Independent Study and Research (ISAC) Module

Aim Of Module

1. To provide students with the opportunity to study an area of special interest in greater depth than the general curriculum 

2. To provide students with the opportunity to undertake independent investigation through desk based research skills 

3. To encourage the development of critical and analytical skills 

4. To provide students with the opportunity to integrate theoretical and conceptual knowledge within a critical literature review 

This module is structured around a series of lectures, class debate and, where relevant, case studies and video materials. Class participation is an essential component of the design of this course. All students will be expected to engage in class discussion and debate in order to facilitate the formation of their critical judgements. 

Upon successful completion of each module, you will be awarded 20 Credits or 10 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) 

On completion of this module, students should be able to: 

1. Demonstrate the ability to select a suitable topic for investigation and to appreciate its relationship with current developments in the respective subject area(s). 

2. Demonstrate the ability to define clear research aims and to select and review secondary sources that are relevant to the research questions in a structured and organised manner. 

3. Draw meaningful conclusions and recommendations from the sources reviewed. 

4. To develop employability skills needed in today's commercial environment and understand the graduate employment market. 

The following is an outline of the topics of this module: Topics 

Topic 1: Introduction to Research Project (Chapter 1) 

 

The Research Process (Chapter 3, 4) 

 

Topic 2: Research Methods 

 

Topic 3: Problem Definition (Chapter 6) 

Searching databases and evaluating findings 

 

Case Study Methods and Secondary Research 

You can choose any topic in the area of accountancy, accounting and financial management (or possibly another business discipline with the agreement of your tutor). You should look for a specific issue or problem to investigate, rather than a general topic. Current news stories, ideas from your classes or work experience are all good sources of ideas for projects. As a general rule, a good topic or research question is one to which you cannot find an easy answer! 

You are expected to identify a relevant topic for your ISAC, clearly state an appropriate research question (or questions) and offer a practical and academic rationale indicating why your topic and these questions are worth further study. 

You are encouraged to draft your title and research questions, in no more than 300 words, and in no prescribed format. There is no benefit to writing more than the bare minimum to convey your ideas. Note that a ‘question’ is something which takes a question mark on the end, not a statement or a vague heading. 

Teaching Arrangements

Your Proposal is the plan for your final ISAC research document. You are expected to identify a relevant topic (if it has changed from the topic chosen for the first assignment this should be justified as an appendix to your text), and clearly explore an appropriate research question (or questions). You must also discuss the significance of the main issues and theoretical debates around your research questions/ problems, by developing arguments based upon the secondary sources you have reviewed. You are expected to provide a draft structure using Word Outline View or a similar outliner. 

Template for the Research Proposal explained 

• _Title - suggesting focus/ aim of project clearly 

• _Rationale - why is this topic worth investigating? Should include academic as well as applied justification for your choice. 

• _Research Objectives - Why are the specific accomplishment you hope to achieve at the end of study? 

 

Research questions- What is the issue or problem that you are investigating? Phrase up to 3 questions which you will attempt to answer through your literature review discussion. These may later be useful as sub-headings to divide your discussion into clear sections. 

• _Literature review- Identify main area(s) of theory/ academic debate relevant to topic and outline the current state of research/ understanding of topic, discussing the significance of this literature to your project. Sources should include the above 5 sources, and preferably additional academic/ professional/ government research, reports, statistics, newspaper articles and information gathered from the Internet (although you should consider carefully the validity and reliability of web based materials). 

• _Research methods – Indicate how do you plan to gather the data, what research design would you considered in relation to the questions raised. 

• _List of References – At proposal stage, you should be able to indicate that you have the skills to identify at least (minimum) 5 credible and academically rigorous sources upon which to base your arguments for the literature review. These should be formatted according to APA referencing style. 

• _You may also include conclusion that shows anticipated outcome of research, or a statement of how unique and innovative your work is, whether it achieves a useful new insight into the subject, or simply replicates existing work. 

The main assessment for this unit is the ISAC project document with a word limit of 4,000 words (excluding references/bibliography and any appendices). This should be an extension and further development of your Proposal and as such, will be presented in a way that develops the arguments associated with the research questions in a well-evidenced and structured way. Make sure you consider any weaknesses of your Proposal as highlighted in your Tutor’s feedback. 

