Architecture
Master of Architecture (Professional)
ARCH 8511 PROFESSIONAL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT-2025
ASSIGNMENT 1 โ PART A: DEVELOPING A BUSINESS
Introduction
In this assignment you will go through the process of creating an idea and strategy for an architectural practice and developing that idea into a business plan. In a separate part of the assignment (Part B) you will then do some financial modelling for the proposed business to test whether it is likely to succeed from a financial perspective.
Scenario
You are required to develop a realistic scenario based on the realities of the current market, investigate your perceived business opportunity, and formulate a complete plan for the new venture. A strategy for this could be to reflect on and develop your own approach to architecture, what is important to you in architectural design, and match your architectural point-of-view with a market niche.
Requirements
Item |
Marks |
% of Assignment |
% of All Coursework |
---|---|---|---|
PART A Business and Marketing Plan |
50 |
50% |
25% |
PART B Financial Forecast |
50 |
50% |
25% |
Both PART A and PART B together form 50% of the total course mark.
Hand in and assessment
Note: No late hand-ins will be accepted. Refer to Student Handbook for hand-in regulations. A4 Format โ pdf or word doc. NOTHING ELSE!
Your presentation is to be of a professional quality and a standard that you would submit to a potential partner or financial backer.
Hand-in: 5pm MONDAY 24th March 2025 via MOODLE. No hard copy necessary for Part A.
Page 1 of 4
2025 ARCH 8511 Professional Business Management โ ASSIGNMENT PART A โ DEVELOPING A BUSINESS
PART A SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
PART A โ DEVELOPING A BUSINESS
Executive Summary: (place it at the start of the document, but you will need to write it last).
The executive summary is an overview (no more than one page) of the critical information in the business plan. This is not an introduction; it is a summary of all the important information in the assignment. Describe the mission statement, the company’s core and architectural values, management structure, target market, competitive analysis, positioning, and marketing mix.
This executive summary will be incorporated into PART B.
(5 Marks)
Table of Contents
Introduction:
1. Produce a 5-to-6-page portfolio of no more than three of your favorite BAS projects. 2. Analyse these projects. Is scale and complexity important? Do you prefer urban or rural sites? Is structure and materiality an important design driver? Light and space? How much emphasis on aesthetic considerations is there?
Mission Statement:
From the analysis in the introduction, what is your company’s mission statement? What architectural problems/opportunities do you design to? Who would your clients be? What benefits do you offer your clients?
Core Values:
What are your company’s core values?
From the analysis in the introduction, what are your company’s core architectural design values?
Analysis of Management Structures and Director Profiles:
Provide an organisational diagram showing the relationships between the directors and staff.
Provide brief director profiles.
(15 Marks)
SWOT Analysis:
What are the internal strengths and weaknesses of your company? Consider market share, product innovation and quality, brand strength and service quality.
Page 2 of 4
2025 ARCH 8511 Professional Business Management โ ASSIGNMENT PART A โ DEVELOPING A BUSINESS
What action plans will you employ to build on your strengths and overcome your weaknesses?
What are the external opportunities and threats for your businesses?
How might your company benefit from major trends: demographic,
social/cultural, economic, political/legal, and technological?
Market Segmentation:
What strategies are you employing to segment the market? Consider whether you are providing benefits to residential or commercial/industrial/governmental sectors.
Target market(s):
What/who is your target market? There may be more than one โ if so, please just choose one and follow this through to the end of the assignment.
1. What is the market size (in both dollar values and number of
commissions)? Use relevant statistical data for this.
2. Using AI, provide an image of members of your target market, and provide the name of the AI system you used and the final prompts you used.
Competitive analysis:
1. Conduct internet research to find out what other companies provide similar benefits to your target market. What are their strengths and
weaknesses?
2. How can you avoid competing with their strengths and exploit their weaknesses?
Positioning:
Draw a mind map of the market showing the perception of your competition along appropriate X and Y axes (use your core values)
What is your competitive advantage?
(15 Marks)
Marketing Mix:
Describe the marketing mix for one target market. Consider product (and branding), price, distribution, promotion, physical evidence, people and process.
How is each of these factors contributing to your overall competitive
advantage?
(10 Marks)
Report Quality
The report is of a professional standard; layout, spelling, and overall presentation are considered. The potential of the target market and the company’s potential position are also considered. Provide at least one image per page. These can be sourced from
the internet or AI driven, but must be referenced with the website name, and/or prompts.
(5 Marks)
Page 3 of 4
2025 ARCH 8511 Professional Business Management โ ASSIGNMENT PART A โ DEVELOPING A BUSINESS
APPENDIX A โ Useful Websites
MBIE โ Better Buildings
https://www.building.govt.nz/
Business and Economic Research Ltd
http://berl.co.nz/
National Bank Economic Reports
http://www.nbnz.co.nz/economics/forecasts/default.aspx
Colliers International Market Research
http://www.colliers.co.nz/Find-Research/
Statistics New Zealand
https://www.stats.govt.nz/
Inland Revenue Department
http://www.ird.govt.nz/
ANZ Business Hub
https://bizhub.anz.co.nz/
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment http://www.business.govt.nz
Practice Clarity, Helping Architects Build Business http://www.practiceclarity.com/
NZIA
https://www.nzia.co.nz/
Life of an Architect
https://www.lifeofanarchitect.com/
Page 4 of 4
2025 ARCH 8511 Professional Business Management โ ASSIGNMENT PART A โ DEVELOPING A BUSINESS