ASSIGNMENT TWO, DUE 16 May 11.55pm, 2016 Assignment Two will be testing your individual responses to the requirements or questions for the four (4) tasks contained in this document. It will enable you to demonstrate your knowledge and the application of skills relevant to that knowledge, as well as your communication skills. Learning objectives Learning objective 1: To demonstrate an understanding of applied a research problems 11:59pm, 30% in management accounting, and prepare strategies for their solution Learning objective 2: To demonstrate an understanding of applied research methods Learning objective 3: To collect and analyse accounting research data using applied Learning objective 4: To design applied accounting research methods Please use the following guidelines to submit your answers Submission Guidelines: 1. Your assessment task will be graded only if word processed (i.e., not hand written) and submitted electronically as set out in point 2 below 2. Please submit this assessment task electronically through the Study Desk using Turnitin. Requirement There are four (4) tasks and each task has requirements or questions. All requirements or questions for these four (4) tasks must be answered within a total word limit of 2,000 words (excluding the reference list). Note: marks are also awarded for appropriate referencing and professional communication and presentation (see the end of the assignment) You should use the research articles or professional articles related to this course as the basis for the evidence or examples in the specific requirements of a question related to that topic. You will find references within those articles that may also help you in answering the questions. It is expected you will use in text referencing in your answers to the requirements or questions for these four (4) tasks. Please remember to use the Harvard guide for a reference when you provide the source of your examples. Marking Scheme The computer generated and electronically submitted assessment will be marked out of 100 marks. The total marks available for the four (4) tasks are provide at the start of each task. The assignment will have a 30% weighting towards the final grade for the course. That is, an awarded mark of 78 marks for the assessment task will receive 23.4% of the total grade for the course. research methods Page 1 of 3 ASSIGNMENT TWO, DUE 16 May 11.55pm, 2016 Task one - drafting a research proposal (Total 18 Marks) You are a member of the health and safety committee at the Quick and Fast Courier Company. The company prides itself on its ability to deliver packages quickly throughout Australia. The company has offices in each state of Australia. Recently there has been a number of new staff employed, and changes have been made to the safety training for the new employees. At the same time there has been a significant increase in workplace accidents. The company wants to determine if the changes to training and the influx of new employees are related to the increases in workplace accidents. They ask you to carry out the research for them. Requirements for task 1: a) Explain, providing reasons, whether you believe, a qualitative or a quantitative approach is appropriate for this research. (While a mixed method might be a suitable option please choose only between a qualitative or a quantitative approach.) b) Write a research proposal outlining how you will go about this task. In your proposal address the following: ACC8000 11:59pm, 30% (Requirement A = 4 marks)  the objective of the research (2 marks)  the type of data that will be collected (4 marks)  how the data will be collected (4 marks)  how data will be analysed. (4 marks) (Requirement B = 14 marks) Task two – analyzing data obtained from semi-structured interviews. (Total 18 Marks) Twelve months ago your firm initiated a new procedure for booking business-related travel. There have been a number of complaints about the process. You have been given the task of interviewing 20 people who have recently used the travel system. Requirements for task 2: a) Provide three examples of questions you might ask in your interviews. b) Once you have undertaken your interviews and transcribed them, explain the steps you (Requirement A = 9 marks) will take to analyse the interviews to come to some conclusions. (Requirement B = 9 marks) Task three – mixed methods (Total 14 Marks) Requirements for task 3: a) Distinguish between explanatory sequential mixed methods and exploratory sequential mixed methods explaining when each type of research design might be appropriate. b) Read the article by Freudenberg et al. (2014). What type of mixed method design has been used? c) What justification do Freudenberg et al. (2014) give for the mixed method design they have chosen? (Requirement C = 4 marks) (Requirement A = 8 marks) (Requirement B = 2 marks) Page 2 of 3 ASSIGNMENT TWO, DUE 16 May 11.55pm, 2016 Task four – research in management accounting (Total 50 Marks -1,000 words) It has been stated that "top level management accountants are now emerging as members of the most important business decision-making groups guiding major organisational, operational and strategic choices" (Sorensen 2009, p. 1271). Furthermore, in such a context management accountants need a range of skills and knowledge (Paulsson 2012). However, other research on the role of management accountants does not support the view that most management accountants are taking on a business partner role (Cooper & Dart 2013; Lambert & Sponem 2012). Requirements for task 4: Using the articles mentioned above and at least four other articles that you find, write an essay that answers the following questions: a. If the role of management accountants has changed, how has it changed? b. What factors have led to the changing role of management accountants? c. To what extent is there support among accounting researchers that the role of ACC8000 11:59pm, 30% management accountants has changed? The marking guide for these three questions for task 4 is provided below. 1 Appropriate introduction creating interest for the 2 Answering of the three questions in task 4 and 3 Essay flows and is well argued 5 marks 4 Conclusion sums up main arguments 5 marks 5 Correct use of Harvard referencing 5 marks Total 50 marks Reference List Cooper, P & Dart, E 2013, Business partnering as a complement to the accountant's other roles: International survey evidence, . Freudenberg, B, Sadiq, K, Mohdali, R & Pope, J 2014, 'The influence of religiosity on taxpayers' compliance attitudes: Empirical evidence from a mixed-methods study in Malaysia', Accounting Research Journal, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 71-91. Lambert, C & Sponem, S 2012, 'Roles, authority and involvement of the management accounting function: a multiple case-study perspective', European Accounting Review, vol. 21, no. 3, pp. 565-89. Paulsson, G 2012, 'The role of management accountants in new public management', Financial Accountability & Management, vol. 28, no. 4, pp. 378-94. Sorensen, JE 2009, 'Management accountants in the United States: practitioner and academic views of recent developments', in C Chapman, et al. (eds), Handbooks of Management Accounting Research, Elsevier Ltd, vol. 3, pp. 1271-96. reader and outlining the purpose of the essay using appropriate references 5 marks 10 marks per question in task 4 = 30 marks total Page 3 of 3