Discuss many ways of engaging in research projects and real-world organisation challenges
Assessment Information/Brief 2020/21
To be used for all types of assessment and provided to students at the start of the module. Information provided should be compatible with the detail contained in the approved module specification although may contain more information for clarity.
Module Title: Business Research Analysis and Methods
CRN
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54301
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Level
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5
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Assessment title
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Written essay/report
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Weighting within module
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This assessment is worth 70% of the overall module mark.
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Submission deadline date and time
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Module Leader/Assessment set by
How to submit
You should submit your assessment via Turnitin.
Assessment task details and instructions
You are required to write an essay/ report that demonstrates an applied business research problem, issue, challenge or opportunity faced by a known multinational organisation that is related to at least one of the following six streams:
1) Digital Transformation and Business Intelligence
2) Operations and global supply chain management
3) Sports management including Sports 4.0
4) Organisational behaviour and people management
5) Services marketing for events, tourism and hospitality
6) Corporate social responsibility and sustainability
In your assignment, you should state the clear aim alongside with three to five objectives. You are required also to demonstrate appropriate selection, use and evaluation of tools, methodology and techniques following by presentation of results and outcomes of your research. The practical work that took place must also be represented (pictures and/or screenshots may be used). You should discuss a draft outline of your project report with your tutors as they will be the first assessor for your report. The assignment should be written in third person while referencing style should be according to Harvard referencing style. The electronic copy may be in either Word or PDF, and you should ensure that the file name includes your surname.
In general, a good written assignment should describe what is the main issue or opportunity faced by an organisation, what you did, show how you managed to do it and highlight what you have achieved.
Skeleton for your report
- Title - No more than twenty words (e.g., The impact of big data analytics in supply chain management)
- Abstract/Executive Summary – summarises the main points of the research essay (120180 words). This should include the issues you have researched and why, the research methods you used and briefly the results you achieved.
- Introduction – descriptive introduction of your report. You should set the scene for the reader including the rationale, significance and purpose of this study. Provide the motivation for choosing the topic (e.g., why is it important). Discuss the challenges and/or issues and/or problems and/or opportunities faced by a known organisation of your choice with the aid of examples. Define the aim and research questions/objectives and/or hypotheses in clear and succinct manner.
- Literature Review – Perform a critical review of books, academic papers, practitioner articles, and other reporting materials for your area of study. You should compare and contrast the literature (compare – look for similarities, contrast – look for differences), and then provide a synthesis of the literature (a synthesis brings together a combination of concepts/ideas with the aid of your critical thinking). Any use of theories should be discussed here. Usually, a good literature review is critical, comprehensive and informative.
- Research Methodology– do clearly define and describe the research methods you have followed to undertake research. These should include: collection and types of data, consideration of the concepts, research philosophy, approaches and theories, which underlie the methods. Include the different parts of the research onion and clearly justify your choice.
- Presentation of results and discussion– present any results, evaluations, and findings. State how you have addressed the research objectives and/or hypotheses. Consider the essay overall and highlight the main factors (link to literature and findings where possible). You should also discuss the reliability and validity of your results and identify any limitations, strengths or weaknesses of your research.
- Conclusion – summarise all that you have written about and highlight the main points and central argument/s for the reader.
- References - Use the Harvard referencing system for all citations and references.
- Appendix (optional) - This section should include examples of items and secondary data you have used to gather evidence for your research, such as questionnaires, surveys, letters, illustrative material, figures, statistical tables etc.
Typing of 1.5 line spacing is required, with a margin of at least 1.5 inches on the left-hand side, and at least half an inch on each of the other three sides. You are required to number the sections of your work and use page numbering.
Marking Scheme
Criteria
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Marks
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Abstract and Introduction
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20
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Literature review
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20
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Research methodology
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25
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Discussion and results presentation
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25
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References and citation
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10
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Assessed intended learning outcomes
On successful completion of this assessment, you will be able to:
Knowledge and Understanding
On successful completion the student will be able to:
- Discuss many ways of engaging in research projects and real-world organisation challenges
- Critique and evaluate the quality of secondary data and published business research.
- Determine the appropriateness of qualitative and quantitative methods to meet business research objectives.
- Design, conduct, present and complete a digital research proposal to meet information needs in relation to solving a business problem.
Practical, Professional or Subject Specific Skills 1. Work effectively and efficiently in teams.
- Manage time efficiently, solve problems and make decisions.
- Reflect on own performance, demonstrates professional standards in relation behaviour and ongoing development
- Advocate the use of good practice within and outside the organisation.
Transferable Skills and other Attributes
1. Develop critical and creative thinking, make assumptions and sustain arguments. 2. Develop independent learning and self-organisation
- Work effectively and efficiently in teams.
- Expand digital skills, select information and use various means to present ideas in both written and oral forms
- Manage time efficiently, solve problems and make decisions
- Outline the constraints on creativity within scientific research
Module Aims
- Develop students’ understanding of the secondary sources available on researching and analysing business problems or opportunities
- Develop the knowledge and skills required to evaluate published business research and consultancy in relation to its methodology and findings.
- Appreciate the importance of business models by using a variety of methodologies and methods
Word count/ duration (if applicable)
The maximum word count is 3,000 words (+/- 10%). Your word count is from the introduction to conclusion section. Therefore, it does not include title, diagrams, figures, tables, references, any appendices etc. If the assignment exceeds these limits; the work in excess of 3,000 is not marked.
Feedback arrangements
You can expect to receive summative feedback for your assignment in Turnitin. Formative assessments with feedback will be provided after the first week of delivery.
Late submission
All work submitted late will be capped at the pass mark of 40%.
Support arrangements
You can obtain support for this assessment by all material and sources, which can be found in Blackboard. For further support please send an email to Dr Christos Papanagnou or visit his room during his office hours.
askUS
The University offers a range of support services for students through askUS.
Good Academic Conduct and Academic Misconduct
Students are expected to learn and demonstrate skills associated with good academic conduct (academic integrity). Good academic conduct includes the use of clear and correct referencing of source materials. Here is a link to where you can find out more about the skills which students require http://www.salford.ac.uk/skills-for-learning.
Academic Misconduct is an action which may give you an unfair advantage in your academic work. This includes plagiarism, asking someone else to write your assessment for you or taking notes into an exam. The University takes all forms of academic misconduct seriously. You can find out how to avoid academic misconduct herehttps://www.salford.ac.uk/skills-forlearning.
Assessment Information
If you have any questions about assessment rules, you can find out more here.
Personal Mitigating Circumstances
If personal mitigating circumstances may have affected your ability to complete this assessment, you can find more information about personal mitigating circumstances procedure here.
Personal Tutor/Student Progression Administrator
If you have any concerns about your studies, contact your Personal Tutor or your Student Progression Administrator.
Assessment Criteria
You should look at the assessment criteria to find out what we are specifically looking at during the assessment.
In Year Retrieval Scheme
Your assessment is not eligible for in year retrieval. If you are eligible for this scheme, you will be contacted shortly after the feedback deadline.
Reassessment
If you fail your assessment, and are eligible for reassessment, you will need to resubmit in a date that will be notified to you. Usually this happens during the August. For students with accepted personal mitigating circumstances, this will be your replacement assessment attempt.
If a student needs to be reassessed, s/he will be given a new assignment brief with a deadline, which will be provided by the School.
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