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How do school administrators establish an “accountability environment” to improve student achievement and learning?

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Research/Reflective Pape

Each student will develop a research/reflective paper. The purpose of this assignment is:

  • To provide students with the opportunity to be exposed to a variety of ideas that impact curriculum, curriculum formation, and the role of the schools in educating students in the 21st century
  • To provide students with the opportunity to integrate and synthesize ideas presented in the readings in a way that can be applied to the world of work
  • To provide students with the opportunity to write in a scholarly style, apply APA-style rules, and to present their thoughts in a meaningful way.

You will develop a research/reflective paper based on the fifth essential question:  How do school administrators establish an “accountability environment” to improve student achievement and learning? This assignment is designed to encourage self-sufficiency, further develop your professional competence, and expand your knowledge of scholarly research on the topic. It is also expected that your current perspective will be expanded to include ideas put forth in this class and other sources of scholarly literature/research.  While you may not always agree or find value in the views of others, such as authors, researchers, and fellow colleagues on a personal level, on a professional level, the views of others have value and have the ability when incorporated into practice, to change educational practice in a way that can have a positive impact for all involved.

Your paper should include current research on curriculum, access and equity, and student achievement. A minimum of three references and data collection points are required to complete the paper and may include journal or document analysis, in addition to your own reflection and personal knowledge. The research/reflective paper should consist of a maximum of five pages, excluding the title and reference pages.

How serious are the kinds of conflicts of interest discussed in this case? Did Sarbanes-Oxley eliminate the most serious conflicts?

