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Business Analytics and Research Methods

Online Syllabus Shorter University

Instructor Information See link in Canvas.

Course Information • Course: Business Analytics and Research Methods • Course Number: BUS 5250 • Credit Hours: 3 • Prerequisites: Undergraduate Statistics Course

Course Description

Today’s business environment requires managers to be able to make decisions based on data and draw inferences through the use of software and other analytical tools. This Business Analytics and Research Methods course will introduce the students to business research methodology and the analytical tools used to collect and assess different types of data. This course will include a review of the basics of statistics. This course will also cover concepts related to hypothesis testing, statistical inferencing, and simulation modeling. Through an integrated approach, students will be able to analyze realistic examples from other business disciplines and demonstrate the understanding of concepts by using software to construct charts, graphs, and tables.

This course is assignment intensive, therefore advance planning is needed.

Student Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to: • Analyze and evaluate the assumptions and premises that underlie the concept of

business research to understand the analytics used by managers within the organization (Educational Principles “EP” III, IV, and VIII).

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• Evaluate the ethical components of the research process, and analyze the internal and external forces that affect organizational analysis (EP III, IV, V, and VIII).

• Describe the distribution of a single variable, evaluate the descriptive measures for categorizing variables, and assess how the relationship among variables can impact the analytical and research process (EP III, IV, and VIII).

• Create charts, tables, and graphs using specific data, and evaluate the different interpretation of the results (EP IV and VIII).

• Assess the concepts of hypothesis testing, and evaluate how sampling techniques and distributions can be affected depending on the population (EP III, V, and VIII).

• Analyze the theoretical basis for research methods, and assess the practical use of business analytics (EP I, II, III, IV, and VIII).

Required Texts

Sekaran, U. & Bougie, R. (2016). Research Methods for Business: A skill-building Approach (7th ed.) West Sussex, United Kingdom: John Wiley & Sons, LTD. ISBN: 9781119165552 (pbk) ISBN: 9781119266846 (ebk) LCCN: 2015051045

Library Shorter University library on-campus and Online for peer reviewed articles: http://www.shorter.edu/libraries/ Once you're on the library's webpage, click on any relevant button for research and downloading peer reviewed articles: Library Catalog, Galileo, Shorter Libguides, EBSCO, etc.

Supplemental Materials Guidelines for APA format academic papers: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/10/ How to avoid plagiarism: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/01

Useful Websites • Academy of Management Journal (Can be cited) • Academy of Management Review (Can be cited) • Business Communication Quarterly (Can be cited) • Harvard Business Review (Can be cited) • Journal of Business Communication (Can be cited) • All other credible Journals (Can be cited) • Publishers research website “.com” (Can be cited) • Credible scholarly websites like: “.gov”, “.org”, “.edu”, etc. (Can be cited) • All random “.com” sites. (Cannot be cited) • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=research+methods. You

cannot cite YouTube nor videos in Canvas. YouTube, all random “.com” websites videos, and the Canvas videos are for demonstration purposes only. Your assignments references must be articles pulled from the relevant sources listed above or credible scholarly websites not listed and must be verified by your instructor. Remember that “literature review in the backbone of any research”. Literature is the

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major ingredients for any research. It involves searching, reading, analyzing, evaluating, and summarizing scholarly materials relevant to the topic, before a research methodology can be put in place. Therefore, credible information is key for credible research. So, don’t get information from fake sources, they will tarnish your project.

Technology

• You must have regular access to a computer and an Internet connection to participate in this course. All coursework is conducted online, and no in-person meetings will be held.

• Shorter University uses Canvas as its online Learning Management System (LMS). An LMS provides students and faculty with an Internet-based learning environment that is both secure and easy to use. All course materials will be provided through Canvas, and all assignments will be submitted through the software, as well. When a student is enrolled in a course, they will automatically be enrolled in the course module in Canvas.

