BHMS4543 Integrated Study (Marketing)

Student Handbook

2023/24 Academic Year

Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Scheme in Marketing

comprising
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Marketing and Digital Strategy
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Marketing Management
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Marketing and Public Relations

市場營銷(榮譽)文學士組合課程
Programme Code: 84055-MDS / 84055-MM / 84055-MPR (Full-time)
 Table of Contents

Page

1. Introduction .................................................................................................................. 3
2. Topic, Approach & Structure ...................................................................................... 5
3. Support to Students, Role of Supervisors & Students .............................................. 8
4. Assessment Criteria & Rubrics ................................................................................. 10
5. Format & Presentation .............................................................................................. 15
6. Submission Policies .................................................................................................... 18
7. Resubmission/ Retake ................................................................................................ 20
8. Plagiarism Policies & Turnitin Report ..................................................................... 21
9. Consequences of Plagiarism ...................................................................................... 24
Appendix A – Sample Title Page ....................................................................................................... 25
Appendix B – Integrated Study Report Declaration Form ............................................................ 26
Appendix C – Supervision Log Sheet (to be filled in by students) .................................................. 27
Appendix D – Sample Marking Forms (to be filled in by IS Supervisor) ...................................... 28
1. Introduction

This document aims at providing you with the necessary information on the formal
requirements of the BHMS4543 Integrated Study (Marketing) and setting out guidelines on
how the Integrated Study reports should be prepared, completed and presented.

The Integrated Study is a significant part of your Honours assessment, which accounts for 3
credits in the programme of Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Marketing and Digital Strategy,
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Marketing Management, and Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in
Marketing and Public Relations.

1.1. Objectives

This is a one-semester independent work for students to further develop their problem
solving skill and critical thinking. By working on an intellectually challenging theoretical
model or industrial issue, students will be able to show their ability to integrate knowledge
and skills with creativity and innovation from a range of subjects and past learning
experience to address a specific marketing and/or public relations problem. The students are
expected to analyse the problem/issue rigorously and present their arguments/findings in a
logical and coherent way.

1.2. Programme Intended Learning Outcomes (PILOs)

Upon successful completion of the programme, students will be able to:

Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Marketing and Digital Strategy

(a) evaluate marketing opportunities in a dynamic digital business environment; and

(b) acquire and integrate marketing skills and digital strategy knowledge in decision
making and problem solving for an organization.

Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Marketing Management

(a) evaluate marketing opportunities in a dynamic business environment; and

(b) apply a broad knowledge of marketing and management in decision making and
problem solving within an organization.

Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Marketing and Public Relations

(a) critically examine factors affecting decision making in the marketing and public
relations setting; and
(b) apply marketing and public relations knowledge and skills to analyse and resolve issues
in business contexts.

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1.3. Subject Intended Learning Outcomes (SILOs)

Upon successful completion of this subject, you will be able to:

(a) examine an issue faced by an organisation or a theoretical model in the marketing

management, digital marketing, or public relations sector;
(b) analyse the issue or the theoretical model;
(c) develop a personal career plan or an improved theoretical framework; and
(d) infer the analysis and recommendations in a rigorous, logical and coherent way.

1.4. How Learning Outcomes are accomplished

Teaching and Learning Assessment % SILOs to be assessed

activities methods / tasks Contribution a b c d
to Subject
Assessment
1. Topic identification & Proposal 15%

proposal development (500 - 800 words)
2. Interim progress update & Progress Report 15%
review (including discussion (600 – 1,000 words)
 
and consultation with
Supervisor)
3. Completion of study Final Report (3,000 - 70%
   
4,000 words)
Total 100%

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2. Topic, Approach & Structure

2.1. Topic Originality and Relevance

The topic of the Integrated Study report should be original and relevant to marketing and/or
public relations area. It is your responsibility to verify and ensure the title/topic of the
Integrated Study is original.

A good topic should fulfil the following criteria:

 Originality;
 Interesting and appealing to both scholars and practitioners of marketing and/or public
relations field; and/or
 Feasible and practicable implication for project investigation / implementation.

2.2. Report Structure

2.2.1. Length

Assessment Work Length required (words)

Proposal 500 – 800
Progress Report 600 – 1,000
Final Report 3,000 - 4,000

The number of words excludes the title page, abstract, table of contents, lists of appendices
and tables, references and bibliography, and appendices. Supervisors/Markers are not
required to read beyond 4,000 words in assessing your Final Report. A penalty of 10% of the
total mark will be deducted for excessive length.

2.2.2. Key Sections

The following key sections could be included in the Reports. Headings and sub-headings are
indicative only and could be used as appropriate.

(I) Proposal
1) Title of the Study (Approach)
2) Objectives of the Study
3) Introduction/Background/Theoretical model
4) Significance/Expected contribution of the study
5) Theoretical model (graph)
6) References (not included in word count)

(II) Progress Report

1) Title of the Study
2) Literature review
3) References (not included in word count)

(III) Final Report

Students may choose to adopt one of the following 4 approaches. These 4 approaches
are for reference only. If students have other approaches, please discuss with your own
Supervisors.

