Assessment
All work must be submitted in both electronic and printed form.
Essay and case study
(a) An essay of 1,200 words on one of the following topics
1. The secret of corporate success is the choice of the source of competitive advantage from which rent is obtained.
2. Core competence is too hazy a concept to enable clear insights to be gained into the process whereby firms establish competitive advantage.
3. Scale and experience economies are the most effective means of establishing strategic assets.
4. Competitive advantages bestowed by innovation cannot be sustained without architecture.
5. Firms that diversify are always running away from something.
(b) A case study of 800 words relating to the topic of the essay, chosen from one of the following:
A. Purves and Purves
www.purves.co.uk
B Morgan Car Company
www.morgan-motor.co.uk
C. Rough Guides travel books
www.roughguides.com
D. Kodak
www.kodak.com
E. Pearson
www.pearson.com
To be admitted to the first seminar you must complete the Coursework Proposal Form available on Blackboard and return it not later than Friday, 27 October 2006
Essay guidelines
In the assessments you are expected to address the proposition by using concepts which you explain and clarify with reference to evidence and examples. It is your opportunity to show your ability to synthesise, contrast and discuss material in relation to the proposition.
‘A fundamental aspect of a good essay is that it answers the actual question asked. That may seem obvious, but a very common fault of student essays is that they just write generally about the topic rather than focusing on the specific question. One way to check if you have answered the question is to read out your answer to a friend and ask her to guess the question. If she cannot, then you need to try again.’
Atkinson, Brian and Johns, Susan (2001) Studying Economics,
Basingstoke: Palgrave, pages 130-131
Essay questions are designed to test your knowledge of concepts, theories, evidence and issues relating to the chosen topic.
The marking criteria include your ability to relate this knowledge to the question, your ability to critically analyse and evaluate the literature, and your skill in both using this literature to present a clear and coherent argument and in providing good examples to illustrate your argument. Clarity and coherence are the result of careful planning of the essay: the structure of the essay and how the arguments are to be developed and presented.
Typically, your essay should have an introduction, which should outline what is going to be discussed or argued in relation to the question. The main body of the essay should develop the analysis and argument(s) in a logical sequence. The final section should be the conclusion, which should reinforce the main arguments presented in the body of the essay.
You need to decide what is important (and therefore included and developed), what should be given less attention and development (often as a footnote or endnote), and what should be left out. You should give the word count at the end of the essay. In order to encourage you to be selective (and succinct), a word limit will be enforced: essays exceeding the word limit will be penalised.
Citation: Wherever possible, articles, books and other sources used (e.g. internet material or newspaper reports) should be acknowledged in the body of the essay or case study, or in footnotes/endnotes. All sources of information and analysis must therefore be referenced using the Harvard referencing system.
Details of all works cited in the main body of the essay or case stuffy must be provided. Full details of references and other sources you have consulted must be given at the end of the essay and case study. This bibliography (which is not part of the word limit) should include only the works you have personally consulted. If you quoted or referred to a source you have not consulted yourself, but seen referred to in a publication you have used, you must give the full citation in a footnote, indicating where you have found the reference or quote.
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
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