MBB7010M FHEQ Level 7 Capstone Project Module Handbook 2025 | YSJU

Table of Contents

Disclaimer

Module Details

Module Staff

Student Responsibilities

Module Aim

Learning Outcomes

Formative Assessment

Summative Assessment

Research Ethics

Supervision Schedule

References and Appendices

Presentation

Reading List

Student responsibilities:

Attendance at all sessions (lectures and seminars/and workshops) is mandatory. It is important for your success on the module that you make every attempt to attend each session, and therefore, attendance is an expectation, and registers will be taken. If you cannot attend, please inform the Campus Manager (Palliyagei Nanayakkara- Sacchi: p.nanayakkara@yorksj.ac.uk) by
08.30 a.m. on the morning of the session and explain why you will be absent. If you are having problems that make attendance difficult for you, then please seek advice from your GP.

However, attendance at sessions alone will not guarantee you a good grade. Where sessions are interactive, you are expected to participate in reflection and answer questions. You are also expected to ensure you do the required reading before and after your weekly lectures and seminars as well as to prepare any work requested by the Module Leader. In all, your study should take up the equivalent of a full working week in hours.

You should check VLE and your University email regularly (at least once per day, more often is preferable) to ensure that you have the latest information. Making the checks is your responsibility; we can put the information out there, but you must do your part by reading it!

You are responsible for your own learning experience. If you are getting lost, confused, or struggling in any way, then please seek help sooner rather than later; we promise to listen, and if possible, to do what we can to help you sort out any problems, even if the problems are entirely of your own making, but for us to help you, you have to let us know that you need help.

Please note that the following module is correct at the time of printing, but may be subject to modification as part of the York St John University Quality Assurance procedures. Any modifications and/or a new syllabus will be issued to the student before the commencement of the module, if necessary.

MBB7010M Module aim:

This module aims:

• To facilitate and express independent enquiry in a substantial piece of individual self-directed research work.
• Provides you with the opportunity to plan and conduct a piece of research through individual and independent activity and to present your findings using visual aids and in a written academic format that meets professional standards.
• Identify a research topic, design, and conduct your Capstone Project, and strengthen your research methods skills to help you complete your project effectively.

MBB7010M Learning outcomes:

Upon successful completion of the module, you will be able to:

• Identify, plan, design and conduct an individual project, underpinned by independent research, directly relevant to the programme of study.
• Collect, analyse, interpret, and evaluate data and information generated by the research activity.
• Communicate findings that meet academic standards at the degree level and professional standards of presentation.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment and feedback are a critical feature to evaluate the academic progression of the student and, if necessary, to allow the Module Directors to modify their teaching and learning approach to improve student attainment. Formative assessment submissions and mock presentations will be published.

Summative Assessment

Assessment: The Capstone Project is made up of two parts:

Assessment 001: Project report - 12,000 words (80%).
Assessment 002: Poster Presentation - 15 minutes (20%).

For assessment one:

Students must demonstrate the understanding and knowledge gained from their programme of study and how this can be applied in a practical or theoretical way in a particular setting or context. The project is the write-up of an independent piece of research underpinned by existing literature. Indicative structure:

• Introduction (rationale and context, aims and objectives)
• Literature review
• Methodology
• Discussion
• Conclusion

You are expected to meet with your supervisor as agreed throughout this module.

Ethical approval must be obtained for the specific research on which this project is based. Dates will be announced on Moodle, for students to send their ethical forms to the tutors and supervisors for developmental feedback from the start to the end of the study. Students are not permitted to collect data until ethical approval is confirmed officially.

For assessment two:

Each student will present for up to 15 minutes using their poster as a visual aid. Subsequently, there will be questions and discussion for up to 5 minutes; during this time, the student will be asked to reflect on the skills they developed by undertaking the project. Your poster should visually represent tasks 1, 2 and 3 listed below. Try to draw out the key information in an accessible way in your poster rather than putting too much on a single page. During the poster presentation, students will need to:

1. Explain the project key factors (aim, research questions and rationale)
2. Present project key findings and conclusions
3. Answer the following questions:

• What have you learnt from the experience of undertaking a research project?
• How will you apply the skills you have developed during the project to future work or educational activities?
• If you could do the project again, what would you do differently and why?
  Students will also be required to answer questions from the assessor and conference audience at the end of the presentation

Teaching methods

One-to-one scheduled time slots with your allocated
supervisor(s), tutorials, and lectures on research methods for preparation and consolidation.

Research Ethics

“Research ethics concerns the responsibility of researchers to be honest and respectful to all individuals who are affected by their research studies or their reports of the studies’ results.”

• Why do we need to consider ethics in business/management research?
• It reflects respect for those who ‘take part’ in research
• It ensures that no unreasonable, unsafe, or thoughtless demands are made by researchers
• It ensures sufficient knowledge is shared by all concerned
• It imposes a common standard in all the above respects

Ethical Principles to Apply in Research

• Beneficence – securing others’ welfare, not simply protecting them from harm
• Justice – use subjects that are likely to benefit from the research
• Respect for persons – people should be treated with dignity and respect

Key Ethical Issues

• Informed consent - give special consideration to the participants (especially minors and the elderly)
• Deception – avoid withholding or omitting information from research participants
• Minimise the risk of harm – participants could be harmed or put in a position of discomfort
• Right to withdraw – participants should always have the right to withdraw from the research process at any time
• Confidentiality – records and data are kept unidentified or coded

Ethical approval is needed from your supervisor before the recruitment of participants.

No recruitment or data collection must be carried out until you receive formal notification that your study has been approved by the ethics panel.

Ethics from the Process

An ethics approval form needs to be submitted by you and is assessed on a pass/fail basis. In the event of the proposal not being approved, you are required to redesign and resubmit based on the recommendations. Recruitment and data collection can then start as soon as the approval is granted.

You should send your completed York St John University Ethics Form to your supervisor (for first sign-off), provided that your supervisor is satisfied that your proposed project is viable, and the form is completed to the required standard, and they will send on to the Module Leader (for second sign-off) and, if necessary, to the ethics panel for ethical approval. Once the proposal has been approved, you can then start your data collection for your project.

Supervision schedule – Refer to the Research Methods Module for Lectures

Note: All lectures are online. For seminar timings, please check the group you belong to

References and appendices

A good reference list is essential in achieving a good mark. The list should only contain references that are directly cited within the text. The required approach must be taken as specified in the assessment briefs. Ensure your referencing conforms to the relevant style with York St John University. Appendices are opportunities to include supporting documentation, such as a copy of a survey or interview schedule that the reader can be directed to. If appendices are used, they must be referred to in the main body of the work.

Presentation

There are marks available for presentation. When considering this, the marker will look at the use of language, the overall structure and coherence of the document and the referencing. A consistent use of font size and spacing is essential. References must be used as required by the appropriate referencing convention, and spelling and grammatical errors should not be present in the final document. With some care, these are easy marks to add to your overall score.