Background
In Assessment tasks 2 and 3 you have focused on an organisation of your choice, often your own workplace. This has particular advantages for you including the potential for you to experience and understand subject content in the context of your own workplace, your access to key information to allow substantial analysis and the capacity for you to make a contribution to your workplace both now and into the future.
What you have not yet experienced is the opportunity to gain insights into how NPD or NSD is practiced in a range of different contexts and how context influences key considerations for companies in regard to new product or new service development.
Task
Assessment task 4 provides the opportunity for you to share findings from your assignments, gain further insights into NPD and NSD in a variety of contexts, and reflect on and consolidate your learning on new product development success factors. There are two parts to this task:
Part A: Group presentation 15% Note the presentation will be done in PAIRS.
Part B: Individual reflection 10%
Task 4A: Group presentation – 15% - Due Monday 16th May
Your task is to reflect on your experience in completing Assessment 4 (individual report on NPD practice) and draw out a number of key issues to present to your colleagues in a short, snappy but insightful presentation. There will be a number of online meetings scheduled for discussion of each of the presentations. (The format of the online presentation –will be detailed following the content)
Your presentation needs to include:
- Brief background to company/market
- Key issues that came out of your critical analysis of an organisations new product development practice?
- Recommendations for improvement
- Personal comments on what you learnt.
- Commentary that reflects an understanding of relevant NPD or NSD theory.
Format
- The format for presentation is a pre-recorded voice-over powerpoint presentation of 13 slides each of 30 seconds duration.
- Your presentation should be pre-recorded as this avoids any problems with technology issues at our discussion sessions. You will be able to view each other’s presentations ahead of the meeting times. That also gives us more time for discussion.
- You will need to be very selective in what you report on given the timing constraints. So think carefully about what you think is most important to share and do this in a very succinct way. Keep your PowerPoints very simple with images or limited number of words. You will need to script and practice what you can cover in 30 seconds.
Note: This format is modified version of a Pecha Kucha or PK presentation. Pecha Kucha means ‘chit chat’ in Japanese is designed to inspire rather than inflict “death by powerpoint” Further background, links and instructions will be available in resources on the MKT520 Interact site.
In preparing for discussion in the online sessions you should focus in detail on presentations of two other students. You will be provided with further direction in regard to this when dates for online sessions are finalised. This preparation will help form a solid foundation for completion of Task 4B.
Part B: Individual reflection 10% - Due Monday 30th May
Your task in assessment 4B is to reflect on and write about how your understanding of new product or service development has been developed and/ or changed by the presentations (Task 4A) on new product development practices and success factors across a variety of organisations. Consider what you have become aware of/ or had reinforced by completing your own presentation as well as listening to those of others. Underpin you discussion with reference to relevant NPD theory.
Your reflection on NPD should focus on the differing perspectives and contexts provided by your class members (What did you learn from each other? What new insight or opinion was offered?), as well as similarities and differences in key aspects of new product development practice between the organisation you studied and the organisations studied by your fellow students.
You will need to include a short reference list in APA in style (This is excluded from word count).
Rationale
This assessment task (parts A & B) have been are designed to help you consolidate your learning by participating in a collaborative learning environment and considering alternative situations regarding NPD, based on different organisational and industry contexts.
This task aligns with subject learning outcomes 3 and 4:
To be able to evaluate the new product practices of an organisation and make recommendations for improvement that demonstrate knowledge of success factors in new product development
To be able to examine and critically evaluate current new product activities in the market.
Marking Criteria
4A Group presentation - 15%
|
Criteria to be Assessed
|
HD
|
DI
|
CR
|
PS
|
FL
|
|
Critical Evaluation
Value 70%
|
Identifies and insightfully explains three issues in NPD practice, and how these issues are important to success in chosen organisation.
Excellent recommendations that are specific and justified by relevant theory
|
Identifies and explains three issues in NPD practice, and how these issues are important to success in chosen organisation.
Very good recommendations made for each issue – well argued
|
Identifies and explains three issues in NPD practice, and how these issues are important to success in chosen organisation.
Good recommendations made but insufficient justification given
|
Identifies NPD three issues but presented with limited supporting argument from theory or organisational context.
General recommendations that are well supported
|
Does not identify three NPD issues or does not relate issues to the specific organisation being examined. Simplistic recommendations not linked to theory or organisational context
|
|
Presentation
Value 30%
|
Material is imaginatively presented (visually and verbally) resulting in clarity of message and information
|
Well structured and signposted presentation to topic and audience
Material is carefully
structured with clear message and visual effect
|
Material included is relevant to topic and audience and has been clearly structured. Visual aspect of presentation is limited
|
Material presented is relevant to topic and audience but lacks structure or visual impact
|
Uses only text and lacks visual impact. Content that is poorly organised
|
|
|
|
PLEASE NOTE THAT DESCRIPTIONS ARE TYPICAL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GRADE RANGE
|
4B Individual reflection - 10%
|
Criteria to be Assessed
|
HD
|
DI
|
CR
|
PS
|
FL
|
|
Linking theory and practice
Value 40%
|
Demonstrates an understanding of new product theory relevant to the area chosen for reflection. Able to meaningfully link new product practice to theory. Discussion of theory, reflection and practical examples is well integrated and cohesive.
|
Demonstrates an understanding of relevant theory. Able to clearly apply theory to new products practice. Discussion of theory, reflection and practical examples is cohesive and clearly expressed.
|
Demonstrates an understanding of relevant theory, though discussion may be slightly limited or shallow.
Applies theory to experiences of new product practice, with some issues in clarity.
Discusses theory, reflection and practical examples clearly.
|
Relates discussion to new product theory in a brief or inattentive way.
Links new product practice to theory at a surface level. Discussion has issues in clarity or structure
|
Does not relate discussion to theory at all. Shows poor consideration of new product practice and is unclear or confusing in expression.
|
|
Reflective skills
Value 40%
|
Provides insight into personal perception and learning. Demonstrates a meaningful change in way of thinking by identifying key turning point/s.
Shows deep consideration of alternate perspectives and provides relevant examples where necessary. Reflects an in-depth engagement with the subject.
|
Provides insight into personal perception and learning. Demonstrates a change in way of thinking and identifies key events that caused that change. Shows consideration of alternate perspectives and provides relevant examples where necessary. Reflects strong engagement with the subject.
|
Provides insight into the writer’s perception of new product development. Shows a change in way of thinking and briefly describes what led to this change. Makes note of alternate perspectives and provides examples where necessary. Reflects good engagement with the subject
|
Describes writer’s perception of new product development. Shows a minor change in thinking. May use examples of alternate perspectives, but does not reflect on these meaningfully. Shows a basic level of engagement with the subject
|
Does not consider how or why perception of new products may have changed. Engagement is minimal
|
|
Presentation
Value 20%
|
Reflection is original and engaging. Writing is coherent, expressive and shows good use of language and grammar.
|
Reflection is original and writing is clear and expressive. No errors.
|
Writing is mostly clear and descriptive. Ideas expressed are original.
|
Ideas expressed, but with minor issues in the clarity and articulation.
Some errors evident
|
Reflection has poor expression and multiple errors
|
|
PLEASE NOTE THAT DESCRIPTIONS ARE TYPICAL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GRADE RANGE
|
