BUSINESS RESEARCH DESIGN
MBA 6610 TXWA
Fall Semester, 2010
Course Syllabus
INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION:
Robert Wheatley, Ph.D.
Professor of Management
202A McCartha Hall
Sorrell College of Business
Troy University
Troy, AL 36082
334.670.3161 (TEL)
334.670.3599 (FAX)
334.670.3459 (ADM)
STUDENTS: Put “MBA 6610 TXWA” in the subject line of any emails sent to the instructor.
Please Note: To get credit for all work, individuals and groups must submit a (keyed) hard copy to the instructor at the beginning of the class on the date specified, or, when directed, post or submit assignments (usually before 11:00 p.m. CTZ) on the date specified using ONLY the “Assignments” section of Blackboard. For items requiring a posting, please post your response to the appropriate Blackboard Course Section (for example, Class Discussion Board, CDB, or Group Discussion Board, GDB). For all other assignments, submit a (keyed) hard copy directly to your instructor, or, when directed, submit your work directly to the “Assignments” section of Blackboard; do not email your assignments (either in the email body or using an Attachment) to the instructor. ALWAYS use our protocol for submitting all assignments, and for all communications with the instructor (that is: your name/group names, MBA 6610 TXWA, Group [ # ] if a group assignment, Week [ # ], and Assignment [ # ]—all on the first numbered TEXT page of the assignment) so that you will be readily identified and given credit for your work. ALWAYS start the Subject line with MBA 6610 TXWA for individual email messages.
Always key your FULL NAME at the end of your emails; your instructor will not respond when these email (and general ethical) conventions are not followed.
Note: The instructor reserves the right to make changes to the course syllabus prior to or during the term. The instructor will notify students, via email or Blackboard announcement, when changes are made in the requirements and/or grading of the course.
COURSE PREREQUISITES
MBA 5505 or equivalent
OFFICE HOURS
Tuesday: 12:45 p.m.-2:15 p.m.Wednesday: 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Thursday: 12:45 p.m.-3:15 p.m.
Other times by appointment
TIME OF CLASS
Tuesday, 5:30-8:15 p.m.
CLASS LOCATION
General Academic Building, Room 301
ENTRANCE COMPETENCIES:
Students must have the knowledge and skills necessary to perform at the graduate level, as well as certain personal characteristics to complete the course in a timely fashion. They must also have a satisfactory level of technical competence to be able to navigate Blackboard, the Internet, and the Troy University Library online. A sufficient business academic background is required for successful course completion. Business experience would be helpful.
STUDENT EXPECTATION STATEMENT:
Academics: I expect students to read the required material, review the “Key Terms” and “Discussion Questions” at the end of each chapter and ask questions to check their understanding, monitor the announcements page for course updates, check their emails regularly, participate meaningfully in all discussions, complete exams on the scheduled day, and submit assignments—all in a timely manner as scheduled. All grades are earned, and good grades are the result of personal commitment and substantial effort.
If problems arise, students are expected to contact me as soon as possible—prior to the due date—to discuss the problem.
CATALOG DESCRIPTION:
Designed for the student to develop and demonstrate competency in business research methodology and techniques. This course teaches the MBA student proper research techniques and includes a research proposal. A grade of “B” or better is required. Prerequisite: MBA 5505 or equivalent.
PURPOSE:
To provide a framework to solve research problems, interpret research, and to understand the interaction among the various parts of the research process. MBA General Management option requirement. Satisfies the MBA research requirement.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES/COURSE OBJECTIVES:
Upon completion of the course, the student should be able to:
1. Explain measurement, experimentation, survey design and related concepts and methodologies related to organizational research, including multivariate analysis.
2. Apply measurement and design strategy concepts and principles to new business situations, including proper data preparation and description.
3. Develop a clear and well organized research proposal.
4. Diagram, illustrate, and evaluate research designs and strategies, including the choice of measurement scales, survey methods, instrumentation, and sampling design.
5. Evaluate research-generated material, including secondary data.
6. Analyze and interpret material using appropriate statistical methods.
7. Apply critical, scientific, and ethical thinking to solving research-related problems.
8. Complete a business research project, properly displaying data.
9. Solve problems
10. Participate fully and voluntarily in class
11. Critically review work, accept suggestions, and make revisions
12. Give a well organized oral presentation of research/proposal
TEXTBOOK(S) AND/OR OTHER MATERIALS NEEDED:
Cooper, D., & Schindler, P. BUSINESS RESEARCH METHODS, Tenth Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2008.
