Air Transport Management and Strategy (M03EDM)
Assignment Brief Guidelines
(70% of Module Mark)
1 Introduction
The assignment is an important part of this module’s assessment scheme. It counts 70% towards the overall mark. You are required to read carefully the case study provided. In order to prepare your assignment and on the top of the information provided, you should also read a couple of additional reference materials.
Remember: assignments are individual pieces of work that should reflect your own opinions. You should therefore restrain from getting outside assistance or copyingand pasting material from the internet or other sources in order to construct your arguments. Assignments are checked for plagiarism as part of the submission process.
2 Background
The case study selected for this assignment focuses on the strategic plan to improve aviation safety in Ireland. You must read the two documents provided:
1. IrelandAviation State Safety Plan 2017 – 2020
2. Annual Safety Review of Aviation in Ireland 2016
The first document is a high level 4-year strategic plan to address the topical issues of air transport safety in Ireland. The second document is a comprehensive review of aviation safety issues occurred in Ireland in 2014. One complements the other.
By studying this case, students will learn how strategic thinking and management concepts can be applied to aviation safety at a national level.
3 Key Points
Read carefully the two documents provided. You mustprepare a report with your own views,addressing the following key points:
1) Strategic position and critical analysis
- What is the current strategic position regarding aviation safety in Ireland?
- Are the deficiencies highlighted in the “Safety Performance Review 2016” adequately addressed in the 4-year strategic plan?
- If you consider the strategic plan falling short of expectations, what other measures/ initiatives should have been included in there?
2) Strategic choices& Best Practices
- Perform additional research on ICAO, IATA, EASAplus a few other aviation leading nations regarding the guidelines, best practices and recommendations to be followed in order to produce effective national aviation safety plans.
- In your opinion, does the Irish Aviation Safety Plan adheres tosuch guidelines and industry best practices? Justify.
Note: For this assignment, please, focus your attention on commercial air transport and systemic issues, only. Kindly ignore all facts and comments related to general aviation.
4 Learning Objectives
This case is an interesting opportunity for students to further explore and acquire extra knowledge on critical analysis, strategic thinking and strategic implementation in the context of aviation safety.
5 Marking Criteria
The marking criterion for this assignment follows the scheme below:
|
#
|
Issues
|
Marks (%)
|
|
1
|
Strategic position and critical analysis (Key Point 1)
|
45
|
|
2
|
Strategic choices and best practices (Key Point 2)
|
40
|
|
4
|
Extra readings
|
10
|
|
5
|
Report organization, clarity, spelling, presentation, punctuation, page numbers, references, etc.
|
5
|
|
|
TOTAL
|
100
|
6 Submission and Deadlines
Assignments plus cover sheets must be submitted to the MBA Registrar, in accordance with the deadlines and rules setup for this purpose.
7 Length
In terms of effort, I expecta maximum of a3,500-word written report (7 to 8 pages). The 3,500wordsreport includes headings and the body text. References, annexes, tables, charts and other additional elements should be counted in addition to that.
Penalties can be applied for those exceeding the 3,500-word limit!
8 Assignment Format
The assignment should be written following a typical academic essay format. I expect to find, above all, good strategic thinking and recommendations based on sound/logical business argumentsas well as the contents delivered in the classes. I also expect to find evidence on the use of some references or bibliography. Because this module is focused on management practices, I expect students to use tables, charts, diagrams and other visual elements to support their views and analyses, since this is common practice in all business environments.
9 Writing the Assignment
The assignment should follow a certain structure, containing, at least, four important parts:
- Introduction
- Objectives
- Addressing the Key Points
- Conclusions
References or Bibliography
At the very end, if necessary, annexes can be added. Tables, diagrams, figures and charts should be combined with the main text when necessary. Do not forget to properly reference your sources.
Good luck with your assignment!
