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Dissertation in Management Studies (Applied) - MAN00164M

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  • Department: The York Management School
  • Module co-ordinator: Prof. Dimitrios Georgakakis
  • Credit value: 60 credits
  • Credit level: M
  • Academic year of delivery: 2024-25
    • See module specification for other years: 2023-24
  • Notes: This is an independent study module

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Summer Semester 2024-25

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.

Assessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Essay : Open assessment (Individual Report + Self-reflection)		 N/A 90
Essay/coursework
Presentation : Proposal Presentation (Individual)		 N/A 10

Special assessment rules

None

Reassessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Presentation : Proposal Presentation (Individual)		 N/A 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


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University is constantly exploring ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary by the University. Where appropriate, the University will notify and consult with affected students in advance about any changes that are required in line with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.