Format: report

Word limit: 3000 words (excluding bibliography), submit a hard copy to BESS AND an electronic copy to Turnitin

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 a project assignment, you can only choose a 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 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 in week 12 and/or week 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.

Late Submissions

NO EXTENSIONS WILL BE GRANTED EXCEPT WHERE AN APPLICATION FOR SPECIAL CONSIDERATION IS MADE AND APPROVED. 

FOR LATE SUBMISSIONS, THERE WILL BE A DEDUCTION OF 10% OF THE TOTAL AVAILABLE MARKS MADE FROM THE TOTAL AWARDED MARK FOR EACH 24 HOUR PERIOD OR PART THEREOF THAT THE SUBMISSION IS LATE (i.e. 25 HOURS LATE IN SUBMISSION - 20% PENALTY). THIS PENALTY DOES NOT APPLY FOR CASES IN WHICH AN APPLICATION FOR SPECIAL CONSIDERATION IS MADE AND APPROVED.

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 try to 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: Group Presentation

This assessment task is composed of two parts: a group mark on group presentation performance (20%) and an individual mark on individual performance during the presentation (20%). While every group member will receive the same group mark for group presentation performance, it is possible that each member will receive a different individual mark (and hence different total mark for this assessment task) as a result of differential performance at individual level.

The unit provides students opportunities to manage and participate in a group project 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 there will be 7-8 groups in each tutorial depending on the size of tutorial classes. During tutorial classes from week 6 to week 13, each group will present on a project of their choice – BUT, the group project selected must be different from the individual project your group members have chosen to do --- for example, if your group has chosen to do a project based on the topic delivered by guest speaker in week 5 lecture, NONE of your group members can choose the same topic again for your individual project report. Also, groups scheduled to present later in the semester are STRONGLY encouraged to avoid repeating the same topic that has been presented by previous groups unless you can present completely different solutions/recommendations with the use of different theories/frameworks/concepts and with the support of different empirical research and analysis – failing to do so may be perceived as plagiarizing previous groups’ arguments and research and receive a ZERO or low mark as the result. 

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 presentation is a formal and professional presentation that provides solutions or recommendations to the client partners on the issues defined by client partners’ speakers. Your presentation should 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). 

On your presentation day, each group should submit a Group Project Members’ Contribution Report summarizing each member’s contribution to the group project. The report itself is not graded, but it gives your group an opportunity to summarize each member's contribution to the group work.

Each group should also submit a handout of your slides for the tutor as well as prepare some copies for the class. Each student should submit his/her script or notes to the tutor as well, but please do not read from your notes during the presentation. A separate Group Project Guide on how to prepare for your group project presentation and members' contribution reports will be uploaded to iLearn and will be discussed in classes. The Guide also provides detailed marking criteria for group performance and individual performance. 

Late Submissions

NO extensions will be granted. Students who have not participated in group project presentation or have not contributed to the preparation of the group presentation will be awarded a mark of zero for the task. 

Research and practice

The assessment task requires students to work as a team 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.

Submit your weekly Seminar Participation and Reflection Sheet to your tutor (week 2 to week 13)

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/submit this sheet to your lecturer/tutor at the beginning of every week’s (except for week 1) tutorial. 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 your critical reflection on the guest lecture topics as well as your fellow students' in-class presentations that will be assessed upon.

Late Submissions

NO extensions will be granted. Students who have not submitted Seminar Participation and Reflection Sheet to their tutors will be awarded a mark of zero for the task. Specifically, do NOT forget to return/submit the signed Seminar Participation and Reflection Sheet to your tutor in each week's tutorials, failing to do so will be treated as 'no show' in the seminars (i.e. lectures).

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.