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2024/2025  KAN-CGMAO2001U  Business Project

English Title
Business Project

Course information

Language English
Course ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Mandatory
Level Full Degree Master
Duration One Semester
Start time of the course Spring
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Study board
Study Board for cand.merc. and GMA
Course coordinator
  • Giacomo Marchesini - Department of Strategy and Innovation (SI)
  • Jane Bjørn Vedel - Department of Organization (IOA)
Main academic disciplines
  • Innovation
  • Management
Teaching methods
  • Blended learning
Last updated on 24-05-2024

Relevant links

Learning objectives
  • Define a complex problem in general management and analytics and explain how it can be examined in a coherent research design.
  • Select academic literature of relevance to the defined problem.
  • Justify the choice of empirical setting, methods, and data, and acknowledge the benefits and limitations of specific settings, data, and methods.
  • Analyze the collected data, explain the main findings and implications of the study, and critically reflect on how the project could be improved.
Examination
Business Project:
Exam ECTS 7,5
Examination form Oral exam based on written product

In order to participate in the oral exam, the written product must be handed in before the oral exam; by the set deadline. The grade is based on an overall assessment of the written product and the individual oral performance, see also the rules about examination forms in the programme regulations.
Individual or group exam Oral group exam based on written group product
Number of people in the group 4-5
Size of written product Max. 30 pages
Assignment type Project
Release of assignment Subject chosen by students themselves, see guidelines if any
Duration
Written product to be submitted on specified date and time.
15 min. per student, including examiners' discussion of grade, and informing plus explaining the grade
Grading scale 7-point grading scale
Examiner(s) Internal examiner and second internal examiner
Exam period Summer, Max. 60 minutes per group
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
If a student does not pass the regular exam, the examiner of the ordinary exam decides whether a new, revised or the same project must be handed in by the submission date for the re-exam.

If a student is absent from the oral exam due to documented illness but has handed in the written group product she/he does not have to submit a new product for the re-take. However the group product must be uploaded once again on Digital Exam.

If a whole group fails the oral exam, they must hand in a revised product for the re-exam.
Course content, structure and pedagogical approach

In the Business Project course, students gain hands-on experience conducting their own empirical research project, preparing them for their Master's Thesis. They will learn to execute a research project leveraging the knowledge, skills, and insights acquired during their first year. With guidance from a supervisor, students are expected to independently tackle various project aspects: problem definition, research question formulation, research design, literature review, method selection and data collection, analysis, findings development, reflection on constraints and limitations, and formulation of practice recommendations or discussion of contributions to scientific literature.

 

Within the overall scope of the Business Project, students can motivate and initiate their projects in various ways, each influencing the structure of their projects:

 

  • a research problem (i.e., research curiosity on a theoretical / scientific gap)
  • a practice problem (i.e., a company-customed management challenge), or
  • a strategy  problem (i.e., a market opportunity or a business idea).

 

The “Research Problem” track is tailored for students interested in contributing to a theoretical gap in the field of organization theory through inductive, qualitative research.

 

The “Practice Problem” track is aimed at designing practical solutions for real-world problems, informed by the relevant management theories. The track focuses on the practical application of problem-solving methodologies to address complex challenges, which can range from strategy, human resources, business operation, organizational, or system problems.

 

The “Strategy Problem” Track focuses on developing a new strategic plan to address a market opportunity.  Students will work on an entrepreneurial idea through a practical application of the theory-based view of strategy.

 

Within these tracks, the students are free to draw on any of the courses in the program.

Description of the teaching methods
The Business Project course offers a limited number of classes/workshops that will support the students in gaining the insights and skills they need to conduct and deliver an ambitious research project about a complex problem in general management and analytics.

The students will have a dedicated supervisor who will assist them in reaching critical milestones in the development of their project.
Feedback during the teaching period
Midway through the course, the students will receive feedback from members of the program’s faculty group. The students will give a presentation of their research design to faculty members and receive feedback on their progress and recommendations for how to move on.
Student workload
Preparation 24 hours
Teaching 9 hours
Exam 173 hours
Expected literature

A list of relevant literature will be provided in class based on specific track or project needs. Below please find indicative literature:

Van Aken, J.E., & Berends H. (2018) Problem Solving in Organizations: A Methodological Handbook for Business and Management Students, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.

Golder, P. N., Dekimpe, M., An, J. T., van Heerde, H. J., Kim, D., & Alba, J. W. (2022). Learning from data: An empirics-first approach to relevant knowledge generation. Journal of Marketing.

Last updated on 24-05-2024