Credit Allocation

Developing your literature review for the final ISAC 

You should offer a critical analysis (which means discussing both sides of any arguments from a range of credible sources and using these as evidence to support your own conclusions). The majority of the literature you refer to and consult in the production of your project should be sourced at a high level of academic credibility, i.e. academic texts, journals articles and research reports. Secondary data may be incorporated and some secondary analysis of previously published research data may be undertaken (if appropriate). Additional material can be drawn from the Internet and from newspapers, but it is envisaged that this will be mainly for illustrative purposes and not be the core of the material sourced. Use of Appendices should be limited to content which is clearly relevant and specifically referred to in the main body of the document only. 

 

In your literature review, you will be expected to provide critical discussion of the significance of the findings from your sources and indicate how this aids in answering your research questions. You must justify any claims you make about your topic, using the academic sources to support your arguments. This means providing references to existing research and reasons why you assert something is so. There should be a strong theoretical approach adopted throughout the discussion which may, for example, be achieved by using and applying theory/academic debates to undertake an analysis of practical problems and issues that (business) organisations are facing.

 
Your project should then offer conclusions and a final evaluation of the chosen topic in which you make recommendations for future research or investigation. This discussion should again refer back to and address/ answer your research questions. It is important to note that your conclusions should be more than a summary of your discussion. Instead, you should discuss the implications of your findings, directly in relation to your research questions. Guidance will be given on this important part of the process in the lectures and Workshops.

Template for the FINAL ISAC Project explained: 

• _Title - suggesting focus/ aim of project clearly 

• _Rationale - why is this topic worth investigating? Should include academic as well as applied rationale. You should note how these questions relate to existing literature on the topic. 

• _Research objectives - why are the specific accomplishment you hope to achieve at the end of study 

• _Research questions or problem(s) - key issues that your project addresses 

Learning Outcomes

• _Literature review / critical analysis and discussion - provide an overview of your topic, identifying the main academic and applied issues. Areas discussed should clearly relate to your research questions but excellent projects will show how the chosen topic maps onto broader business debates. You should critically discuss academic theories and concepts as well as existing research/secondary data in order to thoroughly evaluate the current situation regarding your topic. Clearly identify each section with sub-headings and ensure you have addressed each of your research questions, analysing the significance of your findings and supporting your arguments with appropriate references. 

• _Research methods – indicate how do you plan to gather the data, what research design would you considered in relation to the questions raised. 

• _Conclusions & recommendations for future research - drawing together the main points you have raised so far, you should state your answers to the research questions/ problems you set yourself at the beginning of the project. These conclusions should logically flow from earlier discussions and should include recommendations or ideas for future research into the topic. 

• _References (and/or Bibliography) – a Reference list is a full, correctly compiled list of all sources specifically referred to in the ISAC using APA format. A Bibliography is a list of all other sources which you consulted in the production of your work, but did not cite (optional). 

Layout: Use the template headings (as provided in Appendices in this handbook). Check you have covered each section of the marking criteria. Clearly indicate sections through use of appropriate subheadings, to structure your text to help the reader to follow your line of argument more clearly. 

Writing style: Whilst the Proposal can be written in report style, the final ISAC project MUST be written in full-sentence essay structure, adding tables, model diagrams, bullet lists and appendices as appropriate. 

Presentation: Word-processed (not hand written), using black ‘standard’ 11-12pt font for your text (e.g. Arial or Times New Roman), with a minimum of 1.5 line spacing and the default margins setting for MS Word (e.g.: no less than 2.5cm top and bottom and 3cm left and right to allow the marker room for writing notes and feedback on your work). 

• _Ensure your Student Number is on the front cover and on each page not your name (‘header/ footer’ tool is useful for this) 

• _Print your work double sided to reduce paper usage 

• _Do not place your work in any kind of folder – simply staple it and your coursework front sheet together when you submit it to the coursework office, it does not need to be bound. 

 

For advice on how to write references using APA format: 

See referencing guidelines in the library and from the University’s Information Skills or Library support web pages: http://referencing.port.ac.uk/ 

For step-by-step instructions relating to any type of source, including websites, films, radio, blogs (although not recommended!) etc., use: http://referencing.port.ac.uk/apa/index.html 

An oral presentation (worth 10% of assessment) regarding the research project will be assessed for each individual student.  The presentation will take place during class lesson. The date will be scheduled and be allocated by instructor. A student fails to do the presentation will receive a zero mark unless an acceptable reason is given (refer to guidelines on applying for extenuating circumstances).  Each student must speak for a minimum of 10 minutes (excluding Question & Answer time). A copy of the presentation slides used needs to be handed to the instructor before the commencement of presentation.