module specification

This module provides you with the opportunity to work on specific business issues that organisations are facing. Utilising your competences of handling and managing business challenges, starting from problem identification and concluding with solution-related recommendations, thus encouraging research into real world business issues impacting organisations.
Useful and applied business research, like useful reflection, leads to change. To that end, students will be encouraged to take a pragmatic approach to their research, seeking always to create actionable conclusions of value to business managers, owners and entrepreneurs.
The aims of the module are to:
1. Foster a critical awareness and deep interest in a management/business issue or topic associated with their subject specialist area and to combine knowledge and analyses acquired in modules to explore that topic in depth
2. Enable students to produce a full business research report and a management summary on an appropriate topic to a professional and engaging standard that provides the basis for action.
3. Encourage reflection to critically evaluate the success of a business-related project and assess personal competence in the light of current knowledge and skills.
4. Build each student’s knowledge and confidence in their chosen subject to facilitate employability.
The expectation is that students will undertake research in areas of interest to them that is in context to their chosen programme and that develops knowledge and skills that support employment. Examples of possible areas of research include:
• Evaluation of an opportunity to enter a new market e.g. is it feasible for a low cost airline to enter the market in Brazil?
• Evaluation of a specific firm’s strategy and performance e.g. how is Ford responding to the advent of electric vehicles, driverless technology and ride sharing?
• Analysis of the impact of technology change on a company, industry or sector e.g. how will driverless technology and ride sharing impact on car ownership?
• Analysis of trends to create potential strategic scenarios for a firm or industry e.g. what are the future scenarios for law firms in the light of the adoption of AI?
• Analysis of competition in a specific market or industry e.g. global competition in the rapidly growing e-bike industry
• Identifying solutions to a specific business problem e.g. with a small or medium sized business e.g. what needs to be done to grow the business to the next level
• Analysis of disruption in an industry and the implications for a specific incumbent e.g. how should a black cab driver respond to Uber and other ride sharing platforms?
• Analysis of the effect of government intervention in a particular industry e.g. the current trade dispute over subsidies to Boeing and Airbus
• Response from Banks and FIs to the changing customer interaction and business landscape in the post pandemic era

120 Cognate credits

Students will be prepared for this module throughout the course as well as during the workshops at the start of the module.
They will be taught the necessary knowledge and skills to complete their business consultancy project. During the module duration ,students will meet with their supervisor on a regular basis to review progress and impediments.

The student at this stage is an independent learner supported by a supervisor.

On successful completion of this module students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate good judgment in the planning, selection, prioritisation and collection of evidence to investigate the chosen issue or topic via primary and/or secondary data
2. Analyse and evaluate the findings of their research based on the primary and/or secondary data collected and in the light of the appropriate theoretical background and the constraints introduced by practical and real-life business issues.
3. Communicate effectively the business project conclusions and recommendations including presentation of quantitative/qualitative data in appropriate format and a well-structured professional report
4. Demonstrate personal accountability and integrity in their work, leading to achieving the status of a trusted business advisor
5. Demonstrate the development of independent and self-managed learning

Students will submit a portfolio comprising a:

• Business Consultancy Report; an 8,000-word research report including a management summary, rationale of the research, literature review, methodology, findings, analysis, conclusions and recommendations (70% of the total marks)

• Research Poster and Presentation; a poster that presents the research problem, their methodology, the findings and a short discussion of them, and a presentation video providing a concise verbal presentation of the poster (10% of the total marks)

• Reflective Statement; a 1,500-word reflection discussing the challenges students faced during the business consultancy project, how they dealt with them and whether and in what ways the learning journey benefited their development as professionals and individuals. (10% of the total marks).

• Submission of Evidence of the Collected Data; Students need to submit the evidence (collected data) with their portfolio e.g. interview recordings and/or notes, data, analysis spreadsheets, screen shots and links to all the literature.

Note that all elements of the portfolio will be submitted as a single document file via TurnitIn.

Textbooks:

Core Texts:

Wickham, L, & Wilcock, J 2019, Management Consulting 6th edn : Delivering an Effective Project, Harlow, United Kingdom, Pearson Education.

Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. (2019) Research Methods for Business Students. [6th Edition], Pearson Education.

Atkins, L,  Duckworth V, (2019), Research Methods for Social Justice and Equity in Education, Bloomsbury Research Methods for Education

Other Texts:

Vidgen, R, Kirshner, S and Tan F. (2019) Business Analytics: A Management Approach, Red Globe Press

Bell, E. Bryman, A. and Harley B. (2018) Business Research Methods, [5th Edition], Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Bryman, A (2012). Social Research Methods. 4th ed. Oxford, Oxford University Press

Markham. C (2007). Practical management Consultancy Surrey CCH

McNiff, J. (2013) Action Research : Principles and Practice. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.

McNiff, J (2016), You and Your Action Research Project, London, Routledge.

Newton R (2010). The Management Consultant; Mastering the Art of Consultancy Harlow England; Financial Times/Prentice Hall

Richard, N 2010, Consultant ebook, Harlow, Pearson Education UK,.

Whitney, DD, & Trosten-Bloom, A (2010), The Power of Appreciative Inquiry : A Practical Guide to Positive Change, Oakland, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Incorporated,.

Journals:

Journal of Higher Education, Skills and Work based Learning
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/loi/heswbl

Electronic Journal of Business Research Methods
Harvard Business Review
Journal of Business Research
Journal of Small Business Management
Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development
London Business School Review
MIT Sloan Management Review
MIT Technology Review
Small Enterprise Research

Websites:

www.grouppartners.net
www.mckinsey.com
www.mindmapping.com
https://www.bain.com/insights/topics/management-tools-and-trends/

Electronic Databases:

Bloomberg
Fame
Mintel

Social Media Sources

Other