www.anglia.ac.uk Postgraduate Major Project Department: Leadership and Management Module Code:MOD001170 Level: 7 Academic Year: 2016/17 Semester/Trimester/Session: SEM 2 Module Guide Page 1 Contents 1. Key information, Introduction to the Module and Learning Outcomes ........................................................ 2 1.1 Key Information .................................................................................................................................. 2 1.2 Introduction to the Module ................................................................................................................. 2 1.3 Learning Outcomes .............................................................................................................................. 2 2. Employability Skills in this Module ................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 3. Outline Delivery and Reading Lists @ Anglia ................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 3.1 Outline Delivery ..................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 3.2 Reading List and Learning Resources .................................................................................................. 3 4. Assessment on this Module ............................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined. Feedback .......................................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. How to View Your Feedback in Turnitin Grademark ........................................ Error! Bookmark not defined. 4.1 Assessment Information and Marking Criteria ..................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 4.1.1 Element 010 – COURSEWORK 3000 WORDS (100%) .................... Error! Bookmark not defined. Marking Criteria for Element 010 – COURSEWORK 3000 WORDS ........ Error! Bookmark not defined. 4.2 Re-assessment Information ................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 4.2.1 Re-assessment for Element 010 – COURSEWORK 3000 WORDS (100%)Error! Bookmark not defined. 5. Report on Last Delivery of Module .................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined. Links to Other Key Information ......................................................................................................................... 11 Module Guide Page 2 1. Key information, Introduction to the Module and Learning Outcomes 1.1 Key Information Module title: Postgraduate Major Project Module Leader: Zubair Hassan Campus / Building / Room: BJ campus Extension: 253 Email: [email protected] Module Tutors: Various External Examiners DAP: Leadership and Management Department (UK) Every module has a Module Definition Form (MDF) which is the officially validated record of the module. You can access the MDF for this module in three ways via:  the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)  the My.Anglia Module Catalogue at www.anglia.ac.uk/modulecatalogue  Anglia Ruskin’s module search engine facility at www.anglia.ac.uk/modules All modules delivered by Anglia Ruskin University at its main campuses in the UK and at Associate Colleges throughout the UK and overseas are governed by the Academic Regulations. You can view these at www.anglia.ac.uk/academicregs. An extract of the Academic Regulations, known as the Assessment Regulations, is available at this website too (all new students will have received a printed copy as part of their welcome pack). In the unlikely event of any discrepancy between the Academic Regulations and any other publication, including this module guide, the Academic Regulations, as the definitive document, take precedence over all other publications and will be applied in all cases. 1.2 Introduction to the Module In order to obtain a Master’s degree you must prepare, submit, and pass a dissertation. Apart from this regulation requirement there are a number of reasons why the dissertation is a very important part of your studies. From the learning outcomes in the module definition forms (available on the VLE webpage) you will see that the dissertation is a demanding module. Perhaps a more attractive way of stating this is to say that it allows you an opportunity to demonstrate, at an advanced level, several important intellectual and practical skills. These skills are valued by employers and as the dissertation is your own work it is proof that you have mastered them. In fact, sometimes your dissertation will help you to obtain an interview or find the position you want. The dissertation is not a taught module and this means that the research and writing up of your findings is very much an individual effort that allows you to demonstrate both organisational and time management skills. You will have further honed your research skills and techniques and deepened your understanding of at least one major area of business and/or business related areas. Other high level skills which will be developed and improved include evaluation, synthesis, and critical thinking. Finally, a well-written dissertation enables you to demonstrate communication and presentation skills. Full details of how to present your dissertation can be found in the Anglia Ruskin University publication, "Presentation and Submission of Projects and Dissertations for Taught Higher Degrees". A copy of this booklet can be obtained from the VLE. You are advised to make yourself aware of the entire contents of this booklet before you start your dissertation. You should read carefully the section 6 on Assessment: Dissertation Structure and Formatting on before you start any writing-up, as your dissertation will not be Module Guide Page 3 accepted if it doesn't comply with this section. Anglia Ruskin University regulations and guidelines do change from time to time. It is your responsibility to make sure that you are working to current regulations and guidelines so check that the Module Guide and Anglia Ruskin University publications you are using are up-to-date. If in doubt consult your supervisor and/or Postgraduate Dissertation Tutor. 1.3 Learning Outcomes This module, like all modules at Anglia Ruskin, is taught on the basis of achieving intended learning outcomes. On successful completion of the module, the student will be expected to be able to demonstrate the following: Knowledge and understanding Intellectual, practical, affective and transferable skills LO 1. Demonstrate a secure knowledge and understanding of the fundamental principles and concepts of the English Legal System and the Law of Contract, including an appreciation of the impact of the Law of Tort upon the area of business / commerce. LO 2. Demonstrate a wide range of understanding and appreciation relevant to the influence of law on business and management LO 3. Apply the law of contract to common, straightforward factual problems and suggest appropriate, reasonable solutions and demonstrating flexible and creative approaches to problem solving and the ability to discuss the issues LO 4. With guidance, examine, interpret and evaluate the different rules of interpretation surrounding legislation, alternative dispute mechanisms within the English Legal System and appreciation of the symbiotic relationship between the law of contract and tort; together with relevant case laws while being able to write clearly and effectively in academic English, communicate clearly and appropriately, demonstrating a sense of audience. Outcomes 1 AND 2 will be assessed by a coursework / assessment, broken into part 1a and 1b. The two essay questions in part 1a will focus on particular aspects / areas of English Legal System and the relationship between two main components of civil law while part 1b will assess a wider range of topics within the Law of Contract and so test breadth as well as depth of knowledge and understanding in the subject area. All questions will require students to illustrate that they understand the basic concepts and principles of Business Law as well as having detailed knowledge of the rules in relating to selected aspects of the module. Outcomes 3 will be assessed and can be demonstrated by the general ability to find / locate relevant statutes, texts, case laws and journal (e-journal) articles, analyse and interpret them and with guidance – evaluate them. The ability to apply the relevant principles and rules of English Legal System, Contract and aspects of the Law of Tort essay and realistic, straightforward factual situations and advice upon the liability of parties involved is assessed via Outcome 4. Outcome 4 can also be demonstrated by the actual portrayal of critique and discussions in the assignment. The assessment is based on meeting these learning outcomes, shown explicitly in section 4, where the assessment task is linked to these learning outcomes. 2. The Dissertation Process, Timetable and Learning Outcomes 2.1 Dissertation Process There are a number of formal processes associated with the dissertation. Module Guide Page 4 1. Registering your dissertation topic - This must be done by submitting a completed Dissertation Proposal Coversheet (Provided in Appendix 1), along with your outline Dissertation Proposal to the Faculty Office (or relevant place as stated by the College) by the published date. An example proposal is provided in Appendix 4. It is important that you submit your coversheet and proposal on time, to the relevant Faculty office, as you will not be allocated a supervisor until it is submitted. You may indicate a preferred supervisor on the form but we cannot guarantee you will be allocated the preferred supervisor as a holistic view of staffing is taken in the Business School. The Anglia Ruskin associate colleges’ Academic Manager / Programme Co-Ordinator shall assign supervisors to you. 2. Allocating your supervisor - After you have completed and submitted your Dissertation Proposal Form you will be allocated a supervisor. This will be done by either the Academic Manager or Programme Co-Ordinator. One of the roles of the Postgraduate Major Project Module Leader is to utilise the staff resource in the Business School as effectively and efficiently as possible. The Postgraduate Major Project Module Leader will also endeavour to match your topic to staff expertise. 3. Meeting your supervisor - you are strongly advised to meet your supervisor as soon as possible. The supervisor will be sent a copy of your proposal. Thereafter, you should meet regularly with your supervisor to discuss progress, resolve any problems you may have, etc. It is your responsibility to make and keep the appointments. If you have any problems in making appointments then please inform your Course Leader immediately. Sometimes face-to-face meetings are not possible. In this case other means of communication, such as email, may be appropriate. 4. Recording your meetings - you must keep a record of your meetings with your supervisor on the Contact Log Sheet (Appendix 7) and the completed CLS must be put with your dissertation when handing in. 5. Submitting your dissertation - you must submit:  Two comb-bound copies of your dissertation to the iCentre on or before the submission date.  An electronic copy to Turnitin®UK GradeMark You will know this date by the time you commence stage three of your programme. If you think you have a good reason for a later submission you must ask for an extension (maximum 10 days). Only the Student Advisor can give you permission. Do not ask for an extension at the "last minute". A copy of the extension form must be submitted to the faculty office. Please make sure you are familiar with University policy on extensions. 2.2 Supervision Based on your proposal, you will be allocated a supervisor who will provide general guidance and help. Extensive reading and commenting on draft chapters is not included in the role of the supervisor. (It is a University regulation that only a maximum of 20% of a draft can be read by the Supervisor). Students should provide their supervisor with a brief outline of their proposed dissertation, line of inquiry etc. as soon as possible. Following this, your supervisor will discuss the presentation and methodology of the dissertation, possible titles, and give guidance on how to focus the work. Supervisors are not required to be expert in the chosen topic. Module Guide Page 5 Students are entitled to a maximum of 4 hours of supervision over the period in which the dissertation is being written. Normally, it will be advantageous if this is divided into a number of shorter periods. You are strongly advised to make full use of these consultation sessions. Supervisors will indicate their availability and students must then make arrangements for supervision sessions. In Appendix 7 you will find a Supervisor Contact Log and Supervisor Change Form. The contact log form should be signed by your supervisor each time you visit him or her in connection with your dissertation. This form must be submitted by you with your completed dissertation. Your supervisor will expect to receive regular reports on your progress. It is important that you provide your Supervisor with detailed evidence of your progress for two reasons: the assistance he/she can give will be limited in the absence of information; and, if you submit a document which your supervisor cannot vouch for as your own work because you have not provided evidence to him/her during the course of your research, you will have to undergo a viva voce examination. There may also be additional opportunities for attending group sessions on various specific aspects of the dissertation – look out for information on these sessions. 