The Group Consultancy Project is an innovative and practical component of the M.Sc. in Technology and Innovation Management programme, with a distinctive learning process. It involves teams of programme participants undertaking applied research assignments. It is designed to give participants practical experience of all aspects of agreeing, designing, executing and reporting on a research project. It involves programme participants working and managing themselves in groups as they undertake an agreed research assignment. Participants will normally work in a research consultancy / research mode as they undertake their study with the final objective of providing a robust set of findings and recommendations as an outcome of their research/ consultancy effort. The project will require participants to work in a structured manner in a team environment. The project will largely require the students to work in a self-directed mode under the supervision/ mentoring of a lecturer from the programme. Where appropriate projects may be of a consulting nature for specific enterprises. The project pool may also draw on recommended project areas identified by key agencies such as Enterprise Ireland and Forfas.
Essential Reading:
Organisational documentation and/or websites specific to the student’s chosen organization /sector.
Documentation/references to resources recommended by appropriate TU Dublin personnel.
However, given the nature of the Consultancy Project, in particular the variety of projects that will be undertaken there is no generic reading list applicable to the project. Students will however be expected to use the readings and materials relevant to the area of study.
Students will also be advised of relevant readings relating to their projects although most of the readings used will be identified by the research project groups themselves.
A BrightSpace site will be used to communicate additional materials relevant to the project.
Main Report
The academic submission is a consultancy report which will be assessed on a group basis and be of approximately 15,000 words. The key components of the assessment mechanism will be:(1) Introduction(2) Literature review(3) Company Profile and context(4) Research Methodology(5) Analysis(6) Conclusion and RecommendationsAs is the norm within the College of Business a second reader is allocated to each project. In the event of disagreement a third reader will be allocated. The Module Co-ordinators and readers may call any participant for a viva voce post submission. As per the assessment regulations cited in this document compensation to the Consultancy Project is not allowed.The research project will be grounded in theoretical issues and will test practice against the theoretical framework in a contextualised setting rather than investigated by primary research, normally of a case study variety. Where possible it is strongly encouraged that the research should be connected to the work placement. The required length of the research project is in the region of 14,000 to 20,000words.• Project Problem Statement: The student will set out clearly the issue being addressed and the reasons for the choice of issue.• Literature and Best Practice Review: The literature review should provide a thorough analysis of all up to date works concerning the project topic. The review should be developed thematically and must address key considerations, debates and theories relevant to the project problem. The literature review should identify the main debates which in turn provide a framework for the research.• Context ReviewThe research project will be located in a particular context. In most cases this will be within a specific organisational context but it could also include a sectoral context. This context will be described using a framework developed from the literature review.• ResultsThe 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 RecommendationsThe 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.
The Group Project is designed as a group rather than an individual project on the premise that general management skills are grounded in the ability to manage with and through others. Success in a group project is a direct function of group effectiveness and considerable attention must be given by the group to maintain and improve its own functioning.
Assigned Mentor: Each group will be allocated an advisor / mentor from the DIT faculty. The role of the Mentor is to assist, advise and guide the project group in the planning, implementation and submission of project. In this context, the advisor may discuss theories, ideas, approaches, frameworks, etc with the groups but the onus is on the group members to drive the project. The module is also supported by learning in the Business Research and Consultancy workshops
Academic Support Network: The members of the academic team delivering the research and consultancy workshops will the main contact points for learners in relation to queries on research and consultancy techniques and associated issues. Lecturers who have delivered modules across semesters 1 and 2 of the programme, along with the programme team, will provide assistance on relevant literature queries and general discussion respectively.
| Module Content & Assessment | |
|---|---|
| Assessment Breakdown | % |
| Other Assessment(s) | 100 |