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Master of Business Administration Project

Assessment Brief

Assessment 

Students will be required to submit one written report of approximately 12000 words (this is for guidance only). The main project will contain a literature review, methodology, data analysis and recommendations. The issue of how recommendations for change could be implemented given the studies undertaken and will be based on prior experience of the organisation or business sector which has been investigated. Within the recommendations an outline plan detailing the timescales, management interventions and resources that would need to be available to implement the recommendations will be included.

Note: As part of the development of the dissertation/project, the student will be required to complete a research proposal which the academic supervisor will confirm as appropriate and provide feedback to enable the student to continue with the project. This element will be formative to support the student in preparation for the main phase of the research.

The critical self-reflection element of the final report, supported by evidence, will take the form of a critical reflection upon the development of skills and competences derived from the experience of undertaking the programme of study, the added value activities and the final project. This element of the assessment will be approximately 2,000 words (for guidance only).

My Module Resources List Link

https://moduleresources.sunderland.ac.uk/#/list/16695

Relevant journals will be consulted by the students depending upon the area of study and chosen topic.

The module will draw upon a range of printed and electronic sources suitable to reflect on the contemporary issues of the subject material. Some texts are regarded as key to understanding the development of the subject and may not therefore be the current edition of a particular text but the reading list will be reviewed annually to ensure its relevance and appropriateness

Opportunities for Formative Assessment

Critical Self Reflection

Students are advised to begin thinking about the assessment at the earliest opportunity. During the delivery of the Competence workshops, workshop leaders will be available to offer advice on the development of the portfolio but of course it is your responsibility to complete all the tasks associated with your final submission.

Final Dissertation or Applied Corporate Project

Research Proposal

A research proposal which will outline the approach you are going to take in your research. Although the proposal is not an element of summative assessment by developing a proposal to discuss with your Supervisor you will be able to focus your thinking and obtain feedback on the approach you are considering.

Students should complete their work in the format of the template attached and should ensure that this is completed in conjunction with the early meetings with the designated supervisory Tutor who will be asked to sign off before submission.

If for any reason your dissertation/project proposal has to change during the course of the subsequent research period, then this proposal must be updated and agreed with your supervisor to reflect new objectives and new subject and strategic interventions. The proposal and feedback sheet should be submitted with the final submission to ensure that we can assess the new intentions of the dissertation appropriately.

The aim of the proposal is to ensure that you become clear at an early stage of the boundaries of your study such that you can work as effectively and efficiently as possible. The selection and focus of the dissertation can be one of the most difficult early decisions you make but it is important that you make this as soon as possible. It will allow you to focus on the literature and direct it toward the research objectives effectively. Your reading and research will be more precise and targeted .It will also allow you to think clearly about the desired and valuable business performance outcomes that can be derived from the dissertation. The philosophy of a MBA is to develop leaders who are able to propose improvement and change that can have a significant impact on an organisation or a business sector e.g. banking, manufacturing etc.

The research proposal will review your ability to achieve the following:

1. To identify a suitable strategic project for an organisation or sector and select a project that could if designed and implemented well be of strategic importance (not just operational) with a significant impact on results. For example, in reducing costs opening up new markets, introducing a new product or service, enhancing skills capability and knowledge, improving quality and or service, redesigning internal business operations etc. This is not an exhaustive list.
2. To define and locate the main academic ideas, theories and business practices evolving from these ideas in a critical literature review. This should cover the main subject area (e.g. service quality) and thereafter briefly review the main ideas: the main ideas and business practices and key areas of possible contention where there are alternative issues either in the nature of the idea or methods of implementation etc. This review should aim to locate some of the primary sources / authors you believe it necessary to review. This will not at this stage be exhaustive as your study is at an early stage in its development.
3. From this you will be required to specify the objectives of the dissertation as clearly as possible. These should be presented as outcomes to be achieved for the dissertation in terms of what business improvement or change the dissertation seeks to implement. The reason and rationale in terms of the sector/ organisation need to be covered under 1 above. You should avoid hypotheses and statements that reflect ‘what’ you are going to do in terms of say investigation or information review. These are not objectives.
4. Finally you will be asked to identify some appropriate ways that you could investigate:

• The subject you have selected to ensure that the objectives are met and that information is collected from both primary and secondary sources to ensure that the study can be completed in appropriate depth to achieve masters learning outcomes. These methods should aim to reflect the real methods that can actually be introduced rather than the theory.
• Any limitations to data collection can be stated but the methods should reflect the realities of such things as sample size and availability, validity of the methods against the objectives, reliability of data and a blend of primary and secondary sources. As with point 2 above at this stage this aspect will not be complete and you have the opportunity to update and comment in more depth in the final submission of the full project.

