Arab Open University Faculty of Business Studies Business Functions in Context II B203B -- First Semester 2015-2016 Tutor Marked Assessment I. TMA Topic overview: Working Environments The best companies to work for around the world are places wher

Arab Open University
Faculty of Business Studies
Business Functions in Context II
B203B -- First Semester 2015-2016
Tutor Marked Assessment


I. TMA Topic overview: Working Environments


The best companies to work for around the world are places where employees are excited to go to every day. Every year, business magazines like Fortune and Forbes have lists of the best companies to work for. These lists are based on certain criteria related to the working environments of these companies.

II. Discussion Question (for essay paper and PowerPoint presentation)

Select an organization known to be a good place to work for. Discuss the reasons that make this organization such a great place to work. In your discussion, elaborate on the culture, leadership, career development, motivation, engagement and retention strategies followed by this organization.



III. TMA Requirements


This TMA consists of 20% of your total course grade. It is a team project. Each team will consist of 4-5 students. The project is divided into two parts:
1. TMA essay paper (50 marks out of 100)
2. PowerPoint presentation (50 marks out of 100)

• Teams of the same session should select different organization to discuss for this project. Students should arrange with their tutors in order to verify that no other team had selected the same organization for the project.

1. TMA Essay Paper (50 marks out of 100)

• Each team will work on the TMA paper as they would normally do with other courses, but this time in group. This is a good opportunity for students to learn a set of skills that are very important in the professional business world, such as time management, planning, communicating with others, etc..
• Each team is required to select a team leader. The TMA paper should be uploaded to the LMS by the team leader only. This is a very important requirement in order to avoid Turnitin similarities.
• The names of all the team members should be written on the pt3 form, including the name of the team leader. All team members will receive the same mark on the TMA essay paper. Students are required to use the pt3 form provided on the LMS for this specific TMA.
• Students are expected to make sure the written TMA meets the following criteria:
o Plagiarism: It’s imperative that team members write the TMA using their own words. Plagiarism will be penalized depending on its severity and according to AOU plagiarism policy.
o Format: team members are expected to write their answer in an essay format: introduction, body paragraph(s) and a conclusion. Failing to do so could result in the deduction of up to 2 marks from the total TMA paper mark.
o Word count: TMAs are expected to be within the specified word count. A 10% deviation from word count limit is acceptable. Not adhering to specified word count could result in the deduction of up to 2 marks of the total TMA paper mark.
o Referencing: team members are expected to use the Harvard referencing style for in-text referencing and list of reference at the end. Failing to do so could result in the deduction of up to 2 marks of the total TMA paper mark.
o E-Library: team members are expected to use E-library sources to support their answers. A minimum of 3 sources is required. Failing to do so could result in the deduction of up to 2 marks of the total TMA paper mark.


2. PowerPoint Presentation (50 marks out of 100)

• Each team will prepare a PowerPoint presentation that reflects on the most important points discussed in the paper.
• Each team will be allowed a total of 20 minutes. 12-15 minutes for the presentation plus 5 minutes for Q&A and discussion.
• All team members should contribute equally. Each member should speak for approximately 3 minutes. The last team member to speak should lead a class discussion.
• Team members will be marked based on the “Team presentation evaluation form”. Team members are advised to use this form as a baseline for preparing the presentation.
• Team members will receive the same mark on the PowerPoint presentation, given they have shown up and participated in the presentation. Team members who don’t show up or participate in the presentation will receive a zero on the presentation part.
• Balanced participation in the presentation is one of the requirements mentioned in the presentation marking rubric.










B203B Team Presentation Evaluation Form
(Students who do not show up or do not participate in the presentation will receive a zero on this part)
Project Name:

Team Leader:
Student 2:
Student 3: Student 4:
Student 5:
1. Meet Time Limit (12 < Time < 15) (0 - 3 pts)
Start Time: End Time: Total time:
2. Introduction (0 - 3 pts)
Good overview, outline, created interest with audience, established credibility
3. Use of graphs, charts or tables (0 - 3 pts)
Clear, supportive, used smoothly, interesting, appropriate charts
4. Content (0 - 20 pts)
Good coverage of main points of the topic or assigned part
5. Conclusion (0 - 3 pts)
Repeated key points, summarized presentation, brief, strong
6. Speaking skills & delivery style (0-10)
Well-paced and organized, team members had clear articulation, natural and easy use of notes, projected energy, good posture, professional, brief and understandable slides
7. Participation (0 - 5 pts)
Every team member spoke and participated at a very balanced level
8. Questions & Answers (0 - 3 pts)
Properly handled, able to respond appropriately, concise and direct, complete
Total Points (0-50)
Feedback: