Wps pearsoned co uk financial management

RICHMOND THE AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL

UNIVERSITY IN LONDON

Richmond Business School

Course: MGT 6297: Senior Project in Business Semester: Spring 2018 Instructor: Dr. Parviz Dabir-Alai (for students in INB and ENT) Class Location: Individual meetings with the relevant instructor Class Meeting Time: Individual arrangements Office: Kensington/16 YS/Office 3.2 Office Hours: Mondays 1015 – 1215 Phone: 020 7368 8605 Email: dabirp@richmond.ac.uk VLE (Virtual Learning Environment: Blackboard is accessed via the portal

(https://my.richmond.ac.uk/) This syllabus should be read in conjunction with the Course Specification Document from which it is derived; the University Catalogue; and the relevant Programme Specification (all accessed via the admitted students section of the University’s website http://www.richmond.ac.uk) Course Description: The senior project forms the culmination of a student's studies in the business major. It consists of a research project and seminars, in which a variety of issues, some topical, are discussed. Some discussions will relate directly to the project. The project requires a significant level of enquiry and research in business and management, and will typically investigate a hypothesis or issue on a relevant topic. Following a literature survey in the early part of the semester, students will conduct individual research work on an agreed topic. The supervisor(s) will facilitate the process through regularly-scheduled meetings. Prerequisites: MGT 304 or MGT 5210 Aims and Objectives: The Course provides students with the opportunity to work independently to develop their ability to make critical and evaluative judgments. It is expected that this will provide an opportunity to integrate learning with practice, developing the student’s ability to be an effective, reflective manager. By completing their project, students should demonstrate that they are able to produce work that is relevant to their pathway / concentration and in professional practice, and has an academic standing at honours level.

https://my.richmond.ac.uk/
http://www.richmond.ac.uk/admitted-students/programme-and-course-specifications/
http://www.richmond.ac.uk/admitted-students/catalogues/
http://www.richmond.ac.uk/admitted-students/programme-and-course-specifications/
http://www.richmond.ac.uk/admitted-students/programme-and-course-specifications/
http://www.richmond.ac.uk/
2

Learning Outcomes: By the end of this course, successful students should be able to: Knowledge and Understanding 1. Select, evaluate and apply critical management thinking to an organizational issue or

problem. 2. Critically evaluate the techniques and processes used to investigate an important

organizational issue or problem. 3. Synthesize information to arrive at a coherent conclusion. 4. Critically evaluate the implications for the recommendations presented. 5. Critically reflect on their development of knowledge, skills and techniques used during

the preparation of the dissertation. Cognitive Skills 1. Understanding some of applications relating to the use of research. 2. Being able to synthesize information supported by primary and secondary research. 3. Evaluate critically work undertaken by themselves and others. 4. Present findings successfully. 5. Research material from a variety of sources and evidence critically. Practical and/or Professional Skills 1. The ability to apply theoretical models to finding resolution for business problems. 2. Develop an awareness of the professional and managerial requirements of a manager

both in attitude and skills Key Skills 1. Effective oral and written communication skills in a range of media. 2. Ability to develop strong analytical skills through listening and reflecting. 3. Knowledge and understanding in the context of the subject. 4. Time management: organizing and planning work. 5. Independent working. 6. Planning, monitoring, reviewing and evaluating own learning and development.

Threshold Criteria for Grade C:

1. Identify a relevant area of academic or business/management inquiry.

2. Identify theories and/or concepts within the area identified as appropriate.

3. Compose a literature review in the chosen area as appropriate.

3

4. Critically appraise the current state of research for the chosen area of

business/management.

5. Make use of analytical skills and methods to investigate the chosen area of inquiry.

6. Appraise the outcome of your quantitative or qualitative research.

7. Make business and/or policy recommendations where appropriate.

8. Engage with the milestones outlined in this document.

9. Combine basic research skills (asking questions and following through) with

knowledge from course material within the major (finance, marketing,

entrepreneurship, fashion management & marketing, international business) in

order to conduct an investigation with several recommendations and conclusions.

Programme outcomes are listed in the programme specifications found at http://www.richmond.ac.uk/programme-and-course-specifications/

Course Schedule Summary:

These will be discussed in the very first meeting. Teaching Methods: Teaching is conducted through one on one meetings between the student and the supervisor. Student and supervisor will agree on a research question, which will then be further investigated by the student. The topics need to relate to a current issue in business and/or management. It can be expected that the student and supervisor meet once/twice a week to discuss the student’s research progress and for the student to receive feedback on partial work submitted to the supervisor. Students will be asked to submit a research proposal within the first 4 weeks of term, which may then need a further revision by the end of week 5. The intention is for this to be discussed with the supervisor in detail before much time is spent on it. In terms of its assessment value the proposal serves a summative purpose. Assessment Criteria: The grade for the Senior Project is based on the following criteria:

1. Working productively, effectively and regularly with supervisor in order to identify a

workable topic so as to be able to submit a draft proposal at the end of week 4 (5%).

