University€¦ · Web viewWelcome to Nottingham University Business School. This handbook is a...

Executive MSc in Global Supply Chain Management Course Member Handbook

— 2010-2011 Edition —

WELCOME

Welcome to Nottingham University Business School. This handbook is a guide for new Executive MSc Global Supply Chain Management Course Members, and should be retained as a first point of reference for information on the Business School. Included are relevant Business School contacts and procedures, details of University and Business School services and information, an overview of academic practice and regulations, and some guidelines for the preparation of coursework materials.

ADMINISTRATIVE CONTACTS

MBA Programmes ManagerElaine Kay Telephone x 15501e-mail: [email protected] A10, South Building

MBA Administrator (Reception)Christine Dinwiddie Telephone x 15500 e-mail: [email protected] A1, South Building

MBA Administrator (Reception)Julie Dawson Telephone x 67740e-mail: [email protected] A1, South Building Hours: Mon & Tues, 9.30 – 2.30pm; Weds-Fri, 9.30-1.30pm

Executive Programmes Administrator Sue Cotterill Telephone x 66111e-mail: [email protected] Room A2, South Building

MBA Programmes AdministratorKathleen Visser Telephone x 66633e-mail: [email protected] A2, South Building

MBA Examinations AdministratorSylvia Perkins Telephone x 15502e-mail: [email protected] A2, South Building

MBA Admissions AdministratorWendy Willan Telephone x 15094e-mail: [email protected] A2, South Building

Senior MBA Tutor / Student SupportAlyson McLintock Telephone x 66971e-mail: [email protected] Room C43, South Building

Student Support Officer / Disability Liaison OfficerTeresa Bee Telephone x 15251e-mail: [email protected] A7b, North Building

CAREERS GUIDANCE

Postgraduate Careers Service

2 Nottingham University Business School

mailto:[email protected]









Julie Blant / Gillian Murchie Telephone x 66478e-mail: [email protected]

EXECUTIVE MSc GSCM PROGRAMME DIRECTOR

Dr James Tannock Telephone x 14023Director of Exec MSc GSCM Programme Room B36, South [email protected]

Dr Jane Guinery Telephone x 14145Deputy Director of Exec MSc GSCM ProgrammeRoom C23, South [email protected]

A list of all Academics can be found at:nottingham.ac.uk/business/Staff_Academic.html

Executive MSc GSCM Course Member Handbook 2010-2011 3




Making EnquiriesYour first points of contact should usually be Susan Cotterill, Executive Programmes Administrator, or Dr James Tannock as your Personal Tutor. However, if you have an enquiry about a particular module, you can address it with the appropriate Module Convenor, and then if necessary with the Director of the Executive MSc GSCM Programme.

NEXUS

The Business School’s virtual learning environment is Nexus, and can be accessed at nottingham.ac.uk/business/nexus. Access is password protected (use your Novell password).


http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/business/nexus

CONTENTS1. STUDYING IN THE BUSINESS SCHOOL...........................................................................6

1.1 Personal Tutors............................................................................................................ 61.2 The University Quality Manual.....................................................................................71.3 Attendance at the University.......................................................................................71.4 Information for Students with a Disability....................................................................71.5 Religious Observance..................................................................................................81.6 Personal Information and Data Protection...................................................................91.7 Responsibilities: staff and course members................................................................9

2. SERVICES & INFORMATION.........................................................................................122.1 The MBA Reception Office.........................................................................................122.2 Computing Facilities..................................................................................................142.3 Electronic Learning Resources...................................................................................162.4 The Business Library..................................................................................................162.5 Access to Academic Staff..........................................................................................182.6 The Business School Student Support........................................................................192.7 University Student Services.......................................................................................192.8 University Counselling Service...................................................................................192.9 The Postgraduate Careers Service.............................................................................20

3. PRACTICES & PROCEDURES........................................................................................213.1 How to Submit Coursework........................................................................................213.2 Late Submission of Coursework.................................................................................213.3 Extenuating Circumstances.......................................................................................223.4 University Classification Marking Guide.....................................................................243.5 Postgraduate Assessment Regulations......................................................................253.6 Missing Examinations and Repeating Assessments...................................................303.7 Referencing............................................................................................................... 303.8 Academic Offences: Plagiarism and Cheating in Exams............................................333.9 Procedure for Further Discussion on Confirmed Marks...............................................39

4. METHODS OF ASSESSMENT........................................................................................404.1 Examinations............................................................................................................. 404.2 Essays....................................................................................................................... 404.3 Reports...................................................................................................................... 424.4 Presentations............................................................................................................444.5 Case Studies.............................................................................................................. 484.6 Dissertation Guidelines..............................................................................................49

5. TIME MANAGEMENT & STUDY SKILLS..........................................................................515.1 Organising Your Time................................................................................................515.2 Making Notes............................................................................................................. 515.3 Reading..................................................................................................................... 535.4 Group Working........................................................................................................... 545.5 Revision..................................................................................................................... 56


1. STUDYING IN THE BUSINESS SCHOOL

We hope that you will enjoy your time as an Executive MSc GSCM course member at the Nottingham University Business School.

You will be taking nine core modules and *three elective modules during your study period, which is a minimum of two years and a maximum of four years from your initial registration date.

(* This varies if you choose to take the Supply Chain Group Project which is a double weighted module worth 20 credits.)

Each taught module (with the exception of the Supply Chain Group Project) will count for 10 credits (100 hours) of student work. In addition to formal classes, which will constitute 33 hours of work for a typical 10 credit module, you will also be expected to spend about 67 hours per module in self-directed study. This should include time spent working through your notes after lectures; researching, reading and making notes on both hardcopy and on-line materials; coursework and presentation preparation; group work activities; and examination revision. It is very important that you allocate enough time to each of the subjects that you are studying.

1.1 Personal Tutors Every course member studying for the Executive MSc GSCM programme is allocated a Personal Tutor. This will be an academic who will usually act as your main point of academic and personal contact with the Business School and University throughout your studies.

The role of the Personal Tutor in the Business School is as follows:

To make themselves available to their personal tutees for meetings when required by course members and to have a reasonable availability to meet with their personal tutees.

To discuss any queries regarding module choices, examination marks, assist with initial discussions in respect of the Dissertation and to review academic performance, if required.

To provide references as required for employment applications.

To advise course members when they should see the Business School’s Student Support Officer (Alyson McLintock or Teresa Bee) concerning personal and/or extenuating circumstances,

To act as a gateway to the wider student support and development provision of the University.


To attend appropriate personal briefing meetings and training events.

1.1.1 Student Support & Development CoordinationStudent Support and Development (SSD) activities, including the operation of the personal tutor system, are coordinated by the Business School’s Senior Tutor, Christopher Barnatt. Please contact Christopher if you have questions or concerns relating to the personal tutor system and in particular your relationship with your own personal tutor (e-mail [email protected]).

1.2 The University Quality ManualIn order to constantly maintain and improve its academic and administrative standards, and to ensure equity across all modules, courses and programmes, the University of Nottingham has created a Quality Manual of standards and procedures to which all Schools must comply. The Quality Manual is available on-line at nottingham.ac.uk/quality-manual

1.3 Attendance at the UniversityAll Executive MSc GSCM Course Members are required to attend lectures and other classes as the School Director prescribes. In the Business School, registers will be taken in all lectures and non-attendance will be followed up with individual course members. Executive MSC GSCM course members are expected to attend all sessions of the one-week block modules.

Any absence from lectures or other formal classes due to illness should be notified to Susan Cotterill, along with a medical certificate, if applicable.

1.4 Information for Students with a DisabilityThe Business School is strongly committed to equality of opportunity in its provision for students, and as the Disability Liaison Officer (DLO), Teresa Bee has a specific role in assisting students with disabilities:

The DLO provides a point of reference, advice and guidance for students with a disability and will be able to give you information about the specialist support services available.

If you have a disability, dyslexia and/or a long-term medical condition you are strongly recommended to contact Teresa as soon as possible. Early disclosure can assist in ensuring the timely provision of appropriate support services.

No information concerning any disability you declare will be released to any third party without your explicit permission.

You should also note that it is your responsibility to declare in advance any disability (including dyslexia) that may impact on your academic


http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/quality-manual


performance as the University is unlikely to accept any such evidence as part of any appeal or related process if it is submitted retrospectively.

If you need additional time for your exams, you must apply to Teresa Bee or Academic Support. There are specific deadlines for each Semester to submit your request, these are:

29 October 2010 for Semester 1 exam period, 11 March 2011 for Semester 2 exam period, and8 July 2011 for September exam period

For further details please refer to Academic Support via the University website:nottingham.ac.uk/academicsupport/

If you feel that you may need additional help in the event of the emergency evacuation of a University building, you should notify Academic Support (x13710) as well as Teresa Bee and Susan Cotterill so that an appropriate Personal Emergency Egress Plan (PEEP) can be developed.

The University's Disability Statement can be viewed online at:nottingham.ac.uk/disability/disability-statement.html

Further information can be found at: nottingham.ac.uk/disability. Business School disability documentation and disclosure information is also available on Nexus (see section 2.3) and in the Executive MSc GSCM Induction File. More information on student support services is provided in sections 2.7.

1.5 Religious ObservationThe University of Nottingham respects the rights and religious views of its students. The University's protocol relating to absence from an examination for reason of religious observance sets out the procedure for students who are unable to take examinations on a particular day during the published examination periods for reasons of religious observance.

Students should complete a Religious Observance Form available from: www. nottingham.ac.uk/quality-manual/forms/religious-observance-form.doc

This form should be authorised by the Student Support Officer and submitted to the Susan Cotterill.

The deadline for submission of completed forms is: Friday 8 October 2010Friday 11 February 2011

Failure to submit a completed form by the deadline will mean that a student's request cannot be taken into consideration for the forthcoming round of examinations.


http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/quality-manual/forms/religious-observance-form.doc

http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/disability

http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/disability/disability-statement.html

http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/academicsupport/

1.6 Personal Information and Data ProtectionWe respect the right to privacy of all present and former course members, and expect all parties maintaining records containing personal or confidential information to comply with the Data Protection Act (1998). You should therefore note that no personal information held on you in the Business School in either electronic or hardcopy format will be released to any third party without your explicit permission. The only exceptions are where such information is required on a matter of internal University business or where disclosure may be required by law.

The above means that the Business School cannot and will not disclose or discuss your marks, academic performance and/or other circumstances with any third party – including your family, employer/sponsor or other course members – without proof of your consent for such personal information to be disclosed.

