Technology Entrepreneurship | My Assignment Tutor

2020/21 Block C, FIRST SITMODULE TITLE: Technology EntrepreneurshipTITLE OF ASSESSMENT: Coursework (Group, 100%)LEVEL: H7COURSE(S): MBA (Core, Graduate), MSEBD (option)DEADLINE DATE FOR: 11:59 pm, 30 June 2021SUBMISSION BY STUDENTSSUBMISSION LOCATION: MyBeckett via TurnitinASSESSOR(S): Dr. Suneel Kunamaneni, Mr. Ron Smith—————————————————————————————————————-1. Coursework Brief:Students will learn how to tell the difference between a wonderful piece of technology (e.g.Artificial Intelligence, Block Chain, Robotics) and a good scalable business opportunity. Theassessment is not about ‘inventing’ a new piece of technology from scratch or incrementallyimproving an existing technology. It is also not about simply ‘proposing’ an app idea. An appis not necessarily a business or start-up idea; the technical knowledge and expertise neededfor a successful app goes even way beyond the capabilities of a few coders with basicprogramming experience.A startup is a business, not a product. Many startup founders are passionate engineers,designers or business people who want to build amazing things—apps, platforms, robots andmore. Many build great technologies but fail to identify the right problem and end up joiningthe startup graveyard. The real talent in all entrepreneurship—not only in tech startups—isfinding the right problem, not building the right solution. In solving the right problem, you cancombine existing technologies to come up with product(s) or service(s) concepts and designs,and create opportunities with ‘commercial’ potential. The assessment is not about inventingor just about product development; you will need to demonstrate the wider businessopportunity and monetisation potential through conducting primary and secondary research.You may very well decide after all your research and analysis to not progress the opportunity,because it does not meet the feasibility and viability threshold, and that is fine so long as youcan demonstrate the tools and techniques taught in the module.Your concepts and designs must be technically robust; this must be demonstrated throughuse of at least one of the analytical tools in the module (AHP, QFD). You must have a goodunderstanding of the technology landscape through using Patent databases. You mustPage 2 of 15demonstrate an understanding of the innovation and commercialisation routes usingconcepts in the module such as Stage-Gate and TRL. You are required to show anunderstanding of the costs of developing and delivering your technological product(s) orservices (including any costs of licensing technologies), start-up costs, scalability and revenuepotential.Your ‘Visual’ report should not exceed 25 A4 or Letter pages (including any appendices whichdon’t count towards marks) with a narrative range between 3500 and 4500 words. The visualreport should be a living, breathing manual on the technological opportunity, and will beabsolutely vital if you ever need to further develop the technology, product or business, orseek funding from an investor.2. Report GuidanceNo template as such, JUST BE CREATIVE!Here are some quick-fire ways to make a technology venture plan shine:• Go into the detailA high-level overview of your or the clients technology venture isn’t enough – you need to digdeep into the technology, market, industry, costs, income streams etc. if you’re to exploreevery opportunity and threat.• Treat it like a storyEvery brilliant story has a beginning, middle and end. Your report should be the same, and itcertainly doesn’t hurt to write it as you would a blockbuster novel; your passion will shinethrough as a result.• Tell the story about your beginningsTechnology ventures benefit from fantastic stories about their reasons for being. Tell yoursor your clients on the first page and take time to rewrite and have it proofed and polished bya professional writer if you’re not confident; it’ll make all the difference and set the toneperfectly.• Don’t shy away from visual elementsThere are so many ways you can easily create bar graphs and charts, and some numbers lookfar more interesting when presented visually in this way. Some great tools:Infographics: Piktochart, VismeStoryboarding: Storyboardthat.comVisual mapping: Plectica• Don’t stray too far from your target marketYou’ve already got a really good idea of who will buy from your technology venture, so don’tbe tempted to look for wider market segments at this time; that can come later.Page 3 of 15• Use Analytical tools taught in the moduleMake use of the advanced tools and techniques taught in the module, such as AHP, QFD,Patent analysis etc. to analyse the technology strength and user benefits, analyse competitionand substitutes. Even if you don’t have your own patents or even if your technology andprocesses are proprietary, you can still conduct a patent analysis. This will help youunderstand the landscape, what you can practice and cannot, where you need to licenceothers technologies, and the implications of all these on your venture.