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ANU College of Business & Economics
Research School of Accounting &
Business Information Systems
Mail
Building 26C
The Australian National University
Acton ACT 2601
Main Office
Room 2.01 (Level 2)
Building 26C
See Campus Map
Building 21
The Australian National
University
Acton ACT 2601
Room 2037 (Level 2)
Hanna Neumann (Bldg 21)
See Campus Map
+61 2 6125 3807
1300 732 120 (local call cost only)
Info.cbe@anu.edu.au
+61 2 6125 0025
02 6125 0025
Enquiries.ABIS@anu.edu.au
Phone – Reception
International
Within Australia
Email
BUSN8013
Seminar in Research Method
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course introduces students to the world of research in business-related disciplines. Students gain
an understanding of how scientific research is undertaken and are introduced to different research
approaches. By the end of the course, students should be able to critically evaluate research (their own
and that of others) regardless of the research approach. The overall aim is enable students to develop
the skills needed to design and undertake research that is ethical, significant, rigorous, and relevant.
Semester and Year
Semester 1, 2015
Course URL
http://wattlecourses.anu.edu.au
Mode of Delivery
On campus
Prerequisites
Knowledge of basic statistical methods in business research.
Students are expected to have a strong interest in research.
Incompatible Courses
-
Course Convener
Greg Shailer
Office Location:
Room 1019, PAP Moran Building
Phone:
6125 4333
Email:
greg.shailer@anu.edu.au
Consultation hours:
Consultations hours are available on Wattle
Student Administrators
HN 2037 Hanna Neumann Bldg 21
enquiries.abis@anu.edu.au
6125 0025 or 6125 7968
Office hours: Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm
1 | THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
COURSE OVERVIEW
Course Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course students will be able to:
1. Describe the research process.
2. Explain the nature of theory, theory building and theory testing in research.
3. Critically discuss different research paradigms.
4. Engage in meaningful research that adheres to accepted academic practices and ethical standards.
5. Analyse a research problem area and formulate research questions for a research project that is both
significant and feasible for an Honours, Masters or PhD program.
6. Design a research plan to that uses appropriate methods to address research questions as posed,
while taking account of issues of validity, reliability and measurement.
7. Effectively present the results of a research project in a research article or thesis.
8. Develop and present an original research proposal that addresses their chosen research problem.
Research-Led Teaching
This course is concerned exclusively with research, as detailed in the course description and learning
outcomes.
Continuous Improvement
We use feedback from students, professional bodies and staff to make regular improvements to courses.
In response to this feedback, design improvements from the previous version of the course increased
opportunity for student engagement in class discussion.
Prerequisites
There are no formal prerequisites for taking this course. It is assumed, however, that students are
familiar with basic corporate structures, and concepts of accountability and control.
Co-teaching
Students enrolled in BUSN8045 also participate in this course.
Student Feedback
All CBE courses are evaluated using Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys,
administered by Planning and Statistical Services at the ANU. These surveys are online and students in
each course are notified via email to their ANU address when surveys are available. Feedback is used
for course development, so please take the time to respond thoughtfully. Course feedback is anonymous
and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to
recognise excellent teaching and to improve courses across the university. Information on student
surveys
at
ANU
and
previous
reports
on
ANU
courses
are
available
at http://unistats.anu.edu.au/surveys/selt/students/ and http://unistats.anu.edu.au/surveys/selt/results/learning/.
COMMUNICATION
Email
If necessary, the instructor for this course will contact students on their official ANU student email
address.
Announcements
Students are expected to check the Wattle site for announcements about this course, including changes
to timetables or notifications of cancellations. Notifications of emergency cancellations of lectures or
tutorials will be posted on the door of the relevant room.
Course URLs
More information about this course may be found on Wattle (https://wattle.anu.edu.au). Log on to Wattle
using your student number and your ISIS password.
STRUCTURE OF THE COURSE
Seminar preparation and participation
Classes will include substantial student participation. Instructor-led class work is interactive. Student
questions and debate are strongly encouraged. All students are expected to make informed contributions
2 | THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
in class discussions. To make informed contributions, all students must read the prescribed
material prior to class. You should be prepared to devote an average of 10 hours per week of private
study to this course; this in addition to attending the RSABIS Research Seminars (see below).
Any handouts and instructions for class activities are provided on the course Wattle site. It is expected
that you prepare these activities prior to the relevant class and that you will participate in the discussion
of these activities in that class. The various assignments and activities will help you to develop your
research skills and your research proposal.