2.3 Ethics Approval - the use of primary data: questionnaires, surveys, interviews, focus groups etc. If you decide to undertake primary research (a questionnaire, survey, interview, focus group etc.) you must seek the approval of your supervisor on the following issues:  Ethics (this is very important as your research is likely to involve contact with humans – please see Appendices 8-11)  Aim of the questionnaire or survey  Target population  Sample size  Sampling method*  Number and type of questions  Discussion of the limitations of the questionnaire/survey  Statistical methodology used for analysis (e.g. using MS Excel, SPSS) You must submit all completed questionnaires/survey/notes/transcripts with your dissertation. (These do not have to be bound into your dissertation.) If you conducted an observational survey then you must submit your original notes and comments with your dissertation. (An example of an observational survey might be counting the number of people purchasing food from a hot-dog stand on a wet Sunday afternoon in Benwick.) * Random samples are those in which each member of the target population has an equal chance of being selected: it requires each individual to be numbered and then selected using random number tables. Even then the method can be flawed and prone to bias which requires complicated statistical techniques to overcome. Standing on a street corner interviewing likely people for an hour on a Saturday morning is not a taking a random sample. This form of sampling is ‘ad hoc’ or ‘opportunistic’. Module Guide Page 6 2.4 Research ethical approval system When is ethical approval required? Students undertaking major project modules which include elements of assessment based on research involving the collection of primary empirical data must comply with Anglia Ruskin University’s ethical approval requirements. Why does research need ethical approval? There are a number of reasons why you need to obtain ethical approval, including:  to protect the participants, as well as yourself as the researcher and the reputation of Anglia Ruskin University and its Associate Colleges  in order that you are insured to carry the research out. Research which involves human participants, their tissues or data will always require ethical approval. Anglia Ruskin University also requires other types of research to undergo ethical review, including the following:  risk of damage to the environment  risk of damage or disturbance to culturally, spiritually or historically significant artefacts or places or human remains  political or social sensitivity. The ethical review system applies to all students and staff at Anglia Ruskin University and all students at our Franchise Associate Colleges. Students at other Associate Colleges need to check requirements. You must comply with Anglia Ruskin University’s Research Ethics Policy and Code of Practice for Applying for Ethical Approval at Anglia Ruskin University available at: http://web.anglia.ac.uk/anet/faculties/laibs/Research/7_research_ethics.phtml Research undertaken in the name of Anglia Ruskin University and its Franchise Associate Colleges where ethical approval has not been obtained is a serious matter which could adversely affect our reputation. Such behaviour may be construed as misconduct or gross misconduct and may be dealt with under the Student Disciplinary Procedures. Ethics committee structure Each faculty at Anglia Ruskin University has a Faculty Research Ethics Panel (FREP), which reviews higher risk research. There are also Departmental Research Ethics Panels (DREPs) in each faculty, which review lower risk research. Students need to submit their ethics application to the relevant FREP/DREP. Contact details can be found here: http://web.anglia.ac.uk/anet/faculties/laibs/Research/7_research_ethics.phtml Ethical approval procedure The Research Ethics Application Form (Stage 1) needs to be completed for all research* as a minimum requirement (see Appendix 8). Further approval may be required. According to the responses given on the form, research is classified into risk-category 1, 2 or 3. If research falls into risk-category 1, the Research Ethics Application Form (Stage 1) needs to be submitted to the appropriate DREP for their records only. Risk-category 2 research requires a light-touch review by two Module Guide Page 7 members of the appropriate DREP whereas risk-category 3 is the highest risk research and has to be reviewed at a FREP meeting. The Research Ethics Application Form (Stage 1) can be downloaded from: http://web.anglia.ac.uk/anet/faculties/laibs/Research/7_research_ethics.phtml You also need to refer to the Research Ethics Policy and other ethics guidance, including the Question-Specific Advice for the Research Ethics Application Form (Stage 1) and the Code of Practice for Applying for Ethical Approval at Anglia Ruskin University. *except for those solely using animal subjects, where the animal checklist must be completed. This is available from the Faculty of Science and Technology ethics website. Completing the Research Ethics Application Form (Stage 1) When completing the application form, please ensure that you have filled in Section 1: Researcher and Project Details, including ticking the boxes to indicate that you have understood and agree with each of the confirmation statements. You also need to complete the project summary box at the end of the page. You then need to complete Section 2: Research Ethics Checklist. Please then refer to the flow chart in Section 3: Approval Process. This indicates which route for ethical approval you need to follow. The research ethics review procedure is a risk-based approach. If you are applying for NHS, Social Care or Ministry of Justice ethical approval, these approvals are accepted as equivalent to our own, but the FREP will need to be sent a copy of the relevant letters. The process for these external approvals is covered in the checklist. For risk-category 2 projects only, researchers need to complete Section 4 and also submit the participant information sheet and consent form as a minimum requirement. Further information such as permission letters from organisations may also be required in some instances. If your research falls into risk-category 3, please speak to your Dissertation Supervisor and FREP Chair in the first instance, given the approval process for this type of research is longer. For risk-category 3 only (high risk) projects, researchers need to complete the Research Ethics Application Form (Stage 2) and submit all the documents they will be using for their research, including, as applicable. (Appendices 9-11).  participant information sheet  participant consent form  recruitment poster  travel insurance (travel registration form)  risk assessment  local ethical approval, e.g. if carrying out research in other organisations or outside of the UK  written permission from organisations where you are carrying the research out  equipment checks  research visas, permits or other permissions if carrying out research overseas  Intellectual property agreements. You must also ensure that you have obtained a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check if required. Please see: www.anglia.ac.uk/apply/dbschecks Module Guide Page 8 Further details regarding these permissions are in the Code of Practice for Applying for Ethical Approval at Anglia Ruskin University. Research ethics compulsory training It is compulsory for all undergraduate and masters students at Anglia Ruskin University to complete on-line ethics training and to successfully complete the quiz at the end of this, prior to submitting your ethics application. The confirmation that you have successfully completed the quiz needs to be included with your ethics application. If you need further information about the training, please speak to your Dissertation Supervisor. The link to access the VLE for the training is below: https://vle.anglia.ac.uk/sites/non-mod/ethics1/Pages/Home3.aspx You need to complete the training by the end of week 5. 2.5 Dissertation Timetable Most students will begin their dissertation at the beginning of the second semester. The guidelines below commence at week one of the second semester of your postgraduate course. Week 1 You should be deciding upon a subject area, title and initial study plan for your dissertation. Week 3 You should have submitted a hardcopy of your completed Dissertation Proposal Coversheet and Dissertation Proposal form to the Faculty Office. See Appendices 1-3 for more information and an example is given in appendix 4. NB without a proposal form we are unable to allocate a supervisor, it is therefore imperative that your proposal form is received on time. Week 5 Deadline for the ethics training The link to access the VLE for the training is below: https://vle.anglia.ac.uk/sites/non-mod/ethics1/Pages/Home3.aspx Week 6 Details of allocated supervisors will be published for all students that have submitted a Dissertation Proposal form. The list will be made available on the VLE. Week 8 Make contact with your supervisor in order to arrange an initial meeting to discuss your dissertation. Week 10 Deadline for submission of ethics application form to faculty office. Remember, this needs to be signed by student and supervisor (only if the student has completed online training, otherwise supervisors do not sign). See appendix 8-11. By Dissertation Deadline Get your dissertation printed and bound (this must be in the correct format – see section 6 of this guide) and submit two hard copies of your completed, bound dissertation and a via Turnitin®UK GradeMark by the published deadline. Module Guide Page 9 2.6 Learning Outcomes Learning outcomes (threshold standards) No. Type On successful completion of this module the student will be expected to be able to: 1 Knowledge and understanding With reference to a chosen significant and complex area for enquiry establish a method for investigation / exploration of key concepts, models and principles. (University outcome) 2 Knowledge and understanding Critically evaluate complex issues from a variety of viewpoints 3 Knowledge and understanding Develop effective arguments to support relevant conclusions 4 Intellectual, practical, affective and transferable skills Critically justify and rigorously apply appropriate methodologies, techniques and practical strategies; being sensitive to the context. (University outcome) 5 Intellectual, practical, affective and transferable skills Where appropriate formulate solutions to business or management problems in discussion with peers, clients, mentors and others. 6 Intellectual, practical, affective and transferable skills Reflect critically on the process and outcomes of the investigation/enquiry. Anglia Ruskin modules are taught on the basis of intended learning outcomes and that, on successful completion of the module, students will be expected to be able to demonstrate they have met those outcomes. 3. Choosing a Topic, Issue, Problem or Question You choose your own topic but it has to be approved. You can choose a similar topic to which may have been assessed for another module as long as it does not cover identical ground. As a start, remind yourself that a dissertation is much more than just a simple descriptive account of some aspect of your course. Very often the success of your dissertation is determined by how successful you are in finding a good issue to pursue, a problem to investigate, a question to answer, and so on. Unless you are successful here you may be unable to develop a coherent and well-argued dissertation. This first stage can be difficult so don't be afraid to spend some time on it. You may come up with a fairly broad topic but it will have to have a focus. Even at the broad topic stage you will have to ask yourself whether it is likely to be viable. You should also try to come up with a topic you are interested in personally, as a large amount of your time will be spent on background reading, fieldwork and/or other types of research, and finally writing up your research. If you are interested in your question, etc., then all this activity is likely to be a source of pleasure rather than an onerous and pointless burden. The activity associated with choosing the topic, problem, etc., should be done before you submit your Dissertation Proposal. Sometimes, even after much hard work, it may be difficult to come up with a focused Module Guide Page 10 topic, but please note that a broad general area may not be acceptable. You are advised to seek some specialist help before submitting your proposal if you run into difficulties. You are strongly advised to spend a good deal of time on choosing your topic. You will probably find it helpful to discuss possibilities with other students, and try out an initial literature search in areas you are considering. Even something quite simple such as writing out the nature of the problem or topic can be helpful at this stage. You are allowed to modify your topic, research question, etc., (and any necessary changes to your methodology) if you experience problems with your original intentions, your research throws up better and more interesting possibilities, and so on. Very occasionally, you may have to abandon your topic and change to something completely different but this is regarded as being exceptional. 