1.7 Responsibilities: staff and course membersIn terms of staff responsibilities, course members within any module should expect:

the provision of a hardcopy module outline that includes the syllabus covered by the module; the duration and scheduling of all formal contact hours; a detailed reading list; explicit details of all module assessments; and identification of the knowledge and understanding, intellectual skills, professional skills, and transferable skills that the module seeks to develop.

in the initial lectures of any module involving coursework, a hardcopy handout explicitly setting the key details of coursework topic and deadlines (unless notification has been provided in writing that the coursework will be set at a later time.)

a module’s syllabus and assessment to be consistent with that published on the Business School website, Nexus, and in other on-line learning environments.

courteous and professional conduct in all interactions, both in person and when communicating via e-mail and all other forms of electronic or hardcopy media.

a level of library provision which gives course members reasonable access to all recommended material, where necessary through the short-loan system and/or on-line, and availability of core texts in a University Bookshop.

return of coursework with appropriate feedback as quickly as possible and no later than 28 days after the submission date.

punctuality and where possible advance notification of and explanation for any changes in teaching times or locations.


a reasonable level of access to staff outside formal class times, with an indication of office hours.

In turn, staff will expect of course members:

punctuality and a high level of attendance at all formal teaching sessions (including lectures and group work meetings).

active participation in all University and Business School administrative processes, and in particular those related to annual on-line registration processes, module and examination registration and coursework submission.

courteous and professional conduct in all interactions, both in person and when communicating via e-mail and all other forms of electronic or hardcopy media.

use of their University e-mail account for all communications with module convenors and administrative staff, coupled with a regular checking of Nexus.

thorough reading of key reference materials and the consultation of additional sources such as academic and professional journals and on-line materials.

thorough preparation for and active participation in discussion groups and case studies.

active and full participation in group work activities, including assessed group projects.

professional organisation and scheduling of work so that submission deadlines are adhered to.

strict compliance with University regulations relating to academic offences (for example plagiarism or cheating in examinations) and acceptance of the penalties for non-compliance.

constructive feedback on teaching via the completion of module and evaluation processes.


2. SERVICES & INFORMATIONIt is important that you familiarise yourself as soon as possible at the beginning of the semester with the wide range of sources of information and support services available to you, as detailed below.

2.1 The MBA Reception OfficeThe Executive MSc GSCM Programme is administrated via the MBA Office. Unless otherwise notified, Susan Cotterill will be available 8.45am – 5pm, Monday to Friday, in Room A2, (Ground Floor), Business School South) to deal with any queries. The MBA Reception Office (Room A1, ground floor, Business School South Building) is also open, unless otherwise notified, between 9.30am and 3.30pm Monday to Friday to answer general enquiries, and for the submission of coursework in the absence of Susan Cotterill. (For more information on the submission of coursework via the MBA Reception Office see section 3.1).

The database used to manage the Executive MSc GSCM Programme is administered by Susan Cotterill. You should therefore ensure that any changes to your contact details or other personal circumstances are notified to Susan Cotterill as soon as they occur. (Please note, as the Database is not linked to the Student Portal, therefore, any updated information you register on the portal is not transferred to the Business School’s records.)

Telephone conference facilities are available in Room C22 and C46 South Building. Please email Susan Cotterill to arrange this, giving 24 hours notice.

2.1.1 Administrative Staff Support situated within the MBA General Office complex, Business School South Building

The MBA Administrative team will be happy to help with your queries during office opening hours. Details can be found on page 2. If you need to see the Elaine Kay, MBA Programmes Manager, please see one of the staff in the MBA Offices, who will make an appointment for you or alternatively, please email [email protected] directly.

2.1.2 Return of Coursework Coursework for part-time course members will be posted to the correspondence address on our records. The MBA office aims to return all coursework within 28 days of the submission date.

2.1.3 Course members' Photocopier This is located in the MBA Resource Room, room C30. Photocopy cards may be purchased from the MBA Reception during office hours (£5 for 80 copies).

2.1.4 Computer Laboratory Opening hours and instructions for use are shown on the Computer Laboratory timetable. All queries, faults etc., should be directed to the Computer



Technicians, Steve Moore (ext. 18604), Kieran Woodward (ext. 66645) and Chris Bates (ext. 66613). A user name, together with 1,500 sheets of printing will be allocated to all course members. After this allocation has been used, if you require further credit please contact the MBA Reception Office where this request will be considered. USB keys can be purchased from the Student Union shop.

2.1.5 MBA Resource Room and Internal TelephoneRoom C30, Business School South Building is a study area reserved for the use of all MBA and Executive MSc GSCM Course Members.

The code for the MBA Resource Room and the other rooms with key pads on the doors within the Business School which you can access are listed in the table below. It is important that these codes are not passed to anyone. There is a telephone in the MBA Resource Room that may be used for internal calls only.

MBA Resource Room, C30 C1960Teaching Rooms C1 and C2 C1958MBA Breakout RoomsC22, C24, C46, C48 C1960

Computer Laboratories, Rooms A3 and A9 C4681

Please note that the MBA resource room is partitioned to give course members a quiet place in which to work and a place to relax. There are tea and coffee making facilities (30p per cup) a kettle, fridge and microwave, as well as daily newspapers for your use. Could you please be considerate of other course members when using the resources part of the room. You are requested not to take food and drink into this section and to keep all areas tidy.

2.1.6 Room Booking ProcedureThere are seven breakout rooms which are available for you to book on Floor C of the Business School South Building:

Rooms C22, C24, C46 & C48 are a dedicated facility for MBA/Executive MSc GSCM course members and room bookings for these breakout rooms are administered via the MBA Reception Office, room A1.

To book the above rooms please provide at least one and a half working days’ notice and e-mail your request to Christine Dinwiddie, [email protected] or Julie Dawson, [email protected] As these rooms are dedicated for your use, always see if these rooms are free first. However, if they are all fully booked, you can request to book rooms C26, C28 & C44 through Emma Woodward at [email protected]. Again, to book any of these rooms please provide at least one and a half working days’ notice.





All breakout rooms seat 8 people and bookings are taken on a first come first served basis.

2.1.7 Car Parking Permits If you are planning to bring your car on to the campus between 8am and 5pm, Monday to Friday, (with the exception of attending one-week block modules) please check you are eligible to apply for a Car Parking Permit by referring to the University’s Estate Office web page at www.nottingham.ac.uk/estate/parking.htm. You will be able to download a car parking permit form from this site. (Wheel clamping is in operation on the campus for cars without a permit.)

2.1.8 Examination Papers and External Examiner ReportsCopies of previous examination papers as well as external examiners reports are available on the Nexus system.

2.2 Computing FacilitiesThe use of computers will be integral to your studies throughout your University career. To support this, the Business School runs its own computing facilities. These are accessible from any of the “information services computing resource areas” (ISCRAS) provided across the University, as well as from public access PCs in student halls and libraries. However, most of your use of Business School computing facilities is likely to take place in the School’s dedicated computing laboratories. These are located in rooms A3 and A9 on the ground floor of the Business School South Building and rooms B33 and B35 on the first floor of the Business School North Building.

Because the Business School offers additional computing facilities to those generally available across the University, Executive MSc GSCM Course Members in the Business School may go through a slightly different self-registration process than other new students. Please note that some of the central information published on computing accounts is also not applicable to students in the Business School.

2.2.1 E-Mail Accounts and PrintingE-mail accounts and filestores for Business School students are controlled directly by the School’s own technical support staff, and not centrally by the University Information Services (IS). If you have a problem with network access, your e-mail account and/or filespace, please contact Steve Moore, Kieran Woodward or Chris Bates in room B9a in the Business School North Building, or room A4 in the Business School South Building, tel x 66630.

All students in the Business School also have school-specific print accounts in addition to those provided centrally by Information Services. These can only be


http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/estate/parking.htm

used for printing on the laser printers in Business School labs B33, B35, A3, A9 and C30 as above.

Please make sure that you protect your Business School username and password. You should also ensure that you always logout from a computer when you have finished using it. If you leave yourself connected, somebody else could gain access to both your personal e-mail files and to your printing account. You are reminded that whatever settings you may think you have changed, e-mail messages can ALWAYS be traced back to their sender. So please never type anything in an e-mail message that you would not say to somebody face-to-face. Once you have sent an e-mail message you cannot get it back.

The University and Business School can only guarantee the integrity of its own e-mail system. Integrity of free e-mail accounts – such as those provided by Hotmail – for communications with your tutors and administrative staff can not be guaranteed.

2.2.2 Wireless Network HotspotsIf you have a laptop or other Wi-Fi enabled computing device you should be able to establish a wireless connection to the University Network in the atriums of the Business School North and South Buildings, in the Undergraduate Study Area, in the Business Library, and in most teaching rooms and computer labs in the Business School North Building. Where available, the wireless network should appear on your device as "UoNSecure". On a typical laptop, after selecting to "connect" to this network, open a web browser and go to nottingham.ac.uk to open the University connection page and then click "yes" to proceed at the security alert. Then enter your usual University username and password on the bluesocket web page to log on to the Nottingham network. If this does not work, and/or for more detailed information on connecting to the wireless network, on NEXUS select "MBA" and then "Technical Support" (under the "General Information" heading) to access the Business School Wireless Networking guide. Information regarding WiFI is included in the Executive MSc GSCM Induction Pack. Alternatively contact the Business School's technical support staff as stated on Page 13.

2.2.3 Code of Practice and Data BackupIn using the Business School computing facilities you become bound by a University Code of Practice. Amongst other things, this requires that you do not attempt to load any of your own software (including software downloaded from the world-wide web) onto any Business School or other public access University PC and do not unplug any of the hardware located in the Business School buildings.

Please ensure that you always keep at least two copies of important coursework or other files on USB keys or similar. You should not use the hard disk (C: drive) inside any Business School or other University PC for file storage, as user files


are removed from these machines every time a new user logs on to the network. You should also ensure that you do not leave the printout of coursework until the last minute. As submission deadlines approach, pressure on printing and other computing facilities is inevitably intense, and it is therefore always best to be prepared and a little ahead of time. Indeed, you should note that excuses such as “I’m waiting for a printout” or even “I have done my essay but my disk has eaten it” are not sufficient to avoid the penalties for late coursework submission.

2.3 Electronic Learning ResourcesIn addition to those facilities that may be available to you from the Student Portal and other central University on-line systems, the Business School offers a range of its own e-learning resources to support its modules and programmes. No matter what you may be advised elsewhere, the Business School’s systems should be your first port of call for accurate and relevant on-line information as follows:

2.3.1 NexusNexus is a password-protected website that can be accessed on any device with Internet access from www.nottingham.ac.uk/business/nexus If you have problems accessing the Nexus website please contact: [email protected].

