Preparing a Business Case / Project Proposal
This assignment is worth 20% of your total grade.
Word limit: Maximum 2000 words (tolerance: ).
Submission:
Submit via Learn line as a single MS Word Document or PDF file. No attachments will be accepted.
Title page
Project title
Name and student number
Table of Contents
All statements must have legitimate references.
Line spacing at 1.5
2cm margins
Font size 12 Arial
Background
Your university is offering a small business grant for a deserving student’s entrepreneurial endeavour. It has been left up to the university representative to oversee the business case submissions and ascertain whether they are indeed viable and worthy of funding.
To receive the funding, the project must meet the following criteria:
It must benefit a community – either a community or a select segment of the population.
It must be a unique endeavour
It must be completed within two (2) years.
It must have a budget less than $500,000 (AUD).
It can generate income (though not necessarily break even in the first year). If it does not generate income, it must provide significant benefit to a community, which must be quantified by a high score using a weighted score model
It must relate to your area of study (degree program)
All statements must have legitimate references.
Your tutor from Charles Darwin University is your project sponsor.
Business Case Proposal
Title page
Project title
Name and student number
Table of Contents
Executive Summary (one or two paragraphs)
Quantitative Analysis
Use one of the following techniques to quantify the viability of the project:
Weighted scoring model
NPV(Net present value)
Identify the expected benefits.
Project Concept
Identify two objectives.
Develop a SWOT analysis (Minimum four in each category).
List the stakeholders
List and describe the possible assumptions for this project.
List and describe the constraints for this project.
Costs
Estimate roughly how much it will cost (you can do an Internet search) and briefly explain how you estimated cost.
Major Risks
Identify five (5) risks and quantify their potential likelihood and severity.
Indicate how each of the above-mentioned risks will be managed
Timescale
How long is the estimated time to complete the project?
List and describe the major milestones.
Conclusion and references (Harvard or APA style)
Appendix A
CHOOSING YOUR PROJECT
Area of Study – It’s best to do something that is related to your degree program. It can also be related to your current work or profession. The reasoning behind this is that we want you to focus on Project Management and how it will relate to your area of interest.
Business case does NOT mean a business
Consider hosting an event. There are thousands of charities out there that undertake some sort of clever fundraising initiatives. Google away.
If you’re still stuck on ideas, consider
Example:
Jane is studying business and works part-time as an assistant at a law practice. Ideally, she would choose a project that incorporates her studies and takes advantage of her working knowledge of the legal system (she’s not a barrister so can’t provide actual legal advice.)
Most likely, while in that office, she has come across a few areas that she has found to be lacking in support or in need of a bit more attention. (Think, “If only we had….”). Well, besides a coffee and muffin delivery service, she’s not having any waves of inspiration.
Now, outside of work, Jane’s interests include basketball, reading and painting. She even volunteers by teaching arts and crafts classes once a week at the local senior centre. While teaching, she hears about the woes that some of the elderly attendees have encountered with legal issues related to estates, medical bills, wills, etc. Hmmm, maybe she could work with some first-year barristers to get them to come in and provide reduced fee services. It’ would be a business and she knows the legal system. “Ok”, she thinks, “There’s an idea.”
But, as she is walking around the senior centre’s craft room, she notices that a number of the students want to take their work outside, but because of their mobility scooters, it’s proving a difficult task. If only there was a device that would allow them to attach an easel to their scooters or walkers. Hmmm, there’s an idea.
Looking further, she sees that some of those scooters are looking a little worse for wear. Wouldn’t it be funny if some of them were painted like V-8 race cars?
Choosing a less than ideal project for your assignment
Example
Jane also considers herself a pseudo-environmentalist. She recycles – but still isn’t quite sure if pizza boxes can go into the recycling bins. She understands the benefit of a compost pile, but since she’s in a city apartment, this isn’t really feasible. She had fans installed around the unit so she could do without air conditioning. She’s heard about solar farms and wonders if she could get something like that established in one of the rural senior centres she regularly visits. First though, she needs to figure out exactly what a solar farm entails.