4. Using Sources and Referencing Do not forget that a dissertation depends crucially on source material. From the assessment criteria listed in a later section of this document you will see that you will be evaluated on the way you use your sources. Thus, before you finalise your topic and title, make sure that adequate and appropriate sources are available. This is particularly important if empirical research is a part of your dissertation. For instance, response rates to student questionnaires are often poor and/or slow. Your dissertation may depend mainly on primary sources such as surveys, interviews, statistics, etc. Many dissertations depend more on secondary sources such as books, articles, and the internet. As you can see from the assessment criteria below, supervisors will look for evidence that you have located a good selection of appropriate sources and understood them. Make sure that you have acknowledged these sources. If you don't this will be viewed as passing off other people’s words and ideas as your own, i.e. cheating, and you will be penalised for this dishonesty. Good references are an indication that you have found and used available sources and this will be taken into account when your dissertation is marked. As all quotations and paraphrases must be acknowledged this means that you will need to keep careful records of your research and reading. The use of references can cause difficulties. You must use the Harvard System of Referencing. The essence of this system is that whenever you quote from a primary or secondary source you add in brackets, immediately after the quotation, the surname of the author, the year of publication, and the page reference The referencing system outlined can be found at the following website: http://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/subjects/reference/harvard.php 4.1 Example of Harvard referencing Carter persisted with the ‘responsible’ import based recovery programme, hoping that the Germans and Japanese would ultimately follow their example. As a consequence of this policy the US trade deficit increased from $9.5 billion in 1976 to $31.1 billion in 1977 (Stein 1998, p159). (Stein 1998, p159) would appear after a direct quotation, or as in this case, the presentation of an idea. Direct quotes of more than 30 words or so should be indented on either side. Example: In my view, and notwithstanding some of the really important theoretical insights and results that the concept has generated, there are problems in trying to apply the concept of utility that have not had the attention they deserve. However, economists are now Module Guide Page 11 beginning to take more interest in the extent to which psychological evidence can inform the development of economic models. (Anand, 2006, p223) All books etc. you have cited in the text are listed in a reference list at the end of the dissertation in alphabetical order: author, initials, date, title, place of publication, publisher. Stein would thus appear as: Stein, J (1998) The Locomotive Loses Power: The Trade and Industrial Policies of Jimmy Carter; in Fink, G & Graham, HD (eds) The Carter Presidency: Policy Choices in the Post New-Deal Era, Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas. Note that this is a chapter in a publication edited by someone else. The full volume also needs to be cited thus: Fink, G & Graham, HD (1998) The Carter Presidency: Policy Choices in the Post New-Deal Era, Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas. Note the use of italics in these two examples. It is always the title of the book that is italicised. All books etc. you have cited in the text are listed in a bibliography at the end of the dissertation in alphabetical order: author, initials, title, publisher, date. Mansfield would appear as: Mansfield, E.; Microeconomics: Theory & Applications, Norton and Company, 1995 If there is more than one book, journal article etc. by the same author your references will normally be distinguished by the year of publication. If the author has published more than one work in the same year, show them as 1992a, 1992b etc. Ensure that your document is spell-checked and pay particular attention to grammatical and punctuation errors. 4.2 Good scholarship, referencing and academic misconduct In your project, as with all academic work you will be expected to demonstrate a high standard of academic referencing. To recap, this is for three reasons: 1. To show the breadth and depth of research you have carried out (e.g. get good marks!) 2. To enable the reader to follow up on interesting ideas/research that you have discussed 3. To avoid being accused of plagiarism. As a level 7 student you should know all of the following information, but experience tells us that it is useful to include a re-cap. 4.3 What is good scholarship? Academics (including you!) are engaged in the generation of new knowledge and insights that contribute to what we already know about the natural, supernatural and social world – this is called ‘scholarship’. Good scholarship is the result of conventions that help the readers of academic research to see exactly what is new, what is the work of others and how it all fits together – the main way this is done is through the referencing system. Put simply, authors (including you) need to make it clear what are not their own ‘new’ ideas, by adding a citation after every idea or set of ideas they write about that are not their own. There are several different Module Guide Page 12 ways of doing this that have evolved from different academic disciplines (just as there are lots of different world languages). In the Business School we use the Harvard Referencing System. An excellent resource about referencing can also be found at the following website: http://www.learnhigher.org.uk/site/index.php We suggest that you select ‘in depth’ mode from the drop-down menu on the bottom left of the page. 4.4 What do I reference? As the above section suggests, you should attribute all your sources regardless of the medium the material comes in (e.g. You Tube video, journal article, blog, radio programme, book chapter etc.) There is a general rule of thumb that says that which is ‘common knowledge’ does not need to be referenced, but of course, what counts as common knowledge? So-called ‘common sense’ hides many assertions and prejudices that good quality academic work should seek to expose. A useful technique to use if you want to include general assertions is to use constructions like: ‘It is generally accepted that……’ or, ‘Arguably,’ or ‘It is reasonable to assume…’ But do take care, even assertions need some justification in the text to be credible. It is also a good idea to completely avoid cutting and pasting text from the internet, even if you correctly enclose a paragraph in quotation marks and add the reference underneath, you are unlikely to get many marks since this is not your own work and does not demonstrate your understanding. Quotations are good to see, but use them judiciously for the above reasons. If you can say it just as well yourself, write it in your own words and add the citation at the end of the sentence / passage. You need to include page numbers for all direct quotations. A useful reference, particularly with regard to referencing new electronic sources is at the following: http://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/subjects/reference/citation.php Module Guide Page 13 5. Assessment: Dissertation Structure and Formatting The assessment for this module consists of one element. Element Type of assessment Word or time limit Submission method Final Submission Date 010 Dissertation MOD001160 30 credits: 10,000 words MOD001170 60 credits: 15,000 words Turnitin®UK GradeMark and 2 X comb bound hard copies to the iCentre. NO LATER THAN: 7th September , 2017 by 2pm Your dissertation must be written in English in typescript form on A4 paper. Your name must not appear on the dissertation. TWO hard copies of your completed, bound dissertation and an electronic copy via Turnitin®UK GradeMark by the published deadline. It is advisable to retain a copy for your own records. Please note submitted dissertations will only be returned in cases of failure. The maximum length of the dissertation depends on your chosen course, as shown below: 60 credits: 15,000 words (MOD001170) MBA Business Administration Note The maximum number of words does not include footnotes, the abstract, the bibliography, indented quotations, appendices and tables. All coursework assignments and other forms of assessment must be submitted by the published deadline which is detailed above. It is your responsibility to know when work is due to be submitted – ignorance of the deadline date will not be accepted as a reason for late or non-submission. All student work which contributes to the eventual outcome of the module (ie: if it determines whether you will pass or fail the module and counts towards the mark you achieve for the module) is submitted via the iCentre using the formal submission sheet and via Turnitin®UK GradeMark. Academic staff CANNOT accept work directly from you. If you decide to submit your work by post, it must arrive by midday on the due date. If you elect to post your work, you do so at your own risk and you must ensure that sufficient time is provided for your work to arrive at the iCentre. Posting your work the day before a deadline, albeit by first class post, is extremely risky and not advised. Any late work (submitted in person or by post) will NOT be accepted and a mark of zero will be awarded for the assessment task in question. You are requested to keep a copy of your work. Module Guide Page 14 The cover sheet of the dissertation must include the following declaration: 'I declare that the above work is my own and that the material contained herein has not been substantially used in any other submission for an academic award'. The dissertation must be prefaced by an abstract. This is not an introduction but a summary which outlines the plan and argument of the dissertation. It should include brief details of the methodology employed. The abstract should not be longer than 300 words. It should be included immediately after the title page and it will be examined as part of the dissertation. A list of contents, such as the glossary, chapters, and appendices - with page references - should be included at the front of the dissertation. Pages should be numbered and double-line spacing used. Your dissertation must be held together in a suitable spine binder with a disclaimer page which will be available from http://vle.anglia.ac.uk/modules/2011/dissertationpg/Module%20Documents/Forms/AllItems.aspx. Diagrams, figures, tables, and illustrations should be incorporated into the text at the appropriate place, unless there is a series of them or they are continually referred to throughout the text. In this case they should be placed in appendices at the end of the work. You are advised to use a drawing package for diagrams and scan in other illustrations. The work of other authorities must be acknowledged. When quotations or general references are made they must be suitably referenced by using the Harvard system. Appendices should not contain material which is not used or referred to in the text. Similarly, illustrative material should not be included unless it is relevant, informative, and referred to in the text. A bibliography should be included at the end of the dissertation and should list, alphabetically, all the sources (including magazines and newspapers) that you have consulted. Books should be listed as: Author (surname then initials); title, edition, publisher, date. Other sources such as journals, magazines, and newspapers should be treated in a similar fashion. If sources are used which are not written in English then the English translation is required in the bibliography. You should also submit a copy of your dissertation on via Turnitin®UK GradeMark this will be used to help verify the sources you have used. Presentation of your dissertation Your Dissertation should be presented as follows, ALL dissertations should include the following (but they may include more): - Plastic Front Cover - White Card Cover Disclaimer Page Abstract Module Guide Page 15 Set out on a page of its own immediately after the title page. The abstract is likely to be the last section to be written. It is a short (300 words maximum.) summary of the project (not an introduction) and should indicate the nature and scope of the work, outlining the research problem, key issues, findings and your conclusion/recommendations. Table of Contents An outline of the whole project in list form, setting out the order of the sections, with page numbers. It is conventional to number the preliminary pages (abstract, table of contents) with lower case Roman numerals (i.e. (i), (ii), (iii) etc.) and the main text pages (starting with the first chapter) in Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, etc.) as shown below. Contents Page List of Tables i List of Figures ii List of Abbreviations iii Acknowledgements iv Chapter 1 (Title) 1 1.1 (First Section heading) 1.2 (Second etc.) 1.3 (Third) List of tables and figures You can present a list at the beginning of your dissertation/ project of the tables and figures you have included. A table is a presentation of data in tabular form; a figure is a diagrammatic representation of data or other material. Tables and figures should be clearly and consistently numbered, either above or below the table or figure. Each table and figure should have a separate heading (caption). The reader should be able to understand what the table or figure is about from this heading / caption without referring to the text for explanations. The numbers of the tables and the figures you use in the text and in the lists at the beginning should correspond exactly. Main body of document, appropriately structured (this structure may vary depending on the nature of your dissertation.) Bibliography / References Appendices (these should only contain material which is genuinely supportive of the argument in the main body of the dissertation). Supervisor Contact Log (completed) (See Appendix 7) White Card Back (from Copy centre) Black Comb Binding (from Copy centre) Module Guide Page 16 Do remember that clear writing makes a good impression. If your grammar is poor, sentence construction clumsy, and spelling bad, then your communication with the reader will also be affected. You will not be penalised for poor English unless it is so bad that the meaning of what you have written cannot be understood. You are required to use the following format:  Use A4 size paper only.  