• Is your technology venture feasible and viableAn obvious one, but something that is lacking from so many business plans. You know yourideas and business model, but how will you ensure your venture is sustainable? This shouldinvolve startup costs and pricing. And do add another 20% contingency to your startup costs,and make it clear that’s for unforeseen costs – you will most certainly need this!• What is the impact of your technology ventureUnderstand, measure and communicate potential impact (social + economic + anyenvironmental?). This is extremely important for marketing purposes and to secure fundersand customers. Impact is also central to your venture’s strategy as it helps you know whetheryou are meeting your mission and vision in the long-term.• Explain how you’ll execute the planIt is not enough to just detail the plans for the enterprise; it’s important to explain how it’llbe executed. What (and who) will you need to turn this document into a sustainable business?• Include some sector and economy/market statsWhat have you got to hand that backs up your claims about the sector or economy/marketinto which you’re about to throw your technology venture? Is the gap in the market reallywide enough? Do enough customers exist?• Include any supporting policies and public funding channelsHow are governments and other non-governmental agencies supporting with new policiesand instruments. How can your venture benefit? What do you need to do to access anysupport and funding?• Spend time on the designAlthough a pretty venture plan doesn’t make a successful technology venture, designing it tobe pleasing on the eye, branded (if possible) and easy to read is vital.• Ask a friend to take a lookAsk trusted friends or family to read through and ask for their honest opinion.Page 4 of 153. Research GuidanceThe following five basic steps are recommended for identifying and analyzing anopportunity:Identify potential opportunities. Combine your own personal experiences and creativity withexternal forecasts and trend analysis. How is the world changing with respect to newtechnologies? What is the impact of globalization on current solutions? What newrequirements will those changes produce? Recent media articles on trends are often a goodplace to start. Additionally, you may want to look through university departments in health,nutrition and engineering for e.g. and identify new technologies that have been developed atthe University.Define your purpose and objectives. Identify your most promising opportunity, being carefulto discriminate between an interesting technological idea and a viable market opportunity.Prepare an outline which will help you to determine what types of data and information youneed to demonstrate the attractiveness of your chosen opportunity.Gather data from primary sources. It is crucial for you to obtain data from primary sources.Potential investors will place more trust in well conducted primary research than in stacks ofdata from secondary sources. There is simply no substitute for talking to potential customersfrom the target market in order to validate the opportunity you have identified.Consequently, we prefer that you spend time gathering data from primary, not justsecondary, sources.Gather data from secondary sources. Countless secondary sources exist on the web and inuniversity’s various library resources. Try not to get too bogged down in financial andaccounting data.Analyze and interpret the results. Persuasively summarize your results.4. Additional Notes on the Report• Maximum 25 A4 or letter pages (including appendices that don’t carry anymarks) and word range from 3,500 – 4,000.• Orientation can be Portrait or Landscape.• Wrap text around images and tables if on the same page.• References must ideally occur in the footnote or on a sidebar.• You must have cleared the research ethics process before collecting any primarydata.