Context Of A Research Project

UpdatedOctober20201 SG6000ManagementReport AcademicYear2020/21 AssessmentGuide Term1&2 ModuleLeader AnnOlagundoye(FHEA,FCMI) [email protected] US2.06 StudentHours:Tbc (US2.06)/ (DL3.25/DL3.23) OtherTutors SusanKing [email protected] Room:US2.16 StudentHours:Tbc Assessment AssessmentComponentAssessmentComponent ProjectProposal/Management ReportPlan(formative) FinalReport(SectionsA&B) (summative) Deadline:1500hrs15thDec.,2020.Deadline:1500hrs26thApril,2021. UpdatedOctober20202 ASSESSMENTGUIDE SectionA:FinalReport(weighting80%)(WordCount:5,000) SectionB:ReflectiveEssay(weighting20%)(WordCount:1000) LOs:1-11 LearningOutcomesforthemodule Attheendofthismodule,studentswillbeableto: Knowledge 1.Understandtheroleofanacademicsupervisorinthecontextofaresearchproject. 2.Evaluatetheresearchprocessandunderstandhowtomanageitprofessionally. Thinkingskills 3.Understandtheinterdisciplinarynatureofresearchandtheroleofcognate disciplinesinframingresearchtopics. 4.Evaluatedifferentresearchalternativesandunderstandwhicharemostappropriate tosolvingparticularbusinessproblems. 5.Understandhowtoarticulatesolutionsinanacademicformat. Subject-basedpracticalskills 6.Conductliteraturereviewsandframeacademicallyrelevantresearchquestions. 7.Designqualitativeand/orquantitativeresearchstudies. 8.Performdataanalysiswhichismeaningfulandaddressespertinentissuesfroman academicbusinessperspective. Skillsforlifeandwork(generalskills) 9.Workeffectivelyundersupervision. 10.Analysequalitativeorquantitativedatasetstoaddressresearchquestions. 11.Writeresearchreportsandpresenttheminaprofessionalway. SectionA Introduction Inthisassessmentyouaretodemonstratesubjectknowledgeandemployability skillstaughtanddevelopedtodateontheBusinessManagementprogramme. ThismayincludetheresponsetothecurrentCovid-19pandemicbutmustnotbe limitedtoit.Youshouldfocusonyourabilitytousethetheory,tools,concepts, techniquesand/orframeworktaughtonyourprogrammeofstudy. Detailsofthetask. Youarebeingaskedtoshowthatyoucanusethetoolsandtechniquestoassist withananalysisofacompanyscenarioofchoiceconsideringcurrentdebates fromoneofthefollowingtopicareas: Sustainability oSustainabilityofbusinessmodel oSustainabilityofbusinessstrategy Problem-solvinge.g.; UpdatedOctober20203 oEmergenceofglobalmarkets oEconomicperiodmarkedbylowinflation Environmentalpreservation oEthicalconsiderations/Issues BusinessOperations/Processes ProjectManagementchallenges Innovatione.g. oProducts oProcesses Managementofincreasinglycomplexandtechnicalproductsportfolio Note Youareadvisedtoobtainyoursupervisorsapprovalofyourchosenresearch topic. Yourpreparatorywork Select20ormoresourcesofrelevantmaterialsonwhichtobaseadiscussionofthe chosentopicwhichoccurredintheUKinrecenttimes.Thesourcesmustinclude peer-reviewedpapersfromUELdatabases. Yourstudyshouldbepresentedasamanagementreportwithrecommendationsto theCEOofthechosenorganisation.However,thetotalwordcountshouldnot exceed5,000words10%. Structure Theexactstructuremustcontainelementsthatsatisfythelearningoutcomesofthe module.Therecommendedformatisprovidedbelow,butthealternativesmaybe agreedbetweenyouandyoursupervisor: TitlePage: ThetitlepageshouldincludeyourstudentIDnumber(neverincludeyourname unlessotherwisestated),themoduletitleandcodeandthesubmissiondate. TheTitleoftheproject:althoughthetitleoftheprojectisapersonalmatterit shouldbeonethatreflectsthesubject; Executivesummary:maximum300words(notincludedinthewordcount)ofa summaryofthereportaim,approach,andresults. TableofContentPage: Thispageliststhemainpartsoftheprojecttogetherwiththeirpagenumbers. ReportIntroduction(1000words) Here,youwillsetoutthemainreasonswhyyourchosentopicisworth researchingaswellasyourresearchquestionsandobjectives.Also,theproblem identificationneedstobejustifiedandsupportedwithrelevantliterature.Lastly, thestructureofthereportmustbeoutlined. Mainbody(pleaseuseamoremeaningfulsubheadingforthissection) UpdatedOctober20204 