2. React to supervisor’s comments on draft proposal and resubmit final proposal at the

end of week 5 (5%).

3. At the end of week 11 submit a draft of your work demonstrating progress and growth

from what was suggested in the proposal submitted in week 5 (5%).

4

4. On Friday April 13th submit the final project. This work, which must comply with the

Harvard referencing system (please see School Portal for guidance, or click here:

http://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/referencing/harvard.htm), and be between 8,000 and

10,000 words in length, will be assessed on the basis of the following and worth 85%

of the overall grade:

1. Quality of underlying thesis 2. Quality of analytical framework 3. Quality and extent of Literature Review 4. Methodological approach chosen for investigation 5. Structure and coherence 6. Writing style and its presentation 7. Validity of recommendations 8. Conclusions The precise balance for the above will vary from project to project. In addition, you may wish to refer to the Blackboard site for this course where the full grading template may be found. Submission Instructions: Two bound copies (preferably spiral-bound) are required. The deadline for submission of the project will be noon on Friday April 13th 2018. Please submit your hard copy to Ms. Jacqui Ryan in the School Office and post the e-copy to Safe Assign, via Blackboard. When submitting to SafeAssign please use a .pdf version of your work and use a PC located on campus. All assessment criteria conform with Assessment Norms (Richmond University Writing Intensive) found at https://my.richmond.ac.uk/myacademics/default.aspx This class follows the Late Submission of Coursework Policy and Feedback Norms outlined below and found at https://my.richmond.ac.uk/myacademics/default.aspx

When conducting research (including class-wide projects, senior seminars and personal research) using data gathered from human participants, all students and faculty members should consider that ethical approval for their work may be needed. Please consult the Richmond Ethics Committee Guidelines and Processes. Questions may be directed to researchethics@richmond.ac.uk.

Marking Scheme: There will be variations within the grade band that will be recorded using +/- qualifiers.

http://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/referencing/harvard.htm
https://my.richmond.ac.uk/myacademics/default.aspx
https://my.richmond.ac.uk/myacademics/default.aspx
mailto:researchethics@richmond.ac.uk
5

US/UK Grading Equivalency Scale. The following chart outlines for students the ways in which Richmond’s US grades and UK grades align. All marking at Richmond will continue to be expressed in terms of US letter grades and GPA. The UK degree classification equivalence applies to the UK GPA calculated at the conclusion of a student’s BA degree, and is further

Descriptor Grade GPA Detailed Descriptor

Excellent

A A-

4.0 3.7

Grade A applies only to work which:

 is of excellent to exceptional standard

 demonstrates in-depth knowledge and understanding

 demonstrates substantial work and original thought has been involved

 makes use of very high quality analysis, synthesis, evaluation and critical appraisal

 is organised and structured to a high standard

Good

B+ B B-

3.3 3.0 2.7

Grade B applies to work which:

 is of good to very good standard

 demonstrates sound and good quality of knowledge and understanding

 demonstrates good quality analysis, synthesis, evaluation and critical appraisal

 indicates an increasing ability to incorporate meaning into the work and understand key theories, debates and criticisms

 is well organised and structured

Satisfactory

C+ C

2.3 2.0

Grade C applies to work which:

 is adequate although undeveloped

 fulfils the requirements of the project at a foundation level in terms of its quality, analysis and expression

 limited level of research and understanding of key theories and debates

 is organised and presented in a satisfactory form

Below Average

C- 1.7  falls below the threshold criteria

 demonstrates limited knowledge and understanding

 demonstrates minimal attention to quality, range, and appropriateness of research

 normally passing grade at course level

Minimal Achievement

D+ D D-

1.3 1.0 0.7

Grade D applies to work which:

 is of a poor standard

 has been produced without a proper understanding of the brief demonstrating confusion

 is weak in content and shows little evidence of thought or application

 relies on weak or superficial technique

 incorporates insufficient research and/or inappropriate sources

 is organised and presented poorly

 normally passing grade at course level

Fail

F

0 Grade F applies to work which:

 is of very poor standard

 has not been submitted or has been submitted beyond the project deadline

 shows a complete lack of content, thought or application

 makes no or insufficient use of analysis and relevant skills

 is the product of academic misconduct

 does not fulfil the brief

 failing grade at all levels

6

explained by the Degree Classification Document found at: https://my.richmond.ac.uk/myacademics/default.aspx

