您的项目研究的主要焦点必须是在您所选择的组织的背景下,该项目的主题区域问题的分析/评估
以确保该项目的成功有两个关键方面:
1。一个组织必须集中在你的RAP
2。分析必须是一个组合,业务分析和财务分析不只是一个财务分析。
要求与RAP结合起来,分析/评估,项目主题和您所选择的组织来制作您的研究和分析,项目名称。
例如,如果你选择了一个组织叫做的“OBU有限公司”为您的研究工作,一些可能的研究和分析项目标题如下:
•分析的关键因素,影响内工作人员的积极性OBU有限公司(议题6)
•一个评估业务及财务表现的OBU有限公司2005年1月1日至2007年12月31日(第8章)
•OBU有限公司使用不同的成本核算技术咨询服务的定价研究的评价:A(课题10)
•内OBU公司的企业管治质素的评估和影响OBU有限公司专业会计师。 (课题17)
关于组织的内部和外部资源的访问,您可以将取决于你的实际选择的项目主题区和组织。
he main focus of your project research must be an analysis / evaluation of the project topic area issues in the context of your chosen organization
There are two crucial aspects to ensure success in this project:
1. Your RAP must be focused on one organization
2. The analysis must be a combination of both business analysis and financial analysis not just a financial analysis.
You should combine the analysis / evaluation requirement of the RAP with the project topic area and with your chosen organization to produce your Research and Analysis Project Title.
For example, if you have chosen an organization called 'OBU Co' for your research work, then some possible Research and Analysis Project titles are as follows:
• An analysis of the key factors that influence the levels of motivation of staff within OBU Co. (Topic 6)
• An evaluation of the business and financial performance of OBU Co between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2007 (Topic 8)
• OBU Co: A case study for the evaluation of the use of different costing techniques in the pricing of consultancy services (Topic 10)
• A business and financial analysis of the entry of OBU Co into the market for online postgraduate degree courses and the impact on teachers and learners (Topic 14)
• An evaluation of the quality of corporate governance within OBU Co and the impact on OBU Co professionally qualified accountants. (Topic 17)
Your actual choice of project topic area and organisation will depend on the access you have to internal and external sources of information about the organisation.
The word limit for your Research Report is 6,500 words. Oxford Brookes University recommends the following structure and approximate word distribution for your Research Report. We believe that this will allow you to demonstrate all of the required technical and professional skills, and graduate skills in sufficient depth.
CONTENTS PAGE (Please refer to the attached format)
PART 1 - Project objectives and overall research approach - 1,000 words
The first part of your Research Report 'sets the scene' It should include the following:
• The reasons for choosing your project topic area and choosing the particular organization that was the focus of your research work
• What you wanted to find out in your research work. i.e. your project objectives and research questions
An explanation of your overall research approach. This should provide the reader with an understanding of the overall framework that you developed to meet your project objectives and answer your research questions.
PART 2 - Information gathering and accounting / business techniques - 1,500 words
The second part of your Research Report should provide more detail about (i) the information that you have gathered and (ii) the accounting and business techniques you have chosen to apply to this information. It should include the following:
• The sources of information from which you have obtained relevant data
• A description of the methods used to collect information, including online access
• A discussion of the limitations of your information gathering
• Identification of any ethical issues that arose during your information gathering and how they were resolved
• An explanation of the accounting and / or business techniques you have used, including a discussion of their limitations.
PART 3 - Results, analysis, conclusions and recommendations - 4,000 words
The third part of your Research Report should provide a detailed account of what you have found from the application of your chosen accounting and business techniques to the information that you have gathered. It should include:
• A description of the results you have obtained and any limitations
• Presentation of your results in an appropriate form e.g. tables, graphs, pie charts (this is very important to present your IT Skills and the essential part of the reports to assess your passability)
• A critical analysis / evaluation of your results which includes an explanation of your significant findings
• Your conclusions about your research findings and how well you have met your project objectives and research questions
• If appropriate, recommendations on specific courses of action to identified individuals within your chosen organization.
LIST OF REFERENCES APPENDICES
Word count and appendices You must stay within the specified maximum word count.
The 6,500 word limit excludes the Title Page, the Contents Page, the List of References and the Appendices. Words used in tables and graphs and other forms of data presentation are not included in the word count. However, words used in section headings are included in the word count.
If you choose approved topic area 8 'The business and financial performance of an organization over a three year period' then it is likely that you will use the published financial statements of the organization as an information source. You must include appropriate extracts from the organization’s financial statements in either the main text of the Research Report or as an Appendix. However, these extracts are not included in the word count.
You should use appendices only for supporting data and information. You should not include written text that properly belongs in the main body of your Research Report. You should keep the number of appendices as low as possible and no more than 8 sides excluding any extracts from financial statements.
Presentation Your Research Report must be word processed using A4 size pages. You should use black text on a white background. Avoid background graphics or pictures behind the text and remember that italics and heavy bold type are less easy to read.
