Description All requirements in the attachment Similarity should be less than 10% AI should be zer ...
Description All requirements in the attachment Similarity should be less than 10% AI should be zero UNFORMATTED ATTACHMENT PREVIEW Assessment Brief Module Code Module Title Module Credits GRM5035 Research Methods for Business 10 Academic Year Semester Examination Board Level & Block 2025-2026 1st Semester Jan-2026 Level & Block Term Weighting Methods of Assessment Coursework End Term 100% Module Leader Module Leader Email Muhammad Shahid Pervez muhammad.shahid@gulfcollege.edu.om Additional Information (if any) Word Limit 2000 words equivalent with ±10%: This is an end-of-term assessment Minimum: 1800 words Maximum: 2200 words Version 1 Page 1 of 11 Content ASSESSMENT BRIEF ................................................................................................................. 1 CONTENT..................................................................................................................................... 2 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE MODELS – GUIDANCE FOR THIS ASSESSMENT: ................... 3 FURTHER INFORMATION........................................................................................................... 4 ASSESSMENT DETAILS ............................................................................................................. 6 SUBMISSION DETAILS ............................................................................................................... 8 ASSESSMENT CRITERIA ........................................................................................................... 9 MARKING/ASSESSMENT CRITERIA ....................................................................................... 10 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE USE OF AI ............................................................................ 11 MARKING CRITERIA / RUBRICS .................................... ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED. Version 1 Page 2 of 11 Artificial Intelligence Models – Guidance for this assessment: Artificial Intelligence (AI) models can be a powerful tool to support your learning. The University has provided some resources to support you in its appropriate usage: ? Library Services AI Hub ? Student Guide to AI and Assessment ? Code of Conduct for Students on the use of AI ? Cite Them Right resource on citing materials relating to AI (if permitted) As per the academic regulations (Academic Handbook Ah1_08), in all cases you must submit work that is your own, acknowledging any part of it that has been informed by another source – including that which is AI generated. Upon submission of work, you will be asked to confirm the following statement: I confirm that this assignment is my own work, except where I have acknowledged the use of works from other sources, including the use of any artificial intelligence (AI) tools, in accordance with what is allowable as described in the assessment brief. Please note the following: ? AI should not be used as a substitute for your own knowledge, and you should never include any material that you do not understand and could not explain if asked. ? Not being able to explain your work when asked is likely to be a key factor when considering cases of academic misconduct related to AI. The following information provides specific guidance for this assessment about what level of AI use is appropriate for this assessment. Remember that in all cases you must submit work that is your own, acknowledging any part of it that has been provided by another source. Staff note – Please place a tick mark (?) in the appropriate box below. “No Use” is selected by default. NO USE OF GENERATIVE AI EXPECTED ? Your assignment should be produced using information sourced by you from your learning materials and academic sources and cited appropriately. ? AI tools for checking spelling, grammar and referencing may be used. AI ACKNOWLEDGED ? You can use AI tools to learn about your topic, as part of your study, or in preparing initial guidance on assignments (e.g. headline structure, suggestions for inclusion of topics). ? Any materials that you have sourced from AI should be rewritten or reconfigured and integrated into your own work and referenced appropriately. It is recommended that this is confirmed by a relevant academic source. ? Any support gained from AI should be acknowledged in a statement at the end of the assignment, making clear what the support was, and how you used it and developed it for your own work. Example statements are available in the Student Code of Conduct. AI EMBEDDED ? Use of AI is an integral and expected part of the assessment. ? The explicit inclusion of AI within the assessment means that instructions on the expected use will be part of the assessment brief. ? Your assessment brief will describe how you should acknowledge the way in which you used AI tools. Version 1 ? ? ? Page 3 of 11 Further Information Who can answer questions about my assessment? Questions about the assessment should be directed to the staff member who has set the task/assessment brief. This will usually be the Module Leader. They will be happy to answer any queries you have. Referencing and independent learning (Not applicable for Examination) Please ensure you reference a range of credible sources, with due attention to the academic literature in the area. The time spent on research and reading from good quality sources will be reflected in the quality of your submitted work. Remember that what you get out of university