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PM302 Project Handbook
PM302 Project Handbook
PM302 – Project
Module Handbook
Module Level: 6
Module Credits 40
Module Prerequisites
Programme Leader:
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Contents
Page
Introduction 3
Message from the Module Leader 4
Teaching Staff for the Module 5
Module Support 6
Module Overview 7
Learning Outcomes 8
Assessment 9
Plagiarism 11
Facilities and Resources 11
Module Schedule of Lectures/Tutorials 13
Finally…. 17
Whilst every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, the information contained within this
publication may change in the light of altered regulations or policy, or due to financial or other
constraints.
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1. Introduction:
PM302 - Project
Undertaking this module should provide you with an individual learning journey. You can log
and track your progress as you make your way through the learning environment. You should
complete this module as an independent learner and thinker, ready for the challenges ahead
of you.
Within this document, you will find information on the organisation and content of the module,
the learning outcomes and information relating to the assessment in this module. Please
read this document before the start of the delivery and during your time undertaking this
module. It will provide you with the information you need to know to help you with the learning
processes. Use this handbook as a guide during the semester. Handbooks for each module
undertaken should be consulted as you progress through your programme of study.
Familiarise yourself with the module area on the Blackboard which is accessed through the
portal. Your tutors will post important information on the Blackboard, including
announcements, course material and module updates. Click on ‘My Modules’ on the student
portal. There is an area for each module that you are studying which is updated by your
Module Leader. This will include: handouts, assessment, module information, module
handbooks, and exercises.
This Module Handbook provides you with comprehensive information and guidance on how to
tackle the challenges presented to you through the teaching forum. Good utilisation of the
handbook will assist in your understanding of what the aims and objectives are of the module.
Once this understanding has been consolidated, you will find it easier to succeed within the
module. A successful module should provide you with the opportunity for progress and
achievement, highlighting the quality of your time spent at GSM London.
The Module Leader for this module for the semester is: Paul Booth.
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2. Message from the Module Leader:
The Research Project offers you the opportunity to undertake independent research on a topic of your
choice within your chosen management field. It enables you to demonstrate the key abilities of a graduate
in being abler to apply their academic learning. It is also a good preparation for post-graduate work.
The Research Project is 8000 words in length, excluding the list of references and appendices. The module
will provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate the nature of management in strategic terms, by
identifying appropriate strategies for similar organisations given corporate objectives. You will be shown
how to demonstrate this as a logical process. The module also teaches you how to demonstrate methods
of supporting arguments in texts with reference to both the views of leading authorities and a theoretical
structure, with a satisfactory reference technique.
A piece of small-scale research which can be completed, start to finish, in the amount of time you
would spend in and out of class for two regular 20-credit modules
Enjoyable to carry out
Organised into chapters and with a contents page, and list of references
Linking theory with practice.
Often, but not always, based on your own personal experience.
There might even be some empirical research in your dissertation. This may be modest in scale but
first hand research will "lift" the overall quality of your research project and enable you to conclude,
perhaps in a very qualified way, that your findings support, contradict, or modify the literature on the
problem you have investigated. You should talk to your supervisor about how this may be carried
out, as it needs to be organised, early on in the process.
The report should be a sustained argument. This means that it should draw upon the results of your
reading, thinking and information-gathering in such a way that it could persuade readers to accept your
understanding of the topic. In other words, the main aim is to use a selection of concepts, theoretical ideas,
observations, statistical findings and your own faculties of criticism and imagination in an attempt to reach
defensible conclusions about a topic which interests, challenges or puzzles you.
Paul Booth
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3. Teaching Staff for the Module
The Module Leader is the leading member of academic staff for this Module and is
responsible for the academic standards of assessment, the smooth running of the
teaching and coordination of the timetable.
As well as the Module Leader, there are a number of tutors (academic staff) who are
dedicated to providing you with lectures and tutorials, monitoring your progress and
performance, and helping to ensure that you are able to absorb, understand the
information provided and to assist you with the learning process. If you have any
academic queries relating to this module, you should contact your tutor in the first
instance.
