Individual reports

SCENARIO: In this task, you have been engaged as a consultant to conduct a country attractiveness assessment for an Australian lamb producer which is seeking to expand its business offshore. The company has heard about recent changes in trading relationships with the UK so has engaged you to provide advice on this country as a prospective market. The company is intending to expand into foreign markets by exporting via a distributor.

This consulting assignment requires you to assess the country’s risks and market opportunities your client faces. You should cover the following topics in your report: international trading, economic and social environments.

It is important to note: your analysis should focus on those aspects of the environment that are most relevant and useful to your client.

In the conclusion of your report, you should make an assessment as to whether the country is potentially an attractive market for your client, based on your analysis. You need to make this recommendation clear to your client.

Please remember that you are not making the country selection decision yourself – that is for the company to do. However, you need to provide some of the critical information which will inform that decision.

This is a research assignment so the quality of your research effort, as well as how well you analyze and incorporate your data, is critical. You need to ensure you have evidence for the points you are making in the assignment.

You will be introduced to the key library sources you are expected to use for your report, and additional resources for each theme will be posted on Canvas. Your report is being used to help inform a business decision so you need to use quality, trustworthy data from reputable sources. It is a requirement to use an appropriate range of library databases that are relevant to your report. For a list, see: https://libguides.library.usyd.edu.au/market_intel…

The class material and discussion each week will provide essential preparation for the report. A special workshop on the report will also be held.

Word length: 3000 words excluding references (maximum 3500). Please state the total word count (excluding references) underneath the conclusion to your assignment.

The required format/structure is as follows:

Your report should consist of an introduction and conclusion (recommendations), as well as sections on each aspect of the business environment specified above, with appropriate sub-headings.

A clear structure, as well as a professional and readable writing style, is an important aspect of this task. The report needs to be properly and fully referenced throughout. Please use the style guide recommended by the Business School recommends, i.e. APA 7th Style. For a comprehensive guide see https://libguides.library.usyd.edu.au/citation/apa…

More details on the assignment will be made available on Canvas.

You will need to submit your assignment through the Turnitin link “Individual Assignment” provided in Canvas before the due date.  Late penalties apply as specified in the Business School and University policies and procedures:

http://sydney.edu.au/business/currentstudents/policy

If you have technical problems submitting the report, please contact the ICT Service Desk below:

https://sydney.edu.au/students/learning-in-canvas-and-blackboard.html

Assessment Criteria

1. Disciplinary knowledge:

– Are the appropriate concepts and frameworks from the course applied to the reported scenario?

– Is there a high level of understanding shown of the course knowledge/resources?

2. Critical thinking and problem solving

– What is the extent and quality of research effort, including use of library databases?

– How have the data been selected, interpreted and critically analyzed?

– Is the report relevant and useful to the client?

3. Communication (Written)

– Is the written expression clear (including accuracy, spelling, grammar, punctuation)?

– Is there clear articulation and justification of recommendations and conclusions?

– Does the report conform to instructions (e.g. word length, font, other instructions)