ASSIGNMENT BRIEF
|
Assessment |
Coursework (Research Proposal) |
|
Assessment code: |
011 |
|
Academic Year: |
2025 / 2026 |
|
Trimester: |
1 |
|
Module Title: |
Postgraduate Study Skills, Research Methods and Ethics |
|
Module Code: |
MOD009372 |
|
Level: |
7 |
|
Module Leader: |
|
|
Weighting: |
60% |
|
Word Limit: |
Not exceeding 3,000 words This excludes the bibliography and other items listed in rule 6.83 of the Academic Regulations. |
|
Assessed Learning Outcomes |
LO1 Knowledge and Understanding: Recognise and describe a range of different academic and practitioner research methods for, and the ethical imperatives and constraints presented by, different types of international business and management research. LO4: Intellectual, practical, affective and transferable skills: Develop conceptual instruments (aims, questions/hypotheses, models) to give structure to a research project in business and management |
|
Submission Deadline: |
Please refer to the VLE. |
WRITING YOUR ASSIGNMENT:
- This assignment must be completed individually.
- All courses of study must use the ARU Harvard referencing system for written assessments, apart from LLB/LLM courses where OSCOLA should be applied.
- Your work must indicate the number of words you have used. Written assignments must not exceed the specified maximum number of words. When a written assignment is marked, the excessive use of words beyond the word limit is reflected in the academic judgement of the piece of work which results in a lower mark being awarded for the piece of work (regulation 6.74).
- Assignment submissions are to be made anonymously. Do not write your name anywhere on your work.
- Write your student ID number at the top of every page.
- Where the assignment comprises more than one task, all tasks must be submitted in a single document.
- You must number all pages.
- In order to achieve full marks, you must submit your work before the deadline. Work that is submitted late – if your work is submitted on the same day as the deadline by midnight, your mark will receive a 10% penalty. If you submit your work up to TWO working days after the published submission deadline – it will be accepted and marked. However, the element of the module’s assessment to which the work contributes will be capped with a maximum mark of 50%.
- Work cannot be submitted if the period of 2 working days after the deadline has passed (unless there is an approved extension). Failure to submit within the relevant period will mean that you have failed the assessment.
- Requests for short-term extensions will only be considered in the case of illness or other cause considered valid by the Director of Studies Team. Please contact [email protected]. A request must normally be received and agreed by the Director of Studies Team in writing at least 24 hours prior to the deadline. Students will need to provide evidence to support their extension request. See rules 6.64-6.73:
SUBMITTING YOUR ASSIGNMENT:
http://web.anglia.ac.uk/anet/academic/public/academic_regs.pdf Exceptional Circumstances: The deadline for submission of exceptional circumstances in relation to this assignment is no later than five working days after the submission date of this work. Please contact the Director of Studies Team – [email protected]. Students will need to provide evidence to support their EC claim. See rules 6.112 – 6.141: http://web.anglia.ac.uk/anet/academic/public/academic_regs.pdf
ASSIGNMENT QUESTION
This assignment requires you to develop a proposal for a research project relevant to your subject area. In this written report you should choose one of the following disciplines:
- Business Administration/Management
- Health and Social Care (Administration/Management)
- International Marketing
- International Project Management
- Hospitality and Tourism Management
- Accounting and Financial Management
After identifying your disciplinary area, you should identify a key research question that you would like to explore in more detail (examples to be provided in sessions please check the VLE).
Your proposal should be structured into sections as detailed below.
Introduction and Background to the Study (15 marks)
This should identify the disciplinary area and the main focus of the research proposal. It is anticipated that at least three key references to the subject area will be included here. For each source discussed you should apply your academic skills (critical reading and thinking, debating skills and argumentation) and link your discussions to appropriate evidence from research methods literature and the disciplinary area. The anticipated word count for this section should not exceed 500 words.
Research Problem (10 marks)
Using background literature relevant to your project area you should identify the research problem that will be explored. It is anticipated that you will support this section with references to appropriate academic literature. The anticipated word count for this section should not exceed 250 words.
Research Aim / Objectives and Research Question (15 marks)
This section should identify the purpose of your planned study and your intentions for the research, consider including a rationale to explain how this would help to contribute to the knowledge in the discipline. It is anticipated that you will identify at least one research question, hypothesis or model in this section. This section should identify whether the planned research is qualitative or quantitative in nature and what the strengths and limitations of this approach is. The anticipated word count for this section should not exceed 500 words.
Methodology (30 marks)
This section should identify the method that you planned research would take (e.g., survey, interviews, secondary analysis). When identifying your method ensure that you describe what it is, how it is used and what the critical considerations are. In order to support your discussions, you should compare and contrast your planned method to others that are relevant to the disciplinary area. For example, if you plan to use a survey you could compare the type of data it would allow you to collect to an interview method. It is anticipated that in this section your will draw on research methods texts. You should also identify the characteristics of your target participants in this section, if you design a systematic review, you should identify key databases that you might explore. The anticipated word count for this section should not exceed 1,250 words.
Ethical Considerations (20 marks)
This section must contain a screenshot or image of your completed ethics quiz result, you may blur out the name to retain anonymity. The section should alsoconsider the ethical implications of your proposed project drawing on ARU ethical guidelines and any relevant to your subject discipline. Considerations should include consent, data protection and confidentiality. The anticipated word count for this section should not exceed 500 words.
Academic skills (10 marks)
Ensure that you attach an appendix with your Ethics Quiz certification. Failure to do so will result in a Fail grade, on account of an incomplete submission.
ASSESSMENT MARKING AND GRADING CRITERIA
Your work will be assessed using the criteria outline in Table 1 and Table 2. READING REQUIREMENT
Comstock, G. (2013). Research Ethics: a philosophical guide to the responsible conduct of research. Cambridge University Press.
Denscombe, M. (2021). The Good Research Guide: research methods for small- scale social research projects. Open University Press.
Thornhill, A., Saunders, M. and Lewis, P. (2015). Research Methods for Business Students (7th Edition). Pearson.
Students will also draw on academic literature relevant to their discipline from the academic databases and data sources. In addition, support for discussions around research methods should be supported with references to academic literatur
