FINM081 AS1 – Project Portfolio

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FINM081

AS1 – Project Portfolio

Please read the whole assessment brief before starting work on the Assessment Task.

The Assessment Task

ASSESSMENT STRUCTURE

Assessment Activity                                                                             Learning Outcomes                Weighting (%)

Code         Assessment Type          Assessment Deliverables

AS1           Project Portfolio            Project Portfolio (8,000 Words)            a,b,c,d,e,f,g                         100%

The assessment items listed above are graded and contribute to the overall module grade (learning assessment). In addition, there are opportunities for formative assessment (assessment for learning), which are ungraded, to support students in achieving the module learning outcomes. These are NOT listed.

MODULE REQUIREMENTS

Students MUST submit.

1. Task 1- Project outline

2. Task 2 Project design

3. Task 3- Near draft of the Research Project Report

All three formative tasks/assessments must be submitted via the Nile site by the due date and as advised by the module leaders. For details about the requirements for each task and Project Portfolio- Research Project Report (8,000 Words), please refer to the submission guidelines below.

Student Must attend all scheduled meetings as advised in the role of Project students and supervisors.

Students MUST ensure their work is free from plagiarism. To avoid plagiarism, acknowledge all the sources used in your work by following the "Harvard Referencing Guide" available on NILE. In the case of plagiarism, the student's mark will be capped, and the case will be sent to the misconduct committee for a decision. Please keep in mind that academic integrity cannot be compromised. If a student committed plagiarism, their work would be submitted to the misconduct committee for a decision. Penalties range from a grade reduction to dismissal from the programme of study, depending on the degree of the offence. Page 3 of 16

REQUIRED TASKS CONTENT

Task 1 – Project outline submission guidelines

Purpose of the task: Identify a strategic business issue.

To complete your project outline, please ensure that you answer the following questions.

Criteria

Introduction and background (Terms of Reference)

Research Rationale (Statement of Problem)

- Have you adequately articulated the rationale behind your research and identified the specific gap in existing research that it aims to address?

The purpose of the Research (What is the study trying to achieve?)

- Have you effectively communicated how your study will add to the current body of literature or practice, as well as clearly stated the overarching aim of your research project?

Research question (or propositions or hypotheses)

- Have you explicitly stated your research question and provided a detailed outline of your research's specific aims and objectives, utilising action verbs like ascertain, establish, recommend, and so on?

Critical Literature Review (Indication of the literature that informs your research)

- Have you completed a comprehensive and comprehensive review of relevant and previous research?

- Have you discussed key studies related to your topic?

- Have you emphasised how these studies are pertinent to the issues you intend to explore?

Theoretical frameworks (Role of theory)

- Have you identified the practical models and theoretical frameworks used to guide your research?

It is important to address the following questions: What is the role of theory in research? How will the theories be applied?

3. Methodology and methods

- Have you provided an outline for your research plan?

References

- Have you provided correct referencing with a comprehensive citation and reference list?

Task 2 – Research Design submission guidelines

Purpose of the task: Design a problem-solving strategy and undertake data analysis to present a solution to a business issue.

To complete your project design, please ensure that you answer the following questions.

Criteria

Analysed design (Description of proposed research - type of study)

Methods for data collection

- Have you developed a comprehensive research plan that clearly lays out the methodology you plan to employ? It's crucial to provide a sound rationale for your chosen approach and elucidate the data collection process. Ensure to include the academic sources that back up your methods and techniques.

- Have you thought about the limitations of your methods and referred to the range and data types available for academic research? These elements should also factor into your decision-making process.

Research Context (e.g. industry sector, organisation)

- Have you provided the context of their proposed research? Key features and characteristics? What (companies/ docs/ annual reports/ journal articles) will be studied? How many? How will they be selected (i.e. sampling)? For which period?

Procedure (i.e. what happened from the participants' perspective)

Methods for data analysis Ethical considerations

- Can you anticipate any problem they might have in implementing the methods?

- Can you ensure your research meets the University's ethical standards (reliability/ validity)?

Findings/results

- Have you analysed and presented the data accurately?

- Have you discussed and explained the research results effectively?

- Have you compared the research findings with the literature?

Recommendations

- Have you thought about how your research findings could impact professional practice?

- Have you considered any recommendations for professional practice?

References

- Have you provided correct referencing with a comprehensive citation and reference list?

Project Portfolio - Research Project Report (8,000 Words) Guidelines

Please ensure to answer these questions when creating your Research Project Report and preparing for Task 3.

Section          Criteria

Project

Executive summary

Main Body

- Have you ensured that your research project is clearly defined and explained?

- Have you outlined the aim, objectives, research questions, and contributions of your study?

- Have you accurately presented your methodology and major findings?

- Have you provided an overview of the structure of your research project?

Literature review

- You may choose to title this section as "Literature Review" or "Annotated Sections of the Report".

- Have you introduced the research subject and explained its meaning, importance, and the theories behind it in a clear and concise manner?

- Have you reviewed the literature thoroughly and used credible, sufficient, and up-to-date sources?

- Does your literature align with your project's research questions, themes, variables, and hypotheses?

Methodology

- Have you adequately explained how the research was designed? This includes the approach and methods used for data collection, sample size, and the sampling technique used.

- Are the research methods used for data collection valid and relevant to the research aim and questions?

- Have you clearly described the methods used for data collection and analysis?

- Have you demonstrated an awareness of and addressed any ethical issues that may arise in your research? 7

Summary

Findings/results

- Have you properly analysed and presented the data?

- Have you discussed and explained the research results thoroughly?

- Have you compared and contrasted the research findings with the literature review?

Conclusion and Recommendation

- Have you adequately concluded the findings of your research?

