Assessment Group Portfolio – 30% over overall module Thursday, March 21th 2023, 16.00 (Group Report Due) Wednesday, March 29th 2023, 16.00 (Group Presentation Due) (Group Presentation, this is the date to submit the group presentation, please note the oral group presentation will take place in the seminar on Thursday March 30th 2023)
This assignment accounts for 30% of the module marks.
Word count: 3,000-word report per group (70% of 30% overall weighting)
15-minute presentation per group (30% of 30% overall weighting)
Learning Outcomes Evidenced by this assignment: Knowledge
2. Examine the relevant paradigms in the business discipline and understand their contours and relationships.
Thinking skills
3. Critically assess the role of ontology and epistemology in determining research approaches. (COI)
4. Evaluate the relationship between research philosophies, methodologies and established paradigms within the business discipline. (COI) Subject-based practical skills
5. Design academic and practitioner-oriented research underpinned by relevance, rigor and robustness. (SEI)
6. Conduct competent qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods research for both academic and practitioner audiences. (EE) Skills for life and work (general skills)
8. Present research to academic and practitioner stakeholders with a high level of competence, persuasiveness and rigor. (SEI)
ASSESSMENT Your Task: For this assignment, students should provide an academic analysis and critique of one aspect of business research methodology. This can include any of the following approaches (but not limited to these either, please discuss with the module leader regarding your choice of topic):
• Qualitative In-depth Interviews
• Focus Groups
• Questionnaires
• Secondary Data
• Case Study
• Ethnography
• Netnography
• Discourse Analysis
• Narrative Analysis
• Grounded Theory
Groups should review at least 15 academic references (books or articles) that are relevant to the chosen methodology.
In their report and presentation, students should address the following:
1. The ontological and epistemological assumptions that are integral to the methodological approach.
2. The strengths and weaknesses of the methodological approach.
3. The contribution the approach has made to academic research in the marketing discipline.
4. The contribution (or potential contribution) of the approach to practitioner research in business.
Students must form groups with a minimum of four members and a maximum of six and provide their groups with a group name, groups should be formed by the end of Week 3 of Term 2 (17/02/2023) and submitted to the module leader via email. Groups will be required to present a formative (non-assessed) outline of their analysis (no more than 15-minutes) in the seminar in Week 4 on Thursday, 23/02/203. The module leader will provide feedback on the choice of methodology and approach of the group to the assignment. The presentation is “formative” (meaning it does not count toward the final grade), however students that do not take part in this exercise will not benefit from the feedback provided by the Module Leader on their campaign.
For the “summative” component of the Group Portfolio, each group must prepare a report outlining the research philosophy underpinning their chosen methodology, the strengths and weaknesses of the approach, the contribution that the approach has made to academic research in the marketing discipline and contribution (or potential contribution) of the approach to practitioner research in business. It is vital that all group members work together to do the research on the methodology and answer the questions collectively.
Each group is encouraged to meet regularly, keep meeting minutes (these can also be included as part of your appendices), and ensure that all group members have a role and task within the group. Any group member who misses three meetings or deadlines for the group and in the unanimous opinion of the members has not contributed toward the group work may be expelled from the group and will either have to join another group (if possible) or have to attempt the re-assessment in Term 2.
Groups who wish to follow this course of action should inform the module leader of their decision by March 9th 2023 at the very latest, submitting evidence of non-engagement (non-attendance at meetings, non-submission of work, etc.) to support the expulsion of the non-contributing group member.
The group report will be due on Thursday, March 16th 2023 at 16.00, and will account for 70% of the final grade for the group portfolio. Groups should submit their reports to the Turnitin link. Any group who fails to Updated February 2023 4 upload the correct cover sheet will be penalised 10% of the group report marks.
Groups will also be required to deliver a group presentation of their report, which will account for 30% of the final grade for the case study assessment. Presentations will take place on Thursday, March 30th 2023 during the scheduled seminar.
