2022/3/20 10:56 Assignment 1 Details and Support: BUSS5221 Creative and Analytic Mindset
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Assignment 1 Details and Support
Assignment 1 (Individual Written Report/Essay) 
Background
The purpose of this assignment is to:
Assist students develop their knowledge of, and improve their confidence in
coming up with innovative business solutions that are creative and novel.
Encourage students to build their commitment to research, creative and critical
thinking skills.
Assist students to reflect on the further development of their skills and
capabilities.
Brief
With your passion to make a real difference, you have joined MARD (Make a Real
Difference) Limited as an employee. MARD is a commercial organisation that seeks
to develop creative and critical approaches and ethical solutions for their clients.
MARD's clients include charities, businesses, government agencies and
philanthropists. In 2021, MARD has developed a number of problem areas and
country-setting that they wish to market to their clients to seek funds to further the
solutions for the problems. The concept manager at MARD has approached all of its
employees (you are included!) to develop a problem statement for a problem that
each employee feels passionate about and for one that each employee can develop
creative solutions/creative processes to develop solutions for. MARD has provided
employees with the 'Problem Areas and Countries' spreadsheet (you will see a copy
of this in the Overall Assignment Details and FAQ canvas page). (Note: All the
assignments for BUSS5221 should be written to the clients of MARD , e.g.
philanthropists). The focus of your work for this task (Assignment 1) is as follows:
1) Provide a brief overall description of the problem area in a country setting (e.g.
what is the status of environmental degradation in the Philippines). Please note that
the same problem may manifest itself in very different ways in a particular country
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and hence it is imperative that you provide a country-specific setting to the problem.
You need to include references and facts in this section. (approx 400 words)
2) Provide your problem statement and justify why it is important to address it. Note
that a problem statement is different from the overall description of the problem area
in a country setting. The problem statement provides an unbiased and concise
statement of the problem in one to two sentences. The problem statement provides
a link between the current state of the problem and the desired state. You need to
include references and facts in this section. (approx 350 words)
3) Outline your creative (note that in BUSS5221, creative is defined as novel and
useful) idea to address the problem. Your creative idea can be a mix of creative
processes and/or creative solution. You need to show convincing pieces of
evidence that your idea is novel and useful . You can include your pieces of
evidence in the Appendix (E.g. Appendix A - Evidence that idea is novel; Appendix
B - Evidence that idea is useful). The evidence can be in the form of screenshots,
web searches etc but it is your responsibility to provide that your idea is novel and
useful. These pieces of evidence are not included in your word count. (approx
400 words)
4) End of Document References or Diagrams in the main report/essay. (approx 350
words). References and diagrams are included in the word count. Please 'Choice
of visualisation option' below.
Structure of report/essay
1.0 Problem Area and Country Setting
2.0 Problem Statement
3.0 Creative Idea
4.0 References (APA-7 Format)
Appendix
Note that both an essay format or a report format is acceptable for this task. An
essay usually has an Introduction, Body and Conclusion. Be clear with highlighting
the different sections of the essay along the theme of the suggested headings, that
is one to two paragraphs for problem area and setting, one to two paragraphs for
problem statement etc. If you are using a report format, then use the headings 1.0,
2.0 etc.
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Choice of visualisation option
Choose one of these options and indicate this in the footer of your document (do
not include any details that identifies you in the footer).
Included in your word count is 1 visualisation. If you wish for any more than 1
visualisation, please allow 100 words per visualisation.
Option 1 - 1500 words (you are allowed 150 words on top of this under business
school policies) + 1 form of visualisation.
Option 2 - 1400 words (you are allowed 140 words on top of this under business
school policies) + 2 forms of visualisations.
Option 3 - 1300 words (you are allowed 130 words on top of this under business
school policies) + 3 forms of visualisations.
Option 4 - 1200 words (you are allowed 120 words on top of this under business
school policies) + 4 forms of visualisations.

Word Length
The word length for this assignment is 1500 words. Under the business school
policies, you are allowed a buffer of 10% (150 words extra).