- Have you considered the potential impact of your research results on professional practices? How might your findings shape professional practices?

- Have you also provided any recommendations for professional practices?

- Have you considered any ethical, sustainability, or technological implications that may arise from your research?

- What are the limitations of your study, and what areas could benefit from further research development?

Please note that all research has limitations and time constraints may limit the scope of a project. For instance, conducting research in a different region or business sector may offer additional insights to strengthen or support your selected area.

References

- Have you provided correct referencing with a comprehensive citation and reference list?

Reflection

This section should include a critical reflection on undertaking the project. (Maximum of 800 Words) (you could use Kolb, 1984 or any models for experiential learning)

- Can you explain how your research project relates to your personal, professional, and career development? What motivated you to choose this project, and did you have to make any adjustments to your topic?

- How did you decide on your methodology, and what limitations did you encounter during that process?

- What methods did you use to select your data sources, and what challenges did you face when analysing your data?

- Were the results/findings of your project what you expected?

- If you were given the opportunity to do this project again, what changes would you make?

- What have you learned from this experience, and how do you plan to apply that knowledge in the future?

- Can you describe how this project has helped you develop personally and professionally?

Students could submit their drafts of the Project Portfolio to check the similarity up to the submission date. However, they cannot resubmit after the due date. For that, please submit the last draft on the due date.

The role of Turnitin is to help tutors detect plagiarism by showing the percentage of text matching. However, this is not an indication that a student committed plagiarism. Turnitin creates a "the originality report" report showing this percentage of text matching in a student's work. For more information about how to avoid plagiarism and the role of Turnitin, attend the research methods training and see the module page on NILE. Students are allowed to see the originality report only on the due date.

You MUST submit the following with your Portfolio:

- Proof of data collection technique used (The output of statistical analytical software utilised for the analysis (i.e. SPSS or NVivo output) must be supplied (submission link will be assigned to this).

- Supervisory log

ROLE OF PROJECT STUDENTS AND SUPERVISOR

Student              Supervisor

Arrange Scheduled Meetings

Maintain a schedule of meeting deadlines and adhere to them.

Prepare for scheduled meetings.

Use supervisory time effectively by preparing in advance for the meeting

Read draft work, provide formative feedback, and engage in other appropriate preparatory work. Drafts will be reviewed up to 14 days before the due date.

Attend supervision meetings

Keep the appointments that have been scheduled.

Provide guidance

Record Supervision meetings

Take notes of supervisory meetings

Record formal supervision meetings (ad hoc meetings in corridors do not count)

Manage any problems

For example, ensure work is authentic (academic integrity) and that ethical issues are addressed.

Contact students who (e.g.) Fail to attend arranged sessions (cause for concern) Referencing/plagiarism

Seek methods approval

Obtaining approval for research methods before commencing the study is an absolute necessity.

Ensure students have prompt access to suitable data sources appropriate to the work's nature.

Meetings schedule

Students are required to meet their supervisors as advised below. The supervisors will be emailing students to inform them about these meetings. Supervisions will be in groups of 6 students based on their research groups.

Meeting            Timescale              Milestones per meeting

1st supervision meeting-

Week commencing 23rd Oct – No later than 30th Oct.

This meeting will follow Feedback for Task 1

Students will be allowed to discuss their research topics and possible actions they need to implement to improve their project. Students should also, at this stage, inform what their methodology is.

2nd supervision

Week starting 13th Nov

The latest meeting is on 20th Nov.

This meeting will help students finalise their project focus; this meeting will take place before the submission of Task 2 (Submitted on 4th Dec)

Discussion of literature and finalising methodologies- choice of data source and analysis. Supervisors should approve the methodology at this stage.

(Students might share drafts ahead of this meeting or could share their work progress with the supervisor at the meeting.)

Note: If the data is not quantitative, students must adhere to a robust methodology such as case study, content analysis, or thematic analysis. It is essential to ensure that students include viable sources of documents to be analysed, such as an annual or government report from a good period of 5 or 10 years, to draw sound conclusions. 10 Particular focus should be given to ensuring that students are working on the proof of data.

3rd supervision

Week starting 11th Dec– Latest meeting 22nd Dec

Review of the research design: 1)A review of the Strategy for collecting and analysing data, 2) Data analysis, and 3). Preliminary recommendations

Note: Should ensure that the students follow a robust methodology for data analysis. For example, thematic analysis/content analysis/quantitative statistical data analysis (descriptive statistics, correlations and regressions).

4th supervision

Week starting 1st Jan – latest meeting 15th Jan

The student should share a near-final Project portfolio with you at this stage.

UNIVERSITY OF NORTHAMPTON ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES

Use of Generative AI (Artificial Intelligence) within this assessment:

Some uses of Generative AI may deemed unethical in your assessment. Further guidance on the conditions for allowable use of Generative AI will be given by the module team.

Please access the following position guidance from University of Northampton on the use of Generative AI within assessments.

Assessment Submission

To submit your work electronically, please go to the ‘Assessment and submission’ area on the NILE site and use the relevant submission point to upload the assignment deliverable. The deadline for this is 11.59pm (UK local time) on the date of submission. Please note that Essays and text-based reports should be submitted as Microsoft Word documents (.doc or .docx), or as guided within the assignment. Please access the following guide to submitting assessments.

Written work submitted to Turnitin will be subject to anti-plagiarism detection software. Turnitin checks student work for possible textual matches against internet available resources and its own proprietary database. Please access the University of Northampton’s Plagiarism Avoidance Course (UNPAC) to learn more.

When you upload your work correctly to Turnitin you will receive a receipt which is your record and proof of submission. If your assessment is not submitted to Turnitin, rather than a receipt, you will see a green banner at the top of the screen that denotes successful submission.