Nexus contains information on every module taught by the Business School, as well as general programme-related information. For all modules, Nexus contains a definitive module specification (including all assessment details), past exam papers and assessment feedback and review pages where you can see information on previous course members performance and feedback on the module and its convenor’s response to the same. Nexus also contains module messages, and a Module Convenor page that provides access to online materials such as electronic copies of lecture handouts. Finally, Nexus is also used to sign up for meetings with your Personal Tutor. The web address for Nexus is: nottingham.ac.uk/business/nexus

2.4 The Business LibraryThe Business Library is located on the top floor of the Business School South Building on Jubilee Campus. The Library supports the courses taught by the Business School and it is effectively your “home library” for Business.Library and Lending Desk opening hours are as follows:

Term-Time and VacationsMonday to Friday 08.00 - 21.45Saturday 09.00 - 16.45Sunday 09.30 - 16.45

The Library is open 24/7 during exam periods. Please check the Information





Services’ website (nottingham.ac.uk/is) for any changes to hours or announcements about days on which the Library may be closed (eg at Christmas and Easter).

Finding Books, Journals and Other MaterialsTo locate items that you may need to read for your course (e.g. books, journal articles, etc) you will need to use the web-based catalogue, UNLOC (University of Nottingham Library Online Catalogue), available through the portal or from the IS website. You can access the library catalogue remotely. When you find an item that you’d like to consult, make a note of the classmark (representing a subject area) to find it on the shelves. Whilst the vast majority of material that you will require for your studies will be in the Business Library, you may also need to use the Hallward or George Green libraries on University Park campus. The catalogue also includes electronic books and electronic journal titles, enabling you to read material whenever you need it from your own PC or laptop. If you need an item which is not owned by any University of Nottingham Library, an Inter-Library Loan (ILL) facility is available. You can obtain an ILL voucher from the MBA Reception Office to enable you to borrow a limited number of books from other libraries.

Borrowing ItemsYou will always need your University Card to borrow books. You can use the self service machines located by the Lending Desk to borrow and return items. There is also a ‘book return’ box situated underneath the stairs by the main entrance to the Business School and you can use this to return books outside of library opening hours.

You may borrow up to 17 items at any one time, including a maximum of 2 Short Loan items. Ordinary loan books can be borrowed for eight weeks but these are subject to recall should another borrower request them. Items from the high demand Short Loan Collection are issued for a 24-hour or weekend loan period. If items are returned late, fines are charged. You should check your University Outlook email account regularly, as the Library will use this to correspond with you about all items relating to your use of the Library.

SCONUL AccessSCONUL Access is a reciprocal scheme for many library users working or studying at over 170 participating higher education libraries in the UK and Ireland. It enables staff and students from one institution to access resources at other SCONUL Access member libraries. Please refer to the Library’s website: http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/is/libraries/other-libraries.aspx for further information.

Electronic ResourcesFor your studies, you will also need to use a range of electronic information sources. These include bibliographic databases, market intelligence reports, company and financial information, online newspapers, etc. You can access


http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/is/libraries/other-libraries.aspx

http://www.access.sconul.ac.uk/index_html

http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/is

these through the eLibrary Gateway (again, available through the portal or from the IS website). All of the resources in your area are located in the Business sub-category (beneath Law and Social Sciences). To access some online resources - particularly if you are working off-campus - you will need to login to confirm that you are from the University of Nottingham. Follow the Alternative Log-in links to the University of Nottingham login page where you can enter your University Computer Username and Password. For more information about accessing electronic resources, please see this library guide: nottingham.ac.uk/is/documents/about/inductionguides/elibrarygateway.pdf

The Library produces a full range of guides on using Library and IT services at the University, and the IS website (nottingham.ac.uk/is) contains a huge amount of essential and useful information. If you need help with finding, evaluating and citing electronic and print information you might want to try the online information skills package, "Pathway 2 Information", available to all students through WebCT (webct.nottingham.ac.uk)

If you require any further information, please ask a member of library staff, or email [email protected]

For information on borrowing laptops, please refer to nottingham.ac.uk/is/it/laptop-loans.aspx

2.5 Access to Academic StaffMeetings with members of academic staff as both academic advisors and Personal Tutors are strongly supported by the Business School subject to the obvious resource constraint of available staff time. All lecturing staff provide details of student office hours outside their office. Outside of these hours you may have to make an appointment for all but the briefest enquiry. Most lecturers welcome contact electronically, via e-mail. If you need to leave a message or other item for an academic, please do so via Susan Cotterill.

2.6 The Business School Student Support The Business School has its own Student Support Officer, Teresa Bee, and Alyson McLintock, Senior MBA Tutor, who is responsible for dealing with all extenuating circumstances relating to coursework and examinations for course members studying part-time. Alyson is located in room C43 in the Business School South Building Building.

Issues such as anxiety, depression, family concerns, bereavement, difficulties in adjusting to a new way of life, eating disorders, and worries about drugs or alcohol, can be discussed in confidence with Alyson or Teresa, who will provide guidance for where to go for further support if required. Should any issue potentially need to be raised at a relevant examination board, your permission will always be requested before any disclosure. Also, if you have national sporting commitments, please contact Teresa.


http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/is/it/laptop-loans.aspx


http://webct.nottingham.ac.uk/

http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/is

http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/is/documents/about/inductionguides/elibrarygateway.pdf

In the event of an emergency when Alyson or Teresa are not available, course members should see Elaine Kay, MBA Programmes Manager.

Alyson McLintock and Teresa Bee also operates the School’s extenuating circumstances procedure. Further details can be found in Sections 3.2 and 3.3.

The role of the Student Support Officer is intended to supplement that of the Personal Tutor.

2.7 University Student Services The University’s Student Services are located in the Portland Building on University Park, and offer advice on study support. This includes support for dyslexia and for students with a disability. For more information on these services telephone extension x.13710, or e-mail [email protected] (for financial support); or [email protected] (for academic and study support services, including support for dyslexia and disabilities).

2.8 University Counselling ServiceThe University Counselling Service is a free, confidential service available to all students at the University. It is located on the ground floor of the Trent Building in room A75-A85. There is a limited service available (on Thursdays) at the Jubilee Campus, within the Student Services area in the Amenities Building. To contact the University Counselling Service, telephone ext x.13695 or e-mail [email protected]. Please remember that you can also obtain confidential advice and support on any problems you may be experiencing from Alyson McLintock and Teresa Bee.

2.9 The Postgraduate Careers ServiceThe Postgraduate Careers Service offers careers support to Business School postgraduates. We recognise that this service may not always be relevant to our part-time students. However if you wish to seek careers advice please contact us to discuss how your individual needs may be met.

Your key contacts within the Postgraduate Careers Service team are:

Julie Blant: Postgraduate Careers Service ManagerGillian Murchie: Careers Advisor, Postgraduate Careers ServiceClare Simcock: Postgraduate Careers Research Assistant Contact us by email at [email protected]

We very much look forward to helping you to achieve your career aspirations.






3. PRACTICES & PROCEDURES3.1 How to Submit CourseworkAll coursework should also be submitted to Susan Cotterill or the MBA Reception Office. When submitting coursework, please provide two copies (one marked “copy 1” and the other marked “copy 2”), and attach to these two pieces of work one completed Official Receipt for the Submission of Coursework form, as available from the MBA Reception Office. Coursework should be stapled in the top left hand corner and not bound in any way. A posting box is also available for the submission of coursework outside of office hours, and which is opened regularly and when deadlines fall. This coursework posting box is located in the MBA Resource Room, Room C30, Business School, South Building.

To assist with the marking and processing of your assignments, please submit each piece of coursework with an appropriate coversheet that includes your name, the module title, submission due date and the current academic year (eg 2010/2011). Appropriate coversheets for individual and group pieces of work can be downloaded from Nexus.

The deadline for coursework will normally be included in the module outline which the module convenor will give you.

3.2 Late Submission of Coursework If coursework is submitted after the official deadline without an extension having been obtained, five percentage points will be deducted for each working day that the coursework is late. For example a pass at 52% would become a fail at 47% (52-5=47). This is a University Regulation applied equally across all Schools and Faculties and is not open for negotiation.

If an extension to coursework and Dissertation submission deadline is required, please contact Susan Cotterill as soon as possible prior to the submission date. On the completion of the Extension Request Form and submission of documentary evidence to support your extenuating circumstance, Alyson McLintock, the Senior MBA Tutor, who will review your request and Susan Cotterill will advise of the outcome in due course.

Note that extensions will only be given in exceptional circumstances such as illness (which needs verifying evidence from a doctor) and in the case of significant personal/family problems. In particular, note that computer problems (including printing difficulties) will not be accepted as a reason for granting extensions.

ALL late assignments without extenuating circumstances will be penalised and marks will be deducted depending on the lateness of submission at the rate of 5% points per working day.


Where a claim for extenuating circumstances is made within five calendar days or less of an assessment deadline, except in exceptional circumstances late submission penalties will automatically apply.

If a claim for extenuating circumstances is retrospectively approved, late penalties will not be implemented. Penalties will apply in all cases where claims are deemed to have insufficient grounds or inadequate written evidence.

3.3 Extenuating Circumstances All extenuating circumstances must be notified to the School, through Alyson McLintock and Teresa Bee, in a timely manner and using the correct documentation. Please note especially the following from the Quality Manual:

2.4 The completed extenuating circumstances form should be returned to the student's School as soon as the student knows that s/he will not comply with the assessment requirement(s). The absolute latest date for submission is the seventh working day after the affected component of assessment for the module(s). If the form is not submitted within this period, the student may receive a mark of zero for the assessment(s). If a form is being submitted by post it should be sent by recorded delivery where this service is available.

These policies will be strictly adhered to in the Business School.

We will consider extenuating circumstances fairly and with sensitivity. However, students should not assume that their extenuating circumstances will be accepted. The following from the Quality Manual should be noted:

By missing an assessment, the student will receive a mark of 0 if the School or University decides that the examination was missed without ‘sufficient cause'.

AndStudents who feel ‘below par' or generally unwell whilst preparing for and/or engaging in an assessment(s), should make reasonable efforts to comply with the assessment requirement(s) as normal. The typical symptoms associated with ‘exam stress' (e.g. anxiety, sleeping disturbances, feeling nausea etc) are not considered to be good reasons for missing or underperforming in an assessment.

