Postgraduate taught 

Master of Global Business MGB

MGB Global Research Project MGT5400P

  • Academic Session: 2023-24
  • School: Adam Smith Business School
  • Credits: 60
  • Level: Level 5 (SCQF level 11)
  • Typically Offered: Summer
  • Available to Visiting Students: No

Short Description

The global business project is a detailed piece of writing to further develop student's knowledge and expertise in global business. The project is a systematic exploration of a global business issue; it requires using academic frameworks and apply tools & theories covered in the MGB programme to enhance understanding of a global business issue. It allows them to critically select, evaluate and apply programme theories, concepts and ideas to their research problem and to asses the relevance of these to their research and/or business context. The global business issue can originate in the academic literature (for which a Dissertation is delivered) or in business practice (for which an Internship Report is delivered). Irrespective of the origin of the research problem, the same criteria will be applied to test student's ability to derive generally-relevant insights and knowledge based on a specific global business issue.

Timetable

The global research project is typically is typically carried out through the winter months, between late September and mid-November.

It is supported via regular individual and collective supervisory meetings, including 4 pre-scheduled supervisory sessions.

A 5-hour preparatory lecture will be delivered by the relevant programme coordinators towards the end of the third semester (April-June) to explain aims and learning objectives, supervisory arrangements and key deadlines.

Excluded Courses

None

Co-requisites

None

Assessment

Dissertation between 10,000 to 12,500 words (excluding the cover page, table of contents, references, and appendices if any) and Internship Report between 5,000 to 7,000 words (excluding the cover page, table of contents, references, and appendices if any), normally submitted before the end of November.

Course Aims

The overall aim of the global business project (dissertation or internship report) is to enable students to develop skill to examine a particular topic/question in-depth. The dissertation is a detailed piece of research to further develop student's knowledge and expertise in their area of study. The Internship Report is a document that reviews students experience at a company where the students examine a problem of current interest to the sponsor and prepare detailed written recommendations. The global research project aims to provide students with the skills to reflect upon the knowledge acquired during the taught elements of the MGB and to take independent responsibility for the application of explicit management principles and practices to a particular problem or issue. Irrespective of the origin of the research problem, the same criteria will be applied to test student's ability to derive generally-relevant insights and knowledge based on a specific global business issue.

 

The global research project aims are to enable students to develop skills to:

■ Acquire project skills to develop an understanding of key management concepts, relevant theories and contemporary issues required to produce a piece of independent written work.

■ Develop a suitable topic and business problem to be investigated.

■ Critically review a range of research designs, data collection methods and analytical procedures and select an appropriate approach to answer research questions meet the objective of the project.

■ Develop the ability to plan and undertake a critical review of literature and analysis of available data/ evidence.

Intended Learning Outcomes of Course

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Identify research topic/ business problem/ question and objectives on the issues relevant in their degree programme that can be effectively addressed given the constraints of an MGB project.

■ Conduct a critical literature review on the identified topic/problem/question including search for literature, evaluation and synthesis.

■ Select an appropriate research design and critically acknowledge its advantages and disadvantages.

■ Develop a research plan/proposal for a specific management problem.

■ Demonstrate their understanding of key concepts theories and contemporary issues identified in the degree programme.

■ Demonstrate skills in problem solving by identifying gaps in the academic literature (dissertation) or specific business problems (internship), and developing an organised and structure approach, drawing on data sources to address such gaps.

■ Plan, organise, conduct and present a distinctive and substantial piece of research based or applied scholarship.

Minimum Requirement for Award of Credits

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.