Students
FOBE830 – Quantitative Research Approaches in Business and Economics 1
2017 – S1 Evening
General Information
Download as PDF
| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor, lecturer
Denise Jepsen
Contact via denise.jepsen@mq.edu.au
Building E4A, Room 641
1 hour before class
Lorne Cummings
|
|---|---|
| Credit points |
Credit points
4
|
| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
Admission to MActPrac or MBkgFin or MCom or MIntBus
|
| Corequisites |
Corequisites
|
| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
Co-badged with FOBE730.
|
| Unit description |
Unit description
This unit provides students with an introduction to quantitative research approaches within business and economics. It seeks to develop students' understanding of the contexts in which quantitative research can be undertaken and the ability to analyse, conduct, and evaluate quantitative forms of research.
|
Important Academic Dates
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Understand the basic rationale and application of relevant quantitative approaches and analyses in disciplinary contexts of management, accounting and marketing.
- Be familiar with components of a few relevant quantitative methods in the field of interest and be capable of applying them to a future research project.
- Be able to identify and assess the appropriateness and risks of different types of data, data collection procedures and analyses.
- Demonstrate the capability of arguing for or against using particular quantitative techniques to solve problems in scholarly research in a sound communication manner.
General Assessment Information
Details of these assessment tasks will be given in the lecturers, and will be posted on the iLearn.
For each of the assessment tasks, individualised written feedback will be provided to students. If the task is deemed unsatisfactory, you will be expected to revise and resubmit it for reassessment.
Assessment Tasks
| Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comment on Methodology | 25% | No | Week 4 |
| Comment on Data Analysis | 25% | No | Week 6 |
| Quantitative Method Test | 40% | No | Week 13 |
| Class Discussion | 10% | No | Week 2-6, 8-13 |
Comment on Methodology
Due: Week 4
Weighting: 25%
Students will write a review (up to 1,000 words) on the quantitative method used in a journal paper in their discipline. The assignment is to be completed as a group, with the group presentation worth 10% and individual reports worth 15%.
Submission: This assignment is due in Week 4 for the individual report and the group presentation. A hard copy of the assignment needs to be submitted to the lecturer AND a copy uploaded to Turnitin (via iLearn).
Extension: No extensions will be granted generally unless there is a special consideration approved by the convenor before the due date.
Penalties: Students who are absent or do not participate in the group presentation will get a “0” mark automatically. Students who have not submitted the written task prior to the deadline will get a “0” mark unless there is a compelling reason to make an exception (for exception, please refer to the "extension" above).
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Understand the basic rationale and application of relevant quantitative approaches and analyses in disciplinary contexts of management, accounting and marketing.
- Be familiar with components of a few relevant quantitative methods in the field of interest and be capable of applying them to a future research project.
- Demonstrate the capability of arguing for or against using particular quantitative techniques to solve problems in scholarly research in a sound communication manner.
Comment on Data Analysis
Due: Week 6
Weighting: 25%
Students will write a review (up to 1,000 words) on the statistical analysis used in a journal paper in their discipline. The assignment is to be completed as a group, with the group presentation worth 10% and individual reports worth 15%.
Submission: The individual reports and group presentation are due in Week 6. A hard copy of the assignment is to be submitted to the lecturer AND a copy uploaded to Turnitin (via iLearn).
Extension: No extensions will be granted generally unless there is a special consideration approved by the convenor before the due date.
Penalties: Students who are absent or do not participate in the group presentation will get a “0” mark automatically. Students who have not submitted the written task prior to the deadline will get a “0” mark unless there is a compelling reason to make an exception (for exception, please refer to the "extension" above).
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Understand the basic rationale and application of relevant quantitative approaches and analyses in disciplinary contexts of management, accounting and marketing.
- Be able to identify and assess the appropriateness and risks of different types of data, data collection procedures and analyses.
- Demonstrate the capability of arguing for or against using particular quantitative techniques to solve problems in scholarly research in a sound communication manner.
Quantitative Method Test
Due: Week 13
Weighting: 40%
Students will receive a quantitative test to be submitted online in Week 13. This assessment will provide students with raw data in a general business discipline to analyse and to write an analytical report in response to the given research questions. More information will be provided in iLearn.
Submission: This major assignment is due in Week 13 for the individual report. A soft copy needs to be uploaded to Turnitin (via iLearn).
Extension: No extensions will be granted generally unless there is a special consideration approved by the convenor before the due date.
Penalties: Late submissions will be accepted up to 48 hours after the submission deadline. There will be a deduction of 10% of the total quality-based marks for EACH 24 HOURS period or part thereof that the submission is late (for example, being 25 hours late in submission will occur 20% mark penalty). This penalty does not apply for the cases in which an application for special consideration has been made and applied.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Understand the basic rationale and application of relevant quantitative approaches and analyses in disciplinary contexts of management, accounting and marketing.
- Be familiar with components of a few relevant quantitative methods in the field of interest and be capable of applying them to a future research project.