A further list of factors not considered as valid extenuating circumstances is available at nottingham.ac.uk/quality-manual/assessment/pro-guid-ext-cir.htm. The same source also provides a list of some examples of factors which may be considered valid.


http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/quality-manual/assessment/pro-guid-ext-cir.htm

For progression decisions, a “first sit” may be recommended if a student has missed or failed an assessment where there are extenuating circumstances. (NB students are not permitted to re-attempt any assessments they have passed, regardless of extenuating circumstances). The Quality Manual identifies that:

all claims of extenuation made under this policy need to be supported by independent, reliable, documentary evidence of inability to undertake the assessment. Upon receipt of a completed written claim, the student’s School will determine whether or not the student has ‘sufficient cause’ for non-compliance with the requirements of the assessment. The ‘burden of proof’ to support a claim on extenuation lies with the student at all times.

For final degree classifications, where students have reported medical evidence or other extenuating circumstances the Examination Board in the Business School may, in exceptional circumstances, make a recommendation to award a higher degree classification than a student’s final degree average may indicate provided that:

a) The evidence/circumstances reported are verifiable via appropriate documentation in accordance with University and Business School guidelines and

b) The evidence/circumstances reported can clearly be seen to have impacted (relative to other performance) on any mark covered by such evidence/circumstances and as a result

c) The evidence/circumstances can be seen to have impacted on the final degree average so as to influence the final classification as would have been awarded under the above criteria.

Finally please note the following from the Quality Manual:

1.3.5 Examiners have discretion to take into consideration extenuating circumstances, which are usually personal or medical. The extent of any discretion exercised by the examiners in relation to the student's extenuating circumstances is not a ground of appeal; that is, an appeal may not be based on a claim that the examiners should have made more (or any) allowance for the student's extenuating circumstances. The only ground on which an appeal may be entertained in relation to extenuating circumstances is that information properly provided by the student was not considered by the examiners at all.

This means that:

a) Examiners are not obliged to take account of any extenuating


circumstances

b) The Board of Examiners’ decision is final and students cannot appeal against a decision made in the light of extenuating circumstances.

c) The only exception to this is if the Board of Examiners has not considered at all properly notified extenuating circumstances.

3.4 University Classification Marking GuideThe marking scheme used within the Business School may be significantly different to that you have experience of elsewhere. As a consequence, you should not be alarmed if you are awarded marks in the 50s or 60s, as these are perfectly respectable grades. Marks of over 70 are comparatively rare and indicate (as shown below) excellent performance.

Postgraduate Classification Marking GuideThe complete range of marking standards and associated classifications is as follows:

Classification Mark CommentsDistinction 80+ Outstanding piece of work

All major and minor objectives achievedExcellent comprehension and informed criticism and analysisEvidence of outstanding work beyond question and some originalityFree from errors and showing advanced analytical skills

Distinction 70-79 Excellent piece of workAll major and some minor objectives achievedVery good comprehension and analysis of the issues involvedExcellent familiarity with the source materialNo major errors and only occasional minor errors

Merit 60-69 Careful and clear piece of workMost major objectives achievedGood understanding of the topicGood grasp and analysis of major issuesNo major errors though some minor errors

Pass 50-59 Middle of the range piece of workBasic question answered with relevant analysisDiscusses and understands most relevant issuesMaterial a bit thin and/or poorly focusedPossible major and some minor errors


Compensatable 40-49 Adequate but relatively poor piece of workFail Few major objectives achieved

Demonstrates understanding of the general fieldInadequate reading/preparationOccasional major and some minor errors

Fail 30-39 A failed piece of workNot a full answer to the question setStill shows some understanding of the general fieldInadequate reading/preparationMajor errors

Fail 0-29 A badly failed piece of workNo real attempt to answer the questionPoor arguments and lack of relevanceCompletely inadequate reading/preparationGenerally unsound

3.5 Postgraduate Assessment Regulations

These regulations are for course members admitted during or after September 2006.

3.5.1 Approved Courses of Study 1. To qualify for an award a course member must:

(a) pursue an approved course of study as prescribed by a programme specification

(b) pass the assessments specified in these Regulations and in the relevant programme specification.

(c) successfully complete any additional components that are required as specified in the relevant programme specification.

2. Course members must select their modules in accordance with the relevant programme specification and the University’s Qualifications Framework. This selection should be undertaken in consultation with their academic tutors and shall be subject to the approval of their Head of School. A School offering a module has the right to refuse admission to that module.

3. In making their selection of modules, course members must satisfy any pre-requisites, co-requisites or other requirements set out in the relevant module or programme specification.


4. Course members may not select taught modules worth more than 75 credits in any one semester.

5. The work presented for assessment for an award of a taught postgraduate qualification must be the result of work done mainly while the candidate is registered as a student of this University.

3.5.2 Award of Credit

6. The pass mark for a module comprising part of a Masters course is 50%. The pass mark for a module comprising part of a Postgraduate Diploma or Certificate course is 40%.

7. The module specification states how the components of the module will be combined to form a module mark and whether a particular mark must be gained in individual components of the module in order for the module as a whole to be passed. A course member who passes the module will be awarded the credit for that module.

8. A student who fails to pass a module may nevertheless be awarded the credit for that module in the circumstances set out in Regulations 10 and 11 below.

9. Credit may also be awarded under the University’s policy on Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL).

3.5.3 Completion of a stage

10. Where Schools require students to pass or to perform at a particular minimum level in the taught stage of a course before progressing to the dissertation/project stage this will be explicitly stated in the programme specification.

11. A course member who fails one or more modules for the taught stage of the course will still complete that stage and so be awarded the total credit for that stage provided that:

- they have passed modules worth at least 80 credits (or 40 credits for students on Postgraduate Certificate courses), and

- have a weighted average for the taught stage of at least 50% with no module marks of less than 40% (a weighted average of at least 40% with no module marks of less than 30% for Postgraduate Diploma and Certificate students) unless programme specifications state that module marks for up to 20 credits can be below 40%.

12. A course may only have progression requirements more stringent than those stated in Regulation 11 above if there is a demonstrable requirement from a professional or accrediting external body. Course members who fail to satisfy the requirements of such a course but who nonetheless satisfy


the progression criteria as stated in Regulations 11 and 12 will be eligible for the award of a named non-accredited degree.

13. Regulation 10 will not apply to any module which is listed in the relevant programme specification as not compensatable. A course member who fails such a module will not complete that stage without successfully undertaking re-assessment in that module. The Masters dissertation/Management Project module will always be non-compensatable.

3.5.4 Reassessment14. A course member who, at the first attempt, has not satisfactorily completed

the taught stage or dissertation/project stage of the course has a right to one re-assessment in each failed module at a time to be specified by the admitting School but normally by the end of the following academic year or equivalent for part-time course members. At the discretion of the School delivering the module, the form of the re-assessment may be different from the first attempt for taught modules, provided that it tests the same learning outcomes and to the same standard. The full marks gained on re-assessment will be used for determining whether compensation can occur under the provision of Regulation 11 above.

15. Where a course member has pass marks in one or more components of the module, but has failed the module overall, the School delivering the module may limit the re-assessment to the components which have been failed. The re-assessment mark for the module will then be a combination (on the same basis as in Regulation 7 above) of the marks from the components passed first time and the components which have been re-assessed.

16. At the discretion of a course member’s School (and, if different, the School delivering the module), a course member may be permitted to repeat their enrolment in failed modules (which will include attendance at all scheduled classes and submission of all coursework) before taking the re-assessments. A module specification may stipulate that, in order for a student to be re-assessed in a particular module, the course member must repeat their enrolment in that module.

17. Course members may not be re-assessed in modules they have already passed.

18. A course member who, after re-assessment, has not passed assessments as specified in these regulations and the relevant programme specification will have no further re-assessment opportunities. However, a course member may, at the discretion of their School (and, if different, the School delivering the module), be permitted one further re-assessment in up to 40 credits worth of modules provided:


(a) a mark of at least 40% has been obtained in either first or second sitting, and

(b) the student has an overall credit-weighted average of 50%.

If, after this one further re-assessment, the student has still not passed assessments as specified in these regulations and the relevant programme specification, they will have no further re-assessment opportunities.

3.5.5 Awards19. A course member will only receive a Masters award if they have

successfully completed both the taught and dissertation/project stages of their course. A course member who does not successfully complete the dissertation/project stage will be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma or Certificate if they have gained a pass mark of 40% or more in taught modules worth 120 credits (60 credits for the Postgraduate Certificate), or satisfy the requirements of Regulations 10 and 11 above. Schools who wish to count the dissertation mark towards the award of a Postgraduate Diploma must specify this in the course supplementary regulations.

20. Postgraduate Diplomas or Certificates awarded under Regulation 19 above will have the same subject title as the Masters course on which the student was registered, unless the programme specification states an alternative subject title for those being awarded Diplomas or Certificates.

21. The provisions of Regulations 19 and 20 above also apply to the award of Postgraduate Certificates to students registered on a Postgraduate Diploma course.

3.5.6 Classification

22. Postgraduate Masters, Diploma and Certificates will be awarded with Merit to students who achieve a final credit-weighted mark of at least 60% and with Distinction to students who achieve a final credit-weighted mark of at least 70%. Programme specifications may, though, additionally state any or all of the following:

(a) a mark of at least 70% must be gained in the dissertation/project stage for a Distinction to be awarded,

(b) a credit-weighted mark of at least 70% must be gained in the taught stage for a Distinction to be awarded,

(c) an award of Merit is not available.

23. Marks awarded on re-assessment do not contribute to the final mark calculation for the purpose of awarding Merits and Distinctions in Regulation 22 above; instead the mark gained on the first attempt at the module will be used. Marks awarded on re-assessment will, however, count towards attaining a Pass in the course overall.


24. Boards of Examiners have only two areas where they may apply discretion in determining classification:

(a) when a final mark falls within a borderline, (see nottingham.ac.uk/quality-manual/assessment/degree-class.htm). In such cases the Examiners will take into account other relevant performance metrics (eg balance of paper classifications or the result of a viva voce examination) to determine if the classification may be raised to the next highest classification.

(b) When a course member has personal extenuating circumstances (which have not been addressed by a further attempt at the affected assessment(s) under the extenuating circumstances procedure) such that the final mark is deemed to be unrepresentative of their normal performance. In such cases the School Board of Examiners will satisfy itself by appropriate means that an exception should be made to the normal rules of classification and a decision should be reported to the Postgraduate Registry Manager.

25. There is no discretion to lower the classification below that indicated by the final mark.

3.5.7 Award of MScIn addition to the regulations above, course members will also be subject to the supplementary regulations which are as follows:

A Pass with MERIT will be awarded to Postgraduate Masters, Diploma and Certificate students who achieve an overall credit weighted mark of at least 60%. An overall credit weighted mark of 59% will be considered by the examination board for a potential border line Pass with MERIT.

A Pass with DISTINCTION will be awarded to Postgraduate Masters, Diploma and Certificate students who achieve an overall credit weighted mark of at least 70%. An overall credit weighted mark of 68% will be considered by the examination board for a potential border line Pass with DISTINCTION.

