Reference no: EM133500094 , Length: word count:1200

Assessment - Topic Development

Purpose: Clearly identify your chosen topic, having carried out some basic review of available secondary data to secure your interest (e.g. at least 3 academic articles, plus a business report, plus a relevant current news item). Indicate the Research Problem, as you see it so far, and at least ONE research question at this stage (additional questions may be defined as you progress with this unit).

Unless you are a SOLO GROUP (i.e. one person working alone) this assignment also requires the addition of an appendix in which you list the student numbers and names of your team members and complete a Team Charter, indicating what role(s) each will contribute throughout the project.

Assignment Specifications

This unit aims to give you an opportunity to combine many facets of your acquired MBA skills into the production of a high-quality research project. Your tutor's main role will be to FACILITATE you through the process, week by week. The learning will be progressive, so for best results you will need to be listening to the weekly lectures as well as in contact with your tutor during the interactive tutorials.

Assignment 1 - the Topic Development - is to ensure you have given sufficient thought to the topic you are choosing to base your research project on. For this assignment the topic you must choose a business relevant to the Australian city in which your campus is based. The name of the business must be specified and the industry within which it operates must be described. You may NOT choose a multi-national company. You must select one of the 2 projects listed below. The one you select must hold your interest for the full 12 weeks. You do NOT need to request approval for your topic and DO NOT expect your tutor to allocate you a topic. You are required to develop your topic to ensure that it has a research-worthy business problem (RP) and you will then converge upon a specific Research Question (RQ) that you intend to try and resolve. Your research must and include a mix of academic articles from relevant English language peer- reviewed journals that are current (post 2018) and industry / company-specific information obtained from published online open-access sources.

Each group must select one of the following interest areas (no exceptions are allowed):

Select ONE of these two topics:

1. A case study of strategy in a single-location Australian owner-managed family business. The firm name must be stated, as well as it's physical address, the number of employees, it's year of establishment, and why this firm interests you. Your study must be grounded in the theories you learned in your Strategy MBA unit relating to at least one Strategy model.

2. A case study of new venture start-up, new product development, and/or market development in an Australian small business (NOT a franchise, NOT multi-location, and NOT a well-established company). The firm name must be stated, as well as it's physical address, the number of employees, it's year of establishment, and why this firm interests you. Your study must be grounded in the theories you learned in your Leadership and/or Marketing masters-level units, relating to one or more Market Development, Leadership, or New Venture models.

You will form a group with two other students (i.e. the maximum size of an assignment group in this unit is 3 persons). Your group membership will remain the same for all three group assignments. Your ‘Team Charter' must be included as an appendix within your Topic Development submission. The Team Charter appendix must indicate what roles will be undertaken by each member of the team. If you are working SOLO, the team charter appendix is NOT required. Please follow the instructions in the Blackboard site of this unit regarding assignment group formation.

Assignment Structure

Your Topic Development Report should be in accordance with the following structure:

1. Page 1: Official Group Assignment Cover Sheet (from Blackboard site)
2. Page 2: Project Title in full and in a BOX (title must contain the details indicated within ‘specification'
and clearly indicate whether you have chosen Topic 1 or Topic 2)
3. Page 3: Discuss why this topic interests you (see Marking Rubric row 1)
4. Page 4: Discuss your initial search for relevant literature and demonstrate how it has provided you with a good initial contextual understanding of the topic and its associated business-related problem(s). (see Marking Rubric row 2)
5. Page 5: Define the Research Problem that your team intends to address. (see Marking Rubric row 3)
6. Page 6: Propose ONE specific Research Question that your team will be seeking to answer through your research project. (see Marking Rubric row 4)
7. Append your Team Charter (a Team Charter is NOT required if you are working Solo)

Team Charter Appendix (NOT needed for SOLO groups)

Here the team members must discuss their individual interests, strengths and weaknesses and contemplate who can best contribute what over the period of the business research project. For example, while all members of the team must contribute to the whole project, the team members may decide that a particular person will take the lead role in a certain section of the project, such as the sourcing of relevant literature. [If one member takes on the lead role it doesn't mean that others don't do any of the work, just that they will be guided by the one leading that section of the project]. It is recommended that each team member assumes a leading role for one aspect of the team effort. The result of your discussions should be documented as a five-point plan, structured as indicated below:

Question 1. Explain the team's agreed goals and timeline for completion (Due dates, meetings, milestones, deliverables)

Question 2. Who will be responsible for each activity? and/or What particular team-roles will each member contribute to the team?

Question 3. What are your team's expectations regarding meeting attendance (being on time, leaving early, missing meetings, etc.)?

Question 4. What process will team members follow if they have an emergency and cannot attend a team meeting or complete their individual work promised to the team (deliverable)?

Question 5. How will your team ensure that members contribute as expected to the team and that the team performs as expected?

Holmes Adapted Harvard Referencing.