Mobile Business
(Information Systems 157.777)
Research Report - Semester 1, 2012

School of Management
Massey University - Albany

Navigation quick links: 157.777 syllabus, 29-31 March course schedule, 3-5 May course schedule, research report (this page)

Selecting a topic: Begin this assignment by identifying several topics that are of interest to you. Topics should be:
(a) relevant to mobile business, defined broadly. Any topic in your readings for 157.777 is acceptable but, of course, your research must extend significantly beyond what is offered in the reading.
(b) of an applied nature -- of interest to someone in the mobile computing industry and/or a professional business person. This requirement is reflected in the relevant learning outcome: an analysis of how mobile business might be applied in a specific business-oriented context. Indeed, consider the target audience of the research report to be an intelligent but uninformed business person who is interested in this topic for implementation in his/her business.
(c) of sufficient size and scope. For example, consistent with requirement (b), it isn't sufficient to write a general report on "what is radio frequency identification (RFID)". Instead, this might be a small section in a report about "utilisation of RFID in animal tracking" or "security applications of RFID" or, even better, "security applications of RFID in a hospital". The report cannot be superficial and broad, it must explore a specific topic in considerable depth.

On Stream are two resources that may help you identify a list of potential topics:
(a) A Topic List for the Mobile Business Research Report includes a menu-type list of potential topics and a list of titles of reports completed by 157.777 students in 2009-2011.
(b) "Trends in Mobile Computing within the IS Discipline: A Ten-Year Retrospective" by Alan Ladd, Avimanyu Datta, Saonee Sarker and Yanjun Yu in Communications of the Association for Information Systems (v27 article 17, August 2010) identifies key trends in the research literature based on an analysis of 806 articles.

After conducting some initial research on several topics, select the best one according to the requirements of the entire research report assignment and your personal interests. If you have any concerns about your topic, seek the advice of the Course Coordinator before you begin substantial research and writing.

Researching the topic: A substantial part of both the preliminary research report and the final research report must be taken from reputable sources. First and foremost, this is the business academic literature (e.g., academic journals, chapters in edited research books (but not textbooks), conference papers), but academic literature in other areas (e.g., education, computer science) may be just as relevant to the topic. Research reports from respected firms such as Gartner Group, McKinsey, Nielsen Media and IDC are also valuable resources. Resources from the professional business literature (e.g., white papers, trade magazines, reputable articles on the Web) are acceptable, but should be used rarely and only in context. Transitional or opinionated literature (e.g., Wikipedia, blogs, vendor literature) is of limited value and so you are allowed only one unauthored and/or undated resource from the Web (e.g., Wikipedia, about.com. geekzone). Identifying a number of academic articles at this stage will ensure you have a solid base for the final research report to follow.

Writing the preliminary research report: The preliminary research report should be 2-3 pages long (11 or 12 point font; 2.5cm margins, 1.5 line spacing) not including references, graphics or appendices. The report will consist of the following parts:

• A title that succinctly describes the topic.
• An uplifting, interesting and compelling introduction. In the first 1-2 paragraphs, inspire the reader that this is an important topic to research and read. If possible, briefly identify who would benefit from your investigation of this topic and how.
• Somewhere in the introduction or a separate section, make an explicit purpose statement ("The purpose of this report is to....") and follow that with a clearly stated and precisely written description of the purpose including the scope of the report.
• The core content of the preliminary research report is some initial research on the topic. For example, a brief definition and description of a mobile business technology may be required. Some explanation of the context of the research will almost certainly be required.
• References: In the final section, include each source cited in the report, and only those sources. The references should be in alphabetical order, consistent in format and, preferably, follow APA style.
• Honesty declaration: At the conclusion of your preliminary research report should be this statement: "I declare that this research study is entirely the product of my own work. When the ideas, quotations, data and diagrams of others have been used in the report, the work has been properly cited in the text. This assignment was prepared exclusively by me for this paper and has not been submitted as assessed work in any other academic paper." Additionally, include a signature line and, when the preliminary research report is submitted, please sign this.