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4/3/2020 Analyzing Financial Statements
https://edugen.wileyplus.com/edugen/courses/crs12096/ebook/c04/cGFycmlubzk3ODExMTkzNzEzODBjMDRfMTRfMC54Zm9ybQ.enc?course=crs12… 1/3
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Ethics CaseA Sad Tale: The Demise of Arthur Andersen
In January 2002, there were five major public accounting firms: Arthur Andersen, Deloitte Touche, KPMG, Pricewaterhouse-Coopers, and Ernst & Young. By late fall of that year, the number had been reduced to four. Arthur Andersen became the first major public accounting firm to be found guilty of a felony (a conviction later overturned), and as a result it virtually ceased to exist.
That such a fate could befall Andersen is especially sad given its early history. When Andersen and Company was established in 1918, it was led by Arthur Andersen, an acknowledged man of principle, and the company had a credo that became firmly embedded in the culture: “Think Straight and Talk Straight.” Andersen became an industry leader partly on the basis of high ethical principles and integrity. How did a one-time industry leader find itself in a position where it received a corporate death penalty over ethical issues? First, the market changed. During the 1980s, a boom in mergers and acquisitions and the emergence of information technology fueled the growth of an extremely profitable consulting practice at Andersen. The profits from consulting contracts soon exceeded the profits from auditing, Andersen’s core business. Many of the consulting clients were also audit clients, and the firm found that the audit relationship was an ideal bridge for selling consulting services. Soon the audit fees became “loss leaders” to win audits, which allowed the consultants to sell more lucrative consulting contracts.
Tension between Audit and Consulting
At Andersen, tension between audit and consulting partners broke into open and sometimes public warfare. At the heart of the problem was how to divide the earnings from the consulting practice between the two groups. The resulting conflict ended in divorce, with the consultants leaving to form their own firm. The firm, Accenture, continues to thrive today. Once the firm split in two, Andersen began to rebuild a consulting practice as part of the accounting practice. Consulting continued to be a highly profitable business, and audit partners were now asked to sell consulting services to other clients, a role that many auditors found uncomfortable. Although the accountants were firmly in charge, the role of partners as salespersons compounded an already existing ethical issue—that of conflict of interest. It is legally well established that the fiduciary responsibility of a certified public accounting (CPA) firm is to the investors and creditors of the firm being audited. CPA firms are supposed to render an opinion as to whether a firm’s financial statements are reasonably accurate and whether the firm has applied generally accepted accounting principles in a consistent manner over time so as not to
4/3/2020 Analyzing Financial Statements
https://edugen.wileyplus.com/edugen/courses/crs12096/ebook/c04/cGFycmlubzk3ODExMTkzNzEzODBjMDRfMTRfMC54Zm9ybQ.enc?course=crs12… 2/3
distort the financial statements. To meet their fiduciary responsibilities, auditors must maintain independence from the firms they audit. What might interfere with the objective judgment of the public accounting firms? One problem arises because it is the audited companies themselves that pay the auditors’ fees. Auditors might not be completely objective when auditing a firm because they fear losing consulting business. This is an issue that regulators and auditors have not yet solved. But another problem arises in situations where accounting firms provide consulting services to the companies they audit. Although all of the major accounting firms were involved in this practice to some extent, Andersen had developed an aggressive culture for engaging partners to sell consulting services to audit clients.
Andersen’s Problems Mount
The unraveling of Andersen began in the 1990s with a series of accounting scandals at Sunbeam, Waste Management, and Colonial Realty—all firms that Andersen had audited. But scandals involving the energy giant Enron proved to be the firm’s undoing. The account was huge. In 2000 alone, Andersen received $52 million in fees from Enron, approximately 50 percent for auditing and 50 percent for other consulting services, especially tax services. The partner in charge of the account and his entire 100-person team worked out of Enron’s Houston office. Approximately 300 of Enron’s senior and middle managers had been Andersen employees. Enron went bankrupt in December 2001 after large-scale accounting irregularities came to light, prompting an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). It soon became clear that Enron’s financial statements for some time had been largely the products of accounting fraud, showing the company to be in far better financial condition than was actually the case. The inevitable question was asked: Why hadn’t the auditors called attention to Enron’s questionable accounting practices? The answer was a simple one. Andersen had major conflicts of interest. Indeed, when one member of Andersen’s Professional Standards Group objected to some of Enron’s accounting practices, Andersen removed him from auditing responsibilities at Enron—in response to a request from Enron management.
Playing Hardball and Losing
The SEC was determined to make an example of Andersen. The U.S. Justice Department began a criminal investigation, but investigators were willing to explore some “settlement options” in return for Andersen’s cooperation. However, Andersen’s senior management appeared arrogant and failed to grasp the political mood in Congress and in the country after a series of business scandals that had brought more than one large company to bankruptcy. After several months of sparring with the Andersen senior management team, the Justice Department charged Andersen with a felony offense—obstruction of justice. Andersen was found guilty in 2002 of illegally instructing its employees to destroy documents relating to Enron, even as the government was conducting inquiries into Enron’s finances. During the trial, government lawyers argued that by instructing its staff to “undertake an unprecedented campaign of document destruction,” Andersen had obstructed the government’s investigation. Since a firm convicted of a felony cannot audit a publicly held company, the conviction spelled the end for Andersen. But even before the guilty verdict, there had been a massive defection of Andersen clients to other accounting firms. The evidence presented at trial showed a breakdown in Andersen’s internal controls, a lack of leadership, and an environment in Andersen’s Houston office that fostered recklessness and unethical behavior by some partners. In 2005, the United States Supreme Court unanimously overturned the Andersen conviction on the grounds that the jury was given overly broad instructions by the federal judge who presided over the case. But by then it was too late. Most of the Andersen partners had either retired or gone to work for former competitors, and the company had all but ceased to exist. Discussion Questions
1.
4/3/2020 Analyzing Financial Statements
https://edugen.wileyplus.com/edugen/courses/crs12096/ebook/c04/cGFycmlubzk3ODExMTkzNzEzODBjMDRfMTRfMC54Zm9ybQ.enc?course=crs12… 3/3
To what extent do market pressures encourage unethical behavior? Can the demise of Andersen be blamed on the fact that the market began rewarding consulting services of the kind Andersen could provide?

2. How serious are the kinds of conflicts of interest discussed in this case? Did Sarbanes-Oxley eliminate the most serious conflicts?

3. Was it fair for the government to destroy an entire company because of the misdeeds of some of its members, or had Andersen become such a serious offender that such an action on the part of the government was justified? Copyright © 2018, 2015, 2012, 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Are all of the key concepts covered? Do you have a good balance between environmental microbiology content and biotechnology content?

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BSX-3142 Assignment 1 Trends in Microbiology Review

Title: Frontiers in environmental microbiology and microbial biotechnology

Introduction (key themes):

  • Microbial diversity in the biosphere
  • The roles and functions of microorganisms
  • Advances in methodologies to study microbial ecology
  • Applications of microorganisms in biotechnology (including examples)

The diversity of microbial cellulose-degraders, their related enzymes, and applications in biotechnology (key themes):

  • What is cellulose?
  • Why is it important/abundant in the biosphere?
  • Diversity of cellulose-degrading microorganisms
  • What mechanisms do cellulose degraders use?
  • How have they been applied in biotechnology?
  • What are the next frontiers in using hydrolases in biotechnology?