Type 1.5 or doublespaced. (You may want to use single spacing for indented quotes, footnote materials and the bibliography).  Use one side of paper only.  Margins should be approximately: o 3 cms on left hand side of page to allow for binding. o At least 1 cm on the right hand side o 3 cms top and bottom.  Pages should be numbered in a single sequence from the contents page onwards.  Short quotations can run in the text within single quotation marks (double quotation marks reserved for quotations within quotations). Quotations longer than about 30 words should be set in from the side of the page (normally the indent should be more than the paragraph indent).  Always write in complete sentences. Do not resort to note form.  Do not use abbreviations in the text unless they are for the organisations documents etc which are commonly initialised or referred to by acronyms eg. BBC  All abbreviations must be explained when they first appear and included in the front of the document following the contents page and the list of tables and figures. Your documents must be bound using a plastic or metal comb binding. The cover should be plain except for the title and the author’s SID number. Reprographics will copy and bind your work. There is a charge for this service. Forms of Dissertation The final form your dissertation takes will depend on the topic and the approach you take for the presentation of the data. Two examples are: Example A Chapter 1 - Introduction An explanation as to what the Dissertation is all about and why it is important. The research questions or hypotheses. Chapter 2 - Literature Review A critical analysis of what other researchers have said and where your topic fits in. The theoretical framework. Chapter 3 - Methodology Why certain data was collected and how it was collected and analysed. Chapter 4 - Results A presentation of your research results. Chapter 5 - Analysis and Discussion Analysis of your results showing the contribution to knowledge you have made and acknowledgement of any weaknesses/limitations in your work. Chapter 6 - Conclusions/Recommendations A description of the main lessons to be learned from the study and what future research could be carried out. Module Guide Page 17 Chapter 7 - References and Bibliography References are a detailed list of sources from which information has been obtained and which has been cited in the text. The bibliography is a detailed list of other sources you have used but not cited. Appendices - Detailed data referred to but not shown elsewhere. Example B You may wish to elect to write a descriptive type of dissertation that looks for patterns, ideas and hypotheses. If you do the quality of the dissertation will depend on:  How thoroughly the issues are covered.  How closely the facts relate to the original research question.  Whether the data collected provides valuable and new information that is a contribution to knowledge.  Whether the research could be built upon by future writers.  The extent to which creativity has been used in building the narrative. NB - This approach is not an extended essay, but evidence of critical reflection and analysis. The two forms of dissertation outlined above are given as an indication of possible formats. It is possible that your dissertation may require a different approach or modification to the above possibilities in presentation and content. Both presentation and content should be discussed with your Dissertation Supervisor at an early stage. Remember, study at Master's level encourages innovative application of research principles to academic work. 5.1 Submitting your work [Students in all other locations at Associate Colleges] All student work which contributes to the eventual outcome of the module (i.e. if it determines whether you will pass or fail the module and counts towards the mark you achieve for the module) is submitted according to your institutions guidelines. Academic staff CANNOT accept work directly from you. Any late work will NOT be accepted and a mark of zero will be awarded for the assessment task in question. You are requested to keep a copy of your work. 5.2 Feedback You are entitled to feedback on your performance for all your assessed work. For all assessment tasks which are not examinations, this is accomplished by a member of academic staff providing your mark and associated comments which will relate to the achievement of the module’s intended learning outcomes and the assessment criteria you were given for the task when it was first issued. The marker of your assignment will include feedback on written assignments that includes answers to these three key questions: 1. What is your overall feedback? 2. How does your assignment compare to the marking criteria? 3. How can you improve in the future? Examination scripts are retained by Anglia Ruskin and are not returned to students. However, you are entitled to feedback on your performance in an examination and may request a meeting with the Module Leader or Tutor to see your examination script and to discuss your performance. Module Guide Page 18 Anglia Ruskin is committed to providing you with feedback on all assessed work within 20 working days of the submission deadline or the date of an examination. This is extended to 30 days for feedback for a Major Project module (please note that working days excludes those days when Anglia Ruskin University is officially closed; e.g.: between Christmas and New Year). Personal tutors will offer to read feedback from several modules and help you to address any common themes that may be emerging. On occasion, you will receive feedback and marks for pieces of work that you completed in the earlier stages of the module. We provide you with this feedback as part of the learning experience and to help you prepare for other assessment tasks that you have still to complete. It is important to note that, in these cases, the marks for these pieces of work are unconfirmed. This means that, potentially, marks can change, in either direction! Marks for modules and individual pieces of work become confirmed on the Dates for the Official Publication of Results which can be checked at www.anglia.ac.uk/results. 6. Assessment Criteria The criteria for assessing your dissertation are shown ON the Postgraduate Dissertation Assessment Criteria Form that is included as Appendix 6 in this document. They are: Introduction – Is the abstract adequate? Is there a clear purpose and rationale for the study? Clear set of objectives / research questions? Research Design & Methodology – Was research design and methodology discussed? Was the approach appropriate? Use of Literature / Sources – Was the range suitable and adequate? Has a critical review of the literature been adopted? Has the student made a ‘link’ between existing literature and their own research? Results, analysis and interpretation of data – Has the data been accurately presented and analysed or are the findings merely a description? Appropriate theory applied? Interpretation – Has the student made reasoned judgements on their findings? Conclusion & recommendations – Are conclusions reasoned? Do they correspond with the objective(s) of the dissertation? Has the student reflected on the extent they have achieved their objectives? Was limitations and future research discussed? Presentation - structure & language, Harvard Referencing correctly applied, appropriate use of tables/diagrams Module Guide Page 19 6.1 Characteristics of a Postgraduate Dissertation You will have gained some idea of what is required in a postgraduate dissertation from the learning outcomes of the module and from the assessment criteria above. In general terms we expect an emphasis on the critical literature review and an in-depth understanding of theory and methodology. Specifically, Methodology - you will be expected to critically review the theoretical, empirical, and methodology literature. The theory should be comprehensively discussed and understood, and paradigms of inquiry and different methodologies should be explored. You should show awareness of the soundness of the methodology you use and its rationale. Problem formulation - you will need to be precise and rigorous about the problem formulation and the setting of objectives. Relevance and originality in the choice of topic is also important. Content and Analysis - your dissertation should clearly meet stated objectives and indicate the extent that arguments are based on valid and reliable evidence, and identified and worked within a critically analysed theoretical framework. Evaluation of Implications - the evaluation of the implications in the dissertation, based upon the analysis undertaken and upon any data collected, should be of high quality and aim for originality. Presentation - your dissertation should be well-structured in terms of both paragraphs and chapters. There should be attention to detail, expression should be clear, the title appropriate, and arguments coherent. Any appendices (and you are encouraged to keep these to a minimum) should be used. The same applies to references and the bibliography. Tables and diagrams should be of a high standard and make use of appropriate software. 6.2 How is My Work Marked? After you have handed your dissertation, Anglia Ruskin undertakes a series of activities to assure that our marking processes are comparable with those employed at other universities in the UK and that your work has been marked fairly, honestly and consistently. These include:  Internally marked by 2 people - All dissertations or projects are marked independently by your supervisor and a second marker.  External moderation – a sample of student work for all modules is moderated by external examiners – experienced academic staff from other universities (and sometimes practitioners who represent relevant professions) - who scrutinise your work and provide Anglia Ruskin academic staff with feedback, advice and assurance that the marking of your work is comparable to that in other UK universities. Many of Anglia Ruskin’s staff act as external examiners at other universities.  Departmental Assessment Panel (DAP) – performance by all students on all modules is discussed and approved at the appropriate DAPs which are attended by all relevant Module Leaders and external examiners. Anglia Ruskin has over 25 DAPs to cover all the different subjects we teach. 6.3 Re-Assessment (resit) Whilst we hope that all our students are successful in all the assessment tasks they complete, on occasion some students fail their dissertation and are therefore given one opportunity to resit the assessment. In these circumstances, the e-Vision system will tell you if you have failed and what it is you have to do to retrieve that failure, e.g. a resit examination, write a new piece of coursework, etc. The e-Vision system will also tell you when this has to be completed. Module Guide Page 20 It is your responsibility to make sure you are aware of any resit requirements, the exact details of the reassessment and when it will take place, e.g. the submission deadline or the period for any examination. Please note that the overall mark for any module which you pass after you have been reassessed, e.g. undertaken a resit examination, will be capped at 40%. 