Business Mastery

Project Handbook
Contents

INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................... 4

SOME FACTS ABOUT YOUR PROJECT .............................................................................................. 4

PROJECT DEADLINES .......................................................................................................................... 5

STARTING YOUR PROJECT ................................................................................................................. 6

What are the aims of the Business Mastery Project?........................................................................ 6

What will you be expected to achieve? ............................................................................................... 6

How do you choose a subject? ............................................................................................................ 7

How do you design your project? ....................................................................................................... 8

How do you find and use literature? ................................................................................................... 8

How and when should you start planning your project? .................................................................. 9

What kind of problems have other students faced?.......................................................................... 9

Recommended Texts on Research Methods .................................................................................... 10

Your Project Supervisor ..................................................................................................................... 10

You and Your Formal Supervisor ...................................................................................................... 11

Role of the Project Supervisor ........................................................................................................... 11

The Supervision Process.................................................................................................................... 12

Initial Meeting ....................................................................................................................................... 12

Regular Meetings................................................................................................................................. 12

Review of a Full Draft Version of the BMP ........................................................................................ 12

What to do if you experience difficulties with your supervisor ...................................................... 13

Planning your Project ......................................................................................................................... 13

Confidentiality Agreements ................................................................................................................ 13

Help with Finding a ‘Real Client’ ........................................................................................................ 14

The BMP Proposal Form ..................................................................................................................... 15

Structure, Format and Style ............................................................................................................... 15

2. Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ 19

3. List of Appendices: ......................................................................................................................... 19

4. List of Tables & Figures (Exhibits) ...................................................................................... 19

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5. Acknowledgements (Optional but recommended) ...................................................................... 20

6. List of Abbreviations ....................................................................................................................... 20

7. Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................ 20

8. Main Body ........................................................................................................................................ 22

9. Conclusions ..................................................................................................................................... 22

10. Recommendations ........................................................................................................................ 22

11. Bibliography................................................................................................................................... 22

12. References ..................................................................................................................................... 22

Style ...................................................................................................................................................... 23

Page Set-up .......................................................................................................................................... 24

Text ....................................................................................................................................................... 24

Length of Submission ......................................................................................................................... 24

Language .............................................................................................................................................. 24

Appendices .......................................................................................................................................... 24

Numbering ............................................................................................................................................ 25

Graphics ............................................................................................................................................... 25

PROJECT SUBMISSION ...................................................................................................................... 26

Submission of the Final BMP ............................................................................................................. 26

Late Submissions ................................................................................................................................ 26

Extenuating Circumstances ............................................................................................................... 26

Assessment ......................................................................................................................................... 27

Plagiarism ............................................................................................................................................ 27

BUSINESS MASTERY PROJECT AWARDS ....................................................................................... 28

The Lombard Prize ............................................................................................................................ 28
Beta Gamma Sigma Membership ..................................................................................................... 28
The Defne and Muhtar Kent Foundation, Inc. Prize in Entrepreneurship ......................................... 29
Assessment & Award Regulations .................................................................................................... 29

Periods of Registration ....................................................................................................................... 29

Pass Requirements ............................................................................................................................. 29

Award of MBA ...................................................................................................................................... 29

Masters Degree ............................................................................................................................... 29
Masters Degree with Distinction.................................................................................................... 30

Provision for Failed Modules ............................................................................................................. 30

PROJECT SUBMISSION DEADLINE ................................................................................................... 30

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Introduction

The Business Mastery Project (BMP) provides you with an invaluable opportunity to demonstrate
critical reasoning and learning by integrating all you have learnt across the span of the different
modules and disciplines covered by your MBA programme.

Your Business Mastery Project is a detailed research study that you design, conduct, and manage in
its entirety. The objective of the BMP is to provide insights and conclusions that are of real value to
management practitioners and scholars. In doing so, the focus of your BMP should be on addressing
a specific business problem in the form of a single research question or series of research questions.

You will design the research study in order to facilitate your desired result - providing meaningful
answers to the research question(s) posed. You will create the research question(s) and respective
objectives and will study the relevant scholarly and industry literature to identify what is already known
in your topic area - based on the nature and scope of the research question(s) - as well as to explore
how to investigate and analyse your chosen subject area.

You will go on to examine and critique the available research methods and select the method(s) most
appropriate to facilitate the collection and analysis of the necessary data. You will analyse the data
and interpret the results.

Projects must be multi-disciplinary, drawing significantly on at least two disciplines studied on

the programme.

Some Facts about Your Project

 You must pass your project in order to obtain your MBA degree and your final project mark will
contribute to your award classification.

 As with all assessments you will be given an opportunity to re-sit your project if you fail.

 You are strongly advised to start working on your project as early as possible. Starting late is at
your own risk and no allowances will be made or extensions given if you run out of time except
proven extenuating circumstances (EC).

 The BMP is a piece of independent work under supervision. Your project supervisors will not write
or proof-read your project for you!

 Supervisors must be from and approved by The Business School. Supervisors do not have to be
necessarily one of your MBA instructors and you are encouraged to explore the School’s faculty
directory. Normally, full-time faculties are approved by default. Visiting lecturers might require
approval by the School.

 The BMP is marked by your supervisor and a second marker from the School’s faculty. In case of
disagreement, a third marker might be involved. BMPs also go through a process of external
moderation to guarantee fairness and consistency in line with the University’s regulations.

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 You are allowed and encouraged to engage with other experts (faculties within and outside our
University, industry experts, opinion leaders, etc.). However, you should follow the guidance from
your supervisor.

 Cheating or plagiarising others’ work in the production of your project is a very serious
offence and can attract very severe penalties. All projects are checked through specialist
software which can detect plagiarism, including the copying or paraphrasing of other
students’ projects published in English or other languages from City or most other
universities around the world.

 It is your responsibility to ensure you meet all the deadlines shown in the timeline in this
handbook.

 The submission deadlines are firm. They are not negotiable.

 Extensions are rarely given, and only to students who have valid extenuating circumstances which
can be evidenced. Please note extensions can delay the completion date of your course and
graduation.

 The Course Director or Associate Dean of the programme are the only people who may grant an
extension and confirmation will be provided in writing by the Course Office.

Project Deadlines

Please see below some key dates for your diary:

• BMP briefing session – Monday 1st November 2021

• Submission of BMP proposal form – by 17.00 on Friday 4th March 2022

• Final Submission of BMP – by 17.00 on Friday 2 September 2022

(You must submit your BMP on Moodle by the submission deadline)

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Starting Your Project

What are the aims of the Business Mastery Project?

The BMP provides an invaluable opportunity for you to integrate your learning across the span of
different modules and disciplines covered throughout your MBA programme. This gives you a chance
to put into practice theories and principles in a structured and systematic manner through different
types of projects, under the supervision of an academic supervisor.

