BUSINESS RESEARCH – GUIDELINES & RUBRIC Campus Ho Chi Minh Version 02 Year 2019 THE REPORT CONTENT This guideline is in reference to new business start-ups, it is not advised for acquisition and mergers Layout: printed report on one side of A4, 1,5 line-spacing, 12 size fonts (Times New Roman), justified Description Information requirement FRONT PAGES School name, the title of the business a) Title page Title page plan, student name & ID, and date of submission Students must state that their Career b) Attestation of Project is the product of their own work authorship and that all sources have been fully Standard format available acknowledged c) Evaluation from Tutor CP Assessment Evaluation d) Marking sheet VATEL form To be completed and signed by tutor/supervisor To be completed by marker An executive summary of a business plan is an overview Its purpose is to summarize the key points of the Should not exceed TWO pages and the e) Executive Summary business plan, saving the reader time Italic font should be used It must and preparing them for the upcoming represent a summary of the key points of content Think of the executive the Business Plan, without including summary as an advance organizer for tables or figures the reader Above all else, it must be clear and concise f) This page should contain the cognition Acknowledgement of the people whom students would Refer to previous CPs for examples (Optional) like to thank for their assistance and contribution to the business plan g) Table of Contents h) List of Tables i) List of Figures k) Glossary Explains acronyms, technical terms and non-English language usage MAIN TEXT (in chapters) The introduction provides a sufficient background on the topic and previews major points - Central theme/purpose is 1) Introduction immediately clear - Structure is clear, logical, and easy to follow - Subsequent sections develop/support the central theme environment in which the proposed 2) Economic business will operate Identify any Environment critical points that may favour, or affect, - Products & services - Business context (vision, mission, value) - Major technologies & facilities required - Key value customers & stakeholder groups Identify and describe the economic adversely - Business concept the proposed business - Market conditions - Economic conditions - PESTEL - Historical & Future trends - Identify likely competitors - Inventory supply / suppliers / distributors (key only) - Rules and regulations (key only) 3) Market Using existing market research - Identify customers Segmentation and sourced through literature reviews, - Customer survey (profile, behavior, Research + and the student’s own research, the satisfaction) Business Strategies/ expected market segment the proposed - Business strategies (identify key Models business will be targeting is detailed strategic factors, key measures -3 years) Student will need to describe and justify their own research methodology for not only identifying prospective customers, but also giving insight into their profiles, expected behaviours and satisfactions of needs/wants Outline business strategies/ models response to the market - Product positioning 4) Sales & Outline the sales and marketing - S.W.O.T analysis Marketing strategy for the proposed business - Competitor analysis - Marketing Mix – 7Ps Quality control are critical areas to - Business structure & governance 5) Operational Efficiency focus with balance This will include - Operational plan and management: any other initiatives proposed to drive human resource planning and training, incremental revenues and customer SOPs to ensure quality standard, cash loyalty handling, - Revenue & Profit forecasting (5 years) This will focus on the key sources of - Cash flow forecast for the number of revenue e.g Rooms, F&B, Spa etc weeks/months until a positive cash flow 6) Financial There will need to be assumptions or is predicted Overview influences to these results or budgets - Return on investment (ROI) you are preparing Identify the key - Breakeven analysis assumptions made - Payback analysis - Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) Evaluate 7) Evaluation of proposal whether proposed business will be feasible or not Identify critical points, whether these Critical analysis and contingency plans be assumptions environment the made, issues, business or key performance indices, and briefly suggest alternative (contingency) plans if these critical points are not met Conclusion and overall evaluation follow logically from the body of the paper REFERENCES Cited all the reports and information SECTION obtained from sources APPENDICES Includes materials and reports which can help to support your business plan REPORT RUBRIC - BUSINESS PLAN Scale items for Expectations/Requirements Excellent (5) The section is extremely well developed The student demonstrates complete understanding of the material and topics required to complete the task The section comprises more than what is required and presents the topic in a logical, organize and concise way Very Good (4) The section is of high quality The material is presented very well The student demonstrates understanding of the topic and presents it well Meets expectations/requirements Good (3) The section is developed