• You can produce the report using any tool (word, canva, publisher etc.), butsubmission should be in word or pdf (non-image) file format.Page 5 of 155. Marking Criterion Excellent (70+)Good (60-69)Satisfactory(50-59)Sufficient (40-49)Fail (0-39)Research andAnalysis(75%)Fullyresearchedusing bothprimary andsecondarysources,substantiatedwith highlydevelopeddetail. UsesSUFFICIENT,CREDIBLE,RELEVANTinformation toconduct athoroughanalysis andderivesINSIGHTFULconclusions.Very wellresearchedusing bothprimary andsecondarymeans,substantiatedwith welldevelopeddetail. UsesCREDIBLE andRELEVANTinformation, toconduct adetailedanalysis andderives VALIDconclusions.Wellresearchedusing bothprimary andsecondarymeans,substantiatedwith goodamount ofdetail. UsesRELEVANT andmostlyCREDIBLEInformation toconductacceptableanalysis andderivesPOSSIBLYVALIDconclusions.Partiallyresearched,mostlysecondarydata, someamount ofdetail. UsesSOMECREDIBLEinformationand poorlyexecutedanalysis toderiveUNCERTAINconclusions.Poorlyresearched, noprimary data.DevelopsINVALIDconclusionsbased onOPINION orUNRELIABLEinformationand /oranalysis ofIRRELEVANTsecondaryinformation.Writing(Clarity, StyleandReferencing,25%)Clear, highlyconcise writing,with all pointsaddressed fullyand elegantly.Artfullyexecuted. Nogrammaticalerrors or otherdistractions.Accuratecitation andreferencingClear, concisewriting withthe majority ofpointsaddressed fullyand elegantly.Very wellexecuted. VeryFewgrammaticalerrors or otherdistractions.Mostlyaccuratecitation andreferencingAcceptablewriting, withmost points atleast partiallyaddressed.Well executed.Somegrammatical orotherdistractions.Incrementallybetter thanacceptablelevel of citationandreferencingLack of clarityandconciseness,and manypoints at leastpartiallyaddressed.Averageexecution.Grammaticalerrors andotherdistractions arepresent.Acceptablecitation andreferencingWriting isdifficult tofollow, andvery few pointsaddressed.Inadequatelyexecuted.Manygrammaticalerrors anddistractionsPoor citationandreferencing Page 6 of 156. Feedback: Date generic feedback will beavailable:Within four weeks of the assessment period,subject to the date set for the release of resultsHow generic feedback will bereturned to you:Posted on the module on MyBeckett.Date provisional marks will beavailable:Within four weeks of the assessment period,subject to the date set for the release of resultsHow provisional marks will bereturned to you:Posted on the module on MyBeckett.Date individual feedback willavailableFollowing the Module Board and the return of allscripts from the External ExaminerHow individual feedback will bereturned to you:By collection of assessments as directed by yourAdmin Team 7. Additional NotesResearch EthicsAll research projects, however straightforward, must be submitted for review and beapproved prior to data collection. Students of the University who wish to undertake aresearch project involving human participants (i.e., research with or about people) mustobtain ethical approval before commencing their research.Studies involving further analysis of existing data may require ethical approval, dependingon whether or not the nature of the data are sensitive or if individuals can be identifiedfrom the research. Audits or service evaluations will normally require ethical approval.Please see more guidance here:https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/studenthub/research-ethics/All applications must be submitted online here:https://researchethics.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/Peer Process and Individual Mark when Group work is involvedPlease note that your individual mark will depend on how your group assesses yourindividual contribution to group work. See peer evaluation process in Appendix 1. Howeveracademic judgement will also be applied when Tutors evaluate peer scores, taking intoaccount any evidence. Though non-contribution can reduce your mark to lower grades,please note that individual mark in case of higher contribution will normally not be in ahigher grade compared to the group mark, though a marginal higher grade is possible. Thefinal decision rests with the tutor and/or module leader.Page 7 of 15Group Meeting minutesYou must keep formal records of meetings and submit with the final project work. It is theresponsibility of the student group to choose a secretary who will keep records of groupactivity and a chairperson responsible for the conduct of meetings. Please download themeeting minutes form (also see Appendix 2). The records of group meetings should:• Include the names of those attending,• Detail the matters discussed,• Identify the actions to be taken by individuals.Important Note on PlagiarismAll assignments will be checked for plagiarism and unfair practice by using the latest software.Plagiarism is pretending that someone else’s work or words are yours. This could includecopying another student’s words or copying from an online resource. We expect you to useyour own words in your assignments and acknowledge the ideas of others with correctreferencing. Where you wish to emphasize the exact words used by another person we expectyou to quote and reference their source. Those who knowingly plagiarize and undertake otherforms of unfair practice are by their own admission untruthful and cheating. Students whoobtain their award through hard work can be assured that the University will continue