ACCT2019: Case Study Marking Guide
ACCT2019 Case Analysis Group Assignment – Generic Marking Guide
The following is indicative of how marks will be determined when the group case study analysis is
graded.
Allow some discretion for the integration of the write up. There should be a clear and consistent
narrative from the Executive Summary right through to the analysis, findings and recommendations and
other sections of the report. Students are to demonstrate that they can write to a standard that is
appropriate for the Executive Management team.
1) Executive Summary (12 marks)
An overall succinct and impactful summary of the case including key pieces of information from
the background, analysis, major findings, recommendations and limitations. Upon reading the
executive summary slide, a manager should have enough detail to be able to get a complete and
thorough grasp of the whole situation, without having to read through the rest of the report in
detail.
2) Background (8 marks)
Introduces the business and the case context. Provides key details about the business and a
description of all important matters/issues/concerns and their background that is relevant to the
case and the findings. States the specific purpose of the report.
Mark
10.2-12
9-10.1
7.8-8.9
6-7.7
Below 6
Student Response
Presentation of outstanding quality, demonstrating an excellent standard of written
language, logical argument, interpretation of material and a logical conclusion.
Short, to the point. Identifies the major issues appropriately – no more than one
PowerPoint slide.
Presentation is of superior quality, demonstrating a command of language, sound
grasp of content and efficient organisation of material.
A sound performance, competent and appropriate. Does not cover all major points
– these are introduced later in the report. Demonstrates a clear grasp of the basic
skills and knowledge.
Presentation has significant weakness and/or is overly wordy. A satisfactory
attempt –either cursory or tries to cover everything. Demonstrates a
satisfactory understanding and command of basic skills and core knowledge.
An unsatisfactory attempt to meet the demands of the assignment. Does not
demonstrate understanding and command of basic skills and core knowledge.
Mark
6.8-8
6-6.7
5.2-5.9
4-5.1
Below 4
Student Response
Presentation of outstanding quality, demonstrating an excellent standard of written
language, logical argument, interpretation of material and a logical conclusion.
Short, to the point. Identifies the existing problems and clear linkages to
operational and management issues, as a result of all the analyses.
Presentation is of superior quality, demonstrating a command of language, sound
grasp of content and efficient organisation of material. Work that is well written.
A sound performance, competent and appropriate. Work that is fairly written.
Covers all major information on background. Demonstrates a clear grasp of the basic
skills and knowledge.
Presentation has significant weakness. A satisfactory attempt – not clearly stated.
Demonstrates a satisfactory understanding and command of basic skills and core
knowledge.
An unsatisfactory attempt to meet the demands of the assignment. Does not
demonstrate understanding and command of basic skills and core knowledge.
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ACCT2019: Case Study Marking Guide
3) Analysis (20 marks)
Provides a critical overview of the analysis undertaken and the results obtained. Supporting
calculations should not be included here (but in the appendices), with this section referencing the
appropriate appendices. Analysis does not involve a simple presentation and interpretation of key
calculation results. It involves looking deeply at specific calculation results/methods together with
other results/methods and also quantitative and qualitative pieces of information from the case study.
From this exploration, the purpose is to draw out specific: insights, implications, assessments,
relationships/interconnections, reasons, areas of concern/action, questions that need resolving etc.
that are not manifest. It is acceptable to make some reasonable speculations here.
4) Findings (8 marks)
Highlights and justifies key findings/insights/takeaways that emerge from the analysis undertaken,
in light of the information given in the case. This should not be a simple repetition/rephrasing of the
analysis. Take care to recognise and describe any assumptions or where additional data may be
necessary to further understand the situation.
Mark
17-20
15-16.8
13-14.8
10-12.8
Below 10
Student Response
Presentation of outstanding quality, demonstrating an excellent standard of written
language, logical argument, interpretation of material and a logical conclusion.
Analysis is succinct, precise and to the point and flows from the key calculations.
Any assumptions made are clearly identified and explained. Any presentation of
numbers or diagrams from appendices are referred back to the relevant appendix.
Presentation is of superior quality, demonstrating a command of language, sound
grasp of content and efficient organisation of material. Analysis is precise and to the
point and flows from calculations. Work that is well written.
A sound performance, competent and appropriate. Work that is fairly written. Very
few obvious errors. Any assumptions made are clearly identified and explained.
A satisfactory attempt – some errors found. A number of assumptions made without
justification or justifications for assumptions are not logical.
An unsatisfactory attempt to meet the demands of the assignment. Assumptions
made without justification. No understanding of the calculation process.