7. Reading List and Learning Resources The reading list and learning resources for this module are available on Reading Lists at Anglia, you can access the reading list for this module, via this link: http://readinglists.anglia.ac.uk/modules/mod001170.html Recommended Reading:  Saunders, M, Lewis, P and Thornhill, A; (2012), ‘Research Methods for Business Students’, 6th edn. Pearson (NB: You must log into the ARU website in order to obtain access to the book – Direct link: - http://primo.anglia.ac.uk/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?cs=frb&ct=frb&frbg=1608356&fctN=facet_frbrgroupid&fctV=1608356&doc=dedupmrg1679585&lastPag=&lastPagIndx=1&rfnGrp=frbr&frbrSrt=date&dscnt=0&scp.scps=scope%3A(APU_ML_DS)%2Cscope%3A(APU_SFX_DS)%2Cscope%3A(APU_LMS_DS_MAIN)%2Cprimo_central_multiple_fe%2CEbscoLocalSet1%2CEbscoLocalSet2&frbg=&tab=local&dstmp=1407332200878&srt=rank&ct=search&mode=Basic&&dum=true&indx=1&vl(freeText0)=Business%20Research%20saunders&fn=search&vid=ANG_VU1)  Bell, J. (2010), ‘Doing your research project: a guide for first-time researchers in education, health and social science’, Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill. (Direct link: http://primo.anglia.ac.uk/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?fn=search&ct=search&initialSearch=true&mode=Basic&tab=local&indx=1&dum=true&srt=rank&vid=ANG_VU1&frbg=1608356&fctN=facet_frbrgroupid&fctV=1608356&vl%28freeText0%29=doing+your+research+project&scp.scps=scope%3A%28APU_ML_DS%29%2Cscope%3A%28APU_SFX_DS%29%2Cscope%3A%28APU_LMS_DS_MAIN%29%2Cprimo_central_multiple_fe%2CEbscoLocalSet1%2CEbscoLocalSet2)  Denscombe, M (2012), Research Proposals: A Practical Guide, McGraw-Hill (Direct link: http://primo.anglia.ac.uk/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?cs=frb&ct=frb&frbg=18855699&fctN=facet_frbrgroupid&fctV=18855699&doc=APU_LMS_DS000734454&lastPag=&lastPagIndx=11&rfnGrp=frbr&frbrSrt=date&dscnt=0&scp.scps=scope%3A(APU_ML_DS)%2Cscope%3A(APU_SFX_DS)%2Cscope%3A(APU_LMS_DS_MAIN)%2Cprimo_central_multiple_fe%2CEbscoLocalSet1%2CEbscoLocalSet2&frbg=&tab=local&dstmp=1407332633396&srt=rank&ct=search&mode=Basic&&dum=true&indx=1&vl(freeText0)=denscombe&fn=search&vid=ANG_VU1)  Denscombe, M (2002), Ground Rules for Good Research: A 10 point Guide for Social Research, Open University (Direct Link: http://primo.anglia.ac.uk/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?fn=search&ct=search&initialSearch=true&mode=Basic&tab=local&indx=1&dum=true&srt=rank&vid=ANG_VU1&frbg=&vl%28freeText0%29=Ground+rules+for+good+research&scp.scps=scope%3A%28APU_ML_DS%29%2Cscope%3A%28APU_SFX_DS%29%2Cscope%3A%28APU_LMS_DS_MAIN%29%2Cprimo_central_multiple_fe%2CEbscoLocalSet1%2CEbscoLocalSet2)  Wilson, J. (2010), ‘Essentials of business research: a guide to doing your research project, London: Sage Publications. Recommended Internet Resources Your supervisor may be able to recommend internet resources of particular relevance to your area of research. Module Guide Page 21 Links to Other Key Information Assessment Offences: As an academic community, we recognise that the principles of truth, honesty and mutual respect are central to the pursuit of knowledge. Behaviour that undermines those principles weakens the community, both individually and collectively, and diminishes our values. There is more information on these principles and the types of Assessment Offences here: http://www.anglia.ac.uk/modguide4.aspx Penalties for poor academic practice can be severe so ensure you are aware of what is expected and how to reference correctly. There is a guide to Good Academic Practice here: http://anglia.libguides.com/plagiarism Attendance Information: Attending all your classes is very important and one of the best ways to help you succeed in this module. Link to more details on the Attendance Requirements here: http://www.anglia.ac.uk/modguide1.aspx Assessments and TurnitinUK: TurnitinUK is used for submitting the majority of your assessments, it is important that you read the information on preparing your assignment at: https://vle.anglia.ac.uk/sites/LTA/Grademark/Content/Preparing%20my%20Assignment.aspx Information on submitting your assignment must be read and guidelines adhered to, please ensure you read: https://vle.anglia.ac.uk/sites/LTA/Grademark/Content/Quick-Start.aspx The direct link to TurnitinUK is: http://www.turnitinuk.com Examinations: Examinations are held in January (semester/trimester 1), May (semester/trimester 2) and in August (trimester 3). All examinations are scheduled by the Examinations Unit, the dates and locations will be posted on the following website: http://web.anglia.ac.uk/anet/students/exams/ External Examiners: An up-to-date list of external examiners is available to students and staff at http://www.anglia.ac.uk/eeinfo The external examiner for this module is in the Leadership and Management department. These are academic examiners from other institutions who independently approve and confirm the quality and standard of our modules and assessments. Feedback in TurnitinUK: Link to more details on the viewing feedback is here: https://vle.anglia.ac.uk/sites/LTA/Grademark/Content/Feedback.aspx How is My Work Marked and Flowchart of Anglia Ruskin’s Marking Process: After you have handed your work in or you have completed an examination, Anglia Ruskin undertakes a series of activities to assure that our marking processes are comparable with those employed at other universities in the UK and that your work has been marked fairly, honestly and consistently. More information about this is given here: http://www.anglia.ac.uk/modguide5.aspx Module Evaluation: During the second half of the delivery of this module, you will be asked to complete a module evaluation questionnaire to help us obtain your views on all aspects of the module, more about this process is included here: http://www.anglia.ac.uk/modguide6.aspx Reading Lists: These are now all available online: http://readinglists.anglia.ac.uk Re-assessments: Re-assessment dates will be stated on e-vision, you can check the specific date your re-assessment assignment is due in on: http://e-vision.anglia.ac.uk or alternatively, if it is an examination, these are scheduled by the Examinations Unit, the dates and locations will be posted on the following website: http://web.anglia.ac.uk/anet/students/exams/ University Generic Assessment Criteria: This module is at level 7, information on the criteria that the university uses to mark your work can be found here: http://www.anglia.ac.uk/criteria Module Guide Page 22  APPENDIX 1: DISSERTATION PROPOSAL COVERSHEET Student Name: Student Number: Degree Programme: Dissertation to be submitted: Area of Dissertation: This must be a minimum of 2-3 paragraphs and include an overview of the research topic, along with aims and objectives. An additional page can be attached if required. Please tick the most appropriate subject area for your Dissertation Accounting and Finance Business Decision Making Business Economics Corporate Strategy Organisational Behaviour Marketing HRM Information Technology Enterprise and Innovation Logistics/Supply Chain Signature of Student: Date: Office Use Only Module Guide Page 23 Proposed Dissertation Supervisor: APPENDIX 2: PRODUCING AND SUBMITTING YOUR DISSERTATION PROPOSAL You are required to produce a 750-800 word Dissertation Research Proposal. This should be based on your chosen dissertation topic. A guide to the structure of the proposal is set out in (Appendix 3), followed by an example of a Dissertation Research Proposal (Appendix 4). Although this example is slightly longer than what we are expecting from you, it still contains all of the ‘key elements’ typically found in a research proposal. It’s important to follow this structure as it makes it easier for us when it comes to allocating your Dissertation Supervisor. Once you have finished your completed proposal, it should be submitted to the Faculty Office along with your completed Dissertation Proposal Coversheet (Appendix 1). This is so that a Dissertation Supervisor can be allocated to you. The name of your Dissertation Supervisor will be posted on the VLE. This is likely to be done 7-10 days after you submit your proposal. Once you have found out the name of your supervisor, it is down to you to make contact in order to arrange an initial meeting to discuss your dissertation. Do not worry at this stage if you have not fully formulated your research topic. The important thing is that you have some idea of your proposed area of research. You can change your topic, although try to keep it within the same broad discipline e.g. Marketing, Economics, HR. *Your proposal must contain a minimum of 5 references. Module Guide Page 24 APPENDIX 3: HOW TO STRUCTURE YOUR DISSERTATION PROPOSAL Title The title of your proposed research must fulfil a number of set criteria. First, it must reflect the nature of your study. For example, if you intend studying a particularly firm’s financial performance, then something to this effect must be stressed in your proposed title. Second, it must be concise. Ideally, try not to exceed more than 10-12 words. Third, try to avoid unnecessary terms such as ‘Case study approach’. Finally, try and keep your title clear and easy to understand. In other words, consider it from the layperson’s point of view. Research Problem The research problem or the main focus of your research should be clearly set out within the introductory section of your proposal. As noted earlier, it is important that the nature of your topic is clear and easy to understand. Your introductory section should provide background to your study; while at the same time define any key words or terms. Ideally, brief reference should also be made to existing studies that are relevant to your own work. Of course, making sure that the Harvard referencing System is applied in the correct way. Key Literature This involves a shortened literature review that critically analyses the work by leading authors relevant to your own research issue. In short, it must be critical and not overly descriptive. The verbatim copying of previous studies also provides no evidence as to how existing work ‘links’ to your own study. Remember that at some point you also need to say how your own research fits in to the gap of current literature. This usually comes somewhere towards the end of your preliminary review. Methodology This part of the proposal should classify your research design; include your rationale behind your chosen research strategy, along with methods for collecting and analyzing your data. This is of course dependent on your research approach. Aim to provide support for your choice of methodology. This can be done on the basis of using academic references or referring to previous work that also used a methodology similar to your own. Clear support for the latter option is the ability to compare your findings with that of previous studies. The importance of validity and reliability is something that one would also expect to see featured in this part of your proposal. In addition, use this as an opportunity to cite any potential limitations that you foresee with your research. Limitations are constraints in your research. For example, for most researchers financial and time constraints are potential limitations. Research Timetable Unlike your final research project, your proposal will not set out your research findings and conclusions. This part of the proposal is intended for you to develop your own research timetable. You might question the purpose of a timetable, as you prefer to work in an ad hoc manner. True, every researcher works in their ‘own’ way. However, the setting out of clear tasks, along with start and completion dates can help you to work towards a set research schedule. A Gantt chart often works best. This can set out the tasks e.g. literature review, data collection; writing up etc, along with a respective start date and completion date. A point worth mentioning is that when allocating time, it is better to be conservative, rather than too ambitious. Module Guide Page 25 APPENDIX 4: EXAMPLE OF A RESEARCH PROPOSAL Title: The Internationalization and Brand Development of Chinese Firms Research Problem A number of internal and external factors have resulted in many Chinese firms becoming involved in the internationalization process. Increased domestic competition, along with an easing of regulations under WTO, has allowed Chinese firms to penetrate international markets. This has resulted in a dramatic increase in Chinese outward investment. However, there currently exists a limited amount of research on the internationalization of Chinese firms (Child and Rodrigues, 2005; Deng, 2007a; Deng, 2007b). The majority of research focuses on inward, as opposed to outward Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Therefore, a gap needs to be filled that explores the reasons Chinese firms internationalize, as well as how they currently penetrate international markets. An important aspect of internationalization is how an organization develops its brand when penetrating international markets. For example, a key question is to what extent should we adapt our brand attributes? Often viewed as ‘the workshop of the world’, China has yet to develop a single brand that can be described as truly global. Building brands fits with the Chinese government’s strategy of consolidating strategic industries in order to create national champions that can hold their own in global markets and is viewed as one more way for the country to restore its imperial glory (Shenkar, 2003: 158). Reasons for China developing global brands is that the home market is fiendishly competitive and puts constant pressure on prices, branded products can be more profitable than those of OEMs, and competing in foreign markets forces companies to innovate and improve, thus helping them to move away