MDIA 2006 2025: SCAFFOLD FOR A2 v1

# Section
title
Word count Discussion

1

Identification
of client, and
key challenges
and
opportunities.

300
Briefly introduce your chosen client and, in more detail, highlight key challenges and opportunities
faced as you see these. This requires you to focus not only on those things expressed in the
scenario, but on things that are implied by it and things that are revealed by your research. This
means that you’ll need to make brief reference to your research findings, although there will be an
opportunity to do this in more detail in Section 2.

2

Environmental
Scan/Research

400
Here, you are to discuss your secondary research methodology, data sources, and key (specific,
referenced) findings.
Lecture 2 will be useful here.

3

Aims and
objectives

150
With reference to the client scenario and the research, here you identify one central aim and up to
four relevant SMART objectives https://www.smartsheet.com/how-write-smart-project-objective and
https://www.lifehack.org/865487/smart-objectives

4

Conceptual
framework

750
This is the key part of the assessment, hence the greater word count devoted to it. Here, in detail
and by making close reference to key sources from the course (and to a few from beyond the
course), you must identify, discuss, and defend the conceptual drivers of your strategy. A good
defence of your conceptual framework will necessitate tying it back to the scenario and to your
research. The best work will also offer a single expression of the strategy to be mobilised (e.g., ‘I
offer a strategy of focussed differentiation. Core to this strategy will be the following concepts…’)
AND will pay attention to a central question of strategic dynamics: i.e., how do the concepts
employed relate to/overlap with/reinforce one another to create a coherent whole? This entire
section needs to be richly and deeply referenced. Whilst Lectures 1, 3, and 4 will be helpful, later
lectures also focus on concepts of significant value. Please note that there is an expectation that
you will engage with some of the ideas presented in those lectures. They are in the course for a
reason! Work that does not make substantive contact with course readings and resources is very
likely to fail. See the marking rubric.

5

Outline of
tactics

400
Here, you are to outline up to SIX tactics (no more) that are driven by components of your
conceptual framework. We suggest that you label these as follows: TACTIC 1: … TACTIC 2 … etc,.
For each tactic, you are to note the relevant conceptual driver/s AND clearly link the tactic to a
specific objective (or specific objectives). The best work will feature some defamiliarised tactics—
i.e., tactics that are intrinsically estranged—OR tactics estranged by virtue of their specific
combination. Where the latter is the case, then you will need to discuss the particulars of the
tactical ensemble. The best work is likely to address the question of tactical consonance: that is,
how the tactics speak to one another as well as to governing concepts.
1. References
(Note: no section
number is given
for references; just
the heading)
Not counted in
word-count
A minimum of 9 heavyweight, well-leveraged references (in alphabetical order and otherwise per
APA7 or APA Harvard protocols) are required for an HD. Offer no more than 12-13 references,
though. The idea is to have you engage deeply, rather than superficially. References are not
included in the word count. For APA7 protocols, see this excellent resource:
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/g
eneral_format.html
2. Appendices
(Note: no section
number is given
for appendices;
just the heading)
Not counted in
word-count.
Limited to four
pages.
While not necessary, here you might choose to attach evidence of your secondary research. This
might include tables, graphs, etc. Attach no more than four pages. Regardless, you must refer to
your research in Section 2.
General advice:
It would be very wise to use the section headers provided in the above scaffold. This will help the marker to separate out the relevant material.
Reports without subject headers are notoriously difficult to follow and end up irritating readers!
Keep to within 10-percent of the work limit. If you don’t, the penalty can be significant. See the marking rubric.


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