Presentations should be uploaded by groups to the Turnitin link by Wednesday, March 29th 2023 at 16.00 and presentations will take place during the seminar on Thursday, March 30th 2023 at 16.00. Any group who fails to upload the correct cover sheet (slide) will be penalised 10% of the marks. All members of the group must take an active part in the presentation, any group member who fails to attend the presentation will receive a mark of zero.
Details of the Group Report
1. Introduction This should provide your reader with an overview of the research methodology approach you have chosen as a group and why you have chosen it.
2. Ontological and Epistemological Assumptions that Underpin the Approach You should draw from your research methodology classes and discuss the ontological (nature of social reality) and epistemological (theory of knowledge) assumptions that underlie the methodological approach.
3. Strengths and Weaknesses of the Methodology This section should evaluate the key strengths and weaknesses of the chosen research methodology.
4. Contribution of the Research Methodology to Academic Marketing Research How has the research methodology contributed to theory development within the marketing discipline?
5. Contribution (or potential contribution) of the Research Methodology to Practitioner Marketing Research How has the research methodology contributed to knowledge creation for marketing practitioners?
6. Conclusion Having considered this research methodology in-depth, what are the key conclusions you draw for both academic and practitioner audiences. Your analysis should refer to at least 15 academic sources from either books or academic journals (credible academic business journals, not websites, please see: https://charteredabs.org/academic-journalguide-2018/ if you are unsure of the credibility of the academic journal) to help support their methodological review. This methodology review should be written descriptively for the benefit of a business student or business manager who may be unfamiliar with the approach
– it should explain the methodology in clear language with the explanation of technical terms so a student practitioner could understand the approach. Group Report Your report should include:
• A title Page
• Executive Summary
• Contents Page
• Introduction
• Ontological and Epistemological Assumptions that Underlie the Research Methodology Approach
• Strengths and Weaknesses of the Research Methodology
• Contribution of the Research Methodology to Academic Marketing Research
• Contribution of the Research Methodology to Practitioner Marketing Research
• Conclusion
• Appendices, which should be numbered o Make sure you refer your reader to them as required.
• Word count; excluding appendices and reference list The word count of 3,000 words will not include the title page, executive summary, contents page or bibliography.
You will not need to draw on all aspects of the key methodological literature that you read but should select instead those which are most applicable to the sector on which you have chosen to focus your report. It is important that you show knowledge of key debates within the academic literature on the aspect of methodology you have chosen. Also, it is strongly advised that you are clear in your writing) and ensure a good level of integration and coherence in evaluating the approach.
Please work on, and ensure an excellent level of coherence, and flow of your report.
This will require effective discussion and clarity.
Please note that a significant amount of the marks are awarded on the basis of wider reading, logical presentation, quality of argument, referencing, academic integrity and writing conventions.
Please see Assessment Criteria on the Moodle.
Presentation (Group Report) Your work should be word processed in accordance with the following:
• Font style, Lucida Sans, Size 12
• 1.5 line-spacing
• Page Margins 2.54cm throughout Presentation (Group Presentation)
Your work should be word processed in accordance with the following:
• Font style, Lucida Sans, at least Size 20.
• Not too much clutter on each slide
. • Your name should not appear on the presentation. Skills Advice Refer to your material provided in your skills modules to make sure that you have conformed to academic conventions. Pay particular attention to:
• Your introduction
• Your conclusion
• The use of headings and/or signpost words
• Paragraph structure Do refer to Info skills at http://writeitright.uelconnect.org.uk/home/ and http://infoskills.uelconnect.org.uk/ Referencing The university expects students to use Harvard referencing as specified in the book Cite them Right.