Students should have their text the first week of class. Not having your book will not be an acceptable excuse for late work.
OTHER MATERIALS
1. One CD for use in the course. Each CD must contain the following information marked externally on it: (1) the student's name, (2) the course and section numbers (MBA 6610 TXWA), and (3) the Page Number of the assignment or the assignment title. The Volume label on the CD should be the student's name. All CDs must contain ONLY the relevant file (assignment) with an appropriate file name. No other files are to be on the CD.
2. Narrow-lined notebook paper, plain unlined paper, and printer paper.
3. Have available a calculator with statistics functions.
ADDITIONAL READINGS:
To Be Announced
RESEARCH PROPOSAL (RESEARCH COMPONENT) (Final Copy):
Topics for proposals are to be contemporary problems/issues relevant to business today (with a theoretical base, or an applied organizational issue with a theoretical background), and are selected by each group (priority by date/time submitted). The topics involve either original work making a scholarly contribution (adding to what is already known about a topic--not merely reproducing a study that has already been done) or evaluating/testing in an applied organizational setting (supported by a theoretical or research base). No two groups may select the same proposal topic. This paper will be at least 1,600 words in length. At least ten sources are required; with at least seven of those sources from current (2006-2010), reputable, peer-reviewed journals (see “examples of reputable journals” in next section; if unsure of a journal’s status, contact the instructor). Number every page and use American Psychological Association (APA) format, 12-point font, double-spacing (LS = 2), paragraph indention, section headings, and submit in MS-Word format. This is expected to be a scholarly project. It will include a Title Page (with our protocol, except on this page use a specific date), and the following sections:
(a) Introduction (with background of the problem/issue, the problem in problem statement format, and the problem importance); (b) a Literature Review with appropriate in-text citations leading to one research hypothesis/research question (the results of the articles you review must be integrated into a cohesive argument, and you should not copy word-for-word what others have written); (c) Research Design (including research study type, research design type, sampling design type, sampling unit, number of participants to be included with the rationale, and sample questionnaire, questions, measurement scales, reliability, and validity); (d) Data Analysis (including proposed statistical techniques for analyzing your data, and a sample “dummy” table); and (e) References (in APA format). See Appendix A of your text (Exhibit A-5 for the proposal parts in table form) or email me for guidance. Grades will be based on scholarship, application of course material, coherence, reference quality, format, and grammatical correctness. Include our heading protocol on the first page of your proposal (or your proposal section). Your work should look business-like and professional. Written assignments displaying disproportionately poor grammar or a poor quality of written communication skills will be assigned a grade that is one letter grade lower than might otherwise have been assigned. The research proposal leader should use Turnitin.com to establish the originality of all work BEFORE it is submitted by the group for grading, if directed by the instructor.
EXAMPLES OF REPUTABLE JOURNALS (primarily in Management & Psychology, and mostly Peer-Reviewed):
Academy of Management Journal; Academy of Management Review; Administrative Science Quarterly; Organization Science; Strategic Management Journal; Management Science; Leadership Quarterly; Organizational Behavior & Human Decision Processes; Journal of Management; Journal of Management Studies; Journal of Applied Psychology; Journal of Vocational Behavior; Journal of Organizational Behavior; Personnel Psychology; Psychological Bulletin; Journal of Personality & Social Psychology; Human Relations; Journal of Occupational & Organizational Psychology; Harvard Business Review; Applied Psychology: International Review; American Psychologist
METHOD OF EVALUATION:
Test 1 35% of final gradeTest 2 35% of final grade
Research Proposal 20% of final grade
Assignments, etc. 10% of final grade / 30 % of final grade
NO “DROP PASSING” WILL BE GRANTED/RECORDED AFTER 10/15.
No extra work (beyond the work that appears on our Syllabus) will be assigned for any reason.
ASSIGNMENT OF GRADES:
All grades will be assigned according to the following scale:
A 90 – 100%
B 80 – 89%
C 70 – 79%
D 60 – 69%
F 59% and below
FA: “FA” indicates the student failed due to attendance. This grade will be given to any student who disappears from the course for three or more weeks. See the Attendance section of this syllabus for additional information.