The aims of the MBA Business Mastery Project are:

 To help integrate and apply learning from the MBA curriculum to specific contexts or questions

 To develop advanced managerial skills in:

o The design of research into managerial/commercial issues
o Project management
o Client management

 To develop skills in defining research questions, identify solutions and reporting of results or
findings in a research context.

What will you be expected to achieve?

On successful completion of the BMP, you will be expected to have demonstrated some or all of the
following:

 Knowledge and Understanding

o Identify relevant research questions

o Know the main research methodologies
o Analyse empirical data
o Report in a concise and rigorous fashion the findings of your research

 Skills

o Analyse a sector or specific corporation

o Communicate research findings coherently and effectively
o Demonstrate analytical skills
o Use evidence systematically to support a central argument
o Make coherent and cogent presentation of research findings
o Develop case studies based on real business experiences
o Take an interdisciplinary approach to problem formulation and solving in a business
context
o Conceptualise questions or areas of investigation for business research
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 o Interpret quantitative data presented in various forms

 Values and Attitudes

o Be systematic in formulating and pursuing research questions.

o Be confident in analysing and presenting data and insights
o Be adaptable in the use of a variety of appropriate research methodologies (from desk
research to primary data collection)
o Show awareness of uses and abuses of data and statistics, as well as qualitative
evidence

How do you choose a subject?

You will choose your own project type and subject: your choice of topic is key to your motivation so
please choose what is useful and important to you. Your topic must be approved by the supervisor
and by your Course Director, and should cover at least two disciplines studied on the MBA
programme. Approval from the supervisor is a strong signal that makes the Course Director’s approval
highly likely.

These are the four types of BMP that you can choose from. Sometimes, a project might have
elements that overlaps between types. Please discuss and agree with your supervisor which one is
the dominant type because marking criteria differ by type.

Academic/ Consultancy Business Plan Consulting in

Desk Research
Aims to resolve a
managerial or
commercial question
or hypothesis using
primary or secondary
data.
Residence
Aims to resolve a Aims to develop a This type of project
client issue, uses comprehensive should be based on an
primary data, and description and internship opportunity;
should aim to offer diagnosis of an the topic selected should
commercial benefits to organisation or sector reflect an area of
a client. in the form of a plan research/interest related
for business to the internship.
development.

Notes:
Slide/Pitch Decks - Students need to also submit a slide/pitch deck for Business Plan,
Consultancy and Consulting in Residence BMPs. Only “Academic/Desk Research” does NOT
need a slide/pitch deck to be submitted. The slide/pitch deck is a presentation summarizing
your research to a relevant audience. If you are preparing a Business Plan, you can imagine
presenting it to your potential investors. If you are preparing a Consultancy or a Consulting in
Residence Project, you can imagine presenting it to your clients. The quality, style, length, content of
the presentation needs to be agreed with the supervisor, just as every other aspect of the BMP.
Ideally, the quality, length, style, content of the slide/pitch deck should align to what you delivered for
the Strategy Project (for FTMBA) or the Consulting Week (for all MBAs).

The slide/pitch deck will be evaluated. This means that if you do not deliver a slide/pitch deck you will

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get a lower mark for your BMP. The slide/pitch deck will not be counted in the BMP word count. This
means you do NOT have to worry about the length of their pitch deck.

Consulting in Residence – hours of work certification: students undertaking this type of BMP need
to certify the total amount of hours spent working virtually or physically at/for the hosting organization.
The certification can be a signed letter by the company tutor which gets attached to the BMP.

How do you design your project?

The first thing you will need to consider is the purpose or objective of your project. What do you want
to answer, solve or develop? Once you have defined this aspect you will need to consider the
following:

Data:
 What kind of data would help you to explore the question/problem/topic?
 Where is the data?
 Is it primary or secondary data, or a mix?
 How are you going to gather the data? Interviews, questionnaires, direct observation?

Analysis:
 What is your overall strategy for your analysis?
 Will your data be qualitative, quantitative, or both?
 What methods or project type will be best to transform your data into clear insights?
 What concepts or models can you use to help the analysis?

Designing your project is not a linear process, you will find that the further into the project you get the
more likely you are to revise your ideas and how you are going to gather or use your data. Do not let
this worry you; it is a measure of your increasing sophistication in managing your project.

How do you find and use literature?

Literature, in the case of an MBA Business Mastery Project refers to the Body of Knowledge that you
will use to study your topic. It typically involve a mix of academic literature, with a traditional literature
review, and industry or sector reports. Academic literature usually addresses the problem in general,
theoretical terms, providing an overview or a series of frameworks which are not necessarily industry-
or case-specific. Industry literature instead often offers timely insights on your specific industry,
company, or case. The combination of the two demonstrates that you are able to tackle your problem
both from a general and a specific standpoint. Please make sure to check the marking criteria
carefully, because the weighting of academic and industry literature varies across BMP types.

The literature review will increase the credibility of your statements and the reliability of your
conclusions and recommendations. It is also going to be a source of ideas, insights and models to use

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in your analysis. You must be able to demonstrate that you read widely, understood the field well, and
can use others’ work and ideas to strengthen your own research. You can use the body of knowledge
in a number of ways:

 To increase your understanding of the topic

 As a source of ideas about how to frame your problem/question
 To justify key arguments or statements
 To provide models or concepts to help your analysis

Here are some hints on how to get started:

 Ask supervisors, academics, and experts for guidance on how to formulate your research
question, what to read to familiarize with your topic, and where to find relevant data for your
analysis
 Start with the relevant academic articles presenting literature reviews, or with textbooks to
read up on the background of your research questions
 Note down names of organisations that may have related archives
 Use key words for searches
 Use abstracts and key indexes to identify relevant literature
 Note down relevant references as you find them
 Try both general and specialised libraries
 Note down any studies that may already have been carried out
 Review all types of sources; books, reports, journals, magazines, company reports etc

How and when should you start planning your project?

One of the most useful things you can do is to start your project early! Almost everyone
underestimates the time it will take to complete their BMP. The project must be planned and carefully
managed by keeping in mind that delays and bottlenecks are very, very common.

What kind of problems have other students faced?

 Failing to engage properly with the supervisor across the entire project duration; this often
leads to underestimating the supervisor’s expectations and this misalignment tends to
significantly impact the student’s mark
 Rushing into the project without planning out what the project is really about and losing focus
 Underestimating the time need to write up the project – allow at least 2 weeks for this stage
 Failing to build in any contingency for events such as delays in computing, data losses, or
printing problems
 Favouring a project with (too) broad scope rather than depth and specialization of the project,
thus leading to a research which is unmanageable in the time given, and ultimately superficial
in its insights

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  Not backing up their hard drive on external disks or cloud storage, and facing issues that
cause losing drafts, data, and weeks or months of work. Make sure you back up all your data.
Losing data or drafts will not be considered an extenuating circumstance.