You will be expected to speak to the class each week, succinctly explaining a relevant aspect of your
research proposal. Generally, you will relate the scheduled class topic to your proposed research area.
You will receive further guidance on this as the course proceeds.
School Research Seminar Attendance
The Research School of Accounting and Business Information Systems holds a seminar series on most
Fridays during teaching weeks. Your university email address will be used by the RSABIS Seminar
Convenor to send notices of seminars and copies of papers.
These seminars are part of the research learning process and you are expected to attend all
scheduled seminars and ask questions. Your active engagement in the seminars contributes to your
class participation marks.
COURSE ASSESSMENT
Assessment Summary
Task
Weighting
(%)
Due date
Class participation (Scheduled BUSN8013 classes and
RSABIS Research Seminars)
10
Continuous (includes
RSABIS Research
Seminars)
RSABIS Research Seminar Critiques (minimum of 2)
10
Various (Tuesdays)
Class Assignment 1
Identifying important issues for research and developing
research questions
7.5
Class Assignment 2
Operationalisation of a research topic
7.5
Class Assignment 3
Identifying and assessing the most appropriate available data
for a proposed project
7.5
Research Proposal (Preliminary)
10
Class Assignment 4
Identifying expected measurement issues for a proposed
project
7.5
Week 10
Tuesday5 May 5:00pm
Research Proposal (Final)
40
Tuesday 16 June
12:00 noon
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Week 4
Tuesday 10 March
5:00pm
Week 7
Thursday 02 April
5:00pm
Week 8
Tuesday 21 April
5:00pm
Week 9
Tuesday 28 April
5:00pm
Class participation [10%]
Instructions for class activities will be provided on Wattle. You are expected to adequately prepare all
activities prior to the relevant class and participate in the class discussion.
You are expected to be prepared to speak to the class each week, succinctly explaining a relevant
aspect of your research proposal. Generally, you will relate the scheduled class topic to your proposed
research area. You are also expected to engage in discussion of other students’ proposals and issues
and general research issues. Your class participation marks also take account of you participation in the
RSABIS Research Seminars.
Research Seminar Paper Critiques [10%]
You are required to critique a minimum of two research papers presented in the RSABIS Research
Seminar Series. Each critique must not exceed 2 x A4 pages (excluding references). Details of the
required submission format are available on Wattle.
The RSABIS Research Seminar critique is due on Tuesday in the week following the presentation of the
paper you choose. Late critiques cannot be accepted. There may be unforeseen circumstances that
prevent you from critiquing particular papers listed in the seminar program (e.g., last minute
cancellations by presenters) and not all papers are necessarily suitable for this critiquing assignment;
therefore, you should not wait until the later weeks of the seminar series to complete this assessment
component.
Where a research paper that is relevant to your interests is offered in the seminar program of another
School, you can seek the permission of the course convenor to critique that paper instead of an RSABIS
paper. You are not assured of receiving permission. Where permission is given, you must submit the
critique on Wattle plus provide a copy of the seminar paper.
The objective of the critique is to review the work with respect to both: (a) research method; and (b)
its contribution to the literature. You will be graded based on your critical analysis and you will not
be rewarded for summarising the seminar paper or for discussing your personal opinions of a topic
or literary style. In addition to asking your own questions in seminars, you should take careful note
of other people’s comments and questions, as these may help inform your critique.
Research Assignments [30%]
Details of each of the four research assignments (listed in the Assessment Summary) will be provided on
Wattle. These assignments and your Research Seminar Paper Critiques will help you develop your final
proposal.
Research Proposal (Preliminary) [10%]
Your submitted research proposal (preliminary) must not exceed 10 x A4 pages (including all equations,
figures and tables but excluding references). Details of the required submission format are available on
Wattle.
You are encouraged to select a topic in an area in which you have strong intellectual interest. The
proposed research must be realistic in relation to the academic resources available to you as a research
student. If you are preparing for an honours thesis, masters thesis or sub-thesis or PhD thesis, you are
expected to use this assignment to develop your thesis proposal. You are expected to consult regularly
with you thesis supervisor in developing your research topic and proposal.
Research Proposal (Final) [40%]
This proposal must not exceed 20 x A4 pages (including all equations, figures and tables but excluding
references). Details of the required submission format are available on Wattle.
You are expected to take advantage of your earlier work to minimise the additional effort necessary to
finalise your proposal. However, you may choose to substantially change or replace your preliminary
proposal.
All students formally present their research proposals in class during weeks 12-13. The timetabling for
each presentation will be finalised in Week 10. This presentation and the class discussion that follows
will assist you in improving your proposal. Academic staff usually attend these presentations.