toprosecute any student who knowingly cheats.SubmissionStudents must upload Assessment 2 via the appropriate page of ‘My Beckett’. Only onemember of the group needs to submit. Submission should be in word or pdf. Submissions inin any other way or format will not be accepted (except if unable to submit via ‘My Beckett’ –see below). Students who have technical problems uploading their assignment may emailtheir assignment with an accompanying explanation to businessadmin@leedsbeckett.ac.uk.Students should note that emailed assignments will not be accepted without a validexplanation/ reason. Students will receive confirmation of valid email submission from thecourse team by return email. Late submissions by email must have a valid extension (seebelow).Non-Submissions and PenaltiesAssignments without valid extensions will be treated as Late. Penalties Apply in accordancewith University regulations (see below). Students requiring an extension or deferral mustcomplete an evidenced mitigating circumstances form prior to the submission deadline (formavailable from course admin teams). Valid extensions or deferrals may only be granted by theappropriate mitigation coordinator. Late submission penalties will be applied to allassessments without authorized mitigating circumstances. Please allow adequate time beforedeadline for submission of forms. We do not encourage mitigation forms in retrospectbecause there is always a chance that the mitigation panel may not consider your situation asPage 8 of 15mitigating enough to warrant an extension or deferral.Penalties:“Full-time Students1 day late: 5 marks will be deducted from the mark achieved by the student.2 to 9 days late: a further 5 marks will be deducted from the mark achieved by the studentfor every day on which the work remains unsubmitted.(Should these penalties bring the final mark below 40%, then the work will normally becapped at 40%)10 days late: a mark of zero will normally be recorded.Part-time Students1 to 2 days late: 5 marks will be deducted from the mark achieved by the student.3 to 10 days late: a further 5 marks will be deducted from the mark achieved by the studentfor each two days on which the work remains unsubmitted (i.e. 5 marks for days 3-4; 5-6; 7-8; 9-10).(Should these penalties bring the final mark below 40%, then the work will normally becapped at 40%)11 days late: a mark of zero will normally be recorded.”Where a late penalty is applied, within the timescales given above, it should not result in thefailure of work or a further reduction in marks for failed work. In practical terms, this meansthat a raw mark of over 40 would be capped at 40 in applying any late penalties (within thetimescales), and a raw mark of under 40 would not be reduced further with the applicationof late penalties. Examples of how penalties would be applied to a first sit mark for a fulltime student in these scenarios are given below: Raw MarkDays LateFinal MarkRecorded651604314036336 Where work for reassessment is submitted late, the work should be marked, the latepenalty applied in accordance with the conventions above and then the mark capped forreassessment. For example: Raw MarkDays LateMark AfterApplication ofLate PenaltyFinal MarkRecorded (‘R’indicatescapped resit)6516040R4314040R3633636R Page 9 of 15Mitigation and Extenuating Circumstances including Revised Process due to Coronavirus(Covid-19)In view of the present national context and present stay at home instructions issued by theUK Government we have adapted our usual mitigation processes reflecting the currentexceptional circumstances due to coronavirus (COVID-19).Please be assured that should you fall ill with this virus and have to self-isolate, now, or at anytime, we will make sure you do not suffer academic disadvantage.You are also entitled to submit individual claims for mitigation that recognise circumstanceswhere your academic performance has been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.Details of these arrangements and the online mitigation request process are available on theUniversity’s Covid-19 microsite.The University recognises that, from time to time, students may encounter issues which mayprevent them from being able to submit or take assessment. Where this is the case, studentscan submit their ‘extenuating circumstances’ for consideration.The University operates a fit to sit / fit to submit approach to extenuating circumstances whichmeans students who take their assessment are declaring themselves fit to do so. Studentswho, for valid reasons, are not fit to take assessment may submit their extenuatingcircumstances for consideration by their School Mitigation Panel. This will ensure that therelevant Board of Examiners is aware of your extenuating circumstances when makingdecisions on your assessment outcomes.Examples of extenuating circumstances include illness, bereavement, serious family illness orbeing a victim of crime and other circumstances where your academic performance has beenimpacted by the coronavirus pandemic.You are strongly advised to speak to an adviser at the Students’ Union Advice Service beforecompleting the form so they can advise you on how to present your circumstances.At the present time, you should submit your request for mitigation using the online formavailable through my hub: https://myhub.