Assignment
1. A British consumer conglomerate that develops, manufactures, distributes, and markets a wide range of Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (often referred to as FMCG) currently operates an extensive range of internal face-to-face training programmes. These involve formal assessments and are expensive leading the company to look into reducing the size of the overall training budget, and they are considering the use of e-learning to significantly reduce costs. There are some concerns however regarding this approach and how it might impact their customer service standards and the possible effect upon staff learning and morale should they switch to a purely online delivery mechanism. Depending on your personal area of interest, develop a research problem with a handful of variables from the above-mentioned broad topic, and formulate it into a set of interesting research questions (of your choice). [top tip – keep this quite simple. For example, what type of learning tools and approaches creates more satisfied employees? How will this approach affect customer service, Financial or non-financial benefits for staff and the company (e.g. staff engagement, cost of eLearning, time away from workplace etc)?
2. Conduct a focused review of the literature concerning the topic, in line with these research questions, and use it to produce a visual model that could be tested.
3. As discussed in the session, clearly stipulate what your hypotheses might be. You only need to state the ‘alternative’ hypotheses.
4. With your topic and model in mind, identify and then justify your chosen research methodology (i.e. qualitative versus quantitative, but also experiments versus questionnaires).
5. Design an appropriate questionnaire (approx. two sides) to address the research questions and discuss the factors that have been deliberately considered while designing the questionnaire to ensure that reliability and validity are the best they can be.
6. There is no data collection required; however, the student might wish to suggest (briefly) some of the steps that will be taken once the data is collected.
7. Describe any of the possible limitations of your study.
8. Outline any possible ethical concerns that will be managed throughout the research
9. Cite the full bibliographic references that you have cited in your research proposal using APA 7th edition and order them alphabeticall.
Brief Summary of Assessment Requirements
This assignment requires students to design, conduct, and justify an individual empirical research project of 7,000 words, forming 85% of the module mark. The main purpose is to construct a research-driven argument that investigates a business theme within an organisation and provides evidence-based conclusions.
Key Requirements
Students must include:
- Background and context of the chosen research topic
- Comprehensive literature review demonstrating understanding of existing knowledge
- Justified methodology, explaining choice of methods, data sources, and ethical considerations
- Analysis and evaluation of empirical findings
- Conclusions and recommendations, where appropriate
- Critical reflection (500 words in the appendices)
- Full Harvard (Cite Them Right) referencing
The project must also include:
- Title page
- Contents page
- Acknowledgements
- Abstract
- Reference list
- Appendices (not included in the word count)
Module Learning Outcomes Covered
- Critically identify and evaluate a business theme in an organisational context
- Construct a research project using appropriate methods, data analysis and decision-making tools
- Summarise implications of findings for stakeholders
Programme Learning Outcomes (PLOs) Addressed
Includes development of critical thinking, communication skills, ethical awareness, commercial awareness, subject-specific knowledge, reflective ability, and professional competence skills essential for management roles in retail organisations.
How the Academic Mentor Guided the Student (Step-by-Step Process)
Step 1: Topic Selection and Scope Definition
The mentor first supported the student in:
- Identifying a relevant business issue within an organisation
- Ensuring the topic aligns with module and programme learning outcomes
- Narrowing the scope so it is manageable within 7,000 words
This step ensured that the chosen theme was researchable, current, and organisationally significant.
Step 2: Background and Context Development
The mentor instructed the student to:
- Establish the organisational setting
- Explain why the chosen issue matters
- Connect the topic to industry trends or organisational challenges
This created a strong foundation for framing the research problem.
Step 3: Literature Review Guidance
The mentor guided the student in:
- Conducting a systematic search of relevant academic literature
- Organising the review thematically
- Identifying theoretical frameworks
- Highlighting gaps the study aims to address
This helped the student create a critical, not descriptive, literature review.
Step 4: Methodology Justification
The mentor explained how to:
- Choose an appropriate research design (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed)
- Justify sampling, data collection tools, and analysis techniques
- Address reliability, validity, and ethical considerations
Students learned how to rationalise their methodological decisions in line with academic standards.
Step 5: Data Collection and Analysis
The mentor provided support in:
- Organising and coding data
- Applying chosen analytical techniques accurately
- Presenting findings clearly through tables, charts, or thematic summaries
- Evaluating findings against the literature
This ensured the student produced evidence-based insights rather than descriptive data.
Step 6: Conclusions and Recommendations
Guidance included:
- Summarising key insights
- Identifying implications for stakeholders
- Offering practical recommendations where relevant
- Ensuring conclusions directly relate back to findings
This allowed the student to demonstrate problem-solving and decision-making skills.
Step 7: Critical Reflection (Appendix)
The mentor helped the student reflect on:
- Personal learning
- Challenges faced during the project
- Skill development (research, communication, critical thinking)
- Future professional application
This reflection supported the PPD (Professional and Personal Development) element.
Step 8: Final Checks and Referencing
The mentor ensured:
- Compliance with the 7,000-word limit
- Professional structure and flow
- Accurate Harvard (Cite Them Right) referencing
- Appropriate use of appendices
- Coherence between aims, methods, findings, and conclusions
This final review strengthened academic quality and coherence.