3.6 Missing Examinations and Repeating AssessmentsIf you miss an examination or other form of assessment on medical or personal grounds then this will be taken into account during Examination Boards and University Assessment Committees and you may be permitted to retake such assessments in modules which you have subsequently failed “as if for the first time”. In such circumstances you must see Alyson McLintock/Teresa Bee and provide prior third-party written medical or other evidence and a completed Extenuating Circumstances Form (see section 3.2 and 3.3).


http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/quality-manual/assessment/degree-class.htm

3.7 ReferencingYou will have read something in books, articles or on the Internet that you considered interesting or relevant enough to be used in an assessment. In such a case you are relying intellectually upon someone else’s work and must acknowledge this.

Whilst there are several systems of referencing, the most commonly used in the social sciences (and the one that you should use unless instructed otherwise in the Business School) is the Harvard system. This system involves placing an (Author, Date) reference in brackets in the text, with a full, alphabetic list of references appearing at the end of your document. References should not be included as footnotes. Harvard conventions are as follows:

In the textWhen you directly quote material within your work you should include the name of the author(s), the year of publication and a page reference in brackets. Most commonly this would be in a format as follows:

“Walras’ Law is the proposition that the sum of the excess demands and supplies over all markets must identically equal zero” (Harris, 1985, p.211).

If, however, you are already mentioning the author in the text, you may simply include the year of publication and page reference in brackets at the end of your quote. For example:

Harris cites Walras’ Law as “the proposition that the sum of the excess demands and supplies over all markets must identically equal zero” (1985, p.52).

Alternatively, you may wish to avoid quoting directly and instead paraphrase the work using a name and year of publication reference only. For example:

Harris (1985) suggests that Walras’ Law states that excess demands and supplies over every market must be identical to zero.

If you wish to use an author’s ideas but you do not want to reference them directly in your text (for example, because it interrupts the flow of your sentence) then you should still include the reference at the end of the sentence to distinguish it from your own work. For example, you may write:

Walras’ Law proposes that the sum of the excess demands and supplies over every single market must be equal to zero (Harris, 1985).


The same style of referencing in the text should be used regardless of the kind of source being cited. If a reference has multiple authors, an ampersand (&) is usually employed between them. For example:

Artis & Lewis (1991) argue that . . .

Three or more authors, however, should be referenced as follows:

Richardson et al (1987) suggest . . .

Note, however, that in the above instance all of the author’s names should be included in the full list of references that appears at the end of your document.

If you are referencing two or more articles published in the same year by the same author(s) then you should give each publication a letter to distinguish it: e.g. Fastman (1990a) and Fastman (1990b).

In the ReferencesA full, alphabetic list of references should appear at the end of your document listing all of the books, articles and other sources referenced in the main body of your work. Note that books, articles and online (Internet) sources should not be separated out into different alphabetical listings, and that references should not be numbered. The style of referencing is slightly different between books, articles/chapters in edited books, articles in journals, and online sources as follows:

Books: include:

1. Name(s) of author(s) 4. Edition (if not the first)2. Year of publication in brackets 5. Place of publication3. Title of book printed in italics 6. Name of Publisher

For example:

Cleary, T. (1998). Business Information Technology. London: FT Pitman.

Kotler, P. (1991). Marketing Management: Analysis, Planning, Implementation and Control. (7th Edition). Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall

Articles in books: include:

1. Surname and initials of author(s) 6. Edition if not the first2. Year of publication in brackets 7. Page number range (first to last)3. Title of article or chapter 8. Place of publication4. Name(s) of editor(s) of the book 9. Name of publisher5. Title of book in italics


For example:

Lewis, B. (1995) ‘Customer Care in Services’ in Glynn, M. ed., Understanding Services Management, pp. 57-88. Chichester, England: John Wiley & Sons.

Articles in journals: include:

1. Surname and initials of author(s) 5. Volume of journal2. Year of publication in brackets 6. Issue number in brackets (if exists)3. Title of article 7. Page number range (first to last)4. Title of journal in italics

For example:

Bean, T. & Ennis, D. (1987) ‘Market Segmentation: A Review.’ European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 21(5), pp. 20-42.

Online sourcesMaterials from the Internet should be referenced in the text and in your full alphabetic list of references no differently from any other source using as much detail as you have available. You should also include a date and URL for an online reference. For example:Smith, J. (2000) “Consumers Spend £1bn on the Net”, E-Commerce Times, 13th June. Downloaded from www.eCommercetimes.com/articles/342342.html as at 20th July 2000.

You can find out more about referencing from Reader’s information leaflet no. 4 which can be found in University libraries.

3.8 Academic Offences: Plagiarism & Cheating in ExamsAs defined in the University’s Quality Manual, “it is an academic offence to attempt to gain for oneself or another person an unpermitted advantage in an assessment”. Academic offences therefore include — but are not limited to — acts such as cheating in examinations, plagiarism, and the fabrication of results. The University treats any such actions as unacceptable and has a formal mechanism in place that will be triggered if you are ever suspected of an academic offence.

Once any form of academic offence is suspected in the Business School, a student will be required to attend an Academic Offence Committee hearing chaired by the Director of Teaching. You may bring one other person to this meeting to help represent you if you wish. A central University Academic Offence Committee (AOC) hearing may also result, dependant on the outcome of the initial hearing.30 Nottingham University Business School

You should be aware that in 2009-2010 there were 47 proven academic offence cases in the Business School (40 involving plagiarism and 7 involving cheating in an examination). Of these, 38 cases were first offences where the penalty in almost all instances was a mark of zero for the entire piece of coursework or examination concerned. The remaining 9 cases were second offences. Here the penalties imposed were a mark of zero for 60 credits (1 case), a mark of zero for 120 credits (2 cases) and termination of course (6 cases).

3.8.1 Plagiarism DefinedThe academic offence of plagiarism is defined by the University as presenting someone else’s work as being your own. If you follow the guidelines for referencing as described in the previous and following sections you will be able to build upon other people’s work within your own without any fear of being accused of plagiarism. However, if you do not reference properly then you may be found guilty of an academic offence and a penalty imposed. This penalty may be but is not necessarily limited to a mark of zero for the work or module concerned.

The key point to remember is that whenever you include any material from a book, journal article, website or other source in your own work it must be made absolutely obvious that it is not your own work and referenced accordingly. This means that each and every instance where you copy verbatim or paraphrase other people’s work within your own it must be appropriately referenced in the text and in your end-of-text references. Those marking your coursework will assume that everything they read is your own work unless you clearly indicate otherwise. Hence, if they discover any material within your work that is from another source but which is not indicated as such they will report a case of suspected plagiarism to the Business School’s Director of Teaching. The marking of your work will then be delayed until all formal Academic Offence procedures have been completed.

3.8.2 Understanding PlagiarismThere are several forms of plagiarism. Firstly, it constitutes plagiarism to copy without appropriate referencing either exactly or virtually word for word any content from an article, book, web page or any other work. Please note that this includes copying the work of other students or your own work submitted in other coursework assignments. For example, you may have an essay to write entitled “Competitive market analysis and its role in marketing strategy”. In your background reading for the assignment you may have read an article from which the following abstract is drawn.

Processes of competition lie at the heart of the literature of marketing strategy. Indeed, it could be argued that competitors and sustainable competitive advantage are to marketing strategy


what customers and the marketing concept are to marketing. The principle of sustainable competitive advantage argues that a firm can only be successful in the marketplace if its products and services have a competitive edge over those of its rivals. This edge should be one that is both important to customers and sustainable by the firm in the long run.

Source: 7 lines taken from the Introduction to the article “Competition and Marketing Strategy” by Geoff Easton, European Journal of Marketing, Vol 22, No 2, 1988, Page 31-49.

In your essay, if you incorporated the above entire section from this article word for word, and did not both include it in quotation marks and attribute it to the author, you would have committed plagiarism. Alternatively, if you used the ideas from the article in your own essay and rephrased them in such as way as to imply that those rephrased ideas were your own work (again without attributing them directly to the author) this would also constitute plagiarism. For example, the following passage (if non-attributed) would be considered a plagiarised version of the above text:

Competitive advantage is widely recognized as the leveraging point in developing successful marketing strategies. The principle behind sustainable competitive advantage suggests that a firm needs a competitive edge over its competitors in its product and services in order to be successful in the marketplace. This advantage needs to be relevant to customers and manageable by the firm in the long run. This implies the need for an ongoing and focused competitive analysis.

It should be noted that plagiarism could simply be avoided in the above case by prefacing the passage with something like “Easton (1980) argues that . . . “

More commonly, plagiarism will be deemed to have taken place if you have read a book, journal article or website and incorporated the ideas addressed within it into your own line of argument without correctly attributing the origin of the ideas to the author in a proper manner. Again based on the same passage from Easton, an illustration of how this might occur is offered below.

Competitive advantage is widely recognized as the leveraging point in developing successful marketing strategies. Developing a successful competitive advantage demands the existence of a competitive edge over competing products and services. This is seen as necessary to the development of successful marketing strategy. Importance to customers and sustainability by the firm are two key criteria in assessing what constitutes a useable competitive advantage. Other considerations might be whether the


competitive edge chosen by the firm is relevant to the particular overall trends in the marketplace, and whether the costs associated with maintaining such an advantage are in line with the potential benefits to the company.

This sometimes inadvertent form of plagiarism can be overcome by a simple and effective attribution of the ideas to the original author (and possibly subsequent authors) as follows:

Competitive advantage is widely recognized as the leveraging point in developing successful marketing strategies. According to Easton (1988), developing a successful competitive advantage demands the existence of a competitive edge over competing products and services. This is, in his view, seen as necessary to the development of successful marketing strategies. He further identifies importance to customers and sustainability by the firm as two key criteria in assessing what constitutes a useable competitive advantage. Other key criteria, as described by Ennew (1990), might be whether the competitive edge chosen by the firm is relevant to the overall trends in the marketplace and whether the costs associated with maintaining such an advantage are in line with the potential benefits.

Avoiding plagiarism by clearly attributing the sources of ideas to their original author is an important part of producing an effective piece of coursework which services to demonstrate that you have read around a topic.

3.8.3 Examples of Recent Plagiarism CasesWhilst all cases are different, it is worth noting two particular examples of inappropriate practice that have frequently resulted in proven academic offence plagiarism cases in the Business School.