Recommended Texts on Research Methods

Alan Bryman (2008) Social Research Methods. (3rd Ed) Oxford University Press. Oxford, UK.
Alan Bryman and Emma Bell (2007) Business Research Methods. (2nd Ed) Oxford University Press.
Oxford, UK.
Bernard Garrette, Corey Phelps, and Olivier Sibony, O. 2018. Cracked it!: How to solve big problems
and sell solutions like top strategy consultants: Palgrave-MacMillan.
Chris Hart (2005) Doing Your Masters Dissertation: Realizing Your Potential as a Social Scientist.
SAGE. London, UK.
Easterby-Smith M, Thorpe R, and Jackson P (2008) Research Methods for Managers. (4th Ed) SAGE.
London, UK
Gill J and Johnson P with Clark M (2010) Research Methods for Managers. (4th Ed) SAGE. London
UK
John W Creswell (2009) Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and mixed method approaches.
(3rd Ed) SAGE. London
Judith Bell (2005) Doing Your Research Project: A Guide for First Time Researchers in Education,
Health and Social Science. (4th Ed) Open University Press. Maidenhead, UK
Keith Punch (2006) Developing Effective Research Proposals. (2nd Ed) SAGE. London, UK.
Kumar, R (2014) Research Methodology (4th Ed) SAGE. London, UK
Martyn Denscombe (2010) The Good Research Guide: For Small-Scale Social Research Projects. (4th
Ed) McGraw-Hill Open University Press. Maidenhead, UK.
Robert K Yin (2009) Case Study Research: Design and Methods. (4th Ed) SAGE. London, UK
Saunders M, Lewis P and Thornhill A (Eds) (2009) Research Methods for Business Students. (5th Ed)
Financial Times/Prentice Hall. Harlow, UK
Sheila Cameron and Deborah Price (2009) Business Research Methods: A Practical Approach.
Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. London, UK

Your Project Supervisor

You can discuss your project proposal with a member of faculty as you are developing it, and you are
indeed encouraged to do so. The best approach is to engage with a group of prospective supervisors
from the School’s faculty who are knowledgeable about some critical aspects of your proposed
project. This engagement will help you refine your ideas and will ultimately highlight who the best
prospective supervisors might be. You are encouraged to ask him/her to accept to supervise you. In
case they accept, you must let your Course Officer (cc Course Director) know. If you are not able to
secure the agreement of a supervisor, the Course Director and the Course Office will identify and
assign a suitable one for your project.

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Supervisors should not be changed once agreed. In case of a radical change of topic, you must ask
the Course Director whether it is suitable to change the supervisor. Please be aware that such
requests might be denied, especially if at advanced stage in the process.

While you can engage with different instructors, you will only have one supervisor who will be the first
marker of your BMP. If you have engaged extensively with one or more other faculty members, you
can suggest them as second-markers. Please let your Course Officer (cc Course Director) know at the
earliest. Be aware that there is no guarantee that the second marker will be chosen from your
suggestions because there might be limitations in terms of faculty capacity and availability.

You and Your Formal Supervisor

Please note that your formal supervisor is a resource and not a monitor or manager for your BMP. In
fact, it is your responsibility to act as the manager throughout the BMP. It is your responsibility to
make appointments with your project supervisor. If for any reason, and after multiple attempts,
you have difficulty in contacting your supervisor, please inform the Course Office.

Role of the Project Supervisor

Once you have begun your project work, your project supervisor will be your first line of contact on
most issues. The resolution of conceptual, methodological and practical issues will be guided by your
supervisor. Also issues as to whether the proposed project meets the requirements of the degree can
be discussed with your supervisor. The development of the project does ultimately rest with you and
your supervisor is there only to give support and guidance as well as to first mark it.

The project is primarily an exercise in individual study. The supervisor will expect to hear reports on
your progress, and will of course offer constructive criticism on your work and guidance.

Supervisors might have very different mentoring styles and expectations. It is your duty to clarify them
with your supervisor before starting the project. Tips for working with your supervisor effectively:

 Agree upfront how often and when your supervisor wants to receive updates on your BMP
progression
 Ask your supervisor whether he/she is able to share with you past projects as quality
benchmarks
 Prepare for your meetings carefully and in line with the supervisor’s expectations
 Send any written material in advance if at all possible; the more complete and coherent drafts
are, the better. This will help you obtain more specific feedback
 Do not expect your supervisor to read material at the meeting
 Do your own proof reading, this is not the role of your supervisor
 Ask for feedback as precisely as possible. General “can you give me feedback on the whole
document?” questions are unlikely to be effective, especially later in the process when
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 documents might be long

The Supervision Process

As part of the management of your BMP please note the following stages in the supervision process:

Initial Meeting

When you receive official confirmation of your supervisor, you should immediately schedule a meeting
with him/her. If for any reason you have difficulty in contacting your supervisor please inform the
Course Office immediately.

At this meeting you and your formal supervisor should reach an agreement on the following items of
concern:

 Agree on the type of BMP you will develop (Academic/Desk Research; Consulting; Business
Plan; Consulting in Residence) because marking forms differ by type
 Agree whether or not your BMP proposal is acceptable in the current form or requires
modification
 Agree contact arrangements (e.g. e-mail, telephone, availability, etc.)
 Agree to establish a viable timetable of activities for the BMP, including submission dates for
the various written elements (submission of Chapter 1, An Introduction to the Study; Chapter
2, Literature Review; etc.). This timetable of activities should be developed carefully and
submitted to your supervisor within the agreed deadlines

Regular Meetings

You are strongly encouraged to seek your supervisor’s guidance on a regular basis. Obviously, this
will be based upon the nature of your BMP topic and the style of mentoring and expectations of your
supervisor as agreed in advance. At these meetings you should clearly update your supervisor on
your progress as well as discuss any concerns that you might have. Since your supervisor is there to
mentor you through the process you invited to take careful notes of your meetings as well as take any
necessary actions based upon the guidance provided. Some supervisors might require a follow-up
email with a summary of what was agreed and the next steps.

Review of a Full Draft Version of the BMP

At least one-month (30 days) prior to the formal submission date, it is strongly advised that you send a
full draft of the BMP to your supervisor to review. In doing so, the supervisor can alert you to any
changes needed to strengthen the final report, taking into account the marking criteria.

It is your responsibility to submit this draft and is not the responsibility of the supervisor to request this.
Please note that if you fail to provide this material in a timely fashion prior to the formal submission

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date then your supervisor will have the discretion not to review the work. His/her decision in this matter
will be considered as final.

If you sent the full draft to your supervisor and you do not receive any feedback after an extensive
period of time and at least one reminder, please contact the Course Office.

