MBA Programme Handbook 2010/2011: For Full Time Programme Members

MBA Handbook 2010-2011
MBA
Programme
Handbook
2010/2011
For Full Time Programme Members
1
Edition September 2010
First published in Great Britain by

University of Leicester School of Management
© University of Leicester 2010
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the University
of Leicester.
2
Contents
Welcome from the Head of the School of Management 6
Calendar 2010-2011 7
Handbook 9
Your first week in the School of Management 9
Section 1 – The School of Management 10

Academic staff and their research interests 11
Access to academic staff 16
Support staff 18
Section 2 – Staff and Student Responsibilities 20

Staff responsibilities and obligations 20
Student responsibilities and obligations 20
Academic honesty (Plagiarism) 22
Student feedback and questionnaires 27
Health and safety 28
Section 3 – The Programme 29

Learning objectives 30
The structure and contents of the programme 31
Tutorial groups 34
Personal Tutors 36
Section 4 – Assessment 39
Coursework and examinations 39
Performance criteria and the MBA grading structure 40
Coursework deadlines 42
Mitigating circumstances 43
Submission of coursework 45
Failed assessments 46
Assessment feedback times 48
External examiners 48
Section 5 – Staff/Student Committees 50

Student committee 50
Staff/student committee 50
The Programme social committee 50
Alumni association 51
Programme yearbooks 51
3
Section 6 – Additional Information 52

The MBA award 52
Counselling 54
References for employment or further study 54
Section 7 – School of Management Services 56

Emergencies 56
Notice boards 56
Blackboard 57
Telephones 57
Fax 57
E-mail 57
Photocopying 57
Mail 58
Section 8 – University Facilities 59

The Library 59
Access to computers and IT Services 61
The University Bookshop 62
University regulations 63
Student Support & Development Services (SSDS) 66
Learning & Career Development 66
AccessAbility Centre 67
Welfare Service 67
Student Counselling service 68
Chaplaincy 72
The Students’ Union 72
Section 9 – Study Skills 74

Personal Development Planning 74
Managing your study time 78
Preparing to read and study 79
Effective reading 79
Evaluating ideas, activities and learning 79
Assignment writing guidelines 80
Referencing guidelines 82
And finally … 91
Section 10 – Appeals, Grievances/Complaints 92

Complaint procedure 92
University Appeals procedure 95
Disclaimer 97
Editor’s note 97
Further help 97
4
The handbook is divided into 10 sections:
Section 1 – the School of Management (ULSM): an introduction to members of

academic staff and their research interests, and to our support staff.
Section 2 – staff and student obligations - outlines the reciprocal responsibilities of

members of ULSM and programme members.
Section 3 – the programme - ensures that participants understand the requirements

and the nature of the MBA degree.
Section 4 – assessment - provides information about the administrative procedures

connected with your coursework and examinations. We also outline the criteria we
apply for assessment purposes.
Section 5 – staff/student committees.
Section 6 – additional information - some points of interest which you will find an
important source of reference.
Section 7 – School of Management services available to programme members.
Section 8 – University facilities.
Section 9 – study skills, including guidelines on assignment writing and referencing.
Section 10 – appeals and grievances/ complaints procedure.
5
Welcome from the Head of the School of

Management
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the University of Leicester School of
Management (ULSM). You are joining a School which has ranked very highly in the
country on teaching quality according to our last four cohorts of students, who recently
completed the government’s annual National Student Survey. In the Guardian league table
for business and management ULSM came sixth out of nearly 100 departments. These
league table positions are a testament to the quality of our research and our management
education at ULSM.
I joined Leicester in 2003, having previously worked at the Universities of Keele and
Glasgow and, what is now, Manchester Business School. It was a great move for me. Not
only is Leicester a vibrant University, I was keen to join one of the most innovative
management schools in the country. I have found that making the move to Leicester has
been extremely beneficial to me and I am continually impressed with the distinctive
programmes that we provide and the distinctive research that we carry out here at ULSM. I
hope that your time at Leicester and your association with the School of Management will
engender the same feelings for you.
ULSM is a vibrant department consisting of a community of scholars with an international

reputation. The enthusiasm you will find in the lecture theatre and seminar room comes
from our commitment to our subject and our attempts to develop and energize it. The
‘Leicester Model’ of management studies – critical, ethically minded and suspicious of the
taken for granted – distinguishes us from many sister institutions. We firmly believe that, in
the hyper-competitive, increasingly globalized and closely scrutinized world of the
contemporary organization, the most important skill a manager can develop is reflexivity.
There are no easy answers, no one best way to manage – so managers need to be able to
ask the right questions, and to be able to live with uncertainty. Indeed our central message
is that there are many ways of seeing management and organizations, and the way one
sees influences how one actually manages … so the point is to have a wide range of
potential lenses.
Moreover we are for the most part born, educated, employed, entertained, at leisure and
cared for when sick or dying in organizations: thus it is important not to simply accept the
orthodoxy on what they are for and how they should operate. Instead we should be
questioning their goals, their structures and systems, and their effects. Studying for your
Masters degree will equip you very well in this regard. In the last few years the School has
also invested heavily in academic and administrative staff appointments, library provisions
and career support, and continues to do so. We are, in addition, putting in place new
structures and procedures to make your experience the best we possibly can. So please
make the most of your postgraduate days at Leicester, both inside and outside the School,
and contribute in ways which you think best – including letting us know what we are doing
well, and where we could improve.
Enjoy it!
Simon Lilley
6
Provisional Calendar 2010 – 2011

4/5.10.10 Start of Autumn Term and Registration
6.10.10 - 15.10.10 Induction and Foundations of Knowledge (FoK) module

(Please refer to separate Induction/FoK Handout)
18.10.10 Start of Semester 1 Core Module Teaching
End-October 10 Likely submission date for FoK assignment
17.12.10 End of Autumn Term
17.01.11 Start of Spring Term
Mid-January 11 Likely submission date for S1 assignments
Likely deadline for choosing S2 options
Mid-January 11 Likely dates of S1 exams
31.01.11 Start of Semester 2 Module Teaching
Mid-February 11 Dissertation Planning Workshops (tbc)
01.04.11 End of Spring Term
09.05.11 Start of Summer Term
Early-May 11 Likely submission date for S2 assignments
Mid-May 11 Likely dates of S2 exams
01.07.11 End of Summer Term
July 11 Likely date of ULSM Progress Board
End Aug 11 Likely submission date for dissertation
Early Sept 11 Likely dates for any re-sit exams
Early Sept 11 Likely date for any re-submitted assignments
Early-November 11 Likely date for ULSM Examinations Board
End January 12 Likely date of Graduation Ceremony
7
A more detailed calendar should be provided at Induction, and definite dates for
Semester 1 assignment submission and exams will be confirmed as soon as
possible.
You will also receive the full teaching timetable for Semester 1.
Final dates for Semester 2 teaching of core and option modules, plus assignments,
exams and dissertation will be confirmed in due course.
8
Handbook
In this handbook we introduce programme members to the work of the School of
Management and outline key points about the full time MBA degree programme. We
lay down the standards, which the University requires from programme members,
and set out the criteria by which we operate. We outline the key themes of the
programme and give initial guidance about various personal skills (such as reading
and writing), which underpin effective study and also contribute directly to good
management in your future careers.
We encourage students to also familiarize themselves with the University of

Leicester Handbook and Regulations for Taught Postgraduate Students, which will
be given to you when you register with the Graduate Office and is also
downloadable from the University intranet (go to http://www.le.ac.uk/academic/Regs/
and click on General Regulations for Taught Postgraduate Degrees). Together, this
Programme Handbook and the Handbook and Regulations for Taught Postgraduate
Students will cover most of the material that you will need to know to facilitate
effective learning whilst you study at Leicester.
This Handbook is therefore designed for use throughout your course, so please
ensure you keep it safely to consult should the need arise. You will also be receiving
individual Module Outlines that function as ‘mini handbooks’ for each of the modules
on the overall programme. Much of the module information will also be supplied on
our ‘Backboard’ system (see below).
Your first week in the School of Management

Induction programme: the timetable for induction will be available to you when you
register with the School of Management. If you do not receive it or misplace it, a copy
is available to view on the MSc Marketing notice board on the 5th floor of the Ken
Edwards Building.
There is also a student portal on CWIS that provides useful information – see
http://www.le.ac.uk/students.
Teaching timetable: Your Semester 1 timetable can also be found in your induction
pack.
Blackboard: an electronic notice board that will be available to you when you sign up
for your University computer account. This is a constant source of updated programme
regulations and module documentation that we recommend you check on a daily or at
least twice weekly basis. You will submit all your assignments using Blackboard, so
you are advised to familiarise yourself with it at the earliest possible opportunity.
Blackboard can be found at http://blackboard.le.ac.uk
9
Section 1
The School of Management

Established in 1989, the University of Leicester’s School of Management (formerly the
Management Centre) was a latecomer into a crowded and highly competitive market
for the provision of quality management education. However, by pursuing a strategy
which focuses upon the demands of executive development and the needs of
organizations, the School of Management quickly established itself as one of the major
providers of top quality management education in the UK.
Currently there are more than 5,000 students registered on the School of
Management’s programmes in over thirty centres around the world. Programmes
offered include the B.A. in Management Studies, the MBA, the MSc Marketing, the
MSc Finance and the MSc Marketing.
All of the School’s faculty members contribute to teaching and research and offer
programme options related to their specialisms. The School also employs a large team
of full time administrative and technical staff, all of whom contribute fully to its smooth
running.
In the last 10 years the School has also embarked on an ambitious programme of
expansion that has welcomed something of the order of 30 new academic staff to its
ranks in order to further establish the School as a leader in both critical management
education and cutting edge research. Indeed it prides itself on being the first
department in the UK to bring together substantial numbers of critical management
scholars across all the relevant disciplines.
10
Academic staff and their research interests

Dr Bernardo Bátiz-Lazo, BSc, MSc, PhD, Dip. His, FRHistS:
Banking, technology and performance; emerging markets; competition; regulation; the
use of information technologies and strategic models in financial service organisations
(particularly from an historical perspective), accounting history.
Professor Alan Bryman, BA, MA, PhD:

Research methodology, leadership theory and research, Disneyization and
McDonaldization.
Professor Joanna Brewis, BSc, PhD:

The intersections between the body, sexuality, identity, consumption, culture and
processes of organizing.
Professor Gibson Burrell, BA, MPhil, PhD, AcSS:

Social theory, organization theory, space, place and architecture.
Professor Steve Brown, BA, PhD:

Social and institutional remembering; discourse analysis and qualitative
methodologies; science and technology studies (STS); contemporary philosophy of
organization.
Dr Maria Boutchkova, BS, MS, PhD

Graph theory and corporate ownership structures;
pyramidal business groups; election cycles and stock market volatility
across the world; political business cycles; ownership structures
relevance to corporate cost of capital; privatization; international
corporate governance; financial development in emerging markets;
international capital flows and exchange rate regimes, global
imbalances.
Mr Mark Burridge, BA, MSc:

Industrial economics, finance and European economies.
Professor Catherine Casey, MA, PhD:

Critical analysis of organisations in relation to other social institutions, in particular
labour markets, education, governance and civil society actors.
Mr Robert Cluley, BSc (Hons), MA, MSc:

Creative industries and cultural economy; consumption and work; critical theory;
ethnographic research methods.
Dr Andrea Davies, BSc, MA, PhD:

Contemporary and historical aspects of consumer behaviour, (in particular, consumer
vulnerability, authenticity and consumption groupings, the family, brand
consciousness, inter-generational aspects to consumption and cross-cultural
behaviour); research methodology (inc. mixing methodology, oral history, advances in
qualitative and quantitative technique); and brand theory.
11
Dr Peter Davis, BA, MPhil, PhD: Chartered FCIPD, AHEA:

Co-operative Management and Organisational development, Alternative Business
Organisations, Application of Catholic Social Doctrine and Theology in Business,
Corporate Social Responsibility, Social Economy, Employment, and Management
Development.
Dr Stephen Dunne, BSc, PhD:

Corporate social responsibility, political theory, consumption studies, social class.
Dr Nick Ellis, BSc, MSc, DipM, MCIM, PhD:

Business to business marketing, relationship marketing, retail marketing, supply chain
management, professional services marketing, marketing planning and
implementation, managerial identities, discourse analysis.
Dr Meryem Duygun Fethi, BSc, MA, PhD:

Economics of industry, production analysis, performance measurement and data
envelopment analysis.
Dr James Fitchett, BSc, PhD:

Consumer culture, post industrial society, marketing theory, qualitative methodologies.
Dr Valérie Fournier, DEUG Economie, Maitrise de Gestion, MBA, PhD:

Alternative organisations (e.g. co-operatives, communes) and exchange (e.g. gift, local
currencies); rural economies; sustainable development; anarchist theory and practice.
Dr Richard Godfrey, BA, MBA, PhD:

Military and/in organisation theory, men and masculinities, strategy, popular culture.
Miss Joanne Grady, BA, MA [Lancaster]

Trade unions, labour history and HRM; neo-liberalism; contemporary welfare provision;
critical discourse analysis
Dr William Green, BSc, PhD:

Information technologies and knowledge management; innovation, theory
and practice; socio-digital systems, design, implementation and
adoption; personalization.
Dr David Harvie, BSc, MA, PhD:

Social movements, political economy of education, the critique of political economy,
finance and development.
Professor Emmanuel Haven, BA, MA, PhD.

Modelling of information in asset pricing, approximation techniques to solving partial
differential equations.
Dr Bruce Hearn BSc, MSc, PhD

Corporate governance and ownership structures; empirical pricing and valuation
models and costs of equity; portfolio analysis; Emerging Markets finance and valuation
(Africa, Middle East and Asia).
12
Dr Matthew Higgins, MCIM, BA, MA, PhD:

Social marketing; not for profit marketing; marketing ethics; business community
involvement and events management
Professor Peter M Jackson, BA, PhD, AcSS, FRSA:

Public sector financial management; Public Expenditure Analysis; Thinking about Time
and Uncertainty; the Economic Analysis of Organizations and Bureaucracy; Public
Policy Analysis.
Dr Campbell Jones, BA, BCom, MCom, PhD:

Anti-capitalism, ethics, post-second world war French philosophy, alterity.
Dr Mihalis Kavaratzis, BA, MSc, PhD: Place marketing; place branding, corporate level
marketing, tourism marketing.
Dr Ai-Ling Lai, BA, PhD:

Identity and The Body in Consumer Culture, Mortality and Marketing,
Phenomenological Approaches to Consumer Research, Textual Analysis, Materiality,
Understanding Ambivalence in Consumption.
Dr Geoff Lightfoot, BA, MSc, PhD:

Smaller and family businesses, entrepreneurship, microfinance, ethics and finance,
social studies of finance, financial history and accounting practice.
Professor Simon Lilley, BSc, PhD:

Agency, technology and performance; post-structural approaches to organisation; the
use of information technologies and strategic models in organisations; social/critical
studies of finance, and trading in particular.
Dr Ming Lim, BA, MA, MPhil, PhD:

Marketing theory and the philosophy of science, branding and communications,
technology and services marketing, critical and literary theory, continental philosophy,
sociology of science and technology.
Dr Matteo Mandarini, BA, MA, PhD:

Italian and French Post-War philosophy; German 19th and 20th C. Philosophy and
Social Theory; Marxism; Italian Workerism.
Dr. Andrea Moro, Laurea (Trieste), MBA, PhD:

SMEs finance; SMEs capital structure; SMEs' lending relationships, Banking finance
Dr Sandra Nolte, BSc, MSc, PhD:

Empirical Finance, Financial Econometrics, Microeconometrics, Qualitative Survey
Data, Behavioural Finance, Sentiment and Measurement Error in Nonlinear Models
Dr Maria Puig de la Bellacasa, BA, MA, MPhil, PhD:

Science and technology studies, alternative organising and ethics, ecology and
sustainability, feminist theory.
13
Dr Dimitris Papadopoulos, BA, Dipl, PhD:

Culture and organisation, governance, politics and social movements, social theory,
labour studies, critical psychology
Professor Mike Saren, BA, PhD:

Marketing and management of technology, relational approaches to marketing,
consumer culture, marketing theory.
Dr Mohamed Shaban, BA, PhD

Banks’ efficiency and performance, regulations and supervision in the banking
industry, mergers & acquisitions, capital structure and market risk analysis
Professor Mark Stein, BA. MPhil, MSc, PhD

Leadership, risk, customer-employee relations, organizational learning, and the
psychoanalytic study of groups and organizations.
Dr Olga Suhomlinova, BA, MA, PhD:

Neo-institutionalism, organizational ecology, evolutionary theory; business and the
state, organizational survival, institutionalization, leadership; oil and banking industries
(Russia), public services (UK).
Dr Mark Tadajewski, BA, MSc, PhD:

Marketing theory, marketing history, philosophy of science, relationship marketing,
critical marketing, interpretive consumer research, studies of competition versus
organizational cooperation, the structuring of consumption choices and critical theory.
Dr Sigmund Wagner-Tsukamoto, UDip, DPhil, Dr.rer:

Consumer behaviour/marketing and organisation theory, institutional economics.
Dr Elke Weik, Dipl-Kffr, MA; Dr.rer.pol.