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 Approach 1a) Literature 1b) Literature 2) Data 3) Career 4) Market
/ Key Review Review Analysis Planning Study
Sections
1 Title Page* Title Page* Title Page* Title Page* Title Page*
2 IS Report IS Report IS Report IS Report IS Report
Declaration Declaration Declaration Declaration Declaration
Form & Word Form & Word Form & Word Form & Word Form & Word
count^ count^ count^ count^ count^
3 Table of Table of Table of Table of Table of
Contents Contents Contents Contents Contents
4 Abstract Abstract Abstract Executive Executive
Summary Summary
5 Introduction Introduction Introduction Introduction Introduction
6 Literature Literature Literature Industry Country &
Review Review Review analysis Industry
analysis
7 Recommendati Managerial Research Personality Business
ons on theories Implications Methodology tests potential
8 Managerial Limitation and Findings & Insight & Managerial
Implications Future Discussions Personal Implications
Research Career Plan
9 Conclusion Conclusion Conclusion Conclusion Conclusion
10 References References References References References
11 Appendices (if Appendices (if Appendices (if Appendices(if Appendices (if
any) any) any) any) any)
12 Supervision Supervision Supervision Supervision Supervision
Log sheets Log sheets Log sheets Log sheets Log sheets
13 Turnitin report Turnitin report Turnitin report Turnitin report Turnitin report

The following are the details of each approach:

1) Literature Review approach: introduce a problem/issue in the Marketing or Public Relations
industry, with a relevant theory or a conceptual model. Students could either:
a. give some recommendations on theories for problem solving or future improvement, and
identify contributions to managerial decision making; or
b. recommend organisations to make improvement in their marketing or public relations
strategies with reference to a relevant theory/model.

2) Data Analysis approach: identify the research questions, and then answer them by using the
findings from the primary data OR secondary data. The analyses could be qualitative OR
quantitative.

3) Career Planning approach: perform an in-depth analysis on an industry or a company in the

Marketing or Public Relations sector, explore the personality of the author, and develop a
personal career plan accordingly.

4) Market Study approach: conduct a market study for a Marketing or Public Relations industry.
The study may include country and industry analysis and identification of business potential etc.
Implication / contribution to managerial decision making should be discussed.

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Each approach can be supported by primary or secondary data if relevant.

If your study involves collecting personal data (such as names, phone numbers, addresses, identity
card numbers, photos, medical records and employment records), please ensure you comply with the
Data Privacy Law, for details, please visit www.pcpd.org.hk

2.3. Reading List*

Textbooks
Daymon, C. and Holloway, I. (2010), Qualitative Research Methods in Public Relations and
Marketing Communications, 2nd ed., Routledge.

Ghauri, P. and Gronhaug, K. (2010), Research Methods in Business Studies, 4th ed., Financial
Times/Prentice Hall.

Malhotra, N. K. (2010), Marketing Research: An Applied Orientation, 6th ed, Pearson.

Sekaran, U. and Bougie, R. (2009), Research Methods for Business: A Skill Building
Approach, 5th ed., John Wiley & Sons.

Turabian, K. L. (2007), A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 7th
ed., The University of Chicago Press.

VanderMey, R. et. al. (2011), The College Writer: A Guide to Thinking, Writing, and
Researching, 4th Ed, Wadsworth Publishing.

Zikmund, W.G. et. al. (2013), Business Research Methods, 9th ed. Cengage.

Journals
Journal of Marketing.
European Journal of Marketing.
Journal of Academy of Marketing Science.
Public Relations Review.
Journal of Business Ethics.
Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly.

*The above reading list is indicative. Supervisors may supplement with additional readings.

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3. Support to Students, Role of Supervisors & Students

3.1. Integrated Study Workshop

To prepare you for the Integrated Study projects, 6 hours of workshop(s) will be organized.
Students MUST attend all sessions of the workshop. The workshop will be held before the
semester in which the Integrated Study is taken.

The following topics will be covered in the workshops:

1. IS student handbook.
2. School’s policy on plagiarism
3. Current issues in marketing and/or public relations field and their challenges.
4. Writing skills, e.g., how to write-up a proposal.
5. Planning and implementation of the study.
6. How to generate and interpret Turnitin report.
7. Other contents IS Advisors see fit.

Students should identify a topic during or after the workshop in consultation and discussion
with the Programme Leader or other academic members. The topics identified will be used
for assigning Supervisors. Hence, it is important for students to stay with the topic.

3.2. Role of Supervisor

3.2.1. You should exert sufficient effort on your work to attain the required quality and quantity.
To assist you in preparing and completing the Integrated Study Report, you will be assigned
to a Supervisor who will provide you the appropriate guidance. Each student is entitled to a
maximum of 2.5 hours of consultation (e.g. 5 consultation meetings each of 30 minutes).
Other forms of arrangements may also be possible if considered appropriate by your
Supervisor. The meetings are intended to provide consultation on your study direction,
comment on your ongoing work, and coach you to meet with the objectives of this subject.

3.2.2. This subject aims at developing your ability in independent problem solving and critical
thinking. If you have any problems on the Reports, you can contact your Supervisor for
guidance. You should be well-prepared before asking questions or meeting with your
Supervisor (e.g. use the knowledge you have learned from the programme to identify specific
questions and possible solutions). Also, you should not expect the Supervisor to teach you
basic research knowledge.

Specifically, the Supervisor’s role is to:

- provide appropriate guidance;
- comment on the progress and quality of your work;
- give advice to the best of his/ her ability; and
- perform assessment on your Proposal, Progress Report and Final Report.

It is NOT your Supervisor’s responsibility to:

- proofread your written report or any drafts;
- review/comment on your drafts or perform any pre-marking of your written report;
- specify what you need to do or tell you what to do;
- manage your work schedule or progress; and
- arrange printing for materials that you wish him/ her to read (all such materials should be

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 submitted in hardcopy to your Supervisor before or during a scheduled meeting).
3.3. Role of Students

To make the best use of meetings with your Supervisor, you should
- manage your work progress and schedule properly;
- initiate communication and arrange regular meetings with your Supervisor;
- prepare and keep clear records of the discussion (in the form of a supervision log sheet;
see Appendix C) to ensure all intended meeting objectives are achieved on time;
- address communication issues with your Supervisor;
- maintain communication records with your Supervisor; and
- ask for comments but NOT direct instructions from your Supervisor.
The final responsibility of the Integrated Study resides with you but NOT your
Supervisor.

