Project Details: Applied Research - Guidelines by University.

Project Details: Applied Research - Guidelines by University.

Ethical approval of your proposed project is required before you start work

This module will require you to undertake an ethical review process/application before you carry out any research involving human participants, human data, animals/animal products, precious artefacts, materials or data systems.

Data MUST not be collected without first obtaining ethics approval for your research. If you submit a project that includes data gathered from or about people without ethical approval this may be treated as academic misconduct and could lead to fail grade being awarded.

Research ethics approval seeks to ensure all work is designed and undertaken according to certain principles of ethical research. These include:

Primary concern must be given to the safety, welfare and dignity of participants, researchers, colleagues, the environment and the wider community

Consideration of risks should be undertaken before research commences with the aim of minimising risks to those involved i.e. human participants or animal

or potential risks to those directly or indirectly affected by the research.

Informed consent should be freely given by participants, and only by a trained person when collecting or analysing human tissue.

Respect for the privacy, confidentiality and anonymity of participants

Consideration of the rights of people who may be vulnerable (by virtue of perceived or actual differences in their age, social status, ethnic origin, gender, mental capacities, or other such characteristics) who may be less competent or able to refuse to give consent to participate

Researchers have a responsibility to the general public and to their profession; as such they should balance the anticipated benefits of their research against potential harm, misuse or abuse which must be avoided

Researchers must demonstrate the highest standards of ethical conduct and research integrity. They must work within the limits of their skills, training and experience, and refrain from exploitation, dishonesty, plagiarism, infringement of intellectual property rights and the fabrication of research results. They should declare any actual or potential conflicts of interest, and where necessary take steps to resolve them.

When using human tissues for research, Human Tissue Act and Human Tissue Authority (HTA) requirements must be met. Please contact the relevant designated person (DP) in your department or the HTA Designated Individual (DI).

Research should not involve any illegal activity, and researchers must comply with all relevant laws

You can apply for research ethical approval using the Middlesex University Dubai Ethics Form. The relevant forms, templates and guidance on the approval process can be obtained on MS Teams MBS4816 space or the module folder on UniHub. Your module coordinator or supervisor can provide further guidance.

Your final submission must include either 1) A Signed Ethics Screening Form or 2) An Approved Ethics Application signed and approved by your supervisor and a 2nd reviewer.

Project Report :The length of the report should be a maximum of 15,000 words excluding appendices and references. If projects are more than 10% over the word count limit, you will incur an automatic penalty of 5% of your mark for your Project Report. Finally, projects should contain no less than 10,000 words.

Example Structure for a Consulting/Academic report

Students can take the opportunity to produce a final report on a broad or narrow topic of interest relying on the synthesis of existing academic and practitioner literature together with some primary data collection and analysis. Students will be assessed on their understanding of the research process including their ability to critically review academic literature (including theoretical models and concepts as well as previous relevant empirical studies) and draw upon relevant practitioner discussion.

Title page

Synopsis

Acknowledgements

List of contents

Notation - if applicable

Main body of the report to include the following sections or chapters: Introduction: This provides an overview of the entire project. It provides a background to and rationale for the research; discussion of the research aims and objectives including key research questions. It will also include an outline of any empirical study and its findings as well as an indication of the overall conclusions of the project.

Literature critical evaluation and discussion of relevant literature

Methodology presentation of methods and rationale

Data analysis (Findings) and Discussion

Conclusions and Recommendations, ideas for future research, limitations of this research.

References

Appendix or Appendices (where applicable)

Presentation of Final Report

The report must be typed in 1.5-line spacing A4 with font Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman 11pt. Margins should be as follows:

left-hand margin of 2.5 or 4 cm (1 or 1 inches)

right-hand margin of 2.5cm (1 inch)

top margin 2.5cm (1 inch)

bottom margin 2.5cm (1 inch)

All text and headings should be black. However, tables and the appendix section may use colour where it improves presentation and/or communication.

The examiners pay special attention not only to the content of the reports but also to their presentation. It is therefore important that each student ensures that the material in the report is presented in grammatically correct English and is free from spelling, typographical and other errors:

Pages must be numbered at the bottom centre of the page, although the title page should be blank.

The Executive Summary (where relevant), Acknowledgements, Table of Contents and Notation should be numbered with upper case Roman numerals.

