Format: report

Word limit: 3000 words (excluding bibliography)

Every student will need to work on a project assignment provided by participating companies' guest speakers and write a project report. The individual project you have chosen to do must be different from the group project you are doing --- i.e. if your group has chosen to do a project assignment for Company A, you must NOT choose company A again for your individual project. Note that industry speakers may or may not prescribe an assignment for students, you can only choose a guest lecture topic with a prescribed assignment.

The maximum length of the project report is 3000 words (excluding bibliography). A separate Project Report Submission Guide on how to write individual (and group) project report will be uploaded to iLearn and will be discussed in classes. Students are encouraged to discuss their choice of topic with their lecturer/tutor and seek advice on how to write up their individual reports not just with proposed solutions or recommendations but more importantly with supporting analysis and logical and convincing arguments.

Although there will be no requirement for presentation on individual projects, there will be a public display of students projects (individual and/or group) during the conference series part of the unit program from week 10 to 13. During these weeks' lectures, selected students (individual and/or group) will present their projects to client partners for feedback and may be subsequently referred to the partner companies with the option of further development. Selection of projects for showcase presentations in conference series (i.e. lectures) and referral for further development with the client partners will be done by academic leaders of the PACE unit, in consultation with the partner companies. Selection will be in line with the priorities which the partner companies wish to pursue and in line with the material ability of the partners to involve students. Students wish to showcase their projects in the conference series should discuss their projects with the lecturer/tutor before mid-session break.

Research and practice

The assessment task requires students to conduct original research, which involves the collection and analysis of information from a range of sources and the recommendation of solutions for clients. Students should also use concepts, frameworks and theories learned from previous units (especially BUS201, BUS202, and BUS301) to address the problems and issues identified by industry speakers.
 

Format: report

Word limit: 3,000 words (excluding bibliography)

The unit provides students opportunities to manage and participate in a group project over an extended timeframe on behalf of a client organization. Students will work in teams of 3 or 4 to complete a research project that addresses real-world business issues/problems/challenges prescribed by industry speakers from client partners. Groups will be formed in week 2 tutorials and by week 9 all groups should decide which industry speaker’s topic they wish to choose as their group projects. It is highly recommended that groups consult with their lecture/tutor on their choice of topic and report to their tutor on their final decision on such a choice in week 9 tutorial.

Note that group project topic must be: (1) different from your individual project, (2) chosen from one of the guest lectures with a prescribed assignment by industry speakers. Please note this list of choices is subject to change depending on whether there is a prescribed assignment by our industry speakers. Please pay attention to any update on the list of choices during the session.

Group project encourages students to experience the partner organizations and the international business issues they face, and to assist the client companies in achieving the partner’s strategic purposes. Group members should work closely with each other to research, analyse, interpret and assess data and information from various sources, and to draw connections across fields of knowledge they learned in the university, in order to develop solutions and/or recommendations for the identified issues faced by client partners.

An essential skill to develop during your university education is the ability to learn and work in a group setting. Apart from meeting the requirements for assessment, students should seek to develop ability to work in a group setting. It is completely up to group members to determine the ways through which your group work is coordinated and your group problems solved. If the problems become ‘unresolvable’ among the group members, students should discuss the matter with the lecturer/tutor as early as possible.

Your group project report is a formal and professional written piece of work that provides solutions or recommendations to the client partners on the issues defined by client partners’ speakers. Your report should be a discrete international business proposal with supporting analysis and arguments built upon your creative and innovative application of knowledge and skills learned in the previous units. Students should apply critical and integrative thinking and innovation capabilities to develop appropriate and realistic business proposals or solutions in a professional fashion.

Throughout the session, you tutor will provide ongoing support and advice for your projects during the Mentoring and Reflection series (i.e. tutorials). Students are also encouraged to consult teaching staff in developing and completing their projects outside the classes. A separate Project Report Submission Guide on how to write group and individual project reports will be uploaded to iLearn and will be discussed in classes.