TEST EVALUATION CRITERIA:
Our tests will consist of mostly open-ended, subjective, or applied items. Answers to questions will be evaluated, in part, using the following criteria:
1. Readability--Can I read it?
2. Did you answer the question, and all parts of the question (not some other question, and no parts of the answer are missing)?
3. Did you prominently use the material in this course to answer the question --especially, did you use a perspective developed in this course in your answer?
4. Is there a logical structure and flow to your answer?
5. Can you "integrate"--that is, put more than one idea together, or, apply a theory to a real problem?
Please especially note #3 above. An answer can be well written with excellent logic, but still fail to achieve a high grade because it does not clearly demonstrate a linkage to our course material.
INCOMPLETE WORK POLICY
Incomplete work at the end of the term will not be accepted. All work eligible to be made up will be made up within one week. No assignments in addition to those given or administered in class will be given to any individual.
AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA):
Troy University supports Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, which insure that postsecondary students with disabilities have equal access to all academic programs, physical access to all buildings, facilities and events, and are not discriminated against on the basis of disability. Eligible students, with appropriate documentation, will be provided equal opportunity to demonstrate their academic skills and potential through the provision of academic adaptations and reasonable accommodations. Further information, including appropriate contact information, can be found at the following link: http://www.troy.edu/humanresources/ADAPolicy2003.htm.
HONESTY AND PLAGIARISM:
The awarding of a university degree attests that an individual has demonstrated mastery of a significant body of knowledge and skills of substantive value to society. Any type of dishonesty in securing those credentials therefore invites serious sanctions, up to and including suspension and expulsion (see Standard of Conduct in each TROY Catalog). Examples of dishonesty include actual or attempted cheating, plagiarism*, or knowingly furnishing false information to any university employee.
*Plagiarism is defined as submitting anything for credit in one course that has already been submitted for credit in another course, or copying any part of someone else’s intellectual work – their ideas and/or words – published or unpublished, including that of other students, and portraying it as one’s own. Proper quoting, using strict APA formatting, is required, as described by the instructor. All students are required to read the material presented at: http://troy.troy.edu/writingcenter/research.html
· Students must properly cite any quoted material. No term paper, business plan, term project, case analysis, or assignment may have no more than 20% of its content quoted from another source. Students who need assistance in learning to paraphrase should ask the instructor for guidance and consult the links at the Troy Writing Center.
· This university employs plagiarism-detection software, through which all written student assignments are processed for comparison with material published in traditional sources (books, journals, magazines), on the internet (to include essays for sale), and papers turned in by students in the same and other classes in this and all previous terms. The penalty for plagiarism may range from zero credit on the assignment, to zero in the course, to expulsion from the university with appropriate notation in the student’s permanent file.
LIBRARY SUPPORT:
The Libraries of Troy University provide access to materials and services that support the academic programs. The address of the Library Web site is https://library.troy.edu This site provides access to the resources of all Campus and Regional Libraries, as well as to resources such as the Library’s Catalog and Databases. Additionally, the Library can also be accessed by choosing the “Library” link from the University’s home page, www.troy.edu, or through the eLibrary tab within Blackboard.
INDIVIDUAL WORK:
This work is normally completed alone. It may or may not be submitted for grading depending on the task requirement. Using the course protocol for submitting work, include your name in the heading—along with the course number and section, week number, and assignment number—all on the first numbered TEXT page of every assignment. Completing the “Discussion Questions” at the end of each chapter and discussing those with your group members (study group) and your instructor will help you understand the material. Individual work may be rated and ranked, and grades assigned accordingly.
GROUP WORK:
This work should be accomplished collaboratively by the group. Only one work product is submitted by the group. Work should NOT be split up and recombined. The group should use a team/group leader each week whose duties to the group include managing the group work task(s) for that week, to include the final edit and submission to the instructor by the due date. The leader should use Turnitin.com to establish the originality of all work BEFORE it is submitted by the group for grading if instructed to do so by the instructor. Using the course protocol for submitting group exercises, include the group member’s names in the heading with that week’s “leader” listed first—along with the course number, course section number, group number, week number, and assignment number—all on the first numbered TEXT page of every assignment. Group work may be rated and ranked, and grades assigned accordingly.