The main text, starting with the first page of the first section (or Introduction) should be numbered, starting with page 1, using Arabic Numerals, through to the end of the references.

Appendices should be numbered using lower case Roman Numerals.

Acknowledgments

You may wish to acknowledge help given from various different sources:

From people outside the university your client/employer, staff of other departments, corporate collaborators, etc.

You may, as a matter of courtesy, wish to acknowledge the general guidance of your Supervisor, but this should be a fairly simple statement.

You may have had special help from staff inside the university in sourcing the project. This should be acknowledged collectively in one simple sentence.

Many students want also to acknowledge the personal support they have received from key family members and friends.

14.3. Use of Appendices

Appendices should be included where necessary to develop a theme or analysis which is not necessary to a first reading of the report and which, if included in the main text, would tend to confuse the general line of argument, or to present data that are useful as background but not essential in detail.

If the report is to contain a considerable number of tables and figures, it may be best to place them in an appendix and use in the main text only such summary tables or charts as will assist the reader in following your arguments without necessarily having to go into great detail. This may help to ensure a smooth and uninterrupted presentation.

14.4. References

It is mandatory that your report contains a full list of references at the end of the report. Unless references are full and correct they are at worst useless, and at best a source of considerable trouble to anyone who is trying to find the original.

Although there are many ways to reference, the method described below is the prescribed method. This is the Harvard Referencing System (as opposed to the Vancouver system which follows a numbering system). No report will be accepted if the references do not conform to the following conventions.

For details on how to reference internet articles, books and journal articles in the text and how to write up references, see the references section in Saunders, Lewis & Thornhill or refer to Moodle. Follow these guidelines very carefully, and start writing up your reference section as soon as you start work on the Project Proposal.

(In some cases, it may be necessary to add a list of other works which may be consulted although not specifically cited this list should be headed BIBLIOGRAPHY).

14.5. Notation

The extent to which you list any symbols used in your report is left to your discretion. Symbols which are used in several parts of your report should preferably be listed before the main text for ease of reference. Symbols which are used only once or in one section of the report may be referred to in that section only. Generally, try to place yourself in the position of a reader and arrange the notation in a manner which will be most convenient to follow.

14.6. Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the presentation of another persons words, ideas, judgement or data as though they were your own.

Plagiarism includes:

Failing to reference the source of your ideas or arguments.

Failing to put quotation marks to indicate verbatim quotes from someone elses work and failing to acknowledge the source.

Inserting text from books, articles, lecture notes, reports and other written material without using quotation marks and acknowledging the source.

When you submit your project you will be required to sign a form confirming that you have read the above definition of plagiarism and are fully aware of what it means. Signing this form will certify that the project report is entirely your own work, except where indicated.

All projects will be electronically checked for plagiarism when you submit via Turnitin.

Plagiarism is a serious offence. The exam board is entitled to penalise you for plagiarism, and serious cases will result in an automatic failure of the project and possibly the entire MBA. The exam board reserves the right to take further action as it deems appropriate to protect the good name of the School and the College, and this may involve expulsion of a student from the programme or withdrawal of a degree award.

14.7. Evidence of Primary Data

If you use surveys or questionnaires whilst undertaking your project, you must retain the completed original versions for inspection by your project supervisor or external examiner. You do not need to submit these with your final project or to include them in the appendices

but you need to have them available in case they are requested. Falsifying primary data is a serious academic offence and may result in the withdrawal of a degree award.

15. Assessment

The assessment for the final MBA Project consists of the following:

Proposal (1500 words) 10%

Presentation- 10%

Final Report (10-15,000 words) 80%

This includes a 1000 words reflective summary in appendix.

Your final report will be marked first by your supervisor and marked second by another member of faculty. An external examiner will also oversee this process and see a sample of projects.

Specific criteria used to assess your project include those listed below. Please also note that there will be greater emphasis on some marking criteria over others depending on the type of MBA project you choose, i.e. consulting project, consulting/academic report, or business plan (see section 5.1).

Project difficulty: Projects inherent difficulty

Some projects are inherently more conceptually and/or practically challenging. Furthermore, students vary in their willingness to challenge themselves. Here we look at how willing you

were to tackle a difficult organisational problem, for example, and whether you took easy or more challenging options when you faced them.

