DAVID GAME COLLEGE
BTEC RQF HNC/D ASSESSMENT BRIEF
Course HND Business
Academic Year 2026-2027
Unit Number & Unit Title Unit 6: Managing a Successful Business Project
Assignment Author Rob McCusker
Assessors Faruk Bhuiyan, Nurul Islam, Nitin Lade
Assignment Title Managing a Successful Business Project
Date issued This Week IV Name and Date This Month Formative Submission Deadline Summative Submission Deadline
Group Deadline Group Deadline
All Groups All Groups
Tasks 1a & 1b –
concluded
Report (Task 2) – 11
December 2026
Good Academic Practice
DGHE considers an act of academic misconduct when a student attempts to benefit either for themselves or for another
person by unfair or improper methods, regardless of it being intentional or unintentional.
Examples include:

• Purchasing work and presenting it as your own.
• Plagiarism is passing off someone else’s work as your own, such as:
  o Using quotes without the use of quotation marks.
  o Using images produced by another person without acknowledgement.
  o Using data or ideas without acknowledgement.
  o Copying another person’s work.
  o Getting someone to help you write parts of your submission as if it were your own.
• Collusion is when two or more students working together without prior authorisation from the academic
  member of staff concerned (e.g. programme leader, lecturer etc.) to produce the same or similar piece of work and then
  attempting to present this entirely as their own individual submission.
  It is important that you are clear about what you need to do for each assignment and how you can do it. If you are not
  sure about any rules regarding academic writing and referencing, guidance is available from many DGHE sources
  including Moodle, our Library and Study Skills Support teams and from your module leaders/personal tutor.
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  ASSIGNMENT BRIEF AND GUIDANCE
  Purpose of this assessment
  The aim of this assessment is to offer you an opportunity to plan and carry out a piece of original
  research, demonstrating the skills required for managing and implementing a small business
  research project.
  Scenario
  You need to carry out a piece of primary research in the general area of Artificial Intelligence
  and its impact on a functional area (e.g., HR, marketing, finance) within an
  organisation.
  Artificial intelligence (AI) is a relatively new and revolutionary invention that is still nascent. Given
  the current level of study, students may consider pursuing a project that explores AI from both
  basic user or pure technological perspectives. We can easily understand the use of AI by looking
  at its massive applications, which range from simple gadgets or equipment used in our daily lives
  (smartphones, vacuum cleaners, cooking ovens, etc.) to huge machinery or operations in large
  organisations or business corporations.
  Indicative title or topic:
• Analysing the use of AI technologies or tools in a functional area and its impact. (The
  functional areas include production, marketing, operations, maintenance, supply and logistics,
  human resources management etc.)
• The impact of AI use on operational efficiency: A study focussing on a functional area in
  a specific industry or business.
• The use of AI in customer service: A customer’s perspective, encompassing their opinions
  and views regarding usefulness, satisfaction, and overall experiences
• Examining the effectiveness of AI technologies in marketing communication. The
  application of AI in advertising, publicity, and other forms of communication.
• The views of small businesses on the use of AI and its impact.
  The choice of the research title can be focused on any of the above or alternative aspects related
  to the impact of Artificial intelligence (AI).
  You should choose a business organisation, preferably an SME, and collect primary data from
  either customers, employees, owners, or managers.
  Topics like these fit clearly within the brief and should work. Other topics may work too. Whatever
  you decide to do, please speak to your teacher as early as possible in the term to get feedback
  on whether your idea looks to be a workable one.
  When choosing
  When choosing a topic, please also keep the following points in mind:
  ● you must think hard about gaining access to people for your primary data. It is generally
  a good idea to use an organisation in which you work, or have worked previously. If you
  cannot get access to a suitable organisation: discuss with your tutor, who will be able to
  offer options to you.
