course material

1. LITERATURE REVIEW CHAPTER : Assessment of credit cards usage
perception and attitude towards university students in the UK
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The final dissertation must be submitted by the due date at the end of the semester in
accordance with the student guide. Two copies should be submitted together with a
statement of authenticity signed by you. You MUST also include a Turnitin report showing
the originality of the work. The format of the dissertation and the outcomes to be achieved
are included in the detail of the Dissertation guide.< pstyle="margin-bottom: .0001pt;
margin-bottom: 0cm; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">< pstyle="margin-bottom: .0001pt;
margin-bottom: 0cm; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"> The Dissertation will comprise a
number of key sections. < pstyle="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-
justify: inter-ideograph;">< pstyle="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-
add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt; text-justify: inter-
ideograph;"> 1. There should be an Executive summary ( word guide approx 300
words) at the beginning which should review what has been covered and the main outcome
proposed. < pstyle="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto;
text-justify: inter-ideograph;">< pstyle="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;
mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt; text-justify: inter-
ideograph;"> 2. The main body of the report should cover a Strategic Project overview
developing and enhancing the first section of the proposal covering the rationale for the
project and its importance to an organisation or business sector. This may be expressed in
terms of sustaining competitive position or improving that position. This section might
usefully consider the subject from the threats, opportunities, and business contextual
factors. It should avoid too broader scope. This might discuss improvement to internal
business processes: customer care, service quality, improvement in skills and or
organisation of resources etc. It might include better service delivery, marketing strategies
or identification of new markets and or products or services to the external business
environment. These are illustrative only. Word Guide approx 500 words< pstyle="margin-
bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; text-justify: inter-
ideograph;">< pstyle="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto;
mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"> 3. The
project will include a robust and critical literature review. The main purpose is to establish

2. the important areas of research and enquiry such that the project objectives can be
achieved. It serves an important purpose in expanding the body of knowledge that we have
with which to understand current performance and as a secondary base to build better
informed practices for the future. It should review both the academic literature and the
empirical practices that organisations operate. Your ability to shape the ideas and practices
is one of the key skills. It is not just a question of presenting other authors ideas without
comment. The better marks are to be achieved whereby you identify areas of difference and
consensus and from these works and draw a strong conclusion as to what is important in
managing the particular area under review. The outcome is likely to have not much more
than 4-6 key ideas and principles in the conclusions and will be framed around the question
‘ what makes this a successful strategic business practice- and how can it be managed
effectively in practice ‘ . These will be the areas you will further examine in your research.
This needs to be written in logical and coherent chapters that flow together. It should be
clear as to what is being covered and it should avoid extending into too many areas
otherwise critical depth is lost. The number of primary sources will vary. We expect a good
range of relevant and contemporary sources but the treatment of them is more important
than shear number. Word Guide approx 5000 words< pstyle="margin-bottom: .0001pt;
margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><
pstyle="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0
level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"> 4. The project must
include a critical review of both primary and secondary methods that are possible but more
importantly those deployed in the project from the perspective of such things as selecting
valid and reliable sources of information against the objectives. Discussion of sample sizes
and drawing reliable conclusions). It should address specific tools used (interviews,
questionnaires, case studies etc.) and the various strengths of these and how they can be
best designed and used for the designated project. Word Guide approx 2000 words<
pstyle="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto;"><
pstyle="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0
level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"> 5. There must be a
strong section looking at the research findings from both primary and secondary sources
but emphasising new material collected specifically for the project. This section is
important as this is the area where you engage with new and original material that you have
collected and the skills deployed here are definitive in terms of the scope final assessment
grade together with the recommendations. Data must be presented systematically and
structured clearly around tables – if appropriate- or in terms of outcomes against the areas
identified from the literature and linked back to project objectives. Having presented the
data descriptively you will be expected to interrogate the findings by asking questions of
your information such as: what is significant here, where is there key agreements between
participants /sources what are the main areas of disagreement, how does this information
reflect the outcomes (confirm or deny) from the literature review etc. What does this say
about important ideas to shape policy /strategy and its implementation etc. Word Guide
approx 2500 words< pstyle="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-add-
space: auto;">< pstyle="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-add-space:

3. auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
6. You will need a conclusion. This needs to draw together the findings from your
research and the literature review and start to feedback and comment on the possibilities
that now arise in terms of meeting the objectives. It should shape the agenda and start to
define what it is you now think can be done. It should summarise main points and decide
what stance you are taking with respect to the practice /policies under review. It should
flow naturally from the earlier work .This section should not introduce new ideas or new
debates even if you have discovered new information! If this is the case earlier chapters
need reworking. Word Guide approx 1500 words< pstyle="margin-bottom: .0001pt;
margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto;">< pstyle="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-
bottom: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt; text-
justify: inter-ideograph;"> 7. Recommendations should follow the conclusions. At this
stage you move away from a research stance and adopt a leadership stance. Here you will
advocate a possible direction for the organisation or sector. It can be specific as to future
strategy and policy or it might offer an alternative view and scenario depending on
particular future contexts. It should be carefully presented in management terms. Imagine
you are presenting to a body of interested organisational managers with different levels of
commitment to what you are proposing! It should clearly state what issue / opportunity is
being addressed and the impact desired. It should state what should be done and it should
say something on the implementation around; resources, barriers, risk, timescales and
organisation of the changes. It should not overly direct to further work or decisions
otherwise the project is likely to be overly ‘ contextual ‘ and general and not solution
driven. Again no new ideas should be introduced here and it should be clear how the
recommendations can be derived from the foregoing work. Word Guide approx 2000
words< pstyle="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto;"><
pstyle="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0
level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"> 8. The final section you
should address personal development. The MBA is about leadership and developing
leadership capability. This section should briefly comment on your current stage of
development and the challenges you feel you need to consider in going forward in a
management career or to develop further. You should aim to identify and map your skills
against an established management /leadership framework and comment on the outcome.
You are not required to present a detailed personal development plan though you could
include such a document in an appendix if you have one and comment on the main points in
this section. Word Guide approx 500 words< pstyle="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-
bottom: 0cm; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">< pstyle="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-
bottom: 0cm; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"> The dissertation should not exceed 15000
words. However the exact make up of the sections may vary between dissertations so the
above word counts are strictly indicative. It is unlikely you will be able to meet the learning
outcomes in terms of depth and range of analysis in a study of less than 15000 words. <
pstyle="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><
pstyle="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"> The
remainder of the dissertation should comprise your research proposal (final) and the

4. bibliography and any appendices that you have chosen to include. Appendices should be
carefully selected. They should be referenced in the main body of the study and should
clearly relate to and provide further important reference for the reader. They should not be
included if they have no central bearing on the study or simply a catalogue of all
organisational information you can find. < pstyle="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-
bottom: 0cm; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">< pstyle="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-
bottom: 0cm; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"> Please now read the full Dissertation Guide
before commencement. Please treat all word guides (except the final overall word guide)
flexibly as different projects will emphasise different priorities and weightings so these are
indicative only. Click here to get this paper done by our professional writers at an affordable
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