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4. Assessment Criteria & Rubrics

4.1. Grading
Subject Grade Short Elaboration on subject grading description
Grade Point Description
A+ 4.3 Excellent Demonstrates excellent achievement of intended subject
learning outcomes by being able to skillfully use concepts
A 4.0 and solve complex problems. Shows evidence of
innovative and critical thinking in unfamiliar situations,
A- 3.7 and is able to express the synthesis or application of ideas
in a logical and comprehensive manner.
B+ 3.3 Good Demonstrates good achievement of intended subject
learning outcomes by being able to use appropriate
B 3.0 concepts, and solve problems. Shows the ability to
analyse issues critically and make well-grounded
judgements in familiar or standard situations, and is able
B- 2.7
to express the synthesis or application of ideas in a logical
and comprehensive manner.
C+ 2.3 Satisfactory Demonstrates satisfactory achievement of intended
subject learning outcomes by being able to solve
C 2.0 relatively simple problems. Shows some capacity for
analysis and making judgements in a variety of familiar
and standard situations, and is able to express the
C- 1.7
synthesis or application of ideas in a manner that is
generally logical but fragmented.
D+ 1.3 Pass Demonstrates marginal achievement of intended subject
learning outcomes by being able to solve relatively simple
problems. Can make basic comparisons, connections and
D 1.0
judgements and express the ideas learnt in the subject,
though there are frequent breakdowns in logic and clarity.
F 0.0 Fail Demonstrates inadequate achievement of intended subject
learning outcomes through a lack of knowledge and/or
understanding of the subject matter. Evidence of analysis
is often irrelevant or incomplete.

Indicative descriptors for modifier grades:

Main Grade The student generally performed at this level, indicating mastery of the
(solid) subject intended learning outcomes at this level.
+ The student consistently performed at this level and exceeded the
(exemplary) expectations of this level in some regards, but not enough to claim mastery
at the next level.
- The student basically performed at this level, but the performance was
(marginal) inconsistent or fell slightly short in some regards.
Note: The above indicative descriptors for modifier grades are not applicable to the passing
grades D and D+

‘F’ is a subject failure grade, whilst all others (‘D’ to ‘A+’) are subject passing grades. No
credit will be earned if a subject is failed.

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4.2. Assessment Criteria

The Integrated Study will be assessed on the basis of Proposal, Progress Report (including
discussion and consultation with Supervisor), and Final Report.

Assessment of Proposal and Progress Report will focus on your formative performance (i.e.
progress and improvement) on top of the quality of your work, and is based on Subject
Intended Learning Outcomes (SILOs) (a) and (b). The Final Report accounts for 70% of the
assessment, and will focus on the quality and quantity of the final deliverables based on all
the four SILOs. A sample marking form is provided in Appendix D.

4.3. Assessment Rubrics

4.3.1. Proposal (15%)

Subject Intended Learning Outcomes (SILOs) to be achieved:

(a) examine an issue faced by an organisation or a theoretical model in the marketing
management, digital marketing, or public relations sector.

Assessment Excellent Good Satisfactory Pass Fail

Criteria (Grade: A- to (Grade: B- to (Grade: C- to (Grade: D to (Grade: F)
A+) B+) C+) D+)
Title, Objectives Title, Objectives Title, Title, Title, Title,
& Significance & Significance Objectives & Objectives & Objectives & Objectives &
of the study are Significance of Significance of Significance of Significance of
clearly defined. the study are the study are the study are the study are
basically clear. not very mostly incomplete or
clearly unclear. missing.
defined.
Theoretical Theoretical Theoretical Theoretical Theoretical Theoretical
model/company model and/or model and/or model and/or model and/or model and/or
issues company issues company company company company
are identified issues are issues are issues are issues are not
and discussed identified and identified and identified and identified and
from different quite briefly discussion is discussion is
perspectives and thoroughly discussed. brief. missing or
insights are discussed. incomplete.
drawn.
Literature review Literature or Literature or Literature or Literature or Literature or
or analysis is analysis is analysis is analysis is not analysis is
industry/market relevant and relevant and partly relevant very relevant mostly
analysis critically generally and briefly and briefly irrelevant with
analyzed. analyzed. analyzed. described. brief
descriptions.
Presentation, Plan on Plan on Plan on Plan on Plan on
Format, information to information to information to information to information to
References be collected is be collected is be collected is be collected is be collected is
very relevant & mostly quite relevant not very not relevant &
detailed. Report relevant & & detailed. relevant & too brief.
is very well- detailed. Some part of detailed. Report is not
organized, Report is quite the Report is Report is not organized &
logical & well-organized organized & very well- logical.
convincing. & logical. logical. organized & Lots of

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 Assessment Excellent Good Satisfactory Pass Fail
Criteria (Grade: A- to (Grade: B- to (Grade: C- to (Grade: D to (Grade: F)
A+) B+) C+) D+)
Almost free Few Some logical. grammatical &
from grammatical & grammatical & Quite a lot of spelling errors.
grammatical & spelling errors. spelling errors. grammatical & References are
spelling errors. Most Some spelling errors. unclear &
References are references are references are Only few incorrect.
clear and clear and clear & references are Working
correct. correct. correct. clear & timeline is
Working Working Working correct. missing or
timeline is clear timeline is timeline is Working incomplete.
& logical. mostly clear & partly clear & timeline is not Appendices
Appendices are logical. logical. very clear & are not well-
well-indexed Most Some logical. indexed and
and clearly appendices are appendices are Few not clearly
presented. well-indexed well-indexed appendices are presented.
and clearly and clearly well-indexed
presented. presented. and clearly
presented.