Mark
6.8-8
6-6.7
5.2-5.9
4-5.1
Below 4
Student Response
Presentation of outstanding quality, demonstrating an excellent standard of written
language, logical argument, interpretation of material and a logical conclusion.
Major findings highlighted – shows a clear understanding of the linkages from the
preceding analysis. Fully considers relevant cost and management issues.
Presentation is of superior quality, demonstrating a command of language, sound
grasp of content and efficient organisation of material. Most major findings
highlighted. Work that is well written.
A sound performance, competent and appropriate. Work that is fairly written.
A satisfactory attempt – limited coverage of either cost or management issues.
Limited assumptions made on data that does not exist.
An unsatisfactory attempt to meet the demands of the assignment. Findings have
no relation to analysis. Major assumptions made that do not originate from data or
analysis.
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ACCT2019: Case Study Marking Guide
5) Recommendations (8 marks)
Details and justifies specific recommendations for the case business. The recommendations need to
be usable and helpful to the case business. These should be constructed based on a consideration of
the analysis, findings and the case study context. Recommendations may also include the need for
further specific forms of analysis or research on specific identified issues. The ideas here need to be
reasonable/justifiable and should directly address the case and/or the analysis undertaken.
Recommendations should be made by considering the pre-conditions and/or the side-effects of each
idea put forth.
6) Implementation plan (8 marks)
Maps out a plan that highlights the actions to be taken by the case business in order to implement any
proposed changes based on the findings and recommendations. This should not be a simple
repetition/rephrasing of the recommendations. This part needs to detail in a concrete, specific and
detailed manner what exactly the next steps should be for the case business – in relation to the
issues/matters raised in the previous sections of the report.
Mark
6.8-8
6-6.7
5.2-5.9
4-5.1
Below 4
Student Response
Presentation of outstanding quality, demonstrating an excellent standard of written
language, logical argument, interpretation of material and a logical conclusion. Clear
identification of assumptions (no leaps of faith between analysis and
recommendations). Balanced set of recommendations between cost and
management issues – shows a clear understanding of linkages of
recommendations based on the preceding analysis and findings. Fully considers
relevant cost and management issues.
Presentation is of superior quality, demonstrating a command of language, sound
grasp of content and efficient organisation of material. Concise recommendations
based on data obtained. Work that is well written.
A sound performance, competent and appropriate. Work that is fairly written. Minor
discrepancies between analysis and recommendations. Limited coverage of either
management or cost issues.
A satisfactory attempt – either cursory or tries to cover everything. Presentation has
significant weakness. Recommendations mainly based on cost issues ignoring
management issues. Major discrepancies between analysis and recommendations
(gaps in the argument).
An unsatisfactory attempt to meet the demands of the assignment. Does not
demonstrate understanding and command of basic skills and core knowledge.
Recommendations have no relation to analysis. Major assumptions made that do
not originate from data or analysis.
Mark
6.8-8
6-6.7
5.2-5.9
4-5.1
Below 4
Student Response
Presentation of outstanding quality, demonstrating an excellent standard of written
language, logical argument, interpretation of material and a logical conclusion.
Actions items well defined and clearly stated as a result of the analysis. Steps that
are logically correct and practically feasible are clearly indicated.
Presentation is of superior quality, demonstrating a command of language, sound
grasp of content and efficient organisation of material. No discrepancies in action
items.
A sound performance, competent and appropriate. Minor discrepancies in action
items. Action items tend to overlap with each other.
A satisfactory attempt – either cursory or tries to cover everything. Limited relevance
and coverage of areas where further analysis is necessary or future directions to be
taken.
An unsatisfactory attempt to meet the demands of the assignment. Does not
demonstrate understanding and command of basic skills and core knowledge. Only
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ACCT2019: Case Study Marking Guide
7) Limitations (8 marks)
Details specific limitations from the analysis such as assumptions made, any missing pieces of
information, limitations/assumptions held behind the data, calculations and case context (and how
these limitations/assumptions have specifically affected the overall analysis etc.).
8) AI evaluation (15 marks)
Provides a justification of an appropriate AI tool, including detailing the reasoning/rationale behind
specific AI prompts. The main focus of this section is a critical evaluation of the AI-generated
outputs, assessing their effectiveness, practicality and reliability (and therefore their specific
implications) for the case business. This section should also include a summary of key insights,
specific challenges and recommendations for how the case business can leverage AI effectively for
future analyses.
9) SAP integration (5 marks)
Provides a clear identification of the relevant core capabilities of SAP software and explains specifically how these
capabilities will help the case study business. The main focus of this section is to outline the usefulness of SAP
software as a tool for the concerns/interests/motivation of the case study business and how SAP can add value to
the business's specific goals/strategies.
minor consideration of both data and analysis for future plans. Unsatisfactory
attempt of explanation.
