| Trimester | T3 2025 |
|---|---|
| Unit Code | HI6008 |
| Unit Title | Business Research |
| Assessment Type | Group Assignment |
| Weight | 50% |
| Submission Guidelines | • All work must be submitted on Blackboard by the due date along with a completed Assignment Cover Page.<br>• The assignment must be in MS Word format unless otherwise specified. |
| Academic Integrity Information | Holmes Institute is committed to ensuring and upholding academic integrity. All assessments must comply with academic integrity guidelines. Please learn about academic integrity and consult your teachers with any questions. Violating academic integrity is serious and punishable by penalties that range from deduction of marks, failure of the assessment task or unit involved, suspension of course enrolment, or cancellation of course enrolment. |
| Penalties | • All work must be submitted on Blackboard by the due date and time, along with a completed Assessment Cover Page. Late penalties apply.<br>• 20% penalty applicable for solo (single student) group submissions.<br>• Your answers must be based on Holmes Institute syllabus of this unit. Outside sources may not amount to more than 10% of any answer and must be correctly referenced in full. Over-reliance on outside sources will be penalised<br>• Reference sources must be cited in the text of the report and listed appropriately at the end in a reference list using Holmes Institute Adapted Harvard Referencing. Penalties are associated with incorrect citation and referencing. |
This group assessment requires four (4) students to select one of the approved topics below and develop a research report of 2,500–3,000 words.
The report must follow the required structure and include a minimum of six (6) peer-reviewed academic journal articles.
The purpose of this task is to develop your ability to conduct applied business research, link theory to practice, and critically evaluate a contemporary business issue within one of two key areas:
• Management and Leadership
• Marketing and Consumer Behaviour
Each topic includes a video link that provides context and factual content for your research. You must select only one topic and base your report on that topic and video.
Topic: The Impact of Social Media and Digital Distractions on Productivity, Focus, and Well-Being in the Modern Workplace
Video: The Battle for Your Time: Exposing the Costs of Social Media — Dino Ambrosi (TEDx Talk)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TMPXK9tw5U
Description:
This video explores how social media platforms compete for human attention, often reducing focus and productivity while affecting mental well-being. It highlights the growing challenge leaders face in managing digital distractions within the workplace.
Task:
Select one interesting aspect and formulate a Research Question (RQ) examining how social media and digital habits influence productivity and satisfaction.
Apply leadership and management theories to analyse how leaders can promote healthy digital habits and sustain performance in the modern business environment.
Topic: The Impact of Remote Work on Productivity and Employee Satisfaction
Video: https://youtu.be/nE2NT_Wt46A (glasp.co)
Description:
This video discusses how remote and hybrid work models are transforming leadership practices and employee experiences.
Task:
Select one interesting element and formulate a Research Question (RQ) exploring how remote work influences productivity and satisfaction.
Apply leadership and management theories to explain the implications for modern organisations.
Topic: The Rise of Influencer Marketing and Its Impact on Consumer Trust and Purchase Decisions
Video: How Influencers Have Transformed Modern Marketing — Rachel David (TEDx Talk)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbbEXnRG9d8
Description:
This video examines how influencer marketing has reshaped the way brands connect with audiences. As consumers increasingly rely on digital personalities for product recommendations, questions arise about credibility, transparency, and the long-term impact on brand loyalty.
Task:
Select one interesting aspect and formulate a Research Question (RQ) examining how influencer marketing affects consumer trust, engagement, and purchase behaviour.
Apply marketing and consumer behaviour theories to critically analyse how brands can leverage influencers effectively while maintaining ethical marketing practices and consumer trust.
Your report must include the following numbered sections:
Explain why your group selected this topic. Discuss your interest in the subject, its relevance to business practice, and its importance in the current global context.
Clearly state which specific aspect of the topic your research investigates.
Present a clear and focused question that guides your research and analysis.
Summarize key facts, arguments, and insights from the assigned video relevant to your RQ.
Identify and justify which academic sources (at least six peer-reviewed journal articles) you will use and explain why they are relevant.
Provide a structured summary of the peer-reviewed journal articles from part 5.