satisfactorily The student complies with the basic requirements of the section The writing is acceptable Demonstrates understanding of basic concepts Fair (2) The quality of the section is below acceptable expectations Basic concepts related to the section are confused or vague The student demonstrates poor understanding of the basic concepts Poor (1) Almost none of the required expectations are elaborated in the section The writing is disorganized and very difficult to understand No discussion (0) The student does not elaborate the topic or skips the section Expectations/requirements PRESENTATION (10%) Format (5%) Cover all of the following formatting: Title page included Printed on one side of A4 Line-spacing 1.5 Font size 12 (Times New Roman) Margin inch Proper page numbering (Title Page should not be numbered) Writing style (5%) Paper is laid out effectively uses headings and other reader-friendly tools Paper is neat/shows attention to detail - Rules of grammar, usage, punctuation are followed Spelling is correct Sentences are complete, clear, and concise - Sentences are well-constructed with consistently strong, varied structure Transitions between sentences/paragraphs/sections help maintain the flow of thought Words used are precise and unambiguous - The tone is appropriate to the audience, content, and assignment CONTENT (90%) Executive Summary (5%) Introduction (5%) Economic environment (10%) Presentation of the summary within length limit Presentation of the ‘what’, ‘why’, ‘where’ and ‘how’ the proposed business is being undertaken and by ‘whom’, clearly and concisely Identification of key points and conclusions The introduction should provide sufficient background on the proposed business and previews major points, where relevant, including: - Business concept, products & services, business context (vision, mission, value), major technologies, and facilities required, and key value customer & stakeholder groups Plus, any other points that may be considered appropriate for inclusion Identify and describe the economic environment in which the proposed business will operate, including: 5|Page Vatel HCM/ACA/CP/5.CP Business Plan Guildlines/2019.V2 Market conditions, economic conditions, historical trends, competitors, availability of inventory supply / suppliers / distributors, plus any factors not in this list (PESTEL) Identify any critical points that may favour, or adversely affect, the proposed business, such as rules and regulations that needs to be followed Market Segmentation and Research + business strategies/ models (15%) Sales & Marketing (15%) The expected market segment the proposed business will be targeting is detailed, based upon market research the student and/or others have undertaken Literature reviews will be needed to identify similar market research methods used by others for similar businesses Student will need to describe and justify their own research methodology for not only identifying prospective customers, but also giving insight into their profiles, expected behaviours and satisfactions of needs/wants Business strategies (identify key strategic factors, key measures -3 years) Outline the sales and marketing strategy for the proposed business, including, but not limited to: Product positioning, competitor analysis, marketing mix (7Ps) A coherent plan needs to be outlined including relevant aspects of the following, Operational efficiency (15%) but not limited to: Business structure & governance, business operational planning: human resource planning and training, SOPs to ensure quality standard, cash handling, etc Financial Overview (15%) Identifying assumptions the student is expected to produce: - Five years revenue forecasts - Cash flow forecasts for such time period until the business starts to show positive cash flows - ROI – return on investment calculations - Breakeven analysis and - Payback analysis - CAPEX Based on these the student is expected to rationally analyse the business as to whether or not it is feasible, identifying any critical points, or caveats that would contribute to such analysis 6|Page Vatel HCM/ACA/CP/5.CP Business Plan Guildlines/2019.V2 Evaluation of proposal (5%) References, citations and appendices (5%) A critical evaluation of the business plan identifying critical points, whether these be assumptions made, business environment issues, or key performance indices, and briefly suggest alternative (contingency) plans if these critical points are not met The references are cited using APA style Proper formatting is used throughout the reference list Each reference has a matching citation(s) Citations are formatted correctly Appendices are included 7|Page Vatel HCM/ACA/CP/5.CP Business Plan Guildlines/2019.V2 ... and describe the economic environment in which the proposed business will operate, including: 5|Page Vatel HCM/ACA /CP/ 5 .CP Business Plan Guildlines/2019.V2 Market conditions, economic conditions,... analyse the business as to whether or not it is feasible, identifying any critical points, or caveats that would contribute to such analysis 6|Page Vatel HCM/ACA /CP/ 5 .CP Business Plan Guildlines/2019.V2... citation(s) Citations are formatted correctly Appendices are included 7|Page Vatel HCM/ACA /CP/ 5 .CP Business Plan Guildlines/2019.V2