What to do if you experience difficulties with your supervisor

Remember it is your responsibility to actively manage your BMP in its entirety: conducting the actual
research; managing the client; submitting draft materials of your work (chapters) for review; and
actively seeking the feedback and guidance of your supervisor as well as acting upon them. If at any
time you experience difficulties with your supervisor that cannot be resolved, you need to
notify the Course Office (cc Course Director), stating the details of the situation. All cases will be
assessed as soon as possible and, if necessary, alternative supervision arrangements will be made.
These are, however, subject to availability and the Course Director’s assessment and decision.

The students are not allowed to undertake changes to aspects of the BMP which have been formerly
approved without asking authorization. For example, students should not change (or make
arrangement to change) their project, their company, their topic, their supervisor without former
approval of the Course Office and the Course Director.

Planning your Project

This section covers how the project is administered and provides details on the key dates that
each student must observe. This section also details the assessment criteria; the supervision
process; and general information on submission.

All Business Mastery Projects (BMP’s) should be undertaken individually.

In exceptional circumstances (e.g., project which, to be fully developed, need an amount of work
which is double of a standard BMP), a joint project with two students may be approved by the Course
Director. Where a joint project is permitted, students will normally be required to submit an individual
write-up for the award of the MBA – word length 25,000 words rather than the usual 15,000 for
individual projects. In most cases, the individual contribution of each student should be
distinguishable, and distinct marks could be awarded to each student.

Please note that slide/pitch decks are mandatory for Consultancy and Consulting in Residence
projects and Business Plans but they should NOT be included in the total word count.

Confidentiality Agreements

In some instances (particularly in Consultancy and Consulting in Residence BMPs) you may be asked
to sign a confidentiality agreement. You are advised to consider the following points carefully prior to
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commencing such a project.

 All projects may be read by the following: your supervisor, the second marker, external
examiners and the Course Director. In the case of appeal or academic misconduct it may be
necessary for other members of the staff team at the School or the University to review your
project. All projects should be designed and written with this in mind

 One hard-copy of your project will be retained and stored securely by the institution for a
period of 3 years. These rules are regularly reviewed, please check the latest updates with the
Course Office, if necessary

 You can anonymise your project to ensure confidentiality for example, referring to Company A,
B or C or Manager 1, 2 or 3

 All staff and external examiners are bound by the professional codes of conduct of their
institutions, which include respecting commercial confidentiality and intellectual property. The
University and its employees (i.e., your supervisor, your course director, your reference in the
Careers team) DO NOT SIGN confidentiality agreements for your BMP

 You may sign confidentiality agreements with companies that you are researching on your
own behalf. In this case, the responsibility is yours to respect the company’s request. Please
make sure you do not agree on arrangements which are not compatible with the School’s
policy for MBA marking and storage

 If your BMP is “Confidential” you must ensure this is written clearly on the front page of your
BMP before submitting online.

Help with Finding a ‘Real Client’

The following resources are available to assist students in finding a ‘real client’ for their BMP:

• Advertisements - some companies regularly advertise for students.

• Networking - students are strongly encouraged to utilise both personal and professional networks,
including other students and alumni, your current/prior/future employers.
• Careers and faculty members – they might circulate opportunities from external organizations and
state any specific rule for applications.

Anyone interested in a consultancy-based project is strongly encouraged to make the most out of
asking around and fully utilising all your resources to secure a ‘real client’ for your respective BMP
(this might vary for Academic/Desk Research which can be developed via secondary sources or
surveys).

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The BMP Proposal Form

All students will be required to deliver a clear and concise project proposal form, which states the
proposed title of the project, a brief outline of the project (no more than 200 words) including your
proposed methodology and outcome. The proposal should also include the following info:

• Main two subjects of your BMP

• Name of the supervisor (if someone agreed to be your supervisor). This should ideally be an
academic specialized in one of the two aforementioned subjects or in the industry/organization(s)
you will be studying
• Type of BMP (Academic/Desk Research; Consultancy; Business Plan; Consultancy in Residence)

All students should consider the following questions when drawing up their form:

• What is the nature of your research focus (the research questions)?

• What do you hope to achieve by doing this research (the research objectives)?
• Why is this line of research important?
• How do you plan to do the research (i.e., what will your research methods be)?
• What will be the structure of your project (i.e., chapter structure and sequence)?
• What are the critical reflections and implications derived from your project?

When developing your project, you should give consideration to the BMP marking framework.

Structure, Format and Style

The following details are provided to aid students in the creation of their written report for the
BMP. This includes details on the content and style of the actual report, graphics,
bibliography, etc.

Submissions should include the following items, possibly (but not necessarily) in the order in which
they are listed. Different arrangements can be agreed with your supervisors where he/she sees fit.

 Title Page
 Table of Contents
 List of Appendices
 List of Tables and Figures
 Acknowledgements
 List of Abbreviations
 Executive Summary
 Main Body
 Conclusions
 Recommendations
 Bibliography
 References

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1. Title Page

Your title page should contain the following information:

Title of Manuscript

Try to create a short and succinct title that accurately reflects both the content of the paper as well as
captures the attention of the reader. Author(s) are also strongly encouraged to use appropriate
graphics on their title page. Give the reader something that catches their attention and makes them
want to open it up and read. However, do not let the graphics employed overpower the reader and/or
distort any of the required details (title, names of authors, etc.).

Name of Author

You should use your full name and this should be with the forename given first, followed by your
surname, as per your official registration records. For example, ‘Jane Smith.’

Student Identification Number

You should include your University Student ID Number following your surname with a comma in
between. For example:

Jane Smith, 160000000

Tip: remember that if your name appears as an author then the report represents your own work.
Therefore, do not put your name on a report, or anything, unless you actually did the work. In a team-
based project, this would mean you actually made a significant and active contribution in the creation
of the research.

Name of Degree Course

List out the full qualification/degree course for which the paper is being submitted. For example:

‘Masters of Business Administration (MBA).’

Name of Course/Module

List out the name of the course/module for which the paper is being submitted. For example:
‘Business Mastery Project.’

Type of BMP

With the support of your supervisor choose between:

• Academic/Desk Research
• Consultancy
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• Business plan
• Consulting in residence

Details of your Supervisor, and his/her Position, and Academic Affiliation.

For example:
Professor Roy Batchelor
Faculty of Finance
Bayes Business School

Date of the Submission

The date should be shown by day/month/year. For example: 2 September 2022

Word Count

The word count must be included at the bottom of the cover page. For example:

‘Word Count: 15,000’

Please note that all word counts should only cover main text. Hence, your word count should
not include front or rear matter as well as any information placed in a graphic format (tables,
charts, etc.) or the slide/pitch deck.

Tip: on your word count do not forget to place a ‘comma’ between the thousands and hundreds.

