EC310A FINAL YEAR PROJECT

EC310A FINAL YEAR PROJECT
INTERIM REPORT
GUIDANCE NOTES

The Interim Report. You have to submit an interim report on your progress to date – 10% of the marks are allocated for this. It will be assessed both with regard to content and presentation.

There are no fixed guidelines on the report length. Discuss it with your supervisor (they mark it!) it’s probably no more than 1000 words, but you can reuse as much of it as you like in your Final Report.

The Interim Report has been included as a component of your project so that:
• you are encouraged to Start & manage the available time
• So your supervisor can evaluate your report writing abilities and provide appropriate feedback and guidance.

Guidance on Writing the Interim Report

Specific content for your Interim Report should be agreed with your Supervisor. However, the following should provide you with some overall guidance.

Content

i. A brief Introduction to the project giving the background to the research,
ii. A purpose
either a project Aim & Objectives (milestones) required to achieve that aim.
OR .. even better .. a Hypothesis (or a few hypotheses) that probably ends with a question mark [?] that you intend to prove/disprove.
iii. What has been achieved to date;
iv. Brief overview of background literature review presented in the Appendix;
v. Outline plan of future work, together with
a. either a Gantt Chart
b. or a programme of work;
vi. Reference list for main body of report (if appropriate);
vii. Appendix – Your latest, full literature review, together with the associated Reference List. This is likely to be the form the core of the second chapter of your final report, and sets the scene for the remainder of your project.
viii. A completed Ethical Approval Form .. that your supervisor agrees with.

Presentation guidelines

The main body of your Interim Report is approximately 1000 words and the Appendix between 1,000 and 2,000 words in length – both should contain appropriate illustrations, diagrams and tables suitable referenced and titled. The word count does not include figures, tables, reference lists etc.

Ask your supervisor to confirm but perhaps it is: 1.5 line spacing in 12 point Times Roman font or a typeface of equivalent size.

All sources of information used should be given and referenced in accordance with the author-date (or Harvard) system – good citation of sources is rewarded in the marking.

Ethics

Ethical approval for your research is something the University has to take seriously. There is a separate section in this Blackboard module just on the subject of ethics.
Read and complete that section please …. NOTE you must submit a signed “Ethics declaration form”.

Submission

Some supervisors may prefer to have a printed copy but the Interim Report must be submitted via Turnitin, using the link available on Blackboard under the Assignments button.

Plagiarism and collusion: in submitting your report via Turnitin, you are confirming, as usual, that you understand that plagiarism and collusion are prohibited and when detected constitute an offence leading to formal disciplinary proceedings. Reports will be checked.

Marking and Feedback
We aim to provide feedback to students by the end of the term. This may not be possible for all supervisors. If not, your supervisor will tell you when s/he expects to give you feedback.
The role of digital technology in supply chain and management

The aim of this report is to investigate the role of digital technology in supply chain and management, and to identify the benefits and challenges associated with its use. The objectives of the report are to:

1. Understand the concept of digital technology and its application in supply chain and management
2. Review the literature on digital technology in supply chain and management.
3. Analyse the benefits and challenges of digital technology in supply chain and management.
4. Recommend ways to overcome the challenges and maximise the benefits of digital technology in supply chain and management.