- Be able to identify and assess the appropriateness and risks of different types of data, data collection procedures and analyses.
Class Discussion
Due: Week 2-6, 8-13
Weighting: 10%
Every enrolled student is required to attend the weekly classes punctually, and actively participate in class discussions and activities in a contributory manner.
Submission: Weekly attendance is recorded in every class. A full attendance record will not necessarily give students full marks (10%) in this assessment, rather, a full attendance together with a well-demonstrated effort of class participation will do.
Extension and penalties: Not applicable
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Understand the basic rationale and application of relevant quantitative approaches and analyses in disciplinary contexts of management, accounting and marketing.
- Be familiar with components of a few relevant quantitative methods in the field of interest and be capable of applying them to a future research project.
- Be able to identify and assess the appropriateness and risks of different types of data, data collection procedures and analyses.
- Demonstrate the capability of arguing for or against using particular quantitative techniques to solve problems in scholarly research in a sound communication manner.
Delivery and Resources
This FOBE830 unit is co-taught with FOBE730, and students will be enrolled in the FOBE730 iLearn unit for all activities. Any correspondence, notices or other matters directed at FOBE730 students should be assumed to also apply to FOBE830 students. Slight differences in assessments will be highlighted during class.
CLASS SCHEDULE
- Each student will have 3 hours face‐to‐face teaching per week consisting of one 1.5-2 hour lecture/seminar plus one 1-1.5 hour tutorial of class activities aided by computer, discussions and other relevant techniques.
- Please bring a laptop, a calculator and lecture notes to all classes.
- For latest information about timetables for classes, please refer to the University web site at: http://www.timetables.mq.edu.au/
TEXTBOOKS AND READINGS
The textbook required for this class is:
- Field, Andy. Discovering Statistics using IBM SPSS Statistics, SAGE Publications Ltd, 3rd or 4th Edition
The following books are recommended:
- Glyn Burton, George Carroll and Stuart Wall (2001) Quantitative Methods for Business and Economics(2nd Edition), Financial Times/Prentice Hall. ISBN: 0273655701
Or
- Frank Dewhurst (2006) Quantitative Methods for Business and Management (2nd Edition), McGraw-Hill Higher Education. ISBN-10: 0077109023
Other Useful Books:
- Sanjiv Jaggia and Alison Kelly (2013) Business Statistics: Communicating with Numbers. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. ISBN13: 9780073373669
- Robert B Burns and Richard A Burns (2008) Business Research Methods and Statistics Using SPSS, SAGE Publications, Inc. ISBN-10: 1412945305
- Peter Allen, Kellie Bennett, and Brody Heritage (2014) SPSS Statistics Version 22: A Practical Guide (3rd Edition), Cengage. ISBN-10: 0170348970, ISBN-13: 9780170348973
TECHNOLOGY USED AND REQUIRED
Software and technology required: (1) A personal computer with word processing software and Microsoft PowerPoint; (2) Access to iLearn for course materials; (3) Access to the SPSS software for data analysis (4) Access to Qualtrics software for data analysis.
For Qualtrics access, login at: mqedu.qualtrics.com
As an FBE HDR candidate, you will be enrolled in the “FBE-HDR Transition to Research” online unit (iLearn). Login at http://ilearn.mq.edu.au/
If you cannot view this unit in your Online Units, please contact Unit Convenor (Email: denise.jepsen@mq.edu.au). The site will be used to post lecture slides, handouts, and assignment instructions after each class, for those who miss their distribution in class.
Lecture notes will be posted on iLearn at https://ilearn.mq.edu.au on a weekly base. The Echo360 recording (video or audio) of lectures/seminars is NOT applied to this unit.
WHAT IS REQUIRED TO COMPLETE THE UNIT SATISFACTORILY:
This unit is delivered in the seminar pattern. Students are expected to be active and engaged individual learners as well as cooperative team players to complete all tasks as instructed, inclusive of before-class reading, after-class review, desktop work, presentation, and to participate actively in class discussion. To get these above tasks accomplished, a certain level of independent and critical thinking will be inherently needed.
Unit Schedule
Proposed weekly topics for Semester 1, 2017. Note, specific weekly content is subject to change. Not all parts of all chapters will be completed each week.
|
Week |
Date |
Topic |
Text |
Assessment |
|
1 |
28 Feb |
Survey design Part 1 |
|
|
|
2 |
7 March |
Survey design Part 2 |
|
|
|
3 |
14 March |
SPSS survey data management |
Ch 3 |
|
|
4 |
21 Marc |
Data quality, exploring data and assumptions Part 1 |
Chs 1, 2, 4, 5 |
Ass #1 due 25%: Review of quant method |
|
5 |
28 March |
Data quality, exploring data and assumptions Part 2 |
|
|
|
6 |
4 April |
Data quality, exploring data and assumptions Part 3 |
Ass #2 due 25%: Review of statistical analysis |
|
|
7 |
11 April |
Correlations |
Ch 6 |
|
|
Mid semester break: No class 18th or 25th April |
||||
|
8 |
2 May |
Regressions Part 1 |
Chs 7, 8 |
|
|
9 |
9 May |
Regressions Part 2 |
|
|
|
10 |
16 May |
Mean differences Part 1 |
Chs 9-14, 16 |
|
|
11 |
23 May |
Mean differences Part 2 |
|
|
|
12 |
30 May |
Non-parametric tests, Factor analyses |
Chs 15, 17 |
|
|
13 |
6 June |
Tests of representativeness, multilevel models, review |
Chs 18, 19 |
Ass #3 due 40%: Method test |
Learning and Teaching Activities
Lectures and Seminars
Class Discussion
Before-class Preview & Post-class Review
Policies and Procedures
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy_2016.html
Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/complaint_management/procedure.html
Disruption to Studies Policy (in effect until Dec 4th, 2017): http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html
Special Consideration Policy (in effect from Dec 4th, 2017): https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/special-consideration
In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.
Student Code of Conduct
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/
Results
Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.
Student Support
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Student Services and Support
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
Student Enquiries
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
IT Help
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
Graduate Capabilities
PG - Discipline Knowledge and Skills
Our postgraduates will be able to demonstrate a significantly enhanced depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content knowledge in their chosen fields.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Understand the basic rationale and application of relevant quantitative approaches and analyses in disciplinary contexts of management, accounting and marketing.
- Be familiar with components of a few relevant quantitative methods in the field of interest and be capable of applying them to a future research project.
- Be able to identify and assess the appropriateness and risks of different types of data, data collection procedures and analyses.
- Demonstrate the capability of arguing for or against using particular quantitative techniques to solve problems in scholarly research in a sound communication manner.
Assessment tasks
- Comment on Methodology
- Comment on Data Analysis
- Quantitative Method Test
- Class Discussion
PG - Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking
Our postgraduates will be capable of utilising and reflecting on prior knowledge and experience, of applying higher level critical thinking skills, and of integrating and synthesising learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments. A characteristic of this form of thinking is the generation of new, professionally oriented knowledge through personal or group-based critique of practice and theory.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Understand the basic rationale and application of relevant quantitative approaches and analyses in disciplinary contexts of management, accounting and marketing.
- Be familiar with components of a few relevant quantitative methods in the field of interest and be capable of applying them to a future research project.
- Be able to identify and assess the appropriateness and risks of different types of data, data collection procedures and analyses.
- Demonstrate the capability of arguing for or against using particular quantitative techniques to solve problems in scholarly research in a sound communication manner.
Assessment tasks
- Comment on Methodology
- Comment on Data Analysis
- Quantitative Method Test
- Class Discussion
PG - Research and Problem Solving Capability
Our postgraduates will be capable of systematic enquiry; able to use research skills to create new knowledge that can be applied to real world issues, or contribute to a field of study or practice to enhance society. They will be capable of creative questioning, problem finding and problem solving.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Understand the basic rationale and application of relevant quantitative approaches and analyses in disciplinary contexts of management, accounting and marketing.
- Be familiar with components of a few relevant quantitative methods in the field of interest and be capable of applying them to a future research project.
- Be able to identify and assess the appropriateness and risks of different types of data, data collection procedures and analyses.
Assessment tasks
- Comment on Methodology
- Comment on Data Analysis
- Quantitative Method Test
Changes from Previous Offering
This unit is offered for the first time this semester. It is co-badged and co-taught with FOBE730.
Research and Practice
- The unit is designed to equip students to embark on their individual higher degree research projects.
- Because the unit focuses on developing students’ academic literacy skills, a number of reading, writing and analytical tasks are set. Responses to some of these tasks are discussed in class, whereas others will be submitted for assessment. The tasks will contribute directly to the Research Protocol submission and/or PhD thesis.
- The unit is delivered in accordance with current academic teaching and learning pedagogies.
As a guidance to direct students' future research outcomes, the following academic journals with high academic credit will assist students to link what is learned from this unit with a specific disciplinary background that fits one's research interest.
Examples of discipline-based journals*:
|
Accounting and Corporate Governance Journal of Accounting Research Contemporary Accounting Research Accounting Research Journal Accounting and Finance Managerial Accounting Journal Journal of Accounting and Economics |
|
|
IB, Marketing and Management Journal of International Business Studies Journal of Marketing Research Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics Academy of Management Journal Human Resource Management International Journal of Human Resource Management Journal of Applied Psychology Journal of Management Studies Journal of Organizational Behavior Organisation Studies The Leadership Quarterly |
|
*The selected journal lists are provided to assist students searching for discipline-based quantitative research. More comprehensive journals lists are available on the course website.
In addition, a list of other useful references may be available from the Research at Faculty of Business and Economics webpage (www.businessandeconomics.mq.edu.au/research) from diversified research interests.