Conclusion (key themes):

  • Summarise the key themes and take-home messages from the review
  • Highlight any ongoing issues or developments
  • Provide an outlook on the future research priorities and new directions in the field

Some questions to ask about your review:

Are all of the key concepts covered?

Do you have a good balance between environmental microbiology content and biotechnology content?

Does the review have a clear structure and narrative with a logical flow?

Do you provide specific examples or some quantitative data/evidence to illustrate your points?

Does the conclusion summarize the key messages from the review and provide a future outlook.

Do you place emphasis on the science, rather than the review article itself, individual scientists, the public, or specific fields of biology? Avoid ‘this review will’ ‘scientists need to know how’ etc.

Is the language used ‘objective’ rather than subjective, colloquial or journalistic? [more information]

Is there evidence of wider reading on the topic beyond the lecture notes and key references provided?

Is the language appropriately specific? i.e. is it clear enough and could it be mis-interpreted?

As the review is about ‘frontiers’ in these fields – have you explained the exciting new developments and future potential for application of enzymes/organisms in these areas?

Extra notes:

  • When using numbers in the main text, spell them out rather than using digits
  • Please also check the Turnitin similarity scores of your assignments, as some are a little high and contain sentences where strings of words are identical to other sources.

Does our security over ‘here’ depend on the insecurity experienced and violence perpetrated in ‘sites of exception’ over ‘there’?

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Does our security over ‘here’ depend on the insecurity experienced and violence perpetrated in ‘sites of exception’ over ‘there’?  (2000 word count)

Global insecurity and ‘exceptional sites’

Does our security over ‘here’ depend on the insecurity experienced and violence perpetrated in sites of ‘exception’? How can borders, (air)ports, detention centres and sweat factories be considered ‘necropolitical’ sites? Is violence today to be found more in these logistical ‘nodes’ than in inter-state wars?

Essential readings:

1) F. Debrix and A. Barder ‘Nothing to Fear but Fear: Governmentality and the Biopolitical Production of Terror’, International Political Sociology, 3:4 (2009), pp. 398-413.

2) Eski, Y. (2016) ‘The war on meaninglessness: A counter-terrorist self through an absent terrorist other’, Ethnography, vol. 17 no. 4, pp. 460-479

Supplementary readings:

Adey P (2009) Facing airport security: affect, biopolitics, and the preemptive securitisation of the mobile body. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space 27(2): 274–295.

Amoore L (2006) Biometric borders: Governing mobilities in the war on terror. Political Geography 25(3): 226–351.

Duffield, Mark (2005) ‘Getting savages to fight barbarians: development, security and the colonial present’, Conflict, Security & Development, 5:2, pp. 41-159.

Walters W (2002) Mapping Schengenland: denaturalizing the border. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space 20(5): 561–580.

Giorgio Agamben, “Security and Terror” (Theory & Event, Vol. 5 No.4: 2001) Online here:

https://libcom.org/library/on-security-and-terror-giorgio-agamben

De Larringa , Miguel and Doucet, Marc (2008), ‘Sovereign Power and the Bio-Politics of Human Security’, Security Dialogue, vol. 39, no. 5.

Johns, Fleur (2005) ‘Guantánamo Bay and the annihilation of the exception’, European journal of international law 16, pp. 613-35.

Jenny Edkins, “Power, Zones of Indistinction, and the Camp”, Alternatives: Global, Local, Political, Vol. 25, No. 1: 2000), pp. 3-25

Lecture Notes:

What is the politics of contemporary violence, insecurity and killing?

= general strategies of power that, in the process of making life live, entail the regulation of populations.

= aims to control and manage populations through forms of surveillance which are internalized. Power lies in the ability to differentiate between what must live and what must die.

= Mode of control that rather than relying on direct and crude coercion is predicated on taken-for-granted practices and ideas aimed at making bodies docile.

– we have witnessed a subtle shift from sovereign juridical power to biopower.

instead of political subjects, we now have technologised subjects of administration, governance, surveillance and discipline.

– the sovereign (state) has the power to reduce individuals to ‘bare life’, establishing a ‘state of exception’ where human rights no longer apply.

– individuals stripped of their hurnanity whom the sovereign can kill without punishment and without honouring human death.

refugee camps

Guantanamo Bay

migrants at the border

sweat shops

‘gig’ economy…

Politics is the continuation of war by other means – Michel Foucault

contemporary violence results not from the pursuit of the politics of life -> Biopolitics

but from the politics of death -> Necropolitics

  • sovereignty means the capacity to define who matters and who does not, who is disposable and who is not.
  • the Western ‘zone of peace’ is intimately linked to ‘death worlds’ in the Global South where vast populations are subjugated, made into ‘living dead’ (beyond ‘bare life’, death­in-life), rendered disposable.
  • the distinction between disposable and non-disposable lives is made to rely on a biological difference -> in necropolitics the function of racism is to regulate the distribution of death.
  • colonial occupations and modern-day forms of slavery (including labour) as forms of necropolitics.