Indicate the word length (Word Length =) in the footer of your document (do not
include any details that identifies you in the footer).
Remember that the word length includes all referencing. This is the official
business school policy. Appendices are not included in the word count.
Assignment 1 Marking Rubrics
Click here (https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/38338/files/22260028?wrap=1)
(https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/38338/files/22260028/download?
download_frd=1)
(https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/38338/files/22259853?wrap=1)
Note: References includes in-text and end of document references for all
Assignments in BUSS5221.
2022/3/20 10:56 Assignment 1 Details and Support: BUSS5221 Creative and Analytic Mindset
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Assignment 1 Submission
More details will be available at
https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/38338/assignments/338848
(https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/38338/assignments/338848) prior to due date.
Your assignment must be submitted as a word document.

Assignment 1 Support
Webinar to support Assignment 1 - 8th March 1.30pm to 2.30pm. This will be
recorded and posted here post the webinar:
https://uni-sydney.zoom.us/j/87031665523 (https://uni-
sydney.zoom.us/j/87031665523)
Recording below
Important Things to Note
All relevant sources must be in English and accessible by staff.
2022/3/20 10:56 Assignment 1 Details and Support: BUSS5221 Creative and Analytic Mindset
https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/38338/pages/assignment-1-details-and-support?module_item_id=1477060 5/9
Please be aware of collusion and plagiarism guidelines - these are extremely
important and carry severe penalties at the University of Sydney Business
School.
Your workshop facilitator will be the first point of contact to seek assistance.
Please review staff details -
https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/38338/pages/teaching-staff
(https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/38338/pages/teaching-staff) and book a time
with your workshop facilitator. Your workshop facilitator can only provide general
help. Please note that your assignment will be randomly assigned and
marked by a marker who will not be your workshop facilitator.
You must submit a word document (not a PDF) of Assignment 1.
You will notice a 'References 5%' in the marking rubrics for this assignment. For
Semester 1 2022, you will have an option to undertake a 'How to Reference Quiz'
early in the semester. More details will be available in Week 1. You are required
to attempt this quiz by end of Week 3 and score 100%. Multiple attempts are
possible. Once you achieve 100%, you will then be given a headstart by
receiving 5% for this assignment automatically. You are allowed a maximum of
one error in each of the assignments to keep the 5 marks. More than one error
and your mark reverts to zero for Referencing for that assignment. That is, say
for Assignment 1, if you make more than 1 error in in‐text citations or end of
document references, your mark will revert to zero for referencing (out of 5) for
Assignment 1. You, therefore, have to take particular care when doing all
referencing for all your assignments.
You must demonstrate that you have used the material that we have covered in
BUSS5221 in all your assignments in BUSS5221.

Assignment 1 FAQ - This will be populated on an on-going basis. Please visit this
section regularly.
Question: What are visualisations?
Answer: Visualisations can be Figures/Tables/Charts etc. If you are summing up
your word count, allow 100 words per visualisation.
2022/3/20 10:56 Assignment 1 Details and Support: BUSS5221 Creative and Analytic Mindset
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Question: What is the format of Assignment 1?
Answer: Please see above. Additionally, please use Font=Calibri; Size=12; Top
Margin = 2.54cm; Left Margin = 2.54cm; Bottom Margin = 2.54cm; Right Margin =
2.54am. Use 'Potrait' Orientation.
Question: Do I need to submit a coverpage for Assignment 1?
Answer: No cover page is required.
Question: Are references included in the word count?
Answer: For Assignment 1, references will be included in the word count. This is
part of the Business School policy. There is a buffer of 10% of the words (i.e. you
can write 1650 words for Assignment 1 without penalty). Please balance the
number of references that you have with the word count restrictions. Please review
all the requirements of Assignment 1 in the Assignment 1 Resources and Support
page.
Question: I feel like I’m still not sure about the meaning of ‘Choice of visualization
option’ section in ‘Assignment 1 Detail and Support’. It says ‘included in your word
count is 1 visualisation. If you wish for any more than 1 visualisation, please allow 100
words per visualisation’. I’m curious about what does it mean by ‘please allow 100
words per visualisation’?