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Example Title Page:

CONFIDENTIAL

Type of BMP:
Consulting in Residence

Project Title here

Presented by:

Jane Smith, 160000000

In partial fulfilment of the:

Full-Time Master of Business Administration Degree

Submitted for:
Business Mastery Project

Presented to:

Professor Roy Batchelor

Faculty of Finance
Bayes Business School

Date: 2 September 2022

Word Count: 15,000

18
2. Table of Contents

The following information should be on your checklist:

• Title of each Chapter

• Title of each Section

• Title of each Sub-section(s)

• Page number on which each of the above starts.

Tip: only list the page number that the section or subsection starts on. You do not need to list the page
numbers it covers.

Example of Table of Contents:

Introduction 1

1. The Historical Development 3

The Beginning Period
The Middle Period 8
The Present 10

2. The Impact of the Oil Industry on the World Economy 13

Etc.

6. Conclusion 18

7. Recommendations 22

3. List of Appendices:

Appendix A: A Profile of the Internal Environment 26

Appendix B: A Profile of the External Environment 27

4. List of Tables & Figures (Exhibits)

This is where you name each and every table and/or figure along with the page number where they
can be located. The listing for both tables and figures should be kept separate.

For example

List of Tables:
Table 1: Economic Indicators for the United Kingdom, 1990-2000 5
Table 2: Economic Indicators for France, 1990-2000 7

19
List of Figures:
Figure 1: Capital Expenditure by Sector in the United Kingdom, 2000 6
Figure 2: Capital Expenditure by Sector in France, 2000 8

Tip: again, when using a numbering system for your sections and sub-sections you need to ensure
that you are consistent, i.e. one follows two, and then three and four, etc.

5. Acknowledgements (Optional but recommended)

This is your opportunity to thank all those individuals and/or organisations that assisted and/or inspired
you in the writing of the paper. Thus, your acknowledgements might include your Lecturer/Supervisor,
your parents or other loved ones. One page should do the job, do not exaggerate.

6. List of Abbreviations

Detail all abbreviations used in the paper in alphabetical order providing their complete meaning.

For example

EBRD European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

EU European Union
FDI Foreign Direct Investment
IMF International Monetary Fund
TNC Transnational Corporation

Tip: when using abbreviations in your text you should include the entire term the first time the
term/word appears followed by the abbreviation in parentheses ( ). For example, ‘according to the
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)...’

7. Executive Summary

An executive summary aims to provide a complete and accurate summary of the key contents
presented in the report. Based on the nature and composition of that summary someone will
determine whether he/she wants to read the full-length report. Accordingly, the executive summary
needs to be written in a clear and concise manner that engages the reader, gives them the necessary
facts, and makes him/her want to read more.

The executive summary should cover the following details in the order shown, all written in essay
style:

 Introduce the reader to the Purpose of the Report, i.e., state the client brief/mandate or the
20
 research question.

Tip: this section should be brief and state whom the client is, their respective industry, and the
reason you are writing this report.

 Provide a brief Profile of the Client/Situation - sum up their relative strengths and
weaknesses.

Tip: consider carefully what to include here. You do not want to alienate the reader at the outset.
Therefore, you may be critical but do so in a politically correct manner and be fully aware of the
perspective of the client. Put yourself in their shoes and ask yourself how you would react to
reading this section? The key is to use constructive criticism.

 Provide the reader with a brief summary of your thorough Analysis of the Client/Situation.
This part of the executive summary is crucial so make sure you tell the story clearly and
concisely. In this section, you will also need to identify what your engagement team feels are
the key drivers in relation to both the macro- and micro-level forms of analysis? What are the
key factors within the respective industry (competitive environment)? What is the view of the
customer base? You might wish to provide a graphic(s) that sums this up - such as a ‘Matrix
Analysis’ - to bring your analysis together.

Tip: remember to write this section in a clear and concise manner. After all, you have devoted a
great deal of time and effort on your analysis and now you need to condense it down into just a
couple of tightly worded paragraphs! So, make sure you communicate the message effectively.

 Provide the reader with a summary of your Key Conclusions. Briefly, state what all your
thorough analysis means in a clear and concise way. Also, ensure that the conclusions are
written in such a way that they lead the reader into your next section, your recommendations.

Tip: carefully check to make sure your conclusions flow logically from your detailed analysis of the
situation. There is nothing worse than losing your reader by analysing problem ‘Y’ and then
concluding with ideas on issue ‘X’.

 Provide the reader with your Key Recommendations. These needs to be written as
actionable statements of intent. It is vital that justification (costs vs. benefits analysis) is
provided for each recommendation offered. Your project work should ensure that the benefits
are greater than the costs involved in any recommendation offered. Moreover, do not forget to
ensure that your recommendations match your profile of the client. Remember that you are
seeking to achieve a strong degree of synergy between the nature of the client and your
recommendations. To be more specific, ask yourself, can the client implement your
recommendations – the ‘do-ability test?’

 Provide the reader with a Final Summary. This is your final pitch to the reader/client to get

21
 them onboard to accepting your analysis of the situation, the validity of the conclusions
reached, and the strength and conviction of your recommendations in remedying the situation
at hand. Moreover, if you have written this section and the previous ones properly then the
reader will want to read the rest of your report. Accordingly, start off strong and finish even
stronger!

8. Main Body

This is where your main body of work is presented. Remember this is where you must demonstrate
your ability to communicate effectively with your reader/audience.

9. Conclusions

This is where you get the opportunity to bring all your thorough analysis together in a clear and
concise manner (approximately 3-6 pages in length). Also, ensure that the conclusions are written in
such a way that they lead the reader into your next section, your recommendations.

Tip: this section should be written in a way that motivates your reader to act, i.e., to accept your
recommendations. So, motivate your reader, and demonstrate that you have done a thorough job on
the analysis.

10. Recommendations

Make a list of your recommendations, in order of their relative importance. The recommendations
should be written as actionable statements of intent and address the issues of concern that you raised
in your own conclusions section (approximately 2-4 pages in length). You must be able to clearly
justify each recommendation offered (costs vs. benefits analysis). Make sure to include the market
and financial projections of your recommendations in a medium-long term (at least 3-5 years,
depending on the project and the nature of the industry). This should involve including projections on
multiple future scenarios (i.e., three scenarios could be: optimistic; standard; negative). Make sure the
assumptions (and their likelihood) you use to derive your projections are clearly specified.
Ensure that the benefits outweigh any potential costs involved. Finally, make sure that your client can
implement these recommendations given their own resources.

11. Bibliography

Tip: when using a numbering system for your sections and sub-sections you need to ensure that you
are consistent, i.e. one follows two, and then three and four, etc.

12. References

Please refer to the Library website for information on referencing using the Harvard Referencing Style,
or other referencing styles agreed with your supervisors (e.g., Academy of Management style). It is
22
recommended to save time and make sure your references are consistent, that you prepare them
using a citation manager (e.g., Endnote or Zotero, which is free).

