Coursework Instructions 1. Identify a managerial problem and understanding why it is important to you and to others, in order to demonstrate your ability to understand key management functions, identify and critically evaluate practical assumptions about their application. (LO 2,3). You can choose a question about a managerial problem you have experienced yourself, draw on your observations that puzzle you and seem counter-intuitive or paradoxical, problematic etc. etc. For inspiration you can read the Harvard Business Review, the business sections of Financial Times, the MIT Sloan Management Review, or any business section of current newspapers. 2. Work out what type of problem it is and learn from previous researchers, who have come across problems of a similar type, and choose a theory which suits the problem (explaining your rationale for your choice), in order to demonstrate your understanding of previous theories of management and your ability to chose and thereby critique an array of relevant management theories (LO1) 3. Conduct a small piece of research into this problem for yourself. It can be a research of secondary sources, i.e. book chapters, journal publication, trade magazines, or even newspapers about the topic, or it may be a short scale primary research, i.e. interviews with staff of the organisation the case study refers about or experts in a particular field. This will help you develop and demonstrate your critical thinking, analysis and synthesis evaluate empirical evidence, analyse data, and generalise appropriately (LO4) 4. Compile a research report of your findings, reflections and generalisations to encapsulate all of the above and demonstrate your ability to use terms and subjects of enquiry adequately. (LO1,2,3,4) These are not new skills to you. You have been practicing these activities since you were a young, curious child in your effort to explain the world around you. Use this innate ability to develop a deeper understanding of your future career. Part 2) The ‘summative’ assignment for MG5555 carries 100% of the marks available. You are asked to conduct (secondary or primary) research that is relevant to your question and to report your findings. Suggestion: Research a question that you care about I think it will help you if you choose a topic that appeals to you, that you are personally interested and curious about or a topic you want to develop knowledge and expertise for your future career. Some broad subject areas are identified as topics in your study guide. Reading through the relevant chapters you can identify a number of key terms and relevant bibliography that can be your starting point for understanding the theory around the topic. Your recommended reading can help you build your understanding further, though to complete your report you will need to make use of journal and other book publications specialising on your topic. FAQ: Many students ask me: If I do a primary research, how big should my Sample be? Your research is exploratory so I am not expecting large samples. I do not mind whether your data is qualitative or quantitative, though I would encourage you to conduct a qualitative study because you get to build a deeper understanding of the complexity of a situation. I will offer more guidance, as we go along.