The essential infrastructure of global capitalism is not finance or trade but it is logistics – the infrastructure of the global economy that ensures, regulates etc the flow of goods, people, stuff, capital (e.g., ports, airports, web, etc).

  1. crisis of the Westphalian system

Necro-politics

security as a lynchpin of the Westphalian system

security as the flipside of the state monopoly of violence

security as the marker of inside / outside distinctions

  1. crisis of war as an institution of international order

This infrastructure rests on

an architecture of security and violence

90% of all violent deaths today happens outside situations of war

violence transverses the global political space, along the ‘global insecurity continuum’

realism: territory, sovereignty and security

 

  1. Corona Virus can also be used as a current example. The government uses fear to control us an example would be the enforcement of lock down and the increase in security and surveillance. The virus was not a concern to the West, it was not a direct threat as it was associated with the territory of mainland China. Only once it came knocking at the door of Europe did the government decide to take security precautions.

What recommendations can be given to South Korean hip hop artists to attract western hip hop fans?

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Aims and research questions
This research project aims to analyse the extent to which South Korean hip hop is heard and perceived in western contexts and to explore recommendations on how western audiences are easily made aware of this. In order to achieve this aim, there will be a review of literature on market demands and a primary research will look to answer the following research questions:
– Are Western hip hop music genre fans aware of South Korean hip hop artists? Which artist is the most known in South Korea?
– What perception does western countries have on hip hop music? How is it different from South Korean hip hop?
– What recommendations can be given to South Korean hip hop artists to attract western hip hop fans?

This is the aims and research questions

Below there is a Disseration handbook which gives the perfect mark scheme please look carefully on that!!!! Also, I am uploading Dissertation research proposal which is already been marked. It is a proposal so that you can elaborate it from here. There are feebacks from the proposal regarding the proposal so please elaborate from the feedback professor have given
Also, there is a file of survey done. The survey questions are attached with the proposal and in the file of survey result it is written in order so do look at the survey questions and results together

Demonstrate adequate critical analysis and evaluation of case studies/evidence, debate the implications of the analysis and develop a tangible deliverable.

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Unit learning outcomes 1. Demonstrate the following knowledge and understanding

·       Demonstrate a systematic understanding and critical appreciation of the interrelationship of diverse theories in the MBA toolkit to challenge existing preconceptions and develop positive and enquiring approaches to management and enterprise. Demonstrate an aptitude and ability to solve a defined business problem through enquiry having drawn upon your MBA studies and appreciating the interrelated nature of organisations.

 

2.  Demonstrate the following skills and abilities

Demonstrate intelligent practice by imaginative and critical integration of theory and practice to create a tangible deliverable through critical insightful evaluation stipulating areas of excellence and reflecting on areas for development to improve performance in contemporary organisations.  In addition, for specialist pathways:

·       MBA (Finance)

, A focus on strategic finance and risk management

·       MBA (Hospital and Health Services Management)

A focus on hospital and health service management and including economic, political, social and environmental change and the impact of regulatory and governance trends.

·       MBA (Human Resource Management)

A focus on human resource management and development in complex situations and within and across borders.

·       MBA (Logistics and Supply Chain Management)

A focus on sustainability of the relationship and expectation between markets, customers, supply chain partners and other stakeholders.

·       MBA (Marketing)

A focus on complex market situations taking account of the development and progression of the customer relationship and customer satisfaction.

·       MBA (Oil and Gas Management)

A focus on the external context in which modern oil and gas organisations operate including economic, political, social and environmental change and the regulatory and governance trends impacting n different organisations.

·       MBA (Digital Technology Management)

A focus on the management of communication and information technologies and contemporary information systems to inform and support decision making in a global knowledge-based economy.

 

What am I required to do in this assignment?
The unit aims to enable you to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of management and business as well as the skills essential to effective operation in a corporate, business, public sector or not for profit environment. It is a unit specifically designed to help your transition into the professional work environment through the integration of theory and practice supported by contemporary research evidence.

This unit provides the opportunity for you to investigate an area of interest drawing on the MBA toolkit developed through taught units and will support the development of lifelong learning through an Evidence-based management approach where analysis, evaluation and decision making are supported by research evidence from quality academic and practitioner sources.