from their image as producers of cheap goods (Gao et al., 2003). According to one of the world’s leading brand consultants – Interbrand, Chinese enterprises such as Haier, Lenovo, TCL and Huawei Technologies are ready to compete on a world stage. Although Chinese brands have made evident and impressive progress in terms of internationalization, they still have far to go to compete with their global rivals, and the gaps are even widening in some respects. This is demonstrated by the revenue of China’s largest consumer appliance company, Haier, which in 2002 amounted to only about ten per cent of Sony’s total electronic sales (Fan, 2006: 367). Interestingly, the current 2007 list of Interbrand’s top twenty-five Chinese brands includes a total of seven that feature ‘China’ in their name. Much research has shown that country-of-origin (COO) affects consumers’ perceptions of brand image and consumer behaviour (Hong and Wyer, 1995; Peterson and Jolibert, 1995). Chinese products are typically perceived as being ‘cheap’, and of ‘low quality’. Therefore, one would postulate that in order to establish a global brand, reference to China might not help with global ambitions. Even China’s East Asian neighbours have brands featured in the top 100. Japan has eight brands listed (positions in brackets), Toyota (6); Honda (19); Sony (25); Canon (36); Nintendo (44); Panasonic (78); Lexus (92) and Nissan (98), while The Republic of Korea has three brands listed – Samsung (21); Hyundai (72) and LG (97). These Japanese and South Korean companies made the transition from national to global brands; however, this took some years to achieve. The development of Chinese brands has received limited attention from researchers (Fan, 2006). Therefore, a gap in the literature exists to explore reasons behind a lack of truly global Chinese brands, and determine the steps Chinese firms need to take in order to achieve truly global brand status. In sum, the nature of this research project is to examine the internationalization and brand development of Chinese Module Guide Page 26 firms. As reflected in the title, a case study approach will be adopted. In other words, analysis will be based on the existing internationalization activities of Chinese firms. Research Objective / Questions The main objective of the proposed research is - to better understand the internationalization and brand development of Chinese firms. The aim is to not only evaluate internationalization and the reasons China lacks a truly global brand, but also analyze what types of strategies Chinese brands need to take in order to achieve ‘global brand’ status. The objectives for this study are as follows:  Understand what motivates Chinese firms to internationalize.  Examine the internationalization strategies adopted by Chinese firms.  Determine the reasons behind China’s lack of truly global brands.  Examine the strategies Chinese firms need to adopt in order to develop global brands. The main research questions to be addressed are:  Why do Chinese firms decide to internationalize?  What are the internationalization strategies adopted by Chinese firms?  Why doesn’t China currently have a major global brand?  What strategies do Chinese brands need to adopt in order to achieve global brand status?  How can Chinese firms compete in global markets? Key Literature There has been a call from a number of researchers to examine the internationalization of emerging market multinationals (EMM), especially those originating from China (See Fan, 2008: 357). Research into FDI in China is now a ‘well trodden path’. However, there exists a limited body of literature into China’s outward investment. Particularly in relation to the internationalization process of Chinese firms. Child and Rodrigues’ (2005) article is one of the few studies that explore internationalization from a Chinese perspective. Obviously the growing dominance of China on the global stage is justification for a better understanding of the internationalisation of Chinese firms. Although there have recently been a number of high profile cases e.g. Lenovo’s acquisition of IBM’s PC division, the actual process of internationalization of Chinese firms, and reasons behind it, have still not been fully explored. According to Hulland (1999) the source country of brands can be seen as an important determinant of brand choice. Given China’s reputation as the ‘workshop of the world’ it is difficult to find anything these days that is not produced in China. Although many of the world’s top global brands such as Nike, Nokia and Gap are produced in China and other developing countries, consumers often view these brands based on the origin of the brand, as opposed to the country of manufacture. Recently the ‘made in China’ label has proven somewhat of a headache for marketers of Chinese brands. An article in Business Week (September 24th, 2007) highlights this by stressing that “after a year of massive toy recalls tainted toothpaste scares, and poisonous pet food incidents, consumers around the globe are thinking twice—or more—before buying Chinese-made goods. Indeed, in a new survey of marketing and business professionals worldwide, 69% of respondents said the phrase ‘Made in China’ hurts mainland brands. The word most frequently associated with Chinese products? ‘Cheap.’ Methodology Module Guide Page 27 This study will use a range of secondary sources. For this study, this includes annual reports, promotional material, company documentation, published case descriptions, magazine and newspaper reports, as well as government printed sources. Multiple sources of data are used in case studies to increase validity and reliability (Yin, 1989). It should be stressed that the secondary data in this research is largely limited to data presented in English. As a non-Chinese speaker, this is an obvious limitation since it is restricting the volume of data available for analysis. However, it is a common problem for individual researchers conducting cross-cultural research. This study follows a qualitative approach by principally analysing relatively qualitative information and is based on comparisons between cases. Its intention is exploratory in nature, aimed at advancing tentative propositions rather than drawing generalized inferences (Child and Yan, 2003). Research Timetable It is envisaged that this entire research project will be completed within a period of 18 – 24 months. At first, this may seem like an extremely short period of time to complete such an in-depth study, however, it must be noted that the student has already collected a significant amount of secondary data on the subject. In addition, the student has close contacts in a UK-Sino joint venture therefore has an excellent insight into the logistics of operating such a venture. In addition, he is very much familiar with existing relevant sources and has access to data. References Child, J. and Rodrigues, S.B. (2005) ‘The internationalization of Chinese firms: A case for theoretical extension’, Management & Organisation Review, 1 (3): 381-410. Child, J. and Yan, Y. (2003) ‘National and transitional effects in international joint ventures: Indications from Sino-foreign joint ventures’ Management International Review, 41 (1): 53-75. Fan, Y. (2006) ‘The globalisation of Chinese brands’, Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 24 (4): 365-379. Fan, Y. (2008) ‘The rise of emerging multinationals and the impact on marketing’, Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 26 (4): Viewpoint. Gao, P., Woetzel, J.R., and Wu, Y. (2003) ‘Can Chinese brands make it abroad?’ The Mckinsey Quarterly, Special Edition: Global directions. Hong, S. and Wyer, R.S. (1995) ‘Effects of Country-of-origin and Product attribute information on product evaluation: An information processing perspective’, Journal of Consumer Research, 16 (2): 175-187. Hulland, J. (1999) ‘The effect of country-of-brand and brand name on product evaluation and consideration: a cross-country comparison’, Journal of International Consumer Marketing, 11 (1): 23-40. Interbrand (2007) ‘Made in China: 2007 Brand Survey’, online source: www.ourfishbowl.com/images/surveys/Interbrand_Made_In_China_2007.pdf, accessed 10 July 2008. Kwok, S., Uncles, M., Huang, Y. (2006) ‘Brand Preferences and brand choices among urban Chinese consumers: An investigation of COO effects’, Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing & Logistics, 18 (3). Module Guide Page 28 Peterson, R.A. and Jolibert, A.J.P. (1995) ‘A meta-analysis country-of-origin effects’, Journal of International Business Studies, 26 (4): 883-901. Ping, Deng (2007a) ‘Investing for Strategic Resources and its rationale: The case of outward FDI from Chinese Companies’, Business Horizons, 50 (1): 71-81. Ping, Deng (2007b) ‘Outward investment by Chinese MNCs: Motivations and Implications’, Business Horizons, 47 (3): 8-16. Shenkar, Oded (2006) The Chinese Century. New Jersey: Wharton School Publishing. Yin, R.K. (1989) Case Study Research: Design and Methods. Newbury Park, CA: Sage. Module Guide Page 29  APPENDIX 5: ANGLIA RUSKIN UNIVERSITY GENERIC ASSESSMENT CRITERIA AND MARKING STANDARDS - LEVEL 7 Level 7 is characterised by an expectation of students’ expertise in their specialism. Students are semi-autonomous, demonstrating independence in the negotiation of assessment tasks (including the major project) and the ability to evaluate, challenge, modify and develop theory and practice. Students are expected to demonstrate an ability to isolate and focus on the significant features of problems and to offer synthetic and coherent solutions, with some students producing original or innovative work in their specialism that is worthy of publication or public performance or display. Mark Bands Outcome Generic Learning Outcomes (GLOs) (Academic Regulations, Section 2) Knowledge & Understanding Intellectual (thinking), Practical, Affective and Transferable Skills Characteristics of Student Achievement by Marking Band 90-100% Achieves module outcome(s) related to GLO at this level Exceptional analysis of key issues/concepts/ethics with very clear originality and autonomy. Exceptional development of conceptual structures and argument making an exceptional use of scholarly conventions. Demonstrates independence of thought and a very high level of intellectual rigour and consistency. Work pushes the boundaries of the discipline and may be considered for external publication Exceptional analysis of key issues/concepts/ethics. Exceptional development of conceptual structures and argument, making consistent use of scholarly conventions. Exceptional research skills, independence of thought, an extremely high level of intellectual rigour and consistency, exceptional expressive/professional skills, and substantial creativity and originality. Exceptional academic/intellectual skills. Work pushes the boundaries of the discipline and may be considered for external publication 80-89% Outstanding analysis of key issues/concepts/ethics with clear originality and autonomy. Outstanding development of conceptual structures and argument making an exemplary use of scholarly conventions. Demonstrates independence of thought and a very high level of intellectual rigour and consistency Outstanding analysis of key issues/concepts/ethics. Very high level development of conceptual structures and argument, making consistent use of scholarly conventions. Outstanding research skills, independence of thought, a high level of intellectual rigour and consistency, outstanding expressive/professional skills, and considerable creativity and originality. Exemplary academic/intellectual skills 70-79% Excellent analysis of key issues/concepts/ethics. Excellent development of conceptual structures and argument making excellent use of scholarly conventions. Demonstrates independence of thought and a high level of intellectual rigour and consistency Excellent analysis of key issues/concepts/ethics. High level development of conceptual structures and argument, making consistent use of scholarly conventions. Excellent research skills, independence of thought, a high level of intellectual rigour and consistency, excellent expressive/ professional skills, and considerable creativity and originality. Excellent academic/intellectual skills, and considerable creativity and originality 60-69% Good analysis of key issues/concepts/ethics. Development of conceptual structures and argument making consistent use of scholarly conventions Good analysis of key issues/concepts/ethics. Development of conceptual structures and argument, making consistent use of scholarly conventions 50-59% Satisfactory knowledge of key issues/ concepts/ethics in discipline. Descriptive in parts but some ability to synthesise scholarship and argument. Minor lapses in use of scholarly conventions Satisfactory knowledge of key issues/ concepts/ethics in discipline. Descriptive in parts but some ability to synthesise scholarship and argument. Minor lapses in use of scholarly conventions 40-49% A marginal pass in module outcome(s) related to GLO at this level Basic knowledge of key issues/concepts/ethics in discipline. Generally descriptive, with restricted synthesis of existing scholarship and little argument. Use of scholarly conventions inconsistent Basic knowledge of key issues/concepts/ethics in discipline. Generally descriptive, with restricted synthesis of existing scholarship and little argument. Use of scholarly conventions inconsistent. 