Answer: Visualisations are tables, figures, charts etc that you can use in your
assignment. Included in your word count of 1500 words is one visualisation. If you
use one (additional) table, then the equivalent word count for this table is 100. That
is, the remaining words that you have in (say) Assignment 1 is 1400 (there is a
buffer of 10%). See the word count mentioned in this Canvas page for word count
requirements.
Question: I am confused about how the marking criteria would determine whether
our idea is creative and useful?
Answer: Please see 'Brief' point 3 above.
2022/3/20 10:56 Assignment 1 Details and Support: BUSS5221 Creative and Analytic Mindset
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Question: For a problem, say 'urban farming can support food security&scarcity',
should I propose related problem like 'what the status of food security in Myanmar'?
or should my related problem must include both urban farming and food
security&scarcity?
Answer: The identified problem is urban farming can support security & scarcity'.
You need to use this narrative in full to articulate your problem area and suggest
solutions. For example, your solution may propose a technique that uses urban
farming to tackle food security and scarcity.
Question: When writing the report, do i need to consider one stakeholder or can i
consider a range of stakeholders?
Answer: Different stakeholders usually have different needs. If you feel that your
report/essay addresses the needs of multiple stakeholders, it is ok to address the
report as such. Think carefully what the needs of the stakeholder(s) is/are.
Question: A problem statement should consist of a couple of lines detailing the
current state, the gap and the desired outcome. So should I outline the solution?
Answer: The solution is not the same as the desired outcome (goal). You need to
articulate your goal. This is for the section on 'Problem Statement'. Please review
the marking rubrics.
Question: Can I solve the problem partially (e.g. i focus on addressing smoking in
youths)?
Answer: No. The problem must be solved in full. Maybe you can do this by
focusing on youths who are female (only an example)
Question: How do I show my idea is novel and useful?
Answer: You need to do a detailed search of your problem area/country setting and
read what is out there. You can use the library database, search engines like
google, Australian Bureau of Statistics and similar sites. To prove that your idea is
novel and useful, you need to show evidence through screenshots or otherwise.
For example, you can show that your idea is a particular country does not exist or
only something similar exists.
2022/3/20 10:56 Assignment 1 Details and Support: BUSS5221 Creative and Analytic Mindset
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Question: Am I doing a small 'c' or a big 'C'?
Answer: Assignment 1 is about small c. You are only required to put forward
creative ideas that (for example only - perhaps an idea that has worked for one
country A but has not been tried in another country B. You need to show evidence
that Country A and B are similar for your creative idea to work). You must however
put forward an idea that completely addresses the problem area. You will see that
an example has been provided about smoking among youths and women on the
Overall Assignment details page.

Question: Do i need to focus on efficiency or focus on profit?
Answer: This depends on who the stakeholder that your report/essay targets. You
need to think carefully.
Question: What is the naming convention for submitted files?
Answer: This has been explained in
https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/38338/assignments/338848
(https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/38338/assignments/338848)
Question: What is the penalty for late submission/exceeding word count?
Answer: This has been explained in
https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/38338/assignments/338848
(https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/38338/assignments/338848)
Question: What is the difference between Section 1 and Section 2.
Answer: Section 1 provides an overall understanding of the country and how the
problem area manifests itself in the country. Section 2 focuses on the problem
statement that you wish to investigate and why it is important to address this. You
have to think carefully about how you formed the problem statement and provide a
convincing discussion on why addressing the issue identified in the problem
statement is important. Please read information around these sections again
carefully.
2022/3/20 10:56 Assignment 1 Details and Support: BUSS5221 Creative and Analytic Mindset
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Question: Do i need to include a title for the assignment?
Answer: You are welcome to include a title for the assignment but this is not
compulsory or will attract any marks.
Question: Can I choose a country not in the problem area/country spreadsheet?
Answer: No. The country and problem area must be in the spreadsheet. This is
what the assignment requirements state.