Firstly, an increasing number of students are apparently conducting “research” by pasting material from websites or e-journals into their own intermediate “research” document. Some such students have then pasted material from this document into their work and have been found guilty of plagiarism as material from another source has been found in their work with no attribution. It is therefore vital that if you ever paste anything from a website or other electronic publication into an intermediate document that you also keep track of the source of the material. Further, you are advised that you should never paste anything into your work from an intermediate “research” document without including quotation marks and/or verifying that you have included an appropriate reference in the text alongside the material, as well as a full reference to the initial source material at the end of your work.


Secondly, several recent plagiarism cases have involved students including a reference to a source at the end of their work but not in the body text following every quotation or close paraphrase from the same. This constitutes plagiarism because without the benefit of in-text references, those marking your assignment will not be able to differentiate your work from the work of others. In this context it is worth remembering that systems of referencing exist to enable you to indicate precisely where you are drawing from the work of others. A list of “References” at the end of your work may hence be somewhat different from a “Bibliography” (as you may have included in previous work), as a “Bibliography” commonly contains a list of sources that have been consulted but not specifically referenced.

3.8.4 Guidance on the use of Turnitin and other Text-matching SoftwareThere are now a variety of online tools that allow you to submit an assignment for text-matching against a known databank of sources. One such tool is the Turnitin software made available to all students at the University from the start of the 2010-2011 academic session. Many people refer to Turnitin and other similar tools as ‘plagiarism detection software’. However, such a description is not correct. Not least this because is such tools only compare submitted work against a limited range of sources and do not indicate the inappropriate mass paraphrasing of other works.

It is the policy of the Business School to very strongly advise all of its students against using Turnitin or any other piece of text-matching software as means of verifying whether or not their work may be plagiarised. In recent years a large percentage of the proven academic offence plagiarism cases in the Business School have involved students copying work from each other. This is also something that Turnitin would not detect as it is not been set to retain a copy of every document every student submits for checking. Many recent academic offence plagiarism cases in the Business School have also involved work copied from business reports that again Turnitin and other text-matching software often would not detect.

It is the strong advice of the Business School that you should avoid plagiarism by engaging in ethical and professional academic practice, rather than by using a tool such as Turnitin to check if you have included in your work material copied from another source. It is the contention of the Business School that copying another party’s work into your own is a conscious activity. If you learn to work in an ethical and professional manner you should therefore have no need to use Turnitin. If you do have queries concerning appropriate referencing you are strongly encouraged to raise them with your module convenors, personal tutor and other relevant academic and academic-related members of Business School staff.


Should you choose to use Turnitin or other text-matching software to compare your work to a database of some other works then you must be aware that you will not be able to defend any accusation that you have committed an academic offence on the basis of any results generated by such an online tool. To be absolutely clear, you must be aware that you cannot rely on Turnitin or similar software to verify your work to be free from plagiarism.

3.8.4 Cheating in an ExaminationCheating in an examination can involve one candidate copying from another, obtaining other forms of assistance from another person, impersonating another candidate or allowing oneself to be impersonated, or introducing into an examination room any source of unauthorised information.

In recent years, the number of Business School students caught cheating in an examination has significantly increased. Most cases have involved students who have taken permissible items into examinations with unauthorised information written on them. For example, many students have been caught with materials written on their calculators. Many others have been caught with material written in translation dictionaries (which students whose first language is not English are permitted to take into examinations). In a great many cases, the students concerned have argued that they have not been guilty of an academic offence on the grounds that (a) the calculator or dictionary concerned was only borrowed for the examination and was not theirs; (b) their usual “revision” practice is to write on their calculator or dictionary, or (c) that they have not committed an offence because they have not copied the material concerned into their examination script (often because the dictionary or calculator has been confiscated early in the examination). None of these defences has ever been accepted.

With the above in mind, all students are reminded that they have to take sole responsibility for all materials that they take to their desk in an examination, and that the introduction of unauthorised materials constitutes an academic offence. Further, all students should understand that any Business School student found in possession of unauthorised materials at their desk in an examination will automatically be subject to an Academic Offence hearing.

3.8.5 Other Academic OffencesYou are reminded that an academic offence is defined by the University as an attempt to gain for oneself or another person an unpermitted advantage in an assessment. You must therefore not fall into the increasingly common “trap” of believing that the only way to commit an academic offence is to copy somebody else’s work and to present it as you own, or to introduce unpermitted materials into an examination.


For example, you should be aware that all University examination rubrics state that students cannot start writing in their answer book before the start of the examination. Should you be caught doing this you will therefore be charged with an academic offence. You should also be aware that continuing to write after the end of an examination will be taken to constitute an academic offence and that you should therefore stop writing immediately the end of an examination is announced. You should also be aware that being assisted by or assisting another student in preparing individual coursework may be deemed to constitute an academic offence. You should therefore ensure that you complete individual coursework entirely by yourself, and should never lend any of your incomplete or unmarked coursework to other students.

3.9 Procedure for Further Discussion on Confirmed MarksAll module convenors and administrative staff in the Business School take great care to ensure that every piece of assessment is appropriately graded and processed. Our procedures involve all assessments being first marked, a system of second-marking and moderation conducted by another member of Business School staff, and a final process of moderation by an External Examiner from another University. Every assessment mark entered into our system is also checked before any mark is awarded to a course member.

Course members should be aware that, under University regulations, they cannot appeal marks on the basis of the academic judgement that has been exercised in awarding them. Nor, except in extremely exceptional cases, can students appeal marks once they have been signed off as final by our External Examiners.

However, if you wish to discuss a confirmed mark in relation to reviewing an examination paper, you may do so by contacting Sylvia Perkins at [email protected]. Sylvia will then contact the academic member of staff to arrange a suitable time for you to meet the academic member of staff to review your examination answers.



4. METHODS OF ASSESSMENTThis section offers some general guidance in relation to the main forms of assessment used in the Business School. Please be aware, however, that individual Module Convenors may specify particular preferences in relation to issues of structure, style and presentation for methods of assessment used upon their modules.

If you have concerns regarding coursework and examination preparation, please contact the relevant Module Convenor or Alyson McLintock, Senior MBA Tutor.

4.1 ExaminationsUniversity examinations do not simply require those taking them to demonstrate their knowledge of a subject area. Just as importantly, a problem solving expertise also needs to be demonstrated in the application of relevant knowledge to the questions being asked.

The most common reason for achieving poor marks in most forms of University examination is not answering the question set, rather than knowing nothing about the subject. In essay-based examinations in particular, it is unlikely that University examination questions will simply ask for part of a lecture to be reproduced. You should therefore spend some time analysing what an examination question is really about, and planning a structure for your answer accordingly, before beginning to write. Indeed, writing as much as you know about a topic can frequently produce diminishing returns, as the more generic material you include, the further you are likely to deviate from showing that you actually understand the question.

4.2 EssaysThe essays that you write will be taken as indicative of your understanding of a given topic, so it is important that you effectively communicate your knowledge and ideas in order to have a better chance of maximising your marks. Essay writing should also prove of benefit to you by acting as a learning device to clarify your thinking. The process of preparing a good essay will help you grapple with the concepts and questions raised by a module. Upon some modules it should therefore provide you with a better platform of understanding from which to revise for an examination.

Some of the necessary component parts of essay writing are suggested below. Though they are written as linear steps, this may not be the process which best suits you.

What is the question? As with examinations, one of the most common mistakes in essay writing is a failure to answer the question. Analysing the question will help focus your thoughts and objectives. This analysis will probably also generate further questions and issues which you may wish to


address in the essay. This preliminary consideration of the assignment should help direct your reading and identify areas where you need additional information.

Information gathering. Coursework topics and deadlines are usually set early in a semester to give you the maximum time to develop your ideas and to gather the necessary information. It can take considerable time to obtain library reservations, do background reading, make notes, and develop your ideas. Remember that penalties exist for late submission of coursework which can seriously affect your mark. You have a wide variety of hardcopy and electronic resources available to you across the University and Business School. You should therefore start preparing to write assignments as soon as possible after they are set. Whilst it is necessary to be able to demonstrate evidence of wide relevant reading for a good mark, competing time pressures will almost certainly mean that it will be important to be selective in your reading and note-making. One way to save considerable time is to identify and source material and quotations as you read. Searching for references at the end of an assignment is time-wasting and if the source is out on loan it may not be possible to complete the task.

Planning and structure. This is a very personal and creative process, and one to which you should give some considerable thought. There is rarely a model answer in the social sciences. The question set may heavily influence the structure of the essay. On the other hand, you may be free to decide on the structure. Some people prefer to have a detailed plan of the structure from the outset; others have a more fluid idea of the issues to be covered, preferring the order to materialise from the process of writing and then revising the text where necessary.

Writing. This is obviously the most crucial stage in the shaping of an essay. When you come down to the actual process of writing and developing an essay, you may find it helpful to first write a brief outline (or “treatment”) of what you want the key argument of the essay to be. This can help to keep your writing tightly focused on the question. In most social science essays you will need to compare and contrast relevant theories and/or case materials. When doing this, be careful to present balanced views. This will demonstrate that you have objectively considered all the key theories or concepts involved, regardless of what conclusions you may finally draw or what personal opinions you may hold.

You should try to avoid writing too much on some issues and too little on others. Also, avoid making unsubstantiated assertions and instead justify your analysis with facts, references to literature, and real world examples.


Your essay’s introduction and conclusion should tie your work together. The conclusion should follow logically from your previous analysis and it should also provide a space in which to weigh up the evidence and make your overall position on an issue clear.

Writing style. Try to be succinct and keep the analysis as neutral as possible. The argument should show clarity of expression and a logical order. Word-processing enables you to edit, restructure, and revise your work far more easily than when essays had to be hand written. Punctuation, grammar and spelling are the basic tools of writing. Word-processing facilities like spell-checking and the thesaurus have eased the task of checking some of these basics of writing. The importance of keeping closely to the specified word-limit should not be underestimated. It may be necessary to edit your work down at the end if you have exceeded the word limit in order to avoid mark penalties.

Diagrams. In subjects like economics diagrams are likely to be integral to many essays. In others they may be used to enhance the clarity of what is being written. You must be careful, however, not to use diagrams merely for padding an essay out. All diagrams should be easy to read with a clear title, labels and axes as appropriate. They should also be properly referenced if they are not your own work.

References and quotations. Essays should always include appropriate references to all books, journal articles and websites you have consulted in your research. Correct referencing also avoids the possibility of you being accused of plagiarism.

4.3 ReportsReports may require a different style to essays or to other types of writing. Their origin is the world of work and therefore they will be assessed not only on their scholarly content but also in terms of how businesslike they are and how well they meet the requirements of commercial users. It is essential, therefore, that they are structured in an appropriate format and that they are written in a style which is clear, concise and to the point.

