This module links up with the industrial placement module in year 3, which requires students to develop their research proposal for their final year and introduces them to the main principles of research and dissertation project management. The research project in year 4 is primarily concerned with developing a theoretical explanation or understanding of a logistics and supply chain management issue. The research project is intended to demonstrate the researcher’s grasp of the subject or discipline and to provide a basic level of training and practice in systematic investigation. It also demonstrates the researcher’s ability to critical evaluate, analyse and manage information and data and to communicate issues and outcomes. The research project challenges the student to apply concepts, theories and analytical techniques gained throughout the degree course.
The aim of the research project is to enable the student to undertake a learning journey, which is largely self-directed and self-motivated. It allows the student the opportunity to integrate the various dimensions and domains of knowledge acquired thus far and to achieve a knowledge and familiarity of breadth and depth with an area of ideas not usually possible in normal course work. It allows the student to concentrate on and specialise in a subject discipline and/or sectoral field of their choice. It is desirable where possible that the research project should relate to their work placement in year three and thus provide an opportunity for the student to analyse in a reflective way a practical problem
The research project should be grounded in theoretical issues, will test practice against the theoretical framework, and will be investigated by primary research, outlined separately below.
Where possible it is strongly encouraged that the research should be connected to the work placement. The completion of the project is supported through a series of research methods workshops. The required length of the research project is 16,000 words +/-10%.
Marking Scheme for main project
Research Problem Statement: The student will set out clearly the issue being addressed and the reasons for the choice of issue. The research question & research objectives will be clearly explained in either the research methodology/ contextualisation sections of the project
Literature Review: The literature review should provide a thorough analysis of all up to date works concerning the research project. You should engage in a thematic literature review, addressing theoretical debates. It should be a critical and analytical overview of the existing literature. The literature review should identify the main debates, which in turn provide a framework for the research.
Research Context: There may be a need for a research context chapter which is comprised of secondary data on the case/ industry/ sectoral context of the research.
Research Methodology: Considering the research questions and objectives, evaluate and select a suitable research approach, ensuring application of suitable research methods and techniques in an organisational context, for example: common methodological problems; qualitative versus quantitative research; qualitative data collection, characteristics of qualitative data collection; methods for collecting qualitative data; methods for collecting quantitative data.
Analysis and Findings: Considering the research question and objectives, the results chapter should take various aspects of findings and integrate them with current theoretical debates and previous research findings. There should be a strong focus on argument and debate.
Conclusions and Recommendations: The conclusion should provide an overall discussion of the research findings and how they have developed academic debate in the chosen area. The research project should present issues for further research. These areas should be set out as possible future projects.
Each student will be assigned an individual tutor who will meet the student on a weekly/ fortnightly basis and act as the student’s academic sounding board. Each supervisor will complete a logbook of meetings with their student. The academic advisory role of the supervisor will lighten as the work progresses in order to ensure that the submitted work is essentially the student’s own work. Supervision will not be provided in the four week period prior to submission.
In addition research methods workshops will be held to introduce the students to the various qualitative and quantitative research methods.
| Module Content & Assessment | |
|---|---|
| Assessment Breakdown | % |
| Other Assessment(s) | 100 |