Assignments should be a maximum of 3,500 words in length.

All coursework assignments that contribute to the assessment of a module are subject to a word limit, as specified in the online module handbook in the relevant module area of the MINERVA. The word limit is an extremely important aspect of good academic practice, and must be adhered to. Unless stated specifically otherwise in the relevant module handbook, the word count includes EVERYTHING (i.e. all text in the main body of the assignment including summaries, subtitles, contents pages, tables, supportive material whether in footnotes or in-text references) except the main title, reference list (a bibliography is not necessary) and any appendices. It is not acceptable to present matters of substance, which should be included in the main body of the text, in the appendices (“appendix abuse”). It is not acceptable to attempt to hide words in graphs and diagrams; only text which is strictly necessary should be included in graphs and diagrams.

You are required to adhere to the word limit specified and state an accurate word count on the cover page of your assignment brief. Your declared word count must be accurate, and should not mislead. Making a fraudulent statement concerning the work submitted for assessment could be considered academic malpractice and investigated as such. If the amount of work submitted is higher than that specified by the word limit or that declared on your word count, this may be reflected in the mark awarded and noted through individual feedback given to you.

Profiles – Choose ONE only

1. An analysis of a group decision making situation in your place of work, previous place of work or some other situation with which you are familiar (e.g., in the public domain through media coverage), in terms of the advantages and disadvantages of group decision making compared to individual decision making. This should address the implications these may have for the optimality of the decisions taken.

For assignment 1 you might structure the report as follows:  A brief introduction outlining the background to the report that includes: a brief description of the decision scenario, the aims and objectives of the report, and how the report is to be structured to achieve these aims/objectives (i.e. the major sections)  A section reviewing the extant literature on group decision making indicating the potential advantages of this approach and explaining why these are often not realised, highlighting those aspects likely to be particularly relevant to your situation  A section reviewing ways of improving group decision making (particularly those of relevance to your situation) and their strengths and weakness  A conclusion briefly indicating how the initial objectives have been met, outlining some recommendations to improve the decision making in your situation  Key concepts and ideas should be defined, and where appropriate, be referenced properly as in a formal academic essay (Harvard style).

2. Identify some of the issues relating to bargaining and negotiation in your place of work, previous place of work or some other situation with which you are familiar (e.g., in the public domain through media coverage). You should identify the issues involved, analyse in the context of theory, research and practice on the decision analytic approach to bargaining and negotiation and make recommendations about how the negotiation strategy could be improved.

For assignment 2 you might structure the report as follows:  A brief introduction outlining the background to the report, the aims and objectives and the structure of the report  A section reviewing the extant literature on the decision analytic approach to bargaining and negotiation, the relevance of this for your situation  A section reviewing ways of improving bargaining and negotiation (the steps in the decision analytic approach, claiming and creating value, faulty thinking that can occur in negotiation) and the relevance of all of these for your situation  A conclusion outlining some recommendations, limitations in the research and the extent to which your aims and objectives have been met  Key concepts and ideas should be defined, and where appropriate, be referenced properly as in a formal academic essay (Harvard style).

3. Identify some of the issues of risk communication in your place of work, previous place of work or some other situation with which you are familiar (e.g., in the public domain through media coverage). You should identify the issues involved, analyse in the context of theory, research and practice on risk perception / communication and make recommendations about how the communication strategy could be improved.

For assignment 3 you might structure the report as follows:  A brief introduction outlining the background to the report, the aims and objectives and the structure of the report  A section reviewing the extant literature on how the public perceives and acts in the face of risk and the relevance of these for the situation
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 A section reviewing ways of improving risk communication in general (e.g. mental models, increasing trust, ways of presenting statistical risk), their strengths and weaknesses and the relevance of all of these for your situation  A conclusion outlining some recommendations, limitations in the research and the extent to which your aims and objectives have been met  Key concepts and ideas should be defined, and where appropriate, be referenced properly as in a formal academic essay (Harvard style).

4. An analysis of the feasibility of applying a particular structured decision aid in your place of work, previous place of work or some other situation with which you are familiar (e.g., in the public domain through media coverage). This involves discussing and analysing the issues that are anticipated rather than reporting the outcomes of an actual application. It should include an appraisal of the likely benefits and problems that would be expected to arise from this application as well as an overall appraisal of the application itself. For a suggested structure for the assignment, see profile 5 below.

5. Undertaking and analysing the application of a structured decision aid to your place of work, previous place of work or some other situation with which you are familiar, clearly identifying the benefits and the problems that arose from this application as well as an overall appraisal of the application itself. Unlike assignment 4 above, with this assignment you actually apply the aid to the situation. You should present the outcomes of each step, discuss and analyse the issues that arose and should include an appraisal of the benefits and problems that arose from this application as well as an overall appraisal of the application itself.

For assignments 4 and 5 you might structure the report as follows:  A brief introduction outlining the background to the report (including why decision aids are necessary, useful and why your chosen decision aid is appropriate to your situation), the aims and objectives of the report and its structure i.e. the major sections and their purpose  A section outlining the steps taken when undertaking the decision aid, how they would be/were resolved in this situation, their purpose and: for Assignment 5 the outputs that were generated; for Assignment 4 the kinds of outputs that might be generated (illustrate with plausible outputs based on your estimations/guesses of what they are likely to be in this situation); how these outputs would be interpreted and used  A conclusion outlining strengths and weaknesses of the decision aid in this context and some recommendations about how the aid should be used in the future and the extent to which your aims and objectives have been met  Key concepts and ideas should be defined, and where appropriate, be referenced properly as in a formal academic essay (Harvard style).

6. An essay on one of the topics covered in this module (related to managerial decision making) based on a critical review of relevant literature (articles, books etc.).

Designed primarily to allow you to explore a theoretical perspective on advanced aspects of decision making. You must have your essay title for this assignment approved by the module leader, Dr Gulbanu Kaptan ([email protected]).

For assignment 6 you might structure the assignment as follows:  A brief introduction outlining the background to the essay (including what the topic is, why it is important, putting it into the context of managerial decision making), the aims and objectives of the essay and its structure i.e. the major sections and their purpose  A properly referenced critical review of the literature
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 How the material can be applied to managerial decision making (i.e. your context of interest) and the implications for improving managerial decision making  A conclusion that identifies what has been achieved and the broader implications, given the aims and objectives of the assignment  Key concepts and ideas should be defined, and where appropriate, be referenced properly as in a formal academic essay (Harvard style).

The marking criteria for this assignment follow the generic LUBS Masters criteria (attached).
In addition, a good assignment includes the following features:  An analytic / critical approach rather than descriptive  Well structured, with an introduction clearly outlining assignment aims and objectives and a conclusion summarising the extent to which these are achieved  Demonstrates a good understanding of the underlying theory, research and practice  Well organised and clearly structured arguments  Clarity of presentation  Imaginative application  Properly referenced (Harvard style) /supported arguments  Draws extensively on the module and related material  Evaluation of the concepts being used (i.e. their strengths and weaknesses)

A poor assignment usually includes some of the following features:  Disorganised  No clear aims / objectives and/or conclusion  Shallow and descriptive  Straight reproduction of text-book or course notes  Inappropriate methodology  Little or nothing drawn from material presented on the module  Lists module material rather than organising it into arguments designed to address assignment aims and objectives  No evaluation of the concepts being used (i.e. their strengths and weaknesses)  Just describes the application of a decision aid to a particular situation without an introduction identifying the justification for using decision aids in general or this aid in particular, nor any evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of applying the aid to the situation.

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