The emphasis is on your independent learning through the application of management education to management practice to inform and enhance problem solving and decision making and to improve organizational effectiveness and performance

You will develop an appreciation of the range of data sources and their collection and analysis in order to help you more critically assess a contemporary problem and solve a business issue.

This would normally require the collection of secondary data from quality academic and practitioner sources.   Where relevant, it might be possible for students to collect primary data.   However, please remember time is tight and, unless you have experience of data collection and analysis, this is discouraged. You will be expected to comply with the University ethics process including seeking approval where required.

The TIP Project enables you to consider a business problem, how this is framed and what solution you can present based on your appreciation of critical enquiry.  The assessment requires you to consider in depth one aspect of the implementation of decisions.

For Assignment 1 you will have already developed the plan for your project comprising the scope, aim, objectives, theoretical underpinning, method of analysis and evidence.  Assignment 2 is where you present the in-depth report on the project including an in-depth review of influential contemporary contributors, analysis of the evidence, interpretation and discussion, leading to clear conclusions and feasible recommendations for practice.

Assignment 2, the Project Report should be a deep consideration of a specific topic, drawing on a wide range of academic sources, including peer-reviewed material, and using practical examples and cases to illustrate your points.  The emphasis of the work is to consider the practical issues involved in making decisions, solving organizational problems or exploring opportunities, achieving change and managing the implementation of strategy. Your work must be submitted as a professional Business Report of 9000 words +/-10% (including an improved Chapter 1).  Staged submissions are required through the online journal on the BREO course site.

A random sample of students will be called to attend a viva voce to check the authenticity of their work
What do I need to do to pass? (Threshold Expectations from UIF)
 

In order to pass Assessment 2 you will need to:

·         Demonstrate assessment of theories underpinning the aim and objectives of the project and integrate this understanding into a coherent framework for analyzing case studies or other data/evidence.

·         Develop a research design to identify and assemble sources of data and evidence and carry our data analysis as appropriate to the aim and objectives.

·         Demonstrate adequate critical analysis and evaluation of case studies/evidence, debate the implications of the analysis and develop a tangible deliverable.
How do I produce high quality work that merits a good grade?
We will be filling this section in together in class on (TBA) make sure you have downloaded/printed out the Assignment Brief and bring it to the session with you.

 

·         You need to widely extend your reading through independent research using quality academic and practitioner sources

·         You will apply theory in practice for critical, in-depth analysis in the context of the chosen research topic

·         Is your method of analysis aligned to your aim?

·         Are you clear on how to collect evidence (data), how to report this and how to analyse the data leading to your findings?

·         How might you interpret your findings in relation to current knowledge reviewed in Chapter 2?  Discussion chapter

·         What are the insightful outcomes of your research – what is your contribution to knowledge/practice?

·         Consider what are the main conclusions derived from your discussion?

·         Make feasible recommendations that are directly actionable

·         You must use in-text citations throughout to acknowledge others’ ideas in support of your critical analysis

·         You must use the Harvard style of referencing.
How does this assignment relate to what we are doing in scheduled sessions?
All students are expected to attend scheduled Advancing Professional Practice workshops between blocks to develop their personal, professional and academic skills in preparation for the final projects and their first post-MBA position. This is an independent project and you are supported through scheduled classes for group briefings and you are allocated a supervisor for guidance.

You will have an interim and final group briefings to support the progressive development of your project, including data collection and analysis and final write-up of the report.

Online Journal Supervision on Breo is where you submit formative drafts for feedback.   The journal is private and can only be viewed by you and your supervisor.

Does the operations strategy develop the capability of its resource and process (inside out)?

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In this essay, you are asked to reflect on a specific project (real or proposed) in the context of your employing organization in Qatar.

In detail, as the newly appointed Director of Operations, you are asked to evaluate critically this project with the operations strategy.

Based on Chapter Two ‘Operations and strategic impact’ (Lecture 2 – Monday 23 March 2020), your essay should ascertain the following four perspectives:

  • Does the operations strategy reflect the business strategy (top down)?
  • Does the operations strategy align with market requirement?
  • Does the operations strategy learn from operational experience?
  • Does the operations strategy develop the capability of its resource and process (inside out)?

In addition, it will be important to discuss if these four perspectives of operations strategy

can be fully reconciled.

In your answer, please address the integration of this project to operations management and to delivering strategic impact.

 

 

 

What perception does western countries have on hip hop music? How is it different from South Korean hip hop?

