1. 1
SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND DESIGN
Centre for Modern Architecture Studies in Southeast Asia
Foundation of Natural & Built Environments (FNBE)
Introduction to Business [BUS30104]
Prerequisite: None
Lecturer: Chang Jau Ho
Final Project:CharityDriveEvent
30%Group Work+ 10%Individual
Submission:CharityDriveWeek – Mondayto Friday,17th – 21st November2014(week15)
CharityDriveReport – Friday,28th November2014(Week16)
Introduction
Business students often learn about business management or product marketing in a traditional
classroom setting. Unfortunately, this pedagogical method suffers from a major drawback since it does
not provide students with the practical experiences that are equally important as their theoretical
counterpart. As a consequence, the students’ mastery in these topics is superficial and thus
incomplete.
To address this shortcoming, this project gives the students an opportunity to run a mock business
venture and thereby gain the relevant practical experiences. In addition, it also fulfils another learning
objective i.e. to comprehend the social responsibilities of a business and discharge them effectively. For
this last purpose, the students will donate 100% of the profits earned from the project to a charitable
organizationof their choice.
ObjectivesofProject
Theobjectivesofthis project:
To encourage students to think creativelyand strategically in the course of starting and running
a business.
Understand the roles of human resources management, marketing, operations and finance in
business.
Understandthe socialandethicalresponsibilitiesofa business
Learning OutcomesofProject
On successful completion ofthisproject,studentswill beableto demonstratethefollowing:
Describe and analyse the theories of human resources management, marketing, production
andfinanceandtheir applications.
Explainthe ethicalandsocialresponsibilityissuesfacedby businesses.
Undertake leadership roles and make quality decisions/judgments in the context of simulated
businessenvironments.
2. 2
Tasks- Methodology
Your tasks are as follows:
a) Form agroup with maximum 5members(withonememberelectedasthe projectleader).
b) Decidewhatproduct(s)– physicalor services– that your groupwillsell for the durationof the
project.
c) Next, discusswhichcharityorganizationthat your groupwouldliketo supporti.e. donateall
profitsearned to it.It is useful to ask yourself these questionswhenconsideringpart(c):
- What causewouldmygroupconsidertobe worthy or importantofsupporting?;and
- Why is the causeworthyof our support?
d) At the endof the project,you willsubmita charitydrive projectreport in softcopy form.This
report documentsanddetailsalldecisionsmadebythe groupas wellas the results obtained.
e) Thereportshouldnot exceed 20pages inlength(excludingcoverpage,tableof contents,
referencesandappendices).
f) Thereportmustbe supportedby relevantdocuments e.g.receipts,videos, photos, donation
cheques,sponsorshipletters,etc. (Note: Thereceiptbooksmustbesubmittedseparatelyto a
dropboxprovidedon the report submissiondate).
g) Important:Ensurethatyou quoteyoursources(in APAstyle)and refrainfromcopying.I
conductplagiarismcheckson all assignmentssubmitted.Studentscaughtwith thesaid
offencewill facedisciplinaryaction.Ignorethiswarning atyourown risk.
h) If your groupis sellingfoodand beverages(F&B) duringthe charitydrive, do take note of the
following:
a. If you planto preparethe F&B yourselves, then ALL membersofyour groupmust
take the typhoid vaccineinjectionandemailthevaccinecertificate by12pm,
Thursday,6th November2014 tojauho.chang@taylors.edu.my.
b. If you planto obtainthe F&B from a thirdparty vendor instead,then you must get a
copyof the vaccinecertificatefrom thethirdparty andsubmitit by theabove
deadline.
c. If the F&B you obtainfrom the third party is not sealedor packagedprofessionally,
then ALL membersofyour groupmust alsotake the vaccineinjectionandsubmitthe
certificatesbytheabovedeadline.
d. Submissionofthe typhoid vaccinecertificateorrequestfor permissiontosellF&B
after the deadline will notbeentertained.No exceptionswillbemade!
e. Students who ignore the above rules related to F&B (such as selling F&B, whether in
or outside the campus, without the said certificates submitted by above deadline) will
automatically be given a “Fail” grade for this project. Ignore this warning at
yourown risk!
