LB160: Professional Communication Skills for Business Studies

Faculty of Business Studies
LB160: Professional Communication Skills for Business Studies
First Semester 2015-2016
Tutor Marked Assignment (TMA)
Academic Year – 2015-2016 Semester:
Branch: Program: Faculty of Business Studies
Course Title: Professional Communication Skills for Business Studies Course Code:LB160
Student Name:
Student ID:
Section Number: Tutor Name:

Total Mark: Awarded Mark:
Mark details
Allocated Marks Questions Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Total
Weight 10 10
Marks 10 10 20

Allocated Marks Criteria Content Language Organization Total
Marks Q1
Marks Q2
Student’s Total Mark 20

Notes on plagiarism:
A. According to the Arab Open University By-laws, “the following acts represent cases of cheating and
Plagiarism:
 Verbatim copying of printed material and submitting them as part of TMAs without proper academic acknowledgement and documentation.
 Verbatim copying of material from the Internet, including tables and graphics.
 Copying other students’ notes or reports.
 Using paid or unpaid material prepared for the student by individuals or firms.
B. Penalties for plagiarism ranges from failure in the TMA to expulsion from the university.

Declaration: I hereby declare that the submitted TMA is my own work and I have not copied any other person’s work or plagiarized in any other form as specified above.
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Tutor’s Feedback
Tutor Name: Tutor Signature: Date returned:

• This TMA contains 2 parts. You should answer both parts.
• The value of TMA is 20 points.
• The mark assigned to each part is 10 points.

PART 1 (10 points)
In about 300 – 400 words, write an essay analyzing the below case study using the SWOT framework.

Wendy’s International, Inc.

Adapted for purely academic purpose:  Marino L and Jackson K.B. ; McDonald’s : Polishing the Golden Arches;  (pp. C-213 – C-223) ;  Thompson, A.A.; et.al.; 2005;  Crafting and Executing Strategy; McGraw-Hill, New York.

Answer Notes:  Students may begin by creating a grid to identify the SWOT components as Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats and a mind map to construct the analysis text. Students are required to identify 3 strengths, 3 weaknesses, 2 opportunities, and 2 threats. Then to write an analytical text for the case study. Text 4.3 in the Resource Book 1 may be referred to as an example.

Answer Guide: B1S4, Act. 4.10- 4.11, pp. 123; RB1 Extract 4.3(use as an example of analysis writing), pp. 56-57.

                                                          PART II (10 points)

‘Vertical Integration Strategies extend a firm’s competitive and operating scope within the same basic industry. It involves expanding the firm’s range of activities backward into sources of supply and/or forward towards end users.’  Thompson A.A et al (2005); Crafting and Executing Strategy; p. 150.

Choose an organization and discuss in a well-written essay of around 500 words, how it has used vertical integration strategies, either backward and/or forward, to strengthen its competitive position within its industry.

At least 2 outside resources are to be used. The resources are to be submitted to the tutor. The criteria on pp. 50-53 of B2S2 should be observed while locating source material.

Purpose:  To write a well-structured essay.

Learning Outcomes :(B2S3, pp.69, B2S2 pp.41, & B2S4 pp.98):

• to analyze an essay title to be clear about its requirement
• to develop an argument that is relevant to the essay title
• to select and manage essay source material
• to paraphrase and use business studies language
• Review features of essay writing.

Comments: The student needs to select a specific organisation that has used vertical integration strategies and discuss them showing whether the goal was realized and how it affected the orgqnisation.  Paraphrasing, summarizing, and citing the sources used are essential since using the words of others or including their work without acknowledgment is considered plagiarism. The Harvard referencing system, as presented on pp. 167-171 of B2S6, should be respected regarding the in-text referencing as well as the reference list.

Answer Notes: Your essay should include the features of essay writing as described by the checklist on pp.183-184 (B2)