Part1:Analysisofthebusinessenvironment(1000words) Anoverviewoftheorganisation(s)orBusinesscontextofthetopicyouhave chosentoreview Ananalysisoftheexternalenvironment(Thisshouldincludetheuseof relevantexternalanalysistools(e.g.PESTLE),anoverviewoftheindustry) Ananalysisoftheinternalenvironment(ThisshouldincludeSWOTanalysis ofthecompanyandanalysisofthecompetitors(ifrelevant)and/oranyother relevantinternaldataandanalysis(e.g.financialperformance) [Pleaseuserelevantchartandstatisticaldatainthispartofyourreportandpleaseuse appendicesifthereisadequatespacewithinthissection.] Part2:Criticalanalysisoftheidentifiedbusinessproblem(s)(2000words) Re-stateyourresearchquestionsandobjectives Criticaldiscussionofthemainissues/problemsassociatedwiththeidentified companyunderreview(thisneedstobesupportedwithrelevantandcurrent debateinthesubjectarea).Lastly,theanswerstothequestionsmustbe provided.Thissectionisveryimportantasitiswhereyoudemonstrateyour abilitytosynthesisematerialandargumentsfromdifferentsourcesthat underpintheconclusionsforyourwork.Thediscussionmustapplyrelevant theory/concepts/tools/frameworktoexplorethemainpointsofthedebate. Settingthedebateinthecontextoftheindustryinquestionanddraw conclusionsontheeffectivenessofanyactiontakenbystakeholders.Thiswill alsoconsidertheethicalimplications(whereappropriate)whichmayhave impactontheissue/snowand/orinthefuture.Thisisachallengingpartof yourwork.Thekeytoachievingsuccesswiththistaskistoensureyou contextualiseyourdiscussionwithacademicliteraturewhichwillsupportyour considerations,Youmustalsobecarefultoreferencethesupportingmaterial thatyouuse,asthisisasectionthatwillcontainyoursupportingacademic evidencefortheargumentsyoumake. ConclusionandRecommendations(1000words) Itisaconclusionofthewholeofyourreport.Thissectionwillsummariseyour conclusionsandsupportingargumentsandprovideanyrecommendationsinterms ofmanagerialimplications. Yourrecommendationsmustbethosethatarerevealedinthemainbodyofyour report.Rememberyoushouldnotbeintroducinganynewmaterialatthispointof yourwork. UpdatedOctober20205 Referencelist:Referencedpublicationsarelistedinthebibliographyalphabetically byauthorssurnameusingtheHarvardasdescribedinCitethemRight. Appendix(s):shouldincludeyouroriginalreviewofliteratureandadditionalmaterial suchas;diagrams,figuresandgraphswhicharetoolargetositwithinthemainbody ofthetextshouldbeprovidedinthissection.Remembertheconventionsof academicliteratureapplytotheappendicesinthesamewayastheydotothemain bodyofyourwork. SectionB(Compulsory):ReflectiveEssay(weighting20%) (WordCount:1,000) Thispartislargelyself-directedandhasinvolvedpreparingyourselfforgraduate employment.Yourfinalreflectiveessayshouldassesstheskillsusedindelivering yourprojectandidentifythosethatyouhavedevelopedduringyourlearningjourney atUEL.Yourreflectiveaccountisonly1000words.Youwillneedtobeverycareful nottowastewordsifyouaretogetthedepthwearelookingfor.Youhavebeen askedforaveryshortessay.Itshouldcontainnoheadings,apartfromatitle. Introduction:(100words). Becarefulthatyouusethe"necessarybackground"asanopportunitytooutlinethe activityofcompletingtheprojectratherthanyourpositionasastudent.Youdonot needtoexplaintheprocessofreflection,anddonotusewordstodefinetheprocess. Mainbody:(800words) Donotrepeatinformationgivenintheintroduction.Keepafocusonansweringthe question:WhatskillsyouhavedevelopedduringyourstudyatUELandthis researchprojectthatwillprepareyouforyourfutureemployment? Conclusionandrecommendations:(100words). Yourconclusionshouldbrieflysummarisethepurposeoftheessayandthenexplain howthedevelopedskillswillenhancetheirfuturecareeropportunities. Topassthismodule: Youmustachieve40%fortheentireassessment: +EmployabilityReviewx20% +Finalreportx80%. Howtoretrievethismodule Ifyoufailtopassthemoduleyourretrievalwillinvolveimprovingyourprojectwork. Theonlyelementwithadifferentquestionwillbethereflection,anditisanessential partofyourretrieval,evenifyoudidwellintheemployabilityreviewaspectsofyour initialsubmission.Yournewquestionwillbe: Preparea1000wordessayinresponsetothefollowingquestions: UpdatedOctober20206 1.Criticallyassessthereasonwhyyouareneedingtoretrievethismodule.To whatextentdoesitreflectaweaknessthatcouldundermineyoursuccessin graduateemployment? 