Bottom line: Jane has great intentions, but let’s face it, in the amount of time it will take her to learn all about solar farms – the logistics, the legalities, the zoning – she could have written a business plan for something of which she already has working knowledge.
“Work smarter, not harder”.
Marking rubric
Executive Summary
5% of total mark
Exemplary
• Concise, detailed and very well written • Addresses all sections within the business case
75 – 100%
Successful
• Concise and well written • Addresses all or most sections within the business case
50 – 74%
Unsuccessful
• Summary is unclear. • Poorly written • Contains many errors • Missing details • Incomplete • Plagiarized
0 – 49%
Quantitative Analysis
15% of total mark
Exemplary
• Concise, detailed and very well written • All the details are provided
75 – 100%
Successful
• Satisfactorily written • Most of the details are provided
50 – 74%
Unsuccessful
• The NPV or Weighted Scoring Model is not Provided correctly. • Poorly written • Contains many errors • Missing details • Incomplete • Plagiarized
0 – 49%
Project Concept
25% of total mark
Exemplary
The 2 objectives, SWOT, stakeholders, assumptions and constraints are very well written.
75 – 100%
Successful
The 2 objectives, SWOT, stakeholders, assumptions and constraints are satisfactory written.
50 – 74%
Unsuccessful
• The 2 objectives are not provided. • SWOT is incorrect or is incomplete. • The relevant stakeholders, assumptions or constraints are not listed. • Plagiarized
0 – 49%
Costs
15% of total mark
Exemplary
A very accurate and realistic estimate of the project is given with evidence up the cost
75 – 100%
Successful
An accurate and realistic estimate is given with evidence to back up the cost
50 – 74%
Unsuccessful
• Estimate is unrealistic and inaccurate • Missing evidence to substantiate costs • Omitted • Unclear, shows lack of understanding • Plagiarised
0 – 49%
Risk
15% of total mark
Exemplary
• All (5) the risks are accurately identified. • In terms of severity and likelihood and responses (managing), risks are very well planned
75 – 100%
Successful
• Some of the risks are accurately identified. • In terms of severity and likelihood and responses (managing), risks are appropriately planned
50 – 74%
Unsuccessful
• Risks are not correctly identified • Omitted • Unclear, shows lack of understanding • In terms of severity and likelihood and responses (managing), risks are not appropriately planned • Plagiarized
0 – 49%
Timescale
15% of total mark
Exemplary
• All necessary milestones are correctly identified and included. • Realistic time estimates • Segments are very well written
75 – 100%
Successful
• Includes most crucial milestones • Realistic time estimates • Segments are well written
50 – 74%
Unsuccessful
• Missing most important milestones • Missing out evidences to back up estimates • Omitted • Unclear, shows lack of understanding Plagiarized
0 – 49%
Structure/ Grammar/ spelling
5% of total mark
Exemplary
• Excellent logical structure, physical layout and appropriate attention to detail • The work is presented in an accurate, concise and coherent fashion • No spelling mistakes and/or grammatical errors
75 – 100%
Successful
• Good logical structure, physical layout and attention to detail • Work presented in coherent and accurate manner • Minimal spelling mistakes and/or grammatical errors
50 – 74%
Unsuccessful
• Structure & physical layout detract from work • Many inaccuracies • Considerable lack of detail in presentation • Multiple spelling mistakes and/or grammatical errors • Errors make reading difficult
0 – 49%
Conclusion and References
5% of total mark
Exemplary
• Excellent use of references • Appropriate referencing style with a correctly formatted reference list • Appropriately acknowledges the work of others • All statements are substantiated with valid references • Excellent conclusion
75 – 100%
Successful
• Good use of references • Appropriate referencing style with a correctly formatted reference list • Appropriately acknowledges the work of others • Many statements are substantiated with references • Concise and well written conclusion
50 – 74%
Unsuccessful
• Failures to appropriately acknowledge the work of others • Several errors in referencing or bibliography formatting. • No references • Unattributed statements • Plagiarised statements Incomplete conclusion
0 – 49%