• Students can log in to Canvas using their normal SCHOLAR ID and password. • Students should always email their instructors from their Shorter University Hawkmail

account. Emails can be initiated from an email program or from Canvas itself. • Assignments may be distributed in proprietary file formats, such as PDF or Microsoft

Word. Students will be expected to have the necessary software to open and interact with these files.

Grading Information

Assessments Points

Discussion Forums: 20 points – 8 weeks (Initial post 10 points, two responses 5 points each) 160 Case Studies: 50 points each – 7 weeks 350

Assignments: 70 points each – 8 weeks 560 Quizzes: 40 points each set – 3 Sessions (Week 2, 6, and 8) 120 Final Project Phase I: Business-Related Research Premise (Week 3) 50 Final Project Phase II: Business-Related Research Prospectus (week 5) 60 Final Project Phase III: Business-Related Research Proposal (Week 7) 200

Total for the course 1500 Grade Scale Points

A 90-100

B 80-89

C 70-79

D 60-69

F 59 and below

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Course Assessments and Policies

Discussion Forum Participation

In a traditional classroom, each student would be expected to attend class regularly and interact with the professor and with the other students. The online classroom is no different. The discussion forum allows us to reflect on each week’s material individually, but more importantly, it also allows us to discuss the material with one another and learn as a community. Each week’s discussion forum will have a topic which will either require you to respond to a reading or critically engage with an issue.

1. Post your original discussion (initial post) no later than two days of the beginning of the Week "Monday". Follow up with two responses and/or additional posts to your classmates before discussion forum closing time (Sunday 11:55 pm).

2. Discussions posted after closing time will not be graded. All posts and responses must comply with APA writing conventions.

3. Initial posts must have a minimum of two references (the textbook, peer reviewed articles from Galileo online library, and/or credible internet sources).

4. Responses must also have a minimum of one reference (the textbook, peer reviewed article from Galileo online library, and/or credible internet sources): • Expand on the colleague's posting with additional insight and resources. • Offer polite disagreement or critique, supported with evidence. • Offer and support an opinion. • Validate an idea with your own experience. • Make a suggestion or comment that guides or facilitates the discussion.

5. Points will be deducted for grammar and spelling issues. Class participation is an important component of any online course. This requires posting a well thought-out answer, and then, a well thought-out and thorough response to your classmates. You are free to encourage, agree, and even disagree with your classmates; however, be sure your response is intelligent, supported by the material, and adds value to the answer to which you are responding. Always be professional and courteous with your comments, and refrain from making any personal statements that may be interpreted as being negative.

Quizzes

There are 3 Sessions (Weeks 2, 6, & 8)

Case Studies Based on Key Elements of Research Methodology Case studies are due no later than the specified time (Sunday 11:55 pm).

1. You must give quality answers that show mastery of the case and questions asked using clear logic and supporting facts. Also, the answers must directly answer the questions posted in the case.

2. Case studies test the understanding of key elements of research methodology, therefore they must be thoroughly addressed.

3. You must use citations with references to document information obtained from sources. The key elements of research methodology, business analytics, and concepts are found in the sources listed in this syllabus (it is your duty to search for them, read, analyze,

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evaluate, summarize, paraphrase in your answers, and cite the authors who wrote the articles, books, term papers, memoirs, studies, etc. What it means is that you will have not less than 4 references from the listed sources.

4. Grammatically correct paper, no typos, and must have obviously been proof read for logic.

5. Questions must be typed out as headings, with follow up answers in paragraph format, and a summary or conclusion at the end of all answers as set in the outline (Outline provided in Canvas).

Case studies must be in APA format. Assignments Based on Concepts, Statistical Problems, and Data Collection They are due no later than the specified time (Sunday 11:55 pm).

1. The questions on concepts must show quality definitions of the concepts, relating to previous researches using clear logic, and supporting facts.

2. You must use citations with references to document information obtained from sources. The key elements of research methodology, business analytics, and concepts are found in the sources listed in this syllabus (it is your duty to search for them, read, analyze, evaluate, summarize, paraphrase in your answers, and cite the authors who wrote the articles, books, term papers, memoirs, studies, etc. What it means is that you will have not less than 5 references from the listed sources.