Highlight key theories, methods, and findings from each source.
Apply the theoretical concepts from your literature review to interpret and analyse the facts and issues raised in the video. Connect research to real-world practice.
Conclude by evaluating how well your research addressed your RQ. Identify insights, limitations, and recommendations for future research or practice.
Include a short section showing which group member completed which section of the report.
Word Count: 2,500–3,000 words (excluding references and appendix)
References: Minimum six (6) peer-reviewed journal articles (Adapted Harvard style)
Video Citation: The selected video must be cited and discussed
Format: MS. Word file
Holmes has implemented a revised Harvard approach to referencing. The following rules apply:
All assignments must include in-text citations to the listed references. These must include the surname of the author/s or name of the authoring body, year of publication, page number of the content, and paragraph where the content can be found. For example, "The company decided to implement an enterprise-wide data warehouse business intelligence strategy (Hawking et al., 2004, p3(4))."
The reference list must be located on the last page of your submission
The reference list must include the details of all the in-text citations, arranged A-Z alphabetically by author surname with each reference numbered (1 to 10, etc.) and each reference MUST include a hyperlink to the full text of the cited reference url.
For example:
If students do not follow the above rules, penalties apply:
The following notes explain what is expected for each section to achieve an "Excellent" score:
| Section | Expectation for Full Marks (Excellent) |
|---|---|
| 1. Topic Justification | Demonstrates strong personal and professional interest in the topic, clear link to business relevance, and awareness of current global or industry trends. |
| 2. Focus | Clearly identifies a specific, manageable aspect of the topic; focus is sharply defined and logically aligned with the research question. |
| 3. Research Question (RQ) | The RQ is precise, original, researchable, and directly linked to both theory and the video content. It drives the entire analysis. |
| 4. Relevant Facts | Provides a well-organized and accurate summary of the video; clearly connects the video's ideas and data to the RQ. |
| 5. Literature Sources | Selects high-quality, recent, peer-reviewed academic sources; clearly justifies their relevance to the topic and RQ. |
| 6. Literature Review | Demonstrates critical understanding of each article; synthesizes key ideas, compares different viewpoints, and identifies theoretical themes. |
| 7. Application | Integrates theory and practice seamlessly; applies concepts from the literature to explain, interpret, and critically evaluate real-world evidence from the video. |
| 8. Evaluation | Provides a thoughtful conclusion that clearly answers the RQ; reflects critically on findings, acknowledges limitations, and suggests areas for further research. |
| Criteria | Excellent | Very Good | Good | Slightly Deficient | Unsatisfactory |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Topic Justification (5 Marks) | Fully compliant in all respects | Mostly compliant | Compliant but minor shortcomings | Slightly deficient | Non-compliant or unsatisfactory |
| 2. Focus (5 Marks) | Fully compliant in all respects | Mostly compliant | Compliant but minor shortcomings | Slightly deficient | Non-compliant or unsatisfactory |
| 3. Research Question (5 Marks) | Fully compliant in all respects | Mostly compliant | Compliant but minor shortcomings | Slightly deficient | Non-compliant or unsatisfactory |
| 4. Relevant Facts (5 Marks) | Fully compliant in all respects | Mostly compliant | Compliant but minor shortcomings | Slightly deficient | Non-compliant or unsatisfactory |
| 5. Literature Sources (5 Marks) | Fully compliant in all respects | Mostly compliant | Compliant but minor shortcomings | Slightly deficient | Non-compliant or unsatisfactory |
| 6. Literature Review (10 Marks) | Fully compliant in all respects | Mostly compliant | Compliant but minor shortcomings | Slightly deficient | Non-compliant or unsatisfactory |
| 7. Application (10 Marks) | Fully compliant in all respects | Mostly compliant | Compliant but minor shortcomings | Slightly deficient | Non-compliant or unsatisfactory |
| 8. Evaluation (5 Marks) | Fully compliant in all respects | Mostly compliant | Compliant but minor shortcomings | Slightly deficient | Non-compliant or unsatisfactory |
Total Marks: 50
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