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Aims and research questions;
This research project aims to analyze the extent to which South Korean hip hop is heard and perceived in western contexts and to explore recommendations on how western audiences are easily made aware of this. In order to achieve this aim, there will be a review of literature on market demands and a primary research will look to answer the following research questions:
– Are Western hip hop music genre fans aware of South Korean hip hop artists? Which artist is the most known in South Korea?
– What perception does western countries have on hip hop music? How is it different from South Korean hip hop?
– What recommendations can be given to South Korean hip hop artists to attract western hip hop fans?

This is the aims and research questions

Below there is a Disseration handbook which gives the perfect mark scheme please look carefully on that!!!! Also, I am uploading Dissertation research proposal which is already been marked. It is a proposal so that you can elaborate it from here. There are feebacks from the proposal regarding the proposal so please elaborate from the feedback professor have given
Also, there is a file of survey done. The survey questions are attached with the proposal and in the file of survey result it is written in order so do look at the survey questions and results together

How committed are employees to the MOCA strategy at Co-operators Group Limited?  What is employees level of understanding of Co-operators’ MOCA strategy? 

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Here’s the Instructions from Georgina Whyatt for the End of Term Paper:  Managing the implementation of a ‘Marketing our Co-operative Advantage’ (MOCA) Strategy at Co-operators Group Limited

The marketplace interest in societal contribution and social responsibility continues to expand; therefore, the reasons for investing in the implementation of a ‘Marketing our Co-operative Advantage’ (MOCA) strategy are strengthening.   This essay asks you to consider the activities that ensure the implementation of a ‘Marketing our Co-operative Advantage’ (MOCA) strategy is successful in Co-operators Group Limited.

Co-operators Group Limited is a large Canadian co-operative offering insurance and financial services to Canada.  Co-operators Group Limited it is owned by 46 Canadian co-operatives, who are true to the co-operative character by upholding the co-operative values and principles as defined by the International Co-operative Alliance.

The international co-operative identity, values and principles:  https://www.ica.coop/en/cooperatives/cooperative-identity.

Co-operators Group Limited operates its financial services through 15 subsidiary companies and is the 6th largest insurer in Canada with over 5500 employees.

https://www.cooperators.ca/en/About-Us/why-coops-are-better.aspx.

This requires you: (i) to explain what Co-operators Group Limited does in this area, (ii) to critically evaluate their practice, and (iii) to make recommendations to Co-operators Group Limited.  Use the literature to justify your comments and claims.

In the Bhattacharya (2016) article, Figure 4 is titled ‘4Cs for Making CSR Activities Successful’.  According to Bhattachrya (2016), these 4Cs are:

  1. Co-creation
  2. Commitment
  3. Calibration
  4. Communication

Please use the 4Cs Model as a framework for your report and consider the actions of Co-operators Group Limited under each of the 4Cs headings.

Co-create:  How does Co-operators Group Limited co-create social, environmental value with / for its member or customers, which builds feelings of loyalty?  How well does Co-operators Group Limited integrate their sustainability efforts into marketing and business strategy, to co-create value for members and customers?  How can this be improved in your co-operative?   See “Co-creation and Calibration at Co-operators Group”.  “Co-operators 2018 Integrated Report, in particular pages 40-55 and pages 74-75”.  See “Co-operators Strategic Plan 2019-2022.  See “Co-operators Marketing Personas”

Commitment:  How committed are employees to the MOCA strategy at Co-operators Group Limited?  What is employees level of understanding of Co-operators’ MOCA strategy?  What needs to be done to improve this? See “Commitment at Co-operators Group”.  See Pages 58-65 in “Co-operators 2018 Integrated Report”

Calibration: How is MOCA, and other marketing successes measured? What objectives and KPIs are used?  How do these measures create benchmarks that drive the right behaviours for MOCA? How can these measures or benchmarks be improved to ensure a ‘Marketing our Co-operative Advantage’ (MOCA) strategy is delivered?  See the “Co-operators 2018 Integrated Report”.

Communication: How does Co-operators Group Limited communicate its co-operative values, character and ethos to customers?  To members? To employees?  What media are used?  How can this be improved? See “Co-operators Marketing Personas”.   See “Commitment at Co-operators Group”.    See www.cooperators.ca.    See https://www.facebook.com/TheCooperatorsInsurance. 

It is important that you discuss:

  • what your co-op currently does (in terms of Bhattacharya’s (2016) 4Cs),
  • where this works well, and
  • where you see shortfalls, and
  • explain how you believe this can be improved (i.e. make recommendations and justify them).

