BUSI4571 Research Methods for Accounting and Finance
Individual Coursework Assessment 2024-2025
You are required to prepare a 4,000 words research proposal on a chosen topic in accounting and finance. Your research proposal should cover the following:
· A title
· Introduction, this section to cover background to the study, motivations of the study, research gap, research problem, research questions, research aims and objectives. (10%)
· Literature Review, this section to cover critical discussion of related studies and identifying a suitable research gap that your study aims to address. You are expected to discuss theories that are related to your topic (30%)
· Research Design, this to include discussion of your research methodology, required data and data sources, sampling, research approach and analytical technique(s) (50%)
· Summary and Expected Contribution (5%)
You can use appendices for any materials that you do not want to include in the main body of your research proposal, but you find relevant to your topic, for example a copy of a self-designed questionnaire, set of mathematical equations, related blogs, etc.
5% of the marks will be awarded for presentation, structure and style, and the use of academic sources and appropriate citation and referencing. Reference should follow the Harvard style. of referencing.
The percentage weightings provided give an indication of the approximate mark allocation to each section, although the final grade will be determined by how well the criteria have been met overall and not simply the sum of the individual aspects of the work.
The individual coursework is limited up to 4,000 words including all the main text and tables (if any), and references but excluding appendices.
List of Potential Research Project Topics
· Taxation issues (including transfer pricing, decision making, tax avoidance, tax history; Taxation of the UK oil and gas industry)
· Financial accounting and reporting (including corporate governance, corporate social responsibility, accountability and sustainability, environmental social and governance reporting, governance of non-profit organization; Impact of IFRSs on harmonising accounting practices; Diversity in accounting practices and the need for harmonisation, accounting regulations, accounting history, forensic accounting), earning management, integrated reporting).
· Accounting for climate change.
· Management accounting control (including control system, performance management of corporate sector, public sector and non-profit organizations)
· Others (such as accounting education, modern slavery audits and professionalization of accounting; Disclosure of decommissioning costs of oil and gas companies: to ascertain how real are the reported figures)
The word count is 4,000 and does include: cover page, contents page, table headings/identifiers, graphs labelling/identifiers or references, BUT DOES NOT INCLUDE appendices or bibliography