You should use an appropriate standard business font such as Arial with a font size of 11 or 12. You may use a larger font size for section headings. We recommend a maximum of 1.5 line spacing. When using a spelling and grammar checker, be careful to ensure that you do not unintentionally change the meaning of your text.
Step 4 Understanding important points in Information Gathering
Every Research Report requires information as the basis for analysis. Information sources can be categorized as either primary or secondary data. There is no requirement for you to collect primary data within your Research Report; it is wholly acceptable to undertake your Research Report using only secondary data. The difference between primary and secondary data is identified below.
Primary data is original data that has been collected by a researcher by whatever means appropriate in the answer of a specific research question. i.e. it has been collected specifically for the Research Report. Examples of primary data include questionnaires, interviews, e-mail contacts and surveys.
If you decide to collect primary data as part of your research work, then you should state and justify the following:
• The data collection techniques you intend to use e.g. questionnaires, interviews.
• Your sample size and an outline of your sampling strategy.
• The method you will use to select your sample and the likely response rate.
If you intend to collect primary data from staff within your chosen organization you must obtain permission to do this from a senior member of staff within the organization. You should do this as early as possible during your Research Report, since if you are denied access to your desired information sources you may have to reconsider how to meet your project objectives and research questions.
Secondary data is data that has been collected by others for their own purposes, but which may be used by a researcher for his or her different purposes. Examples of secondary data include reference material, books, CD ROMs and financial statements. You should always evaluate the appropriateness and relevance of secondary data sources. Information included in internet sources may not be reliable from an academic perspective and may not be appropriate for use in your Research Report.
If you decide to use secondary data as part of your research work, you should state and justify your choice to do so. Where you use published secondary data you must provide precise references using the Harvard Referencing System. You are required to reference information sources in your Research Report. This is part of the graduate skills that you must demonstrate in preparing your Research Report. Referencing is essential for the following reasons:
• To acknowledge other people’s ideas.
• To allow the reader of your work to locate the cited references easily, and so evaluate your interpretation of those ideas.
• To avoid plagiarism (i.e. taking other people’s thoughts, ideas or writings and using them as though they are your own).
• To show evidence of the breadth and depth of your reading.
You must use the Harvard Referencing System for your referencing in your Research Report. This system and how you apply it to individual references in the text of your Research Report, and the preparation of your 'List of References' at the end of your Research Report, is explained in the Oxford Brookes University guide to citing and referencing for Business School students which can be found in the related documents..For example, this could be done by using a spreadsheet to prepare financial ratios / performance indicators or by the preparation of graphs / tables / pie charts from a database that records questionnaire findings. You should include sample printouts of spreadsheet formulae or database queries to illustrate how you processed your data.
As part of your Skills and Learning Statement, you may wish to reflect on how you have used your existing IT skills or how they have been improved by doing your project research work.
Step 5 Preparing the Skills and Learning Statement
The Skills and Learning Statement (SLS) is the opportunity for you to demonstrate that you have developed the key 'graduate' skills of self-reflection and communication. You will provide evidence of self-reflection by answering a number of questions. Your communication skills will be developed through the preparation and delivery of a presentation to your Project Mentor. You will submit a copy of the PowerPoint presentation or overhead slides that you used in your presentation to your Project Mentor as evidence of skills development.
Your SLS must be based on the following four questions:
• What did you learn from the meetings with your Project Mentor, including the presentation that you gave to your Project Mentor?
• How well do you think that you have answered your research question(s)?
• How have you demonstrated your interpersonal and communication skills during the project work?
• How has undertaking the RAP helped you in your accountancy studies and/or current employment role?
Paper content
PART 1 - PROJECT OBJECTIVES AND OVERALL RESEARCH APPROACH - 1,000 WORDS
I-1. Structure of the Report and the reasons for selection of:
1. the topic 3
2. the organization 4
I-2. Aim and Objectives of the Report and the overall Research Approach
PART 2 - INFORMATION GATHERING AND ACCOUNTING / BUSINESS TECHNIQUES - 1,500 WORDS
II-1. Information gathering 4-11
Sources of information 4
Methods used in collecting information 5
II-2. Background Information / Case Study Background 6
Overall information about the topic and the organization 7
Information relevant to this topic and the report 8
II-3. Evaluation of the limitation of the information gathering 9-10
II-4. Ethic issues involved in information gathering 11
PART 3 - RESULTS, ANALYSIS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS - 4,000 WORDS
Ⅲ-1. Organizational Mission 7
Ⅲ-2. Application of SWOT Analysis 8
Ⅲ-3. Application of Porter’s 5 Forces 12
Ⅲ-4.Application of Value chain analysis 15
Ⅲ-5.Dell in China 19
III-6. Conclusion 20
1. Appendix 25
2. Bibliography
SLS content
SECTION 1. LEARNING FROM MEETINGS AND PRESENTATION
SECTION 2. ANSWERING THE PROJECT QUESTIONS
SECTION3. ASSESSMENT OF INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION
SECTION4. BENIFITS TO THE CAREER DEVELOPMENT
SECTION 5. BIBLIOGRAPHY