The final dissertation/project must be submitted by the due date at the end of the term in accordance with the student guide.

The Dissertation or Applied Corporate Project will comprise a number of key sections;

1. There should be an Executive Summary (approximately 300 words) at the beginning which should review what has been covered and the main outcome proposed.
2. The main body of the work should cover a Strategic Project overview developing and enhancing the first section of the proposal covering the rationale for the project and its importance to an organisation or business sector. This may be expressed in terms of sustaining competitive position or improving that position. This section might usefully consider the subject from the threats, opportunities, and business contextual factors. It should avoid too broad a scope. This might discuss improvement to internal business processes: customer care, service quality, improvement in skills and or organisation of resources etc. It might include better service delivery, marketing strategies or identification of new markets and or products or services to the external business environment. These are illustrative only. (Approximately 500 words)
3. The work will include a robust and critical literature review. The main purpose is to establish the important areas of research and enquiry such that the project objectives can be achieved. It serves an important purpose in expanding the body of knowledge that we have with which to understand current performance and as a secondary base to build better informed practices for the future. It should review both the academic literature and the empirical practices that organisations operate. Your ability to shape the ideas and practices is one of the key skills. It is not just a question of presenting other authors ideas without comment. The better marks are to be achieved whereby you identify areas of difference and consensus and from these works and draw a strong conclusion as to what is important in managing the particular area under review. The outcome is likely to have not much more than 4-6 key ideas and principles in the conclusions and will be framed around the question ‘what makes this a successful strategic business practice- and how can it be managed effectively in practice’. These will be the areas you will further examine in your research. This needs to be written in logical and coherent chapters that flow together. It should be clear as to what is being covered and it should avoid extending into too many areas otherwise critical depth is lost. The number of primary sources will vary. We expect a good range of relevant and contemporary sources but the treatment of them is more important than shear number. (Approximately 5000 words).
4. The project must include a critical review of both primary and secondary research methods that are possible but more importantly those deployed in the project from the perspective of such things as selecting valid and reliable sources of information against the objectives. Discussion of sample sizes and drawing reliable conclusions). It should address specific tools used (interviews, questionnaires, case studies etc.) and the various strengths of these and how they can be best designed and used for the designated project.  Approximately 2000 words
5. There must be a strong section which presents and discusses the research findings from both primary and secondary sources but emphasising new material collected specifically for the project. This section is important as this is the area where you engage with new and original material that you have collected and the skills deployed here are definitive in terms of the scope final assessment grade together with the recommendations. Data must be presented systematically and structured clearly around tables – if appropriate- or in terms of outcomes against the areas identified from the literature and linked back to project objectives. Having presented the data descriptively you will be expected to interrogate the findings by asking questions of your information such as: what is significant here, where is there key agreements between participants /sources what are the main areas of disagreement, how does this information reflect the outcomes (confirm or deny) from the literature review etc. What does this say about important ideas to shape policy /strategy and its implementation. Approximately 2500 words.
6. You will need a conclusion. This needs to draw together the findings from your research and the literature review and start to feedback and comment on the possibilities that now arise in terms of meeting the objectives. It should shape the agenda and start to define what it is you now think can be done. It should summarise main points and decide what stance you are taking with respect to the practice /policies under review. It should flow naturally from the earlier work .This section should not introduce new ideas or new debates even if you have discovered new information! If this is the case earlier chapters need reworking. Approximately 1500 words.
7. Recommendations should follow the conclusions. At this stage you move away from a research stance and adopt a leadership stance. Here you will advocate a possible direction for the organisation or sector. It can be specific as to future strategy and policy or it might offer an alternative view and scenario depending on particular future contexts. It should be carefully presented in management   Imagine you are presenting to a body of interested organisational managers with different levels of commitment to what you are proposing! It should clearly state what issue / opportunity is being addressed and the impact desired. It should state what should be done and it should say something on the implementation around; resources, barriers, risk, timescales and organisation of the changes. It should not overly direct to further work or decisions otherwise the project is likely to be overly ‘contextual ‘and general and not solution driven. Again no new ideas should be introduced here and it should be clear how the recommendations can be derived from the foregoing work. Approximately 2000 words.

The dissertation/project should be approximately 15000 words. However the exact make-up of the sections may vary (See Appendix 2 for a suggested format). It is unlikely you will be able to meet the learning outcomes in terms of depth and range of analysis in a study of less than 15000 words.

The remainder of the dissertation/project should comprise your research proposal (final) and the bibliography and any appendices that you have chosen to include.  Appendices should be carefully selected. They should be referenced in the main body of the study and should clearly relate to and provide further important reference for the reader. They should not be included if they have no central bearing on the study or simply a catalogue of all organisational information you can find.