Project Development and Evaluation

Unit Code: HES3410

Duration	Contact Hours	Campus	Prerequisite	Corequisite
1 Semester	48 hours	Sarawak	150 credit points	Nil

Credit Points: 12.5 Credit Points

Aims & Objectives:

In this unit we aim to provide a forum to enable the coming together of the knowledge and skills gained in previous units, for the theoretical development of a technological concept from green field to sales. To this base, the concepts of project evaluation via profitability analysis will be demonstrated and used to assess the advisability of undertaking a particular example project.
At the end of this unit of study, students will be able to:

Recognize the thoroughly integrated (between technology and business) nature of the commercial development of technological concepts.
Identify and have a working knowledge of the various stages in the commercial development of technology.

Participate in the various stages of project evaluation and understand the value of project evaluation as a tool in the systematic appraisal of project options.

Teaching Methods:

Workshops, lectures, and report writing.

Lectures will be used to provide basic information and encourage students to carry out independent learning tasks. Workshops will be used to facilitate discussion and expressions within a cooperative team study environment. Skills on report writing are essential, in this unit of study, for students to develop the ability to effectively communicate their research. The overall focuse of workshops, lectures and report writing is to provide independent, student orientated open-ended learning.

Assessment:

Report (50%); test (20%), presentation (30%)

Generic Skills Outcomes:

You will be provided with feedback during the assessment for this unit of study on your progress in attaining the following generic skills:

teamwork skills,
analysis skills,
problem solving skills,
communications skills,
ability to tackle unfamiliar problems, and
ability to work independently

Content:

The project brief
A brief which describes a theoretical biotechnological process, the nature of the task assigned, and which serves as the starting point of the development process.
Project evaluation
Evaluation of technical merit, and estimation of the commercial value of the described biotechnological process and project evaluation using projected cash flows as the basis.
The technology
Assessment of current and alternative technologies for the project process.
Plant design
Qualitative and quantitative flow charts; identification and sizing of process equipment for the project process.
Estimation of capital cost for the plant required
Estimation of cash flow in the project
Profitability analysis
Analysis of the earning capacity of the project over the estimated life time; payback period; return on investment; net present value.

Reading Materials:

Allen, D.H. (1991) A Guide to the Economic Evaluation of Projects, 3rd edition. Stephen Austin and Sons Ltd., Hertford.