This assignment is designed to get you to think more deeply about Part 3 of how you might solve the overall management challenge and why your chosen approach could be the “best way.”  Your goal in A1 (Part 1) was to analyse what the FFCRC does as an R&D organisation, and the goal of A2 (Part 2) was to analyse a particular energy product created by Engie Energy Resources (listed below).  In A3 (Part 3), you will bring what you have learned in A1 and A2 together to design a business model / roadmap for FFCRC to present to Engie Energy Resources about how they could work together to commercialise that product for three business sectors.

Overall management challenge: The FFCRC, as an R&D organization, helps energy businesses design solutions to technical & management problems.  In this instance, the FFCRC is trying to help Engie Energy Resources design a business plan (roadmap) to commercialise the technical products they have created at the REIDS-SPORE Demonstration project.

Requirements for the assignment: 

Your group will be required to demonstrate a thorough understanding of the relevant theory and application of that theory in a way that creates a business report that the partner organization can act upon. You will also be required to create and present a 6-minute video of your findings.

The group report: 

• Negotiate with your group members to reach a common understanding of the management challenge. Re-state the problem in the context of your chosen management perspective as a research question.

  You may have to do some research on ‘how best to formulate a research question.’

• Write a report justifying why your research approach to solving the management challenges should be adopted. 
• This assignment is about taking the learning experiences from the 1st and 2nd assignments and developing a focused set of practical recommendations for the PO.
• It is required to make consistent arguments from an environmental analysis and organizational design/process as well as suggestions of action plan/implementation.
•  Subsequently, there should not be much overlap from previous assignments in getting your group members’ ideas together and in consolidating persuasive arguments.
• Here, while not losing sight of the interconnected nature of managerial issues, you should pick a specific area to focus on (e.g. environment (competitors?) HRM (training?) ethics? (etc) that is relevant in offering solutions to management challenges.
• Depending on your focus, you may wish to continue to conduct both external and/or internal environment research involving critically analyzing and synthesizing business information.

  Your analysis should be broad but more importantly deep for your focus area. Once you have collected the information, you have to critically analyze it.

• Make recommendations to management about how to solve the management challenges that have a rigorous, contemporary theoretical, and empirical basis.

  Conclusions and recommendations are to be supported by evidence.
  Recommendations must include a practical implementation plan
  Recommendations should also identify risks associated with the adoption
  Recommendations must also include an evaluation plan for your solution.

• Use a business report format.

1

Local Tutor: Rodney Goon

BUSM 4547 – Management In Practice

Bachelor Of Business (Management)

Engie – Recommendations

Jan 2021

1

ENGIE Provides Low-Carbon Energy & Services.
To Tackle The Climate Emergency & Their Aim Is To Become The World Leader In The Zero-Carbon Energy Transition “As A Service” For Clients – In Particular For Companies & Regional Authorities.
Their Expertise In Key Business Areas (Renewables, Gas, Services) To Provide Competitive & Bespoke (Customized) Solutions.

Although More Organizations Than Ever Are Committing To Setting Sustainability Goals, There’s A Gap Between Those Commitments & Progress, Which Isn’t Happening Fast Enough.
The Problem Is That Most Organizations DO NOT KNOW Where To START To Meet Their Objectives. 
The Management Challenge
(Customized Solutions)

Environment
HRM
Ethics
Competition
Creativity
Building Skills
Training
Staffing
Leadership
Conflict & Trust
Sustainable Development
Corporate Social Responsibility
Managerial Issues 
Managerial Issues That Is Relevant In Offering Solutions To The Management Challenges.
Examples

“Focus On Engie Energy Resources For Assessments 03a & 03b”
Dr. Carol Bond

Smart Grids
Industry Energy Efficiency And
Smart Cities
“Engie’s Expertise In –
Is Reflected In The REIDS Project – A State-Of-The-Art, Multi-Fluid Microgrid Solution. 

REIDS – Singapore Strength Is That They Are A Well-Funded R&D Unit Within Engie.
Their Weakness Is That They Have Focused So Much On Solving The Technical/Engineering Problems, They Are Having Trouble Connecting With Potential Customers For Their Products
RMIT Management Practitioners

Recommendations – Bespoke Solutions
Team Negotiated Selections
Managerial Issues
Engie’s Expertise
Smart Grids
Industry Energy Efficiency
Smart Cities
Environment
HRM
Ethics
Team Selections
Recommendations – Bespoke Solutions

Do NOT Proposed A GENERIC Set Of Recommendations.
RMIT Management Practitioners – Recommendations
Recommendations Have To Be Specific & A Direct Correlation To BOTH Your Chosen Management Issue(s) & The ENGIE Expertise – For Servicing Their Industry Clients.

Preparing A3

Dr Carol Bond / Course Coordinator

Management in Practice

Instructions
To create em dash above headline
Same size and weight as the headline and set using a soft return.
PC: Em dash (—): Alt+Ctrl+ – (minus)
Mac: Em dash (—): Shift+Alt/Option+hyphen
1

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. 
RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business.
Ngarara Place

Above is RMIT’s acknowlegdment of country. 
We strongly encourge you to write your own personalised acknowledgement of country. 
Please also feel free to use an image which relates to your acknowledgement
2

Objectives of this presentation
Explain how A1 & A2 articulate into the A3 task
Give concrete suggestions on how to compose the A3 report and prepare the Pechu Kucha presentation
Clarify what the FFCRC is (R&D organisation) and how it works with major energy providers (e.g., Engie)

A1

A2

A3
Overall management challenge:
Design a business model / roadmap for FFCRC to present to Engie with a recommendation about how to commercialise one of the products in development at REIDS-SPORE.