4.3.2. Progress Report (15%)

Subject Intended Learning Outcomes (SILOs) to be achieved:

(a) examine an issue faced by an organisation or a theoretical model in the marketing
management, digital marketing, or public relations sector; and
(b) analyse the issue or the theoretical model.

Assessment Excellent Good Satisfactory Pass Fail

Criteria (Grade: A- to (Grade: B- to (Grade: C- to (Grade: D to (Grade: F)
A+) B+) C+) D+)
Title & Objectives Title & Title & Title & Title & Title &
definition Objectives are Objectives are Objectives are Objectives are Objectives are
clearly defined basically clear. not very mostly unclear. incomplete or
& presented. clearly defined. missing.
Literature review Very critical & Quite critical Basically Not very Analysis of the
or logical analysis & logical logical analysis logical analysis issue or
industry/market of the issue or analysis of the of the issue or of the issue or theoretical
analysis theoretical issue or theoretical theoretical model is
model. theoretical model. model. neither logical
Almost all model. Some relevant A few relevant nor critical.
concepts/ Most concepts/ concepts/ concepts/ Most concepts/
theories theories are theories are theories are theories
applied are applied are applied. applied. applied are
relevant. relevant. Thorough & Some irrelevant.
Thorough & Thorough & in-depth understanding Unclear
in-depth in-depth understanding of a few understanding
understanding understanding of a few concepts with of concepts
of all concepts of most concepts with correct with incorrect
with correct concepts with correct application in application in
application in correct application in reality. reality.
reality. application in reality.
reality.

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 Assessment Excellent Good Satisfactory Pass Fail
Criteria (Grade: A- to (Grade: B- to (Grade: C- to (Grade: D to (Grade: F)
A+) B+) C+) D+)
Progress Update Excellent time Good time Acceptable Barely Fail to manage
and work management. management. time acceptable time & work
accomplished Very detailed Quite detailed management. time schedule
action plan. action plan. Acceptable management. properly.
Adequate work Adequate work action plan. Brief action Incomplete
accomplished accomplished Some work plan. action plan.
with very good with accomplished Some work Very limited
quality. reasonable with accomplished work
Demonstrated quality. reasonable with accomplished
professional Demonstrated quality. acceptable with barely
engagement good Demonstrated quality. acceptable
with engagement acceptable Demonstrated quality
Supervisor. with engagement barely Unprofessional
Supervisor. with acceptable engagement
Supervisor. engagement with
with Supervisor.
Supervisor.
Presentation, Plan on Plan on Plan on Plan on Plan on
Format, information to information to information to information to information to
References be collected is be collected is be collected is be collected is be collected is
very relevant mostly relevant quite relevant not very not relevant &
& detailed. & detailed. & detailed. relevant & too brief.
Report is very Report is quite Some part of detailed. Report is not
well-organized, well-organized the Report is Report is not organized &
logical & & logical organized & very well- logical
convincing. Few logical organized & Lots of
Almost free grammatical & Some logical grammatical &
from spelling errors. grammatical & Quite a lot of spelling errors.
grammatical & Most spelling errors. grammatical & References are
spelling errors. references are Some spelling errors unclear &
References are clear and references are Only few incorrect.
clear and correct. clear & references are Working
correct. Working correct. clear & timeline is
Working timeline is Working correct. missing or
timeline is mostly clear & timeline is Working incomplete
clear & logical logical partly clear & timeline is not Appendices are
Appendices are Most logical very clear & not well-
well-indexed appendices are Some logical indexed and
and clearly well-indexed appendices are Few not clearly
presented. and clearly well-indexed appendices are presented.
presented. and clearly well-indexed
presented. and clearly
presented.

4.3.3. Final Report (70%)

Subject Intended Learning Outcomes (SILOs) to be achieved:
(a) examine an issue faced by an organisation or a theoretical model in the marketing
management, digital marketing, or public relations sector;
(b) analyse the issue or the theoretical model;

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 (c) develop a personal career plan or an improved theoretical framework;
(d) infer the analysis and recommendations in a rigorous, logical and coherent way.

Assessment Excellent Good Satisfactory Pass Fail

Criteria (Grade: A- to (Grade: B- to (Grade: C- to (Grade: D to (Grade: F)
A+) B+) C+) D+)
Literature review Very critical & Quite critical Basically Not very Analysis of the
or logical analysis& logical logical analysis logical analysisissue or
industry/market of the issue or analysis of the of the issue or of the issue or theoretical
analysis theoretical issue or theoretical theoretical model is
model. theoretical model. model. neither logical
model. nor critical.
Theoretical Very sensible Largely Generally Partly sensible Not very
framework or & logical, sensible & sensible & & logical, sensible &
Recommendation highly creative logical, logical, creative & logical, lacks
s or & original creative & creative & original ideas. creativity.
Industry/Compan ideas. original ideas. original ideas. Analysis & Analysis &
y analysis or Very coherent Largely Some recommendatio recommendatio
Company analysis & coherent coherence n are ns are mostly
Feasibility recommendatio analysis & shown in sometimes conflicting.
Analysis. n. recommendatio analysis & conflicting.
Managerial n. recommendatio
Implications or n.
Career Plan.
Theory/Concept Almost all Most concepts/ Some relevant A few relevant Most concepts/
Application concepts/ theories are concepts/ concepts/ theories
theories applied are theories are theories are applied are
applied are relevant. applied. applied. irrelevant.
relevant. Thorough & Thorough & Some Unclear
Thorough & in-depth in-depth understanding understanding
in-depth understanding understanding of a few of concepts
understanding of most of a few concepts with with incorrect
of all concepts concepts with concepts with correct application in
with correct correct correct application in reality.
application in application in application in reality.
reality. reality. reality.
Presentation, Report is very Report is quite Some part of Report is not Report is not
Format, well-organized, well-organized the Report is very well- organized &
References logical & & logical organized & organized & logical
convincing. Few logical logical Lots of
Almost free grammatical & Some Quite a lot of grammatical &
from spelling errors. grammatical & grammatical & spelling errors.
grammatical & Most spelling errors. spelling errors References are
spelling errors. references are Some Only few unclear &
References are clear and references are references are incorrect.
clear and correct. clear & clear & Appendices are
correct. Most correct. correct. not well-
Appendices are appendices are Some Few indexed and
well-indexed well-indexed appendices are appendices are not clearly
and clearly and clearly well-indexed well-indexed presented.
presented. presented. and clearly and clearly
presented. presented.