30-39% A marginal fail in module outcome(s) related to GLO at this level. Possible compensation. Satisfies qualifying mark Limited knowledge of key issues/concepts/ethics in discipline. Largely descriptive, with restricted synthesis of existing scholarship and limited argument. Limited use of scholarly conventions. Limited research skills impede use of learning resources and problem solving. Significant problems with structure/accuracy in expression. Team/Practical/ Professional skills not yet secure. Weak academic/ intellectual skills. Limited use of scholarly conventions 20-29% Fails to achieve module outcome(s) related to this GLO. Qualifying mark not satisfied. No compensation Little evidence of knowledge of key issues/concepts/ethics in discipline. Largely descriptive, with little synthesis of existing scholarship and little evidence of argument. Little evidence of use of scholarly conventions. Little evidence of research skills, use of learning resources and problem solving. Major problems with structure/ accuracy in expression. Team/Practical/Professional skills virtually absent. Very weak academic/intellectual skills. Little evidence of use of scholarly conventions Module Guide Page 30 10-19% available Inadequate knowledge of key issues/concepts/ethics in discipline. Wholly descriptive, with inadequate synthesis of existing scholarship and inadequate argument. Inadequate use of scholarly conventions. Inadequate use of research skills, learning resources and problem solving. Major problems with structure/accuracy in expression. Team/Practical/Professional skills absent. Extremely weak academic/intellectual skills. Inadequate use of scholarly conventions 1-9% No evidence of knowledge of key issues/concepts/ethics in discipline. Incoherent and completely but poorly descriptive, with no evidence of synthesis of existing scholarship and no argument whatsoever. No evidence of use of scholarly conventions. No evidence of use of research skills, learning resources and problem solving. Incoherent structure/accuracy in expression. Team/Practical/Professional skills non-existent. No evidence of academic/intellectual skills. No evidence of use of scholarly conventions 0% Awarded for: (i) non-submission; (ii) dangerous practice and; (iii) in situations where the student fails to address the assignment brief (e.g.: answers the wrong question) and/or related learning outcomes Module Guide Page 31 APPENDIX 6: LAIBS POSTGRADUATE DISSERTATION ASSESSMENT FORM Student Number: Dissertation Title: First Marker: Suggested Mark: % Agreed Mark: Second Marker: Suggested Mark: % % Marking Criteria Comments Mark % Weight Weighted Mark Introduction Is the abstract adequate? Is there a clear purpose and rationale for the study? Clear set of objectives / research questions? 0.1 Research Design & Methodology Was research design and methodology discussed? Was the approach appropriate? 0.2 Use of Literature / Sources Was the range suitable and adequate? Has a critical review of the literature been adopted? Has the student made a ‘link’ between existing literature and their own research? 0.2 Results, analysis and interpretation of data Has the data been accurately presented and analysed or are the findings merely a description? Appropriate theory applied? Interpretation – Has the student made reasoned judgments on their findings? 0.3 Conclusion & recommendations Are conclusions reasoned? Do they correspond with the objective(s) of the dissertation? Has the student reflected on the extent they have achieved their objectives? Limitations and future research discussed? 0.1 Presentation Structure & language, Harvard Referencing correctly applied, appropriate use of tables/diagrams? 0.1 TOTAL: Module Guide Page 32 Marks under each heading should be given careful consideration. If the default weight is inappropriate please indicate a new weight and explain this in your report overleaf (e.g. a work based project might involve less attention being paid to literature review). APPENDIX 7: LAIBS SUPERVISOR CONTACT LOG SUPERVISOR CONTACT LOG (TO BE SUBMITTED WITH DISSERTATION) Student Number: Degree Programme: Proposed Dissertation Title (as submitted to Faculty Office): Agreed Title (as agreed with supervisor): Supervisor’s Signature: Date: Date and time of meeting Notes Supervisor’s initials This form is to be submitted for signature by your supervisor on every occasion that you consult him or her regarding your dissertation. The completed log must be submitted with your dissertation. Module Guide Page 33 Supervisor Change Sheet (SCS) Form UGMP and PGMP (only) Student Name: Student ID Number: Email Address: Course: Proposed Dissertation Title: Subject Area: Current supervisor: Desired Supervisor: Reason for the supervisor change request (please provide details and evidence): Signature: Date For Office Use only: Decision: Yes No If yes, please write below the name of the new supervisor and provide reasons. If no, please provide reasons. Module Guide Page 34 Name of staff member Signature Date  APPENDIX 8: RESEARCH ETHICS APPLICATION FORM (STAGE 1) More information on ethics procedures can be found on your faculty website. You must read the Question Specific Advice for Stage 1 Research Ethics Approval form. All research carried out by students and staff at Anglia Ruskin University and all students at our Franchise Associate Colleges, must comply with Anglia Ruskin University’s Module Guide Page 35 Research Ethics Policy (students at other types of Associate College need to check requirements). There is no distinction between undergraduate, taught masters, research degree students and staff research. All research projects, including pilot studies, must receive research ethical approval prior to approaching participants and/or commencing data collection. Completion of this Research Ethics Application Form (Stage 1) is mandatory for all research applications*. It should be completed by the Principal Investigator in consultation with any co-researchers on the project, or the student in consultation with his/her research project supervisor. *For research only involving animals please complete the Animal Ethics Review Checklist instead of this form. All researchers should:  Ensure they comply with any laws and associated Codes of Practice that may be applicable to their area of research.  Ensure their study meets with relevant Professional Codes of Conduct.  Complete the relevant compulsory research ethics training.  Refer to the Question Specific Advice for the Stage 1 Research Ethics Approval.  Consult the Code of Practice for Applying for Ethical Approval at Anglia Ruskin University. If you are still uncertain about the answer to any question please speak to your Dissertation Supervisor/Supervisor, Faculty Research Ethics Panel (FREP) Chair or the Departmental Research Ethics Panel (DREP) Chair. Researchers are advised that projects carrying higher levels of ethical risk will:  require the researchers to provide more justification for their research, and more detail of the intended methods to be employed;  be subject to greater levels of scrutiny;  require a longer period to review. Researchers are strongly advised to consider this in the planning phase of their research projects. Module Guide Page 36 Section 1: RESEARCHER AND PROJECT DETAILS Researcher details: Name(s): Department: Faculty: Anglia Ruskin email address: Status: Undergraduate Taught Postgraduate Postgraduate Research Staff If this is a student project: SID: Course title: Supervisor/tutor name Project details: Project title (not module title): Data collection start date: (note must be prospective) Expected project completion date: Is the project externally funded? Licence number (if applicable): CONFIRMATION STATEMENTS – please tick the box to confirm you understand these requirements The project has a direct benefit to society and/or improves knowledge and understanding. All researchers involved have completed relevant training in research ethics, and consulted the Code of Practice for Applying for Ethical Approval at Anglia Ruskin University. The risks participants, colleagues or the researchers may be exposed to have been considered and appropriate steps to reduce any risks identified taken (risk assessment(s) must be completed if applicable, available at: http://rm.anglia.ac.uk/extlogin.asp) or the equivalent for Associate Colleges. My research will comply with the Data Protection Act (1998) and/or data protection laws of the country I am carrying the research out in, as applicable. For further advice please refer to the Question Specific Advice for the Stage 1 Research Ethics Approval. Project summary (maximum 500 words): Please outline rationale for the research, the project aim, the research questions, research procedure and details of the participant population and how they will be recruited. Module Guide Page 37 Section 2: RESEARCH ETHICS CHECKLIST - please answer YES or NO to ALL of the questions below. WILL YOUR RESEARCH STUDY? YES NO 1 Involve any external organisation for which separate research ethics clearance is required (e.g. NHS, Social Services, Ministry of Justice)? 2 Involve individuals aged 16 years of age and over who lack capacity to consent and will therefore fall under the Mental Capacity Act (2005)? 3 Collect, use or store any human tissue/DNA including but not limited to serum, plasma, organs, saliva, urine, hairs and nails? Contact [email protected] 4 Involve medical research with humans, including clinical trials? 5 Administer drugs, placebos or other substances (e.g. food substances, vitamins) to human participants? 6 Cause (or could cause) pain, physical or psychological harm or negative consequences to human participants? 7 Involve the researchers and/or participants in the potential disclosure of any information relating to illegal activities; or observation/handling/storage of material which may be illegal? 8 With respect to human participants or stakeholders, involve any deliberate deception, covert data collection or data collection without informed consent? 9 Involve interventions with children and young people under 16 years of age? 10 Relate to military sites, personnel, equipment, or the defence industry? 11 Risk damage or disturbance to culturally, spiritually or historically significant artefacts or places, or human remains? 12 Involve genetic modification, or use of genetically modified organisms above that of routine class one activities? Contact [email protected] (All class one activities must be described in Section 4). 13 Contain elements you (or members of your team) are not trained to conduct? 14 Potentially reveal incidental findings related to human participant health status? 15 Present a risk of compromising the anonymity or confidentiality of personal, sensitive or confidential information provided by human participants and/or organisations? 16 Involve colleagues, students, employees, business contacts or other individuals whose response may be influenced by your power or relationship with them? 17 Require the co-operation of a gatekeeper for initial access to the human participants (e.g. pupils/students, self-help groups, nursing home residents, business, charity, museum, government department, international agency)? 18 Offer financial or other incentives to human participants? 19 Take place outside of the country in which your campus is located, in full Module Guide Page 38 or in part? 20 Cause a negative impact on the environment (over and above that of normal daily activity)? 21 Involve direct and/or indirect contact with human participants? 22 Raise any other ethical concerns not covered in this checklist? Section 3: APPROVAL PROCESS Prior to application: 1. Researcher / student / project tutor completes ethics training . 