The Integrated Management Project - IMP - spans across two semesters.

IMP-1 is taken in Semester 3 and IMP-2 in Semester 4.

IMP-1 is formative (not graded) and IMP-2 is summative (graded).

You will produce an independent piece of work that is based on independent research and reflection. The output is in three stages that are listed and described below:

Assessment 1, Main Report, (80% weighting) has two sections, section 1 and 2:

Section 1
You will produce a report that:

Identifies an issue in an organisation (ideally your own) that has a multiple and varied approaches to its resolution. The issue need not be one of failure but may be a challenge facing an organisation. This should be a current or impending but not a past issue. You will identify and integrate a range of theories and techniques drawn from multiple appropriate disciplines from your MBA in the creation of appropriate solutions

Section 2

You will produce a critical review of the literature that:

Critically evaluates the concepts used in Part 1 and justifies their selection for your analysis and solution generation. This selection will reflect the debates in the literature about the concepts used.
(8,000 words)

Assessment 2, Reflective Report (20% Weighting)

You will produce a reflective account that:

Critically evaluates your capabilities at managing the process of producing the Project and reflects upon your development and future needs as a practitioner based on your learning during the Project.

(2,000 words)

IMP 2 - There are two submissions in IMP 2 in Semester 4: A1 & A2

Assessment 1 (A1) is made up of two parts - Part 1 & Part 2

PART 1: You would have produced a draft of this Report in Semester 3, as part of IMP 1:

Identifies an issue in your own organisation that has multiple and varied approaches to its resolution. This should be a current or impending but not a past issue. You will identify and integrate a range of theories and techniques drawn from multiple appropriate disciplines from your MBA in the creation of appropriate solutions.

(3500 words approximately)

Once you have framed the problem you will identify and discuss theories, models and paradigms related to the problem. Make sure that you look at the problem from different points of view and relate them to your learning from as many different units of the MBA. For example:

- People - LMP, LP, MCI - how does your problem/ solution impact on the team & company? Performance, leadership, managing creativity/innovation etc.

- Financial aspect - AfL - How will your solution improve/ impact positively on the financial aspect of the company?

- Marketing - How does your problem/solution impact on the marketing dimension?

- Strategy - From the Strategy unit (Business Strategy) and from TCGC (locating your problem / organisation within the wider context of global business/ sector - macro-environmental impact - PESTEL, etc.)

- Operations Management - How does the problem/solution impact on the supply chain, procurement and operational management issues?

- Project management - Consider the models for managing change and other project management theories or models. Can any of these be applied to your problem area? You may use the soft and hard systems approach within this context. Is there any other approach that would be appropriate? If so, present it (with appropriate referencing) and explain how and why it is more suitable to the task at hand.

This is not an exhaustive list and you are expected to broaden the range of theories as you see fit.

It is however most important to use an integrated approach rather than look at each dimension on its own. The theories around your strategic problem constitute around 90% of the literature reviewed. The rest - 10% - you can use to talk about soft, hard or alternative approaches to dealing with the strategic problem. These proportions are purely for indicative purposes and not a strict measure.

PART 2: You will produce a critical review of the literature of your work in Part A - compilation and integration of a range of theories and techniques drawn from multiple appropriate disciplines from your MBA. (3500 words approximately)

You will do so by critically evaluating the concepts, theories, models used in Part 1 and by providing a clear justification for their selection. This part of your assessment will reflect the debates in the literature about the concepts used.

Please see separate document entitled "Assessment Structure for A1" as a suggested structure.

Assessment 2, Reflective Report (20% Weighting)

You will produce a reflective account that:

Critically evaluates your capabilities at managing the process of producing the Project and reflects upon your development and future needs as a practitioner based on your learning during the Project. (2000 words approximately, give or take 10%)

Guidance on Reflective Account:

A critical review is a commentary on and critical evaluation of a text or a tool or technique. This is sometimes called a critique, critical commentary, critical appraisal, critical analysis.

Comment on:

- Usefulness of the tool/ technique / model / theory

- Strengths and Weaknesses

- How easy is it to apply it to practice?

- How could you improve it?