Institutionalist theory, Organisation theory, approaches linked to social theory and
philosophy, issues encompassing discussions in the natural sciences or literature
studies.
Mr Kenneth Weir,
Critical accounting research, more specifically including critical and social analysis of
accounting and related practices; accounting history; management accounting theory
and related practices; financial accounting theory and recent developments; social and
environmental accounting; and finally emancipatory accounting
Dr Tomasz Piotr Wisniewski, BSc, MSc, PhD:

Empirical finance, asset pricing, portfolio and investment analysis, financial risk
management.
Professor Stephen Wood Bsc, PhD, AcSS,:

Employee Involvement, Human Resource Management, Employment
Relations, Lean Production, Payment Systems, Teamworking
"Work-Life Balance", Well-being at work, Employee Surveys, Workplace Aggression,
Leadership.
14
The School also plays host to a number of academic visitors who participate in various
ways. These visitors are all established scholars in their own right and may be involved
in collaborative research with full time academic members of the School, teaching on
core and elective modules at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, dissertation
supervision at both undergraduate and postgraduate level and/ or coursework and
examination marking, again at both levels.
Details of our visiting and associate staff can be found on the ULSM website.
(http://www.le.ac.uk/ulsm/about/about_associatestaff.html)
15
Access to academic staff

Members of the School’s academic staff will make themselves available to students to
discuss programme-related problems. The normal office hours for each member of
staff can be found in the relevant module booklet. These will be between 2 and 4 hours
per week during term-time, but will vary outside of this period. It should be appreciated,
however, that staff are also engaged in other teaching, research and administrative
tasks, which often take them away from their rooms, or from the University for varying
periods. Appointments with academic tutors should be arranged directly with the
member of staff concerned.
Name Room no. Tel. no. E-mail1
Dr Bernardo Batiz-Lazo KEB607 252 5647 bbl3
Dr Maria Boutchkova KEB325 252 1266 mb417
Professor Jo Brewis KEB310 252 3891 j.brewis
Professor Steve Brown KEB513 223 1884 sb343

(MBA Programme Director - Semester One)
Professor Alan Bryman KEB406 252 2790 a.bryman
Professor Gibson Burrell KEB514 223 1250 g.burrell
Mr Mark Burridge KEB524 252 3954 m.burridge
Professor Catherine Casey KEB403 252 3358 cc217
Mr Robert Cluley KEB614 252 5317 rjc48
Dr Andrea Davies KEB529C 223 1437 a.davies
Dr Nick Ellis KEB606 223 1816 n.ellis
Dr Meryem Duygun Fethi KEB327 252 5328 m.fethi
Dr James Fitchett KEB609 223 1218 j.fitchett
Dr Valérie Fournier KEB610 252 2008 v.fournier
Dr Richard Godfrey KEB502 252 3389 rg148
Miss Jo Grady KEB529A 252 3500 j.grady
Dr William Green KEB529B 223 1233 wg32
Dr David Harvie KEB609 252 5539 d.harvie

1
Please note that these addresses should all be followed by @le.ac.uk.
16
Dr Emmanuel Haven KEB612 252 3955 eh76
Dr Bruce Hearn KEB611 252 5141 bah16
Dr Matthew Higgins KEB402 252 5644 m.higgins
Professor Peter Jackson KEB326 252 3951 pmj1
Dr Campbell Jones KEB512 252 5334 c.jones
Dr Mihalis Kavaratzis KEB613 252 5520 TBC
Dr Ai-Ling Lai KEB525 252 5646 al231
Dr Geoff Lightfoot KEB520 223 1243 g.lightfoot
Professor Simon Lilley KEB308 223 1261 s.lilley
Dr Ming Lim KEB529D 252 3999 ml170

(MBA Programme Director - Semester Two)
Dr Sandra Nolte KEB515 252 5634 sn165
Dr Maria Puig de la Bellacasa KEB406 252 5019 mpdlb1
Professor Mike Saren KEB511 223 1011 m.saren
Dr Mohamad Shaban KEB407 223 1820 m.shaban
Professor Mark Stein KEB604 252 3984 ms553
Dr Olga Suhomlinova KEB404 223 1248 o.suhomlinova
Dr Mark Tadajewski KEB320 252 5263 m.tadajewski
Mr Keith Taylor KEB615 252 3940 kjkt3
Dr Sigmund Wagner-Tsukamoto KEB521 252 5327 s.wagner-tsukamoto
Dr Elke Weik KEB611 252 5318 ew82
Dr Kenneth Weir KEB529E 252 5345 khw11
Dr Tomasz Wisniewski KEB608 252 3958 tpw5
Professor Stephen Wood KEB405 223 1869 sjw111
Dr Sina Yekini KEB605 252 7385 lsy3
17
Support staff
Jayne Bowers is Director of Administration in the School of Management and has
overall responsibility for the school’s administrative process.
The Full-Time Programmes Office which services members of the full time Masters
programmes in the School is normally open to students from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
Monday to Friday. Please note that access to the office is not possible outside the
hours specified: this is to provide the staff in the Full-Time Programmes Office with
time to undertake the considerable administrative jobs that programme management
entails. You are therefore requested not to knock on the Full-Time Programmes
Office door outside of these hours.
On most occasions you might find it more efficient to telephone the Full-Time
Programmes Office for information rather than to make a visit. There are many
telephones on the campus. Internal phone calls are free of charge and you only
need to dial the last four digits of any of the telephone numbers given provided in
this Handbook.
Periodically throughout the programme you will be asked by members of the

teaching staff to collect or to hand in material to the Full-Time Programmes Office.
You should do this only during the hours when the office is open to students.
MOREOVER, PROGRAMME MEMBERS MAY NOT ENTER THE FULL-TIME

PROGRAMMES OFFICE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.
The Programme Administrator for MBA, and your first port of call for any inquiries, is
James Boyd.
James Boyd is also the Full-Time Office Co-Cordinator. He will oversee programme
management and ensure issues are dealt with appropriately including dealing
directly with any service issues you raise; referring matters to School senior
managers as required or in the case that you a complaint as prescribed by the
University's Regulations will ensure this is forwarded to the School's Quality Officer,
James Donovan (ulsmquality@le.ac.uk)
John Constantinou provided dedicated careers support to MBA students. He

organizes visiting speakers, workshops and other activities aimed at assisting you in
improving your employability.
Name Room no. Tel. no. E-mail2

Mr James Boyd KEB517 252 3952 j.boyd@le.ac.uk
Mr John Constantinou KEB523 252 2027 jc55@le.ac.uk
Other useful contacts outside ULSM
Andrew Dunn
(Information Librarian
2
Again, these addresses should all be followed by @le.ac.uk.
18
Management) Library 252 2055 ad158@le.ac.uk
Computer Centre Ground 252 2253 cchelp@le.ac.uk

Helpdesk floor of
Centre and
Computer
User Area,Library
19
Section 2
Staff and Student Responsibilities

Staff responsibilities and obligations
Our staff owes you the same degree of courtesy and consideration as they expect
from you. It is reasonable for you to expect staff to:
 treat each student fairly and impartially regardless of sex, race, age and
marital status in accordance with the University’s policy on equal
opportunities;
 start and finish classes punctually (NB teaching sessions scheduled to begin
and end on the hour should normally begin no later than 5 minutes past the hour
and end at 5 minutes to);
 keep appointments they make with you;
 answer questions helpfully;
 return coursework promptly (see section on assessment feedback times later

in this handbook) and with constructive comments; and
 take action on your behalf if you ask for help with an academic, pastoral or
administrative problem.
Student responsibilities and obligations

The School of Management treats its students as responsible adults. A good
working atmosphere depends upon mutual trust. This trust requires that you
shoulder a fair measure of responsibility for managing your own studies, while we
undertake to fulfil our responsibilities towards you. The following list summarizes
your responsibilities:
 registering for your programme and your elective modules by the deadlines
set by the University and the School;
 addressing staff courteously at all times; for example, do not use SMS
language in e-mails, start e-mails with informal modes of address (such as
‘Hiya’) or make unreasonable or aggressive demands;
 being fully up to date with the timetable of the MBA teaching sessions, noting
any one-off sessions, which you are required to attend, and maintaining a full
attendance record unless there are good reasons for your absence;
20
 notifying your personal tutor of the reasons for your absence and any
mitigating circumstances that affect your attendance and/or performance
(such as illness);
 arriving on time for classes, appointments with the staff and examinations; if
you are delayed through no fault of your own, enter the lecture hall or
examination room quietly, and, if you are late for an appointment, offer
apologies;
 remaining attentive during classes, not talking unless you are asked for your
input or participation and turning off mobile phones at all times during these
sessions;
 using free periods in your timetable in a disciplined way, especially as

opportunities for study;
 managing your own time and workload;
 meeting deadlines for assessed work;
 making best use of the University’s opportunities and resources (such as IT

facilities and the Library);
 promptly informing the School of Management and the University of any

change of address or other contact details; and
 observing the University’s regulations and code of conduct.
Student code of conduct:

Our students in 2009-10 year decided to write a code of acceptable behaviour for
lectures and tutorials. Students’ representative consulted with students on their
programmes to write the code. The code has been written by students for the
benefits of students. The School of Management adopted the code and this is given
below. The code offers guidance on expected behaviour in lectures to support
student learning and experience.
The code is intended to support you in your studies and we hope that you will find
the code constructive. If you have comments please direct these to the student
representatives for your programme.
Student Code of Conduct
1. STUDENTS SHOULD BE ON TIME AND SHOULD NOT ENTER A

LECTURE IF THEY ARE MORE THAN 10 MINUTES LATE
21
2. MOBILE PHONES SHOULD NOT BE USED IN LECTURES AND SHOULD

BE TURNED OFF OR ON SILENT
3. LAPTOPS SHOULD ONLY BE USED AS STUDYING AIDS AND

STUDENTS ARE ASKED NOT TO USE LAPTOPS FOR E-MAIL OR OTHER
PURPOSES AS THIS CAN BE DISTRACTING
4. STUDENTS SHOULD NOT TALK INAPPROPRIATELY
5. STUDENTS SHOULD NOT FALL ASLEEP
6. STUDENTS ARE ASKED TO TAKE THEIR LITTER WITH THEM FROM

LECTURE THEATRES AND SEMINAR ROOMS
7. STUDENTS MUST SIGN ATTENDANCE REGISTER FOR SEMINARS AND

PERSONAL TUTOR GROUP MEETINGS
This code of conduct has been written by student representatives on PGSSLC

(Post Graduate Student Staff Liaison Committee). It has been revised at
PGSSLC 23/2/10 and presented the ULSM Staff Meeting Friday 26/2/10.
Academic honesty (Plagiarism)

As you read through the University Regulations, you will note that there is a specific
regulation about academic honesty. This describes the penalties which apply when
students cheat in written examinations or present someone else’s material (whether it
has been written by another student or a published author) for assessment as if it were
their own; the latter is called plagiarism. The University believes that it is important that
all students understand why academic honesty is a matter of such concern, and why
such severe penalties are imposed.
Throughout your time at the University you will legitimately gather information from
many sources, but when you present yourself for any examination or assessment, you
are asking the markers to judge what you have made as an individual of the studies
you have undertaken. This judgement will then be carried forward into the outside
world as a means of telling future employers, other universities, financial sponsors and
others who have an interest in your capabilities that you have undertaken the
academic work required of you by programme regulations, that you are capable of
performing at a certain intellectual level and that you have the skills and attributes
consistent with your range of marks and the level of your award.
22
If you use dishonest means with the aim of presenting a better academic picture of
yourself than you deserve, you are engaging in a falsehood, which will have the most
severe repercussions. If we find that you have been engaged in academic dishonesty
the penalties are severe.
The marking process is explained here: If a marker identifies that your work has a
plagiarised component the marker will write this as feedback on your AGC form.
The marker will submit a report about the plagiarism which is then seen by second
marker, and if confirmed, is submitted to the Senior Academic in ULSM in charge of
plagiarism and academic dishonesty. Because there are severe penalties for
plagiarism, with a significant level of marks potentially being deducted from your
work, this handbook and the Foundations of Knowledge module will spend a
considerable amount of time explaining the issue.
The penalties for plagiarism can be as high as:
Foundations Failure of the module, resit allowed, severe warning

of Knowledge taught
element of the programme
Offence in ANY of the credit bearing Mark of 0 for the module. Not allowed to re-sit.
Modules of the programme:
Subsequent offence in the Termination of course

taught element of the programme:
Plagiarism in the dissertation Failure with downgrading to Postgraduate

without a previous offence: Diploma
Plagiarism in the dissertation Termination of course

with a previous offence:
Please note that plagiarism in the Foundations of Knowledge assignment is

the ONLY part of the programme on which you will be allowed to re-submit the
assignment. Plagiarism on any of the modules that follow Foundations of
Knowledge may be awarded a zero and there will be no opportunity to re-sit.
Please note too that the members of staff in the School of Management are highly
experienced in detecting plagiarism. We also have computer software which enables
us to check every single submission you make to us for such dishonesty both easily
and quickly. By submitting your assignments in the appropriate way and sitting your
examinations you are also guaranteeing to us that your submissions contain no
academic dishonesty.
Moreover, we should take this opportunity to point out that, if by some chance your
academic dishonesty is not discovered, you will spend the rest of your life failing to
measure up to the academic promise indicated by your degree results and other
people’s expectations of your abilities. In short, academic dishonesty is not worth
it.
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Plagiarism explained
Plagiarism is to take the work of another person and use it as if it were one’s own in
such a way as to mislead the reader. Pieces of work can be plagiarized in their entirety
(for example, if a student put his or her name on another student’s essay), or in part,
where chapters or extracts may be lifted from other sources without the appropriate
acknowledgements. This problem has been exacerbated by the wide amount of
information available through the Internet. Whilst the School of Management supports
the use of electronic resources as a valuable aid to the learning process, we do
encourage students to view the material in the same way as they would a paper based
book or journal and reference it accordingly. Details on how to reference material from
the Internet can be found in this handbook and on the School of Management website.
The reproduction of other people’s work through scanning, copying, cutting and
pasting without referencing the source of the information is plagiarism and will carry
severe penalties.
Sometimes plagiarism happens inadvertently, where students fail to read

instructions or do not understand the rules governing the presentation of work,
which require sources to be acknowledged. In such cases, the problem is usually
identified very early in the programme and can be put right through discussion with
academic tutors. Deliberate attempts to mislead assessors, however, are regarded
as cheating and are treated very severely by boards of examiners.
The emphasis placed on avoiding plagiarism sometimes worries students, who believe
that they will find it impossible to avoid using someone else’s words when they spend
all their time reading texts, commentaries and other academic sources and are
required to show in their work that they have studied such material. Sometimes
problems arise from poor working practices, where students muddle up their own
notes with extracts or notes taken from published sources.
In the light of all that has been said above, the question you should ask yourself about
any piece of academic work is “Will the marker be able to distinguish between my own
ideas and those that I have obtained from others?”. What markers fundamentally want
to see is that students have read widely around the subject, that the sources used
have been properly acknowledged and that the conclusions that arise from the study
are the student’s own.
The following section should help you understand what is meant by plagiarism.
What is plagiarism?
Some students are uncertain as to what constitutes plagiarism. The following section
gives some examples of both good and bad practice.
Consider the following paragraph, found on page 13 of the book Social Networks
and Organizations by Martin Kilduff and Wenpin Tsai, published by Sage in 2003.
24
In fields as different as physics, biology, linguistics, anthropology, sociology

and psychotherapy, network ideas have been repeatedly invoked over the
last hundred years. The multiple origins of network approaches for the social
sciences contribute to the eclecticism that characterizes current work.
Let’s assume that a student wishes to use this in an essay. How should this be
done?
The first three examples are of bad practice and are considered to be plagiarism.
Example 1
The student writes:

The multiple origins of network approaches for the social sciences contribute
to the eclecticism that characterizes current work.
Here the text is copied word for word. No reference is given to its source. In effect,
the student presents another person’s work as his or her own.
Example 2
The student writes:

The multiple origins of network approaches for the social sciences contribute
to the eclecticism that characterizes current work (Kilduff and Tsai, 2003)
Here the source has been cited but the student has not shown that it is a quotation
and therefore is not his or her own words.
Example 3
The student writes:

The various sources of network approaches for the social sciences contribute
to the diversity, which characterizes contemporary work.
This is an instance of what we refer to as paraphrasing - a form of plagiarism of

which students are often not aware. Paraphrasing is unacceptable because it only
involves changing words here and there in the original, so that the essence and
structure of the extract remain the same as in the original version. Again no
reference is given – however, even if one were, this kind of practice should still be
avoided.
Example 1, example 2 and example 3 are all considered to be plagiarism.
So what is correct practice? The following examples show correct referencing of the
same text.
Example 4
The student writes:
25
“The multiple origins of network approaches for the social sciences contribute to
the eclecticism that characterizes current work” (Kilduff and Tsai, 2003: 13).
Here the student has used quotation marks to show that the text is a direct quote. In
addition a full reference is given. Notice that this specifies the page of the original on
which the quotation is to be found.
Example 5
The student writes:

Network research embraces a diversity of approaches to studying social
relations. Kilduff and Tsai (2003: 13) attribute this diversity to the many
different sources of the network approach.
Here the student uses their own words to refer to the work of the authors. This is
known as an indirect quotation. However, since the student is using the idea or
concepts of other people, a reference is still required – which should ideally contain
a page number if the ideas referred to only appear in a certain section of the source
material.
To repeat:
Examples 1, 2 and 3 are considered to be plagiarism. Examples 4 and 5 show

good practice.
It is very important that you understand what constitutes plagiarism. If you have any
doubts about this, please contact your programme leader or module lecturer who
will be pleased to explain further.
The Student Learning Centre publishes a number of guides for students on plagiarism
and writing skills. You should make sure that you are familiar with their contents. They
are available at http://www.le.ac.uk/slc/clarity.html. Guidance on how to reference can
also be found in this handbook and at
http://www.le.ac.uk/ulsm/students/assignwritingguidelines.pdf (pages3-10)
Cheating in written examinations
The University assumes that students know without being told that this is dishonest,
and it therefore applies strict penalties in all written examinations at all levels. Any
student found copying from another student, talking in an examination or in possession
of unauthorized material is reported by the invigilator to the Examinations Officer, who
refers the matter to the Registrar. The standard penalty is for a mark of 0% to be given
to the examination concerned but in some circumstances, particularly in the case of a
repeat offence, the penalty could be permanent exclusion from the University. If
suspicious circumstances exist, students are usually not given the benefit of the doubt,
so the risks are enormous. The simple advice is: don’t do it.
26
Collaboration
Many modules offer students the opportunity to work together in pairs or teams. Care
should be taken to read the School of Management guidelines on how such modules
are to be assessed. If a joint or collaborative piece of coursework is requested, the
team can work together right up to the point of submission. In such circumstances,
individuals may be asked to indicate the sections of the report they contributed to, or
the assessment may be of the group itself, or there may be an additional form of
assessment, such as a presentation session, which allows for individualized grading. A
more common arrangement is where the collaborative investigation of a topic is
followed by the submission of a report from each team member, where each report is
independently produced. The outcome for assessment purposes here is intended to
reveal the intellectual abilities of the individual students, and therefore has to be
prepared by each student without the assistance of others. If you do not understand
what is required of you, ask the module lecturer or another academic tutor. Do not
guess.
Student feedback and questionnaires

The School of Management values the comments it receives from programme
members and is keen to involve all students in the process of programme appraisal.
Students are encouraged to comment on all aspects of programme provision. An
evaluation form covering each module and allowing for comments on other aspects of
the programme is therefore issued in each semester. All information on these forms is
treated in confidence, although students are encouraged to give their names if they
raise specific issues in their feedback.
27
Health and safety

Being a student in the School of Management should not be a hazardous activity
and we expect you to have an enjoyable time with few health and safety problems.
You do, however, need to be aware of the following:
University and the School of Management responsibilities
 Responsibility for maintaining a safe working environment rests with all

members of the School.
 A key aspect of our health and safety policy is the prevention of accidents, and
all staff and students must take reasonable steps to prevent accidents to
themselves and others.
 The Head of the School has overall responsibility for implementation of the
University Health and Safety Policy within the School.
Your responsibilities
 You have a duty to cooperate with any health and safety policies, including
familiarization with safety procedures in the event of fire and other emergencies.
 You have a duty not to ‘intentionally or recklessly interfere with or misuse
anything provided in the interests of health, safety or welfare’.
Reporting accidents, hazards and concerns
In the event of any of the above, whether the problem stems from causes inside the
Ken Edwards Building or elsewhere on campus, please fill in a report form which is
available from University Reception in the Fielding Johnson Building; or report it to
the School’s Safety Representative - Matt Catlow (KEB208, tel. 0116 252 5638).
All reports concerning Health and Safety will be discussed at meetings of the Steering
Committee of the School of Management.
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Section 3
The Programme
The full time MBA covers a 12-month period, with particular modules being studied
in each of two semesters, followed by the dissertation.
Each module will be normally be delivered through a weekly two-hour teaching

session. There will also be a two-hour seminar which accompanies each lecture which
is normally scheduled in the same week. You will be assigned into smaller study
groups for these seminars – details of which group you have been assigned to will be
provided in the first week. Attendance at both lectures and seminars is
compulsory. You will be expected to undertake private study and tutorial group work
in addition to your attendance at the lectures. Our expectation is that you will devote at
least an additional five hours of study time per week to each of the modules in
semesters one and two. It is therefore crucial that you manage your time carefully.
In Semesters One and Two timetabled teaching sessions and various guest lecture
sessions will run between 9.00 am and 7 pm, Mondays to Fridays during term-time.
However, teaching each day will typically end by 6.00 pm.
The dissertation provides for further specialization and gives programme members an
opportunity to undertake a rigorous piece of research over a three month period
(chiefly from the end of May to August) as well as demonstrating their communication
and presentational skills.
Absence from the University:
Please note that the only time at which programme members may be away from the
Leicester area are weekends, blank periods in the timetable or University holidays. If
you need to be away from the University during term-time it is necessary to inform the
Full Time Office in writing and request permission to be absent.
Please also note that we recommend that you spend as much time as possible on
campus during the summer vacation when the bulk of your dissertation research will
be completed, in order to receive supervision. If you have reason to believe that you
will need to be absent for any period of time, including holidays, during the vacation,
then you should discuss this with your supervisor as soon as possible.
Furthermore, if you do absent yourself during this period then the responsibility
for any effects on the progress of your dissertation are yours alone.
Moreover, students are expected to submit coursework or sit exams in order to have
been considered to have adequately completed any taught modules – so do not
imagine that it make sense to decide not to engage with any particular element of your
programme: failure to do so may jeopardise your right to resit a failed module.
29
Learning objectives
The principal objective of the MBA is to provide the developing manager with the
skills and knowledge they need to manage competently, capably and ethically. More
specifically, the programme aims to:
 provide students with a rigorous curriculum covering the main theories,

models, frameworks and techniques of a broad range of management areas
and specialisms to prepare them for a career in management and business or
for further research in the area.
 enable the study of management and organizations in an historical,

international and comparative framework, recognizing the different types,
sizes, structures and purposes of organizations and the stakeholders that
they serve.
 critically analyse and evaluate management problems and issues, covering

the external economic, political, social and technological contexts within
which organizations operate and managers work.
 enable students to critically evaluate the published literature on management

and organizations and to synthesize the range of issues and perspectives
which inform research and practice in the field.
 provide students with an appreciation of the importance of information to

business within a knowledge-based economy. This will include an identification
of appropriate methodologies for data acquisition, assessment, analysis and
dissemination.
 enable course members to integrate and apply systematically and creatively

the knowledge, approaches and methods that they have learnt to a variety of
case studies and a dissertation.
 enable course members to develop their interpersonal, communication,

decision-making and problem-solving skills, and to use these in an
imaginative and self-directed way that will allow them to identify problems,
evaluate and analyse situations, consider alternative solutions, make choices
and implement solutions.
The programme, therefore, seeks to provide an analytical, rigorous management

education, which will enable programme members to acquire a frame of reference
against which they can structure their previous experiences and improve their future
effectiveness as managers.
30
The structure and contents of the programme

