitive, qualitative, quantitative, formal, informal, individual and group approaches, when and how each should be used. Presented with a degree of insight and showing synthesis. Answer supported with appropriate application to the case study. | Excellent knowledge and understanding of problem solving and decision making in a managerial context with inclusion of rational, intuitive, qualitative, quantitative, formal, informal, individual and group approaches, when and how each should be used. Presented with a degree of insight and showing synthesis. Answer supported with appropriate application to the case study. | Very good knowledge and understanding of problem solving and decision making in a managerial context with inclusion of rational, intuitive, qualitative, quantitative, formal, informal, individual and group approaches, when and how each should be used. Presented with evidence of synthesis. Answer supported with appropriate application to the case study. | Good knowledge and understanding of problem solving and decision making in a managerial context with inclusion of most or all of the following: rational, intuitive, qualitative, quantitative, formal, informal, individual and group approaches, when and how each should be used. Presented with limited evidence of synthesis. Answer supported with appropriate application to the case study. | Adequate knowledge and understanding of problem solving and decision making in a managerial context with inclusion of most of the following: rational, intuitive, qualitative, quantitative, formal, informal, individual and group approaches, when and how each should be used. Presented with limited or no evidence of synthesis. Answer supported with some appropriate application to the case study. | Inadequate knowledge and understanding of problem solving and decision making in a managerial context with inclusion of few of the following: rational, intuitive, qualitative, quantitative, formal, informal, individual and group approaches. Limited evidence of understanding when and how those presented should be used. No evidence of synthesis. Answer supported with limited or no appropriate application to the case study. | Very poor knowledge and understanding of problem solving and decision making in a managerial context. May not refer to any of the following: rational, intuitive, qualitative, quantitative, formal, informal, individual and group approaches. Limited or no evidence of understanding when and how those presented should be used. No evidence of synthesis. Answer not supported with any appropriate application to the case study. | No evidence shown of understanding the theoretical and practical approaches to problem solving and decision making. Reference to the case study limited or descriptive. |
| Demonstration of the ability to understand and apply theoretical and practical concepts in an evaluation of the tensions between cost effectiveness and ethics in making managerial decisions.
20% |
LO3
Evaluate the tensions between cost effectiveness and ethics in making managerial decisions
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Exceptional knowledge, understanding and insight shown in relation to the complexity of managerial decision making and the demands/concerns of a wide range of internal and external stakeholders. Evaluation of decision options considers risk, cost (financial and other) vs benefit, ethics and politics in the context of the given case study. Application of the case study is integrated exceptionally well into the argument presented. | Outstanding knowledge, understanding and insight shown in relation to the complexity of managerial decision making and the demands/concerns of a wide range of internal and external stakeholders. Evaluation of decision options considers risk, cost (financial and other) vs benefit, ethics and politics in the context of the given case study. Application of the case study is integrated exceedingly well into the argument presented. | Excellent knowledge and understanding and some insight shown in relation to the complexity of managerial decision making and the demands/concerns of a range of internal and external stakeholders. Evaluation of decision options considers risk, cost (financial and other) vs benefit, ethics and politics in the context of the given case study. Application of the case study is integrated very well into the argument presented. | Very good knowledge and understanding with some insight shown in relation to the complexity of managerial decision making and the demands/concerns of a range of internal and external stakeholders. Evaluation of decision options considers most or all of risk, cost (financial and other) vs benefit, ethics and politics in the context of the given case study. Application of the case study is integrated quite well into the argument presented. | Good knowledge and understanding with some limited insight shown in relation to the complexity of managerial decision making and the demands/concerns of both internal and external stakeholders. Evaluation of decision options considers most or all of risk, cost (financial and other) vs benefit, ethics and politics in the context of the given case study. Application of the case study is integrated quite well into the argument presented. | Adequate knowledge and understanding shown in relation to the complexity of managerial decision making and the demands/concerns of both internal and external stakeholders. Evaluation of decision options considers most of – risk, cost (financial and other) vs benefit, ethics and politics in the context of the given case study. Application of the case study is used to support some of the argument presented. | Inadequate knowledge and understanding shown in relation to f managerial decision making and the demands/concerns of stakeholders. A limited range of stakeholders included. Evaluation of decision options considers only some of – risk, cost (financial and other) vs benefit, ethics and politics. Limited or poor application of the case study. | Very poor level of knowledge and understanding shown in relation to managerial decision making and the demands/concerns of stakeholders. Evaluation of decision options does not consider- risk, cost (financial and other) vs benefit, ethics and politics. Limited or no application of the case study. | Little or no understanding of the role of the stakeholder in managerial decision making. No mention of risk, ethics, cost vs benefit and no application of theory to decision options in the case study. |
| Develop a range of alternative options in a managerial decision-making context and apply appropriate theoretical approaches to decide and justify a preferred course of action.
20% |
LO4 Decide and justify the appropriate courses of action from a range of alternatives
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A number of relevant, very well thought through, integrated options have been developed and very well justified.