depends on what you put in. Your teaching sessions typically represent between 10% and 30% of the time you are expected to study for your degree. A 20-credit module represents 200 hours of study time. The rest of your time should be taken up by self-directed study. Unless stated otherwise you must use the HARVARD referencing system. Further guidance on referencing can be found in the on Moodle. Correct referencing is an easy way to improve your marks and essential in achieving higher grades on most assessments. Technical submission problems (Not applicable for Examination) It is strongly advised that you submit your work at least 24 hours before the deadline to allow time to resolve any last-minute problems you might have. If you are having issues with IT or Turnitin you should contact the IT Helpdesk on (+968) 92841521/ 92841217. You may require evidence of the Helpdesk call if you are trying Version 1 to demonstrate that a fault with Turnitin was the cause of a late submission. Mitigating circumstances Short extensions on assessment deadlines can be requested in specific circumstances. If you are encountering particular hardship which has been affecting your studies, then you may be able to apply for mitigating circumstances. This can give the teachers on your programme more scope to adapt the assessment requirements to support your needs. Mitigating circumstances policies and procedures are regularly updated. You should refer to your Academic Advisor for information on extensions and mitigating circumstances. Academic Misconduct Cardiff Met takes issues of unfair practice extremely seriously. The University has procedures and penalties for dealing with unfair academic practice. These are explained in full in the University's Unfair Practice regulations and procedures under Volume 1, Section 8 of the Academic Handbook. The Module Leader reserves the right to interview students regarding any aspect of their work submitted for assessment. Types of Academic Misconduct, include: Plagiarism, which can be defined as using without acknowledgement another person’s words or ideas and submitting them for assessment as though it were one’s own work, for instance by copying, translating from one language to another or unacknowledged paraphrasing. Further examples include: ? Use of any quotation(s) from the published or unpublished work of other persons, whether published in textbooks, articles, the Web, or in any other format, where quotations have not been clearly identified Page 4 of 11 as such by being placed in quotation marks and acknowledged. ? Use of another person’s words or ideas that have been slightly changed or paraphrased to make it look different from the original. ? Summarising another person’s ideas, judgments, diagrams, figures, or computer programmes without reference to that person in the text and the source in a bibliography/reference list. ? Use of assessment writing services, essay banks and/or any other similar agencies (NB. Students are commonly being blackmailed after using essay mills). ? Use of unacknowledged material downloaded from the Internet. ? Re-use of one’s own material except as authorised by your degree programme. Collusion, which can be defined as when work that that has been undertaken with others is submitted and passed off as solely the work of one person. Modules will clearly identify where joint preparation and joint submission are permitted; in all other cases they are not. Fabrication of data, making false claims to have carried out experiments, observations, interviews or other forms of data collection and analysis, or acting dishonestly in any other way. modules. Marking of work at each level of Cardiff Met degree programmes are benchmarked against a set of general requirements set out in Cardiff Met’s Guidance on Assessment Marking. https://www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/registry/academi chandbook/Documents/AH1_04_03.pdf To find out more about assessments and key academic skills that can have a significant impact on your marks, download and read your Module Handbook from Moodle and your Programme Handbook from the college website. How is my work graded? Gulf College uses Cardiff Metropolitan University’s Generic Band Descriptors (GBD), in conjunction with programme-specific and/or assessment-specific descriptors that are developed in accordance with the principles underpinning the generic descriptors, as a reference in marking student work outputs. This is to ensure that marking is consistent across all Cardiff Met students’ work, including the work outputs of students in Gulf College. Assessment marking undergoes a meticulous process to make sure that it is fair and truly reflects the performance of students in their Version 1 Page 5 of 11 Assessment Details Assessment title Abr. Weighting Coursework WRIT1 100% Pass marks for undergraduate work is 40%, unless stated otherwise. Task/Assessment Brief: Please read the assignment guidelines carefully. Follow the required format and structure of the research proposal paper to avoid omitting important details. This assessment introduces the formal research proposal processes to strengthen the research skills relevant to your academic and professional development. This is an individual assessment (assignment) of 2000 words, weighted at 100%, to be submitted at the end of the term. Proper citation of sources needs to be established using the Harvard referencing style. The reference list should be presented on a separate page at the end of the paper. Also, the AI declaration form with your name and signature should be attached separately after the reference list. Select a topic to submit for approval in week 3 before starting on the selected topic or title. Avoid duplication of topic selection to minimise and avoid the possibility of a high similarity rate. Choose a topic that is aligned with your area of specialisation. In changing the topic, inform your research supervisor (tutor) no later than the 5th week and get approval for the new topic. Start working on the topic after approval. Updates of the paper shall be checked every week/session until submission. Follow the structure and contents of the Research Proposal as shown below. 