Style

As a general rule, students are instructed to write in a style that is both clear and concise and which
adequately covers the mandate of the particular assignment. ‘Quality’ as opposed to ‘quantity’ is the
catch-phrase to be remembered!

All written work should be in a simple and business-like style. You should consider the ‘person’ and
tense in which you write your project based on the type and style of BMP that you have chosen to
complete. Some suggestions are provided below for you to consider, if you would like more
information or guidance please discuss this with your supervisor.

Examples:
• In the motivating section of the BMP, write in the present tense:

“Some experts claim that the initial letter of a company or product name is important for its
success. The aim of this project is to test this proposition. ”

• In the literature survey and descriptions of your data collection and analysis, use the past
tense and active voice:

“Batchelor (2005) found companies with names beginning with M outperformed others...”
“We conducted a survey with a matched set of companies with names beginning with M and N...”

Your writing style should cover the essential points that the reader needs to know. A concerted effort
must be made to explain clearly any technical jargon and terminology utilised. The key here is to
ensure that your reader - the audience - fully understands the points you are making.

As all assignments are written in English and you will be assessed on your command of the language.
You can write in British or American English (to be agreed with your supervisor), as long as you are
consistent with your style across the entire manuscript. If English is not your first language you are
advised to seek as much assistance as possible from the variety of University resources available.
Students are also encouraged to make appointments early on to see their supervisor to work on any
problem areas.

Given modern technology in word-processing packages, spelling errors should be avoided at all costs
- please spell check everything on your computer at least twice! Furthermore, make sure that you
carefully proof-read all of your own work. If you are working in a team situation, then everyone in the
group should be proof-reading the work to ensure both accuracy and clarity of expression. Utilise the
resources at your disposal, such as friendly reviews from good native English speakers, or a
professional proof-if you feel challenged in writing in good academic English.

23
Page Set-up

All submissions will utilise standard A4 paper wherever possible. Standard margins will be set at 1’
(2.54 cm) for the top, bottom, left, and right of the page. Margins for headers and footers will be at
least .5’ (1.27 cm) top and bottom respectively.

Text

All main body text and footnotes will be a minimum of 12 point in size. Please note that this rule does
not necessarily apply to section and sub-section headers that can vary in size according to the style
adopted by the author (generally of a larger point size). The selection of the font used is left up to the
author but should be one that is easily read. For example, Arial, Palatino, Times New Roman, Times,
Helvetica are all fonts that are easy on the eye to read. Remember to take into consideration your
reader/audience, and make it easy for them to read the document.

All main body text, including footnotes, must be either space-and-a-half or double-spaced. The only
exception to this rule is for quotations of longer than three lines, which should be indented on both left
and right sides of the page and single-spaced.

Length of Submission

Your written report on the BMP should have a maximum of 15,000 words, excluding the executive
summary, exhibits, appendices, and the bibliography. There is some flexibility, however if you exceed
the maximum word limit by more than 10% you may lose marks. A word count must be clearly
displayed on the front page. Please make your supervisor aware of situations where the length of your
manuscript significantly departs from these indications.

Language

All text is to be in the English language. Any foreign terms used must be italicised and a clear English
translation provided to aid the reader.

For example:

ProvidenciaOsztrák-Magyar Biztosító Rt. (Providencia Austrian-Hungarian Insurance Company).

The same rule also applies to all foreign currencies. Accordingly, amounts given in a foreign currency
should be transposed into a common one, such as US dollars, Euros, or UK pounds.

For example:

HUFt 2.8 billion ($11.3 million).

Appendices

These are to be labelled individually and referred to as such in the text where appropriate. For
example (See Appendix A) or See Appendix F. A complete listing of all Appendices should be
included in your Table of Contents section along with the respective page numbers.
24
Numbering

Numbers need to have commas between hundreds, thousands, millions, etc. and periods/full stops to
denote decimal points.

Examples:
INCORRECT CORRECT
DKK 24.000 DKK 24,000
1.293.009,56 1,293,009.56
1,293 million 1.293 million
1,4 billion 1.4 billion
US $34,98 US $34.98

Tip: Make sure you are consistent in your numbering system employed.

Graphics

It is recommended that all tables and figures be incorporated directly into the body of the text rather
than be placed in appendices (unless advices otherwise by your supervisor). Remember the old
adage that, ‘a picture is worth a thousand words.’ However, do not neglect to clearly indicate the
source of all graphics which are not your own or which were created using external information, like
company documents.
Note: please avoid extensive use of exhibits or graphs taken from third parties’ sources. Material from
other sources is normally designed to communicate one or more messages that might differ from the
message you want to communicate, and as such can become a source of confusion. In addition, an
extensive use of exhibits or graphs from other sources might be perceived as sloppy and as such
negatively impact your mark. In the rare cases when graphs or exhibits from third parties need to be
included, they must be explained and referenced appropriately. Favour your own elaboration of
exhibits or graphs, which means that the great majority (possibly all) the exhibits or graphs in your
BMP should present your own original elaboration and interpretation.

Tip: Do not forget to include the source(s) of all exhibits and their respective details. Facts are friendly,
so make sure you get yours right. Notes should also be used to explain any specific points of concern.

25
Project Submission

Submission of the Final BMP

Your BMP should have circa 15,000 words, excluding the executive summary, exhibits, appendices,
bibliography, and the slide deck. For BMPs developed by two students the number or words rises to
25,000. BMPs which will significantly depart from the required length (either because significantly
shorter or longer) might incur in a mark penalization.

A word count must be clearly displayed on the front page.

You must submit your BMP on Moodle by 17.00 on Friday 2 September 2022.

Please note that by default there is no flexibility in the final submission date. You are fully
responsible for submitting your BMP by the stated deadline on Moodle.

Late Submissions

If you fail to submit your dissertation on or before the submission date you will be subject to the late
submission penalty:

• An immediate deduction of 5 marks will be made

• 1 mark will be deducted for each subsequent day of lateness (up to a max. of 5 days -
including weekends)
• Deductions will then discontinue and a mark of 0 awarded. It will then be incumbent on the
student to submit Extenuating Circumstances or an appeal if they wish to resubmit.

Extenuating Circumstances

If you require an extension you must submit an Extenuating Circumstances form (on Moodle) to the
Course Office, along with supporting evidence of your circumstances as soon as possible. This
request will be considered at the Final Assessment Board for your course.

There are two possible outcomes to this process, as follows:

 If your circumstances are judged to be exceptional and unforeseen you will be granted a new
submission date without penalty.
 If your request is rejected, you will be granted a new submission date with a cap of 50%
placed on your mark.

NOTE: Any extension may affect your graduation date.