The academic staff teaching on this module for the semester include:
Paul Booth
During tutorials and workshops, you will be given ample opportunity to engage in
question and answer sessions which will be formative in character. The member of
academic staff allocated to you (your module tutor) will provide you with a variety of
teaching methods to ensure that you get full satisfaction and enjoyment from your
‘experience’ of this module. Tutors will offer you guidance and advice, providing you
with constructive criticism on your performance. Tutors be contacted though the
Blackboard, on the student portal (or by their GSM London email addresses).
These teaching methods will provide a solid foundation for learning. However, in
addition to the input of the teaching staff for the module, you are also expected to
participate in private study of your own without being prompted. You should read the
required material at your own pace, but be aware that extra reading may be issued
to you by the module staff during the semester. You are also expected to undertake
your own additional analysis around the subject matter of the module. Do spend
some of your spare time undertaking background reading within the modules you are
undertaking. You will find that the better you understand the subject area, the better
you will be able to produce work of an above average standard, achieving good
marks for your answers.
In addition to the teaching staff, you are encouraged to discuss material taught in
class with your fellow class members (peers).
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4. Module Support
GSM London offers its students a comprehensive and robust set of support
mechanisms to assist you with your modules. These include the following:
Study Skills – As part of your taught modules, you will be offered tuition in
Study Skills during your first semester. You are strongly encouraged to attend
all these sessions, as they will provide valuable information and advice on all
aspects of your programme, particularly with the completion of assessments
and your overall experience at GSM London.
Module Leaders - You are encouraged to see your module leaders on specific
matters pertaining to the modules you are following.
The student hub – Experienced advisors are available to help you with any
questions you may have about your modules or your programme in general.
They will advise you should you experience a problem or are unsure of a
procedure.
In addition to the above, there is a dedicated team of counsellors who can provide
administrative and/or pastoral support. For information on how to access these staff,
please refer to the ‘Student Guide’.
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5. Module Overview
Getting Started: Defining the Project
Try to write just one or two sentences defining your project. This will provide a good test for you. “I want to
research and write a report about ....................”. Do not be too ambitious about the project. Many projects start
off by being far too ambitious in scope and have to be reduced in scale - a shorter time-span, a smaller number
of case-studies, fewer aspects of the problem to be researched, etc. You may need to redefine the project after
you have started.
Staff Responsibilities
Within this module, your lecturer(s) will endeavour to produce useful, interesting and thought provoking lectures
around which you can build your own learning, and establish the basis of completing your project and the
subsequent report. They will also instigate and promote discussion during tutorial sessions and will act as a
facilitator to enable you to engage one another in debate.
This module is different to other modules, as you are working on your own. You will be allocated a supervisor
who has knowledge of your area of study, who will help you identify a research topic. Once you are allocated a
supervisor you need to make contact with her/him. It is not the responsibility of your supervisor to chase you as
this is an independent piece of work. Your supervisor will offer guidance and support in relation to your research
questions, methodology, analysis and literature through tutorial sessions and email contact. Your module
leaders’ contact details are shown on the front of the module handbook. You should refer to your lecturer as the
first port of call for any queries or issues that you may have relating to the module. Lecturers will offer you
guidance and advice, providing you with constructive criticism on your performance
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6. Learning Outcomes
ASSESSED LEARNING OUTCOMES: At the end of the module you will be expected to be
able to:
Provide a detailed analysis of the policies designed to achieve stated corporate objectives
of one or more organisations, and an examination of the problems related to resource
acquisition and deployment relevant to those policies
Provide a relevant literature review on the problems investigated and relate current
management theory to practical recommendations
Demonstrate a lucid and logic discourse containing objectives of the project, methodology,
relevant literature review, recommendations for action, appropriate references and
bibliography
Demonstrate the elements of autonomy, personal responsibility and critical analysis and
evaluation
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7. Learning Guide
In order to study modules in depth, and to help develop your skills and knowledge,
you must undertake your own learning techniques and strategies. This is in addition
to the teaching offered to you in your lectures, classes, seminars and tutorials.