Strategic analysis of FFCRC

Market & Social analysis of Engie products

Recommend how FFCRC could help Engie commercialise products

Reviewing A1
Build out a SWOT analysis of the FFCRC using multiple theories to add depth and complexity.
Possible topics covered included:
Articulating the benefits of switching from fossil fuel generated energy to lower carbon forms of energy such as renewables (e.g., wind & solar) and hydrogen. Describe benefits for wider society as well as business opportunities for FFCRC
Describing the business risks or threats of failing to act on decarbonising various sectors of the economy. Also discuss how the FFCRC needs to respond to these threats by demonstrating R&D leadership in response to these threats.
Analyse how the FFCRC is well positioned to undertake R&D work owing to its strong partnership base, its governance structure, its stable funding base for 7 years, and the collective experience of the people in the partner organisations.
Discuss how the limited time-frame of the FFCRC (7 year life) means that they can only accomplish so much in a window of opportunity. They need to carefully curate their time and be very strategic about where they are making a contribution to the energy decarbonisation transition.
Make sure to include social impact factors – with both internal and external stakeholders as a significant consideration of which technical R&D projects to pursue and how

Reviewing A2
Build out a market analysis of the products being developed at REIDS-SPORE. Articulate technical and social considerations using multiple theories to add depth and complexity.
Possible topics covered included:
Identify which product from the REIDS-SPORE demonstration project you will analyse
Undertake a market analysis of this product by firstly reviewing the needs of the energy sector and articulating how this product would add value as a decarbonisation option. Make sure you use management theory and blend it with statistics to support your case.
Given the technology, and seeing that it will introduce change to established industry sectors and businesses, organisations that decide to use the REIDS-SPORE product will need to manage stakeholder responses both inside and outside their firm. Pick two of the following that might be used to assist: Ethics, CSR, Leadership, HRM.
Discuss how uptake of this particular REIDS-SPORE product might unfold – how would you sell it as a valuable business opportunity / game changer to a corporate board? Introduce the idea of how the FFCRC might assist.

Developing A3
Bringing A1 + A2 together

The task
With your group members, you need to determine:
Which product from REIDS-SPORE you are going to promote.
Which three business sectors might be candidates to which you could sell the product.
How could FFCRC (an R&D org) add value to ENGIE (a commercial org) by helping develop a business plan that includes
complementary technical expertise
help generate ideas about how to market the product within the chosen sector and
design a plan to address the resulting social issues of client firms

Make recommendations to the FFCRC about how they can partner with ENGIE
Use rigorous, contemporary, and theoretical rationale (e.g., academic evidence)
Articulate a practical implementation plan
Identify both benefits and risks of ENGIE product adoption

How do we organise our groups?
If you haven’t already formed a group …
Make sure you join a group in Week 9
Commit to meeting either online or in person 2 x a week for an hour in Weeks 9 – 12
Play to your own strengths
Take notes of your meetings – these discussions will form the draft of your report

Rules of group work:
Determine how you will communicate
Respect each other’s time
Consider other points of view
Do what you said you would do

The outputs
1. A 5000 word report is due on Monday, 12th April at 10 pm. The report should be presented as for a business but will have robust academic references, perhaps some statistical tables or charts, and make a solid recommendation for FFCRC to approach Engie.
2. You will record a Pechu Kucha presentation (20 slides x 20 seconds each) based on your report. The presentation should be on auto-forward so you don’t go over time. This is practice towards real-world ‘pitching’ ideas for businesses.

What kind of references do we use?
Type of reference Number
Academic journal articles 12-15
Industry or government reports 10-12
Websites or media 6-8

FAQ about FFCRC
Questions and feedback?
Does the FFCRC produce or distribute energy:
What is the benefit of the FFCRC collaborating with Engie?
Why should Engie partner with the FFCRC?
Does COVID alter the need for these energy products?
Regarding the hydrogen fuelled EVs, why should ASEAN countries pivot from lithium-ion batteries?
Regarding district cooling, there is a high up-front cost, why should companies or governments invest?
Regarding sustainable data centres, how can those centres maximise ‘first mover advantage’?

What happens if our group has ‘issues’?
Most groups can work out how to behave responsibly towards one another and have had plenty of practice in learning those skills over three years now
Groups with members who are either not communicating or not doing the work they said they would should reach out to BOTH their local lecturer and the course coordinator to trouble shoot
If you have a group member who is seriously absent throughout the process, be respectful, but also collect evidence of who has been doing which tasks so marks can be awarded appropriately. Please write to the course coordinator directly as there is a form which needs to be filled out so a dispute resolution process – fair to all sides – can be applied

Next Steps…
Attend class for Week 9 & 10 – make sure you join a group as no individual work will be accepted
Review feedback on A1 – thoughtfully review what you did correctly and where there was room for more detail and specificity
From 22 March, feedback on A2 will be available. Thoughtfully review your approach and, if relevant, how would you change your approach now.
Meet with your group at least 2 x week to discuss and execute the report and Pechu Kucha. Everyone needs to contribute to both. Submit on 12th April by 10 pm SGP

Final note …
The top performing 5 teams will have an opportunity for their work to be reviewed, personally, by the FFCRC. Feedback will be provided.
Within that feedback, there may be an opportunity to discuss a business internship and / or a scholarship for a PhD at RMIT sponsored by the FFCRC.