3. Grammatically correct paper, no typos, and must have obviously been proof read for logic.

4. The questions must be typed out as headings, followed by a write-up in paragraph format, and a summary or conclusion at the end of the paper as set in the outline (Outline provided in Canvas).

The paper must be in APA format.

Final Project Business-Related Research Proposal This is the concluding project for this Graduate Business Analytics and Research Methods course. It offers the students the opportunity to show mastery of all key elements of research methodology and the key business analytics and research methods concepts covered in the course, and the mastery of designing and executing a business-related research proposal as portrayed in the textbook p. 45. This project will start in week 3 and will be continuous until week 8. However, those who are quick can conclude before week 7. You might be told to re-write segments of the proposal depending on professor’s feedback, until an acceptable document is produced. The business-related research proposal will demonstrate your ability to:

1. Define a business issue/problem. 2. Develop a framework to investigate this issue/problem. 3. Conduct and present a literature review on the issue/problem. 4. Develop a hypothesis and conceptual relationship between the identified dependent and

independent variables. 5. Propose an experimental design and data collection methodologies to investigate the

issue/problem.

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Final Project Phase I: Business-Related Research Premise (Week 3) – identify a preliminary topic (problem) for your business research proposal. This topic should be the product of your investigation on your part but will be subject to change and refinement, and will inform the development of a prospectus for your business-related research proposal, this must include:

1. A tentative background of research - a business issue/problem. Sample your business issue/problem from the textbook: page 4. Exhibit 1.

2. Managerial relevance (Chapters 3 and 4) 3. Theoretical framework (Chapter 5) 4. A tentative research methodology and design (Chapter 6).

The premise must be in APA Format. Progress to Final Project Phase II Prospectus will depend on your professor’s input and approval. Final Project Phase II: Business-Related Research Prospectus (Week 5) – Having your research topic, tentative research background, and tentative methodology approved by your professor, you will proceed to writing a prospectus on your business research proposal. The Prospectus is a brief document that provides preliminary information about your business- related research proposal and in this project, it serves as an agreed-upon plan for developing your business-related research proposal (student and professor), and must include:

1. Problem statement and background literature review 2. Research objectives 3. The scope of the study 4. Research method 5. Managerial relevance 6. Theoretical framework 7. Research design 8. Limitations

The prospectus must be in APA format. Progress to Final Project Phase III Proposal will depend on your professor’s input and approval. Final Project Phase III: Business-Related Research Proposal (Week 7) – Integrate information from Phase I and Phase II, assess the situation, and conduct further research. Your professor must be satisfied that the feedback on premise has been used in the formulation of the prospectus and that the prospectus is a scientifically viable research. Using your prospectus that was approved by your professor, write your business research proposal and it must include:

1. Cover page 2. Abstract 3. Introduction 4. Problem statement and background literature review 5. Research objectives 6. The scope of the study 7. Research method 8. Managerial relevance 9. Theoretical framework 10. Research design 11. Results and Conclusions are not required since we are not completing the research 12. Recommendations as to how to proceed with the research study 13. Limitations 14. References 15. Appendices

Your business-related research proposal must be in APA format.

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Supplementary Exam Supplementary Exam in Place of Final Project Phase III: Business-Related Research Proposal in Week 7. Based on your professor’s feedback, you may be required to write the supplementary exam in place of the business-related proposal. Your paper must follow these instructions: 1. The questions on concepts must show quality definitions of the concepts, relating to

previous researches using clear logic, and supporting facts. 2. You must use citations with references to document information obtained from sources. The

key elements of research methodology, business analytics, and concepts are found in the sources listed in this syllabus (it is your duty to search for them, read, analyze, evaluate, summarize, paraphrase in your answers, and cite the authors who wrote the articles, books, term papers, memoirs, studies, etc. What it means is that you will have not less than 7 references from the listed sources.

