BUS7B68 - Final Project

Index

1. Module Details                                                                                               2

2. Overview                                                                                                        2

3. Teaching contact hours                                                                                 2

4. Final Project                                                                                                   3

4.1Dissertation/Project                                                                               3

4.2Research Project Learning Outcomes                                                   3

4.3Research Project Task                                                                           4

4.4Research Project Submission Requirements                                        6

4.5 Research Project Report Grading                                                          7

5. Final Project Oral Presentation                                                                    11

5.1Project Oral Presentation                                                                     11

5.2Research Project Oral Presentation Learning Outcomes                     11

5.3Research Project Oral Presentation Task                                            11

5.4Research Project Presentation Grading                                               12

6.Reading List                                                                                                 12

6.1 Core Text                                                                                             12

6.2 Additional Texts                                                                                   12

Appendix 1: Submission Checklist                                                                             13

Appendix 2: Declaration of Authorship                                                                      14

Appendix 3                                                                                                                 15

Extensions and Mitigating Circumstances                                                   15

Word Limits                                                                                                  15

1.Module Details 

2.Overview 

The final project is major research project-based activity. It is the final stage of the Master’s. degree and provides the student with the opportunity to demonstrate that they have gained the necessary knowledge, understanding, conceptual awareness and skills in order to organise and conduct a research project.

The aim of this module is to support students as they apply knowledge and skills gained during the course of studies to investigate a complex issue within the field of business studies or practice of their choice. The module will enhance students’ ability to develop research plans, select and apply appropriate research design, collect and analyse data, and present findings and recommendations. Students will demonstrate their ability to discuss the findings generated through research, and to demonstrate the robustness and rigour of such through critical awareness and evaluation. The module also aims to develop a high-level case of topic understanding that demonstrates the impact of an enquiry that demonstrates the student’s ability to bring together various aspects of research project and analysis leading to an overall conclusion that is aligned with the dissertation/project research question. This module gives students the opportunity to apply their prior, and on-going, knowledge and experience to produce a complete a substantial piece of academic research.

3.Teaching contact hours 

The module will be completed over one term.

In the term prior to the module starting, students will attend 33 hours of lectures and learning sets.

Lectures: Provide a broad outline structure for each topic to be covered. Lectures offer a good way of covering a lot of information and, more importantly, of conveying ideas to many people at once.

Learning sets: Provide students with the opportunity to develop their own research ideas (initiated through the lecture) in a group environment, thereby allowing peer input and review.

Please note that after the lectures and learning sets and prior to the third term when the summative assessment takes place you will have the opportunity to have your proposal formatively assessed.

Throughout the project proposal and dissertation/project report completion stage, students are entitled to 7 hours of individual supervision.

The breakdown of the 33 lectures and learning sets contact hours this term is:

Individual supervision: By arrangement between student and supervisor

4.Final Project 

4.1Dissertation/Project

4.2Research Project Learning Outcomes

The Learning Outcomes for the Dissertation/Project are as follows:

1. Identify a complex issue within the field of business studies or practice,and formulate a sound research question,aim and objectives for a dissertation or a project of strategic benefit to an organisation.

2. Synthesise and critically evaluate current research and advanced scholarship within the chosen subject area.

3. Select,justify and apply an appropriate research design and associated methods.

4. Process,clearly present and critically analyse and interpret data obtained through the application of outlined methodology.

5. Critically examine the contribution and limitations of the undertaken study and propose recommendations in theoretical and applied terms.

4.3Research Project Task

Students need to choose a topic of their choice to research within the field of business studies or practice. In accordance with QAA M Level descriptors, studying at master’s Level at Bloomsbury Institute London requires you to shift emphasis from a passive to an active learner; from relying on judgments of others to forming your own judgment, and from utilising the research of others to undertaking your own research. In determining which topics to deal with in the Final Project, you will be required to:

a. Exercise judgment in considering the feasibility of a subject area

b. Determine the usefulness to your study

c. Consider the overall relevance to the area of Business Management that you want to major in

d. Justify its importance as an area of study

e. Import a substantial range of current research and scholastic activity.

The purpose of this assignment is to bring together key areas of interest in the student’s chosen specialist area into one coherent assignment. It is the culmination of the students’ studies on the programme.

In line with the validated programme specification, students will be allocated a supervisor and a total of seven hours of contact time spread of semester. You will be expected to keep in touch with your supervisor throughout the period. At this level, supervisors will have their preferred way of managing the supervisory process. It is expected that the two parties agree to the working relationship at the beginning of the process, and an agreement of the relationship is confirmed. The word count is 15,000 words (+- 10%)

4.3.1 Business Administration areas

The broad areas students can consider for the generation of a specific topic are: Marketing

Human Resources

Strategy Entrepreneurship Finance/Accounting

4.3.2 Structure

Title page Acknowledgements Abstract (300 words)

Abbreviations, illustrations, and list of tables Contents page

Chapter 1 Introduction (2000 words)

1.1   Background and Context

1.2   Purpose of the Study

1.3   Statement of the Problem

1.4   Research Aim and Question

1.5   Research Objectives

1.6   Project Structure

Chapter 2 Literature Review (4000 words)

2.1 Introduction 2.2

2.3

2.4

2.5 Summary

Synthesise and critically evaluate current research and advanced scholarship within the chosen subject area.