1. Introduction. (150 words) ? Write a brief but substantial background and description of the chosen topic ? Cite certain scenarios or conditions that necessitate an inquiry or investigation on the selected topic. Highlight the reasons that prompted you to take on the topic. 2. Statement of Research Problem. (100 words) ? Write the general problem statement in a short paragraph based on the topic or research idea. ? Formulate a minimum of 2 and 4 maximum research questions anchored on the problem statement. The specific research questions should be presented below the problem statement paragraph. ? The research question should consider the H and Ws aligned to the research objectives. 3. Research Objectives. (50 words) ? A brief paragraph stating the focus of the proposed study should be made. ? Research objectives should be aligned with the research questions. ? Objectives should be specific to give clear answers to the research problem/s. ? At least 2 and 4 maximum research objectives should be considered. 4. Related Literature. (1000 words) ? Prepare a short paragraph indicating the contents of the section. Version 1 Page 6 of 11 ? Literature reviews should focus on or be anchored on the research objectives, research questions, and the title. ? Use different sources of information for the related literature (i.e., Journals, books, e-books, websites & other relevant secondary sources). ? Follow the sequence of the research objectives/questions as presented in the previous section. ? Cite properly the source of the information/data using the proper format (i.e., author’s last name, year of publication) ? Citation could be at the beginning, middle, or end of a paragraph where appropriate. ? Summarise or paraphrase the literature but maintain the main idea/s of the author ? Use appropriate transitions or connecting words to maintain coherence and logical presentation of the related literature. ? Show the connection of the related literature to the proposed study. 5. Research Philosophy. (100 words) ? Prepare a short paragraph indicating the contents of the section. ? Clearly state the research philosophy to be followed in the proposed research ? Explain the basis of the research philosophy as applied in the proposed study. 6. Research Methodology. (400 words) ? Prepare a short paragraph indicating the contents of the section ? Use the future tense (will form). ? Write a short statement about this section before presenting the subheadings. ? Critically discuss the essence and significance of the methodology in the proposed study. o Research Design and Strategy. (100 words) o Describe briefly the research design and strategy for conducting the study. o Participants of the Study. (100 words) o Describe briefly the participants in case a survey-type study is to be conducted; otherwise, qualify the sources of information. o Data Collection. (100 words) o Explain and justify the data collection technique to apply. o Statistical Analysis. (100 words) o Discuss the statistical analysis tools to use in analysing the data and information. 7. Ethical Consideration. (100 words). ? Discuss the actions and procedures undertaken to maintain the integrity and safeguard the rights of the sources of information ? Be specific about the actions taken to protect and maintain the integrity of the information. 8. Conclusion. (100 Words). ? Highlight the main points mentioned in each section of the paper. ? No need for citations in this section ? Write the number of words right below the conclusion. 9. References ? Use at least10 varied sources of information following the standard format (Harvard) ? Use recent editions of sources (i.e. 2018 onwards) ? Presented in a separate page 10. Insert the AI Declaration Form after the reference list in a separate section with your signature over the printed name. ***END of Paper*** Reading List: ? ? ? ? Version 1 Bel, J. (2018). Doing Your Research Project, 7th edition. Open University Press. Cooper, D. R. & Schindler, P.S. (2021). Business Research Methods, 13th edition. McGraw-Hill Education. Creswell, JW. (2018). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches, 5th edition. SAGE Publications, Inc. O’Leary, Z. (2021). The Essential Guide of Doing your Research Project. SAGE Publications Ltd. Page 7 of 11 ? ? ? ? ? Ridley, D. (2012). The Literature Review: A Step-by-Step Guide for Students (SAGE Study Skills Series), 2nd edition. SAGE Publications Ltd. Saunders, MNK, Lewis, P., Thornhill A. (2019). Research Methods for Business Students, 8th edition. Pearson. Silverman, D. (2021). Qualitative Research. 5th edition. SAGE Publications Ltd. Silverman, D. (2022). Doing Qualitative Research. 