Share your views on using this model as a potential guide for Marketing our Co-operative Advantage (MOCA) implementation with The Co-operators Group Limited.

Make recommendations and justify these by drawing on: the literature in this course (5240), your observations, and data sets available to you. These data sets could, for example, be internal and available from your co-op, generally available externally, or drawn from the on-line discussion in your study groups.

Even though it was not developed specifically for co-operatives, do you think the Bhattacharya (2016) 4Cs model is suitable for co-operatives and the implementation of a ‘Marketing our Co-operative Advantage’ (MOCA) strategy?  What would you suggest as changes to the 4Cs model for to enable co-operatives to use as a guide for MOCA implementation?

Select and use appropriate structured project analysis and research approaches to identify, justify, analyze and diagnose a research problem and develop a research question.

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MSc Project Management PRISM2 Assignment 2019-2020 Weight 80%

This assignment has one artifact A justified research methodology proposal of 2,500 words

Learning Outcomes

1. Select and use appropriate structured project analysis and research approaches to identify, justify, analyze and diagnose a research problem and develop a research question.

2. Evaluate existing literature to appreciate existing results and methods to identify suitable research methods and their effectiveness for investigating a chosen research topic.

3. Situate a research problem within a wider strategic project management context to demonstrate the significance of the research question.

4. Synthesize project methods and research methods together as a detailed research proposal that justifies the choice and significance of a research topic and the methods available for contributing towards a solution

This assignment weight is 80% of the overall unit mark.

Submit a 2,500 word detailed research proposal fully justified.

In this coursework, you need to choose a research topic and then develop a research proposal

Choosing a research topic for your coursework. Clearly, you are approaching the stage of needing to think about your dissertation. You are therefore strongly advised to base this coursework on your forthcoming dissertation topic that must in the project management context. Design a succinct research proposal for your chosen topic using appropriate methodology and justification of your choices. Going down through each layer of Saunders et al.’s (2016 or earlier) ‘Research Onion’, write a justification and critical evaluation of your research proposal (drawing on a wide range of research methodology literature).
Having chosen a research topic, you should complete the following parts:
1. Introduction a. Provide a title and background • Background: a brief overview of the topic or problem, including your motivation for selection of this research topic, a brief literature review, drawing on some key pieces of topic-related literature, explain why researching the topic or problem is important using knowledge and understanding of key theories/models from Project Management or related domains. OPTIONAL (For grades 70 and above): In addition to this you can provide a table in the Appendix summarizing at least 7-10 sources that your research will draw on to justify your research context and design decisions. The table should have columns for aims/objectives of paper, topics discussed and any areas identified for future research. Based on this table, you can present the possible area that your research will face based on a gap or suggestion in existing literature. An example is in enclosed in the folder

b. Overall research question(s), aim(s) and objective(s): these should be clear, succinct and specific. They should also be related to Project Management. A diagram of the conceptual or theoretical framework which shows the relationship between concepts.
2. Methodology a. Philosophical position b. Methodology (survey, case study …) and the reason why this methodology is suitable for this research c. A clear and suitable sampling method. d. A clear and suitable data collection method (including administration, including instrument design and a list of interview questions or an example of a questionnaire). e. A clear and suitable explanation of how the data will be analysed.

3. Critical evaluation Going down through each layer of Saunders et al.’s (2019 or earlier) ‘Research Onion’, write a critical evaluation of your research proposal developed (drawing on a wide range of research methodology literature). As a result you should state based on your critique, why your approach is the most suitable approach for your chosen research topic and why other approach(es) are NOT suitable. This may be the quantitative or qualitative approach, you must decide and defend your choice. Remember you need to justify all the steps, eg. why have you chosen this specific methodology and data collection tool? Why they are appropriate for addressing your research question and research problem? PRISM1 asked for a general indication of your method, so this is the opportunity to give a detailed justification and demonstrate your application of deeper levels of critical ability applied to research design.
N.B. For parts 3 & 4 you should use between 5 – 7 research method sources.
Important note: you must NOT actually collect or analyze any data for this coursework.
– this is just the proposal stage where you set out how you plan to collect and analyze the data.

The general guidelines for marking this piece are given below – this will give you an indication of the weighting applied to each part (which will also guide you in terms of the word count for each part).

Additional information
1. The maximum word count is 2,500 words. This is a maximum, not a target.

2. Structure your report. Include a title page with the unit title, report title, your student ID number. Use clear, numbered section headings. Include your student ID number and page number on each page. Include a title for every table or figure, along with a source (if you have not originally developed it). Ensure any figures or tables are clearly legible.