What follows is a summary of the main elements of the MBA programme. Further
details can be found in the full Programme Specification, which is available at
http://www.le.ac.uk/academic/progspec/index.html.
Programme Regulations can be found at: http://www.le.ac.uk/ua/ac/Regs/index.html
Please note that the School of Management reserves the right, without notice, to
make changes to the modules (including their withdrawal), the programme structure
and the method of assessment.
Semester 1 modules
Foundations of Knowledge and Professional Skills
The UK and the University of Leicester School of Management educational cultures;
varying conceptualizations of reality (ontologies) and knowledge (epistemologies) in
management research; quantitative analysis to enable understanding of subsequent
programme material; teams and teamwork.
Accounting For Managers

Enables students to become familiar with the key financial reporting documents, the
type of information they contain and the potential users and uses of that information.
It also instils an ability to analyse and interpret the information within financial
reports in the context of the existing regulatory framework of accounting and
relevant accounting theory.
Marketing Design and Operations
In the long run, marketing success or failure is determined by the ability of the
organisation to deliver value to customers and achieve sustainable competitive
advantage in those sectors and markets in which it chooses to compete. The tools
of analysis which explain and inform such marketing design and operational
decisions are the core subjects of this module.
Organizational Behaviour
The module develops the knowledge of frameworks for the analysis of organisations
and management and the professional skills of critically evaluating organisational
processes and developing options for improvement.
Strategy, Business Information and Analysis
This module presents a number of frameworks and concepts drawn from

economics, marketing and strategy theory that will help managers to think
strategically. These frameworks will help managers understand how their
organization’s ability to create value is influenced by its environment, its position in
its value chain and its capabilities. The standard models are critically evaluated and
situated in complex and uncertain environments.
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Semester 2 modules
Business Ethics in a Global Context

The course covers a wide range of ethical theories, ranging from ethical theories in
a narrow sense, such as duty theory, virtue theory or utilitarianism to more
pragmatic ethical approaches as they can be found in the field of business studies
(such as the corporate social performance model or the stakeholder management
approach). It also demonstrates how, in an increasingly global environment, issues
of ethics are of an increasingly strategic nature for global firms.
Corporate Finance
This module seeks to enable students to understand the nature and characteristics
of the alternative sources of finance available to an organisation. It develops a
critical awareness of the theoretical and practical aspects of investment and other
financial management decisions, both inside and outside of organisations, and a n
appreciation of the theoretical and empirical considerations relevant to
understanding the behaviour of capital markets and developments in asset valuation
models.
Preparation for Dissertation (Research Methods)

(A reminder of) Ontological and epistemological assumptions underpinning
management research; the use of existing literature in management research;
formulating research questions; choosing, sampling for, designing and administering
research methods; analysing quantitative and qualitative data; research planning,
access, ethics and writing up.
Two Electives (Options)

You will choose 2 electives from a range available to you. This choice will be made
during semester 2. You are advised to choose electives which a) you think you will
enjoy and find stimulating; b) you believe you have a particular aptitude for; and c) you
believe will assist you in the career path you choose after graduation from the
programme.
The Dissertation
This is the most substantive piece of work that you will undertake during your
studies at the School of Management. The dissertation is an independent research
project, which will provide you with an opportunity to examine, in depth, a marketing
management topic of particular relevance to your interests. The dissertation will
therefore enable you to undertake a sustained investigation in an area of your
choice, as well as to demonstrate the knowledge, skills and competencies acquired
during the taught elements of the programme.
For many students this will involve diagnosing a management/ organizational/

business/ industry problem, devising and evaluating solutions and producing
realistic, acceptable recommendations for action. However, this does not preclude
the possibility of undertaking a more theoretically focused piece of work that
analyses in detail an issue in marketing thought.
32
There are several reasons for requiring you to do a dissertation as part of your Masters
course; some academic, some more practical. These are as follows:
 The dissertation process means that you will develop a much deeper
appreciation of a particular marketing subject area . Really getting to know
the issues, complexities and debates in a subject in this way is not just
beneficial academically, but should also provide a sound basis for your future
management career, because it will enable you to underpin the decisions you
make with solid intellectual reasoning and informed reflection.
 Another benefit of doing a dissertation is that it tends to require that you

relate academic theories and concepts to real world data and real world
problems. This means that you can identify any gaps between theory and
practice, and think about why these gaps might exist – is it the fault of the
theory, the practice or a combination of both?
 Independent research also demands that you are able to identify significant
issues and themes in the academic literature, as well as to analyse empirical
data in order to find the answers to your research questions. So it enhances
the information gathering, critical and analytical skills which you will have
developed via coursework and examinations.
 The completion of a dissertation will develop other transferable skills and

abilities, including verbal and written communication, negotiation, problem
solving, time management, self-motivation and creativity.
 Finally, the dissertation is the only piece of work you will do during your
course where you have total responsibility for the whole process, in the sense
that you set the questions, decide on the timetable, locate the relevant
literature, choose the methodology, gather the data and reach your own
conclusions. Although you will have guidance from your supervisor during the
process, all of the key decisions are yours and yours alone. The dissertation
is therefore a real test of your initiative!
The dissertation will be 15,000 words in length. It will be assessed on the basis of the
following criteria:
 demonstration of initiative and capacity for setting up an interesting problem

in a tractable form;
 a good understanding and application of the relevant subject literature and

pertinent research methods to the subject chosen;
 evidence of information gathering, critical, analytical and problem solving

skills; and
 demonstration of logical argumentation and clear communication throughout.
33
Tutorial groups
Programme members will be assigned to a tutorial group by the Programme Leader
during the Foundations of Knowledge and Professional Skills module. The purpose
of the tutorial group is to enable students to work together, to develop their
interpersonal skills, to share experiences and to support each other. By working in a
group, students are encouraged to collaborate and to pool a diversity of skills and
experiences.
Changes in the membership of groups are not allowed.
Each tutorial group is also assigned a tutor. The tutor is a member of the School’s
teaching staff and will oversee the development and functioning of the tutorial group.
The tutor will call a meeting of the group at the beginning and end of Semesters 1 and
2 to discuss concerns and queries within the group and their academic performance.
Attendance at these meetings is compulsory.
In addition, once these tutorial groups have been formed, they will be used by module
leaders to support the core module lectures presented in Semesters 1 and 2. Details of
these additional module tutorial classes will be given out at the start of each core
module by module leaders and, again, you will be expected to attend.
Tutorial groups are self-managed. The programme involves people from many
countries, cultures and sub-cultures. We seek to create a climate of respect for both
cultural and gender differences as well as a consideration of both similarities and
differences when it comes to management theory and practice.
Previous Masters students have found the tutorial groups to be invaluable. They are
an essential part of the programme and all students are required to participate fully.
The basic rules of tutorial groups are outlined below and reflect normal business
practice:
 all members should be punctual when arriving at group meetings;
 all members should attend group meetings; failure to attend must be
supported by an apology and a valid excuse (e.g., illness);
 all members must submit any work required by the group on time;
 all members must participate in group activities.
A group leader and deputy group leader are required in each tutorial group and are
elected by group members. The members undertaking these roles are responsible for
ensuring that their group is working as a team and that individual members comply
with the above rules.
The role of the group leader is to:

 encourage and motivate members of the tutorial group;
 liaise with the tutor to represent the tutorial group;
 develop a culture of co-operation and mutual support within the group;
 ensure an environment in which members contribute and perform to the best of
their abilities;
34
 enable an atmosphere in which difference is tolerated for the benefit of the

collective;
 establish dates for meetings and any relevant deadlines;
 allocate work equitably to group members;
 monitor the performance of individual members;
 encourage members who are not contributing equitably to the group;
 report to the tutor any members who persist in not contributing equitably.
The role of the group leader is not to:

 undertake work allocated to another member;
 cover for group members who have not performed adequately;
 take all of the responsibility for errors or poor performance by the group;
 take all of the praise for good performance;
 formally discipline members of the group.
The deputy group leader is expected to support the group leader in the performance of
their role.
In cases where group members believe that the group leader or deputy leader is
acting in a manner that exceeds their authority and which is disrupting the
performance of the tutorial group, the members should make a written representation
to the tutor.
Tutorial groups generally work well although, as is the case in a business context,
there is a protocol for dealing with those people who fail to contribute effectively.
Should any member fail to comply with the rules the following procedure should be
followed:
Stage 1
Group members sit down with the person and express concerns regarding their failure
to comply with the agreed rules. Most difficulties are resolved at this stage.
Stage 2
Should there be no improvement in the situation the group then arrange to speak to
the tutor who will determine what action to be taken.
Stage 3
Should no improvements be made, as a last resort it is possible that the Programme
Leader may decide that an individual should be removed from the group. The
implications of this expulsion are that an individual will be excluded from participating in
tutorial group exercises and may be required to submit any assessed group work in an
individual capacity.
35
Personal tutors
The group tutor is also each group member’s personal tutor. This person will be a
link between yourself and the School, they will be able to give you advice during
your programme and they are the first port of call for any general academic or
pastoral (personal) problems you might experience during your time in Leicester.
Having someone with whom you can meet up on a face-to-face basis helps with the
transition into the UK postgraduate environment. It also means that your tutor should
become a familiar face and someone who you can arrange to talk to on a one to one
basis.
One of the most important things a tutor is able to do is to listen to you. It may be
that you feel you need to talk to someone about being homesick, about problems
with your studies or your accommodation or about personal matters, which you feel
are adversely affecting your university work.
Your tutor is able to give advice on general academic matters, maybe to help talk
through your approach to studying or to advise you of one of the number of study
skills courses run by the University. They will also be able to talk through your
programme options or advise on any relevant programme regulations. You will also
find the most important information in this Handbook and on the University website
(go to http://www.le.ac.uk/academic/Regs/ and click on General Regulations for
Taught Postgraduate Degrees).
You should contact your tutor if you have been absent from the University during
term-time for a period of more than a day – perhaps because you have been ill or
there are family problems. You should ALWAYS obtain a medical certificate or other
relevant documentation in these circumstances, as this is the only way your situation
can be taken into account by the School, e.g., by the granting of extensions to
deadlines for submission of coursework or discussion of your case in Examination
Boards. Personal tutors will treat discussions you have with them as confidential.
Where individual cases are discussed at Examination Boards, these are also
confidential.
Please be aware however that if you have any issues or problems with a specific
module you should approach the module lecturer in the first instance, as they will be
able to deal with the particular content of that module. Moreover, if you have any
issues with the programme as a whole you should make an appointment to see the
Programme Leader.
It is also important to know that, although your tutor will often be your first port of
call, they are members of the teaching and research staff who are experts in their
own areas - but they are not trained counsellors or experts in accommodation,
careers, personal finance and so on. It may be that in instances of serious problems
or queries that they are unable to answer they will decide that it is best to refer you –
with your permission – to someone who is better able to help you. Nonetheless,
even if your tutor is not able to help you with your specific problem or query it is still
best to keep them informed of your circumstances and progress, since they are the
people who will ensure that any problems you face are taken into account in
36
Examination Boards, who can inform other members of staff that you have been ill
and need help to catch up, and so on.
Further, if there is any cause for concern regarding your attendance or your
performance, you will be asked to see your personal tutor. They will want to talk to
you about the reasons for any unauthorized absence or poor performance. Please
respond to their requests for meetings, as attendance is a requirement of the
University Regulations and is taken seriously by the School of Management,
including in any discussions of individual cases at Examination Board meetings.
You will also be able to ask your tutor to write references for you for potential
employers, further study etc. (also see section on references for employment or
further study in this Handbook). They are usually happy to do so, although they
expect to be asked first and to be provided with an up-to-date CV.
How do I go about seeing my tutor?
Your tutor will let you know the best way to make arrangements to see them. Many
tutors will post details of their office hours on their doors. However, you need to
remember that your tutor is also a member of the School teaching and research staff
and has many other demands on their time, so please be considerate and courteous
about arrangements to meet with them. If you have an urgent need to talk to
someone and you cannot contact your tutor or your Programme Leader, you can
contact the School’s Senior Tutor (see below), or staff at one of the other university
facilities such as the Counselling Service, Welfare Centre or Student Learning
Centre, as discussed in section 8 of this handbook and on the University website,
which has more detailed information and advice.
As already stated, you will meet with your tutor in the tutorial meeting at the
beginning and end of Semesters 1 and 2. Regular contact in between these times
with your tutor is also encouraged. Although you may sometimes think there is no
need to see them, as you have no specific problems, it is still important to develop a
relationship with your tutor through regular meetings. There are a number of
reasons for this.
First, if you do have a serious problem it is much easier to talk to a familiar face than
someone who you don’t really know. Second, again as stated above, if you have
problems, which affect your work, your tutor will be the person who will represent
you at the Examinations Board. They cannot do this effectively if you do not
communicate with them. Third, your tutor will be monitoring your progress and will
ultimately be involved in writing references for potential employers or applications for
further study so they need to know more about you than just your name on a list!
Fourth, again as we have suggested earlier, your tutor will be informed if you have
been missing classes and of any problems with your performance. Although this
may sound like a reason for avoiding your tutor, they will be seeking to find ways of
helping you – to manage your time better, to choose modules which you will find
rewarding and to get the best out of your Masters degree and your time at Leicester.
37
What happens if I really do not get on with the tutor I have been allocated?
If the relationship between yourself and your tutor has genuinely broken down, even
though you have both attempted to make the existing arrangements work, then you
have a right to request that the Programme Leader reallocates you to another
member of staff.
University of Leicester School of Management Senior Tutor
This is Jo Grady, room KEB529A, telephone 252 3500, email jkg10@le.ac.uk The
Senior Tutor has responsibility for the co-ordination and monitoring of the School’s
Personal Tutoring system. As suggested, if you urgently need to talk to someone
and your tutor or Programme Leader is away from the University, you should
arrange to see the Senior Tutor.
The University guidelines on personal tutoring

What is your personal tutor's responsibility to you?
Your personal tutor should:

 see you at least twice in the first term and once per term thereafter;
 tell you when he/ she is available for consultation by posting office hours or
by some other means, and publicize cover arrangements if they are away
from the University for any length of time;
 advise you on academic matters and your general academic progress and
act as a link between you and the University authorities;
 discuss non-academic matters with you if you so wish;
 speak on your behalf if necessary at examiners' meetings and hearings;
 provide references if required for employment or postgraduate study;
 advise you about the support available from the central services of the
University (Careers, Welfare, Counselling etc).
What is your responsibility to your personal tutor?
You should:
 familiarize yourself with the information provided by the School and the
University about your responsibilities, your programme, and facilities and
procedures generally;
 see your personal tutor when asked to do so;
 ensure that your tutor has your current address and telephone number;
 note the hours when your tutor is available for consultation and arrange visits
accordingly;
 keep your personal tutor, as well as the Full-Time Programmes Office and the
Programme Leader, informed of any plans to change modules or programme
and of any difficulties that you may be having.
38
Section 4
Assessment
Coursework and Examinations
MBA modules are assessed by a variety of methods. Details of the assessment for a
particular subject will be found in the module booklet concerned.
The following table provides basic information about how and when each module is
assessed. These module titles will all appear on your final transcript.
Module title Assessment Likely deadline/date

Semester 1
Foundations of Knowledge and 1 assignment End October
Professional Skills
Accounting for Managers 1 examination Early January
Strategy, Business Information and 1 assignment Early January
Analysis
Marketing, Design and Operations 1 examination Early-mid January
Organizational Behaviour 1 assignment Early-mid January
Semester 2
Preparation for Dissertation 1 assignment Late March
Corporate Finance 1 examination Mid-late May
Business Ethics in a Global Context 1 examination Mid-late May
Two electives (options) Depending on the Early May
module (usually
assignments)
The dissertation 15,000 word Late August
dissertation
Time management
You should check any final details for submissions with the Full Time office, but please
use the above table as a rough guide for how you should be planning your studies.
You can see that there is the potential for ‘bottlenecks’ of submission and exam dates,
so you MUST allow time to begin work on your assignments so that they do not
interfere with your exam revision – if you try to complete everything at the last minute,
you will find it very difficult to do yourself justice.
39
You will be given plenty of notice about your assignment questions (they are typically
included in the Module Outlines) so you will have no excuse not to begin work on these
during the preceding Term.
Poor time management will not be seen as a legitimate excuse to gain an
extension on a submission date, whether for an assignment or your
dissertation.
Performance criteria and grading structure

The pass mark for all coursework and examinations is 50%. The performance criteria
used to assess coursework and examinations are indicated below.
When submitting any piece of coursework or your dissertation, you are required to
attach an AGC (“Assignment Grade and Comments”) form. The AGC form is the
means by which the assessment of the work is processed, conducted and
communicated.
Two marking schemas are used when assessing a piece of work. These comprise
an ‘indicative’ and an ‘overall’ mark schema. The ‘indicative’ schema is displayed as
a table on the AGC form. A copy of the table can be seen below. When marking the
lecturer will tick the appropriate boxes in the table on the AGC form. Please note
that these ticks are provided for your benefit only and offer an appraisal of your work
across a number of key aspects of the assessment. These ticks suggest to you
areas of respective strengths and weaknesses of the piece of work being assessed.
There is no direct relationship between the ticks provided on the indicative schema
and the grade awarded: however, the indicative schema does inform the overall
grade. The grade awarded can be found at the bottom right hand corner of the AGC
form.
The indicative marking schema