Project design: Definition of project aims and objectives

The key to a successful project is to have a clear focus / question which the project is addressing. Weak projects do not identify this question with clarity. This has implications for the project design. Good projects have clear aims (the question) and objectives (the way the question will be addressed).

Use of literature & theory: Analytical appreciation of relevant literature and theory

You will be expected to show a critical awareness of the analytical frameworks you will have learned on your MBA and apply them to the issues in your project. This should include both theoretical models and concepts and previous relevant empirical studies.

The applied analysis in the report should be developed through a rigorous analytic framework which must be developed through a critical appreciation of the relevant theories and research.

Methodology: Choice of appropriate methodology and difficulty of methodology

What methods did you use in your project? Were they appropriate given the organisational problem or the projects aims and objectives? How well did you understand and explain your selection of methods? Data collection without a methodological rationale is considered as journalism and will be penalised.

The simplest data collection may rely on secondary data where appropriate from published sources such as existing databases. Where the data required to answer your question/hypothesis is unavailable through secondary sources, you might need to collect primary data, i.e. surveys and interviews, for example. Whether you use secondary or primary data, you will have to use a methodology that you explain and justify in your report.

Data analysis: Use of evidence, analysis and argument

This is a critical part of your project. You need to analyse your data using the models, concepts and tools from your MBA. We look for:

Accuracy in numerical analysis

Observations supported by empirical evidence (never make an unsubstantiated assertion)

Data presentation which relates to the project question. How well you have used evidence analysis and argument The use of the knowledge, tools and skills from your MBA

Quality and structure of written report: Rationale of report structure, quality of references to sources, clarity and elegance of expression.

How well written is your report? Are your arguments clear and your points well made? Is the report well structured?

Conclusions and recommendations: Strength of conclusions and relationship to foregoing content, suggestions for further work.

Here we look for how well your conclusions are made. Do they relate to your analysis? How strongly? Are they justified given the body of the Report? Have you recognised weaknesses and limitations? Are you able to identify what further work might be helpful? And, most importantly, have you answered the question which the Project set?

Conduct of project: (To be completed by Supervisor only). Contribution of own ideas and sources, organisation of work schedule and productive use of external contacts.

How did you manage your time? How many of your own ideas did you contribute? What use did you make of relevant external sources and contacts? How much initiative did you demonstrate? Did you encounter unforeseen obstacles beyond your control?

15.1. Grading

Detailed marking criteria will be given to students during the workshops for this module where the marking criteria will differ slightly by type of project. It is, therefore, important that students mark clearly the type of project they are submitting on their title page.

Grade 1-4 (Distinction)

A mark of this level corresponds to a distinction.

The report indicates exceptional success in tackling the Project. All the Projects objectives have been met as fully as could reasonably be expected. The student has shown initiative and been rigorous in the collection and use of data. Where appropriate, relevant literature has been critically evaluated. The standard of the report presentation is very high.

A mark of this level should be reserved for reports of exceptional merit which have something extra and which surprises. The Supervisor will be required to justify why a distinction has been awarded.

Grade 5-8 (Merit)

The student has tackled the problem conscientiously and logically and has produced sound conclusions. Presentation is of a good standard.

Grade 9-16

The students work has been no more than moderate overall, or would have deserved a higher grade but for areas of significant weakness

Please note that, in addition to meeting other criteria, a Distinction award in your MBA requires a Distinction mark in your project module and that a Merit award in your MBA requires a Merit mark in your project module.

3702053105823MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

center257175

center441960Topic: Impact of Servant Leadership on Sales and Marketing

370205759732Title: Studying the Influence of Servant Leadership on Sales and Marketing Teams Performance

Table of Contents

Introduction .3

Research Aim...4

Research Objectives.4

Literature Review.5

Methodology Used6

Research Gap.6

Conclusion.7

References.8

Introduction

Leadership is very important in accomplishing organizational goals especially in the marketing and sales functions in current business environment. Effective leadership stands as essential for the purpose of driving marketing effectiveness and sales performance due to evolving customer behaviours and dynamic market landscapes (Suherlan 2023).