  ● You are doing your research within a limited word count and timeframe, so you cannot
  address this topic in general terms – it must be focussed on a specific organisation to
  which you can gain access to gather primary data. The organisation could be in the UK,
  your home country (if not the UK) or anywhere else.
  ● The proposed research should be a realistic one for a student to do in the time available.
  You are not expected to propose a topic that would require a large research team or take
  years to complete!
  As your research report will include a short literature review, it is important to consider
  whether there is enough literature when choosing your subject. This should not be a
  problem – there is a lot of material about the topics listed and the different elements
  related to them. Finding one or two examples of past relevant research on which to model
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  your own research should be perfectly possible and would be a very good idea.
  You are strongly recommended to propose only one method of collecting your primary
  data – e.g. a questionnaire survey or semi-structured interviews, not both.
  Please refer to Annex 1 at the end of this document.
  Assignment Task 1
  To complete these tasks, you will need to have agreed your topic, target organisation
  and method with your tutor. Then:
  Task 1a:
  Write a short overview to answer the questions below:

1. Critically evaluate the Project Life Cycle in the context of your Project
2. Evaluate factors to consider when creating your Project Management Plan
3. Critically evaluate the survey method and the semi-structured interview method, and their
   relative suitability for primary data collection in your proposed project
   This provides evidence for LO1
   Task 1b:
   Use the same document as for Task 1a.
   Based on the topic you have chosen; you are expected to create a Project PROPOSAL that
   addresses the feasibility of your research project. The plan needs to include:
4. A brief explanation of your proposed research topic and why you have chosen it.
5. An aim and some objectives for your proposed research.
6. A brief discussion of the scope and limitations of your proposed research.
7. Resources and cost considerations relating to your proposed research.
8. A project plan, Gantt chart or work breakdown structure in order to provide timeframes
   and stages for completion of your research.
9. A risk register covering the five main risks with the proposed research, including the size
   of each risk, planned mitigation measures and residual risk.
10. Ethical issues approval form – see Annex 1.
11. Proof that you have access to gather your primary data at your chosen organisation. This could be
    a scanned letter or a copied email from a relevant manager, or contact details of the manager or of
    the intended interviewees
    This provides evidence for LO2
    Word count: Approximately 750 words, excluding project plan/Gantt chart/WBS, risk register and
    ethical issues approval form.
    Assignment Task 2
    When your project plan has been approved, you will be able to carry out the research project.
    The required elements of the research report are set out below. There is no need for a contents
    list for the report.
    Chapter 1. Introduction
    In the introduction you should introduce the reader to the background to the study and the nature
    of the problem/issue/opportunity.
    Chapter 2. Secondary Research
    You are expected to critically review secondary data sources on the research area being
    investigated.
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    Chapter 3. Methodology
    The purpose of this chapter is to justify and explain your chosen primary research method,
    including why the method is the best available to achieve your research aim.
    Chapter 4. Results
    This chapter should set out and analyse the results of the primary research that you conducted.
    Chapter 5. Conclusions and Recommendations
    This chapter needs to bring together what you have found out on the subject of your research,
    taking into account your initial aim and objectives and the findings of your literature review and
    primary data collection.
    Chapter 6. Reflections
    This chapter should reflect on what you learnt about the research process during your project.
    Appendices
    You will also need to include the following:
    d) Proof of access to conduct primary research: the requirement is that you should be able to
    provide a communication (an email is fine) from a suitable person (manager/supervisor) at the
    target organisation, stating their consent to give you access to staff at the company. It should
    contain the name, position, the official email address (i.e. someone@shell.co.uk) and a company
    telephone number. Gmail, Yahoo and such email addresses are not acceptable.
    b) Project log-book: you need to have a minimum of three supervision meetings in total with your
    supervisor in your second term. After each supervision meeting, or following other feedback (e.g.
    comments on your marked proposal assignment towards the end of term 1, informal or email
    feedback from your tutor), copy the feedback or summarise it. Then add your reflection on it.
