The Work-Based Project is a central element of you achieving your Chartered Management Degree Apprenticeship. It will consist of an identification and analysis of a business issue, the creation of a range of workable solutions and the development of a business case for one of these, followed by implementation in your workplace.

This module is designed to give you a range of key tools and skills for the analysis and resolution of work-place problems, as well as dealing with some of the practical issues (business context, management support, accessibility and logistics) that need to be considered to maximise the chances of project success.

Upon completion of this module you will have a clear plan of how you will undertake your project, and what resources you will need to have in place to secure its’ delivery.

Topics addressed in this module may include (but not be restricted to):
• Scoping Issues in the Workplace
• Root Cause Analysis
• Fundamentals of research methods
• Analysing Data
• Option Generation
• Business Cases and Return on Investment
• Evaluation, Outcomes and Outputs

A Work Based Project Plan identifying the initial issue, the scope of your project, and key considerations for its implementation (100%). (Learning Outcomes 1-3, 2,500 words)

Blumberg, B. 2014, Business research methods, 4th edn, McGraw-Hill Education, London.

Staffordshire University electronic resources and off-campus library facilities.
Module website
Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development – www.cipd.co.uk
Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform - www.berr.gov.uk
ACAS – www.acas.org.uk (incorporates useful links to business and regulatory sites covering module content)

1. DEMONSTRATE KNOWLEDGE AND CRITICAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE WELL-ESTABLISHED CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF PROBLEM ANALYSIS, AND BE ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE THEIR APPROPRIATE USE.
Knowledge and Understanding
Analysis

2. EVALUATE CRITICALLY THE APPROPRIATENESS OF DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO SOLVING PROBLEMS AND PROPOSE SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS ARISING FROM ANALYSIS.
Problem Solving
Application

3. DEMONSTRATE KNOWLEDGE OF THE MAIN METHODS OF ENQUIRY USE IN RESOLVING OPERATIONAL ISSUES, AND DEMONSTRATE YOUR LITERACY WITH APPROPRIATE AND RELEVANT SOURCES OF INFORMATION
Enquiry
Application

The learning strategy for this module is based around students committing a total of 150 hours of activities towards achieving the learning outcomes. These will be split between 39 hours of direct contact with a tutor and 111 hours of directed, guided and self-study, together with preparation for and completion of the assessment tasks. Learning support material will be provided for the module.
The module will draw upon a mixture of activities including lectures, web-based activities, case study analysis, relevant videos and in-class discussions, individual and group problem solving and self-directed learning.