GRA 8242 Consultancy Project (2021/2022)

GRA 8242 Consultancy Project (2021/2022)

Course code: 
GRA 8242
Department: 
Leadership and Organizational Behaviour
Credits: 
30
Course coordinator: 
Anders Dysvik
Course name in Norwegian: 
Consultancy Project (2021/2022)
Product category: 
Executive
Portfolio: 
EMBA Business Administration - Core Courses
Semester: 
2022 Autumn
Active status: 
Active
Level of study: 
Master
Teaching language: 
English
Course type: 
One semester
Introduction

The aim with the consultancy project is application of the knowledge and skills the students have acquired during the EMBA program. This will be done through a project where the students provide concrete advices on how to solve a real-life substantial managerial problem/challenge for a company of their choice.    

The consultancy project trains the students in how to produce an evidence-based analysis of a substantial managerial problem/challenge. The group should also consider challenges connected to realizing the suggested solution to the organization.

The work on the consultancy project is conducted as a team project. This also gives the students practical training in solving business problems together with other people.

The Consultancy Project is an integral part of the EMBA degree. The subject for the consultancy project is provided by the company and must be approved by the Associate Dean EMBA. The students should be able to observe and discuss the topic with people dealing with the challenge in the company. Issues encountered in the coursework should be discussed in the report, and the students should demonstrate their ability to apply the models, theories and methods that they have studied to the real-life situation. The project is supervised by a company representative who ensures that the project is being led according to the company's objectives and guidelines, as well as by a BI professor (faculty advisor) whose role is to validate the academic aspects.

Learning outcomes - Knowledge
  • Give an overview of the management disciplines and their interconnections
  • Summarise key business concepts and models
  • Explain the interconnections between business concepts and business problems
  • Evaluate evidence when proposing business solutions
Learning outcomes - Skills
  • Conduct an independent analysis of a managerical challenge/problem in a company
  • Propose a practical solution
  • Address challenges with realizing the solution
  • Team work capability
General Competence

Organize different values, ideas and interests into a coherent proposal of a solution to a managerial problem/challenge

Course content

Participants to apply the knowledge and skills acquired during the EMBA in a real-life business situation. The project ia an integral part of the EMBA program. It is two-fold:

  • to experience non-hierarchical teamwork
  • to integrate the knowledge the EMBA students have received during the programme and apply it to inform a major strategic decision. 

The students will be introduced to report writing and methodology at an early stage of the program. The introduction will cover the following topics:

  • Introduction and problem formulation
  • Methods and evidence
  • Use of business concepts and models
  • Analysis and writing
  • Drawing conclusions and making recommendations
Teaching and learning activities

The work with the consultancy project starts in module 1 of the EMBA programme where the students receive general information about what is expected from a consultancy project. The students also start to form groups at this time. The consultancy project groups are self-organized by the students. By module 3 the groups should be formed and the topic for the consultancy project should be approved. Between module 3 and 4 each group will receive a faculty advisor. The concrete work on the consultancy project takes place in the last half of the EMBA programme. 

The students are expected to refer to relevant literature of their own choice.

The consultancy project should be handed in via It's learning (or the current submission system in use) and will then be distributed to the faculty advisor (internal examinator) and an external examinator. Further, the project should also be delivered to the company in the form of a final consultancy report and a presentation.

Attendance to all sessions in the course is compulsory. If you have to miss part(s) of the course you must ask in advance for leave of absence. More than 25% absence in a course will require retaking the entire course. It's the student's own responsibility to obtain any information provided in class that is not included on the course homepage/ It's learning or other course materials.

The students are evaluated through the team report and its oral presentation in front of a jury consisting of the faculty advisor and an external examinator.

The team report counts 70 % of the total grade and oral presentation counts 30 % of the total grade.

This is a course with continuous assessment (several exam elements) and one final exam code. Each exam element will be graded using points on a scale (e.g. 0-100). The elements will be weighted together according to the information in the course description in order to calculate the final letter grade for the course.

Specific information regarding student evaluation beyond the information given in the course description will be provided in class. This information may be relevant for requirements for term papers or other hand-ins, and/or where class participation can be one of several elements of the overall evaluation.

The course is a part of a full Executive Master of Business Administration Program and all evaluations must be passed to obtain a certificate for the degree.

In all BI Executive courses and programmes, there is a mutual requirement  
for the student and the course responsible regarding the involvement of the student's experience in the planning and implementation of courses, modules and programmes. This means that the student has the right and duty to get involved with their own knowledge and practice relevance, through the active sharing of their relevant experience and knowledge.

Software tools
No specified computer-based tools are required.
Qualifications

Granted admission to the EMBA programme. Please consult our student regulations.

Disclaimer

Deviations in teaching and exams may occur if external conditions or unforeseen events call for this.

Exam categoryWeightInvigilationDurationGroupingComment exam
Exam category:
Submission
Form of assessment:
Written submission
Exam code:
GRA 82421
Grading scale:
Point scale leading to ECTS letter grade
Grading rules:
Internal and external examiner
Resit:
All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course
70No1 Semester(s)Group (3 - 4)Team report, counts 70% of the total grade.
Exam category:
Activity
Form of assessment:
Presentation
Exam code:
GRA 82421
Grading scale:
Point scale leading to ECTS letter grade
Grading rules:
Internal and external examiner
Resit:
All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course
30No -Group (3 - 4)Oral presentation, counts 30% of the total grade.
Exams:
Exam category:Submission
Form of assessment:Written submission
Weight:70
Invigilation:No
Grouping (size):Group (3-4)
Duration:1 Semester(s)
Comment:Team report, counts 70% of the total grade.
Exam code:GRA 82421
Grading scale:Point scale leading to ECTS letter grade
Resit:All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course
Exam category:Activity
Form of assessment:Presentation
Weight:30
Invigilation:No
Grouping (size):Group (3-4)
Duration: -
Comment:Oral presentation, counts 30% of the total grade.
Exam code:GRA 82421
Grading scale:Point scale leading to ECTS letter grade
Resit:All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course
Type of Assessment: 
Continuous assessment
Total weight: 
100
Student workload
ActivityDurationComment
Examination
800 Hour(s)
Preparation of Consultancy Project
Sum workload: 
800

A course of 1 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 26-30 hours. Therefore a course of 30 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of at least 800 hours.