PEOPLE MANAGEMENT DISSERTATION - 2028/9

Module Overview

An applied dissertation is a core part of all MSc programmes in the Management Discipline, and represents the aspect of the programme in which students develop an independent piece of work that is in an area that is particularly interesting to them, supervised by a member of faculty.
This module descriptor covers the people management dissertation for MSc Business Psychology, and MSc International Human Resource Management.
The dissertation comprises an extended literature review that applies evidence to a practical people management issue. The dissertation may or may not involve analysis and interpretation of secondary research data, but should not include collection of primary data.

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 2028/9 academic year.

Module provider

Surrey Business School

Module Leader

STUART Anna Luca (SBS)

Number of Credits: 60

ECTS Credits: 30

Framework: FHEQ Level 7

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

Module Availability

Year long

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

N/A

Module content

The module runs in Semester 2 and through the summer period for all students, whether starting in February or September cohorts.
The module commences with a briefing on the dissertation and process. This includes information on supervisory interest in different topics.
Working alongside content in the module Research Methods for Evidence-based Practice, students develop their research interests with supervisors and write an outline proposal for the dissertation. This should include a clear statement of the applied problem and research questions to be answered.
Further lecture sessions help guide students through the process of independent research and completing the dissertation through the summer.
Supervisors will be available to meet with students up to 4 times through the dissertation, and will provide formative feedback on ideas and findings through the project. Students must take responsibility for benefitting from these meetings.
Supervisors may read one complete draft of the dissertation to provide further formative feedback provided that it is submitted at least 2 weeks prior to the submission deadline.

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to enable students to demonstrate:
Evidence of ability to work as an independent, critical and competent evidence-based practitioner
Ability to carry out desk-based and/or secondary applied research
Ability to report findings of their research in writing clearly and effectively
Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:
-
10,000-word applied research dissertation plus 1,500-word executive summary
-
A viva voce examination (20 minutes) in which the supervisor and another member of academic faculty question the students about their project. This is designed to test understanding and in part to protect against risk of poor academic integrity in the use of generative artificial intelligence.
Formative assessment:
Supervisor feedback on outline proposal and dissertation draft.
Feedback:
Formative feedback as above. Summative feedback on final dissertation.

Module aims

• Enable students to develop a major piece of original independent work under the supervision of a member of faculty.
• Guide students in applying research methods training from their MSc programme to research in an organizational setting.
• Provide students with experience of conceptualizing research problems, designing research studies, and undertaking research ethically and effectively.
• Allow students to specialise their learning in an area that is relevant and interesting to them.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:
Allow students to apply knowledge and understanding of their discipline and research techniques to address an applied problem of people management.
Be able to write a detailed research dissertation that puts research evidence into action to make an impact in organizational practice.
The learning and teaching methods include:
¿
Lectures
¿
Supervision
¿
Independent study

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: MANM620

Other information

Surrey Business School is committed to developing graduates with strengths in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability, and Resourcefulness and Resilience. This module is designed to allow students to develop knowledge, skills, and capabilities in the following areas:
Digital capabilities: Use of technology-enabled tools for research including evidence sourcing, and software for analysis of data.
Employability: Applying principles of evidence-based practice and research for dealing with practical people management issues, including transferable skills in consuming and designing research.
Resourcefulness and Resilience: Working independently and in a sustained and persistent way to complete a major individual piece of work. The completion of the dissertation requires application of resourcefulness and resilience to complete the project effectively.