Better <-------------------------------------------------------> Worse
Presentation of Presentation Presentation Presentation Presentation Presentation is
Assignment and shows a carefully and satisfactory shows an disorganized.
Clarity of polished, logically showing attempt to Purpose and
Expression coherent organized. organization organize in a meaning of
structure. Thoughts and and logical assignment is
Thoughts and ideas clearly coherence. manner. unclear and/or
ideas are clearly expressed. Language Meaning poorly
expressed. mainly fluent. apparent, but organized
Fluent academic language not
writing style. always fluent.
Attention to the Has addressed Has Has Some of the Answer fails to
Purpose of the the purpose of addressed the addressed the answer address the
Assignment the assignment purpose of the purpose of the responds to question set
comprehensivel assignment assignment the purpose of
y and coherently and the question
imaginatively with some
attempt to
demonstrate
imagination
40
Critical analysis The assignment Clear Demonstrates Limited Lacks critical

of literature/ demonstrates application of some critical evidence of analysis of
theory application of theory through analysis of critical theory. Purely
critical analysis. critical relevant analysis. descriptive.
Arguments are analysis of the theory Tendency
well integrated. topic area towards
description.
Illustrations: Appropriate Some use of Some use of A little use of Very little use.
Use of examples are examples. examples. examples. No evaluation.
examples/ fully and reliably Well Some Little
evidence integrated and integrated and integration integration
evaluated evaluated and evaluation and evaluation
attempted
Conclusions Analytical and Good Some Limited None or
clear understanding evidence of conclusions unsubstan-
conclusions well shown in the conclusion only partially tiated
grounded in summary of being grounded in conclusions
theory and arguments supported by theory/literatur
literature based in theory/ e
showing theory/ literature
reflection upon literature
key issues
The performance in these key areas is then used to inform the overall assessment.
The criteria used and their corresponding grades can be seen in the following table.
The AGC form also contains a space for more discursive, substantive comment on
the extent to which the coursework meets the overall grading criteria, which tutors
will use to expand on the indicative schema outlined above.
The overall grading structure

Grade Performance criteria
A Displays a very wide-ranging knowledge of principles, concepts and theories together
70% plus with sound analysis of issues. Demonstrates an outstanding ability to argue alternative
views in order to reach independent conclusions. Shows a thorough understanding of the
material which is critically evaluated and presented in a relevant, lucid and coherent way
with evidence fully and reliably integrated.
B+ Displays a good answer based on knowledge of principles, concepts and theories,
66-69% together with an analysis of the issues involved. Can offer a balanced argument in
reaching a conclusion. Shows understanding of material which is evaluated and
presented in a relevant way and is supported by evidence.
B 65%
B- Displays a sound knowledge of principles, concepts and some analysis of issues.
60-64% Demonstrates the ability to distinguish between differing viewpoints. Shows sound
understanding of material with some ability to evaluate and present it in a way which is
appropriate and clear, if at times lacking coherence.
C+ Displays some knowledge of principles, concepts and theories with an attempt at
56-59% providing an analysis. Demonstrates some generalized understanding and some ability to
evaluate the material which is presented, but with only partial relevance or coherence.
C 55%
C- Displays elementary knowledge of well-learned facts, but with little awareness of differing
50-54% viewpoints and limited analysis. Demonstrates some generalized understanding and
some ability to evaluate the material which is presented, but with only partial relevance or
coherence.
D Marginal fail. Contains a few relevant facts but without the development of a clear
45-49% argument, some examples without any real analysis.
E Fail. Either fails through complete misunderstanding, continuous substantial and repeated
44% and errors, uncompensated by a clear answer or, more usually, there is very little substance
41
below but simply scraps of ‘general knowledge’.

Meeting the assignment brief (word count)
The AGC form that you sign when submitting coursework (including the Dissertation)
asks you to identify a word count and reminds you that this is "to include everything
except the AGC Form, references and appendices".

Just as with any part of an assignment brief, you need to follow the advice given on
the permissible word count. For example, if your assessment brief states 3,000
words, then this is the expected word count, but note that it does NOT include the
appendices or the list of references. It is normal for staff to allow +/- 10% of the
stipulated word count when marking, but if you have any queries on what is or is
not included, or what is acceptable to include in an Appendix, then you
should direct your question to the module leader who will be happy to clarify.
PLEASE BE AWARE THAT IF YOU FAIL TO OBSERVE THE WORD GUIDANCE

YOUR WORK MAY BE PENALISED BY THE MARKER FOR FAILURE TO MEET
THE ASSESSMENT BRIEF.
PENALITIES VARY AND CAN BE AS LITTLE AS 1% OR LARGE AT 10%+

DEPENDING ON THE SEVERITY TO WHICH YOU ARE JUDGED TO HAVE
FAILED IN MEETING THE ASSESSMENT BRIEF.
Coursework deadlines
Deadlines for the submission of coursework must be honoured. Failure to submit
work on time will result in a penalty that will reduce your mark. According to the
University of Leicester Code of Practice on the Assessment of Students a penalty of
10% of the available marks for the written work will be imposed upon the expiry of
the deadline. A penalty of 5% of the available marks is then imposed on each of the
ten subsequent working days, up to a total possible deduction of 60%. ‘Available
marks’ in this context means the maximum marks available for the piece of work (for
example, 100 would be the available mark in a percentage marking scheme).
An example follows. Imagine a piece of coursework is to be marked out of 100%. It

is due to be submitted on Monday 8 December. The student fails to submit the
coursework until Thursday 11 December. It is therefore 3 working days late. The
original mark awarded for the coursework is 55%. However, a penalty of 10% for
missing the deadline plus 2 x 5% for each of the two subsequent days (failure to
hand in on Tuesday 9 December or Wednesday 10 December) is imposed, making
a total deduction of 20%. The student therefore achieves a mark of 35%, and fails
the module as a result.
42
STUDENTS WHO MISS THE TIME DEADLINE ON THE DUE DATE WILL HAVE
THE RELEVANT PENALTY APPLIED, EVEN IF THEY SUBMIT THE
COURSEWORK OR DISSERTATION ONLY MINUTES AFTER IT HAS EXPIRED.
Extensions to coursework deadlines will only be granted to those programme

members who produce a medical certificate from their doctor or who are able to
provide a legitimate reason for being unable to produce their work on time. Holidays,
journeys home, computer difficulties and late nights in the Student Union bar are not
considered to be legitimate excuses! If you feel that you have a valid reason for
requesting an extension, you must do this at least a week in advance of the
deadline. DO NOT wait until the deadline date or even worse until you submit your
late assignment as no extension will then be granted.
Extensions to programme deadlines CAN ONLY be granted by the Masters

Extensions Committee. Extensions CANNOT be granted by your module lecturers or
your Programme Leader. The Committee comprises of the various Masters
Programme Leaders and the Director of Postgraduate Studies and exists to ensure
consistency and fairness across the programmes.
Extension authorization forms can be requested from the Full-Time Programmes

Office or printed off from Blackboard. Should you have grounds for applying for an
extension you should complete one of these forms and attach any available
evidence (e.g., a medical note). You should hand this form to the Full-Time
Programmes Office and they will pass it to the Committee for approval. If approved,
the signed extension authorization form will then be returned to the Full-Time
Programmes Office, who will notify your module lecturer or dissertation supervisor
that no deductions are to be applied for late submission. The Full-Time Programmes
Office will also inform you of this decision by e-mail. If the extension is not approved,
you will again be e-mailed directly by the Full-Time Programmes Office.
PLEASE ALSO NOTE THAT, IF YOU ARE GRANTED AN EXTENSION BUT FAIL
TO MEET THE EXTENDED DEADLINE, THE DEDUCTION POLICY APPLIES
FROM THE EXTENDED DEADLINE DATE.
Mitigating circumstances
It is the responsibility of students to inform the School of any matters (whether of an
academic, personal, medical or other nature), which may be relevant to their academic
performance, and to supply substantiating evidence - for example, a medical certificate.
Such information should be submitted before the meeting of the relevant board of
examiners is due to take place.
Please also note that appeals against degree classification and appeals against
termination of programme may be disallowed if the appeal is based on mitigating
circumstances which the appeals committee believes should have been communicated
earlier to the School of Management.
Notification of ill health:
43
Students who suffer a minor illness for a period of less than seven
days are required to report this to their departments:
(a) if the illness leads to absence from classes at which attendance

is compulsory;
(b) where it might be a contributory factor in a failure to meet
course deadlines or to perform up to expectations in any
academic assignment.
Students must self-certify their illness using a standard form available

from departmental offices, and must report the illness as soon as
they are fit to do so.
Where the illness is of more than seven days’ duration or is of a non-

minor nature, medical advice should be sought and a medical
certificate submitted to the University. Students are responsible for
collecting medical certificates from the Freemen’s Common Health
Centre and supplying a copy to their department and to the Registry
(for postgraduate taught students and undergraduate students other
than MBChB students), the Medical School Office (for MBChB
students,), or the Graduate Office (for postgraduate research
students). Students registered with other general practices should
ensure that their medical certificates are similarly distributed.
The seven-day ruling is suspended by the Freemen’s Common

Health Centre during the First and Second Semester and September
resit examination periods, when it is the responsibility of students to
seek medical help as soon as possible for any ill health experienced
during, or near to, the examinations.
It is the responsibility of students who are required to produce

medical evidence of fitness to continue or resume study to acquire
such evidence by the date specified to them by the Registry, the
Graduate Office or the Board of Examiners.
Freemen’s Common Health Centre now charges the University for

providing medical certificates and reports. Students and tutors may be
asked to complete an application form before a letter is written (this
request form is submitted to Freemen’s Common Health Centre through
the Student Welfare Service for audit purposes). Other general practices
may charge for providing reports and such charges must be met by the
student concerned.
44
Submission of Coursework
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW DO NOT APPLY TO
DISSERTATIONS. SEPARATE INSTRUCTIONS FOR DISSERTATION FORMAT
WILL BE ISSUED IN THE DISSERTATION HANDBOOK, WHICH YOU WILL
RECEIVE IN SEMESTER 2.
All coursework assignments are submitted electronically using Blackboard. Hard

copy (paper) submissions will not be accepted, with the exception of the dissertation
which should be submitted in hard and soft copy.
Submission of coursework assignments is easy providing you follow some simple

steps:
1. Preparing to submit
Download an AGC (assignment grades and comments) form from the
Blackboard site.
Write your essay within the AGC form document and complete Section 1 and 3
of the AGC form. All pages should be clearly numbered. Make sure you
observe any additional instructions that your module tutors may give you about
assignment layout and format.
Save the resulting file using the following format:

(your family name_your first name_your programme_your module.doc)
e.g. (Freeman_Laura_Management_FOK.doc)
Coursework can be submitted online in a variety of formats, but we recommend

that you save your work as a Word document or pdf file.
Please note that coursework can only be submitted as a single file. If you split
your assignment into a number of shorter files (e.g. ‘pages 1-5.doc, pages 6-
10.doc), only the first file that you submit will be accepted.
2. Submitting via Blackboard/Turnitin
When your assignment is complete and you are ready to submit, log on to the
Blackboard site for your programme and go to the ‘Assignments’ area. Read the
Student Declaration and select ‘View/Complete’. You will be transferred to the
Turnitin submission system, where you should select the submission icon.
Select the file that you wish to submit using the ‘Browse’ facility, then press
‘Submit’.
45
3. Checking what you have submitted
You will be presented with a text only based version of your work to view for
checking. If you are happy that this is what you wish to submit please select
‘Yes Submit’.
Important: Please note that the University will receive the original document and
not the ‘text only’ based version.
You will receive a Paper ID number and an email via your University of Leicester
email account to confirm submission. It is your responsibility to keep a
record of this as proof that you have submitted.
Submitting your coursework through Blackboard is really very straightforward and

you will soon get used to the process. However, if you encounter any difficulties,
please contact your Programme Administrator or email ulsmSubmiss@le.ac.uk.
Some words about Turnitin

‘Turnitin’ is a plagiarism detection software package. When you submit your
assignment it will be reviewed by Turnitin. Similarities with other published sources
(and other student work) is identified and the original source provided. Each file
submitted is given a Turnitin Report Score identifying the extent to which other
sources have been replicated.
Turnitin is a useful way of alerting markers to the fact that plagiarism or poor
scholarship might have occurred. However, it is merely a tool to aid markers and is
by no means the only way in which plagiarism / poor scholarship is identified. You
are advised to take every opportunity afforded to you to familiarise yourself with how
to avoid plagiarism / poor scholarship, including reading the section on ‘Academic
Honesty’ elsewhere in this Handbook.
Failed assessments
If you fail a coursework, an examination or a dissertation – i.e., you gain less than 50%
- you have then failed the module to which it pertains. Resubmission or resit
opportunities may be available but these will depend on the original failing marks and
the number of failed assessments of each student. You will receive further information
about your assessment performance after we have marked your work at the end of
Semester One. This will include a meeting with your Personal Tutor to discuss what
you may need to do if you have failed anything.
Please note that final decisions on whether resubmission or re-sit opportunities are
offered to students will be made at the Progress Board, which will be held in the
Summer term. If you have failed any modules, you will be advised after the Board as
to whether the School will permit resubmissions or re-sits in your case, and what
form these will take. All resubmissions and re-sits will take normally place early to
mid-September. Any resubmission or re-sit which is deemed to satisfy the
46
assessment criteria is subject to a capped mark of 50% maximum, regardless of its

quality.
If you ultimately fail (i.e. after attempting any permitted resubmissions/resits) more than
two modules it is unlikely that you will be able to gain a Pass in your Masters course.
Even if you end up failing just one module, this will prevent you being eligible for a
Merit or Distinction, even if your other module mark are relatively good. The obvious
advice is therefore to ensure that you pass everything at the first attempt!
Students who fail an assignment will normally be provided with extensive written
comments on their actual piece of work and their AGC feedback form. These
comments should highlight what you would need to put right in order to get a pass. To
provide you with further guidance, within a week of you receiving your marks, the
module leader will provide a page of notes on Blackboard outlining the most common
mistakes made by students as a whole. It is usual to be asked to re-attempt the same
coursework question that was set originally, but check with the module leader to be
sure.
Students who fail an examination will not normally receive any one-to-one feedback on
their exam script – this is simply not University practice. Instead, as for assignment
failures, the module leader will, within a week of you receiving your marks, provide a
page of notes outlining the most common exam mistakes made by students as a
whole. These notes will be designed to help you better approach your revision should
you choose (or be allowed) to retake the module (see below). Clear, you will have to
take a whole new examination, but the key themes or syllabus topics are likely to be
very similar – check with the module leader.
In addition, module leaders will usually provide some guidance in the normal course of
their lectures before the examination in terms of the format of the exam and what type
of questions students can expect to encounter, and may even guide you through a
sample question if appropriate. However, you should NOT expect them to tell you
exactly what to revise in advance. That is up to you to decide, based on past papers
(available via Blackboard) and any informal hints you may pick up during lectures.
There naturally has to be an element of the unknown in any exam, and students at
Masters level should be able to ‘think on their feet’. If in doubt, make sure you revise
your entire module syllabus!
Students who fail their dissertation will normally be given one more opportunity to
resubmit, typically with a deadline of the following January. This means that you
would not be able to graduate with your fellow students - thus you really should not
assume that you can slow down at the end of the taught elements of the course and
coast through your dissertation, as the consequences of failing it are even more
serious than failing a taught module.
Moreover, please note that while you may be given the right to resubmit a failed
dissertation, this does NOT mean you have a right to re-supervision. Thus your
original dissertation supervisor (see Section 3) will be happy to offer brief
clarification should you need it, but the feedback on the AGC should be enough for
you to identify the key problems that must be remedied – it will be up to YOU to
address them.
47
Assessment feedback times

The processing and marking of coursework and examinations is a time consuming
activity, especially since all assessed work is first marked by the module lecturer and
then a sample second marked by another member of the School’s academic staff to
ensure consistency and fairness. All failed assignments are automatically second
marked.
We endeavour to make grades available to students 4 weeks after the deadline for the
coursework or the date of the examination. Due to the need to maintain quality
standards in the marking of student work, this period may sometimes be extended;
and if there are suspicions of plagiarism then the marking process could also take
longer.
You will be notified by e-mail when grades are available. The e-mail message will also
inform you of the procedure for collecting the grades.
External Examiners
Final assessment of programme members’ written work is undertaken by the
Examination Board, which will normally be held in November. This consists of both the
internal examiners and external examiners. External examiners are authorities in
relevant academic disciplines, who are appointed by the University of Leicester for a
period of 3 years. The function of the external examiner is to ensure that standards are
consistent across universities.
The Examination Board has the right to scrutinize all programme materials,
coursework assignments, examination scripts, dissertations and other information
relevant to the assessment of a programme member’s performance. The Examination
Board makes recommendations to the Board of the Faculty of the Social Sciences for
the award of the MBA. The Faculty of the Board of the Social Sciences is the awarding
body whose recommendations are subject to confirmation by the University Senate.
Asking for your work to be re-marked

Sometimes you may get a mark which disappoints you since you really believe that
you did your best with an assignment or exam. When this happens, some students
are so upset that they think that they are allowed ask for their original work to be
reassessed – but this is highly irregular. It is important that you appreciate that,
as indicated in Section 10 of this handbook, STUDENTS HAVE NO RIGHT OF
APPEAL ON ACADEMIC GROUNDS. Instead you should make sure you
understand clearly the reasons for your failure (see above for how to do this) and
then plan to resit or resubmit accordingly.
48
This is because WE ARE CONFIDENT OF THE QUALITY STANDARDS ON OUR

PROGRAMMES AS ALL OUR MODULES ARE RIGOROUSLY FIRST MARKED,
AND A SAMPLE OF SCRIPTS SECOND MARKED INTERNALLY, BEFORE BEING
SCRUTINISED BY AN EXTERNAL EXAMINER. Under exceptional circumstance,
there is a slight chance that a third marker, at the behest of the External Examiner,
may be asked to revisit a module mark at the Final Exam Board in November, but of
course this could means that your original mark could go DOWN as well as up!
There is, nevertheless, an administrative procedure by which students can appeal.

