Title
/ Integrative Management Report 2 (Public Services)Code / MNM74
Level / M
Credit rating / 40M Level Credits
Pre-requisites / MNM50 studies
Type of module / Core (alternative to MNM75)
Aims / This module aims to:
- Provide for a capstone completion element for the master’s degree;
- Provide an opportunity to make broad integrative links across organisations and their environments;
- To provide an experience of planning, designing and carrying out a substantial individual written report;
The module aim specific to the MSc Management (Public Services) is to offer an opportunity:
- to undertake an advanced integrative study relevant to public service management;
- To undertake an advanced integrative study relevant to the management of human resources;
- to undertake an advanced integrative study relevant to entrepreneurial management.
Learning outcomes/objectives / The learning outcomes of this module include:
- Identify a project topic appropriate to meet the integrative requirements of a master’s level report; demonstrate the ability to make integrative links across organisations and their environment;
- Conduct investigation into business and management issues that demonstrates familiarity with and critical appraisal of a range of sources and often incomplete data;
- Demonstrate the ability to apply appropriate investigative methods for synthesising and analysing in order to abstract meaning from information;
- Demonstrate a critical awareness of current issues in business and management such as sustainability and ethical issues, which is informed by current academic theories and practice in the field;
- Demonstrate relevant personal and interpersonal skills and high personal effectiveness such as critical self-awareness, self-reflection, and the self-management skills to prepare a substantial individual project report;
- Demonstrate the ability to effectively communicate in a written report complex ideas and arguments.
Content / Content will be influenced by student interest and advice of the academic supervisor. Support workshops will focus on issues such as:
- How to define and evaluate an appropriate research question or management problem;
- Ethical, validity and reliability issues in collecting and assessing evidence;
- The process of planning and completing a large-scale individual integrative project report;
- Guidance on research methods and techniques for investigating, synthesising, analysing and evaluating information.
Teaching and learning strategies / Students will work with the support of an academic supervisor to scope their project proposal and to develop a plan for carrying the project through to a successful completion. Students may seek out the support of other specialists for additional subject-specific advice. Students are expected to take responsibility for their own learning, and to work independently through most of the project with guidance from the supervisor.
The workshops will normally be delivered in block mode.
Taught component (workshops) / 21 Hours
Supervision and guided study / 20 Hours
Self study and assessment / 359 hours
Learning support sets / 24 hours per group of 6
Total learning hours / 400 hours
Some of the workshops may be delivered in conjunction with the MNM50 Integrative Management Report 1 module.
Learning support / Studies will be supported by :
- Studentcentral
- Learning support group facilitated by a member of academic staff
- Workshops to provide training in research methods and guidance in the formulation of a project proposal
- Library facilities including the on-line library and e-journals
- Assignment guidance notes
- Academic supervisor
Indicative reading list – latest editions of:
Bryman, A and E Bell. Business research Methods. OxfordUniversity Press.
Cassell, C and G Symon. Essential Guide to Qualitative Methods in Organizational Research. Sage Publication.
Saunders, M et al. Research Methods for Business Students. Prentice Hall.
University of Brighton, Code of Good Practice in Research, Document accessed from Intranet StudentCentral
Yin, R.K. Case study research: design and methods, Thousand OaksCA, Sage
Assessment tasks / Summative Assessment
The assessment will consist of a report written by the student and a reflective report.
Written report: 10,000 words (+ or – 10% excluding bibliography and appendices)
Reflective report: awritten reflective report of 1,500 words (+ or – 10%), in which the student reflects on the learning they gained from undertaking the project as well as the impact of the learning on their future management practice and/or professional development. The reflective report is marked on a pass-fail basis and not weighted, but is required.
The integrative report may be any one of four broad categories:
Problem Centred
A project report in this category may be concerned with a transferable problem. For example, it may be related to management in an industry or group of industries. The analysis may be largely fieldwork based, or a mixture of both fieldwork and library work.
Problem solving
A project report in this category may be concerned with a particular management issue or problem in an organisation. The objectives may involve the analysis of business, organisational, marketing, employment, production or financial issues, and the argument of a variety of solutions. In such a report, the candidate acts much as a consultant, writing with the "client" in mind.
Theory based
A project report in this category considers alternative general theories in a broad subject area. These may be compared, contrasted and evaluated using conceptual arguments and relevant literature, with an emphasis on the identification of the real world implications of these findings.
Literature supported business plan (Entrepreneurship route only)
A project report in this category will focus upon launching a new product and/or company, or transition in a family-owned business, which includes a business plan and critical application of the relevant scholarly literature.
Brief description of module content and/or aims (maximum 80 words) / This capstone module offers the opportunity for participants to draw on their experience on the course, to build on the MNM50 Management Integration 1 module, and to make integrative links across various areas of organisations in the writing of a substantial individual written report. Candidates of a named award (MSc Management (Human Resources), MSc Management (Public Services) or MSc Management (Entrepreneurship) should undertake a study relevant to the area of their named award.
Area examination board to which module relates / BrightonBusinessSchool
Module authors / Barry Lee-Scherer. Vicky Richards, Tove Sørensen-Bentham, Cliff Conway
Terms / 2 and 3 plus the summer
Delivery site / Moulsecoomb
First approval / 2 May, 2007
Last revisions / 2 May, 2007; 21 April, 2009; 5/5/09
Date of approval of this version
Version number / Version 2
Replacement for previous module / MNM47
Field for which module is acceptable and status in that field / Mandatory module for MSc Management, MSc International Management, MSc Management (Public Services), MSc Management (Entrepreneurship), and MSc Management (Human Resources). For those undertaking a project report which is based on employment or work experience, MNM52 Integrative Management Report 2 (work experience based), may be substituted for this module.
Course(s) for which module is acceptable and status in that course / Core for the following courses (as an alternative to MNM52)
- MSc Management
- MSc International Management
- MSc Management (Entrepreneurship)
- MSc Management (Human Resources)
- MSc Management (Public Services)
School home / BrightonBusinessSchool
External examiner / TBA