NBS8523 : MBA Individual Project
- Offered for Year: 2024/25
- Module Leader(s): Dr Peter Edward
- Owning School: Newcastle University Business School
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 3 Credit Value: | 40 |
| ECTS Credits: | 20.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
This is a compulsory module designed to allow the students to demonstrate their understanding of a wide range of materials covered on the programme through the production of a comprehensive Individual Project report.
The Individual Project can take the form of either an Individual Research Project on an approved topic of interest to the student, a Corporate Consultancy Project based on a corporate project sourced by NUBS, or an Entrepreneurial Business Plan for an idea identified by the student.
In the case of Individual Research Projects the identification of the topic and the development of the research question is by the student, subject to approval by the academic tutor.
For Corporate Consultancy Projects the topic is usually established by the external organisation but the precise scope and research questions will be developed by the student, in consultation with the external organisation and subject to approval by the academic tutor. A limited number of corporate projects may be available for MBA students and acceptance of any student to undertake a Corporate Consultancy Project will be at the discretion of the MBA Director.
For an Entrepreneurial Business Plan, the idea will have been identified by the student (typically during earlier modules on entrepreneurship) but its suitability for development as a Business Plan of sufficient complexity to justify it as the focus of the Individual Project will be subject to approval by the academic tutor or module leader.
The module aims to:
• Provide the opportunity for students to undertake independent research in which they apply appropriate tools of analysis.
• Enable students to sharpen critical and analytical skills in gathering and interpreting information and identifying significant issues/themes themselves.
• Enable students to further enhance and develop subject-specific knowledge through conducting desk research and/or empirical work.
• Enable students to relate academic issues and concepts to real-world problems.
• Further enhance interpersonal and transferable skills through oral/written communication, negotiation, problem solving, time management, and self-motivation and creativity.
Outline Of Syllabus
The Individual Project requires students to apply the knowledge and skills acquired across the MBA programme to the production of an individual research project report.
Guidance on the requirements and expectations is provided in the pre-requisite module NBS8489 Business Analysis for Decision Making.
Students will be allocated an academic tutor and receive academic supervision to support independent study and to complete their Individual Project report.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 1 | 395:00 | 395:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Dissertation/project related supervision | 5 | 1:00 | 5:00 | N/A |
| Total | 400:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
The Individual Project is an independent piece of work supported through the academic tutorial system. The academic supervision provides relevant guidance and appropriate support throughout the research, analysis and reporting process.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | 3 | M | 90 | Individual Project Report - 9,000 words. |
| Report | 3 | M | 10 | Submission of a project proposal (2,500 words max.), plus appropriate ethics and risks forms, for formative feedback. |
Formative Assessments
Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.
| Description | Semester | When Set | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Report | 3 | M | Feedback from academic tutor on submitted research proposal, ethics and risks forms |
| Report | 3 | M | Feedback from academic tutor on one draft of project report |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
An in-depth Project Report allows the student to demonstrate their ability to undertake self-directed independent research and to integrate their learning from across the programme.
All students will produce a final written Project Report on the independent research conducted, grounded in relevant academic literature and, if appropriate, practice-based literature in order to define the business-related issue that the research and analysis in the report aims to address.
Unless agreed otherwise in advance by the academic tutor or module leader, all final reports will include an Executive Summary and Recommendations. These two sections will be clearly derived from the research conducted and written for a non-academic audience.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- NBS8523's Timetable