*Note that this Fail is an OU Performance Standard for both modules and degree classification. It is normally possible to pass a Richmond course with a C- or D range grade (note, however, that some courses have approved minimum pass marks that are higher than D-). It is not possible to obtain a Richmond degree with a cumulative GPA of less than 2.0. Recommended Reading:

Bell, J., 2010. Doing Your Research Project. 5th ed. Maidenhead: Open University Press. Bryman, A. and Bell, E., 2007. Business Research Methods. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Cassell, C. and Symon, G., 2004. Essential Guide to Qualitative Methods in Organizational Research. London: Sage. Easterby-Smith, M., Thorpe, R. and Jackson, P., 2008. Management Research. 3rd ed. London: Sage. Gray, D.E., 2014. Doing Research in the Real World. 3rd ed. London: Sage. Hennink, M. M., Hutter, I. and Bailey, A., 2011. Qualitative Research Methods. Thousand Oaks: Sage. Ng, W. and Coakes, E., 2013. Business Research: Enjoy Creating, Developing and Writing Your Business Project. London: Kogan Page. Quinlan, C., Babin, B., Carr, J., Griffin M. and Zikmund, W. 2015. Business Research Methods. London: Cengage. Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. 2016. Research Methods for Business Students. 7th ed. London: Pearson. Companion website: http://wps.pearsoned.co.uk/ema_uk_he_saunders_resmethbus_6/ Silverman, D., 2013. Doing Qualitative Research. 4th ed. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

https://my.richmond.ac.uk/myacademics/default.aspx
http://wps.pearsoned.co.uk/ema_uk_he_saunders_resmethbus_6/
7

Symon, G. and Cassell, C. eds., 2012. Qualitative Organizational Research: Core Methods and Current Challenges. London: Sage. Full Course Schedule:

Weeks 1 – 4: Group meeting in week 1, plus individual meetings with supervisor (to discuss ‘action plan’ on following: topic choice, literature selection, methodology and structure, etc.).

Weeks 5 – 7: Further individual meetings with supervisor to discuss progress with work agreed in weeks 1 to 4.

March 5-9: Tutorial week, students to continue to further develop their literature review, meet with supervisor, conduct methodological framework, and data/information gathering as appropriate, analysis and some write-up. Students submit draft at the end of week 11.

Week 13: Submission of final version of Senior Project.

REASONABLE CHANGES MAY BE MADE TO THE CONTENT OF THE SYLLABUS. STUDENTS WILL BE INFORMED IN WRITING OF ANY SUCH CHANGES. All grades being used for OU-validated degrees are subject to confirmation at the University Examination Board.

Academic Policies (see also the University Catalogue and the policies detailed at:

https://my.richmond.ac.uk/Uniorg/policies_and_procedures/default.aspx) Students must read and comply with all the requirements of the regulations and policies listed at the weblinks below. Students are expected to make themselves aware of the requirements of the Attendance Policy, the Lateness to Classes, Examinations Policy, the Late Submission of Coursework Policy and Exceeding Word Limit and Question Choice policy at the beginning of the semester. Academic Dishonesty: Academic dishonesty is any action by which a student in any academic exercise seeks to: claim credit for the intellectual or artistic work of another person; or uses unauthorized materials or fabricated information; or engages in an unauthorized editing process.

You can find a list of the actions that might lead to you committing academic dishonesty on the web pages. If you are not sure about what would constitute dishonesty after reading the full policy details you should ask for more information from the course instructor, your academic advisor, another member of academic staff, the Writing Centre, or Student Affairs. Full details of Richmond’s Academic Dishonesty policy are found at:

http://www.richmond.ac.uk/admitted-students/catalogues/
https://my.richmond.ac.uk/Uniorg/policies_and_procedures/default.aspx
8

https://my.richmond.ac.uk/myacademics/default.aspx Students who are academically dishonest will receive a penalty for the work in question or the course as a whole (which may in turn impact upon their degree classification), depending on the importance of the work to the overall course grade and the judgment of the instructor and the relevant exam board. The Richmond Attendance Policy Full details of Richmond’s attendance and lateness policies are found at: https://my.richmond.ac.uk/myacademics/default.aspx Absence Recording: Attendance is taken by instructors in on-line registers within the University's student records system during each course session and entered into the Self-Service record within 24 hours of each class.