3. References must be given using the APA 6 style every time you mention a theory, or another person’s idea(s) – refer to and follow the School’s referencing guide. Be selective and only include material that is relevant to your case. Avoid (over) reliance on websites for your sources as they are rarely peer-reviewed and often contain errors. The reference list (ie. not a bibliography) should be sorted alphabetically by first author surname, do not separate out different types of sources (books, journals, etc) into different lists.

4. One of the key abilities developed through your Master’s course is in developing arguments for why other people should agree with your decisions to the point where they can consider it further for adoption. The PRISM assignments are not assessed on what your topic is (since everyone will have a different topic), but they are assessed on criteria such as how your use of evidence, your analysis of literature, and your reflection on your work build convincing and logical reasons to agree with you.

The following table indicates the likely weighting of marks for each section of the coursework.

Content Marks
PART 1: Introduction Provide a clear title, suitable background, relevant but brief coverage of topic-specific literature, identification of a clear research gap, overall research question(s), aim(s) and objective(s) (approximately 400 words) This section needs to be supported by project management sources.

PART 2: Your research proposal methodology
Research methodology/methods:  Philosophy approach – explain the philosophy approach you intend to adopt.

 Explain what overall research methodology you have chosen. If you have selected quantitative approach, this may require formulating hypothesis (or hypotheses), clearly stated, unambiguous, realistic, symmetrical.

 Explain the sampling method and type.

 Explain the data collection method(s) and provide a list of appropriate questions (as an Appendix e.g. Interview guide) that you have personally developed. Or Design a questionnaire that you have personally developed (include it as an Appendix). This design should include the measurement scales that you intend to use and where you have sourced them from. You will need to explain how you would administer the questionnaire.

 Explain how data will be analyzed and presented in order to address the research question(s)/objectives. For qualitative data, you will need to explain your coding and theme development approach. For quantitative data, you will need to present the statistical techniques that you intend to use to analyze the responses that you will receive.

Fully referenced to a range of suitable research method literature.
(approximately 1500 words) This section needs to be supported by research method sources.

PART 3: Critical evaluation
Critical evaluation of your proposal: clear understanding of the benefits and limitations of your chosen approach, using all layers of the ‘research onion’ (Saunders et al., 2016), development of a reasoned argument for and against. Fully referenced to a range of suitable literature.

Justification of the chosen approach for the research. (approximately 600 words). This section needs to be supported by research method sources.
20
References: suitable range, provide full references using the APA 6 format.

Presentation and language: Correct spelling, grammar, professional presentation (as detailed in the coursework handout).

Make sure you carefully read Postgraduate Grade Descriptor for PRISM 2 that is attached in this folder. The finished essay should be uploaded to Moodle drop box by the above specified date.
Plagiarism: Note well: the Business School has a strict policy regarding academic malpractice, including plagiarism. Beware that this is checked for each assignment. Further details on this topic and how to avoid are in the Module handbook on Moodle. The university has always been very strict about Plagiarism and this year is focusing even more carefully on plagiarism. Assignment support:

Essay structure issues should be addressed to Study Support.

• Word Limit: Please refer to the Module handbook for further details
Word count for the mini proposal is 2,500 words. No additional wording is permitted. For this essay, cover page, table of contents, tables, figures, references list and appendix or attachment are not counted towards your word limit. Tables and figures should not be used to circumvent the word limit but should be developed purposefully, explained, cited and should add value to your text. You should always include the word count at the bottom of the cover page. You will receive mark and feedback via Moodle twenty working days after submission.
You must clearly state the source of the citations in the text of your assignment and provide links to all the resources you have used in your bibliography. The source of your citations must be available (i.e. on a public website) or available through The Portsmouth University library account. The source language MUST be English. Essays Format • Cover page: Should include module code and name, title of the assignment, and your student ID at the bottom of this page and the word count. • Table of Contents: provide the list of the titles and subtitles used in your text with their page numbers on the first page after the cover page. • Referencing: Please refer to the handbook for further details You should use is APA6 (here is the library link for assistance in formatting references: http://referencing.port.ac.uk)
For general guidance on referencing, see the library handout: https://library.port.ac.uk/guides/docs/LG767.pdf
• Citing lecture slides: Lecture slides cannot be referenced unless absolutely necessary. All the slides which you might need to refer to have citation(s) or the related references are given at the end of lecture hand-outs. It is expected that you study and refer to the original references rather than the lecture slides.