COURSE CONTENT GUIDE

UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA ANCHORAGE

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND PUBLIC POLICY

 

II.             Course Information

College/School:      College of Business and Public Policy

Department:           Business Administration

Program:                Master Business Administration

Course Title:          Individual Research

Course Number:    BA A698

Credits:                   3

Contact Hours:      1 per week x 15 weeks = 15 hours
Grading Basis:       A – F

Course Description: Independent  primary research project conducted under the supervision of a faculty advisor

Course Prerequisites: N/A

Registration Restrictions: graduate standing; completion of MBA core courses

Fees: Standard CBPP computer lab fee

III.           Course Activities

A.         Development of research project 

B.         Review of Literature

C.         Data collection

D.         Data analysis

E.          Research results

F.          Final research project- paper and presentation

IV.           Guidelines for Evaluation

Evaluation is based on successful completion of the tasks established at the outset of the course between the student and the faculty research advisor.

V.              Course Level Justification

This is an advanced 600-level course that provides the student to design and conduct a primary research project on a selected business concept, problem and/or theory.

VI.           Outline

Given the nature of this course and the variable demands that each research advisor may pose, there is no fixed outline for this course. At the beginning of the semester the student and research advisor will develop a written contract (i.e., proposal) outlining the specific tasks to be performed by the student over the course of the semester. The student and the research advisor will meet on a regular basis at an agreed time and will discuss issues as they become relevant to the project.

 

VII.        Suggested Texts

 

Benz, Carolyn R. and Isadore Newman. Qualitative-Quantitative Research Methodology: Exploring the Interactive Continuum. Southern Illinois University Press, 1998.

King, Gary, et.al. Designing Social Inquiry: Scientific Inference in Qualitative Research. Princeton University Press, 1994.

Kuhn, Thomas. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. University of Chicago Press, 1962.

Yin, Robert. Case Study Research: Design and Methods. Sage Publications, 2003.

 

VIII.      Instructional Goals and Student Outcomes

 

 

A.  Instructional Goals.

      The research advisor will:

 

  1. Provide appropriate background for the student's intellectual understanding of the nature, scope and expectations regarding an individual research project

  2. Provide regular opportunities to review and discuss the progress of the research project

  3. Read and comment on drafts of the research project as it develops;

  4. Evaluate and grade the research project

 

 

 

B.  Student Outcomes.

      Students will be able to:

 

       

 Assessment Method
  1. Construct a formal research prospectus
  2. Conduct a substantive review of literature relevant to the research topic.
  3. Formulate hypotheses.
  4. Design reliable and valid data collection instruments and methods.
  5. Demonstrate knowledge of appropriate quantitative and/or qualitative data analysis techniques and procedures
  6. Interpret results
  7. Evaluate research results significance, ramifications and limitations.

 

 

Research project paper and presentation