Purpose of the project and the Business Research course

• You will experience the various activities associated with empirical research. For example, you will understand why neglecting the first stages means big problems in completing the research. In an extreme case, you may even gain the experience that a poorly set research plan could lead to mismatching the research objective.
• You will find out which activities you enjoy more and which you enjoy less.
• The course will serve as preparation for your thesis
• You will try out/practice managing a team or working in a team.
• Also, I would like you to understand that there is a plurality of opinions and perspectives in research (in academia in general) - why and what the point is.

The lectures and seminars will introduce the "knowledge minimum" necessary for further independent work. The latter consists in working on your research in a team. 

What will the course do for you?

General conditions

You, the students, will create groups of 4-5 members, and in these teams, you will design a research procedure including the methods to be used (i.e. create a research plan - research design) and then implement the research according to it (collect data, evaluate it and process it into a research report).

It is essential to comply with the deadlines and guidelines, which are binding. Failure to comply with them may be considered a failure to complete this course! 

Attendance at seminars is required for Presentation 1, Presentation 2, and Final Project Evaluation - see the Course Schedule for deadlines. The schedule of presenting on these days will be determined through the IS sign-up process or in consultation with the research project leader. You will be informed in due course.

Course Schedule

The course schedule slightly deviates from what is written in the information system!! The bi-weekly frequency of lectures doesn't fit the course's purpose: We want you to get familiar with the basics of research methodology at the beginning of the semester to apply that knowledge to your team projects. Therefore, most of the lectures are moved forward. Of course, the overall quantity of lectures and seminars is not affected by these adjustments. Please pay utmost attention to the dates of lectures and seminars in the following table. There are irregularities caused by public holidays, and please bear in mind that short-notice changes are possible.

Table 1 Lecture and seminars overview

Notes: 

On days with the "-" symbol, there is no lecture/seminar
DM - Dušan Mladenović; PK - Prateek Kalia; MM - Mikhail Monashev; AZ - Ahad Zareravasan
*Given that the exam test is electronic via IS, the venue for the exam will be VT105 from 10 AM. Please be at least 10 minutes before the start of the exam in front of the classroom.

Grading

The final grade is determined by a weighted average of the grades from the final test (weighted at 30%), the interim version of the seminar paper (20%) the final form of the seminar paper (40%), and the quality of the feedback on another team's research project in progress (up to 10% percentages).

Please mind that in case of not presenting or failing to meet deadlines, individual team members will get -5 points on the final evaluation. During the exam, a correct answer brings 1 point, while the incorrect one -0.25.

Any copying, recording, or leaking tests, use of unauthorized tools, aids, and communication devices, or other disruptions of objectivity of exams (credit tests) will be considered non-compliance with the conditions for course completion as well as a severe violation of the study rules. Consequently, the teacher will finish the exam (credit test) by awarding a grade "F" in the Information System, and the Dean will initiate disciplinary proceedings that may result in study termination.

• 100 - 93 % = A
• 92,9 - 85 % = B
• 84,9 - 77 % = C
• 76,9 - 69 % = D
• 68,9 - 60 % = E
• 59,9 - 0 % = F