ELECTRONIC ASSIGNMENT COVERSHEET

Student Information

(To be filled by the student prior submitting the assignment)

P1 Explain the stages of the project lifecycle(PLC) and their importance to the success of a project.

P2 Examine the factors to be considered when compiling a project management plan (PMP).

P3 Examine a range of research methods and strategies and their importance to project management.

M1 Evaluate the stages of the PLC and the factors, (deliverables, quality, risk, communication, and resources) to be considered in a PMP.

M2 Evaluate a range of

research methods and

strategies for gathering information and data collection.

D1 Critically evaluate the Project – management process, PMP and research methods for gathering information and data collection.

LO2 Produce a Project Management Plan (PMP) for a business project using primary and secondary research methods

P4 Produce a PMP thatcovers, aim, objectives,deliverables, quality,risk,communicationresources and researchmethods.

P5 Produce a workbreakdown structure anda schedule to providetimeframes and stages forcompletion.

M3 Produce a detailedPMP, and schedule formonitoring andcompleting the aims andobjectives of the project.

LO3 Implement the Project Management Plan (PMP) to communicate results from the research and make conclusions from the evidence of findings

P6 Conduct a businessproject as stated withinthe PMP andcommunicate findings.

P7 Present data to drawvalid and meaningfulconclusions andrecommendations fromdata analysis.

LO3 & LO4 

D3 Critically reflect on the findingsfrom theresearch and the projectmanagement process insupportingstatedobjectives and ownlearning.

LO4 Reflect on value gained from implementing the project and the project management process.

P8 Reflect on the valueof undertaking thebusiness project to meetstated objectives and ownlearning andperformance.

M5 Evaluate the projectmanagement process tomeet stated objectivesand support own learningandperformance.

LO3 & LO4 

D3 Critically reflect on the findings from theresearch and the projectmanagement process insupportingstatedobjectives and ownlearning.

PASS/MERIT/DISTINCTION/REDO

Date:  

Summative Feedback:

Overall Feedback on current work with emphasis on how the student can improve and achieve higher grades in future.

MANAGING A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS PROJECT

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and its importance for sustainability and competitive advantage

Introduction to the theme:

The Pearson-set theme for use with Level 4 Unit 6: Managing a Successful Business Project is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and its importance for sustainability and competitive advantage.

‘Corporate Social Responsibility is the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large.’ (World Business Council for Sustainable Development).

Businesses worldwide have increasingly embraced the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as a means to develop and adopt sustainable practices and approaches in their business operations. It is a multifaceted concept that encompasses many different aspects ranging from philanthropy, ethical responsibilities and environmental considerations.

Most recently, in response to maximising stakeholder value and expectations, the strategic benefits of CSR has seen many companies having a competitive advantage. Together with the rise of globalisation, companies now employ CSR managers, experts and consultants to produce comprehensive CSR policies and programmes, to give them a competitive edge and build stakeholder trust and loyalty.

This unit will enable students to examine the multi dimensions of CSR within the context of business operations applied to a small-scale project. This will provide the opportunity for students to contextualise the principles of CSR and explore the merits of CSR in relation to meeting competitive and sustainable organisational objectives.

Topic Selection

Tutors must choose one topic from the list provided below and decide which type of project is most suitable for a small-scale research project. All students must complete the same topic and project type chosen by the tutor. However, if delivering to different cohorts of students, tutors may select a different topic and project type for each cohort. 

The Assignment Guidance document for Unit 6: Managing a Successful Business Project, provides additional support and guidance for both tutors and students. 

Topics: 

1. How to start up a socially responsible company 

2. The impact of CSR on a functional area (e.g., HR, Marketing, Finance) within an organisation to promote profitability and financial sustainability 

3. Implementing CSR activities within organisations to meet sustainable objectives 

4. Trends currently influencing CSR.

Project Evidence / Outcomes

Project Report 

It is important to recognize that project work is reliant on gathering information/data that can be analysed. The scale of a Level 4 project means that there must be time for both primary and secondary research. A suggested model would be to use secondary research to provide a context for the student to conduct and interpret data collected through primary research. The project could then yield data/information that could be compared with the findings of secondary research.

