Dissertation in Management Studies (Applied) - MAN00164M
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Summer Semester 2025-26 |
Module aims
The module will be provided as an alternative to the Dissertation in Management (non-applied, Academic). The alternative offer will aim to provide students a more practical focus on a given task that will emphasise a company of their own choice experiencing a contemporary managerial, strategic or international business issue and require them to examine the firms internal and external context to offer a suggestion to the firm on how to tackle this issue. The target is to equip students with the required analytical skills to produce a consultant report. The report will require students to (a) present the firm and explain why they chose to focus on it, (b) explain the contemporary issue facing the firm, (c) to define data sources and obtain data for their internal and external analysis, (d) to link practical frameworks and theory with practice, and (e) provide recommendations to the firm. The module will require students to collect secondary (not primary) data from multiple data sources, to use existing databases when needed, and to apply critical thinking to come up with justifiable recommendations.
Module learning outcomes
Students successfully taking this module will be able to:
Academic and graduate skills
· Undertake independent research.
· Be able to identify a company with a contemporary managerial issue and support their choice with sources
· Be able to identify relevant data and information to analyse the selected case.
· Understand how to draw upon existing secondary data and apply critical thinking to reach justifiable conclusions.
· Synthesise secondary information (e.g., archival data, synthesis of academic insights from literature reviews, or both) to provide a recommendation.
· Demonstrate an understanding of the limitations of the thesis and pose impetus for future research
Skills-related learning outcomes
· Analytical skills and reliability procedures.
· Engagement with multiple sources of data.
· Self-organisation to meet internal as well as external deadlines.
· Ability to write a report
· Demonstrate resilience by finishing this significant independent research piece.
Module content
The module will add to and build upon students’ learning to allow them producing a consulting report.
Students will need to:
· Self-select the organisation that faces a managerial issue – the one they want to focus.
· Communicate the name of the selected organisation and the issue it is facing to the module leader according to the timetable provided.
· Collect secondary data about this organisation from multiple data sources, including existing databases, if relevant, and use frameworks to analyse the issue and provide recommendations for action.
· Use the data they collected and the analyses they ran to reach a conclusion and recommendation.
· Demonstrate a reflexive understanding of their strengths and weaknesses based on experience of developing an individual research project over an extended period, as well as consider the contribution of the dissertation to scholarship, policy, and practice.
While not allocated an individual supervisor, students will be supported by 6 (2 hours) workshops, 2 (2 hours) drop-in sessions, as well as by online materials.
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 90 |
| Essay/coursework | 10 |
Special assessment rules
None
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 90 |
| Essay/coursework | 10 |
Module feedback
Students will get formative feedback during the workshops and the drop-in sessions. The workshops will be organised in chapters as well so they can guide student’s progress. For the summative assignment, written feedback will be released to students after the final exam board. In cases of a marginal fail, where minor amendments are permitted, students will be given written guidance on the required amendments and deadlines for submission in accordance with university regulations on reassessment and resubmission.
Indicative reading
TBC