Write an essay in response to the following instruction. The Word limit is 2000 words.
In professional team sports, the objectives of the owners of clubs and franchises are often thought to have serious consequences for the structure and regulation of leagues. Use economic theory to explain why this might be the case, and discuss the empirical evidence for this hypothesis.

Your essay should include the following:

• A discussion of the feasible objectives of owners of clubs in sports leagues. (Should account for about 10% of the essay)

• A theoretical section in which the statement above is subjected to an economic analysis. This section should include economic concepts/models used in the course. (Should account for about 40% of the essay).
• A section in which you subject the conclusions from the theoretical section with empirical evidence (i.e. data). (Should account for about 40% of the essay).
• A conclusion. (Should account for about 10% of the essay)

COURSEWORK FAQs/ Advice

What are you expecting me to write in this essay?

This question, in different forms, is the most common question lecturers get asked when setting coursework.   Answers are necessarily vague because there are different approaches to the essay question. Furthermore, this is an assessment of how well you understand and can apply the material presented in this course.

However, the following basic points can be made:

This might seem obvious, but you are expected to do the things that are asked of you in the coursework instructions, and your mark will depend on how well you have carried out these instructions.

This task asks you to test a hypothesis that is given in the statement about owner objectives, i.e. that objectives of owners and leagues actually affect outcomes in these leagues. You are asked to apply some the conceptual frameworks covered in the course to generate testable hypotheses and then use some data to test them.

So the main thing I will be looking for in the marking is how well you are able to use these tools of economic analysis to examine the question set.

To achieve a high mark in this coursework you need to do the following:

• Show a good understanding of the different objectives of different owners in different leagues. This needs to go beyond a simple restatement of the material in the lectures. You need to show that you have given this issue some thought.
• A thorough and clear use of the models and concepts we have used in the course to generate some predictions about how different objectives may be expected to affect outcomes in leagues with respect to issues such as competitive balance, financial stability, regulation, etc.
• A significant effort at using some data to test the conclusions you have generated from the theory. The sports industry is a data-rich area. There are no restrictions on what kind of data you use.

Further information on Marking Criteria can be found in the AMBS UG Grade Descriptors document on the course BB page.

Try and avoid a “journalistic” type of answer.   You need to show that you have understood the relevant economic theory,  concepts and reasoning and have applied it to the task set.

Further advice is given below.

What sources shall I use for writing the report?

A good start is to make sure you understand the material presented in the lectures and in the course text. However, simple regurgitation or rewriting of this will not achieve a high mark, no matter how well it is done. The quality and quantity your research effort is a significant assessable component of this coursework. Therefore, you will not be provided with extensive references.    You will be given credit for the research effort undertaken (i.e. reading around the topic, reading journal articles & your understanding of technical material in these, and following up of references from these).

One thing to avoid is an over-reliance on web-based resources. The internet is the starting place for most research these days, but including references solely to web resources only reflects a superficial and lazy approach to research.

How will I be assessed?

The general criteria for the marking of the coursework is at the end of this document (“Marking Criteria for coursework and Examination”). More specifically you will also be assessed on:

• How well you apply economic theory in your report.
• The quality of your writing.
• How well you have organised your thoughts.
• The structure of your essay.
• The quality of your referencing and general research effort.
• Whether you have used original real-world examples.
• Whether you have made an effort to find and analyse some original data.

Important point: To achieve a pass mark you must include diagrams or/and equations in your essay and explain these. Economic theory is explained in this course mainly by means of diagrams. To demonstrate an understanding of the material in this course, therefore, you need to include at least one line diagram.

How much help will I receive?

As 3^rd year students you should be used to writing essays, reports and assignments and so there should be little need for advice on how to reference properly, etc. There is advice on the essay structure below.

I will be marking all the coursework and therefore I will not look at drafts of essays or essay plans. Nor will I provide advice on what to write in the essay – apart from what is written here. I will be happy to speak to students at any time, but the previous statements apply about assistance.

How shall I structure the essay?

The essay should be structured according to the instructions above.

DO NOT INCLUDE DATA OR ANY OTHER MATERIAL IN APPENDICES. ALL MATERIAL SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE MAIN BODY OF THE ESSAY

Have you got any general advice on what to write in this essay?

Here are some helpful “do’s” and “dont’s”

DO

• Structure the essay properly.
• Use original real-world examples wherever possible.
• Define any technical terms you may use.
• Use data to illustrate your arguments. This doesn’t need to be fancy statistics, charts or graphs will do. Sports data is plentiful and easy to access. See the course outline for some references.
• Construct a proper reference list (including web sites) at the end of the essay, including ALL the references you have made. No need for a separate bibliography.
• Carefully explain any diagrams you include. I need to know that YOU understand them.

DON’T

• Make unsupported statements or quote facts without references or explanation.
• Include diagrams or graphs with little or no reference to them or explanation in the text.
• Omit references.
• Include long, rambling sections of description or anecdote. Try and be analytical.
• PLAGIARISE!!