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5. Format & Presentation

5.1. Writing Style

The project should be written in an academic writing style. First person references (I, we, us)
should NOT be used unless it is appropriate.
5.2. Layout and Format

Layout and Format requirements:

- Typed; double-sided printing; white A4 paper
- Font : Times New Roman font size 12
- Spacing : Single line spacing;
- Page numbers should be indicated at the bottom of each page;
- All sections and subsections should be numbered and given a title;
- Legibility of all submitted copies (drafts and final submission) should be ensured, i.e.,
text and image of the copy should be ready for reproduction from a photocopier;
- Color printing is not necessary.

5.3. Referencing Style

Harvard or APA Referencing method should be used consistently throughout all written
reports. APA referencing guide is available at PolyU,
https://www.polyu.edu.hk/elc/independent-learning/language-resources/apa/.

Detailed guidelines of referencing (http://www2.elc.polyu.edu.hk/cill/referenc.htm) and

referencing machines (http://www2.elc.polyu.edu.hk/cill/referenceMachine.htm) providing
further assistance in how to use Harvard or APA Referencing are available from the PolyU
website.

Some of the following examples are retrieved from Cornell University Library,
https://www.library.cornell.edu/research/citation/apa.

5.3.1. Examples of APA Referencing Style:

Harvard Referencing style:

For a book:
Murphy, R., 1992. English grammar in use. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.

For an article in a journal:

(Harvard) Thumb, J. 1996., "Language choice: English, Cantonese or mix?", Hong Kong
Polytechnic University Working Papers in ELT and Applied Linguistics, 2(4), pp. 37-56.

For Internet pages:

(Harvard) The Hong Kong Polytechnic University 2003. Reference machine: Internet pages.
Available at: <http://elc.polyu.edu.hk/cill/referenceMachineNet.htm> [Accessed: July 31,
2015].

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 EXAMPLES OF REFERENCES BY TYPE
In a reference list In-text citation
1 Journal article (print version), one author (Ku, 2008)
Ku, G. (2008). Learning to de-escalate: The effects of regret in
escalation of commitment. Organizational Behaviour and Human
Decision Processes, 105(2), 221-232.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2007.08.002
2 Journal article (print version), two authors (Lefever &
Lefever, M., & Withiam, C. (1998). Curriculum review: How Withiam, 1998)
industry views hospitality education. Cornell Hotel and
Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 39(4), 70-78.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0010-8804(98)80034-7
3 Journal article (print version), more than two authors (Weaver, Choi &
Weaver, P., Choi, J., & Kaufman, T. (1997). Question wording Kaufman, 1997)
and response bias: Students’ perceptions of ethical issues in the Then subsequently
hospitality and tourism industry. Journal of Hospitality and (Weaver, et al.,
Tourism Education, 9(2), 21-26. 1997)
https://doi.org/10.1080/10963758.1997.10685307
4 Article from an Internet-only journal (i.e. no print version) (Hirtle, 2008)
Hirtle, P. B. (2008, July-August). Copyright renewal, copyright
restoration, and the difficulty of determining copyright status. D-
Lib Magazine, 14(7/8). Retrieved from
http://www.dlib.org/dlib/july08/hirtle/07hirtle.html
5 Conference paper online (Bochner, 1996)
Bochner, S. (1996, November). Mentoring in higher education:
Issues to be addressed in developing a mentoring program. Paper
presented at the Australian Association for Research in Education
Conference, Singapore. Retrieved from
http://www.aare.edu.au/96pap/bochs96018.txt
6 Newspaper article (Hartevelt, 2007)
Hartevelt, J. (2007, December 20). Boy racers. The Press
Newspaper, P.3
7 Newspaper article (no author, print version) (“Brexit beyond,”
Brexit beyond. (2018, May 5). The Wall Street Journal, p. A9. 2018)

Note: article title comes first.

8 Magazine article (print version) (Kluger, 2008)
Kluger, J. (2008, January 28). Why we love. Time, 171(4), 54-60.
9 Book with one author (Kidder, 1981)
Kidder, T. (1981). The soul of a new machine.
Little, Brown & Company.
10 Book with two authors (Frank & Bernanke,
Frank, R. H., & Bernanke, B. (2007). Principles of macro- 2007)
economics (3rd ed). McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
11 Book with more than two authors (Krause, Bochner, &
Krause, K.L., Bochner, S., & Duchesne, S. (2006). Educational Duchesne, 2006)
psychology for learning and teaching (2nd ed.).Thomson. Then subsequently,
(Krause et al., 2006)

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 EXAMPLES OF REFERENCES BY TYPE
In a reference list In-text citation
12 Book or report by a corporate author, e.g. organization (University of
association, government department Waikato, 1967)
University of Waikato. (1967). First hall of residence
(Information series No.3). Author.

