BUSINESS ANALYTICS CONSULTANCY PROJECT - 2024/5

Module Overview

This module will give students the opportunity to apply the analytical techniques covered on the programme in a real-world context. Students will have the opportunity to conduct a large piece of research work on a topic of their interest and experiences or suggested by their supervisor. Projects relating to student experiences during their placement year are particularly well-suited here. The module will guide students through the process of preparing a project proposal and delivering an Analytics project on the basis of this proposal in the capacity of a business analyst.

Module provider

Surrey Business School

Module Leader

GIRALEAS Dimitris (SBS)

Number of Credits: 30

ECTS Credits: 15

Framework: FHEQ Level 6

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Year long

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

N/A

Module content

- Introduction to the philosophy of empirical research.
-Structured problem-solving
-Formulating hypotheses and research questions
-Writing an effective project proposal
-Literature search and literature review.
-Data sourcing and data collation/structuring
-An overview of Research Design (research approach and ethics; methodology & methods)
-Stakeholders management and effective communication

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

For the first part of the module (semester 1), the assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate:
-their ability to identify a suitable research topic,
-conduct independent academic literature review,
-conceptualise a solution framework and source the relevant data, and
-write a research proposal.

For the second part of the module (semester 2), the assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate:
-The ability to utilise relevant business analytics methods within a suitable research project,
-conduct independent empirical research, and
-write a detailed and coherent project report.

The proposal deliverable will be preceded by a presentation from the student of their work thus far, allowing for formal feedback. The presentation deliverables will take the form of a slide pack and a recording for the student presenting the slide pack.

Formative assessment: Supervision sessions will be used as formative assessment outlets where supervisors will assess progress and advice on how to improve the project.

Feedback: A supervisor will be allocated to each student by the module coordinator. Each student is required to have up to 4 meetings with their supervisor, who will monitor the project progress and provide formative feedback during these meetings.

Module aims

• Explore methods for extracting problem definitions from external stakeholders or internally proposed questions.
• Critically evaluate business analytics methods in the context of a specific business problem and for the purpose of developing a solution framework.
• ¿ Demonstrate how to apply theoretical and practical concepts developed through your undergraduate degree to add value to an organisation.
• Explore ways to plan, organise, and implement a large piece of work over a sustained period of time.
• Demonstrate how different business analytics skills can be utilised in real-world situations.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to enable students to complete a substantial analytical project by demonstrating the process of structured problem solving, showing best practices in undertaking quantitative research and supporting students with monitoring and advice throughout the module, utilising both the module leaders¿ and their individual supervisor¿s experience.

The module is designed to allow for regular opportunities for students to seek input and advice as they become more confident in their own ability to interrogate source material, draw conclusions and further their own knowledge.

The learning and teaching methods include:

Seminars:
Seminars are designed to break down preparation of the Research Proposal and final Research Project into manageable stages, which allow opportunities for in-class discussion and skills development.
Students will also be introduced to a wealth of resources available to support their research, from journal article databases to market analysis portals/aggregators and finally to reputable databases. Guidance will be provided on how to best utilise such resources, with the assistance from dedicated Library research staff.

Guided Learning and Captured Content: Formal guided individual reading and study activities, included in SurreyLearn. These would typically include short videos to watch and make notes from, targeted resources for self-study, articles to read ahead of discussion in class, short writing activities.

Tutorial sessions: These relate to specific one-to-one meetings with supervisors to discuss progress, seek advice and plan future work.

Independent Study: Independent study is a hugely important and demanding element of this module, requiring considerable resourcefulness and independence on the part of the student. The ability to manage and benefit from the extensive independent study time is a key skill for all analytical projects, as well as a skill highly sought by graduate employers. Seminar sessions and, more importantly, supervisory meetings will provide scaffolding for independent study at all relevant stages; however, it is important that students approach this task with maturity and a critical mindset and to adapt the time available to their own priorities and study preferences.

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: MAN3245

Other information

Employability : This module will equip students with a number of professional skills, including communication, presentation, stakeholder management and digital skills that are required to participate in today¿s working world. Skills of research, data analysis, independently managing a complex task over an extended period and learning from feedback are also sound preparation for the world of work. Digital Capabilities: The module has by construction a strong focus on developing student¿s digital capabilities. Firstly, students will go into a significant depth in developing models and solutions using a range of sophisticated analytical tools, such as SAS, Simul8, STATA, Tableau, etc. Secondly, the module supports students in identifying and evaluating relevant sources available to them via the Internet, the university library catalogue, and the electronic tools and databases available through the library portal. Lastly, digital tools, including generative Artificial Intelligence, are under increasing scrutiny in today¿s world: this module also looks at the potential of a range of digital tools in helping students to develop extended written texts such as this Research Project, whilst maintaining academic integrity. Sustainability: Through solving real business problems (operational and strategic), this module provides students with the opportunity to explore decision making in modern businesses to ensure their sustainability and profitability. Additionally, students with a particular interest in sustainability will have opportunities to develop a project topic that encompasses themes related to sustainability and its relevance to their chosen area of business. Resourcefulness and Resilience: This is a project-based module with a wide range of choice with regards to what the students will be focusing on for their project. This gives our final year students a unique opportunity to develop both their resourcefulness and resilience, attributes necessary to meet these challenges. Individual support from the teaching team is directly incorporated in the module, with students encouraged to take up further support and guidance on request. The module also includes ¿low stakes¿ summative assessments, designed to allow students to learn from work in progress and make effective use of feedback. At the end of the module, students will have completed a substantial piece of independent analytical work, which we expect to be a point of pride and a significant boost to their confidence.

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2024/5 academic year.