This module aims to:

Develop students’ ability to analyse and synthesise complex and ambiguous data from a wide variety of sources, in order to make reasoned judgements and recommendations underpinned by ethical values;

Enable students to integrate their knowledge of management theory and critically apply relevant theory to the analysis of management practice;

Provide students with an opportunity to undertake independent, practice-based research in a rigorous and systematic fashion using appropriate methods to investigate a management challenge facing an organisation, and to prepare and present findings, conclusions and recommendations.

(LO1) Students will be able to select a management challenge facing a particular organisation (the ‘client’) and justify their choice and their process of inquiry in a rigorous and systematic fashion.

(LO2) Students will be able to develop a structured plan proposal in order to undertake independent, practice-based research using appropriate methods.

(LO3) Students will be able to integrate their knowledge of management theory and critically apply relevant theory to the analysis of management practice.

(LO4) Students will be able to analyse and synthesise complex and ambiguous data from a wide variety of sources, in order to make reasoned judgements and recommendations underpinned by ethical values.

(LO5) Students will be able to prepare and present findings, conclusions and recommendations in a verbal and written format.

(LRE1) A problem solver.
Students will be encouraged to think critically about organisational issues and dilemmas. They will do this by gathering and synthesising information, analysing alternative perspectives and options and presenting a considered opinion or course of action in their course assessment.

(LRE2) An excellent verbal and written communicator.
Students will have opportunities to develop their communication skills through learning and assessment activities.

(LRE3) Commercially aware.
Students will develop an understanding of the commercial nature of organisations and will use this understanding to underpin both operational and strategic decision-making.

(LRE4) Ethically aware.
The teaching, learning, and assessment strategy ensures that all students are exposed to ideas of sustainable business practice and ethical awareness relating to leadership and management.

(LRE5) IT literate.
Students will have opportunities to improve their IT skills. Students will demonstrate skills in the use of software applications including word processing, visual presentations, databases, spreadsheets and using the internet for information searches in the course of researching and presenting their project.

(LRE6) Organised and able to work under pressure.
This will be evident in the students’ independent management of their assignments and ability to meet deadlines.

The duration of the MBA Project is 36 weeks. The taught sessions will take place over the first 6 weeks as students develop their project proposal.

The first six weeks of the module will be delivered through a series of e-lectures, delivered through a variety of methods, covering key topics, theories and case examples. These activities will be moderated by the module instructor. Students will also be directed to key academic and practitioner readings to further develop their learning.

Unscheduled Directed Student Hours: 30 hours
Description: The asynchronous e-lecture and interactive class activity will equate to 5 hours per week over 6 weeks.
Attendance Recorded: Yes – tracked via the learning platform.

Students will also participate in synchronous seminars during weeks 1 to 6. The dates and times of the synchronous seminars will be confirmed at the start of the module (if there are issues with time zones another session will be provided). The syn chronous sessions will focus on peer interaction, discussion and questions, with the module instructor participating as a coach and mentor. These sessions will be recorded and moderated by the module instructor.

Scheduled Directed student hours: 15 hours
Description: The synchronous seminars will equate to 2.5 hours per week over 6 weeks.
Attendance Recorded: Yes – tracked via the learning platform.

Students will be allocated a supervisor for their MBA project who will support their process of independent learning and inquiry. Supervisory contact hours will include feedback on draft chapters, progress check-ins, and ongoing Q&A.

Unscheduled Directed Student Hours: 10 hours
Description: The first meeting will include formative feedback on the student's project proposal, and the content of the other three meetings will be dependent on the needs of the student.
Attendance Recorded: No

Self-directed learning hours: 545 hours
De scription: Initially, students will undertake independent tasks and reading in order to support their learning and research. Students will work on their project proposal and, after formative feedback on the proposal, continue to work on their project. Most students will embark on empirical data collection, so will also develop a fieldwork strategy, work towards and submit an ethics approval application, analysing the data collected before write-up.

The research process - identifying a suitable topic, developing a project proposal.

Working with client organisations – managing projects, people, politics, stakeholders and resistance.

The nature of academic and applied research and inquiry.

Practitioner inquiry data collection and analysis strategies – strategy workshops, deep-dives, online workshop tools, World Café method.

Types of academic research data and data collection strategies.
Qualitative research: design, data collection, analysis and presentation.

Quantitative research: statistical techniques and data presentation.
Ethics in research - including guidance on the University’s ethics approval process.