Year-long module 

Unit(s) of Assessment 

Weighting towards Module Mark (%) 

7000 word project 

100% 

Qualifying Condition(s) 
Successful progression from Level 2 or P as applicable 

The project provides the opportunity for students to undertake an extended piece of work in a chosen area of interest in the field of their study, related to their degree, working on their own with individual supervision.  It will enable them to use skills drawn from the undergraduate programme as a whole including Business Research Methods.  The project is based upon existing or ‘secondary’ data sources taken from the public domain.  Sources may include: books, journals, corporate websites, reviews, abstracts and reports from government and other agencies.  It should be emphasised that no new original data will be collected as part of the project but that students will be actively encouraged to undertake secondary analysis of existing data as well as a thorough and systematic critical review of literature.  It is envisaged that secondary analysis for example could take the form of content analyses, case studies, company reports, newspaper extracts. 

The module is designed to enable students to undertake a challenging and detailed study of a particular area of interest using existing data.  They will be encouraged to demonstrate their academic expertise in terms of their capability to analyse and critically evaluate existing recorded work by acquiring and developing a number of skills including problem definition, secondary data analysis, systematic review of the existing material produced by researchers, scholars and practitioners in a chosen area of work.  In addition, they will be assisted to develop skills in the presentation of the project report according to normal academic conventions.

On successful completion of this module, at threshold level, students will be able to: 
·              Formulate and justify a suitable, novel research topic relevant to their degree studies; 
·              Review and analyse existing literature to identify key concepts 
·              Evaluate information collected  to draw appropriate conclusions 
·              Relate research findings to the contemporary  field of study 
·              Evidence reflection on limitations of approach taken & personal progress 
·              Communicate findings in a clear and effective manner in terms of a high quality and well-structured project according to normal conventions for academic reports 

The nature of the module dictates that the student will develop their own topic and problem for study.  The project report will consist of five sections which are mapped onto the learning outcomes, assessment criteria as follows: 
·              Problem definition (academic & applied rationale, LO1, 2, 6) 
·              Context & background (akin to traditional ‘literature review’, LO2, 3, 4, 6) 
·              Analysis & discussion (secondary data, case studies, critical appraisal of published research etc., LO3, 4, 6) 
·              Conclusion (applied discussion of key findings of project, LO3, 4, 6) 
·              Reflective report 15% (LO5) 

The learning and teaching strategy is threefold: 
·              Whole cohort ‘enquiry-based’ lectures to reinforce key study skills supplemented by optional ‘master-classes’ as appropriate (e.g. on statistical techniques, analysis, reflection) 
·              Independent learning under the guidance of a supervisor, with students expected to make regular contact and attend tutorials throughout the duration of the module 
·              E-resources available through the module ULearn site including video-podcast tutorials, web links and lecture materials. 
In addition, students will be provided with a Project Handbook for guidance (incorporating the marking criteria for the project). 
Assessment Strategy: 
The module learning outcomes are assessed through the completion of the project report. An opportunity for formal formative assessment is included through a ‘project proposal stage’ in Semester One. 

Essential Reading 
Recommended Reading 
Bell , J. (2005) Doing Your Own Research Project.  4^th edn.  Open University Press. 
Cottell, S. (2003) Critical Thinking Skills.  Palgrave Macmillan.
Hart, C. (1998) Doing a Literature Review.  Sage Publications.
Hart, C. (2001) Doing a Literature Search.  Sage Publications. 
Walliman, N. (2004) Your Undergraduate Dissertation.  Sage Publications. 
Background reading