6th edition. SAGE Publications Ltd. Silverman, D. (2024). Interpreting Qualitative Data. 7th edition. SAGE Publications Ltd Word count (or equivalent): 2000 words (±10%) This reflects the effort required for the assessment. Word counts typically include all text, tables, calculations, figures, subtitles, and citations. Reference lists and the contents of appendices are excluded from the word count. The contents of the appendices are not usually considered when determining your final assessment grade Academic or technical terms explained: Write the main headings and subheadings in each section, excluding the number of words. The Content page (Table of Contents) should be presented after the Cover page, with the proper page number for each section indicating the starting page of each section. The Cover should contain relevant information such as: ? College and University logo ? Module Code and Module Title ? Research Title ? ID number and full name of student-researcher ? Month and year of submission ? Word count of the paper Submission Details Submission Deadline: End – 11th December 2025 (Tentative) Estimated Feedback Return Date Main – 1st February 2026 – 12th February 2026 Submission Time: By 23:59 pm on the deadline day. Moodle/Turnitin: Any assessments submitted after the deadline will not be marked and will be recorded as a non-attempt unless you have had an extension request agreed or have approved mitigating circumstances. See the Gulf College website for more information on submission details and mitigating circumstances. File Format: The assessment must be submitted as a word document and submit through the Turnitin submission point. Your assessment should be titled with your: Version 1 Page 8 of 11 Student ID number, Module code and Assessment ID, e.g. 123456 GRM5035 WRIT1 Feedback Feedback for the assessment will be provided electronically via Turnitin / MS Teams / Face to Face. Feedback will be provided with comments on your strengths and the areas which you can improve. Module tutors give students two types of assessment feedback: formative, which is given when the student is working on the completion of an assignment or coursework, and summative, which is given upon completion of the module. A comprehensive assessment feedback on your performance will be given after the announcement of the results (10 Working Days). Assessment Criteria Learning outcomes assessed On successful completion of the module, a student should be able to: ? gain knowledge of the research process in its wider context. ? critically evaluate the robustness of different research approaches and their strengths and limitations ? design research proposals in terms of methodology and approach ? develop practical skills to administer a range of research techniques, particularly concerning data collection and analysis. Other skills/attributes developed ? ? ? ? ? ? Analytical Skills: Analysing the information and providing solutions to the problems. Critical Thinking: Critically assessing the problems find ways to solve the problems using relevant information Problem-Solving: Designing innovative solutions to address the issues Communication Skills: Effectively express the ideas logically and reasonably. Time Management. Making priorities to accomplish tasks within the allotted time Research Skills. Keeping updated and acquiring learning through different modes of communication and technologies GC Graduate Attribute Effective Organisational and Communication Skills Life?Long Learning Discipline Expertise Version 1 Description Module LO Ability to design, present, and justify appropriate research methodologies and proposals. LO3 Ability to understand and navigate the research process for continued academic and professional development Ability to critically evaluate the strengths and limitations of various research methods. Ability to apply appropriate data collection and analysis techniques for business research LO1 LO2 LO4 Page 9 of 11 Marking/Assessment Criteria Criteria / Tasks 1. Introduction 2. Statement of the Problem 3. Research Objectives 4. Related Literature 5. Research Philosophy Description Clear and relevant background of the study Marks Allocated 10 Clear and focused problem statement reflecting the topic 10 SMART objectives reflecting the focus of the study 5 Logical, relevant, and cohesive presentation of literature (10 marks) Critical reviews were made of the literature presented. (10 marks) Clear citations of the presented literature. (5 marks) 25 Clear statement and explanation of the research philosophy 10 Objective choice and explanation of research design (5 marks) Discussion and determination of the source of information (5 6. Research Methodology 20 marks) Discussion of the data collection process (5marks) Explanation of statistical analysis methods to use (5 marks) 7. Ethical Consideration 8. Conclusion 9. Structure & Style Substantial reflection and discussion of the ethical aspect of the 5 study Clear summary and highlights of the main points presented Clear application of academic format, like paragraph spacing, language syntax, alignment, citations, and referencing style Total Version 1 10 5 100 Page 10 of 11 Acknowledgement of the Use of AI Student Name: Student ID Number: Module Code: GRM5035 Assignment Title: Research Methods for Business Date: Enter a date. Acknowledgement (Check mark ? the appropriate) ? No content generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies has been presented as my own work. I acknowledge the use of [name of AI + URL] to generate materials for background research ? and self-study in the drafting of this assessment. I acknowledge the use of [name of AI + URL] to generate materials that were included within ? my final assessment in modified form. The following prompts were input into [name of AI + URL]: List prompts here The output was changed by me in the following ways: Explain the actions taken here Student’s Signature (Digital) Version 1 Page 11 of 11
