|
BUAD 493
Senior Seminar I: Literature Review
Fall Semester 2003
Course Plan
Instructor: Dr. Francis M. Frey
Office: Smiddy 225
Phone: 376-1080
E-mail: ffrey@virginia.edu
| Office Hours: |
Mon. & Wed.: 11am- 12pm; 2 - 3pm
Tues. & Thurs. 10 - 11am, 1 - 2pm
Friday: 11am - 12pm
Other hours by appointment |
Class Meets: Monday, 4 - 5pm. (We
will not meet every day -- this will be announced in advance during class
time).
Course Description
A senior capstone that requires students majoring in accounting, business
administration or economics to synthesize knowledge, skills, acquired in
their major discipline over the course of their studies at UVA's College
at Wise. As part of Senior Seminar I, each student must complete
a paper that involves research and critical thinking. In the past,
we have required all students to write a "literature review", which is
an extensive, systematic research study of an important problem area in
the student's major discipline. This year we plan to give students
another option: An ethical case analysis. This paper will require
students to research a firm, industry or problem that cuts across industries,
and apply relevant ethical analysis to the case.
Each student is free to choose his/her preferred option.
Both assignments are designed to assess several areas of competence.
First, it will require students to demonstrate their ability to conduct
"secondary" research. This involves the search and synthesis of relevant
literature on an important topic. It is how you become an expert
in the field. This academic skill is essential to any student who
wishes to pursue graduate studies. Second, it will require students
to organize / structure thoughts and demonstrate critical thinking regarding
the chosen topic. Last, this assignment will demonstrate the student's
ability to communicate abstract concepts in written format.
Option #1: The Literature Review
The student will research an approved business, economics
or accounting topic on an independent basis with the instructor's guidance.
An acceptable topic must be one that addresses a problem area(s) in business,
accounting or economics. The following steps are outlined for selecting
an appropriate topic:
| Step 1 |
Identify the topic
area. What is it that you are going to review? This sounds easier than
it will actually be. |
| Step 2 |
Search the literature. The reference
librarian will be available to help students in this area. Students are
required to use a minimum of 10 academic, refereed journals
for references. Other sources such as books and business-related periodicals
can also be used to supplement these 10 sources. Keep in mind that many
sources will have to be acquired through interlibrary loan -- this takes
time, so get started early. |
| Step 3 |
Reading and recording the literature.
This requires initiative, discipline and time. Procrastination here can
seriously jeopardize the project. |
| Step 4 |
Writing the Literature Review.
This involves both organization and good writing style. Use APA style.
Be sure to carefully edit once completed. |
Research Report Format
The following writing guidelines apply to the individual
research project:
For this research paper, there should be at least six
sections including: Title page, an Introduction, the Body of the
Paper, Areas for Future Research, a Conclusion, and the Reference Section.
You may also include a Table of Contents, and Appendices which would contain
relevant data, tables, graphs, and supporting documents.
| Title Page |
| Table of Contents (optional) |
| Introduction |
| Body |
| Areas for Future Research |
| Conclusion |
| References |
| Appendices (optional) |
Introduction. The first major section of
the paper is the introduction. Here the student should discuss the
general purpose of the review. This section should introduce
the general area of study and the relevant history of research that has
already been conducted. As the introduction progresses, the writer should
focus more specifically on the topic of interest. Included at the
end of this introduction should be a statement of purpose (thesis statement)
and an introduction to the various sections in the body of the paper.
Body. Here
students are advised to organize the body into subsections. Concentrate
on writing one subsection at a time (It is good practice to organize these
subsections using ssubheadings). Each subsection should be supported
with material from your academic/professional journals. Group research
findings from various sources by similarities. Compare and contrast the
findings of the articles/studies from that section. This involves synthesizing,
summarizing, comparing and contrasting information and research findings
(as opposed to the mere recitation of findings -- nothing is more boring
than reading the citation of source after source). At the end of
each section, present a brief summary/conclusion section that ties together
the importance of the section to your study and leads you into the next
section.
Repeat until all sections have been written. Be sure
to check each section for writing style, clarity, accuracy and completeness.
