Description
University of Central Lancashire
BM4106 Critical Issues in Business and Management Research
Assignment 1a Brief 2025-26
Word count: 3000 words
Assessment Type: Scaffolded Literature Review
Assessment Title: Assessment 1
Submission deadline: 17th November 2025
Weighting: 60%
Assignment Information
In this assignment, you will write a critical review of the literature related to ONE of the business and management topics below:
- Current developments in crisis management in one industry or type of job role of your choice.
- The significance of profit maximization and shareholder returns in the contemporary business environment.
- How can businesses balance technological Innovations and the needs of those whose livelihoods and work may be impacted by these evolutions?
- Critically analyse the moral and business case for embedding sustainability in business and management practices
- How can businesses balance profit and environmental sustainability in a post-pandemic world?
- How do cultural values and societal norms shape individuals’ willingness to engage in entrepreneurial activities?
A critical literature review is a “detailed overview of the significant literature available about your chosen topic, providing a discussion and critical evaluation, and using a clear argument to contextualise and justify your research” (Saunders et al., 2018:33).
In this task, you will present how you have developed and structured your literature review, explaining how you have gathered your academic sources and how you have critically evaluated the way in which these sources support your literature review. We also ask students to identify and consider gaps in the current literature.
The assessment will consist of a synthesis matrix of 3000 words and a literature review of 1000 words.
The synthesis matrix will consist of information in tabular form, where you will describe the source used, how you located or found the source (for example, which internet search engine you used to find the material), the main themes that you hoped to explore in the literature review, and a summary of how each academic article supports your argument. You should use around 30 academic sources, with each source supported by 100 words of text.
In the literature review, you will provide a critical evaluation of the sources, demonstrating how different perspectives exist within the area of business and management research. The literature review will be fully referenced within the text and in the reference List using the Harvard system. The literature review must use robust and reputable academic sources. We expect you to use the University catalogue for your sources, utilising academic textbooks and academic journals.
The assessment criteria for this assignment are:
- Critically research and select appropriate academic material on which to base your literature review
- Create a synthesis matrix demonstrating and justifying your choice of academic material
- Write a literature review using all the material from the matrix to critically evaluate the material found within the academic literature
- Reference the assignment accurately and comprehensively using the Harvard system of referencing
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