3. Grammatically correct paper, no typos, and must have obviously been proof read for logic. 4. The questions must be typed out as headings, followed by a write-up in paragraph format,

and a summary or conclusion at the end of the paper as set in the outline (Sample in Module Learning Resources).

The paper must be in APA format.

Participation Policy

Participation is required to complete this course successfully. Please note that participation is measured by completing the discussion forums each week by the specified due dates, in conjunction with all assignments and tests.

Late Work

As a general rule, late work is not accepted. Because the course is only eight weeks long, it is important that you turn your assignments in on time. Should you have an emergency situation, please contact your professor directly.

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Course Schedule

(Check Canvas for details of assignments.)

• Week 8 ends on a Friday, so ensure that all assignments are completed by Friday during the last week.

Week Reading Weekly Assessments and Due Dates

1 Sekaran & Bougie, Chapters 1, 2, & 17 Discussion forum due Sunday 11:59 pm Case study due Sunday 11:59 pm Assignment due Sunday 11:59 pm

2 Sekaran & Bougie, Chapters 3 & 4 Discussion forum due Sunday 11:59 pm Assignment due Sunday 11:59 pm Case study due Sunday 11:59 pm Quiz due Sunday 11:59 pm

3 Sekaran & Bougie, Chapters 5 & 6 Discussion forum due Sunday 11:59 pm Assignment due Sunday 11:59 pm Project Phase I due Sunday 11:59 pm

4 Sekaran & Bougie, Chapters 7, 8, & 9 Discussion forum due Sunday 11:59 pm Assignment due Sunday 11:59 pm Case study due Sunday 11:59 pm

5 Sekaran & Bougie, Chapters 10, 11, & 13 Discussion forum due Sunday 11:59 pm Assignment due Sunday 11:59 pm Case study due Sunday 11:59 pm Project Phase II due Sunday 11:59 pm

6 Sekaran & Bougie, Chapters 13, 14, & 15 Discussion forum due Sunday 11:59 pm Assignment due Sunday 11:59 pm Case study due Sunday 11:59 pm Quiz due Sunday 11:59 pm

7 Sekaran & Bougie, Chapters 16 Discussion forum due Sunday 11:59 pm Assignment due Sunday 11:59 pm Case study due Sunday 11:59 pm Project Phase III due Sunday 11:59 pm

8 Sekaran & Bougie, Review all chapters Discussion forum due Friday 11:59 pm Assignment due Friday 11:59 pm Case study due Friday 11:59 pm Quiz due Friday 11:59 pm

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Policies and Procedures Netiquette

Netiquette is a set of rules for how to communicate effectively and politely online.

Effective written communications are an important part of online learning. In a face to face class, body language along with verbal responses and questions help students and the instructor communicate with each other. In an online environment, however, misunderstandings can easily occur when basic rules of Netiquette (online etiquette) are not followed, such as using texting abbreviations or USING ALL CAPITAL LETTERS IN WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS. Therefore, please use the following guidelines when communicating in this course:

• Using ALL capital letters in online communication indicates you are yelling. Limited use of capitalized words is acceptable when emphasis is needed. Underscoring and italics can also be used for emphasis.

• Use a descriptive subject line in emails and forum postings. • Include your name in all emails; we can’t always tell who you are based on your email

address. • No derogatory comments, ranting or vulgar language is acceptable in any form of

communication in the course. Respect for others and their views is expected. • Please keep in mind that something considered offensive may be unintentional. If you

are concerned about something that appears to be unacceptable, please inform the instructor via email.

Class Attendance

Online courses are typically delivered asynchronously, meaning that there are no fixed times when students need to be online. While there is no standard attendance policy for online classes, students are expected to log-in to class several times each week to check for updates and to communicate with the professor and/or with other students. There will also typically be deadlines for the completion of assignments, and there may be requirements that the student participate each week in online chats or forum discussions. In some cases there may be a requirement for the student to log-in at a particular time during the week to participate in a group chat or discussion. As with any traditional course, a student cannot skip several weeks of online classes and expect to succeed!

