Component Grade*^ Considerations
1. Explain the company's business model, especially how they (intend to) make money and which SDGs they (intend to) address. 10-15% Make sure that the business model is made clear.  Do not assume I have any background knowledge on this particular business.
Though this is given a relatively small percent of your overall grade, this lays the foundation for the rest of the project; if this part is not done well, it will be very hard to effectively address points 2-4. Hence, this component being done effectively has great bearing on your overall mark.
Recommendations: Do not make this section too long, as you will need the space for the rest of your report.  Please put important, but supportive, information in appendices.
2. Assess if the business model allows the company to effectively address any of the SDGs, and if they are effectively contributing to systems change. 15-25% Ensure you make a convincing argument.
Ensure your assessment accurately reflects the size and scope of the venture; no one venture can fully address an SDG
Make sure you strike an appropriate balance between critically assessing the business model and being realistic about what is possible
3. Analyze the business model to identify the tensions, trade-offs, and complexity that are at play. Do you think the business effectively manages these? 15-25% In your analysis, ensure you do not underweight the importance of making money; you can be the world's most sustainable startup, but if you can't make money, you do no one any good
Make sure you are very clear about what the actual tension, trade-off, or complexity is.
Give a clear analysis of why you think the venture is, or is not, effectively addressing these.
Make sure you strike an appropriate balance between critically assessing the business model and being realistic about what is possible
4. Considering all of the above analysis, create 2-3 core recommendations for the business. 35-50% Ensure that your recommendations are pragmatic; do they effectively consider the financial and market realities facing the business?  Put simply, can they actually work?
Make sure that the recommendations are A) substantial, instead of minor tweaks, and B) separate from each other, e.g., don't split what is really a single recommendation into two
Overall quality, including executive summary 10% Is the report easy to follow? Does it make the reader’s job easy? Are the different sections well connects? Is the writing concise and appropriate?
     
Bonus  Up to +10% Are any of the sections of the report clearly outstanding?
Has this report gone "above and beyond" in some way?
*Note 1: Ranges are given for grading the different components, for two reasons, both of which are beneficial to students. First, this allows you to put extra thought and effort into the components in which you are most interested. Second, this allows flexibility in the grading, so that you can be rewarded for the components done very well.
As a general rule, I will allocate higher percentages to the components on which you spend more of your writing space.
^Note 2: If I have spoken separately with your group about modifying this rubric - most likely because you have a small group size, or a group member dropped the course at a latter date - please remember to include a note in your report about this.  Most likely, we discussed having less emphasis on one of the sections.

Last modified: Monday, 1 November 2021, 10:16 AM