BUSI4AX60: Business Project

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• Research Methods and Dissertation (BUSI4I460)

• To contribute to the overall aims of the programme by providing students with the opportunity to conduct an in-depth investigation at an advanced level of an issue or a business challenge which is applicable to an industrial, commercial, public sector or charitable organisation. The positioning at the end of the programme is intended to promote integration of material covered in the core, pathway, and elective phases.
• To provide a business project report based on specific research question(s) relevant to the investigated strategic business issue, problem of challenge.
• To analyse the strategic business problem, issue, or challenge, using appropriate structure, research methodology, tools, and techniques to be included in the business project report.
• To equip students with an in-depth understanding of key principles of research design and methodology in business and management, and to develop their skills in conducting and disseminating research at an advanced level.

• Introduction to the nature of the Business Project
• Formulating a research question
• Conducting a literature review
• Developing a research strategy that fits their question
• The nature of qualitative research
• The nature of quantitative research
• An overview of data gathering methods (including interviews, questionnaires and experiments, focus groups, surveys and experiment designs, and panel data)
• The analysis of quantitative and qualitative data (including panel data, interview transcripts, and document analysis)
• Ethics of research
• Planning and managing a business project
• In producing the business project, students will make use of and manage library facilities, databases and other learning resources
• Students can choose to pursue a Business Project in two ways, either by working with a host organisation, or, for entrepreneurship specialised students or students interested in setting their own business, by creating their own new venture and developing their new business plans and ideas
• The topic (which is formally approved by the Module Leader on behalf of the Chair of the Board of Examiners) should be one that is suitable for in-depth investigation
• Business projects of this nature have typically been based in a wide variety of organisations, including profit-seeking companies in both manufacturing and the service sector; nationalised industries; public agencies and local authorities; non-profit seeking organisations; multinationals and companies seeking to internationalise; and owner-managed small firms.
• Business projects are self-sourced by students, using their own network, to build on their experience in certain areas of expertise or to develop their understanding of certain sectors they are interested in exploring for future career opportunities.

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• By the end of the module students should:
• Have a critical appreciation of how business project is conducted in a business and management context.
• Have a critical appreciation of the range of philosophical approaches to research in business and management.
• Be aware of, and familiar with, the facilities available for conducting literature searches and obtaining relevant data to facilitate empirical investigation.
• Be aware of relevant computer packages for conducting empirical analysis.
• Have a critical understanding of a relevant topic and the most appropriate techniques for research and analysis.
• Have a critical understanding of methodological issues in research; issues in designing and undertaking quantitative and qualitative research.
• Have a critical understanding of the principles of research design proposals.

Subject-specific Skills:

• By the end of the module students should:
• Be able to organise, structure and manage a business project in business and management effectively, and conduct empirical/theoretical analysis at an advanced level.
• Be able to make a critical evaluation of published journal articles and assess their relevance to a chosen business project.
• Be able to operate independently on a research topic and exercise appropriate judgement in the selection of material.
• Have further developed the skills of inquiry, bibliographic search, data collection, measurement and analysis, interpretation, and presentation of results.
• Be able to effectively organise, structure and manage a business project at an advanced level, including undertaking critical appraisal of relevant literature, and apply critical judgement and discrimination.
• Have developed the ability to operate independently on a research topic and exercise appropriate judgement in the selection of material.
• Have further developed the skills of inquiry, quantitative and qualitative research design, experimental research, data collection and information retrieval, bibliographic search, measurement and analysis, interpretation and presentation of results.
• Have developed advanced skills of research, analysis and scholarly expression in a chosen topic.
• Be able to critically analyse a specific issue or area of business or management in depth and to explore its significance in practice.

Key Skills:

• Planning, organising and time management; problem solving and analysis; using initiative; computer literacy.
• The ability to think critically and creatively, and to argue coherently and generalise appropriately, based on theory and evidence, for a given situation or business problem, including new and unfamiliar circumstances.
• The capacity for sustained independent work and learning at an advanced level, including the ability to manage time effectively over a series of projects.
• The ability to use a toolkit of specialist skills and practices for inquiry into problems, identifying opportunities and implementing change, working with others in projects and communities, and communicating with stakeholders.
• The ability to take responsibility for continuing to learn through reflection on practice and developing their own critical self-awareness, knowledge and skills.
• Written communication of research on a chosen topic to a relevant audience(s).
• Effective project management to a deadline in a real organisation setting.
• Effective relationship management in a work setting.

• A combination of workshops, practical Classes (including computer labs or practical sessions as appropriate), and guided reading addressing key topics in research will cover the subject-specific knowledge and skills together with general aspects of the business project process.
• Formative assessment on this module requires students to write a 2500 word draft business project proposal, including a short literature review, and a detailed initial plan for two research methods (qualitative and quantitative), including - where relevant - detail on data collection and likely analytical methods.
• Students select a topic for their business project, which is approved by the Board of Examiners. The topic should involve the analysis of a relevant management issue in some depth, demonstrating a critical understanding of the relevant theory and its applications.
• Students work independently on their project, analysis and writing up, under the guidance of a supervisor, modifying their research design if necessary, and in consultation with the host/client organisation.
• Normally the student will meet their supervisor on no more than six occasions. This is considered appropriate, given that the business project module is underpinned by workshops and seminars/computer labs from the Research Methods module.
• The Business Project report requires students to write a short literature review, followed by a detailed explanation of their selected research method, including - where relevant - detail on data collection and analytical methods, the presentation of their findings, and a short discussion of the results, including recommendations for the host organisation.
• Within the report, students produce a short Executive summary providing a business perspective on their research findings.

Students receive detailed feedback on a draft of their initial business project proposal and on one draft chapter/section of their business project.

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