R.C. Wood ver. 1.2
For essays on tests.
A (94% and higher)
Clear and coherent answer to the question. Very few (or no) factual or terminology errors. Some grammatical errors or awkwardness are common on “A” essays on tests, but the argument is completely clear. An “A” answer would be considered completely adequate in a professional business setting.
B (84% to 87%)
The essay shows clear evidence of understanding most of the basic concepts involved in the question and has provided data and analysis supporting that understanding. However, significant errors of facts, terminology, organization, or grammar make the argument less adequate.
C (74% to 77%)
The essay shows real evidence of understanding important concepts and/or has provided data or analysis of significant relevance to the question. But the argument taken as a whole does not provide a thorough treatment.
D (64 to 67%)
The essay shows some evidence of understanding important concepts or data relevant to the question, but is largely inadequate.
F (below 60%)
The essay either does not answer the question posed or answers it without showing understanding of basic concepts or appropriate data.
For short answer questions on tests.
Generally, short answer questions are objective – they have correct answers. Some points will be given for answers that are partially correct.
Strategic Management Project grading
As discussed in the syllabus for the course, the term-long Strategic Management Project counts for a large portion of the overall course grade. 50% of the grading for the project is group-based and 50% is individual-based. The thrust is to make grading mirror the real world as much as possible. In the real world you get credit for being a member of successful groups as well as for doing work specifically assigned to you, and the ability to help a group to succeed is central to success.
During the term there are three primary activities that affect the final grade: a written report on the subject company, an oral presentation, and peer evaluations in which students rate the performance of others on their team.
Group grade. The group grade is based primarily (60%) on the written report that the group develops throughout the term. As outlined in the handout, “Strategic Management Project: A Strategic Analysis of a Company,” the project is evaluated like a consultant’s report. The key question in evaluation is whether the report would provide a solid analysis and supporting data on the company for “executives at companies that compete with, sell to, or buy from the company” being studied.
30% of the grade is based on an oral report on the company given in the last four days of class. This involves making the kind of presentation that a team preparing a consulting report would make to the members of the consulting firm prior to presentation of the report to the client. The presentation is graded on how useful the content would be to a firm seeking to explain the company under study to others.
10% of the grade may be based on other factors such as the quality of interim reports and research and how useful the ideas offered by members of the team have been in class discussions.
All students whose peer evaluations indicate they have played a consistently substantive role in the group will receive the group grade. The instructor may give students a group grade a grade below that of the group as a whole if peer evaluations and the instructor’s observations indicate the student has not played a consistently substantive role in the group or has caused problems for the group by turning in material late.
Individual grade. 84% of the individual grade will be based on the student’s participation in preparing the written report and general group activities as indicated by peer reviews and the instructor’s observation of the group. Where the instructor has no significant evidence that students within a group have differed in their contribution to group work, the individual grades will be identical to the overall group grade.
16% of the individual grade will be based on the individual’s performance in the group’s oral report to class. This grade will be entirely based on the quality of the individual’s part of the group presentation. In assigning this grade, no attempt will be made to analyze to what extent the individual presentation was helped or hindered by others in the group. The contribution of the individual to helping others in the group is to be reflected in the individual’s grade for the written report and general group activities.
Peer reviews. All students will evaluate other members of their groups on peer reviews filled out at mid-term and at the end of the term. Slight differences in peer review scores may have no impact on the final grade at all. But students may be notified about even slight differences in midterm scores because sometimes these slight differences are “wake-up calls” that indicate emerging problems students should address. In evaluating students’ participation in their groups, the mid-term peer review will count for roughly one third and the final peer review will count for two-thirds.