Note: when the publisher and author are the same, put down
“Author” in the publisher field.
13 Book chapter in edited book (Hammond &
Hammond, K. R., & Adelman, L. (1986). Science, values, and Adelman, 1986)
human judgment. In H. R. Arkes & K. R. Hammond (Eds.),
Judgment and decision making: An interdisciplinary reader (pp.
127-143). Cambridge University Press.
14 Webpages (Statistics New
Statistics New Zealand. (2007). New Zealand in profile 2007. Zealand, 2007)
Retrieved from http://www.stats/govt.nz
15 AI (OpenAI, 2023)
OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language
model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat

For more information on APA citation style, please visit

 http://www.waikato.ac.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0014/236120/apa-quick-guide.pdf
 https://www.polyu.edu.hk/elc/independent-learning/language-resources/apa/
 http://www2.elc.polyu.edu.hk/CILL/referenceMachineNet.htm#Example
 https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/how-to-cite-chatgpt

At the end of the paper, you should provide the full bibliographic information for each source.
References must be listed in alphabetical order by author.

More examples are available at http://www2.elc.polyu.edu.hk/cill/referenc.htm

Page 17 of 31
6. Submission Policies

6.1. Submission timelines and requirements

6.1.1. The assignment works must be submitted in the following manners:

Assessment Softcopy (at Blackboard Ultra) Submission

Work Assignment Box Turnitin System Deadline*
(‘Final submission’)

 9 February 2024
Proposal Week 3, Friday,
[with item (a), see Note 5:00 pm
below]

  22 March 2024
Progress Report Week 8, Friday
[with item (a), [with item (a), 5:00 pm
see Note below] see Note below]

  26 April 2024
Final Report [with items [with items Week 13, Friday
(a) – (c), (a) – (c), 5:00 pm
see Note below] see Note below]
* If Friday falls into a public holiday, the submission deadline should be the following working day.

Note: (a) Title page (b) Declaration form (c) Supervision log sheet

6.2. Late Submission

Late submission of reports (proposal, progress report and/or final report) will NOT be
accepted.

6.2.1. Proposal and Progress Report

 In principle, late submission equals 0 mark.
 If students are unable to submit on time because of illness, injury or other unforeseeable
reasons, they may apply for a late submission with documentation within 5 working days
from the submission deadline with the IS Advisor/ Programme Leader. Permission is
subject to the approval of the IS Advisor/ Programme Leader. Should late submission be
granted, the students concerned would receive the actual grade they attained on the
Proposal/ Progress Report submitted.

6.2.2. Final Report

 In principle, late submission equals 0 mark.
 Students who could not submit the IS final report by the specified timeline due to special
reasons may apply for late submission with documentation within 5 working days from
the submission deadline. Granting of late submission is subject to the decision of IS
Advisor/ Programme Leader in consultation with IS Supervisors. Should late
submission be granted, the students concerned would receive the actual grade they
attained on the Final Report submitted.

Page 18 of 31
6.3. Retention of Working Papers

All working papers (e.g. notes, photocopies of articles, drafts, information collected) MUST
be retained until the grade of the Integrated Study is formally released. These papers should
be kept in an accessible place and be readily produced upon request from the School.

Your grade for the Integrated Study may be adversely affected if you fail to produce the
working papers when requested by the School.

Page 19 of 31
7. Resubmission/ Retake

 Plagiarism cases will be reported to Subject Assessment Review Panel (SARP) for
consideration/ decision.
 Students who have submitted the Final Report and considered marginally failed may be
given a resubmission opportunity subject to the decision of SARP. If a resubmission
opportunity is given to the students, the students concerned would be given a result of
“I” (i.e. Incomplete), which is interpreted as “Assessment to be completed”.
 SARP would decide a deadline for resubmission. The re-submitted project would be
marked by the original project Supervisor. The student would not be required to pay
additional fees.
 Students have one 20-minute meeting opportunity with the Supervisor before
resubmission. Students should take the initiative to make appointment with the
Supervisor.
 The highest grade to be given for re-submitted projects should be grade “C”. Result of
re-submitted projects would be finalized in SARP meeting in the next semester.
 Students who have not met the subject requirement and were not given a resubmission
opportunity would fail the subject. They would be required to retake the subject and pay
the corresponding tuition fees. They can be exempted from taking the 6-hour workshop
by returning the signed undertaking.
 Students who have failed the IS subject may be requested by SARP to attempt a new
topic.

Page 20 of 31
8. Plagiarism Policies & Turnitin Report

PolyU SPEED has detailed policy on student’s academic integrity, which includes plagiarism.
The following are the related issues stipulated clearly in the Student Handbook:

8.1. Violations of Academic Integrity

The School views any violations of academic integrity a serious disciplinary offence because
it seriously undermines the value of the teaching, learning and research of the School. For
students who cheat in their academic work, they limit their learning because they have not
undergone the learning experience intentionally designed to help them to gain the specific
knowledge or skills. At the same time, if some students cheat in the assessment and get a
good grade, it is not fair to the others who are honest and do their own work. Finally,
academic dishonesty will tarnish the reputation of the programme and its graduates and in the
long run, diminish the value of the degree or education from the School.

Students should therefore refrain from committing any acts of academic dishonesty. One of
such acts which are highly related to research projects is Plagiarism.

8.2. About Plagiarism

Plagiarism refers to the act of using the creative works of others (e.g. ideas, words, images or
sound) in one’s own work without proper acknowledge of the source. Handing in the same
assignment for more than one subject is considered as self-plagiarism. According to the
Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary (1987), to ‘plagiarise’ means

[To] steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one’s own: [to] use (a
created production) without crediting the source: [to] commit literary theft: [to]
present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source.