Servant Leadership (SL) is a leadership where the goal of the leader is to serve rather than taking control (Robert K 1970). In this the leader prioritises the wellbeing, growth and empowerment of its employees. This leadership style aims at fostering an inclusive culture that allows every employee in the firm to flourish as their authentic self (Kaltiainen and Hakanen 2022). It consists of four elements, namely, empathy, flexibility, listening, and stewardship.

Various studies have discovered the influence of SL in varied contexts of organization. However, its impact on sales and marketing has stayed relatively unexplored. This study aims to address this gap by analysing the effect of servant leadership on marketing effectiveness and sales performance. This research will fetch valuable insights into servant leadership's role in bringing marketing success and fostering sales by taking into consideration the major principles of SL and its effect on employee motivation, team dynamics, and outcomes of the organization.

Research Aim:

This research study aims to study the influence of servant leadership on marketing efficiency and sales performance in the UAE market. The main attribute of servant leadership is to share power with others and to encourage growth and development of others. This concept has attained substantial consideration in organizational studies. This research study will discover how the implementation of servant leadership practices among marketing and sales leaders will impact employee inspiration, team dynamics and eventually, marketing success and sales outcomes in context to UAE market.

Research Objectives:

Examining the impact of SL on sales force and marketing teams performance.

To study the main values and features of SL with regard to marketing and sales supervision.

To regulate the link between SL actions as shown by marketing and sales leaders and the involvement of personnel within the team.

To examine the impact of SL on indicators of marketing effectiveness including consumer engagement, brand perception, and market share.

To evaluate the effect of SL on sales performance metrics like consumer acquisition, sales revenue, and rates of retention.

Literature Review:

The main focus of this research proposal is how SL influences the performance of the sales and marketing team in an organisation. Effective marketing and sales performance are two important measures of an organization's success. Servant leadership has a big impact on these things.

It has been analysed that an efficient team of marketing can leverage servant leadership by prioritizing the requirements of the team, inspiring individuals, and fostering collaboration to contribute towards their strengths (Nauman et al. 2022).

In recent years, authors have greatly recognized the prevalence of servant leadership in marketing and sales contexts. For illustration, in a research, it has been considered that servant leadership tactics among sales departments certainly impact job satisfaction, team unity, and sales performance (Westbrook and Peterson 2022). Equally, in the marketing section, servant leadership tends to enhance creativity among personnel, enhance consumer alignment, and thereby, overall marketing efficiency. In spite of these positive impacts, there remains a vast gap in understanding particular mechanisms via which servant leadership influences marketing and sales results (Rake 2017).

However, there is a great deal to learn about the precise processes by which servant leadership affects marketing and sales results. By investigating the connection between sales and marketing performance and servant leadership, this study seeks to close this gap.

Conceptual Framework:

Three primary elements that provide the conceptual framework for this investigation:

1. Servant leadership: This is defined by a dedication to the personal development of others like empathy, active listening, persuasion, conceptualization, and stewardship. These qualities increase employee creativity and promote a positive work environment. 2. Sales Performance & Marketing Effectiveness: The servant leadership model has an impact on marketing effectiveness and sales performance. The study will look at how important performance indicators including sales income, customer satisfaction, and brand perception are affected by servant leadership.

3. Moderator Variables: These consist of organizational culture and congruence of leadership style. The research will offer a comprehensive comprehension of the circumstances in which servant leadership is most successful in attaining marketing and sales objectives.

In conclusion, though SL is an important component of this study, but it also focuses a great deal on how it affects marketing efficacy and sales performance. The aim is to understand how servant leadership can be used to improve organizational effectiveness.

Methodology Used:

The research methodology employed for this proposal is a mixed model approach using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The research philosophy uses positivism and the research design follows an abductive approach. The data collection uses two primary methods, surveys and semi structured interviews. The sectors targeted for this research are Banking, IT, Automobile, Education, Finance, Real Estate, focusing on the white-collar workforce in the UAE market. Surveys are conducted to gather quantitative data. The sampling technique used is random sampling method ensuring fair representation of population across the targeted sector. Semi- structured interviews are used to collect qualitative data. The sampling technique used for this is purposive sampling, selecting individuals who can provide in depth information into impact of servant leadership in sales and marketing.