2.Ifyouwereaskedwhyyoufailedthismoduleinaninterview,howwouldyou respond? 3.Inwhatwaycanthisfailurebeturnedintoanadvantage? Adviceregardingyourretrieval. Youwillbeentitledtoonehourofsupportfromyoursupervisor.Readyourfeedback andprepareanyquestionsyoumighthaveaboutitbeforeattendingyour appointment. Theessay YouareadvisedtorevisitthereflectivepracticeexerciseinMoodle.Thecritical elementoftheessayisgettingtotheunderlyingcauseofyourfailure.Inthismodule youwillhavehadanentiretermtoprepareyourwork.Ifyourcauseoffailureis becauseofsomeeventthathappenednearthesubmissiondate,itwouldraisethe questionastowhyyoudidnothaveenoughthatcouldbesubmittedthatcouldlead toapass. ThemarkingcriteriawillbethesameasforthereflectiveaccountsubmittedinApril butitwillconstitute20%oftheassessment. FurtherinformationisavailableintheAssessment&FeedbackPolicyat https://www.uel.ac.uk/Discover/Governance/Policies-Regulations-Corporate- documents/Student-Policies(clickonotherpolicies) AssessmentandMarkingcriteria ProjectProposal(FormativeAssessment) ManagementReport&ReflectiveReport(Summative) MarkingComponentMark ReportIntroduction Outlinedresearchquestionsand objectives. Clearproblemidentificationand justificationwithsupportingrelevant literature. Wellarticulatedstructureofthereport. /10 UpdatedOctober20207 Mainbody Part1:Anoverviewofthe organisation.Analysisofthe businessenvironment(internaland external). /10 Part2:Criticalanalysisofthe identifiedbusinessproblem(s). Qualityoftheresearchquestions andobjectives.Evidenceof evaluationofrelevantdata. /20 ConclusionandRecommendations Clearlyoutlinedconclusion addressingtheresearchquestions andobjectives. Relevantrecommendationsbased ontheideasfromthemainbody. /20 WritingSkillsandReferencing Wellstructuredandordered managementreportwithcorrect useofgrammarandsyntax.In-text citationandreferencesconforming toCiteThemRight /20 ReflectiononAcademicand Professionalcompetencyskills Cleardemonstrationofhowdeveloped skillsduringthelearningjourneyat UELarelinkedtofuturecareer opportunities. /20 a)Guidanceonreferencing Asastudentyouwillbetaughthowtowritecorrectlyreferencedessays usingUEL'sstandardHarvardreferencingsystemfromCiteThemRight.Cite themRightisthestandardHarvardreferencingstyleatUELforallSchoolsapart fromtheSchoolofPsychologywhichusestheAPAsystem.Thisbookwillteach youallyouneedtoknowaboutHarvardreferencing,plagiarismandcollusion. TheelectronicversionofCiteThemRight:theessentialreferencingguide9th edition,canbeaccessedwhilstonoroffcampus,viaUELDirect.Thebookcan onlybereadonlineandnopartofitcanbeprintednordownloaded. Furtherinformationisavailableat UpdatedOctober20208 https://uelac.sharepoint.com/LibraryandLearningServices/Pages/default.as px Noticeisherebygiventhatallsubmissionsforcomponent[insertname(s)of component(s)]ofthisModulemustbesubmittedtoTurnitin.Ifyoufailtosubmit component[insertname(s)ofcomponent(s)],toTurnitin,inaccordancewiththe guidanceprovidedontheVirtualLearningEnvironment(Moodle),amarkof0 willbeawardedforthecomponent. b)SubmittingAssessmentsUsingTurnitin: Turnitinisrequiredforcourseworkassessments,suchasreport/researchpapers orprojectsinMicrosoftWord,PowerPoint,andinPDFformat.Therearetwo mainreasonswewantyoutouseTurnitin: Turnitincanhelpyouavoidacademicbreachesandplagiarism.Whenyou useTurnitinbeforeasubmissiondeadline,youcanusetheOriginalityReport featuretocompareyourworktothousandsofothersources(likewebsites, Wikipedia,andevenotherstudentpapers).Anythinginyourworkthat identicallymatchesanothersourceishighlightedforyoutosee.Whenyou usethisfeaturebeforethedeadline,youwillhavetimetoreviseyourworkto