Reports are usually expected to be split into several short sections, with a summary at the beginning and conclusions and recommendations at the end. Whilst the contents of a typical report vary widely, most reports will contain the following: Executive Summary — that sums up the main findings and

recommendations of the report in a concise manner (usually in less than one page).

Contents Page — listing all the main sections of the report and first-level or “A” headings, together with the page numbers.


Introduction — to communicate the key issues to be addressed in the report and how they are to be dealt with. In your introduction you should clearly state the precise question(s) which you are attempting to answer. Vague, unrealistic or unspecified problem formulations can weaken the case that you are trying to put forward within the rest of the report

Method — describing how you have gathered information, conducted your research process, and analyzed your results.

Results — detailing the important findings of your study. The selection of appropriate material here is critical. The rule of thumb is that where information is important to aid understanding it should be included. At a minimum, all of the information that is needed to justify the conclusions and recommendations which follow must be contained here. Tables, statistics and graphs can be included where appropriate, but should only be used if they help to clarify and communicate your results to the reader.

Conclusions — to highlight the findings of your report. Themes outlined in the introduction should be picked up so that you can show what has been established using the data presented in your results.

Recommendations — in some reports it may be appropriate to make specific recommendations for future action in a separate section from your conclusions. These will always lead from the main findings and conclusions contained in the body of the report

Appendices — where appropriate, these can be used to include further background information which may be useful to the interested reader. For example, where the report deals with the results of a questionnaire survey it might be helpful to the reader to provide a copy of the survey in an appendix. It is often also a good idea to put complicated statistics and mathematical proofs in an appendix so that they can be checked by the reader. This point noted, a common error is to put all figures and tables in an appendix. Where these aid understanding they should be put in the main body of the report. Only those that are supplementary to the main findings, or those that go into more detail than is appropriate for the main body should be included in the appendices. Another error is to include a number of graphs and diagrams that are not referred to in the report. These are unnecessary and give the (frequently correct) impression that the writer is simply trying to prove how much work they have done.

References - all material that you have used in the report which is from another source must be referenced, as detailed in section 3.8. Unless directed otherwise, you should reference your reports Harvard Style.


When writing reports try to ensure that you are as concise, direct and as convincing as possible. Structure and detail are critical to successful report writing, where you are usually being charged with making a specific case supported by very specific arguments and research materials. Good reports written by students in the Business School should be indistinguishable in style and quality from those prepared by consultants and others in the world of work.

4.4 PresentationsAs part of your Executive MSc GSCM studies, many of the modules will include some form of presentation. The following guidelines may help you when preparing for individual or group presentations.

For many of the modules in the Business School, presentations in seminars and tutorials represent an important component of the required work. Preparing and executing presentations is also an excellent way of organising and learning complex material. The ability to stand in front of a room of people and make yourself understood will additionally prove valuable outside of the University when applying for jobs and in your wider career.

PreparationWhilst no two presentations are the same, below are some general issues to consider:

Establish the aims of your presentation — this will help to determine the content of the presentation. Are you intending to inform or persuade? If it is the latter, emphasis will typically be on why you did things that way, rather than simply describing what you did. If you haven’t been given a remit — and it is important to read module outlines thoroughly to determine whether this is the case — then try to think what would be of most interest to your audience.

Identify the key points which you want to communicate to your audience — it may be useful to start here and plan your presentation around these points. It is easy to lose the main points if you don’t highlight them — and there will be little chance of your audience discovering them for themselves.

Plan around the time limit — class time is usually limited and presentations are typically very closely timed. It is important that you practice the art of saying what you want to say in a limited time period. Moreover, this should also help you to identify and focus on what is important and what can be left out. If there are other groups presenting at the same time, it might be useful to think about how your presentation will stand out amongst these in order to make it interesting and entertaining for the audience.


Know your audience — this is the key to good presenting. Pitch your information and delivery at the right level — not too difficult and not too easy. Also, knowing how many people you are to face can help to calm your nerves.

Structuring your PresentationAll presentations should have a beginning, middle and an end. This may sound obvious, but you would be surprised how many people launch straight in to the subject without an introduction, and how many finish off without summing up. It may also be easier for you to plan and deliver the presentation when it is split into sections as follows:

Introduction — it is important to introduce yourself (and your group if you are working in a team) since this is a good way of starting and it will help to calm you down and get into your stride.

Overview — it is also useful to give an outline of what is included in your presentation when you begin, how it will run, and who will speak about what. This gives signposts to your audience so that they can follow what you are saying, and see how it is fitting into the whole. It also lets them know how far you have got and what is still left for you to cover.

Key Issues/topics — this should be the most interesting part of the presentation. It makes sense to structure the main part of your presentation around a number of key points or topics. These points should be clear and they should follow a logical and consistent pattern. It helps if from time to time you refer to the overall structure of your presentation so that the audience knows where you are in your talk.

Review — it is a good idea to round up the main points that you have made in order to reiterate what you feel the audience should have understood.

Conclusion — you should always offer some kind of a conclusion to your talk, either in terms of drawing implications from what you have said, or developing plans for the future.

DeliveryIn making presentations, how you say things matters as much as what you actually say. Presentations are dependent on your skills as an orator in helping them to be interesting and informative. Points to remember include: Speak slowly, clearly and audibly — it may seem to you as if you are

shouting, but it is much better to be louder than necessary than for no one to hear. Do not be afraid to take pauses to add weight to what you are saying, although admittedly this is easier said than done and takes practice over time.

Don’t rely on notes – you should aim to know your presentation as much as possible, although remembering it parrot fashion is not necessary. It is


perfectly OK to use notes as prompts to keep you on track, but remember that you should always avoid reading directly from them. Reading lends the delivery an inferior tone compared with speaking or presenting. It also focuses you on the script rather than the audience. Notes on cards with keywords are more effective than a full script as they force you to think about and process what you are saying. Alternatively, many speakers now use bullet point visuals as a structural and content guide to themselves as well as for their audience.

Use eye contact - always try and maintain eye contact with your audience. Think how it feels to suddenly have someone’s eyes on you: you sit up and take notice. The same applies to your audience if you can use this tactic when you are presenting. It will also help you to be heard, and it will allow you to keep an eye on the response of your audience. Are they interested? Bored? Comatose?

Be aware of your body language — your physical demeanour speaks volumes. If you slouch, shuffle your feet, pace the room, wring your hands, fiddle with your clothes or pick your nose then these all send signals to the audience about your enthusiasm, nerves and even your self-esteem. Try to avoid distracting mannerisms: think what you look like when you stand in front of an audience. Is this the best image to project?

Run to time —a good presentation is succinct, to the point and does not overrun. You will need to pace yourself through the presentation. Make sure that you have spent enough time on the main points so that they have been sufficiently covered. By practising beforehand you should discover which parts you need to cut down on and which points you can expand. Don’t try to say everything. You should not be in a position where you have to be called to a halt midway through a sentence because you have not finished in time. This simply shows poor preparation on your part.

Visual AidsVisual aids, such as PowerPoint presentations or posters slides may be used to help convey ideas and information in a way which is more easily understood by your audience. You will often be called upon to use various visual aids during your time in the Business School. Before doing so, you should consider the following questions:

Are your visual aids simple, interesting and easy to read? Do they fit well with your talk and add substance to your presentation? Have you practised your presentation with the visual aids? Don’t forget

that this all adds to the timing of the presentation. Have you proof-read the text? Is the size of the text/picture large enough to be seen? (As a general rule

use a 24 point text size or larger for computer-projected PowerPoint Executive MSc GSCM Course Member Handbook 2010-2011 43

slides, and be aware that sans-serif fonts project better than serif fonts. As another general rule, ensure that your slides can be read on a standard size monitor from two metres away if you want them to project with clarity).

Are you relying on non-standard software or equipment? (If making PowerPoint presentations make certain that the PC you will be working from can read your files and is equipped with any necessary multimedia hardware).

Group PresentationsThe important thing to remember with group presentations is that it is the group which should present. It may be tempting to let someone experienced with public speaking do all the talking but ultimately it is you who will fail to develop the requisite skills. Some lecturers now specifically look for group participation, and since all of you will get a shared mark from the presentation it is only fair to share the pleasure! Some other points to bear in mind when presenting as a group are:

Practice as a group — it is all very well getting your section right, but if you don’t know who you follow, where they will be standing or sitting, what your cue is, and who follows you, the total impression will be of a poor presentation.

Even when not presenting, you should be involved — if you have had your turn it’s easy to turn off, drop out, and let your gaze wander round the room. It is distracting for the audience who may focus their attention on you rather than on the presenter. Concentrate on what each person is saying and be ready to step in if they falter. Most of all, don’t start talking to your co-presenters in the background.

Think about the team’s image — Try to arrange a group of chairs so those not presenting are out of the way, but are still involved. Remember that the way the group is dressed will also have an impact on the audience.

NervesMany students are nervous making presentations, and whilst nerves can be valuable in giving your presentation an edge, they can also prove debilitating if not controlled. Some ways to lessen the impact of nerves include:

Being organised — good preparation and organisation goes a long way to reducing anxiety. Make sure that you have all the visual aids and other materials that you need and don’t lose them. Think of things that can go wrong and make contingency plans.


Think success — visualise yourself in the room giving a successful presentation. Think of role models, people you have thought of as good presenters and try to copy what they do.

As a final point, however you present and however your presentation is going, always try to maintain your enthusiasm. After all, if you are not interested in what you are taking about, how can you expect your audience to be?

4.5 Case StudiesCase studies are widely used in the Business School, both as a learning tool and a mode of assessment. In particular case studies should provide you with the opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of relevant theory in a practical business context. Most case studies will typically describe a situation facing an organisation or industry and will include a variety of facts and figures. Generally your task will be to analyse, explain, and/or solve a particular issue (or set of issues) that are pertinent to the case.

Steps in tackling case studiesThe basic steps involved in case study work are to:

Read the case thoroughly to familiarise yourself with the information it contains

Order or structure the material in relation to the questions asked on the case

Identify key issues and problems (these may be past, present or future) Prioritise the issues Identify possible solutions or future courses of action Recommend a solution or a way forward having discussed the range of

options and their implications

Company informationAt times, some of the material which you consider necessary to making a full answer to the problems posed in the case may be missing. This will require you to identify, gather and use information from other sources. If this is not possible then you may be forced to simply extrapolate or make assumptions based on what you already know. This is fine as long as the assumptions you make are sensible and are clearly stated.

When you are presented with financial or statistical information it may be possible to enhance your judgement by making comparisons (such as between current and previous years’ trading figures) or conducting some quantitative analysis on the data (such as calculating simple financial ratios).

You should also be aware that sometimes you might be given material in the case which is not directly relevant to the task which you have been set. Here,


you will have to trust your judgement and ignore it; the inclusion of irrelevant material in your analysis may be penalised.

