The special topic is suitable for Honours-level students wishing to carry out applied research related to a problem in a particular disciplinary domain within Business and Management. Though prior research experience is not a prerequisite, students are expected to

1. draw on prior professional experience or prior studies bearing on the topic of interest, and
2. independently acquire (under supervision) the research knowledge and skills deemed appropriate to the successful completion of this course.

Candidates must prepare a report for their applied topic in business studies.

Candidates will be expected to analyse a broad range of published sources on the topic issue; apply tools and techniques from undergraduate courses in the Research School of Management; gather some original input by collecting data in the field; and develop well-founded suggestions as to the implications of the topic issue.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Identify an issue or problem within a domain or across domains within business and management studies
2. Formulate an appropriate research strategy in view of addressing the problem
3. Critically discuss theoretical and empirical evidence related to the topic of interest
4. Devise an effective research design with a justification of the methodology(ies) appropriate for the topic of interest
5. Determine the implications of the proposed research for theory and practice
6. Create a research report suitable for the type (empirical or theoretical) problem under scrutiny

Research-Led Teaching

This course provides (Honours) students with the opportunity to undertake a scholarly work on a particular aspect of their research thesis under the guidance of an academic (their own supervisor or another academic designated as expert in the particular domain). This course is commonly considered as an elective in the Honours program.

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Identify an issue or problem within a domain or across domains within business and management studies
2. Formulate an appropriate research strategy in view of addressing the problem
3. Critically discuss theoretical and empirical evidence related to the topic of interest
4. Devise an effective research design with a justification of the methodology(ies) appropriate for the topic of interest
5. Determine the implications of the proposed research for theory and practice
6. Create a research report suitable for the type (empirical or theoretical) problem under scrutiny

AI USE: the use of AI such as ChatGPT to generate an essay or report or a full written assessment task or part thereof, is not allowed as it is akin to plagiarism. Students are required to demonstrate achievement of critical, analytical and synthesis skills in high quality works.

Field Trips

There are no field trips in this course.

Additional Course Costs

There are no additional class costs expected in this course.

Examination Material or equipment

The applied research topic will be assessed by a domain expert who can be on-campus or external

Required Resources

No additional required resources in this courses but access to a modern computing device (tablet, laptop or desktop computer) is highly advisable.

Recommended Resources

The course Wattle site and supervisors will provide additional resources as required.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given regular feedback during meetings with their supervisor(s) in the following forms :

• written comments
• verbal comments

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). Feedback can also be provided to Course Conveners and teachers via the Student Experience of Learning & Teaching (SELT) feedback program. SELT surveys are confidential and also provide the Colleges and ANU Executive with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement.

Other Information

Course Schedule

Contact hours for the course will take the form of periodic meetings between student and supervisor.

Support for Students

The University offers a number of support services for students. Information on these is available online from http://students.anu.edu.au/studentlife/

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	To be determined in conjunction with the supervisor.	The course convener is not directly involved in the course. Rather, you will have one or more supervisors for your research project who will negotiate topic, assessment and weekly schedule with you.

Tutorial Registration

ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.

As there are no separate tutorials in this course, the discussion of work will be done during the supervision meetings.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Research Ideation	10 %	21/03/2025	28/03/2025	1,2,3,4
Research Report	90 %	30/05/2025	26/06/2025	1,2,3,4,5,6

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines , which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Integrity Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Extenuating Circumstances Application
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure
• Code of practice for teaching and learning

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the Academic Skills website. In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

You will have one or more supervisors for your research project who will negotiate topic, assessment and weekly schedule with you. It is important that you consistently apply yourself to your studies if you wish to receive the full benefits of expert supervision. Meetings may be carried out online.

Examination(s)

The report will be sent for marking, comments and feedback to a reader within the disciplinary group or to a domain expert on- or off-campus as arranged by the supervisor.

Assessment Task 1

Research Ideation

Name of Assessment Task:

Research ideation

Details of Task:

Submission of a research ideation (that leads to the development of a research article), structured in a form agreed upon with your supervisor(s).

