Tutor: Good morning everyone. Well, in today's tutorial we're going to discuss the essays that you have to submit by the end of next week. Some of you will have already started them, which is good and if you haven't, well that's OK but you'll have to get a move on. So, let's begin with you Simon. What's happening with you?

Simon: Well, I've made a start on it. {[I've research the background quite extensively last weekend and I should get to the writing stage tomorrow ][1]} with a bit of luck and I'll get it finished at the weekend.

Tutor: What are you writing about?

Simon: {[I decided to look at the car manufacturing company, Jaguar, examine the problems they had with reliability in the 1970s and 80s,][2]} how they dealt with it, and how it affected their marketing and sales strategy.

Tutor: That sounds pretty interesting. Any problems with that?

Simon: At the start I had problems getting information from that far back, but after rooting around in the library, {[I found some magazines which gave me information and also gave me references to find other stuff. It seems now the only problem is keeping to the 4,000 word limit.][3]} It just seems that I have so much to write about. It seems I'll need 5000 or even 6000 words to be able to cope.

Tutor: Yes, your essay title seems to me to be very wide-ranging. Would you think about cutting out part of it? How about looking at their sales and marketing strategy but only mentioning the problems in the 70s and 80s and not going too far into it?

Simon: That's a good idea. That will make it much easier to handle. By the way, how do you want us to hand in our work? Do you want us to drop in a hard copy to your office?

Tutor: {[You could do that but I'd prefer it if you just e-mailed it to me as an attachment][4]}. You've all got my address. If not, give it to the secretary clearly marked that it's for me. Right, Jennifer, how about you?

Jennifer: I've not really got going on it yet but I've decided on a subject. I'll try and do some research during the rest of this week and I should get writing this weekend.

Tutor: OK, what are you writing about then?

Jennifer: {[I want to look into how supermarkets use market surveys to develop their products.][5]}

Tutor: Will you have enough time to find out what sort of things that the supermarkets do? You won't have much time for that.

Jennifer: {[I should be OK. I've had a look in the stack system ][6]} in the library and I've found a magazine that surveyed all the UK major supermarkets and a trade publication that analysed the same things in Canadian supermarkets.

Tutor: {[Be careful about using their conclusions too much. The university takes a tough stance on plagiarism. ][7]} Make sure you properly list where you get your information from in a bibliography and try and do your own analysis. Get going too as that analysis will take a bit of time.

Jennifer: OK, thanks.

Tutor: And Melanie. How is your work going?

Melanie: I'm a bit behind I'm afraid. I was sick all last week and weekend with flu. I've got a subject I think but I've not done any work on it yet. {[Is there any chance I can get an extension to the submittal date?][8]}

Tutor: The policy of the department is not to give any extensions unless there are extenuating circumstances. {[Do you have a doctor's certificate or anything?][9]}

Melanie: I went to the doctor's but I didn't get a note as I didn't realise I would need it. The doctor will have a record of me though as I got a prescription . I'll go back and get one.

Tutor: Yes, do. If you get one, then there shouldn't be a problem getting an extension. Without it though, you'll be in trouble. What subject are you considering anyway?

Melanie: {[I thought I'd do an overview of the UK mortgage interest rates ][10]} and their effect on housing sales trends over the last 10 years. I thought it might be of interest because of the huge increases of house prices over the last decade.

Tutor: Certainly an interesting subject and it should be no great problem getting information as this has been fairly well documented. It's a lot of work again though and you'll really need to get cracking on it even with the extension -- if you get one.

Melanie: Well, I've not got much on for the rest of the week and I've set aside the weekend to really get to grips with it.

Tutor: Good. Now, is there anything else

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