No Show Policy

Students who fail to complete the mandatory introduction forum within the first 9 class days from the start of the session will be automatically dropped from the class. PLEASE NOTE: Students must login as well as complete mandatory introduction forum within this 9 day period. Simply logging into a course will still constitute as a NO SHOW for the course if the mandatory introduction forum within the actual online course platform is not completed within the first 9 class days from the start of the session.

Students who do login and complete the mandatory introduction forum within the first 9 days from the start of the session, but who then stop participating in their online class will NOT be

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automatically withdrawn from the class. To withdraw from the class the student must send an e- mail to their advisor and his or her instructor from his or her Shorter e-mail account requesting to withdraw. The withdrawal will be effective from the date of the e-mail request. An automatic F will be given if a student is not properly withdrawn.

Academic Integrity Policy

A Community of Honor

As a liberal arts university committed to the Christian faith, Shorter University seeks to develop ethical men and women of disciplined, creative minds and lives that focus on leadership, service and learning. The Honor System of Shorter University is designed to provide an academic community of trust in which students can enjoy the opportunity to grow both intellectually and personally. For these purposes, the following rules and guidelines will be applied.

Academic Dishonesty

"Academic Dishonesty" is the transfer, receipt, or use of academic information, or the attempted transfer, receipt, or use of academic information in a manner not authorized by the instructor or by university rules. It includes, but is not limited to, cheating and plagiarism as well as aiding or encouraging another to commit academic dishonesty.

"Cheating" is defined as wrongfully giving, taking, or presenting any information or material borrowed from another source - including the Internet by a student with the intent of aiding himself or another on academic work. This includes, but is not limited to a test, examination, presentation, experiment or any written assignment, which is considered in any way in the determination of the final grade.

"Plagiarism" is the taking or attempted taking of an idea, a writing, a graphic, musical composition, art or datum of another without giving proper credit and presenting or attempting to present it as one's own. It is also taking written materials of one's own that have been used for a previous course assignment and using it without reference to it in its original form.

Students are encouraged to ask their instructor(s) for clarification regarding their academic dishonesty standards. Instructors are encouraged to include academic dishonesty/integrity standards on their course syllabi.

Procedure

A. It is the responsibility of an instructor to certify that academic assignments are independently mastered sufficiently to merit course credit. The responsibility of the student is to master academic assignments independently, refrain from acts of academic dishonesty, and refuse to aid or tolerate the academic dishonesty of others.

B. If an instructor determines that the student is guilty of academic dishonesty, the instructor must discuss the matter with the student. In the event the instructor cannot reach the student in a timely manner, such as when the student has gone home at the end of a semester, the instructor may assign a grade of "I" (Incomplete) until the student can be contacted and the matter of academic dishonesty discussed. The instructor then completes the "Academic Violation Form" (see Appendix A) which should include

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evidence and other necessary documentation. The instructor will determine the appropriate remedy: either to assign a grade of zero on that assignment in question or a grade of "F" in the course. The student will designate whether he/she accepts the remedy for the violation of the dishonesty policy or wishes to appeal the instructor's decision. If a student elects to appeal, the "appeal due date" line must be completed on the Academic Violation Form. (See the Appeals section below for more information regarding the appeals process)

C. Upon completion, the instructor forwards the Academic Violation Form to the Registrar's for the placement in the student's permanent record. The Registrar will forward copies of the Academic Violation Form to the student, the faculty member, department chair, academic dean, dean of students, provost, and president. Not appealing when the form is first completed or by the appeal due date will be taken as an admission of guilt, except under compelling circumstances to be determined at the sole discretion of the provost.