Learning will help to develop you as a person and broaden your horizons. The
learning process will help you to become more confident, independent and able to
cope with the rigorous demands of your programme of study. Learning occurs
when you are confronted with something new or different from what you have known
before – you are faced with a challenge to what you already know.
What is ‘learning’?
Learning arises when you undertake self-study, from a variety of sources which
connect to your study in a meaningful way. It is social and interactive, presenting
challenges which must be overcome. You will be encouraged to engage with your
learning by the teaching teams on the modules you undertake, and you must be
motivated to develop your own learning ‘styles’. Self-learning takes place outside
the classroom and will involve your participation in various activities, including
reading, thinking, becoming involved in a diverse set of actions and listening to the
experiences of others.
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Examples of ‘Learning’ techniques appropriate to this module
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8. Assessment
Your Project supervisor must approve the final draft of your Project before it is
submitted for marking. Final submission will be via the GSM London Student Portal
Please
and refer
must to
be the Student Portal
accompanied for detailsreport,
by a “Turnitin” of thewith
deadline date index
a similarity for submission of
of less than
your15%.
assignment.
If you need any advice on plagiarism or referencing please consult the module
delivery team.
8.1 Coursework:
All coursework is required to be submitted for assessment through the Student Portal
which will generate a Turnitin UK report.
You will need to print two hard copies and submit to a submission point which
you will notified of later.
This report must be of an acceptable level. You are asked to ensure that you comply
with the regulations relating to Academic Dishonesty.
When working in a group with other students, you should adopt a rigorous and
professional approach. Even if you are working with students whom you know well –
ultimately your overall result for the module may be affected by how well you work
together. Where a module is assessed by group-work you must ensure that you
accept collective responsibility and ownership for any work produced as part of that
group.
Undertaking and completing work in a group can prove difficult for many reasons –
differing ideas of time constraints and structure, for example. When organising work
schedules, it is advisable to insist upon a certain degree of formality. Whilst your
methods of working together are for you to decide between you, some suggested
guidelines are given below on how to ensure that you receive the optimal result:-
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Arrange your first group meeting as soon as the assignment has been
published.
Exchange contact details with all of the other members of the group you will
be working with. If you are going to be unavailable for any particular dates
prior to the group-work submission deadline, then make sure that your group
members are aware of them. Also, check whether other group members have
any upcoming commitments that may affect the quality and/or submission of
your work.
During your first group meeting, plan out the dates by which each element of
the group-work needs to be completed. As a group, responsibility for every
task should be individually assigned. Make sure that this is written down and
that everybody in the group has a copy – this will prevent confusion later on.
Aim to complete the group-work for a final review meeting at least one week
in advance of the deadline date for submission. If you do not see the work
that others have produced until this date, then you cannot provide feedback
on one another’s work and suggest improvements. Any adjustments can then
be made before the final submission of the assignment.
Only one member of the group should submit the assignment to the Student
Portal. However, all group members’ names should be clearly stated on the
work.
If you are worried that your group-work will not be completed on time for
reasons that are beyond your control, you should inform your module leader
as soon as possible.
8.2 Examinations
Examinations are normally held during weeks 12 and 13 of the semester. You are
advised not to make holiday/travel plans or work arrangements during the
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examination period and to ensure that you are available to attend at the appropriate
times. Do check when you are expected to attend for examinations, and that you
have entered and paid the appropriate fee before the closing date.
9. Plagiarism
All work submitted for assessment must be your own work and appropriately
referenced where necessary. Academic dishonesty is a very serious offence and will
be penalised accordingly. Proven academic dishonesty may have a serious effect
upon your performance within the module, and ultimately, your overall academic
position. It may also result in disciplinary action.
If you are unsure of how to reference your work, or what is considered as plagiarism,
please refer to the Student Guide available on the Student Portal. It is important that
you have read and thoroughly understood the section on ‘Plagiarism’ and have
understood the ‘Examination and Assessment Offences Policy’.
To be successful in modules and to achieve high marks you will need to do more
than just attend the scheduled lectures and tutorials. Success will be achieved more
easily by students who use a range of resources. The Learning Resources Centres
(LRC) contain multiple copies of core textbooks and many of the most popular titles
are available online as e-books. There is also a substantial collection of print and
electronic journals and daily newspapers are also available for browsing. The
professional librarians constantly review the collections and facilities to ensure that
the most up to date information is provided to furnish you with a high quality learning
environment.
