MSc Marketing / Course details

Year of entry: 2025

Course unit details:
Business Consultancy Project

Course unit fact file
Unit code BMAN73890
Credit rating 60
Unit level FHEQ level 7 – master's degree or fourth year of an integrated master's degree
Teaching period(s) Full year
Available as a free choice unit? No

Overview

The Business Consultancy Project (BCP) is an alternative pathway to the traditional dissertation route. BCP allows students to demonstrate their mastery of marketing concepts in a 'capstone' project for an organisation or business sector. It consists of two phases. Phase one places students into groups and requires them to undertake a business challenge and identify / develop a realistic solution. Phase two is an individual piece of work, in which students will be expected to undertake a critical analysis through which they will  extend their understanding on the project generated in phase one. Students will be expected to build findings into a more generalisable framework using supporting literature, identify limitations, suggest future research directions, and reflect on the group project and their role within that.  .

Aims

The Business Consultancy Project  provides the opportunity to students for applied work. The BCP aims to consolidate students’ learning, from semesters 1 & 2, and apply knowledge into a practical business problem / challenge. As part of this final BCP, students may have the opportunity to meet organizations seeking consultation and take on a business challenge on a live business problem. The BCP aims to create a strong framework for practical learning, combined with high academic standards.

Learning outcomes

1. Learn to structure a business problem, creating a frame for analysis, discriminating options for resolution, and evaluating them to make actionable recommendations

2. Apply and refine data gathering and analysis skills

3. Applying theory / knowledge to a business challenge and develop a consultancy report with practical implications.  

4. Developing group work skills (e.g., being able to work alongside and communicate effectively with others, lean to be flexible, learn to delegate and adapting to new information) 
 

Assessment methods

Group Written Report 50%

Individual Written Component 50%

Feedback methods

Informal advice and discussion during a lecture, seminar, workshop or lab.

Responses to student emails and questions from a member of staff including feedback provided to a group via an online discussion forum.

Specific course related feedback sessions.

Written and/or verbal comments on assessed or non-assessed coursework

 

Study hours

Scheduled activity hours
Practical classes & workshops 20
Project supervision 6
Independent study hours
Independent study 574

Additional notes

Informal Contact Methods

Office Hours
Drop-in Surgeries (extra help sessions for students on material they may be struggling with)

Resubmission of failed Business Consultancy Project

If students fail to achieve the Masters level pass grade of 50%—accumulatively across the two elements (i.e., group and individual) of the Business Consultancy Project (BCP)—students will normally (at the recommendation of the Board of Examiners) be allowed one resubmission of the individual component and this will normally be within four months of the date of the publication of the results. However this is not guaranteed and the Board of Examiners in agreement with the External Examiner, (see further details below) may exceptionally decide not to allow resubmission of the individual component of the BCP and the Faculty will agree that the grounds for not allowing a resubmission are justified.  

If the students achieve an accumulative mark of between 30-49% on first submission, at the discretion of the Board of Examiners (see above) the student may accept the award of Postgraduate Diploma with no further work required. Alternatively the student may choose to resubmit the individual component of the BCP. If the student achieves a grade of below 50% for a resubmitted individual component of the BCP, will be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma.  

For a resubmitted individual component of the BCP the student must achieve a mark of 50% or more to be eligible for the award of MSc but the mark will be capped at the lowest compensatable fail mark of 40%, or if the student achieved a mark in the range 40-49% at first attempt  their mark will be capped at that level upon resubmission.  

If the student gain a mark of 29 or less accumulatively across both components of the BCP on first submission, the student will not be eligible to resubmit the individual component of the BCP and will receive the award of either PG Diploma or Certificate, subject to confirmation by the Board of Examiners. Please note that the student may exceptionally be required to attend an examination, orally or otherwise, in the subject of the BCP, or a related matter. 

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