26
Assessment

Credits

The Business Mastery Project (BMP) is worth 50 credits.

What will be assessed?

Assessment of your BMP is based solely on the final written report.

Who marks the project?

Both your Supervisor and one other marker (i.e., second marker) will grade your final written BMP
separately. External Examiners will also view a selection of BMPs to ensure consistency in the
assessment procedures.

Marking Structure

The assessment for the BMP is based on five different, yet very much related, criteria with specific
weightings provided for each. The relative weighting of each aspect slightly varies depending on the
type of BMP undertaken.

The mark sheets can be found on MBM100 Moodle page.

The pass mark for the BMP is 50%.

Plagiarism

All Business Mastery Projects are checked through specialist software which can detect plagiarism
across an impressive variety of forms and documents. This includes scanning text from millions of
documents, including academic and non-academic sources, industry reports, media articles, blogs,
students’ projects, private and public repositories and archives.

The software scans globally and it is able to identify plagiarism from texts in any language, or even
when such texts have been lightly paraphrased. Plagiarism is a serious academic offense on which
the University acts with a zero-tolerance policy. Please act accordingly.

Consequences of failing to achieve good academic practice

A distinction should be drawn between poor academic practice and academic misconduct.

Poor academic practice can be dealt with within the marking criteria. It is expected that markers will
use the ordinary marking procedures to provide you with an appropriate mark for your performance, in

27
accordance with the standard practice of awarding a lower mark for lower levels of achievement. For
example, if you do not reference adequately, you should expect to lose marks.

Academic misconduct is any action that produces an improper advantage for you in relation to your
assessment or deliberately and unnecessarily disadvantages other students. It includes, but is not
limited to, such offences as plagiarism, impersonation, collusion and disruption.

It should be noted that sufficiently poor referencing which creates the impression of work being your
own when it is not may be regarded as academic misconduct.

If you commit academic misconduct, you may be subject to severe penalties such as expulsion from
the University.

Business Mastery Project Awards

Please note that all MBA students are all eligible for prizes for the best project(s), as follows:

The Lombard Prize

Top finance projects are submitted for the Lombard Prize to The Worshipful Company of International
Bankers. The projects must:

Make a real contribution to understanding and operational effectiveness of financial management and
markets, are of value to the client, use well structured, evidence-based arguments, achieve a
minimum of 70% on the written report.

The Lombard Prize consists of £250 cash and a small, engraved silver dish.

The Worshipful Company of International Bankers also offers entry into an additional prize giving to
the successful candidate of the Lombard prize above. The winner will be invited to enter into a larger
prize in competition with a number of other academic institutions around the UK with a chance to win
honorary membership of the Company for one year, £1,500 and an invitation to attend the Prize
Giving at the Annual Banquet at Guildhall for the Worshipful Company of International Bankers.

Beta Gamma Sigma Membership

Awarded to students who are within the top 10% of their class, across the entire MBA, Specialist
Masters Programme. Beta Gamma Sigma is an alumni society and membership provides lifetime
recognition of its members’ academic and professional success, as well as access to additional
benefits such as discounted publications, career assistance and access to a network of over 625,000
Beta Gamma Sigma members worldwide.

28
The Defne and Muhtar Kent Foundation, Inc. Prize in Entrepreneurship

The Defne and Muhtar Kent Foundation was established by MBA alumnus Dr Muhtar Kent, CEO of
The Coca Cola Company, and his partner Defne. The Foundation supports students with an annual
prize of £3,200 to be awarded to a Full-Time or Executive MBA student who has completed their BMP
with a focus on Entrepreneurship. The Development and Alumni Relations Office will contact
shortlisted candidates for a copy of their CV and BMP transcript for submission to the Foundation.

Assessment & Award Regulations

Periods of Registration

The maximum period of registration for the MBA is 4 years.

Pass Requirements

To qualify for the Masters Degree, a student must acquire a total of 230 credits. The credit structure is
as follows:

Total
Element Credits

Core Block 1 (3 modules) 25

Core Block 2 (3 modules) 25
Core Block 3 (3 modules) 25
Core Block 4 (3 modules) 25
Electives 55
Consulting week 10
Strategy Project 15
Business Mastery Project 50

Total credits 230

Award of MBA

The award of an MBA will be dependent on satisfying the Assessment Board that you have obtained:

• For Block modules – 40% minimum component mark, if module mark is 50% or over. 50%
minimum component mark if module mark is under 50%
• For coursework - not less than 50%
• For BMP - not less than 50%

Masters Degree

The Masters Degree will be awarded if the student achieves:

i) 230 credits (required core and correct number of elective modules)

ii) An award mark of no less than 50%

29
Masters Degree with Distinction

The Masters Degree with Distinction will be awarded if the student achieves

i) 230 credits (required core and correct number of elective modules)

ii) An award mark of at least 70%
iii) No modules failed at the first attempt*

*If a student fails one module at the first attempt, and subsequently passes that module, and achieves
an award mark of 70% or above, they will be eligible for a Merit.

Masters Degree with Merit

The Masters Degree with Merit will be awarded if the student achieves

i) 230 credits (required core and correct number of elective modules)

ii) An award mark of between 65% and 69.9%
iii) No modules failed at the first attempt

The award mark is the overall aggregate of the module marks and is weighted according to
their credit value.

Provision for Failed Modules

Re-sit after First Attempt

Students will be required to retake any assessment component whose mark falls below 50%. Resit
provisions will apply to all failed modules, provided it has been agreed by the Assessment Board for
the relevant programme, in accordance with the module regulations. The Assessment Board will state
the date of resit exams or coursework resubmissions and the required method. A module may be
taken only once. A student who does not satisfy his or her resit by the date specified shall be deemed
to have failed the assessment, shall not progress on the Programme and the Assessment Board shall
make a recommendation to Senate that they withdraw.

A student who successfully completes a resit shall be awarded the credit of the module. The resit
mark will be capped at the pass mark for that module and this will be used in the calculation of the
final award mark.

Fail Withdraw

Where a student fails to meet the requirements for the Award, the Assessment Board shall require the
student to withdraw from the Programme.

Project Submission Deadline

The Business Mastery Project must be submitted in the approved format. The project must be
submitted by 17.00 on Friday 2 September 2022 at the latest. Extensions beyond this deadline will
only be given in extreme circumstances and may affect your graduation.

30
MODULE SPECIFICATION – POSTGRADUATE PROGRAMMES

KEY FACTS

Module name Business Mastery Project

Module code MBM100
School Bayes Business School
Department or equivalent MBA Programme
UK credits 50
ECTS 25
Level 7
Delivery location (partnership
programmes only)

MODULE SUMMARY

Module outline and aims

Ability to identify and define real-world business questions is an important and desirable competency
for an MBA programme. So is the ability to go about collecting data and methodically researching
the solutions to these problems.