The responses from the survey questions are analysed using SPSS software. This gives a statistical analysis of the quantitative data. The interview reports are analysed using NVivo software. This software helps in analysing the qualitative data. The technique used for analysing the qualitative data is thematic analysis, which involves identifying, analysing and reporting patterns within the data.

Research Gap:

The SL is more often linked with leaders that serves their team and organization first and dont prioritize their own objectives. Employees in SL kind of environment feel that their voices are heard. However, its implications on marketing and sales strategies such as brand positioning and consumer relationships are not explored. This study will fill this gap by examining how the principles of servant leadership will convert into fruitful marketing and sales outcomes. Most of the research studies that examined the role of leadership in marketing and sales contexts have focused majorly on transformational or transactional styles (Basit et al. 2017). The unique aspects of servant leadership have been neglected. Therefore, it is important to explore the different impacts of servant leadership behaviours on marketing and sales outcomes in order to fetch a deep understanding of leadership dynamics

Moreover, extensive research has been done on servant leadership in several organizational contexts. However, limited focus has been placed on its impacts on marketing and sales functions. Prevailing literature mostly explores its impacts on organizational commitment, satisfaction of employees, and job performance but no such empirical evidence has been found with regard to its impact on sales and marketing consequences. In spite of the higher acknowledgement of the implication of leadership in increasing sales and marketing achievement, research often oversees the servant leadership roles in these domains (Singh et al. 2017). This study aims to bridge this gap by examining how practices of servant leadership lead to enhancement in marketing efficiency and sales performance.

Conclusion

We can conclude that this research proposal offers an all-inclusive investigation into the impact of servant leadership on marketing efficacy and sales performance. This research aims to make a considerable contribution to both practical perceptions and theoretic information in the area of leadership lessons and marketing management. With the help of empirical examination and rigorous methodology, it is looking forward to unveiling the mechanisms via which servant leadership influences team dynamics, organizational consequences, and employee inspiration. The findings of this research are supposed to offer valuable inferences for practitioners and administrative leaders looking to improve their leadership tactics and drive marketing and sales success in todays business environment.

References

Basit, A., Sebastian, V. and Hassan, Z., 2017. Impact of leadership style on employee performance (A Case study on a private organization in Malaysia).International Journal of Accounting & Business Management,5(2), pp.112-130.

Bilal, A., Siddiquei, A., Asadullah, M.A., Awan, H.M. and Asmi, F., 2021. Servant leadership: a new perspective to explore project leadership and team effectiveness.International Journal of Organizational Analysis,29(3), pp.699-715.

Blanchard, K., 2018.Servant leadership in action: How you can achieve great relationships and results. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

Coetzer, M.F., Bussin, M. and Geldenhuys, M., 2017. The functions of a servant leader.Administrative Sciences,7(1), p.5.

Jit, R., Sharma, C.S. and Kawatra, M., 2017. Healing a broken spirit: Role of servant leadership.Vikalpa,42(2), pp.80-94.

Kaltiainen, J. and Hakanen, J., 2022. Fostering task and adaptive performance through employee well-being: The role of servant leadership.BRQ Business Research Quarterly,25(1), pp.28-43.

Nauman, S., Bhatti, S.H., Imam, H. and Khan, M.S., 2022. How servant leadership drives project team performance through collaborative culture and knowledge sharing.Project Management Journal,53(1), pp.17-32.

Pawar, A., Sudan, K., Satini, S. and Sunarsi, D., 2020. Organizational servant leadership.International Journal of Educational Administration, Management, and Leadership, pp.63-76.

Rake, J., 2017.The bridge to growth: How servant leaders achieve better results and why it matters now more than ever. Simon and Schuster.

Roberts, G., 2021. Fostering workplace well-being through servant leadership.The Palgrave Handbook of Workplace Well-Being, pp.211-238.

Singh, R., Kumar, N. and Puri, S., 2017. Thought self-leadership strategies and sales performance: integrating selling skills and adaptive selling behavior as missing links.Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing,32(5), pp.652-663.

Suherlan, M.O.O., 2023. Technological Innovation in Marketing and its Effect on Consumer Behaviour.

Westbrook, K.W. and Peterson, R.M., 2022. Servant leadership effects on salesperson self-efficacy, performance, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions.Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing,29(2), pp.153-175.