Solved: 279ACC (Corporate Governance)

Professional and Academic Competencies     Assignment Number: 2
279ACC   Assignment Title:
    Assignment Weighting:
         
23/01/2018   Module Leader:
23/04/2018 18:00    
Online submission through Turnitin ONLY    
Assessment Information This assignment is designed to assess learning outcomes: 1, 2 and 3
  1. Conduct an effective literature review with the synthesis and critical evaluation to be expected of such an activity.
  2. Demonstrate an understanding of how to carry out accounting research projects, how to structure them, and of the methods available to gather and to analyse data, and to present results.
  3. Enhance digital literacy skills by undertaking an independent review of relevant literature and demonstrating the ability to identify key references appropriate to the chosen topic area
This assignment is an individual assignment. Criteria for Assessment: Please refer to page 3 onwards Word Count The word count is 3000 words There will be a penalty of a deduction of 10% of the mark (after internal moderation) for work exceeding the word limit by 10% or more. The word limit includes quotations, but excludes the bibliography. How to submit your assessment The assessment must be submitted by 23.55:00 on 04/05/2018. No paper copies are required. You can access the submission link through the module web.
  • Your coursework will be given a zero mark if you do not submit a copy through Turnitin. Please take care to ensure that you have fully submitted your work.
  • All work submitted after the submission deadline without a valid and approved reason (see below) will be given a mark of zero.
  • Students MUST keep a copy and/or an electronic file of their assignment.
  • Extension and Deferral process
  • The University wants you to do your best. However we know that sometimes events happen which mean that you can’t submit your coursework by the deadline – these events should be beyond your control and not easy to predict.
  • If this happens, you can apply for an extension to your deadline for up to two weeks, or if you need longer, you can apply for a deferral, which takes you to the next assessment period (for example, to the resit period following the main Assessment Boards). You must apply before the deadline.
  • You will find information about the process and what is or is not considered to be an event beyond your control at https://share.coventry.ac.uk/students/Registry/Pages/Deferrals-and-Extension.aspx
GUIDELINES AND BACKGROUND TO THIS ASSIGNMENT Plagiarism Checks will be made on your work using anti-plagiarism software and approved plagiarism checking websites. As part of your study you will be involved in carrying out research and using this when writing up your coursework. It is important that you correctly acknowledge someone else’s writing, thoughts or ideas and that you do not attempt to pass this off as your own work.  Doing so is known as plagiarism.  It is not acceptable to copy from another source without acknowledging that it is someone else’s writing or thinking. This includes using paraphrasing as well as direct quotations. You are expected to correctly cite and reference the works of others. The Centre for Academic Writing provides documents to help you get this right. If you are unsure, please visit www.coventry.ac.uk/caw.  You can also check your understanding of academic conduct by completing the Good Academic Practice quiz available on Moodle. Moodle includes a plagiarism detection system and assessors are experienced enough to recognise plagiarism when it occurs. Copying another student’s work, using previous work of your own or copying large sections from a book or the internet are examples of plagiarism and carry serious consequences. Please familiarise yourself with the CU Harvard Reference Style (on Moodle) and use it correctly to avoid a case of plagiarism or cheating being brought.  Again, if you are unsure, please contact the Centre for Academic Writing, your Academic Personal Tutor or a member of the course team. Return of Marked Work You can expect to have work marked within 3 weeks, if for any reason there is a delay you will be kept informed. Marks and feedback will be provided online.   Marks will have been internally moderated only, and will therefore be provisional; your mark will be formally agreed later in the year once the external examiner has completed his / her review.  RESEARCH PROPOSAL Please note that blue instructions (in italics) should be deleted and replaced by the appropriate entries. The word guides are a maximum. The proposal should include a list of references and a timescale plan.
  1. Proposed Title
Give a clear and succinct title, indicating the problem area around which the research will be undertaken.
  1. Background or Rationale of the Project (10% of marks)
Include a description of the background to your project. Explain why you have chosen the topic - give both academic and personal reasons. Try to address the following questions: Why do you feel this research project is necessary? What is the problem or issue that needs sorting out? Why are you interested in the project? What has aroused your curiosity? Max. 400 words
  1. Preliminary Review of the Literature (35% of marks)
Give a brief critical review of the literature within your topic area and justify the need for your research. Don’t forget to give a list of key references used (a minimum of 6) - use the Coventry University’s Harvard Referencing Style. The review shall be comprised of articles published in academic journals, but may be complemented by other sources. Your review should attempt to answer the following questions: What research has already been carried out on your topic area? How was the research carried out? What research methods had been used? Briefly comment on the currency, validity and reliability of the literature. What are the key findings/results reported in the previous research? What different opinions have emerged from different authors? Have you identified any areas of controversy in the literature? What gaps in knowledge have you identified? Which specific area has still not been covered by previous research? Have the authors made any recommendation for future research that you could consider for the project? What is the justification for your research? Have you cited all sources of references correctly using the Coventry University Harvard Referencing Style? Have you covered a majority of key articles including most recent studies (last 5 years)? Max. 900 words
  1. Research Questions (Aims) and Objectives (10% of marks)
Here you should write your research questions as they emerge from the background and critical literature review. Develop these into 3-5 specific research questions that begin with ‘what, why, how, etc.’ and research objectives that begin with ‘To…’ and use higher level verbs. (a) Research Questions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. (b) Research Objectives 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Max. 300 words
  1. Research Plan/ Methodology (35% of marks)
This is the most important section. You should answer the following questions and clearly demonstrate how you are going to do that: How do you plan to answer your research questions and achieve your research objectives? What is the main purpose of your research? Is it exploratory, descriptive or explanatory research? What is your research strategy? Do you plan to use experiments, surveys, case studies, content analysis, historical research, or other strategies? How will you justify for your choice of the above strategy? Is it the most appropriate to achieve your research objectives? What is/are your data collection method(s)? Will it be based on questionnaires, interviews, observations, review of secondary data, or a combination of these methods? What is the population you intend to study? How will you select the samples? What is your proposed sample size? How will the data be analysed and presented? How will you analyse the quantitative and/or qualitative data? Do you require any computer software for data analysis? (You may include this in Section 7 as one of special resources required) Comment briefly on how you will meet the basic criteria for validity and reliability of data. All research studies have their limitations. What are the limitations of your research? How will you handle these limitations? The following sub-headings are suggested for this section: (a) Research Design (b) Data Collection (c) Data Analysis (d) Limitations Max. 1,000 words
  1. Ethical Considerations
What we are looking for here is a discussion of any ethical issues raised by your particular proposal and how you propose to handle them. You will need to acknowledge and follow the FBL Ethical Approval Process. Familiarise yourself with the FBL Ethics Guidelines. All interviews will require a consent form. All questionnaires will need either a consent form or a participant information sheet. What other forms will you be using for this purpose? Max. 200 words
  1. Timetable and any special resources required (5% of marks)
Your proposal will fail if it does not include some element of planning. Specify any particular problems you are likely to face. Are you sure you will get access to your samples? If not, you will need to change your data collection methods or change your topic. Max. 200 words
  1. References (5% of marks)
You are required to strictly follow the Coventry University’s Harvard Referencing Style. Excluded from the word count
Trending
How can we help you?

Contact our support team if you need help or have any questions?

Contact Us