business skills

Research Reflection Report (Assignment Format) – Guidelin" rel="nofollow">ines for the Report These notes are designed to help you deliver and conduct a successful Research Reflection Report. The Research Reflection Report is a major piece of work and is designed to support your own self-critical consideration of your research and related busin" rel="nofollow">iness skills and demonstrate that you can:- • Reflect and comment critically on what you have learnt durin" rel="nofollow">ing the programme and durin" rel="nofollow">ing the carryin" rel="nofollow">ing out of your research activities • Carefully consider the research which you have carried out and critically comment on this • Discuss the relationship of your research, research sources and evidence, and researchin" rel="nofollow">ing activities to the production of your Major Project • Critically comment on the key areas, examples, sources of your research • Consider the relationship of your research, and researchin" rel="nofollow">ing, to both your Major Project and possible future employment opportunities Your Research Reflection Report is not only an academic exercise but also a piece of work which you may wish to use in" rel="nofollow">in future employment contexts to demonstrate your ability to consider the importance of research and researchin" rel="nofollow">ing to:- • busin" rel="nofollow">iness plannin" rel="nofollow">ing, • busin" rel="nofollow">iness success, • organisational contexts • your own academic and busin" rel="nofollow">iness skills and the contribution which you can make to an organisation as a result of developin" rel="nofollow">ing these skills The Research Reflection Report therefore aims to support the student’s ability to be self critical about their research. It also develops the students understandin" rel="nofollow">ing and application of the core concepts of busin" rel="nofollow">iness and academic skills while developin" rel="nofollow">ing their ability to perform more effectively within" rel="nofollow">in organisations in" rel="nofollow">in a real world context. The Report therefore encourages reflection on:- 1) Research Processes 2) The research methodologies which you have considered and applied 3) Research and researchin" rel="nofollow">ing as a problem solvin" rel="nofollow">ing process used by you as a student, 4) The identification and discussion of your key learnin" rel="nofollow">ing poin" rel="nofollow">ints which could be applied to other situations. 5) The relationship of research and your major project to your professional development opportunities and career development in" rel="nofollow">intensions Completion of the Report • The contents of the report are given in" rel="nofollow">in a template format (see pages 3&4) • You may treat this report as a self critical evaluation of your researchin" rel="nofollow">ing experience or “Learnin" rel="nofollow">ing Diary” or as a fin" rel="nofollow">inal summin" rel="nofollow">ing up of your experiences while carryin" rel="nofollow">ing out the Research and the Major Project in" rel="nofollow">in which you have been in" rel="nofollow">involved. It is advisable not to leave the completion of the Report until the last min" rel="nofollow">inute. • Above all this Report should not be simply descriptive – it should be a self critical summary of your learnin" rel="nofollow">ing experiences. You should adopt a ‘critical’ viewpoin" rel="nofollow">int – what seems to work, what is less successful – and why? Discuss the examples of best /good/in" rel="nofollow">interestin" rel="nofollow">ing research practice which you have come across. Consider how research examples/models can be usefully used in" rel="nofollow">in busin" rel="nofollow">iness situations– and be adapted to suit your future workplace/ academic environment. • You should attempt to respond to all template sections • You should keep to the overall word limit of 4000 words maximum for the whole Report. Thin" rel="nofollow">ings to thin" rel="nofollow">ink about when completin" rel="nofollow">ing your Research Reflective Report:- The nature of your research and your Major Project Why is it bein" rel="nofollow">ing done; why are you workin" rel="nofollow">ing on this subject and how significant is it to you and to future employers? Plan of your schedules Have you managed effectively your research and Major Project schedules and are they logical? Resources What resources (i.e. people, evidence, references, and ideas) have you used and how are you usin" rel="nofollow">ing these? Why are they important? Methodologies Are the methods which you have used specified clearly, and are they sufficiently rigorous? Are data/evidence/literature sources specified and available? Are you conductin" rel="nofollow">ing the research and the Major Project in" rel="nofollow">in a professional manner? What analytical frameworks will be used to make sense of the work? Are these appropriate? Support and Barrier Issues Have these been thought through by you? How any barriers to be/bein" rel="nofollow">ing overcome? Anticipated Benefits to you and to a future employment organisation What are they? – Knowledge? : Ideas? : Learnin" rel="nofollow">ing Experience? : Efficiency? : Effectiveness? Fin" rel="nofollow">inancial?: Organisational?: Skills? How will the project satisfy you? How will the work contribute to your personal development? How wide a range of skills and knowledge does it use from your programme? Will it demonstrate that you have an understandin" rel="nofollow">ing of your programme subject areas? Major Project Conclusions: The conclusions which you are formin" rel="nofollow">ing for your Major Project – are they based on rigorous reasonin" rel="nofollow">ing and argument? Report Writin" rel="nofollow">ing Skills Write your reflections and critical views clearly and simply. Student name: ……WRITE YOUR NAMES HERE AS THEY ARE IN YOUR PASSPORT…….. Student ID number: ……WRITE YOUR SCHOOL ID NUMBER HERE……………… RESEARCH REFLECTION REPORT (should contain" rel="nofollow">in the details given below) Please type your responses in" rel="nofollow">in the spaces below: Marks available Research Methods & Processes How and why have you chosen/decided on the research methods and processes which you are usin" rel="nofollow">ing/have used for the development of your Major Project? How would you describe these to: 1) a reader of your Major Project and/or 2) a future employer (max. 550 words) Click here to enter text. 15 Literature & sources 1) What are the most important theories/literature sources /evidence sources which you are usin" rel="nofollow">ing to justify your research and your Major Project? 2) Why are these sources important and fundamental to your work? (max. 550 words) Click here to enter text. 15 Your Knowledge What key areas of knowledge have you gain" rel="nofollow">ined from undertakin" rel="nofollow">ing your research and the Major Project? Indicate why these are so important to you? (max. 400 words) Click here to enter text 10 Your Learnin" rel="nofollow">ing What are the most important aspects/examples of learnin" rel="nofollow">ing and/or skills which you have gain" rel="nofollow">ined from: (1) undertakin" rel="nofollow">ing the MBA programme, (2) followin" rel="nofollow">ing through your research, and (3) applyin" rel="nofollow">ing your knowledge and what you have learnt in" rel="nofollow">in your Major Project (max. 400 words) Click here to enter text 10 Critical Thin" rel="nofollow">inkin" rel="nofollow">ing and your ideas In carryin" rel="nofollow">ing out your research, your analysis, your evaluation of evidence, and in" rel="nofollow">in identifyin" rel="nofollow">ing or proposin" rel="nofollow">ing conclusions, what has been the most important discovery, or piece of evidence, or theory, or viewpoin" rel="nofollow">int, or critical idea, or critical addition to your knowledge, or other item of importance and why? (max. 400 words) Click here to enter text 10 Barriers met What were the main" rel="nofollow">in difficulties and barriers which you were faced with in" rel="nofollow">in: (1) undertakin" rel="nofollow">ing your research, and (2) completin" rel="nofollow">ing your Major project (max. 400 words) Click here to enter text 10 Your Professional Development What are the most important busin" rel="nofollow">iness and/or management skill(s) or academic idea(s) or lesson(s) which you have learnt from undertakin" rel="nofollow">ing your research and your Major Project – and why? (400 words) Click here to enter text 10 Objectives Based on your research and the work which you have done in" rel="nofollow">in the MBA Programme and its use in" rel="nofollow">in your Major Project, what were and how far have the objectives of your major project been achieved? (max. 450 words) Click here to enter text 10 Fin" rel="nofollow">indin" rel="nofollow">ings & outcomes How useful and/or feasible are the fin" rel="nofollow">indin" rel="nofollow">ings, recommendations, conclusions, or outcomes of your Major Project to you and/or to a future Employer? You must justify your answer with specific examples. (max. 450 words) Click here to enter text 10 TOTAL 100