The Business Mastery Project provides an invaluable opportunity for students to integrate their
learning across the span of different modules and disciplines covered by the MBA programme. This
gives them a chance to put into practice theories and principles studied in a structured and
systematic manner and under supervision by an academic advisor.

- To help integrate and apply learning from the MBA curriculum to specific problem-solving contexts
- To develop advanced managerial skills in:
- Design of research into managerial/commercial issues
- Project management
- Client management
- To develop skills in defining research questions, identifying solutions and reporting the results and
findings of the research project.

Content outline

The Business Mastery Project is an individual piece of work which aims to develop your research
skills in a multi-disciplinary business environment. It is a major piece of largely self-managed
business analysis, taken over 9-12 months, which forms an important part of your MBA degree. It
gives you an opportunity to put your knowledge into practice usually in the context of a company of
your choice. You will also be assigned an academic advisor to supervise your work.

Projects must be multi-disciplinary drawing significantly on at least two disciplines studied on the
programme and are subject to a maximum word length of 15,000.

Projects may be of three principal types:

- Consultancy: aims to resolve a client issue, uses primary data, and offers commercial benefits to a
client
- Desk research: aims to resolve a managerial or commercial issue, uses primary and/or secondary
data, and offers commercial benefits to a sector
- Case: aims to develop a comprehensive description and diagnosis of an organisation or sector

Students must undertake INDIVIDUAL Business Mastery Projects. Group projects (maximum 2
students) are permitted in very exceptional circumstances.
Students who want to complete a joint project must make a formal written application to their Course
Director in advance of starting the BMP, explaining why they must do the project together and giving
details of the contribution each student will make so that it becomes a substantial piece of work for
each of them.

In such cases the Course Director will determine whether a joint project is appropriate. Where there
is no external and compelling requirement to complete a joint project then permission will not be
granted.
31
Where a joint project is permitted, students will normally be required to submit an individual write-up
for the award of the MBA - word length 15,000 words. Under exceptional circumstances, a single
write-up may be permitted - the required length is 25,000 words.

WHAT WILL I BE EXPECTED TO ACHIEVE?

On successful completion of this module, you will be expected to be able to:

Knowledge and understanding:

- Identify relevant research questions

- Know main research methodologies
- Analyse of empirical data
- Report in a concise and rigorous fashion the findings of their research project.

Skills:
- Analyse a sector or specific corporation
- Communicate research findings coherently and effectively
- Demonstrate analytical skills
- Use evidence systematically to support a central argument.
- Make coherent and cogent presentation of research findings
- Develop case studies based on real business experiences
- Take an interdisciplinary approach to problem formulation and solving in a business context.
- Conceptualise questions or areas of investigation for business research
- Interpret quantitative data presented in various forms.

Values and attitudes:

- Understand the ethics (especially the concept of "fairplay") in the practice of business in all the
areas covered by your programme.
- Demonstrate an ethical approach to work, which resonates to that of a professional business
person.
- Work effectively within a team, while being tolerant of disagreement, open and sensitive to diversity
in business, cultures and people.
- Engage in reflective, adaptive and collaborative learning.
- Engage with a number of different approaches to learning, teaching assessment and inter-personal
communication.
- Be confident in the quantitative methods to present and analyse data
- Be adaptable in the use of a variety of appropriate research methodologies (from desk research to
primary data collection)
- Show awareness of uses and abuses of data and statistics
- Be systematic in formulating and pursuit of research questions

HOW WILL I LEARN?

- A research workshop to offer essential training in key research methods and final report preparation
- Business Research Project Handbook offering guidance and advice on all aspects of formulating
and conducting research under supervision;
- Academic supervision either online and/or face-to-face (if the student is in London during the
placement)

Teaching pattern:

Teaching Teaching Contact Self-directed Placement Total student

component type hours study hours hours learning
(scheduled) (independent) hours
Research Practical 6 6 0 12
methods classes
32
 workshop and
workshop
Self-study Project 10 478 0 488
Supervision

Totals: 16 484 0 500

WHAT TYPES OF ASSESSMENT AND FEEDBACK CAN I EXPECT?

Assessments

- Formal assessment of the final submitted project document

Assessment pattern:

Assessment component Assessment type Weighting Minimum Pass/Fail?

qualifying mark
15,000 word report Dissertation 100 50 N/A

Assessment criteria

Assessment Criteria are descriptions of the skills, knowledge or attributes students need to
demonstrate in order to complete an assessment successfully and Grade-Related Criteria are
descriptions of the skills, knowledge or attributes students need to demonstrate to achieve a certain
grade or mark in an assessment. Assessment Criteria and Grade-Related Criteria for module
assessments will be made available to students prior to an assessment taking place. More information
will be available in the Business Mastery Project Handbook.

Feedback on assessment

Following an assessment, students will be given their marks and feedback in line with the Assessment
Regulations and Policy. More information on the timing and type of feedback that will be provided for
each assessment will be available from the module leader.

Assessment Regulations

The Pass mark for the module is 50%. Any minimum qualifying marks for specific assessments are
listed in the table above. The weighting of the different components can also be found above. The
Programme Specification contains information on what happens if you fail an assessment component
or the module.

INDICATIVE READING LIST

- Stringer, E (2007) Action Research: A Handbook for Practitioners. Sage

- Mason, J (2002) Qualitative Researching. Sage
- Cresswell, J (2008) Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative & Mixed Methods Approaches. Third
Edition. Sage 2008
- Saunders, M, Thornhill, and Lewis, P (2008) Research Methods for Business Students. Financial
Times/ Prentice Hall.
- Yin, R (2009) Case Study Research Design & Methods. Sage
- Sapsford, R & Jupp, V (Editors) (2006) Data Collection and Analysis. 2nd Edition. Sage in
Association with the Open University
- Flick, U (2006) An Introduction to Qualitative Research. Sage
- Gioia, D. A., Corley, K. G., & Hamilton, A. L. (2013) Seeking qualitative rigor in inductive research:
Notes on the Gioia methodology. Organizational Research Methods, 16(1): 15-31.
- Garrette, B., Phelps, C., Sibony, O. (2018) Cracked it! How to solve big problems and sell solutions

33
like top strategy consultants. Palgrave-McMillan.
- Baaij, M., Reinmoeller, P. (2018) Mapping a winning strategy. Developing and executing a successful
strategy in turbulent markets. Emerald.

Version 3.0
Version date: April 2019
For use from: 2019-20

CODES

HESA Code Description Price Group

133 Business and Management D
Studies

JACS Code Description Percentage (%)

N100 The study of organisations 100
and the environment in which
they operate.

34
Bayes Business School (formerly Cass)
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bayes.city.ac.uk

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All the information contained within this brochure was correct at the time of going to print.

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