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CIPS Professional Stage - Elective Subjects
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AIM
To
examine ways in which relationships are formed between organisations and their
Objectives
The
Project is designed to:
test the ability of students to undertake a properly programmed investigation of
a topic relating to purchasing and supply chain management, and to analyse and
present their findings in an orderly and reasoned manner.
enable part of the assessment of students to be undertaken by some other means
than by formal examination, thus reflecting the substantial practical experience
already obtained by many students when they reach the Professional Stage, and
emphasising the close relationship between education and practical application.
offer a valuable opportunity to employing organisations wishing to examine and resolve current problem areas concerning management.
Regulations
The Project must be entirely the work of the individual and students will be
required to certify this when making their submission. Appropriate
acknowledgement must be given to any sources of information or quoted text.
The title should clearly define the scope of the work undertaken.
The length should be 7,000 - 8,000 words, excluding appendices.
It should be submitted to CIPS for assessment during the final year of study.
The Project should be typewritten and double spaced, using one side of paper
only.
It should be presented in a suitable cover, showing the title, the student’s
name and CIPS membership number.
It should be introduced by a tale of contents which indicates clearly the sections or chapters of investigation and analysis.
Criteria
for Assessment
A
Project should be a sensible blend of description, investigation, analysis and
judgement. In other words, it should have all the features of a good report; it
should be readable, persuasive and to the point. Mere repetition of, for
example, manuals of procedure will not be acceptable, but a critical assessment
of these could well form part of the total exercise.
The
quality of the work will be judged in the light of the following factors:
a)
Planning
How well has the student defined the problem?
How effective is his or her general approach?
b)
Execution
Is the quality of data good?
Is the quantity of data adequate?
Has the analysis of information been undertaken adequately and accurately?.
Are the conclusions (or conclusions and recommendations) sound?
c)
Presentation
Is the presentation of the report clear?
Is it well written?
Is it supported, as appropriate, with illustrations, diagrams or graphs?
NOTE:
Irrelevance
will be penalised, but poor typing or binding will not count against the
Subject
Matter
a)
The scope of the Project should be defined, and it should be clearly indicated
by the title. Wide-ranging ‘philosophical’ subjects are unlikely to be
acceptable and students should also guard against too broad a subject. The key
point is to define and investigate a problem specific to one’s own working
environment. Thus ‘Purchasing in the Engineering Industry’ would be too
broad, since it could not possibly be investigated by one individual. The
Project should relate to a particular company or organisation, and
b)
The work should be personally carried through to completion by the candidate,
although the subject should be chosen in consultation with his or her manager.
Studies of actual purchasing and supply problems encountered by companies and
organisations are especially suitable for CIPS Projects, the contents of which
are confidential to the examinations staff of, and to the assessors appointed
by, CIPS.
Some Useful Techniques
Within chapters, it would be beneficial to identify sub-headings, which should
be underlined.
All statements should, where appropriate, be supported by authority and
references should be given in respect of quotations.
The value of the Project is enhanced by the inclusion of illustrations,
photographs and diagrams. Statistics are best set out in tabular form, and their
value is increased when comparative figures are given.
The final chapter should be headed ‘Conclusions’, in which the writer states
the results of his or her investigation, and makes specific recommendations.
These should be numbered, and presented in the most logical order.
At the end of the work, reference to published materials should be provided in a
Suggested
outline of the Project
Title page.
Acknowledgement of assistance received.
Table of contents, listing the headings of chapters and sections.
Chapter 1 - Introductory chapter.
The required number of chapters on the main subject matter.
Final chapter - Conclusions.
Bibliography.
Project Advice
Students who do not have the support of their employers and/or college, may seek advice direct from the CIPS on the suitability of the subject matter. The title and a brief summary of the proposed project indicating clearly the aims and objectives of the work should be submitted before starting the investigation.
Project Entry Form
All
projects must be accompanied by a project entry form, which includes a signed
statement by the author confirming that the project is an original piece of work
and that all quotations have been properly indicated and acknowledged. These
forms are available from CIPS by request.
Further Guidance
Students may also find the book entitled ‘Management of a Student Research Project’ by K Howard and JA Sharp (Gower) useful. It is available from CIPS Bookshop.
Submission and Assessment of Project
Students
should submit their project with a completed project entry form for marking
An
assessment fee equivalent to the current subject examination fee is payable, and
must
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