Chapter 3 Research Methodology (3000 words)

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Research Philosophy

3.3 Research Approach

3.4 Research Strategy

3.5 Research Design

3.6 Data Collection

3.7 Data Analysis

3.8 Ethical Considerations

3.9 Summary

Chapter 4 Findings/Results (1000 words)

Sub-headings should be used to categorize the findings

4.1 Introduction

4.2 Key Findings/Results 4.3

4.4

4.5 Summary

Chapter 5 Discussions of Findings (4000 words)

Sub-headings should be used to categorize the discussion of findings

5.1 Introduction 5.2

5.3

5.4

5.5 Summary

Chapter 6 Conclusion and Recommendations (1000 words)

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Conclusion

6.3 Main Contributions

6.4 Recommendations

6.5 Limitations and Suggestions for Future Studies References

APPENDICES

6. Reading List

6.1 Core Text

Gray, D. (2019) Doing Research in the Business World, 2nd ed., Sage Publications, London

6.2 Additional Texts

Denscombe, M. (2021) The Good Research Guide: For Small-Scale Social Research Projects. 7th Edition. Open University Press. McGraw-Hill Education

Appendix 1: Submission Checklist

1. Have you checked Canvas messages/announcements for any additional/final details of the assessment?

2. Are you submitting in the correct submission area e.g. if it is a resubmission of your second assignment it should be ‘AS2R’?

3. Make sure you are submitting the correct final version of your work.

4. Have you kept to the word limit? Remember, anything greater than 10% above the word count will not be marked.

5. Have you addressed the assessment requirements as outlined in the Assessment Brief?

6. Have you spell-checked and proofread your work?

7. Is your work formatted correctly and consistently?

8. Are you submitting a document in the correct format?

9. Is your work written in an appropriate academic style?

10. Have you checked your citations and Reference List/Bibliography?

11. Have you submitted your work to get a similarity report to check you have paraphrased where required?

12. Have you read the Declaration of Authorship (Appendix 2)?

Appendix 2: Declaration of Authorship

By submitting this work electronically to Bloomsbury Institute and Glyndwr University, I confirm that I have read and understood the Declaration and Definitions below:

Declaration of Authorship:

1. I hold a copy of this assignment which can be produced if the original is lost/damaged.

2. This assignment is my original work and no part of it has been copied from any other student’s work or from any other source except where due acknowledgement has been made.

3. No part of this assignment has been written for me by any other person except where such collaboration has been authorised and as detailed in the Assessment Brief.

4. I have not previously submitted this work for any other course/module.

Identify a complex issue within the field of business studies or practice, and formulate a sound research question, aim and objectives for a dissertation or a project of strategic benefit to an organisation

Please specifically refer to Glyndwr University academic regulations on the submission of a dissertation.

Definitions

I understand that:

1. Plagiarism is the presentation of the work, idea or creation of another person as though it is one’s own. It is a form of cheating and is a serious academic offence which may lead to expulsion. Plagiarised material can be drawn from, and presented in, written, graphic and visual form, including electronic data, and oral presentations. Plagiarism occurs when the origin of the material used is not appropriately cited.

2. Collusion is working with someone else on an assessment task which is intended to be wholly your work.

3. Contract cheating/Commissioning is where you contract out an academic assessment to writers purchase back the finished work and submit it as your own.

4. Duplication/Replication is submitting the same material more than once to obtain academic credit.

5. Fabrication refers specifically to the falsification of data, information or citations in an academic exercise, typically an assignment. This includes false excuses for missing deadlines and false claims to have submitted work. It may be specifically referred to as falsification.

6. My completed assignment is submitted and checked for plagiarism through the use of plagiarism detection software called Turnitin.

Please note: Submitting work which is not your own and/or cheating in exams can be considered fraud2 and handled by the Glyndwr University Academic Integrity and Misconduct Policy. Penalties can include:

• Reduction in grade for assignment.

• Grade for module reduced to AG [fail for academic misconduct] and right to repeat module withdrawn.

• Termination from studies.

Further information on plagiarism can be found in your Student Handbook.

2 If a student is suspected of commissioning (e.g. paying someone to write an assignment for them), this could be classed as fraud under student disciplinary procedures, separate to academic misconduct procedures. If proven, the consequences would be severe, including removal from their course of study.