Assignment type: Individual essay (worth 50% of the module)
Assignment information: Please answer ONE of the following essay questions: To what extent do you agree that ‘entrepreneurs are born and not made’? Selecting two or three examples, discuss the different kinds of cognitive biases or errors entrepreneurs are susceptible to and how they may impact on entrepreneurial behaviour. Describe some of the ways in which emotions can influence entrepreneurial behaviours and the implications of such for businesses. Essay Checklist: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6! (READ THIS PLEASE!!!) Structure – Begin your essay (the introduction to the essay) with a thesis statement – one or two sentences that condense the argument or analysis to follow (e.g., Entrepreneurs are particularly susceptible to cognitive biases such as X and Y because … They impact on behaviour in the following ways …). The thesis statement is then followed by an outline of both the essay’s structure and the main points for discussion. The body of the essay is where arguments should be developed and supported according to the evidence. Be sure the discussion here is relevant to the topic at hand. Finally, summarise key points made throughout the essay and highlight any conclusions to be drawn. Argument and Content – The argument refers to the ‘point of view’ to be discussed. It should be captured by the thesis statement. The argument or point of view should be clearly developed throughout the essay, and again should be supported by the evidence and analyses. Supportive Evidence – You must use evidence – relevant and reliable academic research (primarily), figures and/or examples (e.g. pertaining to countries, industries, businesses or individuals) – to support your argument and the claims made. Referencing – Use the appropriate reading materials – articles (academic/refereed journal articles mainly), book chapters, reports etc. – to back up your argument(s). Reports should be from reputable sources – e.g., The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), The OECD, WHO, Gov.ac.uk. Regardless of whether or not a work is quoted from directly or indirectly, all work cited in the BODY of the submitted piece of work must have the author’s name and date published in parentheses following the citation (e.g. Jones and Smith, 2005; or Johnson, 2010). If the work is quoted from directly, quotation marks must be used and page numbers included. Work cited must be listed at the end of the essay in a section titled ‘References’. Please check the IMS Study Skills vle page and Harvard guidelines for information on referencing. References must be listed in alphabetical order, and written up consistently and accurately. Also, the essay must be an original piece of work and students should not be working together. Plagiarising the work of others (e.g., other students, experts, academics etc.), or work produced by the yourself for another assignment/project, will result in a mark of ZERO. Students must work independently on their essays. Style and Presentation – Essays should be double-spaced and written in 12 Font (Times New Roman, Calibri or Arial) with one inch margins on each side. Be sure the essay is well structured and contains accurate spelling and grammar. Sections of the essay should be highlighted with the appropriate headings. Headings should describe the issue(s) to be discussed. Also, please note that signposting is very important. In essays this is where you signal to the reader, at the beginning of each section, the discussion that follows – i.e., what you will talk about and why. Submission – The essay must be submitted through Turnitin (a submission link will be provided nearer the time on the learn/gold/VLE page). Details of how to submit via Turnitin will be provided in advance of the deadline. Please see the handbooks on penalties for late submission of coursework.
Key/suggested references: Readings for each weekly topic can be found in the READING LIST on the VLE page. Please note that you must include other high quality academic sources as well (i.e., journal articles of relevance that you find) to demonstrate that you have carried out independent research.
Tutorial details: Please consult your timetable.
Word limit: 2000 words +/- 10% (NOT including list of References at the end of the essay)
Referencing style: Harvard
Submission date and time: Wednesday February 24th at 12:00 pm (noon) UK Time (Late assignments, even by a few minutes, will receive a mark of ZERO. Students will then need to Resit in the Summer term and their mark will be capped at a PASS/40).
Submission details: Please submit via the online link on the module page and include the following information on the front page of your submission: Student ID numberProgramme of study (e.g., BSc in Management with Entrepreneurship)Module (e.g., Entrepreneurial Behaviour)DateAssignment titleWord count
Marking scheme: Marking will be in accordance with the general IMS undergraduate marking rubric: Answer. (Does the coursework address the question/issue or meet the assigned aims and keep on topic? Is there a comprehensive understanding of the topic?)Structure. (Is the structure clear and material presented in a well argued, coherent and synthesised manner?)Writing Style. (Is the writing fluent and of a good standard with few errors in spelling, punctuation or grammar?)Level of Reading. (Is the topic well researched and supported? Is there evidence of using a range of high quality sources?)Quality of Referencing. (Is the work appropriately sourced? Are the references well formatted and written up accurately and consistently?)
Any other information: If you would like to discuss the outline of your essay with the Module Leader or Associate Lecturer, please do during office hours. General questions can be asked near the end of live sessions every week. You have up until 3 pm on Tuesday February 23rd via email to ask any questions. A tutorial will be held for the assessment prior to the due date.