Mark
6.8-8
6-6.7
5.2-5.9
4-5.1
Below 4
Student Response
Presentation of outstanding quality, demonstrating an excellent standard of written
language, logical argument, interpretation of material and a logical conclusion. Full
acknowledgement and logical explanation of limitations of data and analysis –
appropriate acknowledgement that further specific information is necessary.
Presentation is of superior quality, demonstrating a command of language, sound
grasp of content and efficient organisation of material. Work that is well written.
A sound performance, competent and appropriate. Fair coverage and explanation
of limitation. Work that is fairly written.
A satisfactory attempt – either cursory or tries to cover everything. Presentation has
significant weakness. Partial coverage of limitations.
An unsatisfactory attempt to meet the demands of the assignment. Only minor
consideration of limitations of both data and analysis. Unsatisfactory attempt of
explanation.
Mark
17-20
15-16.8
13-14.8
10-12.8
Below 10
Student Response
Presentation of outstanding quality, demonstrating an excellent standard of written
language, logical argument, interpretation of material and a logical conclusion.
Evaluation, implications, key insights, challenges and recommendations are
detailed, insightful, well-reasoned and succinct. Clear and organised
presentation of information with a logical flow.
Presentation is of superior quality, demonstrating a command of language, sound
grasp of content and efficient organisation of material. Analysis is precise and to the
point and flows from calculations. Work that is well written.
A sound performance, competent and appropriate. Work that is fairly written. Very
few obvious errors. Any assumptions made are clearly identified and explained.
A satisfactory attempt – some errors found. A number of assumptions made without
justification or justifications for assumptions are not logical.
An unsatisfactory attempt to meet the demands of the assignment. Assumptions
made without justification. No understanding of the calculation process.
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ACCT2019: Case Study Marking Guide
10) Formatting (8 marks)
The tone of the report is aimed towards a manager – using clear, concise, yet sufficiently informative
and detailed sentences (within bullet points). Correct grammar and sentence syntax is used. All
sections of the report and the report as a whole has a clear and logical narrative. There is consistency
in terms of how information flows within the report.
Slide space has not been wasted by stating the obvious, the generic, and unnecessary
repetitions/redundancies. Overall, the slides have been cleanly and clearly formatted. There is
consistency in formatting (font style, font size, bullet style, margins, heading styles, diagram styles,
etc.). Please follow exact formatting requirements as provided in the assignment case study
document. Use APA 7th style for referencing.
Mark
6.8-8
6-6.7
5.2-5.9
4-5.1
Below 4
Student Response
Outstanding format with report pitched to the appropriate audience (i.e.
Executive Management). Neat, clean, clear and tidy presentation, appropriate
usage of headings, clear narrative, page numbers are present, appropriate use of
any diagrams, no usage/referencing of textbook (unless deemed very appropriate),
all referencing is acknowledged. Correct grammar and syntax. Appropriate number
of dot points per page.
Appropriate usage of appendices, supporting calculations are placed neatly in
appendices.
Superior format with usage of appendices, calculations neatly presented in
appendices, page numbers are present, appropriate use of diagrams, the report is
presented clearly to the appropriate person, referencing is acknowledged.
A sound attempt. Fair usage of appendices, calculations presented, pages
numbered, report presented to the appropriate person, sound grammar.
A satisfactory attempt. Needs some work – missing things such as page numbers or
headings (this category used if missing 2 or more items). Is not in a neat and tidy
form. Difficult to read and generally poor grammar.
Unsatisfactory attempt – is a mess, too difficult to follow story and understand
grammar. Excessive spelling mistakes automatically receive a mark in this range.
Mark
4.25-5
3.75-4.2
3.25-3.7
2.5-3.2
Below 2.5
Student Response
Presentation of outstanding quality, demonstrating an excellent standard of written
language, logical argument, interpretation of material and a logical conclusion.
Evaluation, implications, key insights, challenges and recommendations are
detailed, insightful, well-reasoned and succinct. Clear and organised
presentation of information with a logical flow.
Presentation is of superior quality, demonstrating a command of language, sound
grasp of content and efficient organisation of material. Analysis is precise and to the
point and flows from calculations. Work that is well written.
A sound performance, competent and appropriate. Work that is fairly written. Very
few obvious errors. Any assumptions made are clearly identified and explained.
A satisfactory attempt – some errors found. A number of assumptions made without
justification or justifications for assumptions are not logical.
An unsatisfactory attempt to meet the demands of the assignment. Assumptions
made without justification. No understanding of the calculation process.