MG5643 Understanding Business and Management Research Assignment/Coursework Brief for 2025/26

MG5643 Main Objective of the assessment

The main objective of the assessment is to allow students acquire theoretical and practical knowledge for business management by covering issues and debates in
management research and provide knowledge of relevant research methods and techniques for master’s level project work. The assessment provides students
opportunities to use and recognise the dominant role of both quantitative and qualitative methods in management research and the need to enable the
understanding of research reports and use this information to improve the quality of work and decision-making. The assessment examines the following Intended

Learning Outcomes (ILOs):

1. Comprehensively understand different research designs and their appropriateness to study different research problems.
2. Identify and synthesize complex research data on a given topic and identify an appropriate methodology for management issues.
3. Evaluate and justify systematically the use of quantitative and qualitative research methods.
4. Demonstrate a variety of skills including recording, communication and explanation of reading research material involved.

Description of the Assessment

Students are expected to produce an individual research report (a proposal 2500 words with a +/- margin of 10%) addressing each of the following tasks on the topic of their research interest. The assessment assesses all the ILOs 1,2,3 and 4.

1. Introduction (≈600 words)

- Background of the Research
- Research Problem
- Research Question, Aim and Objectives

2. Literature Review (≈1000 words)

A critical review and evaluation of relevant literature (valid, relevant, up-to-date academic and peer reviewed journal articles should be used). Discussion on
relevant theories, concepts and frameworks that underpin the research.

3. Research Methodology (≈600 words)

This section should outline and justify the research methodology, including research approach and strategy, method and design to ensure research question,
aim and objectives are effectively addressed.

4. Ethical Considerations, and Timeline (≈300 words)
Considerations of relevant research ethics issues, consultation of Brunel University Ethical guidelines for research. Potential limitations of the study.

5. Appendices (Mandatory): Two appendices must be included with your submission.

• Appendix A should present evidence of your research process.
• Appendix B should include your declaration of AI use.

These appendices are mandatory and will not be included in the word count.

Appendix A: Evidence of Research Process (5–10 items required)

• Provide screenshots or documentation showing how you developed your research topic and conducted your preliminary research before writing your
  proposal. These may include:
  - Library database searches (e.g., EBSCO, ScienceDirect, Emerald)
  - Google Scholar search results (keywords and filters used)
  - Examples of key academic articles identified for the literature review
  - Notes or summaries of theoretical frameworks reviewed
  
  
• Each screenshot should be numbered and captioned clearly, please see examples below:
  - “Screenshot 1: Google Scholar search results – “Mindfulness and Leadership”
  - “Screenshot 2: EBSCO results – “Workplace Wellbeing and Research Design Approaches”

Appendix B: Declaration of AI Use

• If you have used AI tools (e.g., for proofreading, summarising, or structuring your proposal), include:
  - A short declaration describing how AI was used
  - Your prompt journal or sample interactions

Important Notes on AI Use

• AI tools may be used as guidance and support only, not as a substitute for your own analytical work.
• Always verify and cross-check any factual or bibliographic information before including it in your report.
• Do not present AI-generated text, arguments, or references as your own work
• If AI tools are used (for instance, for grammar refinement or outline support), they must be acknowledged in the appendix.
• Failure to acknowledge AI use may be treated as academic misconduct in accordance with University policy

General Guidelines

- Any sources referred to must be cited in the text and listed in the list of references following the Harvard referencing conventions (Both citations and
references must be formatted in the Harvard referencing style).
- The pages of the proposal should be numbered, and the proposal should not exceed 2500 words (with a plus/minus margin of 10%), excluding the title
page, table of contents, references, and appendices etc.
- The report should be typed using 12 pt. Times New Roman font with line spacing of 1.5.
- Your submission should have a title page clearly indicating the Module Code, Your Registration Number and the word count of the coursework.

PG mark bands and grade point bands [Senate Regulation 3] are:

Submission Instructions

Coursework must be submitted electronically via the University’s WISEflow system. The required file format for this report is Adobe PDF. Your student ID number must be used as the file name (e.g. 0123456.pdf). You must ensure that you upload your file in the correct format and complete the Wiseflow coversheet before submitting your assignment.

Please note that submissions of ‘.pages / .docx etc’ documents will not be accepted and must be converted to the approved format.