2017/18 Taught Postgraduate Module Catalogue

LUBS5984M Innovation Management Dissertation

45 creditsClass Size: 60

Module manager: Hakan Ozalp
Email: H.Ozalp@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: 1 Jun to 30 Sep View Timetable

Year running 2017/18

Pre-requisites

LUBS5395M

Research Design and Analysis

Module replaces

LUBS 5250M Dissertation

This module is not approved as an Elective

Objectives

This module aims to provide students with the skills and knowledge to identify, summarise and critically evaluate key theories and relevant empirical research evidence within the fields of management and/or international business relevant to innovation management, and provide a professional insight into the operations of complex businesses in the global environment.

Learning outcomes
Upon completion of this module students will be able to:
- Identify, describe and critically appraise important theories, models and prescriptions within the field of innovation management;
- Critically engage with current issues, research and scholarship in the field of innovation management;
- Identify and justify a research problem as a Big Challenge in the field, including innovation, new product development, technological evolution, organizational and social challenges, as well as international challenges;
- Plan and implement a research project, evaluating competing methodological approaches in a chosen research area, select and justify appropriate methods of data collection and critically analysing conceptual and empirical material derived from primary and/or secondary sources;
- Manipulate and interpret data using both quantitative and qualitative methods;
- Provide a clear presentation, analysis and interpretation of empirical findings;
- Produce a high quality piece of independent research.
- Provide practical implications and recommendations and/or practical applications (managerial, decision making tools).

Skills outcomes
- Developing proposals for innovation management projects
- Preparing for the big challenges and risks in business
- Providing practical implications-recommendations and/or practical applications for decision making

Syllabus

Indicative content:
The dissertation module is supported by the Research Design and Analysis module and also by specific inputs on choosing and developing topics, managing data, handling references and sources and project management.
Each student according to the stream adopted, they agree on a topic after discussion with the Director of the relevant MSc programme. As part of that process students are expected to define their own research questions/problem, evaluate competing methodological approaches (of a quantitative or qualitative nature) and design an appropriate research strategy. The question/problem aims at analysing and providing practical solution to a ‘Big Challenge’ in the management field, including innovation, new product development, technological evolution, organizational and social challenges, as well as international challenges etc.
The module is carried out after the end of Semester 2 over approximately 12 weeks although planning and development may be started prior to this period.
To develop a good understanding of the requirements of the module, an hour lecture and a 2-hour seminar will be delivered at the end of Semester 2 to discuss the details of either stream adopted. The seminars will focus both on the research design but also on the specific requirements of each stream (e.g. contact with the companies for the consultancy route, gathering primary and secondary data challenges, presenting practical implications and recommendations)
Five compulsory fact-to-face supervision meetings are set between each student and their supervisors.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Supervision Meetings	5	1.00	5.00
Lecture	1	1.00	1.00
Seminar	1	2.00	2.00
Private study hours			442.00
Total Contact hours			8.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			450.00

Private study

Private study time will involve the following tasks:
- Deciding on and agreeing final dissertation topic: 20 hours
- Reading relevant literature on dissertation topic and methods: 80 hours
- Designing research strategy: 40 hours
- Conduct field work: 100 hours
- Analysis: 60 hours
- Writing up the research project: 82 hours
- Discussing Practical Implications and/or developing practical Applications: 60 hours

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Monitoring will be done via the supervision discussions and the evaluation of written work.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Essay or Dissertation	13,000 word dissertation	100.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

In the third semester (summer period between June and September), students are required to complete a 13,000 words Dissertation, based on two different streams: Stream I – Research Based Dissertation: This is a student-led research project. The students have to identify a Big Challenge faced currently by companies and the relevant research questions, conduct a literature review, develop and justify a methodology, gather data and analyse the findings. Finally, the students have to provide practical implications and recommendations for the business world and/or practical applications (managerial, decision making tools). Stream II – Consultancy Type Project: The students who choose this stream conduct a real life consultancy project, giving them the chance to influence an existing business and equipping them with the know-how and skills for a professional career in the relevant area. In this case, the students are in contact with a specific company which gives them a particular problem/topic/challenge and specific research questions to analyse stemming from a real problem the company is facing. To address the problem the students need to conduct to conduct a literature review, develop and justify a methodology, gather data and analyse the findings. Finally, the students have to provide practical implications and recommendations for the business world and/or practical applications (managerial, decision making tools). The resit for this module will be 100% by dissertation.

Reading list

There is no reading list for this module

Last updated: 24/01/2018

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