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/students/login .If an individual is affected because of a mitigating or extenuating situation, possible optionsavailable for the rest of the group members are:a. The other members of the group may be able to claim a normal extension of 5 workingPage 10 of 15days or a mitigation to allow the group to work together unless the main affectedindividual is deferring to the next available assessment opportunity.b. The rest of the group members can carry on as normal, and the tutor may set aseparate or additional piece of assessment for the affected individual to enable themto meet the module learning outcomes. The rest of the group ‘may’ be granted anextension (normally 5 working days) to achieve the same degree of performancewhich they ‘could’ have obtained with the full group. The rest of the group must stillmake a formal application if they are seeking an extension.Rules change from time to time. So please contact the module or admin team in case of anyquestions. The module team will ensure that members of a group are not disadvantaged inanyway because of a mitigating or extenuating situation of a team member. Please discusswith your module leader, course director and where appropriate student union and studentwell-being to chart the best option.ContactPlease do not hesitate to contact the module team if you have any further questions aboutthe assignment allowing adequate time for a response.Dr. Suneel Kunamaneni: k.suneel@leedsbeckett.ac.ukMr. Ron Smith Ron.Smith@leedsbeckett.ac.ukPage 11 of 15Appendix 1: Peer evaluation processThe module tutor will consider two forms of peer assessment:.1. Continual using an yellow and red card system (OPTIONAL)2. A final peer evaluation (COMPULSORY). Please submit even if members agree onequal contributions.Yellow and Red Card SystemAs many of us will have learnt from our own experience, positive encouragement is the mosteffective way of gaining the motivation and co-operation of other people. This is no less truewhen you as students are trying to achieve the best possible result as a group on one of youruniversity assignments.However, experience has shown that in rare cases there are students who do not do theirshare as a member of the group. It is clearly not fair to the other students that these fewshould either be allowed to continue not contributing, or to gain the same mark as the otherstudents. Should this situation arise then the two stage procedure below should be used tofirst warn and then penalise a student who is not participating sufficiently.Stage 1: Warning – Yellow cardIf a student fails to:• Attend an arranged meeting without having given advance warning and a reasonablereason and/or• Produce their share of the work at the agreed times, or• In any other specific way, holds up the rest of the group from progressing with thegroup taskThe rest of the group may decide to issue this student with a ‘YELLOW CARD’ as a warning.Process• Download the Yellow Card Form and complete it fully. We have kept the design of thisform as simple as possible while ensuring that it includes all the information that themodule team requires.• You must ensure that you are specific about what has gone wrong, and that you issueSMART* targets for improvement.• The form must be sent to the receiving student with a copy to all members of thegroup AND to your module tutor.• The tutor will take notice of your card but at this stage, but no other action will betaken. You need to ensure you allow sufficient time for improvements to be made.Therefore you must act early if problems are starting to emerge.* Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, TimescaledIncomplete or improperly issued cards will not be considered. It is the responsibility of thewhole issuing group to ensure that accurate information is supplied and fully circulated to allparties. If your card is not logged or is delayed because the module team has to obtain moreinformation from you then this may affect the validity of any future red cards.Page 12 of 15You may not issue a yellow card purely for perceived failure to reach academic standards ifthe student is otherwise contributing to the group process, although you should raise thisseparately with your Module Leader for assistance on how to proceed.Stage 2: Consequences – Red cardIn most cases a yellow card is sufficient to remind individuals of their responsibilities and nofurther action needs to be taken. However if another ‘offence’ occurs, then the other groupmembers may agree to issue a RED CARD.The issuing of a red card means that the student could lose a percentage of the overall markthat is awarded to the group for this piece of work, and thus will receive a lower mark thanthe others.You may continue to issue red cards for each subsequent offence without needing to issuefurther yellow cards. Marks will be deducted as follows: Card No.PenaltyCumulative Penalty110102202033060440100 Thus 4 red cards would mean that student could receive zero marks. Other members of thegroup who have made higher contributions could receive additional marks. Though noncontribution can reduce your mark to lower grades, please note that individual mark in caseof higher contribution will normally not be in a higher grade compared to the group mark,though a marginal higher grade is possible. For example, if the group mark is low 2:1, for e.g.62, peer evaluation is highly unlikely to lead an individual students mark above 70. If a groupmark is however high 2:1, for e.g. 68, an individual ‘may’ obtain a 70 or 71. The finaljudgement lies with the tutor on how the marks will be distributed, but non-contributorscould face heavy penalties.ProcessDownload the Red Card FormComplete fully (as for a yellow card).Email the red card and the yellow card and all your supporting evidence to the receivingstudent. Ensure that you copy your tutor, your module leader AND all members of the group.Supporting evidence could include but is not restricted to emails, meeting minutes, texts,scorecards (if used).When a red card is issued, your Module Leader has 7 calendar days to review your card, andto intervene. Attention will be paid to your supporting evidence, and only this evidence willbe considered in the event of a dispute.If no objections are raised, your tutor will automatically deduct the mark accordingly, subjectto ratification by the Board of Examiners.Red cards will not be accepted if they have not been correctly issued or completed.Page 13 of 15If a student has genuine reasons for not being able to participate, but has been unable to letyou know at the time, then they still have recourse to the mitigating and extenuatingcircumstances procedure in the normal way, supporting their case with independentevidence. Details of this procedure can be found on the mitigation and extenuatingcircumstances pages of the universityhttps://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/studenthub/mitigation/.I have been issued with a Red Card but I don’t agree with it. What should I do?You must contact your Module Leader within 5 calendar days of receiving the red card. If youcannot contact your module leader, or you do not receive a response, please contact moduletutor, Dr. Alfred Chinta. Either your Module Leader or the other module tutor will investigateyour claim. You must be prepared to make your case and be able to supply evidence insupport of your argument.Compulsory Peer evaluation form to be submitted by every groupGroup Name/ Project ____________________________________________________Write the name of each of your group members in a separate column. For each person,indicate the extent to which your group agrees with the statement on the left, using a scaleof 1-4 (1=strongly disagree; 2=disagree; 3=agree; 4=strongly agree). Total the numbers ineach column. EvaluationCriterionGroupmember:Groupmember:Groupmember:Groupmember:Groupmember:Attends groupmeetingsregularly andarrives ontime.Contributesmeaningfullyto groupdiscussions.Completesgroupassignmentson time.Prepares workin a qualitymanner. Page 14 of 15 Demonstratesa cooperativeandsupportiveattitude.Contributessignificantlyto the successof the project.Total Again, though non-contribution can reduce your mark to lower grades, please note thatindividual mark in case of higher contribution will normally not be in a higher gradecompared to the group mark, though a marginal higher grade is possible. For example, if thegroup mark is low 2:1, for e.g. 62, peer evaluation is highly unlikely to lead an individualstudents mark above 70. If a group mark is however high 2:1, for e.g. 68, an individual ‘may’obtain a 70 or 71. The final judgement lies with the tutor on how the marks will bedistributed, but non-contributors could face heavy penalties.Page 15 of 15Appendix 2: Meeting MinutesGROUP PROJECT MINUTES (Submit along with final Project Report) Time & Date:MeetingNumber:Location: Present:Apologies:Absent: Issues Discussed: Actions to be Taken: Date of Next Meeting: