2019 Subject Outline – PART A Subject Name Research and Decision Making for Business Subject Code…
2019 Subject Outline – PART A
Subject Name
Research and Decision Making for Business
Subject Code
BX2174
Study Period
1
Study Mode
Cairns internal
Subject Coordinator
Prof. Gianna Moscardo
Subject Lecturer
Dr. Colin Lemmon
AssignmentTutorOnline
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Contents
1 Subject Staff Contact Details 2
2 Subject calendar 3
2.1 Key dates 4
3 Subject details 5
3.1 Subject description 5
3.2 Subject learning outcomes 5
3.3 Learning and teaching in this subject 5
3.4 Student participation requirements 6
3.5 Feedback on student learning 6
3.6 Subject resources and special requirements 7
3.7 Student Support 7
4 Assessment details 8
4.1 Requirements for successful completion of subject 8
4.2 Assessment tasks 8
4.3 JCU assessment policy 13
4.4 JCU assessment support 13
5 Rubrics 14
5.1 Rubric Grading Criteria for Critical literature Review (30%) 14
5.2 Criteria for Research Report (30%) 17
5.3 Rubric Grading Criteria for Assessment 3: Research Proposal 20
Subject Staff Contact Details
Teaching team
Staff member
Room
Phone
Consultation times*
Subject Coordinator
Prof. Gianna Moscardo
Lecturer
Dr. Colin Lemmon
A004.002
N/A
colin.lemmon@jcu.edu.au
Wed 11-12pm
*Other consultation times by appointment only.
Business Online contact details:
Please email businessonline@jcu.edu.au for support and assistance with all educational technologies
Subject calendar
Please note, the sequence of some topics may change due to staff availability, resourcing, or due to unforeseen circumstances.
Week/Topic and date (Mondays)
Lecture Topics
Tutorial
Readings/Preparation
Relationship to assessment
1
25/02/2019
Introduction Critical evidence based thinking
Critical evidence based thinking
Basham et al reading
All assessment
2
04/03/2019
Overview of the research process
Analysing business problems Introducing assessment 1
Textbook chapters 1 & 2
All assessment
3
11/03/2019
Exploring existing research information
Critical Literature Reviews
Textbook chapters 3 & 8
Assessment 1
4
18/03/2019
Research philosophy, design and language
Thinking like a researcher
Textbook chapters 4 & 5 Cooper & Schindler Chapter 3 reading
All assessments
5
25/03/2019 (Census Date: Thurs 28/03/2019)
Research Ethics
Overview of Data Collection techniques
Textbook Chapter 6
All assessment
Assessment 1 Literature Review Due Friday 29 th 5pm
6
01/04/2019
Analysing quantitative data part
Introducing assessment 2 the research report
Textbook Chapters 12 & 14
Assessment 2
7
08/04/2019
Qualitative research
Data analysis exercises for research report
Cooper & Schindler Chapter 7 Reading
Assessments 2 & 3
8
15/05/2019 (Public Holiday – Friday 19/04/2019) (Last date to withdraw without academic penalty – Fri 19/04/2019)
Analysing qualitative data
No tutorials this week finish research report assessment
Textbook chapter 13
Assessments 2 & 3
Lecture Recess
Assessment 2 Research Report Due Monday 29 th of April 5pm
9
29/04/2019
Sampling
Sampling exercises
Textbook chapter 7
Assessment 3
10
06/05/2019 (Public Holiday – Monday 06/05/2019)
Observations & Interviews
Writing a research proposal Revisiting research questions
Textbook chapters 9 & 10
Assessment 3
11
13/05/2019
Surveys and Questionnaires
Designing questionnaires
Textbook chapter 11
Assessment 3
12
20/05/2019
Experiments
Conducting an experiment
Zikmund et al Chapter 12 reading
Assessment 3
13
27/05/2019
Applying research results to business decisions
Finalising research proposal
No set reading
Assessment 3
Assessment 3 Research Proposal due Friday 31 st of May at 5pm
SV
STUDY VACATION (Monday 03/06/2019 to Friday 07/06/2019)
Key dates
Key dates
Date
Census date
See 2019 Study Period and Census Dates
Last date to withdraw without academic penalty
See 2019 Study Period and Census Dates
Assessment Task 1 [Literature Review] [30%]
Due: Friday 29 th March 5pm
Assessment Task 2 [Research Report] [30%]
Due: Monday 29 th April 5pm
Assessment Task 3 [Research Proposal] [40%]
Due: Friday 31 st May 5pm
Subject details
Subject description
A superior ability to collect, process, and interpret information for decision making is a major source of competitive advantage in the business marketplace. The focus of this subject is to develop knowledge and basic skills of business research concepts and methods. Specific topics include the role of information systems, knowledge management, formulation of the research problem, research design and methods including qualitative and quantitative approaches, data collection, data analysis and the interpretation and use of research results. Students gain a view of business research from the buyer’s and seller’s perspectives and an understanding of the code of practice which regulates business market research activities.
Subject learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this subject will be able to:
SLO 1. Explain the critical importance of research for superior business performance;
SLO 2. Analyse a business situation, formulate a research problem and devise an appropriate research design;
SLO 3. Analyse data using basic qualitative and quantitative methods;
SLO 4. Interpret findings in a manner that facilitates business decision making;
SLO 5. Explain basic data collection methods, outline when the method is most suited, and evaluate the related strengths and limitations of each method in a business context; and
SLO 6. Demonstrate effective written communication skills.
These outcomes will contribute to your overall achievement of course learning outcomes. Your course learning outcomes can be located in the entry for your course in the electronic JCU Course and Subject Handbook 2019 (click on ‘Course Information’ bar/ select ‘Undergraduate Courses’ or ‘Postgraduate Courses’/ select relevant course/ scroll down to ‘Academic Requirements for Course Completion’, ‘Course learning outcomes’).
Learning and teaching in this subject
Being a student is something like being a tourist in a very exotic place you’ve never visited before. Being a teacher is like being a guide to that exotic place. The guide’s job is to:-
Provide a structure to the tour by highlighting the key elements (major issues, concepts and theories);
Help with the language of the area (definitions and terminology);
Direct students to key places (key references and resource materials sites;
Answer questions that arise; and
Use their knowledge of the area to organise an efficient itinerary to cover the essential sites (organisation of the lecture and practical material to cover the core elements of the topic area)
A really good guide gives their tourists the skills and abilities to explore on their own. A good student tourist pays attention, asks questions, is polite to the guide, their fellow students and the other people they meet along the way and makes the most of the experiences offered and the guide’s skills and knowledge.
The teaching approach to this subject is about providing sufficient orientation, structure and skills that students can explore the area on their own. In this subject we will try to achieve this by using a variety of different resources, learning activities and options. Students should make the most of these opportunities and participate in as many of the offered learning activities as possible.
Lectures: The two hour lecture sessions will include traditional lectures interspersed with learning activities and will provide students with key concepts, an overview of the material covered in the readings and examples of applications from the readings to real business decisions. A PowerPoint file for each lecture session will be made available the week before the lecture to assist students to organise their note taking, but lectures will not be recorded. This is not a flipped classroom so you must attend lectures.
Tutorials: Tutorials will be used to answer student questions, provide additional detail on how to do business research in practice and to work on the assessments. As these sessions will be based on in class activities it is impossible to record them. Attendance is compulsory as the activities are critical to the three assessment pieces.
Key subject activities
Time
Day
Room/Location
Lectures (2 hours per week)
8-10am
Wednesdays
A004-002
Tutorial (1 hour per week)
10—11am
Wednesdays
A004-002
Tutorial Attendance is Compulsory
Refer to Subject Outline Part B for links to Class Registration and Timetable information. Subject Outline Part B is available on the subject site in the Subject Outline menu item.
Student participation requirements
A student who fails to attend at least 70% of tutorials/practicals from Week 2-Week 11 inclusive (i.e. 7 out of 10 tutorials) must meet with the Associate Dean of Learning and Teaching