It is recommended that you buy the Core Text listed below and in addition, consider
obtaining other books from the list. You may wish to form a study group with other
students to facilitate the sharing of non-core texts.
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Core Text :
M. Saunders, P. Lewis & A. Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, Prentice
Hall (2011)
Key Texts:
S. Cameron & D. Price, Business Research Methods, a Practical Approach, CIPD (2009)
Research Methodologies
D Ridley, The Literature Review – A Step by Step Guide for Students, Sage (2008)
S. Cottrell, Critical Thinking Skills - Developing Effective Analysis and Argument, Palgrave
Macmillan (2009)
R. van den Brink-Budgen, Critical Thinking for Students: Learn the Skills of Critical
Assessment and Effective Argument, How To Books, (2000)
R. H. Thouless, Straight and Crooked Thinking, Pan (1970) – now out of print, but it may
be in library, somewhere. If you can find it, read it – a gem!
Journal List:
M. Pirie, How To Win Every Argument – The Use And Abuse Of Logic, Continuum (2006)
The following Journals are appropriate to the module and will contain further articles
L Truss, Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation, Profile
which
Booksyou may–find
(2003) readhelpful:
it and use it
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Journal List
The following Journals are appropriate to the module and will contain further articles
which you may find helpful:
GSM has invested in a number of journal/report databases to provide its students with
a comprehensive resource to assist in research, and particularly in completing the final
year Research Project. The most important amongst these are :-
It is impossible to obtain good marks in this sort of research through general internet
search.
The range of references and resources available throughout the School’s Library is
increasing on a daily basis. The list above should be thought of as an opening into the
Websites
literature required. In addition to these resources, others might be recommended to
you during the course of the module. You are strongly encouraged to familiarise
yourself with the library stock and to pay particular attention to the Journal articles.
You will find the Websites below helpful for the module and are advised to consult
them regularly. You may discover other Websites which are also helpful. Annotated
weblinks, multiple choice questions and other useful resources can be found at
www.pearson.co.uk/boddy.
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Week 4 Research Design Student Task: Saunders, P.
Understand the importance of Discuss Lewis & A.
your decisions when designing implications of Thornhill,
research and the need to your Research Research
achieve methodological Methodology with Methods for
coherence throughout your own supervisor. Business
research design. Students,
Explain the differences between Prentice Hall
quantitative, qualitative and (2011)
multiple methods research Ch4
designs and choose between
these to design your own
research.
Explain the differences between
exploratory, descriptive and
explanatory research to
understand the nature of your
own research.
Identify the main research
strategies and choose from
amongst these to achieve
coherence throughout your
research design.
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Closed-ended questions.
Open-ended questions.
Questionnaire design guidelines.
Elements of a standard
questionnaire.
Advantages and disadvantages
of questionnaires.
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deviation. Ch9
Correlation coefficient.
Multivariate analysis.
Please note that the sessions outlined on the teaching schedule are not mutually
exclusive. You are expected to attend all taught sessions in order to demonstrate a
comprehensive understanding of the topics. In order to produce effective written
assignments you will need to demonstrate a broad understanding of the surrounding
issues, so that you can focus on a specific topic area. It would be wrong to assume
that all the content relevant to any individual topic will be delivered in a single lecture.
11. Finally….
During your time at GSM London, you will be encouraged to learn to ask challenging
questions, and develop a strong sense of your own identity. You will cultivate the
ability to communicate with, and understand people from other countries and
cultures. You will learn about the bases of knowledge, how to analyse evidence and
express yourself in rational argument. You will also be encouraged to draw on
experiences you have gained outside the classroom. All modules are formulated in
order to assist with your learning and development at GSM London.
Success comes from gaining a wealth of knowledge and expertise. Use this
handbook and the many and varied resources and support facilities available at
GSM London to assist you in gaining the best student experience possible.
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PB/JT/11.12.13
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