NX9624 - Management Enquiry

The module is an individual student-led enquiry, but you are supported by, initially, weekly lectures and workshops which provide an introduction to undertaking Business-Management enquiry research followed by one-to-one or small-group supervision meetings. You will study on the same taught sessions as students taking the Dissertation module, with the taught elements of the module covering the following topics; developing a literature review, researching ethically, quantitative research techniques, qualitative research techniques, quantitative analysis techniques and qualitative analysis techniques. These taught sessions will introduce you to the underpinning knowledge necessary for undertaking an individual student-led investigation into an applied business problem or issue. The workshops provide you with the opportunity to put this knowledge into practice for your own proposed research area.

The one-to-one or small-group supervisions with your allocated supervisor give you the opportunity to seek guidance to support your Management Enquiry. Your supervisor will not instruct you but will provide you with on-going formative feedback on your progress as you engage with the Management Enquiry process. Supervisors will be appointed in line with NBS policy which recognise the requirements of professional bodies and AACSB accreditation.

A supporting reading list provides you with key references to enable you to undertake a more detailed and in-depth review of your enquiry. You will be expected to keep up-to-date with your project tasks. To aid with self-assessment a portal is available to encourage your experiential learning through, journals, development of project meetings etc.

The selection of a suitable Management Enquiry topic rests with you, the student. A key element of this module is the experiential nature of exploring and discovering an area of the academic literature which you then take to managers and/or professionals to investigate in practice.
However, to achieve this, you will be supported by the following academic staff:
• Lecture tutors
• Seminar-workshop tutors, who will have an interest in your programme subject area, or a related field
• Supervisor, who will have an interest in your programme subject area, or a related field

You will also be provided with support from your peers in the workshops.
The module is supported by an e-learning portal, which acts as a repository for: lecture materials, workshop materials, assessment details. In addition, the eLP houses the online reading list (including direct links to textbooks, journal papers, academic and conference reports) and various support facilities such as the recordings of certain lectures.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. Online reading lists (provided after enrolment) give you access to your reading material for your modules. The Library works in partnership with your module tutors to ensure you have access to the material that you need.

Knowledge & Understanding:
• Critically evaluate and assess contemporary knowledge of theory, research and professional practice. (MLO1)
• Critically apply knowledge of business and management to identify complex real-world problems in professional practice (MLO2)

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:

• Undertake an independent self-managed Management Enquiry involving primary research, adopting an evaluative and critical perspective, thereby critically reflecting upon professional practice. (MLO3)

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):

• Critically evaluate the ethical implications of the research work undertaken. (MLO4)
• Develop and appraise key employability capabilities, including; time management, project management, communication (written and verbal), negotiation, persuasion and influence, discovery, initiative, creativity and innovation in problem-solving and analysis. (MLO5)

The module assessment comprises two components, each of which is in the form of a business report, which demonstrates the student’s engagement with the five themes of the module.

• Part A: Explore and Review (35%, 3,500 words)
• Part B: Engage, Reflect and Connect (65%, 6,500 words)

This will address MLO1, MLO2, MLO3, MLO4 and MLO5.

Formative assessment will take place through applied peer activities. You will receive on-going formative feedback from your supervisor and throughout the period of your engagement with the Management Enquiry process.

Full and detailed guidance will be given on this assessment. The eLP will be used to permanently host this detailed guidance, also a copy of the marking criteria, to ensure that students can access it throughout the Management Enquiry process.

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The Management Enquiry module aims to provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate an authentic engagement with managers and/or professionals within your discipline, and to integrate the knowledge developed during your programme of study to explore theory in practice. Your learning on this module is experiential and problem-based, with a focus upon you discovering, probing, questioning and critically reflecting upon practice-based issues.

You will meet and discuss with a manager/professional within your discipline to scope an initial problem or issue that you will then explore. You will review this issue/problem, examining the depth of pre-existing academic knowledge. You will then undertake the collection/generation of primary or secondary data to probe and investigate this issue/problem more widely. Having analysed your data, you will feed-back to the participants of the Enquiry (usually the manager and/or participants) your key findings to provide clear prioritised, well-justified, practical and actionable recommendations for change/enhancement/improvement to existing practice to inform workplace decision-making.