This is a group assignment that will also allow you to finalise the fourth assessment piece for this subject.

To successfully complete this piece of assessment you are required to join a group. As part of a group you will be developing a business case document. (N.B. In the first class, on-campus students will be required to self-select into and form groups of 3 to 4 students, maximum of 5 students. Online/flexible students are required to form virtual groups in a timely manner. Online/flexible will be given separate advanced instructions in the first weeks.)

The business case document should be a minimum of 1,500 words and no longer than 2,500 words.

THE BUSINESS CASE REPORT 

The objective of the business case report is to develop your ability to convincingly argue a business case, which is a key function of business development.

To successfully complete the business case document your group is required to undertake the following activities:

Identify for whom and/or for which organisation you will be writing the business case document. (For instance, you might be pitching to an investor or the management of a firm, such as the management team at a group member & current employer.)

Identify an innovation that your group believes could be reasonably discussed as the subject of the business case. The innovation you choose should have the potential to be developed sustainably over a commercially viable period of time. (It can be an innovation your team came up with yourselves or something you learned about by reading or watching TV, etc.)

Consider and evaluate the possible business models that could be used to realise the opportunities inherent in the innovation.

Develop the business case document based on the business template provided in class. This will require you to write a business case with five separate sections: 1) The problem the innovation can solve; 2) Benefits of the innovation; 3) Strategic response or plan ; 4) Project options analysis; and 5) Delivery of the recommended solution.

Students will have the opportunity to work on the business case document in class from week 6. Each group is required to demonstrate both scholarly independence and academic integrity in undertaking all steps of the business case development process. Students are required to base their analyses on data that is reasonably and ethically sourced, and to use assumptions that can be justified in a commercial setting.

Responsibility for structuring, coordinating, and managing processes to finalise the business case lies with each team. Teams are encouraged to work with content beyond Tidd & Bessant (2013) and Osterwalder & Pigneur (2013). Teams must take charge and deliver a business case capable of convincing key or principal stakeholders that a return is assured.

You should have at least 10 refereed journal articles, appropriate justification or mathematical models (such as, NPV analysis, Wolfram alpha), and business development issues specific to the problem or need expressed.