avoidaninstanceofacademicbreach/plagiarism. Turnitinsavespaper.WhenusingTurnitintoelectronicallysubmityourwork, youwillalmostneverhavetosubmitapapercopy. LateSubmissionsUsingTurnitin UELhaspermittedstudentstobeabletosubmittheircourseworkupto24hours afterthedeadline.Assessmentsthataresubmittedupto24hourslatearestill marked,butwitha5%deduction.However,youhavetobeverycarefulwhen youaresubmittingyourassessment.Ifyousubmityourworktwice,once usingtheoriginaldeadlinelinkandthenagainusingthelatesubmissionlinkon Turnitin,yourassignmentwillbegradedaslatewiththe5%deduction. TurnitinSystemFailure Bestadvice:Dontwaituntilthelastminutetosubmityourassessments electronically.IfyouexperienceaproblemsubmittingyourworkwithTurnitin, youshouldnotifyyourlecturer/tutorbyemailimmediately.However,deadlines arenotextendedunlessthereisasignificantsystemsproblemwithTurnitin. UELhasspecificplansinplacetoaddresstheseissues.IfUELfindsthatthe issuewiththesystemwassignificant,youwillreceiveanemailnotifyingyou oftheissueandthatyouhavebeengivena24-hourextension.Ifyoudont receiveanyemailthatspecificallystatesyouhavebeengivenanextension, thentheoriginaldeadlinehasnotbeenchanged. c)Feedbackandreturnofwork FeedbackandreturnofworkwillbemadeavailableviaMoodleinTerm1.In Term2,individualisedfeedbackwillbemadeavailablebyassignedsupervisors. Pleasenotethatwhilstfeedbackwillbegivenonformativework,itshouldnotbe assumedthateveryaspectwillbeidentifiedorconsidered. UpdatedOctober20209 APPENDIXA: ProjectProposalTemplate SECTIONA: (tobecompletedbythestudent) StudentNumber: Programme:(e.g.Business Management) ModuleTitle:(e.g.Studyingfor Business)ManagementReportSeminarGroup ModuleCode:SG6000WordCount Iconfirmthatnopartofthisassignment,exceptwhereclearlyquotedandreferenced.hasbeencopiedfrommaterial belongingtoanyotherpersone.g.fromabook.handout,anotherstudent.IamawarethatitisabreachofUEL regulationstocopytheworkofanotherwithoutclearacknowledgementandthatattemptingtodosorendersmeliable todisciplinaryproceedings. SG6000ManagementReportProposal AnoteforstudentsundertakingtheManagementReportProject: Asupervisorcannotandmustnotdecidewhatyouaregoingtoexamine.Itisyourproject andtherefore,yourresponsibilitytotellyoursupervisorwhichareayouaregoingto investigateandgivereasonswhyyouhavechosenthearea.Yoursupervisorcannotlead youinanyspecificdirectionbecausethisisyourprojectandyourproblemidentificationskills needtobeassessed.S/hecanmerelysupportandguideyoutoconductyourproject successfully. Usingthecriteriaexplainedin"Framingthequestion"ListyourTitle,thebusiness contextofyourproposedreportandprovidedanswerstotheprojectquestions (below). 1.ReportTitle:(e.g.thetitleshouldfittoyourproposedresearch) UpdatedOctober202010 2.ResearchRationaleandProblemIdentification: Includeabriefdescriptionofthebackgroundtoyourproject.Explainand justifythebusinesscontext.Provideresearchquestion(s)andobjectives. 3.Current/preliminaryresearchandrelevanttheory: Provideanoverviewoftheliteraturethatwillinformyourproject.Youshould alsoensurethatyourreviewiscoherent,wellorganisedandcritical.Your proposedstrategywillbebasedonyourpreliminaryresearch.Useatleast20 relevantsources. 4.Planning:ProvideaGanttChart 5.Professionalandcareerdevelopmentskills: Whatareyourtargetsfordevelopingprofessionalandcareerdevelopment skills? 6.References(About20):(Cite-it-rightsystem) APPENDIXB: UpdatedOctober202011 RecordofSupervision SG6000:ManagementReport RecordofSupervision Studentname...Studentnumber. SchoolBusinessandlawProgramme:BScBMLevel3 Supervisorname.. ___________________________________________________________________ _ Dateandtimeofsupervisionsession... Timeofarrival.. Iflate/non-attendancewasemailreceived?Y/N Ifemailreceivedwaslanguageandaddressprofessional?Y/N Levelofpreparednessforthemeeting:GoodAcceptablePoor ProgresssincethelastmeetingGoodAcceptablePoor N/A Weredocumentssentforreview?YesTooLateNo N/A Summaryofmainpointsofdiscussion Anyagreedactionsforstudent Anyagreedactionsforsupervisor/supervisingteam Agreeddateandtimefornextsupervision