ABSTRACT
Sustainability is defined as “Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Brundtland (1987). Sustainability is essentially doing good business and is also the triple bottom line of economic profitability. In recent years, telecommunications have become a vital requirement for everyone, playing crucial roles in information sharing around the world.
Economic research has always indicated there is a direct impact from infrastructure investments on economic growth. Studies have successfully measured the growth of investments in developed economies, however few studies have been done on the impact of telecommunications upgrades in developing countries such as in West Africa. This research will provide insights into how the sustainability of telecommunications is directly linked to the economy and how telecoms can remain sustainable despite the numerous challenges. Investment in telecoms generally brings about growth through cost reduction in the areas costs of interaction, expansion in markets, and ease of information flows.
The work by Roeller and Waverman (2001) suggests that in the OECD, the spread of modern fixed-line telecoms networks alone was responsible for one third of output growth between 1970 and 1990. Ghana has reacted positively to international reform in the telecommunications sector by ensuring its people benefit from the restructuring process. Improvements in Telecoms have evolved after being included in the national agenda. The telecoms sector has therefore become more accessible and structures have been developed to ensure that all providers benefit. This has contributed towards an increase of penetration in Ghana. However, poor quality of service and the seeming inability of the National Communication Authority (NCA) to deal with problems within the sector appear to have crowded out some of the benefits of liberalization. The Impact of Telecoms on Economic Growth in Developing Countries Leonard Waverman, Meloria Meschi and Melvyn Fuss.
The results from the study showed that
Dissertation Guidance for the LLM in International Business Law
Introduction.
This guide is written to inform you of the process for the proposal of the topic, the appointment of a supervisor and the on-going supervision, submission and examination processes. If you have questions, it is likely the answers are here, so consult here first before sending an e-mail or place a forum post which might mean waiting a day or more for an answer.
- What is expected for the Dissertation?
This is set out in the Module Description, from which the following elements are taken.
When registered on the Dissertation Module, please go to the Dissertation Module Main page which consists of this and other documents on the Dissertation, my video lectures and, other relevant documents.
1.1 Aims of the Module
This dissertation module aims to enable you to provide a major piece of summary evidence as to the your understanding of a topic selected from the optional topics offered on the international business law degree.
It will provide an opportunity for you to demonstrate how you can synthesise your acquired knowledge and skills into an analytical study of a legal topic relevant to your degree.
1.2 Intended Learning Outcomes
- To generate a well-presented and clearly argued dissertation which deals with a relevant aspect of law and which utilises reasoned and soundly based conclusions.
- To deal appropriately with the range of inter-related theoretical concepts as they relate to international business law.
- To effectively research, identify and locate relevant primary and secondary source material, identify legal issues and suggest methods for their resolution.
- To apply appropriate techniques to a specific topic and analyse the findings.
- To assess and interpret theory and evidence and provide coherent argument in expressing a central idea.
1.3 Indicative Module Content
The dissertation will be a piece of independent research of 15,000 words, carried out by each student under the supervision of a suitably qualified member of staff. Further details are provided below.
- Dissertation Procedural requirements (Registration, Proposal, Submission, time and word limits).
The Dissertation may be commenced at any time after the successful completion of the core compulsory Advanced Legal Skills (LAWS 7100) module. It is not necessary but it is helpful and recommended, that you complete at least two of the optional modules and maybe the ADR residency as this will almost certainly give you some ideas for a topic. More will be said on this later.
2.1 Registration.
You will need to register for the Dissertation Module. Once registered, the 6 month time limit clock for completion will start ticking. There is however, after Registration, a 2 week opt-out period, which will allow you to select a later start and completion date (within term periods), without financial penalty. If you do not opt-out in that 2 week period, your completion date will be 6 months from the start of the term in which you registered, subject to any authorised extensions. The Dissertation Module runs every term, i.e., 4 starts per year (January, April, July and October).
These above rules have an effect on the proposal and approval process following.
2.1 Proposal and approval procedure.
In view of rules on registration, it is advisable but not compulsory to obtain approval of your proposal before registration and before commencing your dissertation, as this process will take time and eat into the time remaining for completion. You do though have the 2 week opt-out period.
2.1.1 The Formal Proposal
Once registered you can then make a formal proposal which should consist of an introduction as to how and why the particular topic was chosen, a literature review of the subject area and a plan. In total, this should be between 1,500 and 2,000 words.