How many references should I include?

There is no prescribed number of references. The number of references you include depends on the number of times you cite other authors, or use references to back-up facts you have stated. I cannot over-state the importance of proper referencing in academic work.

Can you use the diagrams from the lecture slides? If so, how do I reference them?

Yes, you can use diagrams, etc. from the lecture slides. To reference them use the following format:

“BMAN31391 lecture slides, Powerpoint title ???, slide no. ???”

You can also use scanned hand-drawn diagrams if you wish.

Does the word limit include the reference list?

No. The word limit of 2000/2500 words refers to the material in the essay itself (including references in the text, footnotes and labels on diagrams). You will be allowed 500 words for the reference list etc. So, if Turnitin shows a total word count above 2500/3000 you will be penalised.

When I submit my essay to Turnitin it shows I have written more words than does Microsoft Word.

I am aware of this discrepancy. As long as you can show that your word count in the word processing software is OK then you will not be penalised.

What happens if I miss the deadline?

Information on Penalties can be found in the Plagiarism and Penalty Information document on the BMAN31391 Blackboard site.

What happens if I am caught plagiarising?

Information on plagiarism can be found in the Plagiarism and Penalty Information document on the BMAN31391 Blackboard site.

How soon after the deadline will I know my mark and receive feedback?

Once the marking is complete I will send the marks to the Examinations Office and the PROVISIONAL marks will be made available to you on the student system.

Summative Assessment:  MBS policy is for students to receive detailed feedback on their coursework within 15 working days of the final deadline. The final submission deadline should be calculated as 6 days (including bank holidays and weekends) following the ‘set deadline’ given to students to take into account late submissions (refer to MBS policy on Marking and Feedback). Should a student require further feedback about their coursework, or their mark, this can be done via email, or by arranging an appointment with the course co-ordinator.

Appendix: Essay Structure

The following is the basic essay structure or discernible pattern, which should help you plan your essay and organize your material, expanding the three elements that constitute any essay.

INTRODUCTION – to identify the main issue(s), explain and justify the methods(s) of analysis to be use, and assess the quality of the evidence available.

MAIN BODY – where the evidence is presented, examined, arguments put forward and supported or refuted.

CONCLUSION – where you sum up and draw the threads together.

1. Introduction

Your introduction should:

(a) Comment on the title or topic of the essay

(b) Define or explain any difficult or ambiguous terms in the title; plus keywords

(c) Direct the reader by stating which aspects off the topic you intend to cover and why

The introduction should be roughly 5% of the total length of your essay, generally one paragraph.

2. Body

The main body of the essay should develop your argument or theme.  Take each of your main points and support them with examples and illustrations.  Break your materials down into paragraphs or sections; one paragraph or section for each aspect of the topic.

A paragraph may:

(a) raise a particular issue, or

(b) develop a particular issue.

Often the first sentence is the topic sentence – that is, it explains what the paragraph is about.

As you develop your argument, you must move from point to point and from paragraph to paragraph.  This involves transitions to smooth the way for the reader.  It is important to remind the reader where you have been and where you are going.

Linking words are used as ‘signposts’ to help the reader make the transition from one paragraph to the next.  The linking words you use will depend on the way you are developing your argument.

The following are ways to develop your essay from one paragraph to the next, and common linking words for each.

1. Cause and Effect: You can discuss the cause in one paragraph and the effect in the next one, or the other way round. In this case you are expressing a relationship or drawing a conclusion.

(Linking words:  ‘as a result’, ‘thus’, ‘therefore’, ‘consequently’,’ thus’, ‘for this reason’, ‘because of’.)

2. Positive and Negative Aspects: You can contrast the positive and negative aspects of something. You might discuss the positive aspects in one paragraph and the negative in the next.

(Linking words:  ‘but’, ‘however’, ‘on the other hand’, ‘although’.)

3. Sequence of Events, i.e. before and after: You can show the next step or the previous step to the event you are discussing.

(Linking words:  ‘then’, ‘after that’, ‘finally’, ‘ultimately’, ‘following’, ‘before’, ‘first’, ‘previously’, ‘firstly’, ‘ …secondly ‘,  ‘ … thirdly’.)

4. Illustration: You can illustrate or give an example of what you have been talking about.

(Linking words:  ‘for example’, ‘for instance’, ‘such as’, ‘that is’.)

5. Extension: You can extend an idea, add weight to your argument, give further examples.

(Linking words:  ‘similarly’, ‘moreover’, ‘furthermore’, ‘in addition’, ‘not only’.)

3. Conclusion

Your conclusion should:

Summarize your main ideas.

Answer any specific questions which were asked, through your answer may be tentative.

Draw a general conclusion from your argument.

In your conclusion you may also, discuss the wider implications.

You should not introduce any new arguments or information.

The conclusion should make up about 7-8% of the total length of your essay.

It is useful to check the essay for basic errors a day or two after writing it, if you have allowed time for this and you are not then tempted to start re-writing bits of it!