ASSESSMENT BRIEF 1

ASSESSMENT COVER SHEET(AS1)

Important - Submission Guidance:

Students should provide a completed assignment cover sheet (cover slide for a presentation) with all the essential details (including module, student name and ID number). All assignments should be submitted in electronic format via college systems on or before the submission deadline. The e-submission system will not allow late submissions. Students should upload his/her individual report to Turnitin for checking and submission.

Assignment Aim:

The aim of this assignment is to test your knowledge and ability to critically appraise and question ‘evidence’ at a number of levels, and to demonstrate an understanding of the assumptions and practices that drive research designs at a postgraduate level. It also addresses your analytical and critical thinking abilities and your analysis of qualitative and quantitative data appropriate to a master’s level degree.

Specifically, to:

1. Demonstrate your postgraduate academic skills of reflection, interpretation and analysis for study and research.
2. Your ability to critically analyse a range of different approaches to solving problems and make recommendations as to their suitability.
3. Your ability to evaluate appropriate media to communicate research, interpretation and analysis plans effectively. 

Assessment Description

This assignment requires you to agree your proposed research project topic with your lecturer and then produce and present a 15 Slide presentation – showing the initial proposed research question with supporting rationale and brief review of current literature with arguments to support the case.

Your presentation should include diagrams, tables and references. You will agree a time and date with your lecturer in Week 11 to give your presentation.

Assignment Format Guidance

Title Slide: The details of the module, student name and ID number.

Introduction: The background, the context and the aim of the project.

Key Sections: Setting out the rationale, objectives and implementation for your project research, etc.

References: Identification of literature and other sources used and referred to in the text. Ensure that all references are quoted at the end of any quotations, definitions and web- sourced materials. Submission of a report or presentation without references will not be allowed. Use the Harvard referencing system for your referencing. Produce and present a 15 Slide presentation setting out your agreed proposed initial research question with supporting rationale and brief review of current literature with arguments to support the case. 

Appendices: Do not provide appendices, unless agreed with your module tutor.

Presentation Guidelines

• You are to agree your research topic with your lecturer.
  • You are free to decide on the style of the presentation you give, but the presentation (maximum duration of 15 minutes) must provide a complimentary and detailed overview of the specific topic.
  • You are free to design your own template.
    • The presentation must provide a detailed account that draws authoritatively on the available academic literature.
    • You should attempt to draw on examples from across the international business / hospitality environment as and where appropriate.
    • At the end of the presentation you may be asked questions by the assessor(s) to clarify points raised or to test your knowledge of the topic presented.
    • Tutorial sessions will be arranged during the course of the module where you will have the opportunity to discuss the content of your presentation with your lecturer.
    • A few points to remember for your project presentation that will affect your marks:
      • Appropriate choice of topic commensurate with a master’s project.
      • Structure of the presentation.
      • Depth and knowledge of the topic.
      • The use and quality of visual aids.
      • Ability to convey information accurately and succinctly.
      • Appropriate choice of theory and references.
      • The delivery of the presentation.
      • Ability to address the specific questions and discussion points.

Helpful Guidelines

What are the characteristics that will attract a high mark?

• Background reading is critical for this assessment, and you are encouraged to engage with a range of contemporary sources - in addition to books available in the library please also ensure that you are using the electronic resources.
• We will be looking for reference to specific and relevant examples that serve to address the main points you are addressing in your reports.
• Avoid a case study by case study approach and instead develop your discussion around key themes. Case studies should serve to highlight both the positive and negative impacts of your arguments.
• All presentation slides should be clearly and accurately referenced throughout

Structure of the presentation

• To start, make sure you have understood what the presentation topic title is asking you to consider, and plan your presentation accordingly.
• Your individual presentation should be clearly structured, with clear progression between the different slides or elements.
• There should be no repetition or overlap between the different elements and ensure that you clearly focus in terms of topic.

Depth and knowledge of the subject

• Background reading is critical for this assessment, and you are encouraged to engage with a range of contemporary sources - in addition to books available in the library please also ensure that you are using the electronic resources.
• We will be looking for reference to specific and relevant examples that serve to address the main points you are addressing in your work and ensure that your sources are up to date.
• Your discussion should make reference to the both the positive and negative.
  • Try and avoid being too descriptive and demonstrate a level of research, critical thinking and analysis commensurate with this master’s level degree; start by identifying the key themes and use these as the structure for your presentation.
  • Avoid a case study by case study approach as this tends to lead to a level of repetition and does not allow the level of comparison/critique that would be expected.

Ability to convey information accurately and succinctly

• It is important that the overall structure of your presentation flows coherently so think carefully about how the respective parts of the presentation fit together.
• Check all spellings and grammar!
• Check all referencing to ensure you adhering to the Harvard convention.

Plagiarism and Collusion Explained

Any act of plagiarism and collusion will be seriously dealt with according to the regulations. In this context the definition and scope of plagiarism are presented below:

Plagiarism is defined as the act of using the work of others, intentionally or unintentionally, without acknowledging the source of that information or inspiration. “Even if the words are changed or sentences are put in a different order, the result is still plagiarism” (Cortell,  2003). Produce and present a 15 Slide presentation setting out your agreed proposed initial research question with supporting rationale and brief review of current literature with arguments to support the case

Collusion is described as the submission of work produced in collaboration with others for any given assignment based on the assessment of individual work when one person shares his/her work with others who submit part or all of that work as their own work. In this assignment, it is acceptable to discuss various ideas and concepts with others, but the substantive application and coverage in your submission must be your own work

Guidelines on Harvard Referencing System

Any information or work that is not yours needs to be referenced as per the Harvard Referencing System or else may be considered as plagiarism. Copying from someone’s work can be unintentionally done if you are unaware of the rules for acknowledging and referencing direct quotations.

The Harvard system of citation requires you to use a given convention that places primarily the authors’ surnames and year of publication within the text.

For example:

According to Bell (1999), as you write your report, you will use a citation to indicate in your text the source of the information. This is called in-text referencing.

The authors and publication information cited within the main body of your work must be listed in the reference list. For example:

Bell, J.; (1999), ‘Doing your Research Project’, (3rd Ed), Buckingham: Open University Press.

Detailed guidance on the Harvard Referencing System (HRS) is available on the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).For further details and guidelines on Harvard Referencing, visit the following link: http://tinyurl.com/jtq47gm or follow the instructions on Harvard Referencing Guide provided by London Met University Library.