D. If upon receipt of the Academic Violation Form the Registrar determines that the student is guilty of a second offense, then a grade of FD (Failure Due to Academic Dishonesty) will be assigned by the Registrar for the course regardless of the remedy specified on the Academic Violation Form. Assigning the FD is to be done by the Registrar when the second Academic Violation Form is placed in the student's record, and the Registrar will notify all parties in writing. The student is then permanently disbarred from membership in any honorary society and is permanently ineligible for any SU honor list. The student may petition the Academic Integrity Appeals Committee to have the dishonesty notation removed from the transcript after one year or upon graduating from the University if no additional dishonesty offenses occur and the student satisfactorily completes the Academic Integrity Program. The grade of F remains on the transcript. Upon receipt by the Registrar of a third offense, the Registrar will assign the grade of FD and then notify all parties. After all appeals are exhausted, if the third offense still stands, then the student will be permanently expelled from the University. The notice of expulsion will be forwarded to the student, department chair, appropriate academic dean, dean of students, provost, and president. A copy of the final report with the three offenses will become a part of the student's permanent record. The university reserves the right to expel the student after a first or second offense, depending on the circumstances and at the sole discretion of the provost.

Appeals

A. The student who wishes to appeal an academic violation charge should submit his/her appeal in writing to the chair of the appropriate department by the appeal due date indicated on the Academic Violation Form, which is normally within ten regularly scheduled class days after the completion date of the Academic Violation Form. This statement should contain the reasons for which the student is appealing the instructor's decision. The burden of proof lies with the student in such a case to show that an error or malfeasance has occurred. Within ten regularly scheduled class days of receiving the written appeal, the department chair will notify in writing both the instructor and the student of the chair's decision. If the department chair is also the instructor who files the Academic Violation Form, then the student must appeal to the appropriate academic dean.

B. When, in the opinion of the department chair, the student fails to show reasonable cause for further investigation, the chair may deny the appeal without taking further action. When, in the opinion of the department chair, a student's appeal raises reasonable doubt as to whether a mistake or malfeasance has occurred, the chair will meet with the faculty

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member and with the student and render a decision within ten regularly scheduled class days of the receipt of the appeal. If the decision favors granting the student's appeal, the department chair may request that the Registrar remove the Academic Violation Form from the student's record. The chair will notify both the student and the instructor of this action.

C. If the student files the initial appeal or elects to appeal the chair's decision during Maymester, Summer I, Summer II or during final exam week of the Fall or Spring semesters and if the instructor or department chair is not available during that time, all of the foregoing time requirements begin to run with the first day of class in the next major term. In extreme or unusual circumstances regarding the timeliness of the appeals process, the provost will make the final determination.

D. Any student who has exhausted the remedies open under the procedures outlined above may appeal the entire matter to the Academic Integrity Appeals Committee in writing within ten regularly scheduled class days of receiving the response from the department chair. Upon receipt of the appeal, the Academic Integrity Appeals Committee will review the matter and issue a decision within fifteen (15) regularly scheduled class days. The Academic Integrity Appeals Committee has the authority to deny the appeal, reduce the penalties in the event of extenuating circumstances, or direct the registrar to remove the record of the Academic Violation Form from the student's permanent record. The results of the Academic Integrity Appeals Committee are final.

E. All results from the proceedings of the Academic Dishonesty Appeals Committee should be reported to the appropriate academic dean, dean of students, provost, and president as information.

NOTE: During the appeals process, the student may continue to attend the class in which the violation occurred.

Students Needing Accommodations

Shorter University provides accommodations for students who have a disability. The student must contact the Director of Educational Support in FSU 219 (706-233-7323) as soon as possible to discuss your needs. Shorter University is committed to providing access to programs and services to all qualified students with disabilities. Student Support Services is located in the Fitton Student Union, Room 219 (706-233-7323). Academic support is available to all students through the Center for Learning and Academic Success at Shorter (CLASS). The Center offers peer tutoring and coordinates study groups for students seeking assistance. Also, students can receive help with writing through individual tutoring in the Writing center. CLASS is located on the second floor of the Sheffield-Thompson building in the Bailor Suite.