    This material should then form the basis of your reflections chapter in your project report.
    c) An annotated copy of your questionnaire or interview questions, showing the links to relevant
    literature. It is not necessary to include all of the completed questionnaires or
    recordings/transcripts of interviews. However, you should keep such materials until after your
    results for this module have been confirmed, in case there are any questions about the
    authenticity of your data and you are required to provide evidence to show that you did carry out
    your primary research.
    d) Please note that ALL of the above requirements must feature in your final submission
    This provides evidence for LO3 and LO4
    Word count: 5,000 words +/-10%.
    Submission Format
    The submission format for Task 1 and Task 2 is described above; more detail on the recommended
    content of Task 2 is provided in the guidance note on the VLE.
    Students MUST ensure that all coursework is uploaded in one of the acceptable formats listed
    below only:

• MS Word document
• PDF format (converted from any other document formats)
  Assignments submitted in any formats other than those listed above will not be readable or
  viewable and will NOT be sent for marking. This will result in delayed marking and the issuing of
  students’ results and could also be considered a non-submission. It is the student’s
  responsibility to ensure that files are correctly labelled, saved, and uploaded in the required
  format to avoid these consequences
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  Resources
  Core Textbook
  Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. (2019) Research Methods for Business Students. 8th Ed.
  Harlow: Pearson.
  Other Books
  Maylor, H. (2017) Project Management. 4th ed. Harlow: Pearson
  Bell, J., (2005), Doing Your Research Project, 4th edition, Maidenhead: OUP
  Denscombe, M., (2007), The Good Research Guide for Small-scale Research Projects, 3rd edition,
  Maidenhead: OUP
  Bryman, A. and Bell, E. (2007), Business Research Methods (2nd Edition) Oxford University Press
  Cassell, C. Symon, G. (2004), Essential Guide to Qualitative Methods in Organisational Research
  London: Sage Publications
  Cooper, D.R., & Schindler, P. (2001), Business research methods (8th Ed.). Irwin : McGraw- Hill
  Creswell, J.,(2009), Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches (3rd
  Ed) London: Sage Publications
  Zikmund, W. G., Babin, B. J., Carr, J. C., & Griffin, M. (2010), Business Research Methods, (8th ed)
  Nashville: South-Western Pub.
  Weblinks
  AI Activity in UK Business https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ai-activity-in-ukbusinesses/aiactivity-
  in-ukbusinesses-executive-summary
  How Businesses Are Using Artificial Intelligence In 2024
  https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/software/ai-inbusiness/
  These are the biggest risks to businesses and how to manage them
  https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/07/ai-biggest-riskshow-to-manage-them/
  Taking Advantage of Artificial Intelligence in Business to Improve Efficiency
  https://pixelplex.io/blog/usecases-of-ai-in-business/
  How AI Could Empower Any Business | Andrew Ng | TED https://youtu.be/reUZRyXxUs4
  Generative AI: what is it good for? https://youtu.be/gCDacaohqaA
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  The current Assignment Brief covers the following Learning Outcomes
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  Student Achievements and Assessor Feedback
  Student achievement and Assessor feedback for both formative and summative submissions will be recorded within
  Grademark Turnitin via Moodle and will be available for students to view as notified on Turnitin. Please use exclusively
  the grade classification below.
  Assessment Grading Scale
  Grade Classification Numeric Value
  (on Grademark)
  Grade Listed As
  Distinction 75 D
  Merit 65 M
  Pass 45 P
  Unclassified/ Referred 35 U
  Alleged Academic Misconduct 0 SP
  Student submission and declaration
  The following declaration will be inserted in the Turnitin link for both formative and summative submissions:
  ‘I certify that by submitting the work for this assessment on Moodle (and via Turnitin) it is my own work and all
  research sources are fully acknowledged using the Harvard system of references. I certify that there are no personal
  or mitigating circumstances that have affected my work.’