Word limit:

800-1000 words, or as required by supervisor(s) for a 6 unit value course.

Value:

10%

Due date:

11:59 pm Friday at end of Week 5 (for students completing their research article in this semester)

The supervisor will provide feedback during the supervisory meeting or by email before the end of week 6

Method of submission:

via Turnitin on the Course Wattle site - your supervisor or course convenor will tell you if any other form of submission is also required

Comments and feedback will be made available by the topic supervisor and/or in conjunction with the supervisory panel if and when appropriate.

Further information on this task (including exact dates) is to be decided in discussion with your supervisor(s). An alternative to this assessment task can be discussed with your supervisor(s).

If any uncertainty, please contact the Course Convenor, in their role as Honours Program Convener for RSM

AI Use: the use of AI such as ChatGPT to generate an essay or report or a full written assessment task or part thereof, is not allowed as it is akin to plagiarism. Students are required to demonstrate achievement of critical, analytical and synthesis skills in high-quality works.

Assessment Task 2

Research Report

Name of Assessment Task:

Research report

Details of Task:

Submission of the final research report, structured in a form agreed upon with your supervisor(s).

Word limit:

8,000-10,000 words, or as required by supervisor(s) for a 6 unit value course.

Value:

90%

Due date:

11:59 pm Friday at the end of the first week of the exam period (for students completing their research article in this semester)

Method of submission:

via Turnitin on the Course Wattle site - your supervisor or course convenor will tell you if any other form of submission is also required

Review criteria will be made available by the supervisor on Wattle site.

The report will be sent for marking, comments and feedback to a reader within the disciplinary group or to a domain expert on- or off-campus as arranged by the supervisor.

Further information on this task (including exact dates) is to be decided in discussion with your supervisor(s).

If any uncertainty, please contact the Course Convenor, in their role as Honours Program Convener for RSM

AI Use: the use of AI such as ChatGPT to generate an essay or report or a full written assessment task or part thereof, is not allowed as it is akin to plagiarism. Students are required to demonstrate achievement of critical, analytical and synthesis skills in high-quality works.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. The University’s students are an integral part of that community. The academic integrity principle commits all students to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support, academic integrity, and to uphold this commitment by behaving honestly, responsibly and ethically, and with respect and fairness, in scholarly practice.

The University expects all staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle, the Academic Integrity Rule 2021, the Policy: Student Academic Integrity and Procedure: Student Academic Integrity, and to uphold high standards of academic integrity to ensure the quality and value of our qualifications.

The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 is a legal document that the University uses to promote academic integrity, and manage breaches of the academic integrity principle. The Policy and Procedure support the Rule by outlining overarching principles, responsibilities and processes. The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 commences on 1 December 2021 and applies to courses commencing on or after that date, as well as to research conduct occurring on or after that date. Prior to this, the Academic Misconduct Rule 2015 applies.

 

The University commits to assisting all students to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. All coursework students must complete the online Academic Integrity Module (Epigeum), and Higher Degree Research (HDR) students are required to complete research integrity training. The Academic Integrity website provides information about services available to assist students with their assignments, examinations and other learning activities, as well as understanding and upholding academic integrity.

Online Submission

The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Learning Platforms website.

You will submit your research proposal and article by Turnitin, as well as by emailing the final copy to your supervisor(s).

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

No submission of assessment tasks without an extension after the due date will be permitted. If an assessment task is not submitted by the due date, a mark of 0 will be awarded.

All requests for Assessment Adjustment (including Requests for Extension and for Consideration of Extenuating Circumstances) should be submitted via ISIS.

Referencing Requirements

The Academic Skills website has information to assist you with your writing and assessments. The website includes information about Academic Integrity including referencing requirements for different disciplines. There is also information on Plagiarism and different ways to use source material. Any use of artificial intelligence must be properly referenced. Failure to properly cite use of Generative AI will be considered a breach of academic integrity.

Returning Assignments

You will receive detailed comments on your research article by email after it has been assessed.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Resubmission of Assignments

Resubmission of your research proposal and article is not possible.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Accessibility for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents all ANU students