Research reportA preliminary investigation of a sector or field in which you may wish to start a business.
The report centres on your independent investigation of a particular sector or field in which you may wish to start a business, either in bringing a product or service to market. Use relevant academic sources as well as your own research findings of the field to investigate the context (social, political etc.) in which your idea sits. We will be discussing some ideas and a worked example in our Assignment Workshop session. The research report is intended to develop students’ research skills in locating, selecting, synthesising, organising and presenting material. Remember that this is NOT a business plan or marketing plan. Financial information and funding plans, break-even analysis, projected profit and loss and cash flow information is NOT needed.

Written work must include a full reference section according to the Harvard Reference system, which does not form part of the word count. You are expected to consult many sources and reference a wide range of academic articles. Internet sites which are not academic data bases should not be included as references, other than for purposes of case study illustration (eg company/organisation information).