These options have been very thoroughly evaluated using an appropriate variety of theoretical and practical approaches, with due consideration given to the potential impact of each on stakeholders in the short, medium and long term. The preferred course of action(s) are prioritised, well presented and justified showing an exceptional understanding of the case situation the context and the theory. Clear, well presented and practical, implementable recommendation offered. |
A number of relevant, very well thought through options have been developed and well justified.
These options have been thoroughly evaluated using an appropriate variety of theoretical and practical approaches, with due consideration given to the potential impact of each on stakeholders in the short, medium and long term. The preferred course of action(s) are prioritised, well presented and justified showing an outstanding level of understanding of the case situation the context and the theory. Clear, well presented and practical, implementable recommendation offered. |
A number of relevant, well thought through options have been developed and justified.
These options have been very well evaluated using an appropriate variety of theoretical and practical approaches, with due consideration given to the potential impact of each on stakeholders in the short, medium and long term. The preferred course of action(s) are prioritised, well presented and justified showing a significant level of understanding of the case situation the context and the theory. Clear, well presented and practical, recommendation offered. |
A number of relevant, well considered options have been developed and justified.
These options have been well evaluated using an appropriate variety of theoretical and practical approaches, with due consideration given to the potential impact of each on stakeholders in the short, and long term. The preferred course of action(s) are prioritised, well presented and justified showing a good level of understanding of the case situation the context and the theory. Well presented and practical, recommendation offered. |
A number of relevant and considered options have been developed and reasonably well justified.
These options have been evaluated using an appropriate variety of theoretical and practical approaches, with due consideration given to the potential impact of each on stakeholders in the short, and long term. The preferred course of action is well presented and justified showing some clear understanding of the case situation the context and the theory. Recommendations have been articulated. |
At least two relevant options have been developed and there is some justification for each.
These options have been evaluated using an appropriate variety of theoretical and practical approaches, with due consideration given to the potential impact of each on stakeholders in at least the short term. The preferred course of action is reasonably presented as a recommendation and justified showing some basic understanding of the case situation the context and the theory.
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Options are limited and may not be relevant or justified. These options have been evaluated using a limited selection of approaches, which may not be relevant. Little or no consideration given to the potential impact on stakeholders. The preferred course of action is not well justified and there is a limited understanding shown of the case study and the theory.
No clear recommendation identified. |
Options are not relevant or justified and have not been evaluated using relevant approaches. There is no consideration of stakeholders and very limited or no understanding shown of the case study and the theory.
No recommendation evident. |
No relevant options have been identified or evaluated.
No evidence of understanding the case study or the theory and no recommendations identified. |
| Academic skills and competences
Style and presentation, referencing and correctly formatted bibliography 10% |
Opportunity to demonstrate academic skills & competencies. | Exemplary structure and presentation with precise and subtle use of language expressing a high degree of thought with clarity and precision. Writing is critically analytical.
Exemplary Harvard referencing of a very good range of sources, and a well formatted and relevant bibliography. Significantly more than 20 relevant sources. Written to a standard that can be used as an exemplar. |
Outstanding structure and presentation with clear and subtle use of language expressing a high degree of thought with clarity and precision. Writing is critically analytical.
Excellent Harvard referencing of a very good range of sources, and a well formatted and relevant bibliography. Significantly more than 20 relevant sources. Written to a standard that can be used as an exemplar. |
Excellent structure and presentation clear and appropriate use of language expressing a high degree of thought with clarity and precision which furthers and enhances the argument. Writing is critically analytical.
Excellent Harvard referencing of a very good range of sources, and a well formatted and relevant bibliography. More than 20 relevant sources.
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Very good structure and presentation with clear and appropriate use of language allowing a complex argument to be easily understood and followed. Some evidence of critically analytical writing.
Very good Harvard referencing of a good range of sources, and a well formatted and relevant bibliography. More than 20 relevant sources. |
Good structure and presentation with generally clear use of language sufficient for arguments to be readily understood and followed. Writing may be descriptive.
Good Harvard referencing of a range of sources, and a well formatted and relevant bibliography. At least 20 relevant sources. |
Adequate structure and presentation but may contain inconsistencies, errors or omissions. Generally understandable use of language but there are errors in expression affecting overall clarity. Descriptive writing. Adequate Harvard referencing of about 20 sources, and a reasonably well formatted and relevant bibliography. | Poor structure and presentation and likely to contain inconsistencies, errors or omissions. Poor use of language and significant errors in expression affecting overall clarity.
Descriptive writing. Poor Harvard referencing and insufficient sources used. |
Very poor structure and presentation and likely to contain significant inconsistencies, errors or omissions. Poor or inappropriate use of language and significant errors in expression affecting overall clarity. Descriptive writing.
Poor referencing and insufficient sources used. |
Little or no structure and the report is likely to contain many inconsistencies, errors or omissions. Very poor and inappropriate use of language and significant errors in expression affecting overall clarity. Descriptive writing.
Poor or no referencing and insufficient sources used. |
Brush-with-Nature-Cosmetics-case-study-Managerial-Decision-Making
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