AGRIBUS 7051 - Research Project in Agribusiness F/T

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2017

The purpose of the Research Project is to enable students to analyse real-world food and / or agricultural business problems, issues or strategic opportunities. The assessment of the Research Project will have oral and written components taking into account the students' workload and participation at workshops organised by Global Food Studies. Students have the opportunity to choose between two types of research projects. The first research project option ("Option A") involves investigating a current food industry or agribusiness issue through primary data collection (e.g. conducting a survey) or through analysis of secondary data. This option may require the use of decision-support systems and/or statistical software. Most students conducting Research Projects will belong to this research category. Be aware that some primary data collection will require ethics approval which can be a lengthy exercise and needs to be lodged as soon as possible. The second option ("Option B") involves conducting a case study or analysis of a proposed business venture or problem. Students apply and utilise the appropriate conceptual and theoretical models and skills to address the relevant issue or opportunity the business is facing. Given the diversity of the project types, subject to the supervisor's approval students can present the project report in the form of a traditional academic paper or a formal business report. Whilst the structure of the Research Project Report can be different between projects, students are expected to follow the guidelines and discuss with their supervisors if a modification of the Report structure is needed.

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Course Details

Course Code	AGRIBUS 7051
Course	Research Project in Agribusiness F/T
Coordinating Unit	Centre for Global Food & Resources
Term	Semester 2
Level	Postgraduate Coursework
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	12
Contact	By supervision
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	N
Restrictions	Approval from course coordinator
Assessment	To be advised

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Dr Craig Johns

Name:	Mr. Craig Johns
Email:	craig.johns@adelaide.edu.au
Location:	Nexus 10 - Level 5 - Room 5.03
Phone:	8313 6765 (email preferred)
Office Hours:	By appointment

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from .

Course Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1	Identify literature relevant to the subject of investigation
2	Source interpret, evaluate and analyse primary and/or secondary data
3	Draw and justify conclusions from this analysis
4	Present research findings and conclusions in an academically appropriate manner

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Deep discipline knowledge informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1 accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)	1, 2, 3
Critical thinking and problem solving steeped in research methods and rigor based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment	2, 3, 4
Teamwork and communication skills developed from, with, and via the SGDE honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning	4
Career and leadership readiness technology savvy professional and, where relevant, fully accredited forward thinking and well informed tested and validated by work based experiences	1, 2, 3, 4
Intercultural and ethical competency adept at operating in other cultures comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges	2, 3, 4,
Self-awareness and emotional intelligence a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate	3, 4

Learning Resources

Required Resources

n/a

Recommended Resources

n/a this will be discussed further in the workshops. See MyUni Research Project Guidelines document.
Learning & Teaching Activities

Learning & Teaching Modes

The course will involve regular weekly workshops on a range of topics relevant to the proposal writing, research methods, presentations and final report editing components of the course. Students will also be assigned supervisors to help guide them through their research project.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

Students are expected to attend all 3 Hour workshops unless you have already attended the topic in a previous Semester or need to attend the topic in the following Semester (for example, if you are submitting your report and doing your final presentation at the end of Semester 2 then you need to attend the editing and presentation workshops in Semester 2 not Semester 1.) In addition to the time spent in class there will be fortnightly meetings with your supervisor which will result in at least 144 contact hours and a minimum 480 non-contact hours to study the full 12 unit course.

Learning Activities Summary

See MyUni Research Project guidelines document for the full schedule of weekly workshops and course timelines.

Specific Course Requirements

n/a

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

The supervisor and an examiner (assigned confidentially by the Program Coordinator) will assess the Research Project.

Criteria for assessment of Research Project:

(i) Written Report (70%):
    1. Clarity and succinctness of writing and logical structure of Research Project Report (10%)
    2. Critical assessment of the existing literature (20%)
    3. Appropriateness of methodology used (15%)
    4. Level of sophistication displayed in the analysis (25%)

(ii) Final oral presentation (15%)

(iii) Workload (15%)
     1. Outline and research proposal (10%)
     2. Seminar participation and research project management skills (5%)

Assessment Detail

The below criteria will apply to all students commencing and completing the project in this semester including students who started their projects (part-time) in the previous Semester.

Assessment framework for Research Project of Master of Global Food and Agricultural Business has been developed in accordance with the Research Skill Development (RSD) Framework developed at the 成人大片 (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/rsd/framework/). In general, students must perform at the minimum as a Level 4 Student.

