Research and Professional Practice

This coursework is your first assignment which is a researched literature review. The aim of the task is to
demonstrate your literature search skills and your ability to critically engage with what you have researched. You
should access a range of materials before linking them together to represent the current situation in the preferred
discipline you are researching.

There is only one title and all work is required to be original and in your own words rather than using extensive
quotes. However, you must ensure that all sources are credited and referenced appropriately (surname, year) in the
text with a full listing on your Reference List in the Harvard Referencing System.

The title for your first coursework assignment is:

The Impact of Internships on Graduate Employability

To research you will require a range of sources including: academic journal articles and quality press as well as
authors’ home pages currently writing in your chosen area. You are expected to reflect the 2012 situation so research
from 2007 (recession) onwards should be relevant; whereas older material may only be useful for definitions or to
offer a historical perspective. If you are using an older author to talk about 2012 find a more recent reference to
them to demonstrate their currency today. For example you may quote Miller (2002) on expectations of internships but
update with Knouse’s research into business college internships (Miller, 2002; Knouse, 2008) this shows that Miller’s
work on expectations and reality gaps for internships is still being mentioned by Knouse, which gives it 2008
credibility. The core area of Internships will be outlined and researched and then linked to the subsequent graduate
labour market for these interns against other graduates who did not participate in an internship scheme.