This chiefly involves you being able to prove that there was some sort of procedural
flaw/mistake in the running of the module or the marking process. You should see
Section 10 of this Handbook about how to do this. But please note that there is NO
POINT you doing so if your appeal is based on questioning our academic judgement
- it will simply be thrown out.
In other words, you really do have to accept the original mark that has been
awarded to you unless you have very clear, NON-ACADEMIC reasons that you can
cite as worthy of consideration.
49
Section 5
Staff/Student Committees
Student Committee
As suggested earlier, each tutorial group will nominate a leader and these group
leaders will act as the student committee. This committee will be responsible for
collecting and representing the views of the MBA programme members and for
overseeing the activities of the social committee, if one is established. The student
committee will nominate 2 of their members to represent the students on the PG staff/
student committee for the programme.
Staff/ student committee

PG Masters staff/student committees will sit for each of the taught Masters
programmes. They provide an important vehicle for formal feedback. It is a forum in
which matters of mutual concern to staff and students can be discussed. The
membership of this committee will be 2 student representatives for the MBA, the
Programme Leader, the Programme Administrator, and the Module Leaders for each
semester. The Director of Studies for Postgraduate Programmes may also attend.
The student members of the staff/student committee are responsible for:
 Attending each meeting
 Asking the student committee to identify areas of concern that need to be raised
at each meeting. It would be useful to show student committee members the
agenda items and also ask if there are additional agenda items they would like
to put forward.
 Taking the minutes of the meeting and circulating these to student committee
members to ensure dissemination to tutorial group members.
The staff/ student committee will meet twice during the academic year, once in the first
semester and once in the second semester.
The Programme Social Committee

The student committee, once formed, is asked to discuss the possibility of forming an
MBA Programme Social Committee. This committee would be responsible for
organizing social events for students on the programme. In previous years this social
committee has organized events such as go-karting, staff/ student football games,
international theme parties, Graduation Balls, Valentine Balls, trips to clubs and places
of local interest. Assistance is available from the School of Management in this regard –
contact the Programme Leader for further information.
50
Alumni Association
The School of Management has an Alumni Association which you are eligible to join
on successful completion of your degree. With over 20,000 graduates in more than
80 countries, our Alumni Association offers unparalleled opportunities for global
networking. Each year the Association holds a number of local events and lecture
series across the globe. The opportunity to join the Association will be made
available to you after the submission of your dissertations, and the subsequent
successful completion of your degree.
Programme yearbooks
The School of Management can offer assistance to students who wish to produce a
yearbook for their cohort. Yearbooks typically contain contact details and
photographs of all the students on your programme, and are used as a record of
your time at Leicester, and to help you keep in touch with each other. Of course,
they can contain much more than this, if you wish. Constructing a yearbook is
usually a team effort, and we would suggest that the student committee for your
programme consider whether and how they (and/ or other programme members)
might work on a yearbook project.
51
Section 6
Additional Information
The MBA award
You require a total of 180 credits to be awarded a Masters degree and each of your
taught modules (with the exception of Foundations of Professional Knowledge and
Skills and Preparation for Dissertation, which are non-credit bearing formative
modules) constitutes 15 credits. The dissertation constitutes a further 60 credits.
The MBA, which successful candidates will be awarded, is classified as distinction,

merit, or pass or fail. The assessment conventions that apply to your programme that
are used to determine your award and its classification are as follows:
Masters Degree
To be awarded a master’s degree (i.e. a Pass) a candidate must:
(i) obtain at least 90 credits at 50% or above in the taught modules and no
more than 15 credits below 40%;
(ii) have satisfactorily completed all coursework requirements in the taught
modules; and
(iii) achieved a mark of 50% or above in the dissertation.
To be awarded a master’s degree with Merit a candidate must:

(i) obtain at least 60 credits at 60% or more in the taught modules;
(ii) achieve a mark of 60% or above for the dissertation; and
(iii) have no fail marks
To be awarded a master’s degree with Distinction a candidate must:

(i) obtain at least 90 credits at 70% or above in the taught modules and a
mark of 60% or above in the dissertation; or
(ii) obtain at least 60 credits at 70% or above in the taught modules and a
mark of at least 70% in the dissertation; and
(iii) have no fail marks.
Whether or not your award can be made with distinction or merit will in most cases
only become apparent after completion and marking of your dissertation.
If, at the completion of your programme, you have insufficient credits to enable you
to be awarded a Masters degree, you may still qualify for the award of Postgraduate
Diploma for which a total of 120 credits are required. Credits for the award of
Postgraduate Diploma MUST be derived from only the taught part of the
programme. Credits deriving from the dissertation element are not normally
considerable for the award of the Postgraduate Diploma. This award is made on the
basis of the following conventions:
52
Postgraduate Diploma
To be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma a candidate must:
(i) obtain at least 90 credits at 50% or above with no more than 15 credits
below 40%; and
(ii) have satisfactorily completed all coursework requirements
To be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma with merit a candidate must:

(i) obtain at least 60 credits or more at 60% or above; and
(ii) have no fail marks.
To be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma with distinction a candidate must:

(i) obtain at least 90 credits or more at 70% or above; and
(ii) have no fail marks.
If, at the completion of your programme, you have insufficient credits to enable you
to be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma, you may still qualify for the award of
Postgraduate Certificate for which a total of 60 credits are required. Credits for the
award of Postgraduate Certificate MUST be derived from only the taught part of the
programme. Credits deriving from the dissertation element are not normally
considerable for the award of the Postgraduate Certificate. This award is made on
the basis of the following conventions:
Postgraduate Certificate
To be awarded a Postgraduate Certificate a candidate must:
(i) obtain at least 45 credits at 50% or more in the taught modules and no
marks less than 40%; and
(ii) have satisfactorily completed all coursework requirements.
In normal circumstances candidates will be allowed to be reassessed in up to 60 credits

of the taught programme, at the discretion of a progress board that will meet in the
summer. Those candidates who fail their dissertation will also, under normal
circumstances, be allowed to be reassessed. No student shall be reassessed more
than once in one module. The mark obtained for resubmitted work or a re-sit is capped
at 50%.
A full transcript and programme syllabus indicating overall grades will be provided at the
end of the award process.
53
Counselling
It is worth emphasizing again how important it is for you to discuss any problems
that you might be having with us as early as possible. It is much easier for us to help
if we know about a problem in its initial stages. Although we are fully aware that
some problems are highly sensitive, you can be assured of our discretion at all times
and that we will only ask for personal information, or share information about you
with colleagues, if we need to. Please therefore keep us informed of any difficulties
that you experience.
Academic problems – i.e., relating to academic matters such as difficulty

understanding the material in a particular module. In the first instance,
programme members must discuss their problems with the lecturer who is
responsible for the module. If a satisfactory conclusion cannot be reached, you
should next contact the MSc Marketing Programme Leader who will try to
resolve the problem and decide whether or not the Head of the School of
Management needs to be involved in the discussions.
Personal problems – i.e., matters relating to your accommodation, finances,

health, family, other relationships etc., which might affect your studies. In the
case of each category of problem programme members should consult their
personal tutor in the first instance, from whom they can be assured of obtaining
effective and, if necessary, confidential advice.
Administrative problems - if you have a problem, which is of an administrative

rather than an academic nature (e.g., regarding the provision of letters stating
that you are a full time student at the University), you should contact James
Boyd, Full-Time Programmes Administration team leader, who will try to resolve
it for you. If the problem cannot be resolved locally, you may be referred to the
University’s Graduate Office in the Fielding Johnson Building. If you feel that a
satisfactory resolution of the problem has not been provided through these
means, then you should contact your Programme Leader or the Academic
Administration Manager.
REMEMBER - if you want to discuss problems with anyone in the School of

Management, do make a prior appointment, either by e-mail or telephone. If you need
to talk to James Boyd in the Full-Time Programmes Office, then visit the office during
their opening hours or contact James by e-mail or telephone.
References for employment or further study

The School of Management is pleased to provide references for employment or further
study for current programme members and graduates and to supply evidence of
modules taken and passed where appropriate. The co-operation of students in
observing the following points will assist teaching staff and secretaries:
54
(i) A programme syllabus will be provided with your final transcript, which is
produced after the completion of the programme and the final examination
board in November. One copy per student only will be provided.
(ii) Some employers/ professional bodies require more information about modules
than can be given in programme handbooks like this one. Students are,
therefore, advised to retain the detailed outlines and reading lists from their
modules.
(iii) References for students are normally provided by the teaching staff. Staff
expect to be asked, as we have stated earlier, whether they may be used as
referees by students and to be provided with brief details of the post or course
being applied for. Staff will not give references if their names are used without
permission. Again as we have already said, your personal tutor is the
individual you should approach for references.
Should you require a member of staff to provide a reference after you have graduated
from Leicester, you should send a written request to the School of Management
outlining your activities since graduation.
55
Section 7
School of Management Services

Available to Programme Members
Emergencies
You may be contacted via the Full-Time Programmes Office in the event of us being
notified of an emergency, such as a family illness. The information that you should give
to others in order that they can get in touch with the Full-Time Programmes Office if
necessary3 is as follows:
James Boyd, programme administrator 0116 252 3952

(from outside the UK, dial
+44 116 252 3952)
email: ulsmmbaft@le.ac.uk
School of Management fax number 0116 252 3949

(from outside the UK, dial
+44 116 252 3949)
School of Management website http://www.le.ac.uk/ulsm
We might also need to contact you quickly in the event of unavoidable programme
changes. Please therefore, keep the Full-Time Programmes Office informed of your
local Leicester address and telephone number and your home address and telephone
number, if these are different and notify staff of any changes immediately. Any change
in the contact details should also be notified to the Registry. NB it is the responsibility
of programme members to inform the Registry of changes in your address.
Notice boards
The MBA student notice board is situated above the student pigeonholes on the fifth
floor in the Ken Edwards Building, adjacent to the lift. This notice board contains
important information and should be checked regularly. Other notice boards in the
ULSM contain general information about internal and external events and activities.
The notice board opposite KEB517 contains current research information and
academic items of interest.
3
Please be aware, however, that relatives and friends should only make use of these contact details if there is a genuine
emergency and they cannot contact you any other way.
56
Blackboard
Blackboard is a Virtual Learning Environment, and provides a central point of access
to items such as course information and module materials. It also acts as an online
notice board, allowing staff to communicate information to students in a simple and
easily accessible fashion.
You will be able to access the Blackboard for your course by going to
https://blackboard.le.ac.uk/.
You should ensure that you check the announcements on Blackboard regularly.
Telephones
Programme members do not have access to telephones in the School of
Management. An internal telephone is located at the Reception Desk at the entrance
to the Ken Edwards Building, Level 2. A payphone for outgoing calls is situated close
by.
Fax
Outgoing
In the case of an emergency only, a fax facility is available to programme members.
This service is operated on a sliding scale of costs depending on where the fax is
being sent and how long it is. Faxes may be handed into the Full-Time Programmes
Office for onward transmission. Please pay at the time you send your fax.
Incoming
Incoming faxes addressed to programme members will be placed in the student
pigeon holes for collection. It is not the responsibility of ULSM staff to notify students of
incoming faxes. Regular checks on the pigeon holes are therefore recommended.
Please also be aware that faxes for students should only be sent to the School of
Management if there is no other legitimate method of communication.
E-mail
Each programme member will be allocated an e-mail address by the University
Computer Centre. Please check this e-mail account regularly, as it will be used by
academic and administrative staff to contact you throughout your MSc Marketing
studies.
Photocopying
Photocopying facilities are available in the Library on the ground floor and lower
ground floor. A small charge is made for each copy and programme members may
purchase photocopying cards from the issue desk and from the machines provided in
the Library.
57
There are no photocopying facilities for programme members in the School of

Management.
Mail
There are pigeonholes on the 5th floor of the Ken Edwards Building, under the notice
boards, for incoming mail for the School of Management students, both internal and
external. Programme members should check these daily as important communications
may otherwise be delayed. The pigeonholes are arranged in alphabetical order of
student family name. Mail addressed to programme members in the School of
Management should be sent to the following address:
Your name
MBA Student: full time
School of Management
University of Leicester
Ken Edwards Building
University Road
Leicester LE1 7RH
UK
Please note that you should use your home address in Leicester for the bulk of your
personal mail, and that the address above should not be used by others to write to you
unless there is no viable alternative.
58
Section 8
University Facilities
Student ID card
Your student ID card, which you will receive shortly after registering for your degree
programme, gives you access to a number of University facilities, including the
Library and the Sports Hall. The card is valid for the duration of your degree
programme.
Library Services
University Library
The University Library is a significant research library. It comprises the David Wilson
Library, an award winning building at the heart of the campus, and the specialist
Clinical Sciences Library at the local hospital.
The inspirational David Wilson Library building was opened by HM The Queen in
April 2008. The building, contemporary in design, combines state-of-the-art
technology with the strengths of a traditional research library and over 1,500 study
places, with Wi-Fi available throughout. Opening hours are generous, including
extended vacation opening to cater for postgraduate students.
The Library provides access to over a million printed volumes and a wide range of
electronic journals and information resources; using them effectively will make a key
contribution to success in your studies. These resources supplement any core texts
which you may need to own.
Leicester Digital Library

http://www.le.ac.uk/library/digital
Leicester has significant electronic collections. We subscribe to over 18,000
electronic journals and an increasing number of electronic books. The majority of
these resources are available off campus.
David Wilson Library Graduate School Reading Room & Media Zoo
The Graduate School Reading Room in the David Wilson Library is exclusive to
postgraduates and University staff. It offers a variety of study spaces from silent
study to informal space, and group study rooms that can be booked only by
postgraduate students.
The Graduate Media Zoo in the Graduate School Reading Room provides a ‘safe’
environment for you to learn about and experiment with the ‘technological wildlife’
available in Higher Education. The Media Zoo offers the opportunity to handle and
see the potential of new devices such as eBook Readers, and take a tour around the
3D virtual world of Second Life.
59
Support for distance learning and part-time research students

The University Library places special emphasis on support for distance-learning and
part-time research post-graduates who cannot always visit the Library in person.
Services include postal loans for books and arranging access to local libraries.
Special Collections
The David Wilson Library includes the Kirby & West Special Collections suite. This
state of the art facility houses many fine collections both medieval and modern.
These resources can provide students with dissertation options.
Specialist support for researching your subject area

The Library has Information Librarians for each subject area. They may be
contacted by email, phone or in person. You may find it particularly useful to contact
them when beginning a piece of extended project work or dissertation.
Using the Library

Entrance to the libraries requires a Student ID/University Library card which is issued
as part of registration. To make full use of the Library Catalogue you need a Library
PIN, which is sent to your University of Leicester email address. For security
reasons your card and PIN should not be shared with anyone. Your CFS username
and password, which you get when you register, is needed to access the Digital
Library off campus. For more details please visit
http://www.le.ac.uk/li/digital/accessoffcampushelp.htm
Library Regulations
The Library is a shared service for all members of the University and, as such, some
rules need to be respected when using it. Please note that as a registered student
Senate’s Library Regulations apply to you; these can be found at
www.le.ac.uk/li/about/regulations.html. The Librarian, or any person nominated by
the Librarian, can apply sanctions, or levy a fine on any user who breaks these
regulations. Please visit:
http://www.le.ac.uk/li/about/policies.html for current charges and other fees.
We look forward to seeing you in the Library.
Contact Details
Web site: www.le.ac.uk/library
David Wilson Library:

email: library@le.ac.uk
Tel: (0116) 252 2043
Clinical Sciences Library:

Email: clinlib@le.ac.uk
Tel: (0116) 252 3104
60
IT Services
Support for the University’s central computing services is provided by staff in IT
Services. The computing service used by most students is referred to as the CFS
service and it makes use of Microsoft’s Windows operating system to provide access
to the Microsoft Office suite of programmes and other software that will help you with
your studies.
Computer Accounts: When you complete your online University registration you
will be issued with an email address and a username for accessing the CFS service.
The University Website: Staff in IT Services manage the systems that provide
information on the University Website. The CFS service has Internet Explorer and
when a student runs this browser on campus the University’s internal home page for
students is displayed. Content is mainly provided by University staff and many
departments will use this service to disseminate information.
Regulations of Use: Students must abide by Senate’s Regulations Concerning the

Use of Computing Services. These regulations, which are available on the University
website, state that ‘The staff of the University will at all times have authority to
maintain good order in the use of the University's computing facilities and may
suspend or exclude from their use any person who breaks these Regulations.’
Access to Computers: Most of our teaching buildings have Student PC Areas

where there are PCs you can use and some of these rooms have overnight and
week-end access. There are also several Student PC Areas in the David Wilson
Library. NOTE: The University expects students to use the PCs in Student PC Areas
for legitimate academic purposes only and with consideration for others’ needs.
Resources Protected by Athens: The University subscribes to a number of

database services which are protected by Athens. To obtain access to these
resources you must use your CFS username. NOTE: Support for these external
services is provided by staff in the David Wilson Library.
Remote Access to University Email: You can use the Outlook Web Access service
to obtain secure access to your University email from anywhere in the world. A web
browser is required and the address for this service is http://webmail.le.ac.uk/ NOTE:
Your CFS username and password will be requested.
Wireless Network Service: The Wireless Network service is freely available to all
members of the University and provides Internet web browsing and access to your
University email and filestore. You can also access Blackboard, the University's
Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), and if registered you can obtain access to the
ULTRA service which runs Linux. NOTE: Your laptop must be suitably configured to
connect to the Wireless Network service.
Halls of Residence Network: Facilities for internet access are available in all of the
study rooms in University accommodation. This residential network, which is
61
provided by a commercial ISP, can be used to access the University’s central

computing services.
Printing Facilities: Registered students may use the printers in our Student PC
Areas. The costs of printing are automatically debited from your ‘Print and Copy’
account which is created when you register for a computer account. For more
information about the printing facilities available please visit the IT Services website
(see below).
IT Support: If you are on campus and have an IT related problem or query you can
visit the Help Zone in the David Wilson Library. This is a combined Library and IT
Services one-stop-shop for help and support. You can also contact the IT Service
Desk (email: ithelp@le.ac.uk or tel: 0116 252 2253) or your department may have
computer support staff who can offer you help.
ITS Website: For more information about the services and IT support available
please visit the IT Services website at http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/itservices
Contact Details
IT Service Desk
Open: Monday to Friday, 9:00 - 17:00
Tel: 0116-252-2253
Email: ithelp@le.ac.uk
University Bookshop
The Bookshop is owned and managed by the University. Established in 1958 the
bookshop moved to new premises on the ground floor of the David Wilson Library in
April 2008.
All prescribed and recommended texts are kept in stock, so that students can rely on
the Bookshop to supply all the books that they are encouraged to buy in the course
of their studies. A wide range of paperbacks and books of general interest are also
kept in stock. Any book not in stock can be quickly provided to order.
Maps, greeting cards, and a wide range of stationery items are stocked as well as
University of Leicester branded merchandise including an ever changing range of
clothing.
The opening hours are as follows:
Monday to Friday 9.00 a.m. - 5.30 p.m. (during term-time)

Monday to Friday 9.00 a.m. - 5.00 p.m. (during vacation)
Saturdays 9.00 a.m. - 12.30 p.m. (all year)
The Bookshop is open to the general public as well as to all students. In addition to
accepting payment in cash, by cheque, Visa, Mastercard and Maestro, there is a
62
mechanism by which money may be deposited with the bookshop by parents or

friends and later used to purchase books and stationery.
Contact details:
Telephone: 0116 229 7440
E-mail: bookshop@le.ac.uk
University Regulations
Comprehensive details of the University Regulations are provided in the University of
Leicester Handbook and Regulations for Taught Postgraduate Students which is, as
we have stated, given to you upon registration with the Graduate Office and can also
be downloaded from the University intranet (go to
http://www.le.ac.uk/academic/Regs/index.html and click on General Regulations for
Taught Postgraduate Degrees). Programme members are encouraged to read the
Regulations carefully and to clarify any areas of concern or ambiguity at an early date.
Some of the areas covered in the Postgraduate Regulations include:
 Statement on harassment and discrimination

 Regulations concerning residential accommodation
 Library regulations
 Regulations concerning the use of University computing services
 Regulations concerning the freedom of speech
 Code of Student Discipline
 Examinations regulations
 Parking regulations
 Regulations governing the Students’ Union
 Appeals procedures
 Data Protection Act
 Payment of fees
 Internet Code of Practice
Candidates studying in the School of Management should pay particular attention to

the following regulations:
All students are issued at registration with a weblink to the