This will be considered by the Dissertation Co-ordinator or an appointed supervisor, who will respond with an initial decision no later than 15 working days after submission.
This decision of the Co-ordinator or supervisor will be to either:
- a) approve the proposal and permit you to proceed to the next stage of the process (2.2) or:
- b) request clarification or revision or amendment of the proposal and re-submission.
In the case of b) you will be given no more than 15 working days to revise and refine your proposal and to re-submit it for consideration and a decision.
Normally, the proposal stage should not take longer than 6 weeks, so please be patient, supervisors are often very busy with their own work. Normally, though, this is all conducted very easily and very quickly within a few days in cases where the proposal is well thought out and well presented.
2.1.2 The Topic Proposal
You should choose a topic which has a connection with any of the modules of offer in the degree.
You can also mix your topic by expanding the subject to more general law and commercial law topics or include topics of international, european or national law but please maintain some link and relevance to international business law.
Whether, asked or not, I do not like to suggest topics or titles, nor do I like my team of supervisors to do that because if there are issues with regard to the research or submission and a student struggles with the submission, the blame may fall back on the supervisors for setting too difficult a topic or title. If you are stuck for a topic, read around your subjects or interests and something will occur to you.
2.2 Appointment of a Supervisor and the supervision process.
Once the proposal is approved and a supervisor has been found, the supervisor will be appointed, usually within 15 working days from the approval of the proposal.
After registration and cpmmencement of your 6 months time period, you’re expected to be in contact with your supervisor as appropriate, but please note that it is your responsibility to ensure you keep your supervisor informed as to progress on a regular basis. Do not expect your supervisor to chase you, she or he will be a busy academic working for her or his own University and sometimes more than one University. Equally you must be patient at times in getting replies from your Supervisor who might be occupied at busy times in their academic calendar, such as start of the year in October and exam marking in May – June.
2.3 The Ongoing supervision process of the Dissertation
This will be conducted by the supervisor and dissertation candidate via the Thesis Repository in the Online Campus.
Further details on this process will be included in the Module main page and in video lectures posted on the dissertation module page, which you will be able to access only when registered.
Please note that once you have commenced your dissertation, all correspondence must be via the TR and not by personal E-mail. Supervisors have been instructed also only to communicate via the TR.
2.3 Submission of the Dissertation.
2.3.1 Deadline
All work must be submitted in the format specified (in 2.3.3 following) within six months of Registration. The submission date will be provided to you when you register for the dissertation module and commence with the 6 month period.
Work submitted beyond the submission date but within 3 working days (i.e., excluding weekends and public holidays only) will be accepted as an unauthorised late submission. The maximum mark that can be awarded will be the pass mark (50% Level 7(Masters)).
Unauthorised late submission applies only to the first assessment of coursework, and not to authorised extensions (UoC Academic Regulation F6.2 http://www.cumbria.ac.uk/Public/AQS/Documents/AcademicRegulations/AcRegs.pdf).
Work submitted beyond 3 working days (i.e., excluding weekends and public holidays) after the submission date will be regarded as non-submission and awarded zero (UoC Academic Regulation F6.2).
Whilst the module is set for 2 terms, which is just short of 6 months, there is nothing to stop you completing and submitting any time up to the deadline but marking, might not start until the deadline has passed as this is when the supervisor would have expected it.
2.3.2 Marking Process and Time Scale
The marking process of first, second and external marking of each dissertation will take a few weeks to conclude (each marker is given 4 weeks to assess submissions (although often quicker, this might mean at busy periods up to 12 weeks). After that, the mark then has to be submitted for confirmation to the next available UoC Module Board and then the University exam board. It may be that an early consideration by the exam board can be arranged but this cannot be guaranteed as those dates are set and fixed by the UoC so the time needed for this whole process is ultimately dependant on the UoC exam board calendar (usually agreed 18-24 months in advance).
So do not be too surprised if after an early submission you need to wait a few months (it can be 5 months!) for exam boards to confirm and release the mark, especially over the northern Hemisphere summer when exam boards are not held. The first board is usually in late September or October.
