Assessment Brief – Assignment Two (Individual Report)
- Assessment Tasks
The assessment exercise for this module requires you to produce a 2,500-word report based
upon a critical analysis of a recent journal article.
Students must select a recent (published since 2019) journal article that addresses a key
theme related to sports management.
The article that you select must have been published in one of the following academic
journals:
European Sport Management Quarterly
Journal of Global Sports Management
Journal of Sports Management [most recent 12 months not available]
Sport Management Review - Assessment Weighting
60% of Overall grade for the module. - Assessed Learning Outcomes
This assessment will address the following Module Learning Outcomes:
LO1 – Critique the structure and characteristics of the sports industry, both in the UK and
internationally.
LO3 – Analyse trends, current events, and innovations within the sport business and
understand how they impact upon management decision processes.
LO4- Source, analyse, interpret and critique appropriate information and evidence relevant
to the sports industry from a variety of sources and in a variety of forms, and to demonstrate
the ability to critically evaluate all information sources. - Knowledge, Attributes and Skills You Will Develop While Completing this
Assessment
Extend your ability to critically analyse sources of information.
Understand how research is conducted and the importance of clear methodologies.
Provide you with a detailed understanding of the sports industry and how it operates.
Enable you to engage in an analysis of current trends and developments within the sports
industry, and present your findings in a professional manner. - Submission Deadline
Thursday 18th January 2024, at noon.
Your essay must be submitted online through Moodle.
SOM7001A – The Sports Business Environment
- Feedback Deadline
8th February 2024. 1 - Format
2,500 word individual essay. - Marking Criteria
Research
Ø The essay displays evidence of wide reading.
Ø The readings used display evidence of independent research from appropriate
academic sources.
Developing an Argument and Critical Analysis
Ø The essay demonstrates a sound understanding of the key issues involved.
Ø The essay includes the student’s own arguments (backed by appropriate academic
evidence).
Ø The essay contains critical analysis, requiring you to compare and contrast different
points of view.
Ø The student debates and argues issues, demonstrating an innovative, imaginative
and creative approach to the topic.
Structure
Ø The essay is clearly and logically structured.
Ø The essay must have a strong conclusion that draws the arguments together.
Presentation and Writing Style
Ø The essay is word-processed conforming to an acceptable and appropriate essay
style with an introduction, central argument divided into paragraphs, and a conclusion
(see the module handbook for guidance).
Ø The essay is written in an impersonal style, is grammatically correct, and contains no
spelling mistakes.
Ø The essay is fully referenced, using to the Harvard referencing style.
Ø Information is presented accurately and sources are correctly identified in the text.
Illustrative quotations are appropriate in both number and content.
Ø Unjustified general statements couched in slang or emotive language are avoided. - Additional Information
How to Select Your Journal Article
The article you select must be a full-length article from one of the listed refereed academic
journals. Do not select a book review, conference abstract or short commentary.
Choose an article on a theme that interests you.
Don’t simply use the first article you come across. Select a number of possible articles, read
them, and select the one that you think will be most appropriate for this exercise.
Use all of the literature searching techniques available to you to find the article. In particular,
you will find the library’s electronic resources useful for this task.
When undertaking an electronic search, make sure that you search using a range of key
words, as this will increase the number of relevant returns. For example, search the
databases under alternative sports then extreme sports then emerging sports. Also be aware
of different spellings of some key terms: e.g. globalization and globalization.
Basic Hints
Critical analysis does not simply mean to criticise a work, but asks you to conduct a detailed
and informed evaluation of that work and its findings.
This part of the exercise is similar to a book review, and you may want to look at some book
reviews to give you an idea of how to go about your analysis.
One textbook that you might find helpful is: Ryall, E. (2010) Critical Thinking for Sports
Students, London: Sage.
Issues to consider:
Amongst the issues you may wish to consider in your analysis are the following:
Ø the methodology/methodologies that are used, and the way(s) in which they are
applied and interpreted
Ø issues that are analysed
Ø issues that are identified, but which are not analysed in any depth
Ø how the article applies and utilises the existing literature on the topic
Ø what the article adds to the understanding of the topic
Ø any other strengths and weaknesses of the article
Resources
No detailed list of sources will be provided for this assessment, as one key aim of the
exercise is to develop and also evaluate your own research skills.
It is also expected that at Level 7 (Masters) a student should be capable of independent
reading and have the necessary skills to locate relevant information
You are thus being tested on your ability to find information and to assess whether that
information is relevant to the project you are engaged in.
The aim of your research should be to allow you to bring an informed understanding of the
topic to your analysis of your chosen article, and to place the contents of the article within its
broader context.
You may find the following kinds of sources appropriate for your investigation:
Ø general academic studies of sport
Ø studies of sport in a particular country or region
Ø studies of a particular sport
Ø studies of particular issues in relation to sport (class, the media, etc) - Academic Integrity
This assessment is to measure your ability to conduct research and construct arguments
without the use of content produced by other writers, essay mill websites or Artificial
Intelligence tools (ChatGPT, QuillBot, and others). – –
Use of AI generated content for this assessment is prohibited and may be
referred to an academic misconduct panel.
Use of AI to paraphrase, summarise or translate content from a foreign
language is prohibited and may be referred to an academic misconduct
panel.
By submitting the assignment via Turnitin, you affirm that the submission is your own original
work and that it meets the standards of academic honesty by signing the below Academic
Integrity pledge:
“I hereby declare that the work I am submitting for assessment is my own work and not that
produced by anyone else. I have not drawn on essay mills, contract cheating services, or the
work of other students past or present. I have not drawn on material generated by artificial
intelligence (AI) platforms (e.g. ChatGPT) except where this is allowed in the specific rules
on AI set out by the Module Convenor. Where use has been made of AI platforms in
accordance with the rules that apply on this module, or this assessment, I have explained
explicitly in this submission how I have used them, and how they have informed this
submission. I can confirm that this submission contains no text whatsoever that has simply
been cut and pasted or included with only minor adaptations/amendments from other
sources. Sections of text drawn directly and verbatim from other sources have always been
placed in quotation marks to show that they are quotations. I have retained earlier drafts of
this submission, and any rough notes produced during the process of drafting it, so that I can
provide evidence of the originality of this submission if requested to do so”
As stated on St Marys University website ‘All members of the University’s community have a
responsibility to be alert to the potential for academic misconduct, to adopt and promote
good academic practice and to safeguard the integrity of the University’s degrees and other
awards.’ It includes you – the students, and this is why we are asking you to: - Make yourself familiar with the Academic Regulations Sections 29-30