2. Lead researcher / student completes Stage 1 Research Ethics Application form in consultation with co-researchers / project tutor. NO answered to all questions (Risk category 1) (STAGE 1 APPROVAL) NO answered to question 1-13 YES answered to any question 14-22 (Risk Category 2) (STAGE 2 APPROVAL) Yes answered to any question 3-13 (Risk Category 3B) Research can proceed. Send this completed form to your relevant DREP for their records. i) Complete Section 4 of this form. ii) ii) Produce Participant Information Sheet (PIS) and Participant Consent Form (PCF) if applicable. iii) Submit this form and PIS/ PCF where applicable to your Faculty DREP (where available) or Faculty FREP. Two members of the DREP/FREP will review the application and report to the panel, who will consider whether the ethical risks have been managed appropriately. • Yes : DREP / FREP inform research team of approval and forward forms to FREP for recording. • No: DREP / FREP provides feedback to researcher outlining revisions required. The panel may recommend that the project is upgraded to Category 3 - please see below for procedure. Complete this form and the Stage 2 Research Ethics Application form and submit to your FREP. FREP will review the application and approve the application when they are Yes answered to question 1 and / or 2 (Risk Category 3A) Submit this completed form to your FREP to inform them of your intention to apply to an external review panel for your project. For NHS (NRES) applications, the FREP Chair would normally act as sponsor / co-sponsor for your application. The outcome notification from the external review panel should be forwarded to FREP for recording. Module Guide Page 39 Section 4: ETHICAL RISK (Risk category 2 projects only) Management of Ethical Risk (Q14-22) For each question 14-22 ticked ‘yes’, please outline how you will manage the ethical risk posed by your study. Section 5: Declaration *Student/Staff Declaration By sending this form from My Anglia e-mail account I confirm that I will undertake this project as detailed above. I understand that I must abide by the terms of this approval and that I may not substantially amend the project without further approval. **Supervisor Declaration By sending this form from My Anglia e-mail account I confirm that I will undertake to supervise this project as detailed above. *Students to forward completed form to their Dissertation Supervisor/Supervisor. ** Dissertation Supervisor/Supervisor to forward the completed form to the relevant ethics committee. Date: August 2014 V 5.2 Module Guide Page 40   APPENDIX 9: Anglia Ruskin University: Research Ethics Application Form (Stage 2) PLEASE COMPLETE THE FORM IN WORD PROCESSING FORMAT. HANDWRITTEN APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. Name Faculty Title of Proposed Research Address E-mail address Type of Researcher (please tick) Undergraduate student Postgraduate student: Masters Doctorate Other please state…………………. Member of staff Supervisor/Project Director Collaborators Expected date of commencement Approximate duration Externally funded Yes No Please refer to section 3.4 of the “Guidelines for Applying for Ethical Approval at Anglia Ruskin University” to see whether you need to obtain additional insurance cover for your research. 1. Briefly describe the rationale for and state the value of the research you wish to undertake. 2. Suitability/qualifications of researchers to undertake the research. Please include details of any internal or external research ethics training you have participated in. 3. What are the aims of the research? 4. Briefly describe the overall design of the project. Module Guide Page 41 5. Briefly describe the methods of data collection and analysis. 6. Describe the participants: give the age range, gender and any particular characteristics pertinent to the research project. For experimental studies state the inclusion and exclusion criteria. 7. If your participants are under 18 years of age, please confirm who you have applied to for a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check (if UK) or non-UK clearance, or, if not, explain below. PLEASE DO NOT ATTACH A COPY OF YOUR DBS CHECK WITH YOUR APPLICATION. 8. How will the participants be selected and recruited? 9. How many participants will be involved? For experimental studies, specify how the sample size was determined. In clinical trials, a Power calculation must be included. 10. What procedures will be carried out on the participants (if applicable)? 11. What potential risks to the participants do you foresee? 12. How do you propose to ameliorate/deal with potential risks to participants? 13. What potential risks to the interests of the researchers do you foresee? 14. How will you ameliorate/deal with potential risks to the interests of researchers? 15. Has a risk assessment been completed? (Yes/No) – link to risk assessment website - http://web.anglia.ac.uk/anet/rdcs/compliance/index.phtml (please be aware this must be kept on file and updated annually) Module Guide Page 42 16. How will you brief and debrief participants? (Attach copy of information to be given to participants) 17. Will informed consent be sought from participants? Yes (Please attach a copy of the consent form) No If no, please explain below: 18. If there are doubts about participants’ abilities to give informed consent, what steps have you taken to ensure that they are willing to participate? 19. If participants are under 18 years of age please describe how you will seek informed consent 20. How will consent be recorded? 21. Will participants be informed of the right to withdraw without penalty? Yes No If no, please detail the reasons for this: 22. How do you propose to ensure participants’ confidentiality and anonymity? 23. Please describe which of the following will be involved in your arrangements for storing data: Manual files (e.g. paper documents or X-rays) Home or other personal computer University computer Private company or work-based computer Module Guide Page 43 Laptop computer Other (please define) Please explain, for each of the above, the arrangements you will make for the security of the data (please note that any data stored on computer must have password protection as a minimum requirement): 24. Will payments be made to participants? Yes No If yes, please specify: 25. Modification of Proposal 26. (EXTERNALLY-FUNDED PROJECTS ONLY) Has the funding body been informed of and agreed to abide by Anglia Ruskin University’s Ethics Procedures and standards? Yes No If no, please explain below: 27. (EXTERNALLY-FUNDED PROJECTS ONLY) Has the funder placed any restrictions on a) the conduct of the research b) publication of results? Yes No If yes, please detail below: 28. Are there any further points you wish to make in justification of the proposed research? Date: 3 September 2013 V1.0 Module Guide Page 44 RESEARCH ETHICS SUBCOMMITTEE (RESC) REGISTER The Research Ethics Subcommittee (RESC) publishes a list of approved projects on the University intranet, which is searchable by all staff and students of the University. The entry for each project comprises the following data:  project title  funding body (if appropriate)  duration of project  date and expiry of ethics approval  name of researcher Inclusion on this list is a condition of ethics approval, unless the Committee is informed of compelling reasons for an exemption. If you wish to request that your information is withheld, please tick the box below and state the reasons for your request. I do not wish my project details to be included on the RESC list for the following reasons: Please indicate that you are enclosing with this form the following completed documents: Participant consent form Participant Information Sheet Summary of the research Signed Date Statement of Supervisor’s / Project Director’s support* I support this application: Signed Date Title *applications not countersigned by a supervisor/project director will not be accepted; please note that this applies equally to members of staff who are also students’ Module Guide Page 45  APPENDIX 10: PARTICIPANT INFORMATION SHEET THIS IS A GUIDANCE DOCUMENT AND MUST BE ADAPTED FOR YOUR RESEARCH PROJECT. THE FORM MUST BE ON ANGLIA RUSKIN UNIVERSITY HEADED NOTEPAPER OR HAVE THE ANGLIA RUSKIN UNIVERSITY LOGO AS THE HEADER. PARTICIPANT INFORMATION SHEET Note to researchers:  USE CLEAR AND ACCESSIBLE LANGUAGE  USE ONLY THE MOST NECESSARY TECHNICAL TERMS Section A: The Research Project 1. Title of project 2. Purpose and value of study 3. Invitation to participate 4. Who is organising the research 5. What will happen to the results of the study 6. Source of funding for the research 7. Contact for further information Section B: Your Participation in the Research Project 1. Why you have been invited to take part 2. Whether you can refuse to take part 3. Whether you can withdraw at any time, and how 4. What will happen if you agree to take part (brief description of procedures/tests) 5. Whether there are any risks involved (e.g. side effects from taking part) and if so what will be done to ensure your wellbeing/safety 6. Agreement to participate in this research should not compromise your legal rights should something go wrong Module Guide Page 46 7. Whether there are any special precautions you must take before, during or after taking part in the study 8. What will happen to any information/data/samples that are collected from you 9. Whether there are any benefits from taking part 10. How your participation in the project will be kept confidential YOU WILL BE GIVEN A COPY OF THIS TO KEEP, TOGETHER WITH A COPY OF YOUR CONSENT FORM Module Guide Page 47  APPENDIX 11: PARTICIPANT CONSENT FORM Th THIS IS A GUIDANCE DOCUMENT AND MUST BE ADAPTED FOR YOUR RESEARCH STUDY. THIS FORM MUST BE ON ANGLIA RUSKIN UNIVERSITY HEADED NOTEPAPER OR HAVE THE ANGLIA RUSKIN UNIVERSITY LOGO AS THE HEADER. NAME OF PARTICIPANT: Title of the project: Main investigator and contact details: Members of the research team: 1. I agree to take part in the above research. I have read the Participant Information Sheet for the study. I understand what my role will be in this research, and all my questions have been answered to my satisfaction. 2. I understand that I am free to withdraw from the research at any time, for any reason and without prejudice. 3. I have been informed that the confidentiality of the information I provide will be safeguarded. 4. I am free to ask any questions at any time before and during the study. 5. I have been provided with a copy of this form and the Participant Information Sheet. Data Protection: I agree to the University1 processing personal data which I have supplied. I agree to the processing of such data for any purposes connected with the Research Project as outlined to me* Name of participant (print)………………………….Signed………………..….Date……………… YOU WILL BE GIVEN A COPY OF THIS FORM TO KEEP -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you wish to withdraw from the research, please complete the form below and return to the main investigator named above. Title of Project: I WISH TO WITHDRAW FROM THIS STUDY Signed: __________________________________ Date: _____________________ 1 “The University” includes Anglia Ruskin University and its partner colleges Module Guide Page 10 Module Guide Page 11 Links to Other Key Information Assessment Offences: As an academic community, we recognise that the principles of truth, honesty and mutual respect are central to the pursuit of knowledge. Behaviour that undermines those principles weakens the community, both individually and collectively, and diminishes our values. There is more information on these principles and the types of Assessment Offences here: http://www.anglia.ac.uk/modguide4.aspx Penalties for poor academic practice can be severe so ensure you are aware of what is expected and how to reference correctly. There is a guide to Good Academic Practice here: http://anglia.libguides.com/plagiarism Attendance Information: Attending all your classes is very important and one of the best ways to help you succeed in this module. Link to more details on the Attendance Requirements here: http://www.anglia.ac.uk/modguide1.aspx Assessments and TurnitinUK: TurnitinUK is used for submitting the majority of your assessments, it is important that you read the information on preparing your assignment at: https://vle.anglia.ac.uk/sites/LTA/Grademark/Content/Preparing%20my%20Assignment.aspx Information on submitting your assignment must be read and guidelines adhered to, please ensure you read: https://vle.anglia.ac.uk/sites/LTA/Grademark/Content/Quick-Start.aspx The direct link to TurnitinUK is: http://www.turnitinuk.com Examinations: Examinations are held in January (semester/trimester 1), May (semester/trimester 2) and in August (trimester 3). All examinations are scheduled by the Examinations Unit, the dates and locations will be posted on the following website: http://web.anglia.ac.uk/anet/students/exams/ External Examiners: An up-to-date list of external examiners is available to students and staff at http://www.anglia.ac.uk/eeinfo The external examiner for this module is in the Accounting, Finance and Operations Management department. These are academic examiners from other institutions who independently approve and confirm the quality and standard of our modules and assessments. Feedback in TurnitinUK: Link to more details on the viewing feedback is here: https://vle.anglia.ac.uk/sites/LTA/Grademark/Content/Feedback.aspx How is My Work Marked and Flowchart of Anglia Ruskin’s Marking Process: After you have handed your work in or you have completed an examination, Anglia Ruskin undertakes a series of activities to assure that our marking processes are comparable with those employed at other universities in the UK and that your work has been marked fairly, honestly and consistently. More information about this is given here: http://www.anglia.ac.uk/modguide5.aspx Module Evaluation: During the second half of the delivery of this module, you will be asked to complete a module evaluation questionnaire to help us obtain your views on all aspects of the module, more about this process is included here: http://www.anglia.ac.uk/modguide6.aspx Reading Lists: These are now all available online: http://readinglists.anglia.ac.uk Re-assessments: Re-assessment dates will be stated on e-vision, you can check the specific date your re-assessment assignment is due in on: http://e-vision.anglia.ac.uk or alternatively, if it is an examination, these are scheduled by the Examinations Unit, the dates and locations will be posted on the following website: http://web.anglia.ac.uk/anet/students/exams/ University Generic Assessment Criteria: This module is at level 4, information on the criteria that the university uses to mark your work can be found here: http://www.anglia.ac.uk/criteria