Research Reflection Report (Assignment Format) – Guidelines for the Report

These notes are designed to help you deliver and conduct a successful Research Reflection Report.

The Research Reflection Report is a major piece of work and is designed to support your own self-critical consideration of your research and related business skills and demonstrate that you can:-

• Reflect and comment critically on what you have learnt during the programme and during the carrying out of your research activities

• Carefully consider the research which you have carried out and critically comment on this

• Discuss the relationship of your research, research sources and evidence, and researching activities to the production of your Major Project

• Critically comment on the key areas, examples, sources of your research

• Consider the relationship of your research, and researching, to both your Major Project and possible future employment opportunities

Your Research Reflection Report is not only an academic exercise but also a piece of work which you may wish to use in future employment contexts to demonstrate your ability to consider the importance of research and researching to:-

• business planning,

• business success,

• organisational contexts

• your own academic and business skills and the contribution which you can make to an organisation as a result of developing these skills

The Research Reflection Report therefore aims to support the student’s ability to be self critical about their research. It also develops the students understanding and application of the core concepts of business and academic skills while developing their ability to perform more effectively within organisations in a real world context. The Report therefore encourages reflection on:-

1) Research Processes

2) The research methodologies which you have considered and applied

3) Research and researching as a problem solving process used by you as a student,

4) The identification and discussion of your key learning points which could be applied to other situations.

5) The relationship of research and your major project to your professional development opportunities and career development intensions

Completion of the Report

• The contents of the report are given in a template format (see pages 3&4)

• You may treat this report as a self critical evaluation of your researching experience or “Learning Diary” or as a final summing up of your experiences while carrying out the Research and the Major Project in which you have been involved. It is advisable not to leave the completion of the Report until the last minute.

• Above all this Report should not be simply descriptive – it should be a self critical summary of your learning experiences. You should adopt a ‘critical’ viewpoint – what seems to work, what is less successful – and why? Discuss the examples of best /good/interesting research practice which you have come across. Consider how research examples/models can be usefully used in business situations– and be adapted to suit your future workplace/ academic environment.

• You should attempt to respond to all template sections

• You should keep to the overall word limit of 4000 words maximum for the whole Report.

Things to think about when completing your Research Reflective Report:-

The nature of your research and your Major Project
Why is it being done; why are you working on this subject and how significant is it to you and to future employers?

Plan of your schedules
Have you managed effectively your research and Major Project schedules and are they logical?

Resources
What resources (i.e. people, evidence, references, and ideas) have you used and how are you using these? Why are they important?

Methodologies
Are the methods which you have used specified clearly, and are they sufficiently rigorous? Are data/evidence/literature sources specified and available? Are you conducting the research and the Major Project in a professional manner? What analytical frameworks will be used to make sense of the work? Are these appropriate?

Support and Barrier Issues
Have these been thought through by you? How any barriers to be/being overcome?

Anticipated Benefits to you and to a future employment organisation
What are they? – Knowledge? : Ideas? : Learning Experience? : Efficiency? : Effectiveness? Financial?: Organisational?: Skills?

How will the project satisfy you?
How will the work contribute to your personal development? How wide a range of skills and knowledge does it use from your programme? Will it demonstrate that you have an understanding of your programme subject areas?

Major Project Conclusions: The conclusions which you are forming for your Major Project – are they based on rigorous reasoning and argument?

Report Writing Skills
Write your reflections and critical views clearly and simply.

Student name: ……WRITE YOUR NAMES HERE AS THEY ARE IN YOUR PASSPORT……..

Student ID number: ……WRITE YOUR SCHOOL ID NUMBER HERE………………

|RESEARCH REFLECTION REPORT | | |
|(should contain the details given below) | |Marks |
| |Please type your responses in the spaces below: |available |
|Research Methods & Processes |Click here to enter text. | |
|How and why have you chosen/decided on the | | |
|research methods and processes which you are | | |
|using/have used for the development of your | |15 |
|Major Project? | | |
|How would you describe these to: | | |
|1) a reader of your Major Project and/or | | |
|2) a future employer | | |
|(max. 550 words) | | |
|Literature & sources |Click here to enter text. | |
|1) What are the most important | | |
|theories/literature sources /evidence sources| |15 |
|which you are using to justify your research | | |
|and your Major Project? | | |
|2) Why are these sources important and | | |
|fundamental to your work? | | |
|(max. 550 words) | | |
|Your Knowledge |Click here to enter text | |
|What key areas of knowledge have you gained | | |
|from undertaking your research and the Major | |10 |
|Project? | | |
|Indicate why these are so important to you? | | |
| | | |
|(max. 400 words) | | |
|Your Learning |Click here to enter text | |
|What are the most important aspects/examples | | |
|of learning and/or skills which you have | |10 |
|gained from: | | |
|(1) undertaking the MBA programme, | | |
|(2) following through your research, and | | |
|(3) applying your knowledge and what you have| | |
|learnt in your Major Project | | |
|(max. 400 words) | | |
|Critical Thinking and your ideas |Click here to enter text | |
|In carrying out your research, your analysis,| | |
|your evaluation of evidence, and in | |10 |
|identifying or proposing conclusions, what | | |
|has been the most important discovery, or | | |
|piece of evidence, or theory, or viewpoint, | | |
|or critical idea, or critical addition to | | |
|your knowledge, or other item of importance | | |
|and why? | | |
|(max. 400 words) | | |
|Barriers met |Click here to enter text | |
|What were the main difficulties and barriers | | |
|which you were faced with in: | |10 |
|(1) undertaking your research, and | | |
|(2) completing your Major project | | |
|(max. 400 words) | | |
|Your Professional Development |Click here to enter text | |
|What are the most important business and/or | |10 |
|management skill(s) or academic idea(s) or | | |
|lesson(s) which you have learnt from | | |
|undertaking your research and your Major | | |
|Project – and why? | | |
|(400 words) | | |
|Objectives |Click here to enter text | |
|Based on your research and the work which you| |10 |
|have done in the MBA Programme and its use in| | |
|your Major Project, what were and how far | | |
|have the objectives of your major project | | |
|been achieved? | | |
|(max. 450 words) | | |
|Findings & outcomes |Click here to enter text | |
|How useful and/or feasible are the findings, | |10 |
|recommendations, conclusions, or outcomes of | | |
|your Major Project to you and/or to a future | | |
|Employer? | | |
|You must justify your answer with specific | | |
|examples. | | |
|(max. 450 words) | | |
|TOTAL | | |
| | |100 |