MSM7037 International Research Project Assessment Brief S2 2024-25

MSM7037 Task/assessment brief:

You are required to prepare an 8,000-10,000 words International Research Project (IRP). Your work should contain the following (a full description of each element can be found in the module handbook):

Title page Signed Statement

• Abstract
• Acknowledgements Table of Contents
• List of Abbreviations
• List of Tables
• List of Figures Introduction
• Research Background/Context (including research aim, objectives and questions)
• Literature Review
• Research Methodology
• Research Findings and Analysis
• Discussion
• Conclusion and Recommendations
• References
• Appendices (including Research Ethics approval and meeting log)

The IRP is designed to provide you with an opportunity to undertake a substantial research project that addresses a real organisational problem, issue or opportunity relevant to your field of study. You are encouraged to combine knowledge, theories and principles in innovative and creative ways. By carrying out this project, you will develop an integrated approach which draws together strategic and operational issues and demonstrates a synthesis of knowledge and skills developed throughout your studies and exercised in a practical setting.

You are required to identify a research problem or issue closely related to your field of study, the work must, as such, have an international focus or component to it and pose a significant and complex problem, issue or opportunity that must be investigated and, ultimately, solutions or recommendations proposed.
In order to finalise the project, you will need to submit a project proposal which is agreed by both your supervisor and Programme Director. You will then undertake the project, ensuring that the project runs to time, produces required outputs on the dates specified, and culminates in a successful outcome.

Word count (or equivalent): 8,000 - 10,000

This a reflection of the effort required for the assessment. Word counts will normally include any text, tables, calculations, figures, subtitles and citations. Reference lists and contents of appendices are excluded from the word count. Contents of appendices are not usually considered when determining your final assessment grade.

Academic or technical terms explained:

The IRP is intended to be intellectually challenging, enjoyable, directly relevant to your future career, and of significant value when composing your curriculum vitae. It also provides the opportunity to draw together your past experience and academic studies into a focused and practical project.

 The key aspects of the IRP are that it is a sustained, self-directed, independent piece of work at a high academic level. It should be understood that the IRP is not a long essay. In an essay you mainly provide a summary or compilation of information provided by other people with your own views and judgement on that information. The IRP will be a much more rigorous, critical and complex piece of work. When you write your IRP, you are expected not only to read what others have written, but more importantly, generate information yourself and develop some expertise in the area researched.

The project work will probably include the collection of a considerable amount of data, often from both primary and secondary sources. The data will be analysed and used to support a logically structured argument. The work must be analytical and evaluative in nature and the examiners will be looking for an in-depth study where underpinning theory and current practice can be analysed, evaluated and applied to your area of study. They will be looking for evidence of analysis, evaluation, application, creativity, synthesis of new ideas and how your work fits into a wider academic perspective. Description and regurgitation of theory are not sufficient.

MSM7037 Assessment Criteria

Learning outcomes assessed

• Critically review a range of theories and approaches to identify an issue or debate in International Business Management
• Identify and appraise a range of resources that capture the nature and significance of the international business issue or debate being analysed.
• Conduct, analyse and evaluate the outcomes from research, demonstrating enhanced approaches and skills in critical analysis, synthesis and evaluation.
• Critically reflect upon the knowledge produced and its significance for the topic considered and the understanding of it.
• Demonstrate the use of advanced methodological approaches and critically evaluate their effectiveness.
• Demonstrate the ability to act with initiative and work independently in designing and producing a research project.
• Recognition of the ethical dimensions of your practice, and evaluate the implications and
  management of ethical dilemmas.

Other skills/attributes developed

This includes elements of the Cardiff Met EDGE (Ethical, Digital, Global and Entrepreneurial skills) and other attributes developed in students through the completion of the module and assessment. These will also be highlighted in the module guidance, which should be read by all students completing the module. Assessments are not just a way of auditing student knowledge. They are a process which provides additional learning and development through the preparation for and completion of the assessment.
This assessment provided students with the opportunity to produce a detailed and in-depth analysis of an international business issue or debate. It encourages students to draw on their leaming from the programme and allows them to demonstrate their ability to generate and analyse data, and critically reflect both upon its production and upon its implications for the topic being considered. 

Other skills/attributes developed as following:

• Ethical: by completing this assessment, students are provided with opportunities to investigate issues relate to business ethics, corporate responsibilities and sustainability in international context. As researchers, students are required to strictly follow the ethical principles set by Cardiff Metropolitan University.
• Digital: students will gain skills on using relevant digital platform/method and software for designing research questions, distributing questionnaire surveys, conducting interviews, analysing research data and/or presenting findings.
• Global: with an international focus, this assessment leads students into their future career with a global mind-set.
• Entrepreneurial: by investigating an issue relating to international business enterprises, students gain knowledge on the complex nature of operating across national borders, and the challenges faced by managers when operating these enterprises.

MSM7037 Marking/Assessment Criteria