Submission Requirement
- Charity Drive Report (softcopy)
- Video segmentsrelevant to the charitydrive event (withYouTubelinksprovided)
- All supportingdocuments
3. 3
Assessmentcriteria
Theassessmentforthis assignmentwillbebasedon:
TGC
Acquired
Assessment Criteria Marks %
Group Component
ReportContent 15%
GoalAchievement 10%
FinancialControl 5%*
TOTAL 30%
Individual Component
Peer Evaluation 5%
Self-reflectionvideo 5%
TOTAL 10%**
* For‘FinancialRecords’,groupscanincurnegativemarks ifcriteriaarenot met.See the assessment
rubric for moreinformation.
** Students whoget anaverage scoreof below5 (out of 10) for ‘IndividualComponent’willbegiven a
pro-ratascorefor the groupcomponents(ReportContent,GoalAchievement,etc.).
Forexample, JohnandSally are membersof Group4. Forthis project, they obtaineda group
componentscore of 25 (out of 30). For John, hisindividualcomponentscore(peerevaluation+self-
reflectionvideo)was 7. Therefore, his total score for this project was 32(25 groupcomponent+ 7
individualcomponent).Asfor Sally,her individualcomponentscorewas 4 i.e. below5. Therefore,she
would obtaina pro-ratascore of 10for hergroup componentscore(25 x 4/10). As a result, her total
score for this project was 14 (10 pro-ratagroup componentscore+ 4 individualcomponentscore).
Markingcriteria
Pleaserefer to AssessmentRubric onpage4.
AssessmentRubric for Introduction to Business Charity Drive Project(BUS30104)
4. 4
Assessment
Criteria (with
TGC)
40% Excellent (10-9) Good (8-7) Satisfactory (6-5) Poor (4-3) Fail (2– 0)
Report Content 15%
Provides all relevant
facts and excellent
analysis of the
issues at hand. Able
to provide very
strong rationales for
the decisions or
strategies adopted.
Also can provide
highly insightful
reflections on the
end-results
achieved.
Provides most of
the relevant facts
and a good
analysis of the
issues at hand.
Able to provide
strong rationales for
the decisions or
strategies adopted.
Also can provide
insightful reflections
on the end-results
achieved.
Provides a
satisfactory amount
of relevant facts
and analysis of the
issues at hand.
Able to provide
acceptable
rationales for the
decisions or
strategies adopted.
Also can provide
moderately
insightful reflections
on the end-results
achieved.
Provides an
insufficient
amount of relevant
facts and analysis
of the issues at
hand. Only able to
provide poor
justifications for
the decisions or
strategies
adopted. Also
provided
superficial
reflections on the
end-results
achieved.
Provides minimal
amount of relevant
facts and very
poor analysis of
the issues at
hand. Very weak
or no justifications
for the decisions
or strategies
adopted are
provided. Also
provided very
superficial
reflections on the
end-results
achieved.
Goal
Achievement
10%
A minimum profit of
RM2500 has been
collected during the
project’s entire run.
This profit includes
sales proceeds and
cheques/cash from
donors.
A minimum profit of
RM2000 has been
collected during the
project’s entire run.
This profit includes
sales proceeds and
cheques/cash from
donors.
A minimum profit of
RM1600 has been
collected during the
project’s entire run.
This profit includes
sales proceeds and
cheques/cash from
donors.
A minimum profit
of RM1200 has
been collected
during the
project’s entire
run. This profit
includes sales
proceeds and
cheques/cash
from donors.
A minimum profit
of RM800 has
been collected
during the
project’s entire
run. This profit
includes sales
proceeds and
cheques/cash
from donors.
Financial
Control
5%
All financial records
(receipts – sales,
purchases,
donations; bank
slips, etc.) are
accounted for, and
they matched the
figures reported in
the P&L report. Full
marks awarded.
Less than 2% of the
financial records
are missing or not
accounted for, and
therefore a small
discrepancy is
noted between the
records and the
report. Only 2
marks awarded.
2 to 5% of the
financial records
are missing or not
accounted for, and
therefore a
moderate
discrepancy is
noted between the
records and the
report. No marks
are awarded.
6 to 10% of the
financial records
are missing or not
accounted for, and
therefore a major
discrepancy is
noted between the
records and the
report. A penalty
of negative 2.5
marks is applied.
More than 10% of
the financial
records are
missing or not
accounted for, and
therefore a
serious
discrepancy is
noted between the
records and the
report. A penalty
of negative 5
marks is applied.
Peer
Evaluation
5%
The student is
considered by his or
her fellow team
members as highly
reliable, makes
significant
contribution and is
an excellent team
player.