Registers are updated as students add and drop courses, and attendance in all courses is taken from the first day the student registers for that course, including Add/Drop week.

Attendance is recorded at the beginning of the class session (see the University policy on Lateness to Classes). Any student not present in the class when attendance is taken is officially late for the session and must be marked as absent.

A student who enters within the first 20 minutes of a teaching session, but after attendance has been taken and an absence has been registered, is responsible for alerting the lecturer to their presence and negotiating a change to an attendance entry. Changing an entry is entirely at the discretion of the instructor, and such a change will not be considered at any other time than on the actual date of the class.

Students may review their attendance record for their courses at any time in their Self-Service accounts and are expected to remain alert to the number of their absences.

Every absence from class, regardless of reason, is recorded as Unexcused.

The University is obliged to report to UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) any student who is in the UK on a Tier 4 visa but who is not attending classes.

Late submission of academic work: Any item of work submitted late will be subject to an automatic deduction of one increment on the letter grade scale (e.g. the grade will be reduced from B to B-, or from C- to D+) per day.

https://my.richmond.ac.uk/myacademics/default.aspx
https://my.richmond.ac.uk/myacademics/default.aspx
9

Any coursework submitted more than one week (seven days) after the original deadline will

receive a grade of F.

Where there may be mitigating circumstances for the late submission the instructor must be informed in advance, by email, and evidence provided to the instructor in writing when the course work is submitted.

See the full late submission policy at: https://my.richmond.ac.uk/myacademics/default.aspx Exceeding Word Limit and Question Choice: The word limit is defined as the uppermost word limit in a range given to an assignment. Assessments are designed to enable the student to answer the assignment without going over the word limit. Penalties will be given for work that excessively exceeds the word limit. There is a 10% leeway before penalties apply. See penalties and full policy at: https://my.richmond.ac.uk/myacademics/default.aspx Feedback Norms: The university has defined expectations as to the nature and timeliness of feedback on assigned work. Students should make themselves aware of these norms, and they are located on the portal at: https://my.richmond.ac.uk/myacademics/default.aspx Examination Regulations: Guidance on examination regulations and expected behavior for students is on the Academic Registry page of the Student Portal (https://my.richmond.ac.uk/registration/exams/default.aspx). However, please note particularly the following University Policies: Midterm exams are normally held during the designated weeks published in the academic calendar found in the relevant University Catalogue. Any faculty member wishing to hold a midterm on a different date requires the approval of the Dean, and will inform students accordingly. Final exams are held over a five-day period following the last day of classes in the Fall and Spring semesters. Exams are not held in the same timeslots as class sessions. The dates of the official exam period are published in advance in the official academic calendar (see link above). Students are responsible for remaining in London until the end of the official examination period – the university reserves the right to make any necessary changes to the

https://my.richmond.ac.uk/myacademics/default.aspx
https://my.richmond.ac.uk/myacademics/default.aspx
https://my.richmond.ac.uk/myacademics/default.aspx
https://my.richmond.ac.uk/registration/exams/default.aspx
http://www.richmond.ac.uk/admitted-students/catalogues/
10

schedule. Any such changes to the schedule will be centrally-administered by the Academic Registry and reported to students. Students and instructors may not make private arrangements to reschedule any University exams. Requests for an opportunity to re-sit must be made by petitioning the Academic Progress Committee https://my.richmond.ac.uk/registration/forms/default.aspx .

Final examinations in summer sessions take place on a single day following the last day of classes. Students must bring their Richmond student ID card to every examination. Academic support for studies: The University Writing Center and Language Workshop are available to all students who want help with academic tasks. The University Mathematics Workshop is available to all students who need help with academic mathematics. Venues and times for these workshops are posted towards the end of the first week of the semester, and can be found under “Support for your studies” at https://my.richmond.ac.uk/registration/procedures/SitePages/Home.aspx Library staff can help students with questions about research and/or accessing information. Book an appointment with a librarian (librarian@richmond.ac.uk). Students with Disabilities:

The University makes a variety of special provisions in exams and assessment for students with a diagnosed learning disability. Students must follow the requirements outlined at http://www.richmond.ac.uk/student-life/support-for-students-with-disabilities/ for these arrangements to be made, and it is important that this is done in good time. The student and their instructors are informed of the provisions after they are approved, and reminders are sent to students and invigilators shortly before the examinations.

https://my.richmond.ac.uk/registration/forms/default.aspx
https://my.richmond.ac.uk/registration/procedures/SitePages/Home.aspx
mailto:librarian@richmond.ac.uk
http://www.richmond.ac.uk/student-life/support-for-students-with-disabilities/