The School views plagiarism, whether committed intentionally or because of ignorance or

negligence, as a serious disciplinary offence. Excuses such as “not knowing that this is
required” or “not knowing how to do it” will not be accepted. It is the student’s responsibility
to understand what plagiarism is, and take action steps to avoid plagiarism in their academic
work. The golden rule is: “if in doubt, acknowledge”.

Avoiding Plagiarism
Students are required to submit their original work and avoid any possible suggestion of
plagiarism in the work they submit for grading or credit. The use of generative artificial
intelligence (GenAI) tool (such as ChatGPT and translation software) as part or in whole of
student’s work without acknowledgement constitute an act of academic dishonesty. Below
are some suggestions on how you can avoid plagiarism in your own work:

Use Sources with Care and Respect

 Take careful notes so that you know where you gather your information;
 Keep track of all the sources you have used for each assessment;
 Cite all your sources in your finished work, distinguishing carefully between your own
ideas/ work and those taken from others;
 Include all your sources in your Reference or Bibliography section, normally included at
the end of the paper.

Page 21 of 31
 Find out the Expectations of Your Lecturer
 Different disciplines or professions may have slightly different conventions for citation
and referencing. Ask your lecturer for the specific citing and reference system or
conventions used in your chosen profession/ discipline;
 Ask your lecturer what types of collaborations and help is permitted for the specific
assessment.

Develop Your Academic Skills

 Plan your academic work carefully and start early so that you have time to do your own
work;
 Make a work schedule for your work and try to keep to it;
 Study resource materials and, if appropriate, attend courses or workshops to continually
improve your skills in referencing and academic writing.

Be Honest, and Always Do Your Own Work

 Do not attempt to disguise copying from sources, for example, by translating from
sources in another language or changing some words of a copied text. Proper referencing
is required.
 Do not quote, summarise or paraphrase from sources that you do not fully understand.
Always be able to explain what the source means and why it is relevant.

The School may take disciplinary actions against students when there is evidence of collusion
between individuals. The work of others, which is included in the assessment must be
attributed to its source (a full bibliography and a list of reference must be submitted). Failure
to observe such requirements will definitely lead to serious consequence for your study on
this subject and registration at School.

8.3. Turnitin Report

Turnitin database will be used to check for plagiarism. All students should note that allowing
another student to copy their work is a serious breach of academic discipline. If the
submissions include a high percentage of work that is copied from other sources, a fail grade
will be awarded.

8.3.1. Turnitin and Generative AI User Guide for Students

The Turnitin User Guide for students is available at http://portal.cpce-polyu.edu.hk. Please

login and then choose “VeriGuide and Turnitin User Guides” for details.

Guidance for the use of Generative AI is available at:

1. The University of Edinburgh (2023)
https://www.ed.ac.uk/sites/default/files/atoms/files/universityguidanceforstudentsonworki
ngwithgenerativeai.pdf
2. Deakin University (2023)
https://www.deakin.edu.au/students/study-support/resources-and-referencing/academic-
skills/student-guide-to-using-generative-ai

Page 22 of 31
8.3.2. Turnitin – Trial Submission

Before the final submission, students could submit the progress report and final report via
“Trial Submission” to check the similarity index more than once. The 2nd trial report will not
be checked against the 1st trial report submitted by the same student; therefore, the similarity
index will not be affected by multiple submissions via “Trial Submission”.

After reading the report, you might need to revise your work accordingly. The purpose of
revising your work is to make it better and in particular, plagiarism-free.

The following are some tips on how you can review and revise your work effectively.

Tip 1 When reviewing the matching texts and their sources, check carefully if proper
acknowledgements are given to the sources you used.
 If yes, then you are fine. Remember to include all the sources you used in the
reference or bibliography list as well.
 If no, then cite the sources properly using the specified referencing style.

Tip 2 You can use others’ words verbatim as direct quotations, i.e., embedded quotes with
quotation marks or block quotes with indentation; and you still need to cite the
sources.
!!! Bear in mind that excessive use of quotations is not encouraged as it is not a
good writing practice. Using too many quotations makes your work look weak
as you are simply patching together others’ words without much input of your
own.

Tip 3 You can paraphrase or summarize others’ words or ideas in your own words, and
cite them properly.
You should build your ideas or thoughts upon others’ work and express them in
your own words.

The Similarity Index shows the percentage of matching or highly similar text found in a
submitted paper compared against the sources stored in the system’s database. It ranges from
0% to 100%.

According to the “Instructor Guide to Using Turnitin Assignment with LEARN@PolyU”

developed by PolyU, however, there is no rigid percentage to determine whether plagiarism
exists.

Supervisors will consider both the “Similarity Index” and “Match Overview” to see the
details of the matches and make professional judgments when detecting plagiarism.

8.3.3. Turnitin – Final Submission

When everything is in order, students should submit the final report to the Turnitin System at
Blackboard Ultra in accordance with the requirements as set out in Section 6.1.1. Upon
submission of the final report, the Turnitin Similarity Report will be generated for scrutiny by
the Supervisors.

Page 23 of 31
9. Consequences of Plagiarism

 Students who are found guilty of offences related to plagiarism will be subject to the
penalty of having their subject result concerned disqualified and be given a failure grade
with a remark denoting that “disqualification of result is due to academic dishonesty”.
The remark will be shown in the assessment result notification and transcript of studies
until they leave the School. These students will also be subject to the penalty of the
lowering of their award classification by one level upon graduation. The minimum of
downgraded classification will be kept at a pass.