You are expected to consult regularly with you thesis supervisor in developing your research topic and
proposal.
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Submission of written assessment items (Case analyses and Major essay or project)
All assignments are submitted using the course Wattle site. Submitted assignments must include the
cover sheet provided on Wattle. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records.
ANU uses Turnitin to improve student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment
submissions as part of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional
information regarding Turnitin, see ANU Online.
Required elements
All components of the assessment are required elements for this course for each candidate and must be
submitted as specified for a candidate to be eligible for a passing grade. Failure to submit any
component of the assessment may make you ineligible for a supplementary examination.
All written work must accord with established academic conventions regarding attribution and
referencing. Referencing guidelines are provided on the course Wattle page.
Assessment Policy in this course
Penalties for late submission of assessment components
Late submission of written work will attract a substantial penalty unless you have been previously
granted an extension. Therefore, it is important that you take account of the due dates when planning
and managing your study and other commitments (including employment) for the semester. Except in
cases of incapacity, an extension must be sought at least 48 hours before the due time.
All requests for extensions to the submission deadline should be directed to the Course Convener. Nonsubmission of the assignment will preclude you from qualifying for a supplementary or further
examination.
Late assignments will attract a penalty in increments of 5% of the awarded mark, per working day, for the
first ten (10) days. Assignments that are eleven (11) or more days late will receive a mark of zero.
Late assignments will not be accepted after feedback on the assignment has been provided to the class.
Late submissions of the RSABIS Research Seminar Critiques will not be accepted.
Final grades
To achieve an automatic pass grade in this course you must complete all assessment tasks and obtain
50% or more on the total assessment. Scaling is not used in this course. However, the award of grades
higher than a pass are not automatic, nor is the final mark a precise mathematical function of the marks
awarded in the assessment. The examiners may adjust an individual’s final result upwards or
downwards in the exercise of their professional judgment.
POLICIES
The University offers a number of support services for students. Information on these is available online
from http://students.anu.edu.au/studentlife/.
ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and
students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. You can find the
University’s education policies and an explanatory glossary at: http://policies.anu.edu.au/
Academic honesty and integrity
It is the responsibility of each individual student to ensure they are familiar with ANU policy for academic
integrity. Students are expected to have read the Code of Practice for Student Academic Integrity before
the commencement of their course.
When submitting written work for assessment in this course, you are asserting that:
a. is your original work.
b. appropriate acknowledgement and citation is given to the work of others.
c. you understand and have complied with the principle of academic integrity.
For ANU’s rules on academic misconduct, refer to http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/F2014L01785.
Other key policies include:
• Student Assessment (Coursework): https://policies.anu.edu.au/ppl/document/ANUP_004604
• Copyright: http://copyright.anu.edu.au/.
5 | THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
READING
Recommended textbook
Neuman, W.L. (2010). Social Research Methods Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches (7th edition),
Boston, MA: Pearson.
Other materials
Additional prescribed readings and other materials will be added to Wattle throughout the semester. You
are also expected to read beyond the prescribed material to properly develop your understanding of the
nature of research and the research process, and to develop your own research proposal.
COURSE SCHEDULE
Week
Reading (Neuman,
2010)
Summary of Activities
1
 Introductions (students will introduce themselves, their degree
program and research interests)
The research process, scientific method and types of research
Ch 1, 2
2
The nature of theory and its place in research; Research paradigms
Ch 3, 4
3
4
5
6
7
Research design:
The research literature and research issue identification and
developing research questions
 Student presentations for Class Assignment 1 Part A: Identifying
important issues for research
Research design:
 Student presentations for Class Assignment 1 Part B:
Contextualising research questions and identifying contributions
Research design:
Developing and testing hypotheses
 Student presentations for Class Assignment 2
Archival research issues
 Student presentations for Class Assignment 3
Quantitative & qualitative data analysis issues
Ch 5, 6
Ch 5, 6
Ch 7, 8
Ch 11
Ch 12, 13, 15
Mid-semester break
8*
Surveys (interviews and questionnaires) issues
[Prof. Juliana Ng]
Ch 10
9*
Experiments and behavioural research issues
[Prof. Juliana Ng]
Ch 9
10
“Pitching research”
11*
Completing a research project and communicating results
 Student presentations for Class Assignment 4
12
 Student presentations of research proposals
-
13
 Student presentations of research proposals
-
6 | THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
[Prof. Robert Faff, UQ]
Ch 16