Assignment Brief
RQF Unit 9
Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management
Unit level
5
Unit code
T/508/0495
Term Start Date
27/02/2017
Hand out date
27/02/2017
Submission Deadlines
06/08/2017
Lectures & Formative
20 Weeks
Assessments Guided learning hours Module Leader
pg. 1 February 2017
60 Dalton Vincent
Assignment title
Understanding entrepreneurship
Word count
3000 words approximately
Assignment Summary: This unit requires give you opportunity to submit two formative assignments: Part 1 - 21/05/2017 (Formative Assessment) Part 2 - 23/07/2017 (Formative Assessment)
When completing the tasks provided please ensure you directly address each assessment criterion paying particular attention to the command verb requirements. For ease of reference relevant command verbs have been underlined.
Scenario: You are a senior member of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) and you have been asked by your peers to consider ways in which the FSB could positively promote entrepreneurship in the local area. As a result you have been asked to create a report aimed at encouraging and supporting potential entrepreneurs to start a new business. The overall aim of the report is to explore the range of business ventures available to entrepreneurs, assess the impact small businesses have on the economy, assess the ‘entrepreneurial mindset’ and examine different environments that foster and hinder entrepreneurship.
Part 1
Evidence: Written Report
Pass: This task provides you with the opportunity to achieve: P1, P2, P3 and P4. Your report should include the following: pg. 2 February 2017
P1: Provide an introduction to the report by examining different types of entrepreneurial ventures and explaining how they relate to the typology (different types) of entrepreneurship. Your introduction should aim to define entrepreneurship and explore entrepreneurship scope and typology.
P2: Building on the different types of entrepreneurial ventures explored in P1, you are now required to explore the similarities and differences between each. You could consider the roles, characteristics and objectives of different types of ventures: private; public; social enterprises - as well as different sized ventures: micro; small; medium.
P3: Present, interpret and assess relevant data and statistic to illustrate the impact micro and small business have on the economy. You should consider local, regional, national and international economic impacts.
P4: Building on the information you provided for P3, you must explain the importance that small businesses and business start-ups on the growth of the social economy.
Merit: This task provides you with the opportunity to achieve: M1 and M2. M1: To achieve M1 you are required to develop your response to P1 and P2 by investigating a diverse range of entrepreneurial ventures to demonstrate an understanding of entrepreneurship in both public and private sector. M2: To achieve M2 you are required to develop your response to P3 and P4 by evaluating the differences that small, medium and large businesses make to the economy, applying relevant data and statistics.
Distinction: This task provides you with the opportunity to achieve D1 and D2. D1: To achieve D1 you are required to develop your response to all aspects of task 1 by critically examining the scope, development and growth of entrepreneurship ventures. D2: To achieve D2 you are required to develop your response to all aspects of task 1 by critically examining how small businesses have an impact on different levels of the economy in a local, regional, national and international context.
Submission Date: 21/05/2017 (Formative Assessment)
pg. 3 February 2017
Part 2 For this part of the assignment you are encouraged to attend The Business Show 2017 which will be held at London Excel Centre on the 17th and 18th May. You will have the opportunity to meet, listen and speak to many high profile entrepreneurs and business speakers. This give you an insight into different
‘entrepreneurial mindset’, personalities, traits, understanding of what makes them successful and why others fail and also knowledge of their background and how it fosters entrepreneurship.
Evidence: Written Report
Pass: This task provides you with the opportunity to achieve: P5, P6 and P7. Your report should include the following: P5: Determine what makes a successful entrepreneur. You could consider examples of successful entrepreneurs and determine the characteristic traits and skills they possess. Similarly, you could explore whether entrepreneurs are born or made and whether entrepreneurship skills can be learned over time.
P6: Assess how aspects of the entrepreneurial personality reflect entrepreneurial motivation and mindset. You may wish to consider how personality is shaped by family upbringing, lifestyle, cultural differences and personal motivation and drivers amongst other factors.
P7: Examine, using relevant examples, how a person’s background and past experiences can hinder or foster entrepreneurship. Factors to consider may include level and type of education, national culture, economic circumstances and character traits. The risks and rewards of starting a business should also be considered.
Merit: This task provides you with the opportunity to achieve: M3 and M4. M3: To achieve M3 you are required to develop your response to P5 and P6 by exploring and examining different lines of argument relating to entrepreneurial characteristics. M4: To achieve M4 you are required to develop your response to P7 by analysing the link between entrepreneurial characteristics and the influences of personal background and experience to specific successful entrepreneurs, differences that small, medium and large businesses make to the economy, applying relevant data and statistics.
pg. 4 February 2017
Distinction: This task provides you with the opportunity to achieve D3 and D4. D3: To achieve D3 you are required to develop your response to all aspects of task 2 by analysing the characteristic traits, skills and motivational drivers of successful entrepreneurs, supported by specific examples. D4: To achieve D4 you are required to develop your response to all aspects of task 2 by critically evaluating how background and experiences influences entrepreneurs, both positively and negatively, by comparing and contrasting examples.
Submission Date: 23/07/2017 (Formative Assessment) Submitting your assignment Summative deadline - 06/08/2017 You will combine Parts 1 and 2 of the assignment and submit the full assignment for summative assessment before midnight on the submission date. The assignment should be in a word document and preferably using Arial font size 12 and 1.5 spacing. Your assignment should be uploaded on the Turnitin Assignment submission section. It is advisable to use the Turnitin Plagiarism checker before uploading the final piece of work. Good luck
Glossary of commonly used academic words
Account for
Give reasons for: explain why something happens.
Analyse
Examine something in very close detail and from a number of angles. Identify the important points and chief features, and understand their relationships.
pg. 5 February 2017
Argue
Present a case for and against a proposal or statement and present your own opinion at the end.
Compare
Show how two or more things are similar.
Contrast
Look at two or more things and draw out differences. State whether the differences are significant.
Critically evaluate
Weigh arguments for and against something, assess the strength of evidence on both sides.
Define
Give the exact meaning of.
Describe
Give a detailed account of the main features or characteristics ...
Discuss
Write about the most important characteristics of something. Give arguments for and against, look at it from a variety of perspectives.
Distinguish
Identify the differences between two items.
Evaluate
Assess the worth or usefulness of something. Use evidence to support your opinion.
Examine
Look at something in detail. You may be expected to 'critically evaluate' it as well.
pg. 6 February 2017
Explain
Make it clear why something happens or why it is the way it is.
Identify
Recognise name and briefly describe something.
Illustrate
Use examples to further explain or justify something. Could be visual or verbal.
Interpret
Explain the meaning or significance of information or data that you are presenting.
Justify
Provide evidence that supports an argument or idea.
Outline
Give only the main points, show only the main structure.
Prove
Present evidence in a logical structure to support an argument for a point of view.
Relate (Two
1. Show how ideas / theories/ events etc are linked or connected.
meanings) 2. Tell a story. Explain something in a narrative fashion.
Review
Survey and comment on the key aspects of something or a range of things.
State
Give the main features clearly and simply.
Summarise
Draw out the main points, omitting detail and examples.
pg. 7 February 2017
To what extent…
How far is something true, or contributes to a final outcome. Also how far is it not true? In academic writing the answer is usually somewhere in the middle.
Trace
Describe the development of something; follow the order of different stages in an event or process.
Adapted from Cottrell.S.(2003) The Study Skills Handbook. Basingstoke. Palgrave.
pg. 8 February 2017