 Students who are found guilty of the alleged offences will be put on “disciplinary
probation” normally for one year and this will be shown on the students’ record and
documents such as assessment result notification, transcript of studies and testimonial
during the probation period, until they leave the School. For special cases which warrant
heavier penalty, the CPCE Student Discipline Committee may specify a longer probation
period. Students who have been put on disciplinary probation will be deprived of certain
privileges. They shall not receive any meritorious recognition from PolyU/ CPCE/
SPEED, or be eligible for consideration/ recommendation for receiving awards/ prizes, or
be selected as student ambassadors or other leadership roles within PolyU/ CPCE/
SPEED.

 Students may also be given lower priority in receiving funding and subsidies for student
projects, courses/ activities, overseas academic exchange, internship jobs, mentorship
programmes, overseas WIE, etc.

Page 24 of 31
Appendix A – Sample Title Page

School of Professional Education and Executive Development

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Integrated Study submission for the award of the

Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Marketing and Digital Strategy*

Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Marketing Management*
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Marketing and Public Relations*
(*Delete as appropriate)

BHMS4543 INTEGRATED STUDY (MARKETING)

Proposal / Progress Report / Final Report

(Delete as appropriate)

STUDENT’S FULL NAME

Student Number

Supervisor: Dr/ Mr/ Ms XXX

Number of words: XXX

Submission date: dd-mmm-yyyy (e.g., 01-Jan-2023)

Note: This title page must be submitted with the Proposal, Progress Report and Final Report.

Page 25 of 31
Appendix B – Integrated Study Report Declaration Form

INTEGRATED STUDY REPORT DECLARATION FORM

I, (student no.: ),
hereby declare the Integrated Study report, the title of which is
,
submitted on <date> for PolyU SPEED programme
Bachelor of XXX (Honours) in XXX, is my work and that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, it
reproduces no material previously published or written, nor the work of other students, nor
generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), and nor material that has been accepted for the award of
any other degree or diploma, except where due acknowledgement has been made.

Word Count: words

Signed by:

(Signature of student)

Date:

Note: This declaration form must be submitted together with the Final Report.

Page 26 of 31
Appendix C – Supervision Log Sheet (to be filled in by students)

Student could download this log sheet in word format on my.SPEED.

Meeting Date & Duration Discussion items / Agreed tasks and action plans for the next meeting
No. Time & Venue
1

Student Name: Student Signature:

Supervisor Supervisor
Name: Signature:

Note: This supervision log sheet must be submitted together with the Final Report.

Page 27 of 31
Appendix D – Sample Marking Forms (to be filled in by IS Supervisor)

Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Marketing and Digital Strategy*

Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Marketing Management*
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Marketing and Public Relations*
(*Delete as appropriate)

BHMS4543 Integrated Study (Marketing)

Marking Form

Proposal

(The grade and comments on the Proposal will be returned to students by the Supervisors)

Supervisor Name
Student Name
Student Number
Topic
Grade Comments and Justification for Grade
PROPOSAL
Clearly presented Title, Objective & Approach of the study.
Background of the study is well presented (SILO a).
Significance of the study or expected contributed clearly presented.
Free from spelling & grammatical errors. Appropriate writing style is adopted.
Information to be collected is clear and action steps are incorporated.
Layout & format are consistent with the guidelines.
The work of others is acknowledged and referenced in accordance with the
APA method.

Page 28 of 31
 Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Marketing and Digital Strategy*
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Marketing Management*
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Marketing and Public Relations*
(*Delete as appropriate)

BHMS4543 Integrated Study (Marketing)

Marking Form

Progress Report

(The grade and comments on the Progress Report will be returned to students by the Supervisors)

Supervisor Name
Student Name
Student Number
Topic
Grade Comments and Justification for Grade
PROGRESS REPORT
Clearly presented Title, Objective & Significance of the study (SILO a).
Critically reviewed relevant literature and presented in organized manner
(SILO b).
Progress update is clear with detailed action plan; and adequate & quality
work is accomplished.
The student engages with Supervisor actively and professionally; and
manages the time effectively (see logbook for evidence).
Free from spelling & grammatical errors. Appropriate writing style is adopted.
Layout & format are consistent with the guidelines.
The work of others is acknowledged and referenced in accordance with the
APA method.

Progress report Turnitin similarity index: ______% (To be filled in by Supervisor).

Page 29 of 31
 Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Marketing and Digital Strategy*
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Marketing Management*
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Marketing and Public Relations*
(*Delete as appropriate)

BHMS4543 Integrated Study (Marketing)

Marking Form

Final Report

(The grade and comments on the Final Report will be returned to students via the Supervisors after Subject Assessment Review Panel
(SARP) Meeting)

Supervisor Name
Student Name
Student Number
Topic
Grade Comments and Justification for Grade
FINAL REPORT
Abstract contains all essential information of the Study.
Introduction provides clear outline of the background and purpose of the
Study (SILO a).
Discussion in Literature Review is clear, relevant and critical (SILO b).
Thorough understanding in theories/concepts with accurate application (SILO
b).
Sensible, logical and original analyses (SILO c).
Coherence shown in findings, analyses and conclusion (SILO d).
Thorough understanding in theories/concepts with accurate application (SILO
b).
In-depth and thorough discussion, with clear & insightful implications (SILO
c).
Logical conclusion is drawn to provide valuable insights for future studies

Page 30 of 31
Supervisor Name
Student Name
Student Number
Topic
Grade Comments and Justification for Grade
FINAL REPORT
(SILO d).
Free from spelling & grammatical errors. Appropriate writing style is adopted.
Layout & format are consistent with the guidelines.
Integrated Study Report Declaration Form is signed and attached.
The student engaged with Supervisor actively and professionally, and
managed the time effectively (see logbook for evidence).
The work of others is acknowledged and referenced in accordance with the
APA method.

Final report Turnitin similarity index: ______% (To be filled in by Supervisor).

Page 31 of 31