Assessment criteria and performance sheet:

Assessment criteria	Very good	Satisfactory	Unsatisfactory
(i) Written report
Clarity and succinctness of writing and logical structure of Research Project Report	In addition, to the criteria in Satisfactory, use appropriate language and genre to extend the knowledge of a range of audiences.	Use concise, fluent, well-constructed and carefully proof-read language suitable for academic work. Tables and Figures are properly designed. Follow required format and submission guidelines.	Language is not well-developed or suitable for an academic paper due to grammatical errors, incoherence, etc. Tables and Figures do not provide additional information to the main text.
Critical assessment of the existing literature	Collect and record self-determined information/data from self-selected resources, and critically review the collected information to independently identify knowledge gaps.	Collect and record self-determined information/data from self-selected resources, and summarise knowledge gaps stated by others.	Collect and record required information/data from a prescribed source.
Appropriateness of methodology used	Choose and improve an appropriate methodology with self-structured guidelines.	Choose an appropriate methodology based on structred guidelines.	Choose one of several prescribed methodologies.
Level of sophistication displayed in the analysis	Evaluate information/data rigorously using self-generated criteria based on experience, expertise and literature. Reflect insightfully to renew others's processes.	Evaluate information/data rigorously using self-determined criteria developed within structured guidelines. Reflect insightfully to refine others' processes.	Evaluate information/data using criteria related to the aims of the research project. Replicate others' processes.
(ii) Oral presentation
Oral presentation	In addition to the criteria in Satisfactory, be able to respond to questions in effective manner to demonstrate his/her post-research improved set of skills and engage audience to generate new ideas.	Summarise the main content of his/her Research Project Report in concise and fluent language suitable for academic presentations within a specified time and provide relevant answers to questions being put forward.	Summarise the main content of his/her Research Project Report in ways unsuitable for academic presentations and fail to provide relevant answers to questions being put forward.
(iii) Workload
Outline and research proposal	In the proposal, background justifies the project in terms of a "gap" or extension of existing knowledge. The proposal narrows the research focus effectively and presents realistic and manageable research outcomes. The outline shows detailed sections of the final report and logical steps of the analysis that will be developed.	In the proposal, background justifies the project in terms of a "gap" or extension of existing knowledge. The proposal moves from a broader to a more specific context and presents clear research outcomes. The outline shows important sections of the final report and logical steps of the analysis that will be developed.	Limited background is provided in the proposal. Ideas/arguments are not well linked at times. Research questions and/or objectives are given by the supervisor. The outline shows irrelevant sections of the final report and implausible steps of the analysis that will be conducted.
Seminar participation and research management skills	In addition to the criteria in Satisfactory, demonstrate an enthusiastic attitude, potential capability and leadership capacities to manage a relatively complex project.	Actively participate at workshops organised by Global Food Studies and actively seeking guidance and feedback; demonstrate an ability to effectively manage a small research project; effectively take on personal responsability.	Little attempt to actively participate at workshops organised by Global Food Studies, taking no initiative in managing an independent research project, showing minimum leadership skills including taking on personal responsibility.

Submission

The Research Project Report must be submitted to the Program Coordinator by the submission date at 12 noon. Any report submitted after the deadline will be considered late. The penalty will be 4 marks out of 100 for every working day which elapses after the submission date.

Students should note that supervisors will be asked to make a report to the examiners including whether s/he has read the final draft and drawing attention to any matters he/she considers relevant to the assessment of the report. Therefore, students are highly recommended to complete their final draft at the latest a week before the closing date to provide time for their supervisors to read the final draft.

Students must also submit a softcopy of the report (in a Word document) to TURNITIN by 12 noon on the submission date. Access to TURNITIN will be made available two weeks prior to the submission date to allow students to check the originality of their work before making a final submission. The details will be provided on MyUni.

Oral presentations will give opportunities for students to receive feedback on their draft report. Each student is expected to give a 10 minute presentation on his or her Research Project. All Global Food and Agricultural Business Masters students and Centre for Global Food and Resources staff, including examiners, are expected to attend. The students will then be asked to respond to questions put forward by the examiners and audiences. The Program Coordinator and supervisors will make an alternative arrangement for a student unable to attend the
workshop due to an acceptable reason (for example visa restrictions and illness).

The Director of the Centre for Global Food and Resources will present a "Research Project Award" to a student receiving the highest mark for the Research Project. The awardee will receive a certificate and a supporting letter from the Director.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through .

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student鈥檚 disciplinary procedures.

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Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator

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