The student is
considered by his
or her fellow team
members as quite
reliable, makes a
lot of contribution
and is a good team
player.
The student is
considered by his
or her fellow team
members as
averagely reliable,
makes a moderate
amount of
contribution, and is
an average team
player.
The student is
considered by his
or her fellow team
members as
somewhat
unreliable, makes
few contributions,
and is a below-
average team
player.
The student is
considered by his
or her fellow team
members as
completely
unreliable, makes
zero or negative
contribution, and
is considered a
team destroyer.
5. 5
Self-reflection
Video 5%
The student is able
to communicate
excellent insights
and experiences
regarding the
project in a very
clear and engaging
manner.
The student is able
to communicate
good insights and
experiences
regarding the
project in a clear
and engaging
manner.
The student is able
to communicate
average insights
and experiences
regarding the
project in a
moderately clear
and engaging
manner.
The student is
able to
communicate poor
insights and
experiences
regarding the
project in a hard-
to-comprehend
and dull manner.
The student fails
to communicate
any insights or
experiences
regarding the
project in an
intelligible
manner.
6. 6
Appendix1:CharityDriveReportOutline
a. ExecutiveSummary
Whileappearingfirst, this sectionof the marketingreportis written last. It is a summary ofthe key
pointsof the entirereport.
b. Objectives
Thissectiondiscusses:
a) Your chosencharityorganizationandthe reason(s)thatyou are supportingit; &
b) Thequantifiable objectivesthatyou want to accomplish(e.g.targetdonationamount,target sales
units, etc.) duringthe charitydrive event.
(Note:a 1 to 2-minutevideo with YouTubelinkis requiredforthissection.You mayinclude
footageofthevisitto thecharityorganization in thisvideo aswell.)
c. TargetMarket
Thissection discusses:
a) Who your customersareandtheir backgrounds(e.g.cultural,socio-economic,interests& hobbies);
b) Theirwantsandneeds;and
c)Theirspendingpower,etc.
(Themoreyou knowaboutthe peopleyou hopeto serve, the better your sales will be.)
d. Competition Analysis
A full analysis of your 2 main competitors:
a) Who are they?
b) What are they selling?
c)What are theirstrengths and vulnerabilities?
d) Why would/dotheir customersbuyfrom them?
(Theanswersto thesequestionswill affect your decisionssuchasproducts,pricing,promotional
strategies, etc.)
e. Productand Packaging
A full discussionofyour productsandservices:
Products
a) What are you selling?Givea short descriptionforeachproductandservices.
b) What are their features andbenefits (i.e. why wouldcustomerslikeit)?
Packaging
a) Howare the productspackaged?
b) Will it attract the customers?Whydo you say so?
(Note:you mustincludethephotosofproductsand theirpackaging in thereport.)
(Note2: a 2 to 3-minutevideo with YouTubelinkis requiredforthissection.)
f. Pricing
A discussiononyour pricingdecisions:
a) What is your products’unitsellingprice?(It shouldbe, on minimum,2times the costprice.)
b) What is your products’unitcost price?
c)Are your productspopularorattractive? (If they are, you canjustify a highersellingprice.)
d) What are your strategiesif you have difficultysellingthem?What if you aresellingthem faster than
anticipated?
(Remember,ifyou set the pricestoohigh, customerswillnotbuyfrom you. If you set them too low, then
you willnot maximizeprofit.)
7. 7
g. Promotion
A detailedplanof the promotionalstrategiesandtoolsyou willuse:
a) What is your mainmarketingmessage?(Thismessageshouldbebasedonthe causethatyou are
advocating.E.g.if your causeis waterscarcity, then your messagecouldbe “Save ourPrecious
Water”.)
b) What are your 2 maintoolsfor promotingyourproducts?(E.g. Hand-producedposters,flyers, emails,
Twitter,Facebook,brochures,givingfreesamplesof your products,sponsorshipletter,telephonecalls
andface-to-faceconversations.)
c)Why have you chosenthesestrategiesand tools? Justifyyourdecisions.
(Note:you mustincludethepicturesofposters,flyers,Facebookwebpage,etc.in thereport.)
