Group-based Case Study (Research Report & Presentation)
In this group assessment, your task is to 1) write a research report that identifies and solves the business problem encountered by a real-life organization of your own choice and 2) present this report in the classroom (for Internal – City West Campus students) or virtual classroom (for External – Online students). Students will need to achieve at least 50% in the presentation component of the Case Study to pass this assessment.
Part A: Group-based research report
Your research report should include the following seven parts
1. An introduction that a) provides an overview of the chosen organization (e.g., internal and external business environments, business strategy adopted), b) spells out the business problem encountered by the organization, c) states the research question and d) explains why it is important for the chosen organization to solve the business problem.
2. A literature review section that a) discusses and critically evaluates the existing literature relevant to the business problem under investigation and the possible solutions.
3. A proposition development section that a) proposes your own solutions to the business problem and b) justifies the efficacy of your solutions using research evidence and theory.
4. A research method section that addresses four questions: a) What is the research instrument (e.g., questionnaire or interview) you would use to test the effectiveness of your proposed solutions; b) why do you think your chosen research instrument is the most appropriate in this case (e.g., reliability and validity issues), c) who are your target research participants, and d) what are the procedures for data collection?
5. An ethics consideration section that discusses the potential ethics issues (e.g., anonymity and confidentiality of participants) that may arise in the research process and how you plan to solve those issues.
6. A practical implication section that discusses what business leaders can learn from your current report.
7. A conclusion that summarizes the key points covered in your research report.
Notes:
• Make sure you’re aware of all assignment requirements as per the feedback sheet.
• Make sure you use headings in your assignment.
• References need to be credible. Refer to Topic 2 (A/A*/B from the ABDC list or other credible sources). You should have at least 10 academic or other credible references in your report.
• You must support any assertions with credible references from the academic literature.
• The questions posed are deliberately open. This means you have a lot of choice in how you respond. Your grade will be determined by how relevant your discussion is, how well you draw from the course content and how well you apply the course concepts to the case. Your report should be able to be understood by someone who isn’t a researcher. In other words, it should be written in clear language, with any terminology explained clearly (and supported with references).
• You are required to complete and submit a peer review form. This is a requirement before you can receive a grade for the group case study assignment. The peer review form (with instructions) is available under the resources tab.
Part B: Research report presentation (individually assessed)
Your research report presentation should be done in Week 10 in the classroom (for Internal – City West Campus students) or virtual classroom (for External – Online students). Your group will have 20 minutes at maximum to present the report, after which questions may be raised by the lecturer and other course participants in the audience. Every group member will have to speak up in the presentation because everyone’s performance in this presentation is assessed individually.