  By submitting such document, you acknowledge that your work is your own, and abides by the DGHE code of conduct,
  and Pearson regulations.
  Please note that in case of academic malpractice DGHE reserves the right to decline to accept the work for assessment
  purposes, and/or conduct an investigation, which might result in an oral presentation, oral or written exam, or any
  other appropriate form of examination. Further information can be found in the academic integrity and misconduct
  policy, the assessment policy, and the student handbook.
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  Submission format
  Students MUST ensure that all coursework is uploaded in one of the acceptable formats listed below only:
• MS Word document
• PDF format (converted from any other document formats)
• Excel spreadsheet – applicable only if specifically required in the Assignment Brief, particularly for
  assignments involving the use of formulas, calculations, and charts.
  Assignments submitted in any formats other than those listed above will not be readable or viewable and
  will NOT be sent for marking. This will result in delayed marking and the issuing of students’ results and
  could also be considered a non-submission. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that files are
  correctly labelled, saved, and uploaded in the required format to avoid these consequences.
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  Annex 1: Ethical Issues Form
  Section 1: Basic Details
  Project title:
  Student name:
  Student ID number:
  Programme:
  School:
  Intended research start date:
  Intended research end date:
  Section 2: Project Summary
  Please highlight all research methods that you plan to use as part of your project:
• Interviews:
• Questionnaires:
• Observations:
• Use of Personal Records:
• Data Analysis:
• Action Research:
• Focus Groups:
• Other (please specify):
  Section 3: Participants
  Please answer the following questions, giving full details where necessary. Will your research involve
  human participants?
  Who are the participants? Highlight all that apply:
  Ages 12-16 Young People aged 17–18 Adults
  How will participants be recruited (identified and approached)?
  Describe the processes you will use to inform participants about what you are doing:
  How will you obtain consent from participants? Will this be written? How will it be made clear to
  participants that they may withdraw consent to participate at any time?
  Studies involving questionnaires: Will participants be given the option of omitting questions they do not
  wish to answer? Yes: No
  If ‘no’, please explain why below and ensure that you cover any ethical issues arising from this
  Studies involving observation: Confirm whether participants will be asked for their informed consent to be
  observed. Yes: No
  Will you debrief participants at the end of their participation (i.e. give them a brief explanation of the
  study)? Yes: No
  Will participants be given information about the findings of your study? (This could be a brief summary of
  your findings in general) Yes: No
  Section 4: Data Storage and Security
  Confirm that all personal data will be stored and processed in compliance with the Data Protection Act
  (1998)
  Yes: No
  Who will have access to the data and personal information?
  During the research:
  Where will the data be stored?
  Will mobile devices such as USB storage and laptops be used? Yes: No If yes, please provide further
  details:
  After the research:
  Where will the data be stored?
  How long will the data and records be kept for and in what format? Will data be kept for use by other
  researchers? Yes: No
  If yes, please provide further details:
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  Section 5: Ethical Issues
  Are there any particular features of your proposed work which may raise ethical concerns? If so, please
  outline how you will deal with these:
  It is important that you demonstrate your awareness of potential risks that may arise as a result of your
  research. Please consider/address all issues that may apply. Ethical concerns may include, but are not
  limited to the following:
• Informed consent.
• Potentially vulnerable participants.
• Sensitive topics.
• Risks to participants and/or researchers.
• Confidentiality/anonymity.
• Disclosures/limits to confidentiality.
• Data storage and security, both during and after the research (including transfer, sharing,
  encryption, protection).
• Reporting.
• Dissemination and use of your findings.
  Section 6: Declaration
  I have read, understood and will abide by the institution’s Research and Ethics Policy: Yes: No I have
  discussed the ethical issues relating to my research with my Unit Tutor: Yes: No
  I confirm that to the best of my knowledge the above information is correct and that this is a full
  description of the ethical issues that may arise in the course of my research.
  Name:
  Date:
  Please submit your completed form as an annex to your submitted research proposal.