University’s General Regulations. This is an important document
which should be read carefully and retained until the end of your
course. You are asked to note in particular that the General
Regulations Concerning Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught
Students at the beginning of the document cover some important
matters which are summarised below:
Attendance: Attendance is an essential requirement for a first

degree or taught postgraduate programme. Full-time students must
reside in Leicester or within easy commuting distance of the city for
63
the duration of each term, and all students are normally required to
attend such lectures, seminars, practicals and other formal classes
as are specified in their course timetables.
Departments are empowered to authorise short absences for

personal reasons, but requests for absences of more than one week
must be explicitly approved by the University, and will only be
granted if the department is in agreement with the proposal, and if
the student concerned takes full responsibility for the completion of
outstanding academic work. This procedure also applies if the
absence is required for religious reasons, but as students are
required to notify the Registry at the beginning of each academic
year if there are likely to be religious reasons for any absence during
that year, academic departments and administrative offices are
expected to utilise this information pro-actively, so that any specific
religious needs can be anticipated, and where practicable, met.
Personal conduct: The University expects students to conduct

themselves with propriety, both in and around the University
buildings and also in public places.
Term-time employment (full-time students): Paid employment

during term-time should not exceed 15 hours per week. Such part-
time work will not be accepted as a mitigating circumstance to
excuse absence from classes, late submission of work, or
examination failure.
Examinations: Examinations are normally scheduled utilising two

periods a day for the First Semester examinations (9.30 a.m. and
2.30 p.m.), and two slots a day for the Second Semester
examinations (9.30 a.m. and 2.30 p.m.). Examinations are held on
six days a week, Monday to Saturday, and special arrangements
cannot be made to accommodate students’ personal preferences,
unless these arise from specific religious requirements identified by
the student at the commencement of the academic year, or are
associated with approved measures to support students with
disabilities. Students with disabilities who require special
examination arrangements should contact the AccessAbility Centre.
The extent to which the timetabling of examinations can be adapted

to meet the specific religious requirements of individual students will
vary from case to case, but the University will make such alternative
arrangements as are in its power, subject to the overriding
requirements that the examinations must be scheduled within the
published examination periods, and that alternative arrangements
introduced for individual students must not disadvantage the
majority. Students making requests for special treatment on
religious grounds should recognise that measures designed to meet
their needs might therefore involve an unavoidable element of
64
inconvenience (for example, the requirement to remain

incommunicado for a period of time).
Neglect of academic obligations: Unsatisfactory attendance, work

and progress may lead to termination of course. Students are
advised to take note of the attendance and submission requirements
for their individual course as provided by the department.
Students who are neglectful of their academic obligations by failing

to attend teaching sessions and/or submit the required assessments
will be warned by their department and, if their performance does
not improve, may be issued with a formal warning by the University.
Unsatisfactory attendance, work and progress may result in a
student losing their right to re-sit failed assessments, or in some
circumstances, termination of course.
Withdrawal: Students, who wish to withdraw from the University,

either temporarily or permanently, should consult their personal tutor
and/or other members of the academic staff, and where applicable,
seek advice from Student Development and/or Student Welfare
Service. A guidance leaflet on withdrawal and an application form
are obtainable from the Reception Desk in the Fielding Johnson
Building. Requests for temporary withdrawal and associated
conditions of re-entry require the approval of the University.
Important additional information for Tier 4

international students
Integral to the Tier 4 visa system, both you the student and the University of
Leicester are legally obliged by the UK Border Agency to meet certain requirements.
It is therefore very important that you read the sections below and follow the correct
procedure as instructed.
 Absence (through Illness or for any other reason)

In addition to the attendance regulations outlined above, International (non EU)
students will be required to attend two check points during each year of their course
of study. Attendance at these check points will be monitored and where attendance
is not met this will be reported to the UK Border Agency.
 Withdrawal, (whether permanent or temporary)

It is very important you ensure that should any reasons or difficulties arise which will
affect your ability to attend your course that you stay in contact with (the
department /Personal Tutor/Dept Administrator) to keep them updated on your
situation.
Please note: Failure to follow procedures and meet these requirements could put
your immigration status at risk.
65
You may also wish to take advice from the International Welfare Office about your
immigration status.
Student Support and Development Service (SSDS)

The Student Support and Development Service (SSDS) provides development and
support services in the following areas:
Learning and Career Development

Student Development
Whether it’s developing the skills you need to succeed on your

course, or in your life beyond university, Student Development is
here to support and facilitate your academic, professional and
personal development.
Visit the Student Development Zone in the David Wilson Library to

access our extensive range of resources: we have over 50 different
study guide titles and 20 career development guides, so whether it’s
writing better essays or building a CV, instant advice is available to
take away. You can also access these resources from our website
along with a range of online resources such as interactive study
skills tutorials and videos on developing your career prospects.
One-to-one advice is available via study consultations, research

consultations, maths help and careers consultations. You can see
our advisors face-to-face in the Student Development Zone or use
our website to find out how to access our services remotely. Every
term, we have a busy programme of interactive workshops covering
a diverse range of topics. Our learning development titles range
from avoiding plagiarism to improving your essay writing, to giving
effective presentations. Career development titles cover all the
essential areas such as CV writing, job searching, application forms
and interview skills.
Student Development provides lots of opportunities for you to

develop your employability skills whilst at University. We maintain
strong links with employers and advertise their vacancies and work
experience opportunities through JOBSonline (on our website). We
have a busy programme of employer-led events, from skills
workshops to careers fairs, and we organise numerous opportunities
for you to make the most of your time at University. Choose from a
wide range of volunteering opportunities, work placement schemes
and enterprise activities, or take an accredited programme and gain
66
a Leicester Award in Employability skills.
Research postgraduates are catered for with resources, events and

training specific to their needs: from Starting your PhD workshops to
University-wide events such as the Annual Festival of Postgraduate
Research.
To find out more about how Student Development can enhance your
success at university and beyond, visit our website.
Contact: Student Development, Student Development Zone,

Second Floor, David Wilson Library
Telephone: 0116 252 5090
Email: sdzhelpdesk@le.ac.uk
Website: www.le.ac.uk/studentdevelopment
AccessAbility Centre
The Centre offers a range of services to all University of Leicester

students who have specific learning difficulties, such as dyslexia,
disabilities or long-term conditions. Staff offer one-to-one support,
assessment of dyslexia, the co-ordination of alternative examination
arrangements and assistance with applications for the Disabled
Students' Allowance. The open access Centre acts as a resource
base for students and staff and is a relaxed place for students to
work. Its computers are equipped with specialised software for
speech output (essay planning software and basic speech output
software are on the University wide CFS network). Low-level
photocopying, printing and scanning facilities are also available. The
Centre welcomes self-referrals as well as referrals from academic
staff.
Contact: AccessAbility Centre, AccessAbility Zone, David Wilson

Library.
Tel/minicom: 0116 252 5002,
Fax: 0116 252 5513,
Email: accessable@le.ac.uk,
Website: http://www.le.ac.uk/accessability/
Practical matters
Student Welfare Service
The Student Welfare Centre offers wide ranging support for

students. Practical advice and information is available on a wide
range of issues.
67
Financial advice is offered, with information on budgeting and DSS

benefits. Students can apply for hardship grants and loans through
the Service; Welfare staff can assist with applications to charities
and trusts.
For international students, the Student Welfare Service runs various

Welcome programmes throughout the year. Information is provided
on specific hardship funds, advice is given on immigration. Students
are advised to renew their visas through the scheme provided by
Student Welfare. The Service also co-ordinates HOST visits to
British families and hospitality visits to local families in Leicester.
International students with children may be eligible for help with
childcare costs, which are claimed through the Service.
Welfare Officers can provide materials on health-related issues

including alcohol and drugs, meningitis, pregnancy testing, and
sexual health.
The Student Welfare Service co-ordinates pastoral care for students

living in University residences; the Service recruits and trains the
Sub-Wardens and Resident Advisors who provide this support.
Postgraduate and mature students are invited to apply for these
positions; information and application forms are available on the
website. The Service also works closely with the local community to
intervene in disputes with neighbours and to improve living
conditions for those students who choose private rented
accommodation.
A legal advice clinic is held in conjunction with the School of Law.
Contact: Student Welfare Service, 1 st Floor Percy Gee Building.

Telephone: 0116 223 1185
Fax: 0116 223 1196
Email: welfare@le.ac.uk
Website: http://www.le.ac.uk/welfare
Counselling, Health and Wellbeing

Student Counselling Service
The Student Counselling Service provides free and confidential

services to all students. Students seek out the Service for a variety
of reasons, ranging from difficulties with adjusting to University life,
or family/relationship concerns, to stress, depression, anxiety or
related issues. Counselling services are short-term. While some
students see a counsellor just once or twice, others may go and see
them regularly over a period of several weeks. Students who are
having difficulties are encouraged to talk them through with a
68
counsellor. This can sometimes prevent them turning into major

problems - so if in doubt, go and see them!
Contact: Student Counselling Service, 161 Welford Road (behind the
Freemen’s Common Health Centre)
Office hours: 10.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m. Monday and Thursday;
10.00a.m. to 5.00p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.
Appointments can be made by telephone, email, or call in and speak
to a receptionist in person.
Telephone: 0116 223 1780.
E-mail: counselling@le.ac.uk
Website: http://www.le.ac.uk/counselling/
Student Support (mental wellbeing)
This discreet and confidential service offers one-to-one support to

students managing mental health issues at university. The aim of
the service is to assist students to lessen the impact these might
have on their studies. If required, the service can co-ordinate a
network of support from those available both at the University and in
the wider community. It will also, with the students’ permission,
liaise on their behalf with their Departments or other parts of the
University.
Students are welcome to make contact with the service at any point
in their course. Pre-entry contact is also encouraged, from
prospective students who wish to discuss any support they may
require on course. An appointment to meet with an adviser can be
made by telephone, letter or email.
The service also provides advice and information to members of the

university community who have general concerns about mental
health issues.
Contact: Student Support (mental wellbeing), 161 Welford Road

(behind the Freemen’s Common Health Centre)
Telephone: 0116 252 2283
Email: mentalhealth@le.ac.uk
Website: www.le.ac.uk/mentalhealth
Student Healthy Living Service
The Student Healthy Living Service strives to help students enjoy a

balanced life; the service helps individuals to identify an approach to
life which can improve their wellbeing, enhance study and reach
their full potential. The service is committed to the delivery of health
and wellbeing activities that support students in developing life skills.
As well as supporting academic achievement, these skills are
69
transferable and should prove beneficial through the transition from

University to the demands of employment and graduate careers.
The Student Healthy Living Service works closely with the
Freemen’s Common Health Centre and also provides direction to
appropriate health care services. More information can be found on
the Healthy Living Service website.
Contact: The Student Healthy Living Service, 161 Welford Road

(above Freeman’s Common Health Centre)
Telephone: 0116 223 1268
Email: healthyliving@le.ac.uk
Website: http://go.le.ac.uk/healthyliving
Employability
The University embraces employability as being a set of achievements – skills,
understandings and personal attributes – that makes graduates more likely to
gain employment and be successful in their chosen occupations, and which
benefits themselves, the workforce, the community and the economy.
Ultimately, students are responsible for their employability; however it is

important to remember that departments and the Student Support and
Development Service are also responsible for enabling and encouraging
students to engage in developing and realising their potential, which includes
their employability. Student Development (incorporating what was previously
the Careers Service and Student Learning Centre) can play a pivotal role in
supporting departments in embedding employability within the curriculum, as
well providing students with opportunities outside of the curriculum.
Departments might wish to make explicit mention of the activities they organise
that are designed to help students enhance their employability, including those
related to PDP, career focus days, employer events, skills development
activities and others, and the ways in which they collaborate with Student
Development in this respect, together with contact details for the departmental
careers tutor.
For many students, a primary reason for choosing to study a degree is to

improve their career prospects. They will need to be able to articulate and
demonstrate to postgraduate tutors, employers and other recruiters the skills
and knowledge they have developed during their undergraduate years, and
then link these to the particular needs of the tutor or recruiter. It is therefore
helpful for students to be given details of how they can improve their
employability along the lines described below. This guidance can be modified
to include details of any specific departmental activities and opportunities.
Departments may wish to replicate the following to guide students in improving

their employability:
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Ten ways a student can develop their employability:
“Applicants lack the right combination of academic and soft skills” -

this is something many employers say about graduates. Ensure that
you are not in this category by developing your employability skills:
1. Research and talk through your ideas with an adviser from

Student Development and with your departmental Careers Tutor.
2. Link what you learn within your modules to how you could use it in
the wider world (e.g. specific subject knowledge and skills you use
such as problem-solving and team-work).
3. Undertake a work placement or internship after the second year or
during vacations and think through what you have gained from the
experience.
4. Do some voluntary work. Student Development collaborates with
the Students’ Union to organise volunteering opportunities,
ranging from marketing to counselling www.le.ac.uk/volunteering.
5. Speak to employers about what they expect from you (many
employers hold workshops and presentations on campus or attend
careers fairs, all arranged by Student Development).
6. Get some work experience or work shadow somebody in the type
of job or organisation you find interesting. This will help you decide
if it’s really for you.
7. Take an active role in Students’ Union activities and within your
own department to develop your communication, organisation,
interpersonal and related skills. .
8. Develop study skills, such as presentation and numeracy skills
with help from Student Development:
www.le.ac.uk/studentdevelopment.
9. Participate in one of the Leicester Award for Employability
programmes organised by Student Development.
10. Attend any talks, workshops and careers events organised within
your department and the wider University.
Further details are available at: www.le.ac.uk/studentdevelopment.
Careers Support on PG Programmes
Careers support is taken very seriously by the University of Leicester and the School
of Management (ULSM) within it. A range of support and provision is provided for
postgraduates. This comes jointly from provision from the School’s own resourced
and bespoke careers support and from the central careers service (called the
Student Development Service).
Students are supported by a taught careers programme on a range of careers

issues and individual careers consultations are also available with trained careers
advisers. All our postgraduates can draw on the support of the Student
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Development Service which also organises talks from outside employer guests, it
organises careers fairs and also offers careers consultations.
MBA students in addition enjoy additional bespoke careers support provided by

John Constantinou (Office KEB523, jc55@le.ac.uk). This takes the form of an
additional resource from an MBA specific careers adviser financed by the School
itself and thus the provision of more expert careers guidance and a more tailored
careers support programme of careers lectures organised by the ULSM Careers
Adviser. This tailored programme results in a programme of careers lectures from
both the adviser himself and an additional resource committed to booking
recognised expert speakers that are booked at many of the top business schools in
the UK.
Some of this investment is also extended to the MSc courses, including the MBA.
On-line careers resources tailored towards business, marketing, finance and
management careers also receive investment for the benefit of all ULSM
postgraduate students be they MSc or MBA. These resources, in tandem with the
support from the central Student Development Service, result in excellent levels of
careers support for our postgraduate students at ULSM.
Chaplaincy
The Chaplaincy is located in the Gatehouse on University Road. Each of the principal
denominations of the Christian Church appoints a chaplain to the University. There are
chaplains for the Church of England, the Roman Catholic Church, the Methodist
Church, the Baptist Church, the United Reformed Church, the Unitarian Church and
the Congregational Church. The Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist faiths are
also represented. The chaplains all co-operate in ministering to students and meet
regularly to share their common concerns.
For further information please ring 285 6493 or e-mail chaplaincy@le.ac.uk
Please also note that the Islamic Society attempts to contact all Muslims at
Freshers' Fair and the University has provided separate prayer rooms for men and
women in the Charles Wilson Building on the mezzanine floor. Friday prayers are
held in a large room on the 10th floor of the same building at 1.15 pm.
The Students’ Union

The Students’ Union plays a central role in University life. Based in the Percy Gee
building at the heart of the main campus, the Union provides a range of services.
There’s the Union Shop - one of the biggest and best in the country - which sells
everything from stationery to sandwiches, a launderette, bars and meeting rooms
You can visit the website at http://www.leicesterstudent.org/
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Education Unit, Students’ Union
The Education Unit is one of the main and crucial services that the Students’ Union
provides for students. It is overseen by the Academic Affairs Officer and is staffed
by one full time member of staff. The Education Unit provides an impartial and
confidential service to help and advise students about options available to them on a
wide range of topics such as academic appeals, changing courses, leaving
University, or simply to offer guidance about where to go and what to do.
The Unit is based within the Student Support Centre on the ground floor of the Percy
Gee Building and is open weekdays from 10.00 a.m. till 4.00 p.m. You can either
pop in or book an appointment in advance by contacting us on the details below.
The service is available for all students and you can be assured that the Education
Unit has a policy of treating all casework in the strictest of confidence and will not
take any action on issues you raise without your consent.
Phone: 0116 223 1202/1128

E-mail: educationunit@le.ac.uk
Website: http://www.leicesterstudent.org/pages/support/education
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Section 9
Study Skills
To attain the optimum results and rewards from time devoted to study, the following
information may prove a worthwhile aid to planning. Some guidance on study skills will
also be provided during your induction period. However, since you are now studying at
postgraduate level, we do expect you to have mastered the skills and techniques
associated with successful performance during your previous educational experience.
Nevertheless, if you find, especially after you receive the feedback on your formative
Foundations of Knowledge module, that you need further guidance, we would like to
draw your attention to the Study Guides available in the University’s Student
Development Zone on the 2nd floor of the David Wilson Library and from Student
Development’s website (www.le.ac.uk/studentdevelopment).
A series of free study and research guides are available from the Student
Development Zone on the 2 nd Floor of the David Wilson Library, on the Student
Development website, and in the institutional content folder on Blackboard for
inclusion in module Blackboard courses.
Moreover, in the case of international students for whom English is not their first
language, help in reading, writing and speaking for your studies can be found via the
English Language Training Unit (ELTU) You will meet members of the ELTU
during your induction period who will explain the support that they can provide in
more detail.
Personal Development Planning (PDP)

As a taught postgraduate student of the School of Management, you have the
opportunity to participate in Personal Development Planning (PDP). PDP will give
you the opportunity to reflect on how you are progressing through your Masters
degree, and to plan for your future development. The three key elements of PDP
are:
 Academic Development – how can I improve my academic performance?