An important part of the conclusion must be an awareness of the significance of results. Well - edited, focused writing and presentation, where the key decisions, developments, lines of argument and salient research are explained succinctly, is preferable to unstructured writing and presentation where little attempt to select or edit material has been made. 

In addition to their research findings, students are asked to submit a project management plan, a completed logbook or similar form of reflective journal and performance review as evidence for the unit. 

The project management plan is designed to define how the project is to be planned, executed and monitored. The project management plan should give details of the actions required for the integration and co-ordination of various planning activities to carry out the project.

The project log book or similar reflective journal is designed to provide evidence of the project development process and ongoing reflection. It should provide evidence that the student has thought about the direction of their project and in particular, what problems they encountered, and steps taken to address them.

The performance review will provide evidence of reflection and evaluation of the project management process and individual performance.

Resources and useful links 

Suggested resources and links that centres may find useful are shown below. Centres should choose those resources that are relevant for localised use and complement those with additional resources to support independent research in the chosen topic and project type. 

Useful resources 

Assignment: Business Research Project Report

Scenario:

You will choose an organisation that is based in the UAE or in your country of residence, and complete the tasks given below while making the project report. The theme is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and its importance for sustainability and competitive advantage; therefore, it is imperative that your research project topic is relevant to the theme and based on the chosen company. You are expected to conduct this project work individually, write a project report and address the tasks within the report itself. You will use existing sources of research work in the form of published articles and journals, as well as other secondary material and literature available on the internet. 

Tasks:

Produce a Project Management Plan (PMP) that covers all the below aspects and critically evaluate the project management process in relation to your own project. In order to achieve this, you must

• Critically evaluate the stages of the project lifecycle 
• Critically evaluate the various factors (deliverables, quality, risk, communication and resources to be considered in your project.
• Critically evaluate a range of research methods and strategies for gathering information and data for the given project. 

You must justify the choices made in the design of the project management plan (PMP) for completing the aims and objectives of the project. In order to achieve this, you must

• Produce a detailed project management plan that covers the aims, objectives deliverables, quality, risk, communication resources and research methods.
• Produce a comprehensive work breakdown structure to define the scope of the project 
• Produce a project schedule using Gantt chart to provide timeframes and stages of project completion.

You must critically reflect on the findings from the research and the project management process in supporting stated objectives and own learning. In order to achieve this, you must

• Conduct a business research project as stated within the PMP and communicate findings using appropriate tools.
• Present data to draw valid and meaningful conclusions and recommendations from data analysis.
• Justify conclusions and recommendations drawn from data analysis and findings to meet the project objectives. 
• Maintain and include a project logbook as soon as the project starts and record ideas (template appended in the brief), changes, and developments as you progress and complete the project.
• Critically reflect and evaluate the project management process and discuss how the stated objectives were met. 

• Critically reflect on your own learning and review your performance in the project using Gibb’s reflective cycle.

   

NOTE: 

• Sample questionnaire and/or Interview transcripts should be included in the appendix
• Ethics form must be completed and submitted prior to the commencement of the project. 

1. Ethics Form 
2. Project Logbook Template

All students conducting research activity that involves human participants or the use of data collected from human participants are required to gain ethical approval before commencing their research. Please answer all relevant questions and note that your form may be returned if incomplete.

For further support and guidance please see your respective Unit Tutor.

Before completing this form, it is advised that you discuss your proposed research fully with your Unit Tutor. Please complete this form as per due date, before your research project is due to commence.

NOTE: 

The submission on the LMS is in the form of an individual written report and ppt presentation. This should be written in a concise, formal business style using single spacing and font size 12. You are required to make use of headings, paragraphs, and subsections as appropriate, and all work must be supported with research and referenced using the Harvard Referencing System. Please also provide a bibliography using the Harvard Referencing System. The recommended word limit is approx. 6000 words.