Critically evaluate the role and purpose of applied research for strategic management, selecting and deploying action research methods within a specific work context.
HRMM082 AUT 23-24
Article with Portfolio
Module Level:
7
Module Code:
HRMM082 AUT 23-24
Credit Value:
40
Module Name:
Major Project (Placement)
Module Leader:
Assessment Code:
AS1
Assessment Type:
Article with Portfolio
Assessment Deliverable(s) as stated in the Module Specification:
“Individual long form feature article for a business publication (4000 words) with portfolio of supporting background research, analysis and references (4500 words).”
Weighting (%):
85%
Submission dates:
Wednesday 5th February 2025
(Resit due: Sunday 6th April 2025)
Feedback and Grades due:
Wednesday 5th March 2025
Please read the whole assessment brief before starting work on the Assessment Task.
Assessment Task Guidance Description
Learning Outcomes aligned to this assessment:
On successful completion of the assessment, you will be able to:
b) Critically evaluate the role and purpose of applied research for strategic management, selecting and deploying action research methods within a specific work context.
c) Design and implement an action research project, identifying ethical and methodological dimensions of work-based research.
d) Select, evaluate and synthesise sources of information associated with a work-based business or management issue.
e) Appraise and apply a recognised method of primary and/or secondary data analysis.
f) Propose recommendations that demonstrate an entrepreneurial mind-set, and that consider stakeholder impact, sustainability, and value.
h) Demonstrate self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems, and act autonomously in planning and implementing tasks.
i) Structure and communicate a coherent and sustained argument.
The Assessment Task summary
Imagine you are going to publish your own journal article, like the ones you will be reading on NELSON. You are to create an 8,500-word independent piece of work-based research in the form of a journal article for a business journal, which showcases the work-based research project you proposed in your PS1 submission. Your research must focus on an identified ‘problem’ or challenge within your placement organisation and you must have consulted with, discussed and agreed your topic with a person of authority within that organisation (such as your line Manager).
Your research must also have received Ethics Approval and your signed Ethics form and all associated documents must be included in your portfolio.
Your submission will have two key elements that form one submission:
1) The Article: the summarised ‘published’ written element (4,000 words), and
2) The Portfolio: a supporting portfolio of background evidence (literature research, methodology, results, analysis, Ethics documents and references) (4,500 words).
Please follow this format when constructing your article and portfolio:
Section
Content
Indicative
word count
Cover page
This page should include the title of the assessment, your name, student number, module code, tutor and final word count.
n/a
Section Header page:
‘Published’ part (the imaginary article that would be ‘published’)
n/a
The ‘public’ element:
Introduction
Main body of the article
Conclusion
Your Introduction must briefly state the purpose of your article (your research question and why it needs to be answered for your organisation) and contents, providing any definitions that the reader would find useful. You must include your aim and objectives (and hypotheses if relevant). You should also briefly describe your placement organisation (anonymously) and your job role within it, for context.
This is your main article which should convey a summary of all the key points about / from your research, in a flowing, chronological style. You should follow the sections of your Proposal from your initial rationale through to your limitations, but your article should not use all the headings: think about how the journals you are reading for your literature review are constructed.
Conclude your article and provide a realistic and robust summary of the recommendations that have emerged from your research. Each recommendation should include some details such as timescales and the resources needed to implement it, but your full recommendations with all of the details will be in the portfolio.
400
3,000
600
Section Header page:
Supporting portfolio (this is the section that includes your supporting evidence.)
n/a
Contents page:
Please provide a list of the evidence you have included in your portfolio section and present it in that order. Include your appendix items, numbered and titled.
n/a
The portfolio of evidence
This section should include all of your supporting work and evidence of your research. Please include the full versions of your:
Rationale (why is this research important?)Consultation with your employer – how did you decide your project topic with your stakeholders?Literature review (the key research debates that informed your research design)Methodology (philosophy behind your choice of approach) and Method (your research design)Your data collection instrument (if relevant)Your findings and analysisYour conclusionYour recommendations (in full)Your limitations section
4,500 (excluding your appendix)
Reference List
Your sources should be shown here, in the correct Harvard style.
n/a
Appendix
Your Appendix should include:
Your raw dataYour full, signed Ethics pack of documents.Your signed Supervision Forms
n/a
Word Limits (where appropriate)
The word limit for this assessment is 8,500 words.
In accordance with the Assessment and Feedback Policy, as stated in section 4.40 where a submission exceeds the stipulated time limit by more than 10%, the submission will only be marked up to and including the additional 10%. Anything over this will not be included in the final grade for the assessment item. Abstracts, bibliographies, reference lists, appendices and footnotes are excluded from any word limit requirements
In line with section 4.41 of the same Policy, where a submission is notably under the time limit, the full submission will be marked on the extent to which the learning objectives have been met.
Use of Generative AI (Artificial Intelligence) within this assessment:
Some uses of Generative AI may deemed as unethical in your assessment. Further guidance on the conditions for allowable use of Generative AI will be given by the module team.
Assessment Submission
To submit your work electronically, please go to the ‘Assessment and submission’ area on the NILE site and use the relevant submission point to upload the assignment deliverable. The deadline for this is 11.59pm (UK local time) on the date of submission. Please note that Essays and text-based reports should be submitted as Microsoft Word documents (.doc or .docx), or as guided within the assignment. Please access the following guide to submitting assessments.
Written work submitted to Turnitin will be subject to anti-plagiarism detection software. Turnitin checks student work for possible textual matches against internet available resources and its own proprietary database. Please access the University of Northampton’s Plagiarism Avoidance Course (UNPAC) to learn more.
When you upload your work correctly to Turnitin you will receive a receipt which is your record and proof of submission. If your assessment is not submitted to Turnitin, rather than a receipt, you will see a green banner at the top of the screen that denotes successful submission.
N.B Work emailed directly to your tutor will not be marked.
Grading:
Your grade will depend on the extent to which you meet these learning outcomes in the way relevant for this assessment. You will be assessed on your ability to successfully address specified module learning outcomes, with marks allocated based on what is called a grading rubric.
The rubric is a table which has different statements for how well each learning outcome has been met, and is used as a standard benchmark so that all assignments are marked equally against. Please see the grading rubric on NILE, or see the final page of this document for further details of the criteria against which you will be assessed, presented in the grading rubric.
Further Assessment Guidance:
Please access the following document for more general information about the assessment process, including anonymous marking, submissions, and where to find feedback and grades.
2023 UON Standard Assessment Guidance.
Marking Rubric for HRMM082 AS1 (Article and Portfolio)
