Business and management research

Assessment Brief

Assessment Overview

This module is assessed in accordance with the module specification. In order to pass the module:

· A summative 6,000 word business case study report must be submitted. The assessment will be marked out of 100 marks.

Assignment Brief:

Choose a case study company and write a 6,000 word business report analysing the case study company’s performance in a management topic of your choice.

In writing a case study business report, you are expected to :

· Choose and introduce the case study company

· Select any management topic of your choice (e.g. marketing, communications, globalisation) and critically assess the performance of the case study company’s performance in your chosen management topic

· Review academic theories in evaluating the case study and the management topic of your choice

· Ensure your conclusions are logically derived from the review of the academic literature

· Suggest recommendations for the case study company based on your analysis

· Present the case study analysis in a report

A copy of the marking scheme can be found at the end of this document. This mode of assessment has been chosen to apply knowledge obtained during the delivery of the module, but also enable you to understand the value of the critical evaluation of scientific evidence.

Instructions

The aim of the assignment is to write a 6,000 word business report analysing the case study company’s performance in a management topic of your choice. The case study report is expected to be presented in the academic essay format. The following structure is strongly recommended:

i. Abstract

ii. Introduction/Background of the case study company

iii. Introduction and justification of the chosen management topic ( e.g. marketing ,sustainability, communication, HR)

iv. Critical Analysis of the management topic to your casestudy using key business management academic theories

v. Results of practices of the case study on the management topic of your choice

vi. Any practical SMART recommendations to case study company on your chosen management topic

vii. Conclusions

viii. References

Note for references: You are expected to utilise 15-20 peer-reviewed articles/papers. Ensure in-text citations and references follow the Harvard referencing guidelines. Depending on the management topic of your review, you may need to review different types of academic literature including journal papers, conference proceedings, books, grey literature, policy documents.

Turnitin Score

Before submitting your work, you should upload it, as a mock exercise, in order to check the Turnitin score, i.e. the similarity index of your work. Any form of plagiarism or academic misconduct is not tolerated within the LGS. Therefore, please ensure the descriptive aspects of the review are properly referenced and the similarity index of the critical discussion included in the review is low.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The report aims to satisfy the four learning outcomes of the module, as follows:

a. Critically review the literature on a business and management research topic.

b. Critically evaluate the suitability of diverse research approaches in the business and management context.

c. Analyse and explain research methodologies including strategies, data collection, analysis and reporting.

d. Communicate complex ideas and information effectively.

Intellectual, practical and transferable skills

i. Communicate clearly and appropriately, demonstrating a sense of target audience

ii. Demonstrate a capacity for conceptual, critical and independent thinking

iii. Draw relevant recommendations and conclusions, and where appropriate, propose flexible and creative approaches to problem solving.

NOTES AND INSTRUCTIONS: SUBMISSION AND FEEDBACK

Formative Feedback:

You will be given formative feedback on your assessment, as part of our commitment to support your learning, and it is important you are able to use this feedback to inform your academic development. Your final mark alongside summative feedback will, also, be provided 45 days after your submission. It is important that you make the most of the feedback you receive and ensure you are able to act on the support and suggestions given.

Extension/Late Penalty Information:

In the absence of a prior agreement by the Programme Leader for an extension of time, any work submitted after the deadline but within 48 hours, will be capped at a pass. Work submitted after 48 hours will be treated as an automatic refer.

Word Count Information:

· Word Count : The word count will include everything in the body of the text, such as quotations, citations, footnotes and subheadings. It does not include the assignment title, tables, images, bibliography, references, appendices or other supplementary material, which does not form an essential part of the text.

· ‘Footnotes’ encompasses additional explanatory text included at the bottom of a page to amplify specific sections of text in the main body of the work.

· ‘References’ indicates the systematic referencing of the sources used by the text author, according to the Harvard (or other) system employed by LGS.

· Penalties: There is an allowance of 10% deviation over the stated maximum word count. Keeping within the word limit is part of the marking criteria and an excessive word count beyond the allowed 10% over the limit will be taken into account in marking your work.

· Word Count Declaration : At the end of your assignment you must include the following declaration: “This work contains [ ] words”. There are penalties for giving a false word count.

Assessment and Submission Notes:

The learning outcomes of the module may be understood in the following ways:

1. Pick a topic that is relevant to your practice/experience, of interest to you, which you expect that it will enhance your understanding and comprehension during the composition of this report.

2. Independently search for information and literature that will allow you to demonstrate a clear understanding of your chosen topic, using a wide variety of sources.

3. Demonstrate how the literature provides an evidence base to support business practice. And present an analytic discussion on the quality and nature of the research undertaken.

4. Present the information in a logical, sequential and articulate manner, demonstrating critical thinking and processes, ensuring that discussions are clear and the salient point is made.

5. Demonstrate the ability to understand, question and challenge information used within your writing, using the literature to support these analytical discussions.

6. Summarise your findings and/or offer recommendations for future practice.

Submission Notes:

Individual E-submission: Some modules require only one assignment submission and some more than one. Where there is more than one assignment assessment for a module, that module will have separate submission boxes for each assignment. Whether there is one assignment submission or more than one assignment submission for a module, each individual assignment submission must be submitted into the correct submission box as a SINGLE PDF document. Guidance about e-submissions, including how to produce a single PDF document, is available in the Assessment section on the VLE pages for each module.

· You must put your student ID number and name on each assignment and use the following naming convention when saving and submitting each assignment: student number_module code_assignment name. Your assessment may not be marked if you fail to comply with these instructions.

· Group E-submission: Please note that for group assignment submissions the requirements are the same as above, EXCEPT that groups must choose a member to submit, who submits one PDF document for the group using not their student number but the group name (Group 1, Group 2 etc) and following naming convention: group name _module code assessment name.

· Authenticity : You will be required to read and agree to an authenticity declaration prior to submitting your work. Your attention is drawn to the advice and guidelines regarding plagiarism available on the LGS website. Your work will be analysed by plagiarism detection software.

· Individual : All individual work submitted for assessment must be your own work. You are not permitted to work with anyone else on individual assessment tasks.

· Group: All group work submitted for assessment must be the group’s own work. Groups are not permitted to work with other groups or individuals on group assessment tasks.

· Referencing : Your work must be referenced using the Harvard system of referencing.