• Refer to http://www.uel.ac.uk/lls/support/harvard.htm for further advice and a link to an online version of Cite them Right
• You should be careful to include citations within your work as well as a reference list at the end. Unreferenced work will fail. Word Count Your word count should not include your abstract, contents, reference list or appendices. You should provide your word count at the end of your essay. Exceeding the word count by more than 10% will result in
The Learning Outcomes assessed by this assessment are: Knowledge
2. Examine the relevant paradigms in the business discipline and understand their contours and relationships. Thinking skills
3. Critically assess the role of ontology and epistemology in determining research approaches. (COI)
4. Evaluate the relationship between research philosophies, methodologies and established paradigms within the business discipline. (COI) Subject-based practical skills
5. Design academic and practitioner-orientated research underpinned by relevance, rigor and robustness. (SEI)
6. Conduct competent qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods research for both academic and practitioner audiences. (EE) Skills for life and work (general skills)
8. Present research to academic and practitioner stakeholders with a high level of competence, persuasiveness and rigor. (SEI) We strongly suggest that you try to submit all coursework by the deadline set as meeting deadlines will be expected in employment. However, in our regulations, UEL has permitted students to be able to submit their coursework up to 24-hours after the deadline.
The deadline is published in this module guide. Coursework which is submitted late, but within 24-hours of the deadline, will be assessed but subjected to a fixed penalty of 5% of the total marks available (as opposed to marks obtained). If you submit twice, once before the deadline and once during the 24-hour late period, then the second submission will be marked and 5% deducted. This rule only applies to coursework. It does not apply to examinations, presentations, performances, practical assessments or viva voce examinations. If you miss these for a genuine reason, then you will need to apply for extenuating circumstances, or accept that you will receive a zero mark. If you require a 7-day extension, you must apply within 48 hours of the deadline (please also note you are only entitled to one extension per academic term).
Further information is available in the Assessment & Feedback Policy at https://www.uel.ac.uk/Discover/Governance/PoliciesRegulations-Corporate-documents/Student-Policies (click on other policies) a) Assessment criteria for each task b) Guidance on referencing As a student you will be taught how to write correctly referenced essays using UEL’s standard Harvard referencing system from Cite Them Right . Cite them Right is the standard Harvard referencing style at UEL for all Schools apart from the School of Psychology which uses the APA system. This book will teach you all you need to know about Harvard referencing, plagiarism and collusion. The electronic version of “Cite Them Right: the essential referencing guide” 9th edition, can be accessed whilst on or off campus, via UEL Direct. The book can only be read online and no part of it can be printed nor downloaded.
UEL has specific plans in place to address these issues. If UEL finds that the issue with the system was significant, you will receive an email notifying you of the issue and that you have been given a 24-hour extension. If you don’t receive any email that specifically states you have been given an extension, then the original deadline has not been changed. d) Feedback and return of work
Work should be submitted on Turnitin and all feedback will be on Turnitin. Provisional marks will be released to students on April 12th 2023 at the very latest. You may submit formative work to the module leader by March 8th 2023. Generic feedback will be given to the whole class also. Students who fail the module will complete a re-assessment of the same task within six weeks of the release of results for the first sit of the assessment.
Assessment Criteria : Group Portfolio Report Marking Scheme Component Comments Weight Actual Mark Evidence of Independent Research 20%
Evidence of Comprehension of the Methodology in Term of Philosophy and Approach 20%
Evidence of Criticality in Evaluation of the Methodology in Terms of Strengths and Limitations 20%
Evidence of Evaluation of Research Methodology for Academic and Practitioner Audiences 20%
Quality of Writing and Expression 10%
Accurate Academic Referencing and Overall Presentation 10%
Total 100% General Comments: Agreed Mark:
Assessment Criteria: Group Portfolio Presentation Marking Scheme Component Comments Weight Actual Mark Knowledge of the Material 20%
Delivery of the Material 20%
Ability to Work as a Team 20%
Ability to Answer Questions 20%
Overall Slide Presentation, Professionalism and Referencing 20%
Total 100%
General Comments: Agreed Mark: Extenuating Circumstances Extenuating Circumstances are circumstances which: • impair your examination performance in assessment or reassessment, or • prevent you from attending for assessment or reassessment, or • prevent you from submitting assessed or reassessed work by the scheduled date If you need to apply for extenuating circumstances, please find the relevant information at: https://www.uel.ac.uk/discover/governance/policies-regulationscorporate-documents/student-policies/extenuation-procedures
