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I hope the OpenTuition team doesn’t mind me posting this… it’s a little idea I had to try and learn from the group here about why projects fail.
I’ve put together this form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1hyXO-mPZb2WrFFcLI_WeTjinTHRzAxqhzkvu6TfI4TM
To collect responses from those students who didn’t pass this time around in their RAP. My thoughts are that if we can see and collect the reasons for why projects fail, we can learn from them and try to collectively improve our chances of success.
Why am I doing this? Selfish reasons! I don’t want to fail. There is some much misinformation about the RAP and why people fail, it’s confusing. If you fill out the form with what the marker said and your own feedback. I’ll then go over all the responses and compile a report showing the summary of all the reasons.
Hopefully this will help everyone! It’s not cheating in anyway and should provide useful insights. 🙂
Gene: no problem with having a survey 🙂 good idea
I would only suggest you remove the part about email address – and post the results on this page, after the survey has been closed/ analysedOnly 6 responses so far. Thanks to those you added their feedback to the form. Any other people want to share and learn so everyone gets a better chance of passing next time, here’s the link again:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1hyXO-mPZb2WrFFcLI_WeTjinTHRzAxqhzkvu6TfI4TM
Summary so far…
1. Referencing missing or insufficient
2. Lack of analysis
3. Lack of wider reading beyond just study texts and annual reports
4. Submitted for further investigationJust so you know, the form is 100% anonymous so don’t worry. 🙂
@gene responses regarding ur survey is it limited to topic 8?
@neena currently they are all topic 8 except for one topic 20 response. Would be good to get a few more 🙂
Great idea Gene
Apart from referencing (and there are plenty of good articles on the web about how to reference) most fail because the analysis is poor. Chucking in loads of figures in the text is not the way you are going to pass with a good grade (if at all) and nor with topic 8 is just regurgitating what you have read in the annual report, as this is not analysis. (Remember directors always put a gloss on how the company has performed as they are reporting to shareholders). Instead you need to link the PESTLE factors with the financial analysis and also see what strategic objectives the company has had and assess whether these have been achieved (from analyst and business journal articles and web reports) backed up by relevant data and referenced comments. That way you show you have done proper research, have analytical skills and read widely. Don’t make obvious statements – for example that the gross profit has increased (decreased) by x amount (without saying why) – so what? Anyone can see this if they look at the financial statements! It is the factors that have driven the increase (or caused the decrease) that need to be explained. Use plenty of good appropriate graphs to show the trends (rather than give lots of boring figures with no explanations), then all you have to do is use the words to explain the causes. Read it through – if it sounds boring to you, it sure as hell is going to bore the marker who has read all this type of stuff hundreds of times before. Your grade will reflect how much effort you have put in with how much of your own original analysis there is in your RAP – and I know this because my partner got a distinction for their Masters – the more your work stands out from the crowd the more it will interest the marker and the more likely (provided you have done all your referencing and spreadsheets etc) you will pass with a good grade.
Still only 8 responses 🙁 Would be great to get a few more!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1hyXO-mPZb2WrFFcLI_WeTjinTHRzAxqhzkvu6TfI4TM
@trephena
Thankyou trephena. you have given a very good idea of what a RAP on topic 8 should be.Please do let us know if u can give on other topics like 17 and 18.Thanks for your kind comments Neena – I am only too happy to help as I understand how difficult it can be working on your own. You asked about suggestions on how to go about other topics.
For Topic 18 I would base most of the RAP on the 4 P’s (or if appropriate the 7 P’s) of marketing and analyse how the company meets these within its marketing strategies. May be appropriate to compare and contrast some of the most important aspects with a competitor if possible (this would then more than fulfil the evaluation requirements). Might also try to do a bit of ratio analysis e.g. sales to marketing costs or market share to marketing costs (depends what info is available – but remember there will be a time lag so the trends over time are more of an indication than talking about each year’s sales against each year’s marketing costs). Graphs and charts are nice to liven up the text and meet the spreadsheet requirement. Put in a suitable model e.g. Boston matrix, product life cycle (but lots to choose from) – found this website that outlines a few good items to cover (not all of them!!!) – explore some of the ideas further – this is your RAP afterall not mine!!!
https://bizdom.com.au/2011/03/30/top-12-marketing-models-of-all-time/
Reference well – do it as you go along both in the text and in the list – keep a Word.doc open and list things as you use them (using the Harvard system) or put them in italics if you have just read them and pretty it all up at the end by arranging in alphabetical order and shift the items just read (the ones in italics) to the Bibliography. Finally review your aims and objectives and in the conclusion how you have met them by summarising your results. Oh use plenty of headings and subheadings as they break up the text and make it look more interesting. I think if you do all that adequately you should get a good pass (probably would fulfil the criteria set out for at least a B) – but should get you a pass unless you mess up.
Will think a bit about Topic 17 and let you know my ideas but may be a week or two
10 students have given feedback so far. Thanks guys! One request please, on the form I’ve asked if you can “copy and paste” the markers feedback into the box provided. Only 3 of you have done this. Some have just put one word as the response. Surely the marker said more than that?
It would be great if you could complete the form fully. The more complete the answers, the better the analysis I can provide and the better that will be for all of us! 🙂
Here’s the link again, just in case you missed it:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1hyXO-mPZb2WrFFcLI_WeTjinTHRzAxqhzkvu6TfI4TM
Johny is a spam bot… Forum moderator… you might want to review his profile and delete his spammy posts 🙂
12 responses. Not bad. Anyone else left to contribute? If not I’ll pull the results together.
@Gene – really impressed with what he are doing Gene – drop me an email – as a very experienced mentor Not out to line my own pocket I can give lotss of free advice for your distilled list as there are many common mistakes students make; lane-end@hotmail.co uk
@gene
Gene what topic r u preparing?@neena Probably topic 8! I did think about some of the other topics, like the IT implementation one, but my main objective is just to get the degree, not to make my life any harder than it has to be! 🙂
@all Nearly time to close out this survey. Shame so few responses. This is my last attempt to persuade any others who have markers feedback (aka those who will pass next time) to submit it here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1hyXO-mPZb2WrFFcLI_WeTjinTHRzAxqhzkvu6TfI4TM
Many thanks to those who took the time to submit. 🙂
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