7MG001

Project phase
BRIEFING
Dr Shaukat Ali
Postgraduate Dissertation Coordinator

Purposes

To provide an overview of the academically orientated 40 credit

project which postgraduate students on UWBS Masters Degree
courses work towards achieving their qualification.

To impress upon you the need to get working on identifying,

selecting and carefully defining the topic(s) of potential interest,
significance and value to you!

Schematic

Briefing in bite-size sections

Information
Aims, assessment
Timelines: common key milestones
What if or if or if ?

Process

Getting underway with help from Watson Box

A transparent research journey ahead
Peer workshops & supervisory relationships
Next steps: for action over the days ahead

Research Project 7MG001

Aims
To enable students to plan, research and write-up a
project that improves understanding of a contemporary
managerial, business or organisational topic.
Research Projects provide experience of collection and
analysis of reliable evidence to produce findings upon
which sound conclusions can be drawn and from
which, appropriate recommendations can be made.
Research Projects can framed around a practical
business problem (i.e. a consultancy focus) or around
generic conceptual issues utilising primary and
secondary data.

Key Milestone Deadlines:

Activity

Deadline

Topic Registration
Form

At the end of Block 1

Proposal Form

At the end of Block 2

Via WOLF

to include Request for Ethical

Approval

Submission of
project/dissertation

Date to be arranged by
BCAS/UWBS 2013
via e-submission on WOLF (located
assessment on the menu)
+ 2 hard copies (Marked for attention
of your supervisor)

What ifs
I dont submit a suitable Topic Registration on time?
I dont submit a satisfactory Proposal on time?
I dont submit a completed project on time?

 I dont submit a suitable Topic Registration on time?

You will miss supervisor allocation .
It may mean you being allocated a supervisor who is not a
full-time member of staff.
I dont submit a satisfactory Proposal on time?
Not doing so will signal that you are not prepared to proceed.
You will fall behind
The time to revise a proposal will take up valuable project
time
Your supervisor commitment may be jeopardised
NOTE: your proposal must be approved by your
supervisor before you can proceed.

 I dont submit a completed

project/dissertation on time?
Non-submission normally records a failure. You can
resubmit at the next available opportunity but your grade for
the project will be capped at D (i.e. a pass).
If your non-submission is due to pre-granted extenuating
circumstances, and your claim is supported by the Board,
then you will not record a fail. You will be advised of when
you will be expected to submit following the Assessment
Board.

Getting Your Journey Underway

What have you done to prepare:

not that much, not to worry

What you now have to do:

Start writing by preparing outline(s) for two possible topic(s)
that you have an interest in and do scoping research on
them. Use Watsons Box
Then meet in your groups and share your ideas with other
team members to see how well they make sense

Watsons Box
What?
What are the aims &
questions you intent to
investigate?

Why? (Objectives)
Are the key reasons which
provide the rationale for
your investigation strong?

Conceptual Framework How Methods?

What are the key theories,
principles, concepts, etc.
that will inform the study?

What are the methods &

techniques that will be
used in securing and
analysing data?

Note: draft a Watson Box for each potential topic

Finding out? Becoming specific!

Pre-Module

Focusing down
Topic

Workshops

Proposal
Supervision

Following through

Submission

Your Transparent Research Trail

Topic Selection

The Start!
Topic Registration

Supervisor Allocation
Proposal & Ethical
Approval
Critique & Approval by
Supervisor
Submission 2013

Contractual Commitment
You should recognise that in registering your topic you are
making a significant, contractual commitment.

Setting-up supervision arrangements will be based on the

information you provide on your Topic Registration Form. You
will be expected to develop your Proposal and to deliver your
research study or project report consistent with your Topic
Registration Form.

Now is the time for a sure start!

Its your self-managed investigative Project!

Additional Resources

Additional resources are available in the Project resources

folder in WOLF

Supervision

Supervisor- guiding and advising student on work in progress

Research Project
Any questions?

In conclusion

Realise that this is your project:

you decide on a topic, develop a
feasible design for inquiry, and
deliver a quality piece of
research.

Dive in and get started

Aspire to become an acknowledged authority in your topic area!

Next steps
for action now not later!
During the week ahead
brainstorm ideas & test out
topic ideas
talk: to peers & colleagues
read: start local via the
Library, widen search via
quality sources on paper
and/or online
think: is it do-able or not?
write: start a project
notebook, dont hesitate to
draft working notes based on
ideas or findings!

In the next 2 weeks ensure

you
short list & shape ideas for
topics an iterative creative
forging process!
really put some effort into
getting TWO Watson
Box(es) prepared.
Prepare draft topic
registration form (use
template) for your workshop
tutors comments