 Personal growth – what can I do to get the most from my time at university?
 Employability and Career Planning - where do I want to be when I
graduate, and what can I do to help me get there?
By helping you to answer the questions associated with each of its elements, PDP
provides you with a valuable opportunity to improve and enhance both your
academic performance and your chances of professional and career success once
you graduate.
74
By taking part in PDP, you will gain a much clearer understanding of issues such as:
 The skills employers value most highly

 The kinds of employability skills you are developing as you progress through
university
 The practical steps you can take to enhance your existing skills and develop
new ones
Modern graduate employers are looking for people who can clearly demonstrate,
and provide evidence for, their ability to manage and plan for their own personal and
professional progress and to identify for themselves the available opportunities for
career development. PDP can help you do just that.
Crucially, PDP is a process that you are in charge of. It is your opportunity to
identify your own strengths and areas for development and to plan for your future
success. However, there are plenty of people around to help support and guide
you. This support and guidance is available from University services such as the
Careers Service, the Student Learning Centre, Student Welfare, Counselling etc.
You can also use your PDP activities as a basis for some of your discussions with
your personal tutor in the School of Management. PDP you will help you gain a
much clearer picture of just how wide-ranging the support available is and how to
make the best use of it in order to achieve your own goals - at university and
beyond.
Your induction to the programme will incorporate a presentation on what PDP is and
how it works. Reminders about PDP and its benefits will also be given during the
Foundations of Professional Knowledge and Skills module which is the first one you
will encounter as well as throughout the remainder of your programme.
Opportunities to engage with PDP exist all through your studies at Leicester are
probably most pronounced in both the Foundations of Knowledge and Professional
Skills module already mentioned and that in Research Methodology (or equivalent).
Subject specific and professional skills, along with transferable skills and the ways in
which they are related to teaching and assessment methods have been delineated
for your Masters in its Programme Specification and this provides an excellent
departmentally specific resource to facilitate your own PDP efforts. This aspect of
your Programme Specification is reproduced overleaf:
75
Subject and Professional Skills

Intended Outcomes
Teaching Methods How demonstrated
Knowledge
Advanced knowledge of a range Independent research, lectures, Oral presentations (group and
of management subjects. and group-work, directed individual), essays (group and
Integration and synthesis of reading and exercises. individual), computer based
knowledge across subjects. Dissertation research. examinations, case study
exercises and dissertation.
Concepts
Enhanced grasp of principles of Independent research, lectures, Oral presentations (group and
concepts of management and group-work, directed individual), essays (group and
and organisations. reading and exercises. individual), computer based
Research Methods module. examinations, case study
Practical and conceptual ability Dissertation research exercises and dissertation.
to appropriately apply
theoretical resources to
illuminate practice.
Techniques
Mastery of research methods. Independent research, lectures, Oral presentations, essays,
and group-work, directed computer based examinations,
Ability to construct, analyse and reading and exercises. case study exercises and
interpret quantitative data Dissertation research. dissertation.
including accounts.
Critical Analysis
Ability to apply understanding of Independent research, lectures, Oral presentations (group and
concepts and techniques with and group-work, directed individual), essays (group and
independence, rigour and self- reading and exercises. individual), computer based
reflexivity. Dissertation research. examinations, case study
exercises and dissertation.
Ability to reflect upon context
bound nature of the generation
and application of such
concepts and techniques.
Presentation
Ability to organise research Independent research, lectures, Oral presentations (group and
material in a manner and group-work, directed individual), essays (group and
appropriate to the medium that reading and exercises. individual), computer based
is to be assessed; to distinguish Dissertation research. examinations, case study
between relevant and non- exercises and dissertation.
relevant material; to write-up
and deliver oral reports on
findings to a professional
standard.
Appraisal of evidence
Ability to analyse and assess a Independent research, lectures, Oral presentations (group and
variety of complex management and group-work, directed individual), essays (group and
and organisational issues. reading and exercises. individual), computer based
Ability to mount and sustain an Dissertation research. examinations, integrated case
independent level of inquiry at study examinations and
an advanced level. dissertation.
Ability to successfully read,
analyse and reflect upon
academic literature, both of a
theoretical and an empirical
bent.
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Transferable Skills
Intended Outcomes Teaching Methods How demonstrated
Managing Learning
Conducting a successful Independent research, lectures, Group assignment essays and
business plan in self-managed and group-work, directed oral presentations.
group environment. reading and exercises
Demonstrating intellectual Research methodology module, Dissertation.

independence, through individual supervision,
identifying a credible research independent research and
project, drawing up a realistic group work
time-table, reflecting on and
‘writing up’ results.
Group and individual exercises,
Ability to reflect upon behaviour Directed reading, lectures, Discussion within lectures,
and skills with a view to group discussions and peer to Assignments, Case Study
personal and professional peer feedback, team problem Exercises, Dissertation.
development. solving sessions, independent
research and dissertation
research
Working Relationships
Ability to work collaboratively Group work and lectures. Group oral presentations and
and responsibly in groups. Foundations of Professional group assignments.
Knowledge and Skills
Knowing how and when to draw
on the knowledge and expertise
of others; ability to contribute &
comment on ideas in syndicate
groups.
Data Presentation
Demonstrate clarity, fluency and Lectures, case study Assignments, Case Study
coherence in written expression assignments, integrated case Exercises and Dissertation
of management issues and study examination, Dissertation
debates in a manner
appropriate to the audience.
Lectures, group work and Oral presentations.
Ability to deliver oral presentations therein.
presentations with clarity,
fluency and coherency, ability to
respond to questioning. Independent research, lectures, Oral presentations, essays,
and group-work. Research computer based tests and
Ability to construct and present Methods module. integrated case study
quantitative data, including examinations. Dissertation.
accounts, effectively using IT
resources where appropriate.
Communication Skills
Ability to work collaboratively Lectures, group discussions/ Group exercises and
and responsibly in groups. problem solving exercises and presentations, contributions to
presentations discussions, assignments.
Knowing how and when to draw
on the knowledge and expertise Group work, lectures and Oral presentations, essays,
of others; ability to contribute through addressing the integrated case study
and comment on ideas in requirements of progressive examinations and dissertation.
syndicate groups. modes of assessment,
culminating in the dissertation.
A progressive improvement in
the ability to locate, organise
and marshal evidence, and
articulate it accurately in a
written or spoken format, in a
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manner appropriate for the

required audience.
For more information on PDP and to access the on-line resources available to
support the PDP process go to: http://www.le.ac.uk/learning/pdp/. A hotlink this site
is also available on your programme Blackboard site.
Managing your study time

We strongly advise that you actively 'manage' your study. We expect MSc Marketing
students to spend at least 5 hours per week studying each module outside lecture and
seminar time in Semesters 1 and 2.
You should clarify your aims, identify your strengths and weaknesses, consider the
context in which you will be studying and generate a broad strategy for successfully
covering the material and completing the programme. If you take a broad overview of
the requirements of any particular module; consider your situation and home
responsibilities in the relevant study period; you will be able to develop specific and
realistic plans for active study and writing.
You may also find it useful to make personal and specific objectives for yourself.
These will help you to focus your study time, assess material and apply ideas. For
example, in relation to the process of studying, you might want to set yourself targets
for:
 how much time you want to spend on completing a task;

 how much work you aim to do in a particular week;
 how much progress you want to make with assignments or examination
revision.
You should plan and monitor what you do and, where necessary, try to improve the
process, quantity and quality of your work. You should make decisions about the
importance that you will attach to tasks, the time you choose to allocate to them and
the sequence in which you do them.
People - like organizations - have different approaches to planning. The world,

including the world of study, is not necessarily rational or logically ordered. Just as
there are limitations to adopting a heavily planned approach to management, there are
also limitations to planning the management of learning. Therefore, be flexible and
build in contingency or ‘slack’ time to your plans!
People also learn in different ways. Creativity, the unexpected and chance have an
important role to play in education. Thus, we do not expect that all students will
approach the business of study in a way we prescribe, or indeed in an over-planned
manner.
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We do, however, advise and expect you to develop study management skills and to be
aware about how you personally do it. This is both to make your learning effective and
to use as another source of learning about Management theory and practice.
79
Preparing to read and study

When you are faced with any programme-related task or reading, it is helpful to first
spend a couple of minutes making notes on what you currently know about the topic or
think about the question. This will help you focus on your own ideas and experience.
It will also remind you of previous relevant aspects of the programme. It will prepare
you to respond critically to what you read and to relate whatever you learn to current
knowledge and practice.
Brainstorming is sometimes a useful way to start these notes and to make sure that
you generate a wide range of points. By ‘brainstorming’, we mean the rapid gathering
of ideas that seem relevant to a particular topic or problem within a brief time limit and
without judgement. You can then reflect on each idea, develop and analyse the
material as a whole and make connections. Brainstorming is a technique you can use
on your own as well as in groups.
Effective reading
There are various styles of reading which are appropriate for different purposes. For
studying in depth, learning and remembering, you should not start at the beginning and
finish at the end of a text. First, look briefly at the whole text to see what is there. Look
at headings and tables. Read introductory paragraphs, any summary and the
concluding section. This helps you to develop a general understanding of what is in
the text. Then, if you decide the text is relevant to your purpose, skim each section to
increase your understanding. Finally, read the text in detail to find the specific
information that you need. Using these reading strategies will help you to increase
your reading speed and save time.
Evaluation of ideas, activities and learning

Managers (and people in general) seem to find it easier to focus on weaknesses and
negative points when they are evaluating propositions, people and projects. However,
'evaluation' should cover strengths and positive points, too. Thus, to counteract this
negative tendency, when evaluating, you should try to identify and explain the
positives, negatives and interesting points relating to the topic. Although you may only
spend a minute on each focus initially, this will help you to think of key ideas before
you consider them in more depth. Interestingly, you might find that, in some cases, the
same idea may be thought of as a plus, a minus or interesting depending on how you
look at it. At this stage, that does not matter; you are simply examining ideas. This
process leads to a certain type of thinking which you will find helpful throughout the
programme. At different stages during the programme, it is also important to
summarize the key things you have learned – regarding modules and generally - in
order to get the maximum benefit from them.
It is easy to forget new ideas. To help your memory, you should review your notes
regularly and practise new methods and tools.
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Assignment writing guidelines
Advice on preparation
The notes you take during lectures will give you a basic framework of the ideas,
theories and concepts that you will need in order to complete the assignment.
These notes will not be enough on their own, so you will also need to use
information from the required reading, extra references and any other material that
you find while doing research for your assignment.
When you take notes from a text you are reading, you should ‘translate’ what the
author has written into your own words. This will help you check your understanding
of the message in the text and make it easier for you to paraphrase the ideas later.
If you copy out large amounts of other people’s work, this may result in poor
paraphrasing and plagiarism which often leads to failure. It is better to think about
what is written from your own point of view and decide if you agree or disagree with
the points that the author is making.
It is also a good idea to take note of basic points from as many different books and
journal articles as possible and compare what the authors say as you are reading.
There will be both similarities and differences in their views and if you can begin to
classify authors together in groups according to these views, you will find it easier to
refer to them later when writing your assignment and supporting particular views or
arguments.
When taking notes, it is better to only write down the points that are relevant to your
focus. Unfortunately, authors don't write especially to help you personally with your
assignment, so you will need to use your scanning and skimming reading skills to
help you avoid lots of time-wasting. Thus, when you are taking notes from a text,
you should keep your specific assignment in mind and ask yourself how you can use
this particular material in your assignment.
Most importantly, you must keep notes of the authors, books/articles, dates, page
numbers and any other referencing details to make sure that you can refer to what
you have read correctly in your assignment. You must not use another author’s
words or ideas without full reference details. See the ‘Referencing guidelines’ at the
end of this Section for details of how to reference academic work.
Advice on writing
Content It is important to make sure you understand what the

assignment question means and that you know how to answer it. No assignment
will ask you to write down everything you know about a subject area. All
assignments will ask you to consider specific issues in relation to a particular topic.
You need to make sure that it is clear in your assignment which are facts and which
are opinions. You should also check that you have looked at the issue from every
angle. When you evaluate different viewpoints, it is necessary to explore each one
81
to an equal depth. You can't produce a valid conclusion unless you have
investigated the arguments for each perspective in a balanced way. Comparison
and contrast can help you do this. You should provide evidence for all the
assertions that you make in your assignment. This means that you need to support
your ideas by referring to theories, concepts, empirical research and/or experience
of your own. You can use direct quotations and paraphrase other authors’ work to
give support. You should use a variety of citation methods to help make your
assignment interesting and convincing, but you must make sure that you have all
the correct referencing details for both quotations and paraphrases. ‘Referencing
guidelines’ are given at the end of this Section
Organisation It is very important that you organise your assignment well, so

you need to make a plan, structure your paragraphs carefully and make sure each
point that you make relates clearly to those either side. Unless instructed otherwise
by your tutor, you should use the introduction/discussion/conclusion format in your
assignment – i.e. give the context and outline of your argument, refer to the relevant
material and then end the discussion by summarising what has been said and
offering your opinion on what the question is asking based on the sources you have
used.
It is also necessary to organise your writing into clear paragraphs. Each paragraph
should contain discussion of a particular point, so when you move onto the next
point, you should start a new paragraph. However, if you feel that your paragraph is
getting too long and you haven’t come to the end of the point, it’s ok to break off at a
logical place and start the next paragraph with a linking work or phrase like
`Moreover’, `Furthermore’ or Àdditionally’, which makes it clear that you are still
discussing the same issue. We also prefer you to use a full blank line to indicate a
paragraph break. There will be information on your programme’s Blackboard site to
help you with the organisation and flow of your assignments.
Style In general, you should aim to write for a layperson – that is,
someone who is not an expert in the area, but who will understand the relevant
ideas if they are explained clearly. This means that when you use unusual,
specialist or technical terms, you must give definitions for them. It is also important
that you do not use sexist language. To avoid using ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘his’, ‘her’ or ‘him’, it
is better to use ‘he/she’, ‘his/her’, ‘they’, ‘their’ and ‘them’ (the plural form is
commonly used in academic writing to help avoid sexist language). You should only
refer to an individual as ‘he’ or ‘she’ when you either know their gender or you are
directly quoting someone who uses sexist language (and even then [sic] might be
useful – see the Referencing Guidelines). You should also avoid insensitive
terminology; for instance, don’t use `coloured person’ when you mean `person of
colour’ or `queer’ when you mean `homosexual’. Before you start writing, you
should make sure your spellchecker is set to UK English not US English.
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Referencing guidelines
The University of Leicester School of Management uses the Harvard system of
referencing. One version of it is shown below, but there are many other acceptable
variations – the key is to be consistent. You should follow the referencing rules for
three reasons:
(a) it demonstrates a disciplined approach to your work (academic rigour)

(b) it means you won't be accused of plagiarism because you have
acknowledged your sources
(c) your reader will be able to follow up on the citations that interest them
There are two kinds of referencing: in-text referencing and bibliography.
In-text referencing
All sources, whether academic books, journal articles, newspaper articles or material
from the Internet, must be cited in the main text of your assignment. There are two
ways to do this: direct and indirect quotations.
Direct quotations
1. For a direct quotation, you use the author's own words. There are a variety of
ways to do this, but you must give the author’s surname, the date and page of the
publication where you found the quotation. For instance:
"Sociological discourse claims to be a knowledge of modern society, the mirror of

modern society or the social" (Game 1991:20).
OR
As Game (1991:20) states, "Sociological discourse claims to be a knowledge of

modern society, the mirror of modern society or the social."
2. In a secondary citation, you don’t quote from the original source, but from
another book or article that has quoted it. In this case, you give the surname of the
original author, followed by ‘cited in’ and the author’s surname, publication date and
page number of the book or article that you found the quote in. For example:
"A power relationship can only be articulated on the basis of two elements"
(Foucault cited in Game 1991:45).
OR
83
As Foucault (cited in Game 1991:45) states, "A power relationship can only be
articulated on the basis of two elements".
3. You may want to adapt a quotation to fit in with the grammar of your sentence,
the flow of your paragraph or clarify its meaning in relation to the point you trying to
make. You can use three dots … to show that you have removed words from the
original quotation. Conversely, you can use square brackets [ ] around words that
you’ve added to it. For example:
Another occasion when threats lead to change is described by Roddick, who reports
that “After Jon Entine made his accusations, … we needed to take action”
(1997:310).
AND
“After Jon Entine made his accusations [that Body Shop products and policies were
not as ethical as they appeared], I decided that we needed to take action as quickly
as possible” (Roddick 1997:310).
4. Longer direct quotations (i.e. more than about 40 words or three lines) should be
separated from the rest of the text as shown below.
Once comprehended, these networks of individuals could be tapped into for bottom-
up generative forces that could lead to positive educational development, rather
than the recent top-down methods of enforcing particular practices:
The Conservatives claimed they were [in favour of diversity] and then
made everyone do the same curriculum and tests, even told schools how
to fill in the attendance register, their school reports … The present
[Labour] government says it is in favour of diversity, but then imposes the
same 15-15-20-10-minute literacy-hour pattern on every primary class.
(Wragg 2001:16)
Such imposed standardisation stifles creativity and inspiration, and may explain the
reports of large numbers of British teachers going to work abroad.
84
5. If there is emphasis in italics and/or bold in the original source, you should
reproduce it when quoting - for example:
"This is not somehow to claim that gender should not be a central concept and
object of study for organizational analysis" (Grey 1995:50).
You can also add emphasis to a direct quotation, but make sure that you indicate
that you have added this emphasis - for instance:
"Thus the new grid of intelligibility is seen as desirable ... it provides a more accurate
picture of organizations" (Grey 1995:49 - emphasis added).
6. You can write [sic] after a particular word in a direct quotation to show that this is
the way that the author worded the original. This is particularly useful when quoting
an author who uses sexist or derogatory language (see ‘Advice on writing: Style’). It
makes it clear that these are the words of the source’s author and not yours, and
shows that you disapprove of the language used.
7. You should also put referencing information (author’s surname, publication date
and page number) when using a diagram or table from another source. For
instance:
T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6
Between
outside Own
LEA City
T and area and label
effect on village outside Classroo
Planning
all other all other m
spaces Teaching spaces
DfES County
ideas identified
Table 1: “The Position of the LEA and DfES” (Abusidualghoul 2006)
Use ‘Table’ to label a table and ‘Figure’ to label any other diagram.
8. You must pay strict attention to your punctuation in quotations, so that it’s clear
where they are in your writing, so it’s a good idea to study the punctuation in the
previous examples. Another point to note is that some internet sources will not have
page numbers, some texts will not have named authors and other texts may not be
dated. Ways to deal with these problems are given in ‘Other pointers’ below.
85
Indirect quotations
1. For an indirect quotation, you use your own words to summarise or paraphrase
the author's words. For example:
Original source text

In fields as different as physics, biology, linguistics, anthropology, sociology and
psychotherapy, network ideas have been repeatedly invoked over the last hundred
years. The multiple origins of network approaches for the social sciences contribute
to the eclecticism that characterizes current work.
Indirect quotation
Network research embraces a diversity of approaches to studying social relations.
Kilduff and Tsai (2003) attribute this diversity to the many different sources of the
network approach.
As you can see above, page numbers are not necessary for indirect quotations.
This example also shows how you are expected to change as many words for
synonyms as possible, change the word forms (e.g. verbs  nouns, adjectives 
adverbs) and change the word order (e.g. active  passive). The ability to do this
without changing the meaning of the original text proves that you fully understand it.
2. If more than one author has had the same idea, you can put their reference
details together. You can list them either in publication date order or alphabetical
order of surname. Whichever listing method you choose, you must be consistent
and use it throughout. For instance:
Many writers have argued that research is inevitably a subjective exercise (Knights
& Willmott 1989; Game 1991; Knights 1995).
3. The rules for secondary citation are similar to those above in ‘Direct Quotations’
point 2. The only difference is that page numbers are not necessary. For example:
Pateman’s (cited in McIntosh, 1994) discussion of the contract makes extensive

reference to prostitution.
OR
As McIntosh (1994) points out, Pateman’s discussion of the contract makes

extensive reference to prostitution.
86
Other pointers
1. ibid. means ìn the same place' and it can be used to stand in for a citation where
the citation is the same as the one immediately before it.
One way to address this last question is to investigate circulating reference (Latour
1999) which is a concept that is also applicable to a wider spectrum of concerns
because of the inherent nature of educational institutions in action. Whether it is the
transfer of knowledge from teacher to learner or the influence of policy
implementation, chains of processes are at work. Latour defines such processes as
“a cascade of re-representations” that causes the object to “lose information on its
way and … redescribe it” (ibid.:248).
The page number has been added here to give accurate details for the direct
quotation.
2. et al. means ànd others' and it should be used in in-text citations where there
are more than two authors for one source.
Furthermore, Crilly et al. state that “the space on which the graphical objects are
arranged (e.g. political maps or building plans) can also hold associations that are
meaningful” (2006:346).
However, all the authors should be listed in the bibliography.
Crilly, N., A. F. Blackwell & P. J. Clarkson (2006) ‘Graphic elicitation: using

research diagrams as interview stimuli’ Qualitative Research 6(3):341-366
3. If there is no author for a work that you are using - for example, an editorial piece
in a newspaper or magazine – you should use the name of the publication as the
author.
It has been suggested that “As Japan’s economy becomes more normal, it is natural
to expect a more conventional monetary policy” (The Economist 2006:16).
In the bibliography, the entry for this citation would appear like this:
The Economist (2006) ‘Japan’s Economy: Out, damned D word’ 25 th February pp.16
87
4. It is important not to mix the publication date with the date that an idea was
created. Some books are published after the death of the author, long after an idea
came about and you may be citing from a second, third, fourth or tenth edition. For
instance:
In 1973, Marx argued that gold and silver were items of trade, but not in the same
sense as others. 
This is incorrect because Marx died in 1883, so the citation should read:
Marx (1973) argued that gold and silver were items of trade, but not in the same
sense as others. 
5. You must make sure that the publication date that you give is an edition date and
not a reprint date. A reprint date shows when more copies of the same book were
printed because the first set had sold out. However, the date that you should use is
the date when the edition of the book that you are using was first published. This
could be a new edition published when the author made amendments to the original
book.
6. n.d. means no date. If you use a source which has no publication date, the in-
text citation becomes (author's surname n.d.). In this case, you would also put n.d.
with the reference details in the bibliography.
7. A citation from a television programme should be referenced as follows:
No one can find exactly what they are looking for (Under the Sun 1998).
This shows that you can use the name of the programme series or the name of the
individual programme if it was a one-off and the year of transmission.
8. A citation from the internet should be referenced in the same way as any other
with the author’s name (or site provider’s name if the author’s name is not available),
date of publication and page number (if one is available). See ‘Bibliography’ point 7
for an example.
88
Bibliography
A bibliography is a list of all the books, journal articles and other sources that you
have used to write your assignment.
1. The list should be presented in alphabetical order of author’s surname. If you

have read more than one work by the same author present them in chronological
order of publication date.
Bryman, A. & E. Bell (2003) Business Research Methods Oxford: Oxford University
Press
Chia, R. (1994) `The concept of decision: a deconstructive analysis’ Journal of
Management Studies 31(6):781-806
Chia, R. (1996) Organizational Analysis: A Deconstructive Approach Berlin: Walter
de Gruyter
If you use works published by the same author in the same year, the first you refer
to in your text would be given ‘a’ after the date and the second ‘b’ and so on. This
makes it possible for your reader to understand which source you are referring to.
For example:
Baudrillard, J. (1993a) Symbolic Exchange and Death London: Sage