Research and practice

The assessment task requires students to conduct original research, which involves the collection and analysis of information from a range of sources and the recommendation of solutions for clients. Students should also use concepts, frameworks and theories learned from previous units (especially BUS201, BUS202, and BUS301) to address the problems and issues identified by industry speakers.

As a participation unit, the success of the course depends heavily on students' active participation in and critical reflection on the course topics. That's why we have designed a Seminar and Conference series (i.e. lectures) and a Mentoring and Reflection series (i.e. tutorials) to give students an opportunity to reflect regularly on their learning throughout the course. It is important that students take advantage of the opportunity to actively participate in the Seminar and Conference series (i.e. lectures) and reflect on their learning and contribute to the class discussion during the Mentoring and Reflection series (i.e. tutorials).

First, your participation in the Seminar and Conference series (i.e. lectures) will be assessed (weighted 10% out of the total mark of 100). At the beginning of each week's lecture from week 2, your lecturer will distribute a Seminar Participation and Reflection Sheet for you to fill out. This sheet serves the purpose of keeping a record of students’ participation in the Seminar and Conference series (i.e. lectures) as well as collecting students’ feedback and reflections on the weekly lecture project/topic. You must return this sheet to your lecturer/tutor at the end of every week’s (except for week 1) lectures. Failing to do so will be treated as absence from the lecture. You must also sign your Seminar Participation and Reflection Sheet.

Your tutor will collate every week’s Seminar Participation and Reflection Sheet for each student and give a mark at the end of the semester, based primarily on your participation record with consideration to the quality of your comments and reflections. Seminar Participation and Reflection Sheets are used for keeping a record of your participation in lectures and will not be returned to students. You may wish to keep a separate personal learning journal for your weekly reflective thoughts and ideas.

Second, your participation in the Mentoring and Reflection series (i.e. tutorials) will also be assessed (weighted 10% out of the total mark of 100). Beginning in week 3, you tutor will keep a record of your attendance and keep a note on your participation in the class discussion. Please note it is not merely your attendance in tutorials but also your active participation in the class discussion and critical reflection on the guest lecture topics and your fellow students' in-class presentations that will be assessed upon.

Warning about late assessment

NO late submission of Seminar Participation and Reflection Sheet will be accepted. Do NOT forget to hand over the signed Seminar Participation and Reflection Sheet to your lecturer/tutor at the end of each week's lecture (i.e. do not forget to 'check out' before you leave the lecture theatre), failing to do so will be treated as 'no show'.

Research and practice

The assessment task requires students to conduct original research about the participating organizations, which involves the collection and analysis of information from a range of sources related to the client organizations. Students should also use concepts, frameworks and theories learned from previous units (especially BUS201, BUS202, and BUS301) to reflect upon the problems and issues identified by industry speakers.

Each week from week 3 to week 13, there will be 2-3 individual presentations in tutorial classes, depending on the total number of students in the class. These individual presentations will serve as the basis for class discussion and reflection on a variety of issues raised by industry speakers.

Every student needs to prepare a short 10-minute presentation on one or more topics of the previous weeks' guest lectures and/or student showcase presentations. The individual presentation should be in the form of reflecting on what are the key business issues and/or challenges you have learned from the industry speaker(s) and/or your fellow students in their showcase presentations --- you need to first introduce what are the issues/challenges etc. under investigation and then use concepts, ideas, and theories you have learned from previous units especially those in BUS201, BUS202 and BUS301 to critically review the issues/challenges and to make some recommendations where appropriate. Students can focus on only one particular guest lecture or link topics from different guest speakers together where possible and identify common issues/challenges discussed in those guest lectures. Students are also encouraged to link the discussion with international business news and development reported in the media.

A separate marking criteria will be uploaded to iLearn and provide more guidance on how to prepare your presentation.

Research and practice

The assessment task requires students to conduct original research, which involves the collection and analysis of information from a range of sources and the recommendation of solutions for clients. Students should also use concepts, frameworks and theories learned from previous units (especially BUS201, BUS202, and BUS301) to reflect on the problems and issues identified by industry speakers.