Submitting the preliminary research report: A printed copy of the preliminary research report is due at the start of the first class day on 29 March. The preliminary research report will be marked and returned by mid-April. The Preliminary Research Report Comment Sheet on Stream outlines most of the key criteria used in marking this assignment.

This presentation is worth 5 marks and will be assessed on content (i.e., what you say), presentation (i.e., how you say it) and timing (i.e., any presentation seriously over or under the prescribed time limit will have marks deducted). Further details about content and presentation requirements will be reviewed during the first block course period.

An electronic (PowerPoint in .ppt or .pptx format) and printed (3 or 6 slides per page) copy of your slides must be provided to Dennis at 9am on 5 May. Even if your presentation is the last one of the day, your materials must be submitted by 9am.

Most research reports will be 5-7 pages (11 or 12 point font; 2.5cm margins, 1.5 line spacing) not including references, graphics or appendices. The final research report assignment should consist of the following parts:

• A title that succinctly describes the topic.
• A short (50-75 words) abstract that accurately describes the entire content of the report. This is not just a restatement of the purpose statement, but a brief description of entire report including any conclusions or recommendations for practice.
• An uplifting, interesting and compelling introduction.
• The purpose of the study.
• A description of the findings from your research. This section should be substantially longer than in the preliminary research report, reflecting additional research into the topic as well as significant effort on your part. Especially, the highest marks will be given to reports that include case studies or appropriate examples of the research topic in practice. The business person who is the target audience of this report will want to know what is happening elsewhere and examples of best practice, if possible.
• Conclude the research report with an uplifting conclusion that also summarises the report. Optionally, include any recommendations for practice.
• References: On the final page, include each source cited in the report, and only those sources.
• Honesty declaration: At the conclusion of your report should be this statement: "I declare that this research study is entirely the product of my own work. When the ideas, quotations, data and diagrams of others have been used in the report, the work has been properly cited in the text. This assignment was prepared exclusively by me for this paper and has not been submitted as assessed work in any other academic paper." Submission of the report invokes this declaration.

Submitting the report: An electronic copy of the research report is due no later than 4pm on Friday, 25 May to the submission box in Stream. Late assignments will be assessed five late marks for each 24-hour period the assignment is submitted after the due date.

The research report will be printed, marked and then made available for return to you within three weeks. Additionally, a copy will be submitted to Turnitin to detect plagiarism. Software at Turnitin will compare the assignment with content on the Web, previously submitted assignments, journals and textbooks. If duplication without attribution or minimal paraphrasing is found then plagiarism will be investigated and penalties will be assessed.

Plagiarism policy: For the record, plagiarism is copying or paraphrasing of another person's work, whether published or unpublished, without clearly acknowledging it. If detected, plagiarism will be considered a violation of the Massey University Code of Conduct and will be penalised by either by a drastic reduction in the final grade or automatic failure of 157.777. The honesty declaration included in each assignment ensures that you know this plagiarism policy exists and your final assignment complies with it.

Assessment of the research report: The final research report is worth 35 marks. Approximately two-thirds of the assessment will be on what you say. Key points here are:

• Is the topic appropriate for a postgraduate paper on mobile business?
• Is the topic of sufficient scope -- for example, appropriate depth and breadth, applied focus, etc.
• Is there is evidence of substantial research, including academic references?
• Most significantly, does the report meet the requirements of the assignment, as listed above (e.g., clearly stated purpose, importance of the study is evident)?

Approximately one-third of the assessment will be on how you say it. Key points here are:

• Is punctuation, grammar, capitalisation, spelling, word use, etc. all correct?
• Is a proper format used (e.g., proper use of headings and subheadings, fonts, margins, page numbers)?
• Most significantly, does the writing meet or exceed professional business standards? For example, the report should be properly structured; contain a clear and logical flow of ideas, paragraphs and sentences; all content in right place; use of transition statements; complete but not overly verbose; etc.

This page was last updated on 1 April 2012.
Please send comments, dead links or questions to d.viehland@massey.ac.nz