2.3.3 Authorised Extension & Extenuating Circumstances
Authorised extensions to the submission date may be agreed by either the Dissertation Supervisor / or the Dissertation Co-ordinator. Supervisors are able to grant a 2 week extension for documented good reason with evidence, so these are not granted simply because you have run out of time, there has to have been some event which prevented you from either working or which will prevent you from submitting on time.
Hence, an extension may normally be given by the supervisor for up to 2 weeks (14 days including 10 working days). 4 weeks are, as a matter of Cumbria University Policy, not granted in the first instance.
A second extension also up to 14 days (making 4 weeks in total) may be given only by the Dissertation Co-ordinator and only in exceptional circumstances but you may not do that in advance and only close to the expiry of the first extension. No extension may be given beyond the date of the next Module Assessment Board. You will be advised if that is relevant.
Provided you submit within to the re-negotiated deadline, no penalty will be applied to the mark.
2.3.4 Format and Word Limit
The aim of this assignment is an opportunity for you to demonstrate your understanding and legal skills in undertaking legal research, undertaking analysis of legal texts, reasoning skills, presenting research, and very importantly the ability to reference appropriately using the OSCOLA method (
The word limit for the Dissertation is 15,000 Words.
It is expected that all students can demonstrate achievement of the learning outcomes for an assessment within the defined word limit. The upper limit specified may be exceeded by up to 10% without penalty. There is no lower limit but a very short submission which fails to include demonstration of the requisite learning outcomes may lead to a fail.
The 15,000 word count includes the body of the work (i.e. the main text), within which all the learning outcomes should be demonstrated, but excludes:
Abstract,
Contents,
Footnote References and Bibliography,
Tables and the title of tables (providing extensive tables are not used to incorporate text which should have been contained in the body of the submission,
Graphs,
Appendices.
Note: Quotations should not normally be more than three lines of text, and are included in the wordage. Appendices should only be included where necessary and should not be used.
Please note though footnotes, tables and appendices should not be used as an alternative to include or hide text or discussion for the demonstration of learning outcomes, as the main body of the work should stand alone. At best, it will be ignored, thus rendering your submission less coherent or at worst, counted into the word count and leading to a penalty, noted next.
2.3.5 Penalties for exceeding the permitted word limit and allowance
Where the word count exceeds the limit, the penalties detailed below will be applied:
| Word count exceeded by: |
Penalty (to be applied to assessment item) |
| 0% – 10% |
No penalty |
| 11% – 30% |
10 marks deducted (from assessment item), or pass mark awarded (whichever is the higher) |
| 30% + |
Mark capped at pass mark |
2.3.6 Referencing
The Oscola System is used for referencing and citation within the LLM in International Business Law (http://www.law.ox.ac.uk/publications/oscola.php and here is a OSCOLA reference Generator: http://www.lawteacher.net/oscola-referencing/).
- Dissertation Assessment Guidance
Please note that on completion of your dissertation and submission, a lot has to take place and this can take time so you will have to wait and be patient. It needs to be first marked and the blind second marked. Tutors are each given up to 4 weeks to mark your dissertation after which it is then sent to the external examiner who is also given some time to consider it. Finally it is the sent to and approved and confirmed by Cumbria exam boards (a module Board and a University exam Board). Whilst it is possible that it can be done in a matter of weeks if all goes well, I hope you appreciate that, in view of all the stages of the procedure and the time allowances this can take 3 to 5 months.
- Bibliography.
You may find it useful to look at one or more of the following works for additional help and advice on writing Dissertations.
Salter, M and Mason J, Writing Law Dissertations: an Introduction and Guide to the Conduct of Legal Research (Harlow 2007).
This is available as an e-book in Cumbria Library: http://www.dawsonera.com/guard/protected/dawson.jsp?name=University%20of%20Cumbria&dest=http://www.dawsonera.com/depp/reader/protected/external/AbstractView/S9781405898867
Finch, E., and Fafinski, S., Legal Skills, 5th Edition (OUP, Oxford, 2015) (ISBN: 9780198718840. – this book is subject to the OUP RKC student discount scheme when ordered directly from OUP. It is available in the 2011 edition as an E-book in Cumbria: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=490965
Watkins D and Burton M, Research Methods in Law (Routledge 2013).
Higgins, E. and Tatham, L. Successful Legal Writing 3rd Edition (Sweet & Maxwell 2015), ISBN: 9780414037045
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