(Note2: a 2 to 3-minutevideo with YouTubelinkis requiredforthissection. Thevideo will also
includefootageofthe actual charityevent.)
h. Sponsors
Hereyou willdiscuss:
a) Who have you approachedforsponsorship?Are they individualsorcorporateentities(e.g.
business)?
b) Why do you target them?(E.g. Theyaresuppliersof your product,they are financiallygenerous,you
knowthem personally,they are supportersof your cause,etc.)
c)In what formandhowmuch have they sponsored?(E.g. Cash, cheques,products,etc.)
d) Howdid you approachthem?(E.g.Sponsorshipletters,written proposal,telephonecalls,face-to-
facemeetings,contactingparticularindividualsinthebusiness, etc.)
(Note:you mustincludethesponsorshipletters,written proposals,etc.in the appendix.)
i. Distribution
A full discussionofhowyou willdeliver your productsandservicesto your customers.Thisincludes:
a) Howto get the productsto your saleslocation(e.g.the Lakesidecampus,othercampuses,shopping
malls,neighborhood,etc.)?
b) Howquicklycanyou deliver the productsi.e. do customersneedtowait for their products?Howcan
you minimizethewaitingtime?
c)How manycustomerscanyou reacheffectivelyi.e. gettinga sale, a donation,etc.?Thisis
determinedbythenumberofsalespeopleyouhave.
d) Canyour customersorderyour productsonline?Via phone?Thismakesiteasierfor them to buy
your products.
j. Green Measures
A discussiononenvironmentally-friendlymeasuresyouadoptedduringthe project.Somequestionsto
considerinclude:
a) Are your chosenproductsmadeinanenvironmentally-consciousmanner?Ifnot, how canyou
reduce/eliminateitshazardous effects?
b) Is the productpackagingenvironmental-friendlyi.e. onlyminimalwastecreatedorpackaging
reusable/recyclable?
c)How do you reducecarbonfootprintduringthedistributionstage?
d) Howare the product’swastesmanagedafteruse or consumption?
e) What measurescanyou take to reducetheconsumptionofresourceslikeelectricity,paper, water,
etc. whenrunningtheevent?
k. Human ResourcePlanning
Carefullyconsidertherolesand jobresponsibility(e.g. projectmanager,salesexecutives,accountants,
marketing/advertisingexecutives,etc.)of each of yourmembers andhowtocoordinatethem towork
effectively as a team.Describeyourorganizational structurewith achart.
l. EvaluationofResults
Thisentailsthefollowing:
a) What are your results at the end of the project?A Profit&LossReport willberequiredfor this.
8. 8
b) What did you doright and whatdid you do wrong?
c)If you canrepeatthe event one moretime,what wouldyou do differently?
(Note:A video ofeach member’spersonal reflection is required forthissection.Reflectionper
membershould beno morethan 1minute-long.Thereflection should includeexperiences –
both good and bad,lessonslearned,mistakesmade,otherpersonal thoughts, etc.)
m. Appendix
In this section,you mustincludesalesreceipts,paymentsto suppliers,photocopiedchequesfrom
sponsors, andany receiptsfrom the charityorganization.
9. 9
ProjectTimeline*UPDATED*
Week 8 (22nd to 26th Sept) – Form groups,selectleaderanddecideonproducts/servicesandcharity
organization.
Week 9 (29th Sept to 3rd Oct)– Selectgroupaccountant;howto sessionon writingreceiptsand
preparingincomestatement;preparetargetsponsor list.
Week 10 (6th to 10th Oct)– Confirmationonproducts/servicesandcharityorganization;updateson
sponsorshipefforts; selectstall location;remindthegroupsthat sellsF&B that vaccinecertsare to be
submittedinweek 13.
Week 11 (13th to 17th Oct) – No class.
SemesterBreak (20th to 24th Oct)
Week 12 (27th to 31st Oct)– ClassTest(No projectdiscussionsduringthisweek);remindthe F&B
groupsabout vaccinecertsubmission.
Week 13 (3rd to 7th Nov) – Designmarketingposters,Facebookpagesandstalldecoration;prepare
donationboxes;conductmarket/producttesting;submission ofphotocopiesofvaccinecertsby
12pm,Thursday,6th November2014*IMPORTANT*.
Week 14 (10th to 14th Nov) – Finalreviewwith eachgroup’sprogress;product/servicereview;
market/producttestingresults.
Week 15 (17th to 21st Nov) – Charity Drive Week.
Week 16 (24th to 28th Nov) - Donationtocharityorganization;report submissionby12pm,Friday, 28th
November2014.