Here students are asked to refer to the text section on writing style for
hints and suggestions
Areas for Future Research. In primary research,
the literature review is designed to reveal what we know about a set of
issues, relationships, or problems. From that review, the authors will
develop hypotheses (predictions) which are then tested by gathering and
analyzing data. These actions are typically reported in "METHOD" and "RESULTS"
sections of empirical studies. Since this is secondary research, the student
is not expected to generate testable hypotheses. However, in order to demonstrate
critical thinking, we would like you to discuss issues, problems or relationships
that have yet to be examined sufficiently in the literature. In other words,
the literature review reveals "What we do know" about a phenomenon. This
section should reveal what we "Do not yet know".
Conclusion. This
section summarizes the major findings of the literature review particularly
as they relate to your purpose.
OPTION #2: THE ETHICAL CASE ANALYSIS
This option will require students to analyze and evaluate business and
social issues using relevant theories and/or empirical data. Students will
be free to choose a case topic for which they will develop an original
paper. Each student will be free to choose his/her own topic, but must
obtain approval from the instructor prior to research. Approval will be
granted in most cases as long as it does not significantly duplicate another
student's pre-approved project. In cases where multiple projects significantly
overlap, the most well-developed or specific topic proposal will receive
approval; the other students will be asked to select another topic. All
topic submissions should include a clear thesis statement about the case
and the tentative plan for analyzing it (e.g., "The Napster debate -- the
online site that makes it easy to download music files -- will be analyzed
from a utilitarian, justice and rights perspective."). Deadlines for submissions
will be announced in class.
In selecting a topic, the student may consider one of several options.
Option #1: Focus on a particular company and how it handled a legal/social/ethical
problem (e.g., Mitsubishi and Sexual harassment; Union Carbide and the
Bhopal disaster; Dow Corning and breast implants; Exxon and the Alaskan
oil spill). Option #2: Focus on a legal/social/ethical problem affecting
an industry (e.g., regulation of advertising for tobacco or alcohol; animal
testing in the cosmetic industry; toxic waste disposal). Option #3: Focus
on a legal/social/ethical problem that affects organizations across industries
(e.g., personality testing in selection; sexual harassment; honesty testing;
drug and alcohol testing; AIDS policies within organizations; corporate
recycling; employee safety).
The case project grade will be based on the written case analysis. This
paper should include the following sections (except where noted by "optional"):
-
Title page
-
Executive summary (optional)
-
Table of contents (optional)
-
Introduction
-
Analysis of the focal organization (and/or industry) and the external environment
-
Identification and discussion of the substantive and theoretical issues
-
Identification and analysis of alternatives
-
Recommendations and implementation
-
References (APA format)
-
Appendices (optional)
In terms of format, the paper should be typed with a 12 point font, double-spaced,
and use one inch margins. The format should adhere to APA standards. The
paper length should be between 15 - 30 pages. Keep in mind that a well-written
and concise paper will be received more favorably than a lengthy, unfocused
or rambling paper. In other words focus on quality, not quantity. Due
dates for all written components of the case analyses can be found in the
"Topic Schedule" section of this syllabus.
Policies and Procedures for the Research Project
and Ethical Case Analysis
1. Each student is expected to abide by The UVA's College
at Wise Honor System. Note: All bibliographical sources must be appropriately
cited.
2. Students will be expected to submit required sections
according to the deadlines published in the syllabus or handout.
3. Each student is expected to meet with the coordinators
on a periodic basis for reports.
4. All papers must be typed and in proper APA thesis format.
5. Late papers will not receive full credit and will be
marked down according to the degree of lateness.
6. Each paper will be read for writing style, content,
referencing methodology and typing format.
Attendance Requirements
As a class, we meet regularly during the first half of the semester.
After that, we will only meet periodically. Although, attendance
is not assessed in this course, it is highly recommended that you attend
all classes, as you will be responsible for the material presented.
Important Dates in BUAD 493
Fall Semester 2003
The dates below pertain primarily to assignment due dates. There
will be occasions when we do not meet as a class, but you are still required
to submit an assignment. On these occasions, please send the assignment
through e-mail (ffrey@virginia.edu) or drop it off at my office, Smiddy
225.
| Date |
Project Assignment |
| September 5 |
3 topics in order of priority due for the case analysis paper
(or literature review) by e-mail or delivered to my office |
| September 15 |
List of 10 bibliographic sources |
| September 22 |
List of 20 bibliographic sources |
| October 6 |
Initial outline of paper due |
| October 27 |
Final outline of paper due |
| November 10 |
Rough draft of paper due |
| November 17 |
Final paper due |
|
