1. Thematic Independent Studies Lecture 1 - Essay #2
RESE 1031
Thematic Independent Studies
Lecture 1 - Essay #2

2. Roles and Responsibilities (1)
Academic Advisors (AKA Supervisor)
Your personal tutor for the year
Providing guidance on the course
giving advice on presentation of the essays;
working to fine-tune the chosen theme
advising on the development of the essays;
reading and advising on coherence of sections of the essays
making suggestions as to the focus of the essays.

3. Roles and Responsibilities (2)
Academic Advisors (AKA Supervisor)
… but it is not the academic advisor’s role to:
read complete drafts of the essays
Give indications of grades
Give directives about the development of the essays
Provide the essay topics or questions

4. Assessment Overview 4,000 Word essay 5,000 word essay
worth 35% of the course grade
5,000 word essay
Worth 50% of the course grade
1,000 word reflective report
Worth 5% of the course grade
Short viva/ interview
Which influences the grading of one of the essays
Worth 10% of the course grade

5. The 5,000 word essay
Due *see course handbook* by 3 pm
Critically analyses the topic or theme explored in essay one
Takes the analysis to a deeper level
May use other theory to say something academically unusual

6. The Reflective Commentary
1000 words
Due *see course handbook* by 3 pm
Self-reflection upon personal development, addressing the questions posed in the appendix of the TIS handbook

7. Selecting a TIS topic (2):
Your essay must not be:
comprised of primary data
an area lacking secondary data
a topic previously written submitted:
coursework for MIS, Project Management, Business Strategy, International Business, etc.

8. Selecting TIS topic (Essay 2)
Your essay could:
Investigate a theory,
Macroeconomics and UK Real Estate
Relate two academic theories,
TESCO: CRM and Porter’s Five Forces
Question an assumption, or
Does the digital divide really exist?
Explore the development of a phenomenon
Has eCommerce effected Arab Countries?

9. Themes of Essay #2 Looking for an ‘angle’ on the accepted wisdom
Are their cultural differences sufficient to mean that a specific theory or model is flawed in some settings?
eCommerce Challenges in Arab Countries
Is a specific theory or model is based on assumptions that might be flawed

10. Themes of Essay #2
Looking for an ‘angle’ on the accepted wisdom (continued)
Are theory or models are inappropriate to smaller organisations?
The impact of Decision Support Systems (DSS) in Small Business Environments
Whether a specific set of data should undermine confidence in a specific model or theory.

11. The Viva
To demonstrate your mastery of the topic and the veracity of the submitted assessment (15-30 minutes)
Due Either:
Mid year in January OR
End of year in April

12. Selecting TIS topic (Essay 2):
Constrained by the areas identified by the departments
Needs to be limited to only secondary data
Must allow a critical examination of existing knowledge of a topic