Baudrillard, J. (1993b) The Transparency of Evil: Essays on Extreme Phenomena
London: Verso
2. For books, the following format should be used:
Game, A. (1991) Undoing the Social Milton Keynes: Open University Press
Surname, initial. (year) book title town or city of publication: publisher
The title of the book should be italicized, bold or underlined for emphasis. If the city
where the book was published is not well known internationally (such as Englewood
Cliffs, where Prentice Hall have a site in the USA) or where there is more than one
city of the same name (such as Cambridge), it is a good idea to include the state or
county as follows:
Bandura, A. (1977) Social Learning Theory Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice
Hall
Greenberg, J. & S. Mitchell (1983) Object Relations In Psychoanalytic Theory
Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press
89
3. Some books are made up of chapters by different authors. They are called
edited books. If you cite from a particular chapter in such a book, your bibliographic
reference should look like this:
Brewis, J. (1994) `The role of intimacy at work: interactions and relationships in the
modern organization' in D. Adam-Smith & A. Peacock (eds.) Cases in
Organizational Behaviour London: Pitman pp. 43-50
Surname, initial. (year) ‘chapter title’ in editor name or names (ed.) or (eds.) book title town or city of
publication: publisher pp.first-last page number of chapter
4. For articles in journals, the following format should be used:
Willmott, H.C. (1984) Ìmages and ideals of managerial work' Journal of

Management Studies 21(3):349-368
Surname, initial. (year) ‘article title’ journal title volume(issue):first-last page number of article
The title of the journal should be italicized, bold or underlined for emphasis.
5. For newspapers, the format is similar to journal articles, but you must also
include the day and month of publication. For example:
Ryle, S. (1997) Ìt makes you sick, this restructuring' The Guardian 22nd April pp.24
The title of the newspaper should be italicized, bold or underlined for emphasis.
6. For conference papers, you should use the following format:
Brewis, J. (1993) `Foucault, politics and organizations: (re-)constructing sexual

harassment' paper presented to the 11th Standing Conference on
Organizational Symbolism EADA, Barcelona, Spain, July
Surname, initial. (year) ‘conference paper title’ paper presented to the conference title conference organiser,
town or city of conference, country of conference
The name of the conference should be italicized, bold or underlined for emphasis.
7. If you use material from the Internet, the web page should be listed in the
bibliography with title or author (where available) of the relevant piece first. You
90
need to make it clear that this is an online source and the URL address and the date
on which you accessed the page should also be included in the citation. For
example:
Fryer, P. & J. Ruis (2004) What are Fractal Systems? A brief description of
Complex
Adaptive and Evolving Systems Available online at:
http://www.fractal.org/Bewustzijns-Besturings-Model/Fractal-systems.htm
(accessed 07.03.05)
Surname, initial. (year) web page title Available online at: http://web address (accessed date)
In your text, a citation from the internet should follow the same rules as any other,
but it might not be possible to provide a page number for direct quotations. For
instance:
One definition of a fractal system describes it as “a complex, non-linear, interactive

system which has the ability to adapt to a changing environment” (Fryer & Ruis
2004) could equally apply.
8. For television programmes, the following format should be used:
For a single programme:
Under the Sun (1998) `What sort of gentleman are you after?’ Scores Associates/BBC
Bristol, 1 programme (45 minutes) 7th January, director: J. Treays
Name of series (year of transmission) ‘name of programme’ producers, clarification that it was a single
programme (length of transmission) date of transmission, director: director’s name
For a single programme that is not part of a series, you must emphasize the name
of the programme and use that upfront.
For a series:
Vice: The Sex Trade (1998) London Weekend Television, 3 programmes (180
minutes), director: J. Phillips
The format here is similar to that for a single programme, except that there is no
reference to the names of any individual programmes or to dates of transmission.
9. For unpublished work, such as a report or dissertation, the following format

should be used:
91
Baker, S. (1997) Bullying at Work unpublished BA Business Studies Student

Dissertation, University of Portsmouth
Please ask for help with your referencing if you need it - referencing can be difficult
and confusing and we are happy to give advice.
And finally …
To get a really good mark for a written assignment, your work will have many of the
following characteristics:
 it will answer the question which has been set,·

 it will demonstrate understanding of the main facts and issues,·
 there will be signs of wide reading so that the coursework demonstrates
unusually broad knowledge of the subject,·
 there will be insight into the difficulties of the subject and how different aspects
interrelate,·
 there will be evidence of critical analysis,·
 it will demonstrate an ability to structure writing in a lucid and coherent way,·
 it will show an ability to step outside the confines of the programme without loss
of relevance,·
 it will follow accepted conventions of grammar, usage, style, spelling and
punctuation - please also make sure that you change the language on your
spell checker to English (UK) if it is set at English (US),·
 it will be clearly expressed,·
 it will follow the correct bibliographical conventions,·
 there will be originality of thought and, where appropriate, argument.
(Adapted from notes by Dr Martin Cortazzi, Senior Lecturer, University of Leicester)
92
Section 10
Appeals & Grievances/Complaints

The University has two academic appeals procedures which apply to postgraduate
students, details of which are set out below:
Complaints procedure
The University is committed to providing the highest quality of
education possible within the limits imposed by the resources
available to it, and it strives to ensure that its students gain
maximum benefit from the academic, social and cultural experiences
it offers. Where students feel that their legitimate expectations are
not being met, or where misunderstandings about the nature of the
University's provision occur, the University expects that problems will
be speedily and effectively dealt with at local level. Its complaints
mechanism is based on the assumption that staff will at all times
deal thoughtfully and sympathetically with students' problems, so as
to minimise the extent to which formal procedures need to be
followed.
Students are expected to utilise the consultative and organisational

arrangements in place at departmental and institutional level (these
include heads of department, the personal tutor system, student/staff
committees and the Staff/Student Council, the services of the
Students' Union's sabbatical officers and its Education Unit, Hall
JCR officials, and various user groups). Students are expected to
familiarise themselves with the constitution and membership of
those bodies which are intended to represent their interests, and for
general complaints about academic matters to avail themselves of
the opportunities provided for direct feedback on the performance of
individuals or in relation to the provision of services (such feedback
might include course questionnaires, comment boxes and user
surveys).
If matters cannot be resolved informally, students should address

any formal complaint in writing to the senior officer responsible for
the relevant area of activity. This must be done within three months
of the conclusion of any departmental consideration of the
complaint.
Senior officers comprise:
The Heads of the Colleges (in relation to academic and other
College matters) – in such cases, assistance to the Heads in the
consideration of the complaint will be provided by the Heads of
College Administration.
93
The Librarian (in relation to the Library)

The Director of IT Services (in relation to IT Services)
The Director of Residential and Catering Services (in relation to
student accommodation, and the University's catering and
conference services)
The Registrar and Secretary (in relation to any aspect of the
University's administration and the operation of its administrative
offices)
The Academic Affairs Officer of the Students' Union (in relation to
the Students' Union; a complaint to the Academic Affairs Officer will
initiate proceedings under the Union’s own complaints procedure, as
set out in the Regulations of the Union).
At this formal stage, the complaint must include full details of the
unresolved issue, the attempts made to secure a resolution, and the
identification of the desired remedy. The complaint must be
accompanied by a complaints form which can be found on CWIS.
http://www.le.ac.uk/academic/registry/AppealsComplaints/Complaint
sForm.doc . The form requires complainants to provide their
personal details (name, address, etc), and a short summary of their
complaint and the way in which it has been pursued to date,
including the names of those to whom their concerns have been
addressed to date. The senior officers have the right to refuse to
consider complaints where students have made no attempt to find a
negotiated solution.
Students must complain on their own behalf; senior officers will not
discuss or correspond about such matters with third parties,
including family members, other than in the most exceptional
circumstances, and then only with the student’s written permission.
Anonymous complaints are disallowed. Complaints submitted by e-
mail will be accepted by senior officers and will trigger the initiation
of formal procedures. Complainants will, however, be contacted by
letter and asked to submit a signed complaints form in order to
ensure that the submission is genuinely their own.
Senior officers will immediately acknowledge in writing the receipt of

any complaint, and will initiate a review by seeking a written report
from the head of the department/section/unit against which the
complaint is being issued. So far as is practicable the senior officer
will respond to the complainant in full within twenty eight days. The
complainant will normally, unless there is a significant practical
impediment (for example, because the student is overseas or is for
some other reason unable to attend the University), be called for
interview during the period of investigation.
The University will respect a complainant’s desire for confidentiality

unless this impedes the course of the investigation, in which case
94
the complainant will be given the options of pursuing the complaint

with a reduced level of confidentiality or accepting the status quo.
This procedure applies to current students (including students

whose registration may be temporarily in abeyance). Students who
have initiated a complaint but permanently withdrawn from the
University before a conclusion has been reached may pursue their
concerns up to and including the final appeals procedure. Former
students who have not initiated a complaint during their period of
registration may not retrospectively utilise the complaints procedure.
Appeals against the response to a formal complaint
Appeals against the responses of senior officers to formal

complaints must be submitted in writing to the Academic Registrar,
Fielding Johnson Building. This must be done within two months of
the conclusion of the formal complaint stage. The Academic
Registrar will immediately acknowledge the receipt of any such
appeal and assign a member of the administrative staff of the
Academic and Research Services to manage the appeal process.
The appeal will be heard by a panel comprising either the Vice-
Chancellor or the Senior Pro-Vice-Chancellor (in the Chair) and one
other Pro-Vice-Chancellor. Unless the complaint relates to the
activities of the Students’ Union, the Academic Affairs Officer, will be
invited to attend the appeal as an observer. The panel will interview
the student, who may be accompanied by a member of the
University of his/her choosing, the senior officer responsible for
considering the complaint, and such other parties to the complaint
as it feels is necessary, and it will review all the relevant paperwork.
The panel is also authorised to request further informal discussion
between the parties. So far as is practicable, the appeal process will
be conducted, and the outcome announced, within twenty five
working days of the receipt of the appeal request, and dates in the
University’s calendar of meetings will be set aside to facilitate this.
The decision of the appeals panel shall be regarded as final.
At the conclusion of the appeal, the student will be sent a completion

of procedures letter and details about the Office of the Independent
Adjudicator.
The University reserves the right to refuse to continue with the

operation of complaints procedures if the complaint is conducted in a
way which is abusive, offensive, defamatory, aggressive or
intimidating, or pursued in an unreasonably persistent or vexatious
manner. In such cases the final decision rests with the Senior Pro-
Vice-Chancellor.
95
Advice on the operation of the complaints procedure can be

obtained from the Academic Registrar, Fielding Johnson Building (tel
0116 2522419), or from the Education Unit, Students’ Union (tel
0116 2231132, e-mail: educationunit@le.ac.uk). The latter can also
provide assistance in formulating complaints, and in supporting
students throughout the formal stages of the complaints procedure.
University Appeals process

For Postgraduate Taught Students there are two appeals procedures – one
relating to course termination and one relating to the award of a lower
qualification:
Review of Decision to recommend termination of course:
Students whose course has been terminated, for whatever

reason, including neglect of academic obligations will be notified
of their position by Academic and Research Services. They will at
the same time be informed of their entitlement to appeal against
this decision by submitting evidence of mitigating circumstances
or procedural irregularity on the relevant form. They will also be
supplied with details of the way in which the appeal will be
conducted. Students will be required to lodge their appeal within
eight weeks of the date that their termination was confirmed to
them in writing by the University. Where no eligible grounds have
been given or where no evidence is submitted to substantiate
claims, the student will be advised accordingly and the appeal will
either be turned down or the student will be offered the
opportunity to submit additional documentary evidence.
Where sufficient evidence has been provided students will

subsequently be notified of the date of the hearing and of their
right to attend. The appeal hearing is conducted by a panel
comprising three members of academic staff drawn from outside
the appellant’s own department. Panels will normally be chaired
by the Graduate Dean. The Appeal Form which the student must
complete can be found at:
http://www.le.ac.uk/ua/ac/gradoff/campus/Forms/pgappealform.pd
f
Appeal against the award of a lesser qualification:
If a Board of Examiners recommends that a student registered on

a Masters programme be transferred to Postgraduate Diploma
during the course of their studies, or be awarded a Postgraduate
Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate on completion of their
studies, a student will have the right to appeal. Students may
appeal against this decision if:
96
 They are in possession of evidence about the reasons for

their academic performance which, for good reason, was
not available to the Board of Examiners or which was only
partially available (for example if additional medical
evidence has been obtained subsequent to the meeting of
the Board of Examiners)
 There appears to have been a procedural irregularity in the
conduct of the examining or assessment process
 There appears to be evidence of prejudice or bias in the
conduct of the assessment process
Appeals which simply challenge the academic judgement of

the examiners will not be considered.
Students will be notified of the decision of the Board of Examiners

by Academic and Research Services. They will at the same time
be informed of their entitlement to appeal against this decision by
submitting evidence of mitigating circumstances on the relevant
form and be provided with deadlines for the submission of this,
which will be within eight weeks of the date that their lesser award
was confirmed in writing to them by the University. Where no
eligible grounds have been given or where no evidence is
submitted to substantiate claims, the student will be advised
accordingly and the appeal will either be turned down or the
student will be offered the opportunity to submit additional
documentary evidence.
Where sufficient evidence has been provided students will

subsequently be supplied with details of the way in which the
appeal will be conducted. Students will be required to lodge their
appeal within two months of the date that their termination was
confirmed to them in writing by the University. They will
subsequently be notified of the date of the hearing and of their
right to attend. The appeal hearing is conducted by a panel
comprising three members of academic staff drawn from outside
the appellant’s own department. Panels will normally be chaired
by the Graduate Dean. The Appeal Form which the student must
complete can be found at:
http://www.le.ac.uk/ua/ac/gradoff/campus/Forms/pgappealform.pd
f
The Education Unit in the Students’ Union can provide advice to

students submitting appeals in either category.
The University reserves the right to refuse to continue with the

operation of appeals procedures if the appeal is conducted in a
way which is abusive, offensive, defamatory, aggressive or
intimidating, or pursued in an unreasonably persistent or
97
vexatious manner. In such cases the final decision rests with the
Senior Pro-Vice-Chancellor.
Students should be advised that the full appeals process is laid

out in the General Regulations for Undergraduate and Taught
Postgraduate students, and can be viewed via:
http://www.le.ac.uk/ua/ac/Regs/index.html
Disclaimer
Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained
in this handbook, in cases of doubt, authoritative guidance on matters of procedure will
be found in the University Regulations, which may be consulted in the University
Library.
Students should also be aware that the handbook goes to press during the summer
before their academic year of study. They will be advised if any matters of substance
relating to their programme change after the handbook has been printed.
Editor’s note
Comments and suggestions for improvement in future editions of this handbook are
most welcome. Please address them to the Programme Leader.
Further help
If the information provided in this booklet has failed to answer all of your questions,
remember that further help and advice is available from members of academic and
administrative staff in the School of Management.
98

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MBA Handbook 2010-2011

For Full Time Programme Members

Edition September 2010

First published in Great Britain by

© University of Leicester 2010

Section 1 – The School of Management 10

Section 2 – Staff and Student Responsibilities 20

Section 3 – The Programme 29

Section 5 – Staff/Student Committees 50

Section 6 – Additional Information 52

Section 7 – School of Management Services 56

Section 8 – University Facilities 59

Section 9 – Study Skills 74

Section 10 – Appeals, Grievances/Complaints 92

The handbook is divided into 10 sections:

Section 1 – the School of Management (ULSM): an introduction to members of

Section 2 – staff and student obligations - outlines the reciprocal responsibilities of

Section 3 – the programme - ensures that participants understand the requirements

Section 4 – assessment - provides information about the administrative procedures

Section 5 – staff/student committees.

Section 7 – School of Management services available to programme members.

Section 8 – University facilities.

Section 9 – study skills, including guidelines on assignment writing and referencing.

Section 10 – appeals and grievances/ complaints procedure.

Welcome from the Head of the School of

ULSM is a vibrant department consisting of a community of scholars with an international

Provisional Calendar 2010 – 2011

6.10.10 - 15.10.10 Induction and Foundations of Knowledge (FoK) module

18.10.10 Start of Semester 1 Core Module Teaching

End-October 10 Likely submission date for FoK assignment

17.12.10 End of Autumn Term

17.01.11 Start of Spring Term

Mid-January 11 Likely submission date for S1 assignments

Likely deadline for choosing S2 options

Mid-January 11 Likely dates of S1 exams

31.01.11 Start of Semester 2 Module Teaching

Mid-February 11 Dissertation Planning Workshops (tbc)

01.04.11 End of Spring Term

09.05.11 Start of Summer Term

Early-May 11 Likely submission date for S2 assignments

Mid-May 11 Likely dates of S2 exams

01.07.11 End of Summer Term

July 11 Likely date of ULSM Progress Board

End Aug 11 Likely submission date for dissertation

Early Sept 11 Likely dates for any re-sit exams

Early Sept 11 Likely date for any re-submitted assignments

Early-November 11 Likely date for ULSM Examinations Board

End January 12 Likely date of Graduation Ceremony

We encourage students to also familiarize themselves with the University of

Your first week in the School of Management

Blackboard can be found at http://blackboard.le.ac.uk

The School of Management

Academic staff and their research interests

Professor Alan Bryman, BA, MA, PhD:

Professor Joanna Brewis, BSc, PhD:

Professor Gibson Burrell, BA, MPhil, PhD, AcSS:

Professor Steve Brown, BA, PhD:

Dr Maria Boutchkova, BS, MS, PhD

Mr Mark Burridge, BA, MSc:

Professor Catherine Casey, MA, PhD:

Mr Robert Cluley, BSc (Hons), MA, MSc:

Dr Andrea Davies, BSc, MA, PhD: