Poor Business Performance

Your final assignment is to examine your sensitivity of data integrated with business thinking. The purpose of the assignment is to test your ability to carry out data processing, description, estimation, diagnostics and do file management.

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Assignment details

Your final assignment requires you to write a report to consult on the potential causes of past bad business performance for your client. Your client has provided with two datasets covering the information on daily operations and boards of directors (Note that these two datasets have been provided in Canvas, named Data 1.dta Download Data 1.dtaand Data 2.dta Download Data 2.dta). Now you are required to process and analyze the given data to find at least 3 potential causes of recent poor performance and provide the recommendations accordingly.

Guidance for the given datasets:

1. In Data1. dta, you are provided with accounting information, where the variables of profit_growth and sale_growth could be considered as a measure of company performance. Other variables tangibility, leverage and firmsize, may be considered as a factor that can affect company performance.

2. In Data2. dta, you are provided with director information, where the variables of NationalityMix, board_independence, boardsize, education_level and male_ratio may also be considered as a factor that can affect company performance.

3. To conduct your analysis, you need to merge Data1.dta and Data2.dta first by using two referencing variables.

4. Definitions of each variable you could find in the dataset label section.

Note:

• The presentation and the structure of the report constitutes 5 marks
• Before start working on your assignment, identify the scope and the purpose of the report, and the role of yourself in the report.
• Broadening your reading could help you to understand better about the assignment question.
• Use graphics or tables efficiently. Do not include too many.
• Just as a suggestion for the word’s allocation, you may allocate the words by the weight of overall marks.
• Remember to attach your do file in appendix and ensure it is in a good format. Do NOT use the screenshot.

Guidance Resources:

An Anglia Ruskin Guide to Harvard Referencing can be found on the University website at the following address: 

https://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/referencing/harvard.htm

Further information on referencing can be found at the library general referencing page:

https://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/referencing/referencing.htm

The Study Skills Plus team run workshops to help students use RefWorks – This is a reference management software package that enables you to store, organise and share information and to easily generate citations and bibliographies.‌

To book a workshop please use the following link: 

https://web.anglia.ac.uk/anet/studyskillsplus/index.phtml

Assessment Marking Criteria / Scheme:

The report should use no more than 1,500 words and contains the following sections:

1. Summary of findings (list your 3 potential causes underlying poor performance) [10 marks]
2. According to academic literature, justify why you think these 3 factors could be a cause of poor performance. (Note that use reliable sources, e.g., books, journal articles, and business report. Other sources could be considered if applicable). [25 marks]
3. Present and interpret your findings, where graphs and tables could be considered [25 marks]
4. Provide recommendations on how to improve business performance based on your findings [10 marks]
5. Reference list [5 marks]
6. Do file attached in appendix [20 marks]

Feedback Arrangements:

Written academic feedback through Canvas.