The Implications of Digital Technologies on SME's

Learning Outcome Assessment
Criteria
Address the criteria by providing an evidence
that shows you are able to :
Task
Number
Evidence
page number
LO1Examine appropriate research
methodologies and approaches as part of the
research process
P1
P2
Produce a research proposal that clearly
defines a research question or hypothesis
supported by a literature review
Examine appropriate research methods and
approaches to primary and secondary research
LO2 Conduct and analyse research relevant
for
P3
P4
Conduct primary and secondary research using
appropriate methods for a business research
project that considers costs, access and ethical
issues.
Apply appropriate analytical tools, analyse
research findings and data.
LO3 Communicate the outcomes of a
research project to identified stakeholders
P5 Communicate research outcomes in an
appropriate manner for the intended audience.
LO4 Reflect on the application of research
methodologies and concepts
P6
P7
Reflect on the effectiveness of research
methods applied for meeting objectives of the
business research project.
Consider alternative research methodologies
and lessons learnt in view of the outcome’s.
Please see that you include the Turnitin
report. This work will not be accepted
without the Turn it in report
Report
attached:
Yes
No
If no Reason: % of the turn it in report.
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Assignment Guidelines:
 Use a standard report structure, Word-process the report and use Normal script of a proper font size 12.
 Produce an academic report, detailing the above issues with an approx. word limit of 4000-5000, with +/- 10% margin.
 Complete the title page and sign the statement of authenticity. The Assignment front sheet should be attached in the front.
 It should be uploaded on to Turnitin on the submission date
 Assignments submitted after the deadline will not be accepted unless mitigating. Assignments submitted after the submission date may not be
eligible for support towards feedbacks, if not submitted in time.
 Resubmission is capped to a pass. Learners are allowed to resubmit only once and if fails to pass at the time of resubmission, would be advised to
retake the unit.
 Collusion and Plagiarism must be avoided.
 Start each answer on a new page and pages should be numbered. Highlight each question clearly.
 Include a Bibliography at the end of the assignment and use the Harvard referencing system.
 All work should be comprehensively referenced and all sources must be fully acknowledged, such as books and journals, websites (include the date
of visit), etc.
 Try to give the page numbers, publishers' details and the year of publication
 In order to pass you need to address all the LO
 In order to get a merit you need to address the characteristics of pass and address all the M’s
 In order to get a Distinction you need to address the characteristics of pass, merit and address D’s.
Use a common format for the questions, for example:
 Introduction (analyse the question.)
 Underpinning Knowledge (write about the relevant theory/points)
 Applied knowledge(Data Analysis)
 Conclusions and Recommendations (summarizing the whole scenario keeping in view pass, merit, distinction criteria.)
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Due Dates
Issue Date Week commencing 02/10/2017 Submission Date for the research
proposal and Research Project
15/12/2017
20/04/2018
Formative Feedback for LO1 Week commencing from the 1st week of December Deadline for submission. No more
submissions allowed after this date
unless mitigating.
11/05/2018
Formative feedback for LO2 Week commencing from 1st week of March
Formative feedback for LO3 Week commencing from 2nd week of March
Formative feedback for LO4 Week commencing from 2nd week of March

Research Proposal and Dissertation
Unit Number and title Unit 11: Research Proposal and Research Project
Qualification BTEC HND Business (Level 5)
QUALIFICATION CODE R/508/0522 (Core unit)
Start Date 11/09/2017
Deadline / Hand-in for Proposal 15/12/2017
Deadline /Hand in for Research
project (Dissertation)
20/04/2018
Assessor
Topic: “The implications of digital technologies on SME’s” (With
reference to the chosen organisation of your choice)
1. Address the research proposal (Submit the proposal form along with ethics form and
must be signed by the tutor before starting the Dissertation)
2. Complete your dissertation report
Important points to be noted for the Research Proposal and
Dissertation:
1. Learners need to complete their Research Proposal by the 15th of December, 2017.
2. Research Proposal needs to be approved by the supervisor.
3. Research project briefs must be based on a proposal defined by the student
4. The student must agree and sign off their research proposal form along with the ethics
form with the supervisor before embarking on their project.
5. If this requires extra time to agree – this could be addressed through the student’s
tutorial time.
6. This will form the basis of their project and must be related to their specific pathway,
unless the student is on the general business pathway.
7. Students must complete the research project in order to complete their work for this unit.
8. Students work must be individual.
9. Students will need to reflect on the success of their research project and their
performance at the end of the project with the inclusion of a project evaluation and
recommendations.
10. The research project must be in a Dissertation format.
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11. The Dissertation report should not exceed 5000 words.
12. The research sources and usage of qualitative and quantitative methods need to be
clearly reflected
Important points to be noted for Dissertation as specified below
Topic for the purpose of Dissertation:
The Pearson-set theme for use with Level 5 Unit 11: Research Project is “The impact of
digital technology on business activity of SME’s “
Digital technology has revolutionised the way we conduct business. Over the last decade it has
dramatically changed traditional business models and transformed business activities. The use
of digital mobile technology has provided businesses with a wealth of choice and opportunity.
This has enabled existing products to become more profitable and innovative new products to
be developed, leading to increasingly diverse product portfolios. Its impact is evident at the
core of all key business systems:
• Administration - cloud technology enables effective filing, storage and sharing of information.
• Communication - social media and mobile technology allows businesses to connect,
communicate, collaborate and build relationships on a global scale.
• Storage and Distribution - `The Internet of Things’ is connecting and integrating systems
throughout business structures.
• Production - Artificial intelligence and big data analytics are driving Innovation and product
growth.
However, changes in the way we work are not without their challenges as businesses have to
adopt and deal with change management, recruit and sustain creative talent, invest in new
technologies and respond to an increasingly competitive environment.
The purpose of this research project is to enable, to examine the impact of digital technology on
how we conduct business through the context of their chosen research objective. This will
provide the opportunity to contextualise the implications of digital technology in the workplace
and how it is shaping the future workforce. It will also enable to explore both the challenges
and opportunities rapid technological advances represents for businesses.
Choosing a research objective/question : Students are to choose their own organisation
addressing the research topic “The implications of digital technologies on SME’s” for this
unit. Strong research projects are those with clear, well focused and defined objectives. A
central skill in selecting a research objective is the ability to select a suitable and focused
research objective. One of the best ways to do this is to put it in the form of a question. Students
should be encouraged to discuss a variety of topics related to the theme and from here to
generate ideas for a good research objective.
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