Accounting and Finance Project Guide指导英国assignment

Accounting and Finance Project Guide指导英国assignment

This module represents a unique opportunity for you to delve into a specific topic or problem area within accounting and finance. You will need to demonstrate a critical awareness of the literature in your chosen field, show how your research fits into this field, and provide evidence that you have carried out your own research competently. Each student will work on and write the project individually, not as a group.  So, each student must do his/her own research and analysis and writing of the paper.  However, the class will be grouped into groups of approximately four students for the purpose of the group tutorials – the review meetings you will have with your supervisor/tutor.

该模块代表了一个独特的机会，为您深入探讨一个特定的主题或问题领域内的会计和金融。将需要证明在你选择的领域里一个重要的文学意识，展示你是否适合这个领域，并提供证据证明你已经进行了自己的研究能力。每个学生都会单独工作，单独写项目，而不是作为一个群体。因此，每个学生必须做自己的研究和分析和写作的论文。然而，该类将被分为约四名学生为本组的目的，该小组的教程-审查会议，您将与您的主管/导师。

The objectives of both components are to demonstrate the ability to;

Research a specific Accounting and Finance area in depth through directed private study with minimal supervision.
Write clear precise English in a concise academic  style
Produce a contemporary, analytical critique and an informed appreciation of the relevant literature.
Discover and utilise original data to formulate and support cogent argument using accepted methodological analysis.

Required Text

Research Methods for Business Students by Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill, latest edition.

Recommended Text

Any senior or advanced level accounting and finance textbooks.  For example, Corporate Finance, Denzil Watson and Antony Head, latest edition.

Prerequisites

It is assumed that the student already possesses a good knowledge in business, finance, and economic theory.  In addition, it is assumed that the student already possesses good skills in conducting academic research and analysis for the purpose of writing effective research papers and making sound arguments based on relevant theory, empirical evidence, and sound logic.

Different research activities are required when completing your project.  Some of the different research activities are set out below. In some cases, you will draft some early work and then revise this work as you go through the process.
Selecting a topic, preparation of Topic Overview
Literature search, reading
Developing concepts and theories
Drafting your literature review chapter
Operationalizing your concepts for primary research
Review and selection of the appropriate methodological approach
Developing your preliminary research design
Drafting your research methodology chapter
Finalizing your research design
Collecting data
Analysis of results
Interpretation of results
Writing conclusions
Writing the first draft of the project
Editing and finalizing the first draft
Discussions with supervisor and tutorial group

Definitions

Chapters  – it is traditional to divide your project up into chapters of approximately equal length and the number of chapters will vary from project to project. Each chapter is usually dealing with one aspect of the issue but that is up to you.

First Chapter – traditionally this is an introduction to your project and will outline the nature of the issue to be covered and then a discussion as to how this will be addressed by the project.

Research Proposal (Synopsis) – a single page (A4 sized) showing the title of the project and a brief outline of the nature of the project, how you will approach the project and possibly an idea as to what you expect to discover with the project.

Research Activities – this is how you will produce your project.
 Will you do desk research and simply read books and journals to back up your ideas?
Will you do field research and go out and interview people and organisations to find out whatever you need to know? (See Ethics Document if you do this).
Will you do questionnaires, telephone interviews, surveys?
Will you do archival research, looking at the history of a company or issue?
Will you do a mixture of them all?

Action Plan – a written list of what you have to do and the deadline by which you have to do it so that your supervisor can keep a track of your progress and you don’t get behind in the project.
 
All projects will be checked for plagiarism, on the internet and with other dedicated software so do not try and cheat we always catch people out and you fail the module if you plagiarise anything.

Key sections

These are the key sections (chapters) which are expected in the submitted project. You should also refer to the textbook for example reports and how to properly structure the outline and what subtopics to include in each major section.

Introduction

Explain the background to your project and briefly explain the importance of the topic. Include definitions of key terms. Provide information on the organisation, history, financial, market, staff etc, or whatever background information seems relevant to the project. State the aims and objectives. Give an introduction to the chapters that are to follow.

Literature Review
 
This is a concise review summarising the existing published material  on the topic of the project and indicating how this will structure your approach to the project. The literature review is usually between 1000 and 2000 words and should include a reference list of approximately 15 references, of which at least half (7) must be from academic journals.  Along with your literature review, your final project should also include a reference list of approximately 25 references, of which at least half (12) must be from academic journals.  It establishes what others have written on the subject. Some authors will be more influential than others and it is important to include the key contributors in that topic area. What are the key concepts? Review what debates exist between different authors as regards these concepts and which works are particularly relevant to your project. Are there gaps in the literature, which your project may fill (in part or wholly)?#p#分页标题#e#

Methodology

State how the investigation was carried out. Explain your approach to achieving the aims set out in the introduction. Outline clearly how you approached the secondary data. What is your overall research design? Which methods of data collection did you consider? Justify your chosen method(s). Discuss issues of sampling, indicating clearly how representative your study is. Indicate your approach to the data analysis.

Findings

Report your findings in a clear and organised way. These should demonstrate depth of analysis and cover the scope of the data you have collected. Use a varied format for presentation of your data i.e. graphs, tables, figures or illustrative quotes where appropriate. The final section in this chapter should be a discussion, which interprets your findings in relation to your lit. review.

Conclusions & Recommendations

Summarise your findings. Highlight the key issues to emerge and, in particular, any new implications i.e. revision or minor modification of the original concepts. Say whether you accomplished your aims. Discuss the limitations of your research and indicate areas for further research. If appropriate, make recommendations in light of your aims and objectives.

Presentation requirements

The requirements for presentation of the project are strict. The project shall be typed, bound and presented in the format as given below:

The project should not normally exceed 12-14,000 words, excluding footnotes and appendices.
 
Three bound hardcopies copies of the project must be submitted.

The outside front cover shall bear the title of the work in at least a 24 pt font size. The name and initials of the candidate, the qualification and the year of submission shall also be shown on the front cover . For example:

DE MONTFORT UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF BUSINESS &
NIELS BROCK COPENHAGEN BUSINESS COLLEGE

ARE CASH FLOW STATEMENTS A USEFUL VEHICLE FOR CONVEYING RELEVANT INFORMATION ABOUTY A BUSINESS’S LIQUIDTY AND FINANCIAL VIABILITY?

A4 paper (21 0 mm x 297 mm) should be used. Please type on only one side. Binding edge margin should be 30 mm with other margins at 25 mm.

One and a half line spacing should be used throughout except for indented quotations, footnotes, appendices, references and bibliography where single spacing is recommended.

Pages shall be numbered consecutively throughout the text including photographs and/or diagrams not embodied in the main text. Page numbers shall be located in the top right hand corner or centre bottom of each page.

The project shall take the following form:

Title Page
Abstract
Acknowledgements
Contents Page, including appendices
List of tables and figures
List of Abbreviations (if required)
Glossary of Terms (if required)
Project chapters (see Key Sections)
References (a complete list in the Harvard Reference System)
Bibliography
Appendices (if required)

The abstract, which must be bound into the project, should state the nature and scope of the work undertaken, the methodology and the findings or results of the investigation. Abstracts should not exceed 300 words, be produced on one side of A4 paper in single spaced type, show the author and title of the project in the form of a heading.

It is not necessary for the project to be bound in book format. Spiral binding or similar method is recommended.