Key issues in case study analysisThe following should be considered when conducting case study analysis:

The context is critical — an appreciation of the situation in which a business operates helps to put the issues in the case in context. It is important to build up an overview of the characteristics of the company and its environment so that you can assess the viability of possible solutions.

Look for underlying issues — sometimes the most obvious issues are not the most important. What may appear to be a simple problem on the surface (such as falling sales) may be symptomatic of a series of other problems (for example poor customer relations, stock flow problems, and so on).

No solution is ideal — there is rarely a right answer to case study problems. However, it is very important that you can present a well reasoned and logical argument for a particular recommendation.

4.6 Dissertation GuidelinesThe Dissertation element is worth 60 credits of your Executive MSc GSCM degree.An information session is run during the programme. All Executive MSc GSCM course members are supported in the project by an academic supervisor allocated by Division Heads. Supervisors are allocated once you have decided on a topic and submitted your Dissertation Proposal Form to Susan Cotterill.Executive MSc GSCM course members may request to sign a Confidentiality Disclosure Agreement. This can be arranged via Susan Cotterill. The full Dissertation Guidelines document and further information about the process can be found on Nexus.


5. TIME MANAGEMENT & STUDY SKILLSThis final section of the Executive MSc GSCM Course Member Handbook does not detail procedures or guidelines that you are expected to follow. Rather, the intention is to provide advice that some (and not all) students may find helpful in their acclimatisation to university studies.

5.1 Organising Your TimeSince the Business School is committed to student-centred learning, you get a lot of say in when to work, how to work, and even what kind of work you do. At the same time, this does demand from you a fair degree of self-motivation and commitment in order to ensure that you are completing the typical student workload of around 40 hours of academic work each and every week. It is unlikely that any of your lecturers in the School are actually going to chase you to do your work. If work is late, however, you will incur mark penalties. Bad time management will probably make your time in the Business School considerably more stressful, less productive and ultimately less enjoyable. Below are a few key points you may wish to consider concerning time management:

Get the complete picture — the first step in organising your study time is to set out your work commitments explicitly so that you know what you have to do, what you want to do, and how little time there is to do them.

Prioritise — most of the time, you will probably do this unconsciously anyway, but sometimes it can help to rate your commitments in some kind of order of importance.

Set goals — it is usually easier and more motivating to work towards clear and achievable objectives. This helps to focus your efforts and gives you a good excuse to construct a personalised reward system.

5.2 Making NotesThe ability to make effective and useful notes is in fact one of the most valuable skills that you can learn as a student. There are in fact four good reasons why students make notes:

Organisation — the process of making notes can help to structure and organise chunks of information into more easily understood patterns and maps of knowledge.

Knowledge retention — the very act of making notes in your own words can be a very effective and active learning process which helps you to remember and recall ideas, concepts, theories and examples.

Preparation — notes can be used in the preparation of essays, projects, presentations, examinations, and subsequent lectures and seminars.


Reference — notes can act as a reliable reference point for all the important material that is covered during the course of a Business School module.

Note taking in lecturesPerhaps the most important notes that you will have to make are those initially taken in your lectures. There are two main ways that students tend to approach the problem of making lecture notes. One is to copy down almost everything that the lecturer both says and displays in the hope of making sense of everything after the lecture. The other is to try and understand what the lecturer is saying as they say it, and then to make brief notes or summaries of what has been understood during pauses in the delivery. Neither method is necessarily better than the other. The choice of method depends to a large extent on the particular skills and needs of the individual. The important points to remember are that you want a note making system that is efficient, concise and useful.

Since your lecturers in the Business School are likely to display very different styles of delivery and presentation, you will have to remain flexible in your approach to making notes in their lectures. However, here are some important general points which it may be prudent to remember when trying to make better notes in lectures:

Preparation can help — doing some background reading before the lecture means that you are already familiar with some of the concepts and theories expounded by the lecturer. As a result you will probably understand more and thus be better prepared to make good lecture notes. At the very least it is worth reviewing your notes and any handouts from the previous lecture before each subsequent session.

Good structure is vital — even if your lecturer provides an overall structure, this may not be the best way for you personally to organise and think about the information given. A good structure for your notes makes them easier to understand, and makes them much more coherent when you return to them later for essays and examinations.

Don’t just write, think — it is not a good idea to spend all of your time in the lecture writing and none of it thinking. There is the danger that in trying to write down everything you will miss quite a lot of what is being said. Also, material that you have just written down without actively thinking about tends to be quickly forgotten.

Important points should stand out — your lecturer may signpost key points with audio visual materials or maybe with the tone of their voice. In your notes you can use different colours, highlighter pens, CAPITALS,


underlining, or anything else that appeals to you and stands out from the rest of the text;

Notes from videos — videos are increasingly used as a learning tool and should not be dismissed as providing a “break” from the other elements of a lecture. It is therefore important that you try to draw out the main themes and examples included in any lecture video and incorporate these into your notes.

Don’t assume handouts cover everything — many lecturers will provide you with copies of their PowerPoint visuals at the beginning of a module or lecture. Whilst such handouts provide you with a clear set of structured material, you should remember that every student has a copy of these handouts, and hence that relying on them alone for your revision will not allow you to distinguish the quality of your work. Secondly, you should also appreciate that lecturers who provide hardcopy of PowerPoint visuals do so to give you time to think and make your own additional notes during lecture time.

Review your notes — your notes will have more long-term value to you if, after the lecture, you don’t simply file them away but go over them again quickly and make sure that you have identified and understood the key points and concepts in the material that has been covered. Anything which is still unclear you can then explore further with other students, with reading materials, or with members of the Business School staff.

5.3 ReadingSometimes it may seem that you are expected to read so many books and articles that you could not hope to finish them all, so please remember that most reading lists are not meant as definitive lists of everything that you must read. Rather, most reading lists provide guidance towards the most appropriate sources of reference for the material that is covered in the module. Different modules and their convenors will almost always have different reading requirements and expectations. However, as a general guide, you should expect to be reading the equivalent of about 20 journal articles for each 10 credit module.

Choosing textsSome books and articles will be more useful to you than others: some you will want (or need) to read, some you won’t; some you will want to buy, others you will be able to consult in the library or via the Internet. The first thing to remember is that it is not necessary to go out and blow all of your money in the bookshop buying up everything. It makes sense first to work out which books are going to be the most vital, and also to check out the library situation and the availability of second-hand books. Again, your lecturers can help you to decide which books are the most important and useful for their modules.


Remember that you can always borrow books which are not imperative purchases but which contain some important sections, readings or case studies that you need, and make photocopies or notes of the relevant parts.

Making notes while readingFor articles and readings that you have photocopied or printed from electronic sources, it is often easiest to make notes straight onto the text itself. This might take the form of highlighting or underlining, and of writing in any questions, thoughts and ideas that occur to you as you are reading. In this way it is possible to integrate your notes with the ideas of established academics in the field. Indeed, if you have downloaded text copy of an article from an electronic journal source, then you will be able to load it into Microsoft Word and integrate your comments and highlighting directly with the body text, perhaps using a different font style or colour. This said, if you do make notes on articles this way, be very careful that you can distinguish in your files between third party materials and your own ideas or you could be accused of plagiarism when citing from such sources (see section 3.7).

Notwithstanding the above, there are many occasions where it may be better to make your own, distinct notes from texts. These might be when:

Texts are more crucial or complex Texts will have to be returned You are using the text for a specific project or exam.

When the above is the case, you should always write down with your notes enough information so that you can make a full reference to the work should you need to use it in one of your own pieces of coursework.

5.4 Group WorkingThe Business School places considerable emphasis on developing your skills in team working.

Getting the Most out of Working in GroupsMuch of the group work that you will undertake in the Business School will be assessed in some way (usually by way of a group report and/or presentation), and it is likely that it will contribute to your assessment. It is therefore important that you learn how to organise yourself and your group in order to get the most from the situation and to produce the best work of which you are capable. Ideally, groups should work as a team in a synergistic fashion: the capabilities of the team exceeding the sum of those of their individual members. Below is a set of general guidelines that you may find helpful in successfully organising your group situations in the School and elsewhere.


Get organised — make sure that everyone exchanges e-mail addresses and other contact details so that you can keep in touch. Establishing a regular meeting time (for example after the relevant lecture) is a good idea as it is easier to remember and saves energy trying to fix up times when everyone is free. Decide who is tasked with project managing the work.

Identify the problem to be solved — it may sound obvious, but getting the question right is essential to getting the right solution. Too many projects suffer from ambiguous, unarticulated or unreasonable problem formulations. Your lecturer or project supervisor may want to see an initial problem formulation before allowing the group to continue with the project.

Do the groundwork — first off, it makes sense to do some background reading. Then you can get together, brainstorm and generate ideas about how best to tackle the project.

Allocate tasks — divide up the work and designate individuals or sub-groups to each task or set of tasks. Remember though that successful teamwork is about working together and supporting each others’ efforts.

Set definite deadlines — most group projects will have very strict deadlines, and so it can be very helpful to set reasonable time limits for each proposed stage of the project. Remember that each member of the group is likely to be taking different modules with various different commitments and deadlines of their own.

Assimilate and integrate your work — group projects are supposed to be the work of a single team and not of several independent individuals. For example, a group project report that is written in several different styles and printed in a number of different fonts is unlikely to impress the assessor. Therefore, in the final stages of the project, separate tasks should be brought together and developed into a cohesive whole either by a nominated individual or by the full group.

Don’t let problems escalate too far — if things are not going as planned, or if some group members feel that others are not pulling their weight, then obviously it is important for the group to sort things out before personal tensions arise and the group ceases to function cohesively. If any problems cannot be sorted out within the group then the module convenor should be told immediately.

5.5 RevisionRevision StrategyIt is impossible to tell people how to revise. There is no optimal strategy. This said, the following have often proved effective ways for students to go about utilising their revision time:


Planning — how you divide up your time will depend on a number of factors. It is a good idea to devise some kind of revision timetable so that you have specific deadlines and know how much you will need to cover before the exam.

Revision notes — your notes from lectures, seminars, tutorials and readings can be combined along with your coursework to produce condensed summaries of particular topics. These can be structured in any of the ways outlined above and should contain all of the key concepts and theories which you have covered for that subject.

Practice questions — try answering real questions from past exam papers, as available from Nexus. To save time you might prefer to devise essay plans rather than writing out whole answers.

GOOD LUCK!


University€¦ · Web viewWelcome to Nottingham University Business School. This handbook is a...

Documents

Transcript of University€¦ · Web viewWelcome to Nottingham University Business School. This handbook is a...