Developing a Business Proposal to Address a Current Research Need

Appraise the peer-reviewed scientific literature to identify a current research need and construct a novel proposal to address that scientific need.

What am I required to do in this assignment?
In this assignment you will produce a 3000 word Business Proposal and record the development of this proposal in an eportfolio.
• You will develop an idea of your own for a new commercial product or service relevant to your degree course. You will then develop this idea into a proposal with the sections set out below.
• For this assignment you will be allocated an academic supervisor to help you through the process. This will come in the form of 3 face-to-face meetings. You will use the discussion and feedback from your supervisor and the guidance below to develop this idea into a written business proposal.
• The proposal will consist of the following elements: a justification of the need for your product/service; an explanation of the scientific rationale behind the product/service design; the design of an experiment to test your product/service and an appreciation for ethics, health and safety in the design of the experiment or implementation of the product/service; a reference section. A suggested structure is set out below.
• Throughout the development process, you should record you should reflection on supervisor meetings and progress

Unit learning outcomes 2. Appraise the peer-reviewed scientific literature to identify a current research need and construct a novel proposal to address that scientific need.

Timeline of activity:
Week 2: Supervisor allocation
Week 4: 1st Supervisor meeting
Week 8: 2nd Supervisor meeting
Week 10: Draft submission to BREO
Week 11/12: 3rd Supervisor meeting
Week 13: Final Submission

What do I need to do to pass? (Threshold Expectations from UIF)
• Select relevant scientific data and literature on an agreed research topic and clearly analyse and summarise using appropriate scientific and statistical terminology.
• Propose a novel experiment, product or service, as detailed in the assignment brief, to address an identified scientific need relevant to your course.
• Identify and discuss applicable issues of Health and Safety and ethics.
How do I produce high quality work that merits a good grade? Set out below is an example report structure; the exact structure of your report may differ depending on the product/service you develop.

Your introduction should review published scientific/commercial literature and identify a current scientific need for a product or service relevant to your degree course. You should clearly explain the scientific basis behind your idea and work already done in this field. You must cite your sources of information correctly. This introduction should provide the context within which you will develop your product idea.

You should clearly define what your product or service is, and the science underlying it, using diagrams and/or data where appropriate. You need to explain broadly how you would develop your product/service from an initial idea into something you could sell e.g. what equipment/facilities or research might be required. You should also make clear what the expected timescale for commercialising your idea would be and consider how you might find the financial support to fund its development.

You should explain who your likely target market would be. Describe any market research that you could do to assess this market (you are NOT required to carry out the proposed market research!) Explain how you would advertise/promote your product to your target market. This section should also consider what you would charge for your product/service, and how you would make a profit; or how it benefits society as a whole.

Proposal Development Process

You should design a scientific experiment to test one of the following which is appropriate to your product/service: (a) Whether your product works? (b) Is your product better than others competing in the market? (c) How successful is your service/campaign? The exact design of experiment will depend on the nature of your product. It should include technical detail and take statistical analyses into account i.e. sample size and appropriate statistical test. Ethical, Health and Safety Considerations (~400 words): You must consider any issues that may influence your ability to either test your product/service, or take it to market. This should include reference to any regulatory bodies that may need to be consulted and any legal processes with which you would need to comply. You should discuss any ethical, health and safety or other concerns relevant to your proposal.

If you use an internet source, it must be from a relevant professional institution web site and it should be authored, not from Wikipedia or other sites with unknown authors. Please ensure that your references relate to the relevant documents and their authors/publishers etc., NOT just the place where you found them. The reference list should only contain sources that have been cited appropriately – e.g. (Smith, 2010) - in the main text of your report. Reflective portfolio: Throughout the proposal development you will record the developmental process through BREO submissions, including reflections on supervisory meetings.

How does this assignment relate to what we are doing in scheduled sessions?

Lectures and tutorials will cover content related to different aspects of the proposal and include guidance on reflective practice In addition you will be allocated an academic supervisor who will help through the process. This will take the form of three meetings. It is your responsibility to organize these meetings; remember that staff are busy, so you should contact them in the week prior to your meeting to arrange a time. They are under no obligation to chase you or provide meetings outside of the allocated weeks.

1. You should have your first supervisory meeting in wc - 19/10/20. At this meeting you will discuss your initial idea(s) with your supervisor and agree a topic for your proposal. After the meeting, you will need to use the advice provided to complete a reflective diary template and submit to BREO.

2. You should have your second supervisory meeting in wc- 16/11/20. You will come to this meeting with a bullet point outline of your proposal to discuss with your supervisor. This outline should indicate the expected content and structure of your proposal, and should give sufficient detail to demonstrate to your supervisor how your proposal will fulfil the requirements of this assessment brief. After the meeting, you will need to use the advice provided to complete a reflective diary template form and submit to BREO.

3. You should have your third supervisory meeting in wc – 07/12/20. You will submit a draft or your proposal via BREO in the prior to your meeting. The meeting will then discuss this draft with your supervisor who will provide constructive criticism. After the meeting, you will need to use the advice provided to complete a reflective diary template form and submit to BREO.

General writing support is available centrally through PAD and support for literature searching and use of LRC resources is supported on an individual basis on request by the departmental librarian.

How will my assignment be marked?
Your assignment will be marked according to the threshold expectations and the criteria on the following page. You can use them to evaluate your own work and consider your grade before you submit.