Outline

Overview

This unit comprises the research and writing of a supervised thesis on an approved topic in business. A written Honours Thesis and presentation of the research work is undertaken.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Business School
Credit points	24
Prerequisites ?	BUSS4001 + 2 x Honours coursework units in the specialisation area
Corequisites ?	BUSS4000
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Boris Choy, boris.choy@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Presentation	Oral thesis communication Oral presentation	0%	Week 12	3 minutes
Outcomes assessed:
Honours thesis	Individual thesis Non-HDR thesis	100%	Week 12	18000-23000 words
Outcomes assessed:
= hurdle task ?

Assessment summary

Individual thesis: This assessment task constitutes 100% of BUSS4104 (which is 60% of the Business Honours Program, i.e. BUSS4000). Students must write a thesis within the range between 18,000-23,000 words. This word count is inclusive of in-text citations and the reference list and exclusive of appendices, tables and formulas. The thesis word count can also be equivalent to between 70-90 pages. Any deviations outside of the word limit range stated above will require prior approval from the Hinours Program Director. Students should work with their supervisor to develop their research question and should work in tandem with their supervisor through the year as they carry out their research and communicate their findings. Please note that in your final thesis submission you may use materials from earlier proposals, literature reviews etc that have been appropriately referenced.
Oral thesis communication: All students will present their research in the heats round of the 3-minute Honours Thesis Competition. Finalists will be selected to present in the final round that will take place during the final honours reception function. The oral thesis communication is listed as a HURDLE TASK which means you must complete the assessment in order to pass the unit. Students who fail to complete this assessment, even when their aggregate mark for the entire unit of study is above 50%, will be given a Fail grade for this unit. As a result, a student's academic transcript will show a Fail grade and the actual mark achieved if the final mark of the unit is between 0-49 and a Fail grade and a capped moderated mark of 49 for all other final marks.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University’s awards with honours are set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Part 19).

Result name	Mark range	Description
Honours Class 1 and considered for University Medal	90%+	Work of exceptional quality demonstrating a high level of originality or making as significant contribution to the field. There is very little the student could have done additionally or alternatively. Please note this is the minimum requirement. Outstanding performance and sustained achievement throughout a student''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s undergraduate Pass degree as well across all components of the Honours year needs to be demonstrated for nomination
Honours Class 1	80 - 100	Work of exceptional quality showing strong understanding of subject matter and appreciation of issues; well formulated; arguments sustained through to conclusions and recommendations; thorough review of relevant literature and correctly referenced. Marked evidence of originality; high level of intellectual work.
Honours Class 2 Division 1	75 - 79	Work of good quality showing clear understanding of subject matter and relevant literature (correctly referenced); arguments clearly developed through to conclusions and recommendations; evidence of originality, solid intellectual work.
Honours Class 2 Division 2	70 - 74	Work of some quality showing competent understanding of subject matter and appreciation of main issues though with some lapses and inadequacies; arguments clearly developed but not sustained; analysis with some minor problems of interpretation. Some evidence of originality; well prepared and presented.
Honours Class 3	65 - 69	Adequate, but lacking breadth and depth. Work generally has gaps in the literature review and analysis. Frequently work of this grade takes a simple factual approach and does not attempt to interpret the findings.
Honours not awarded	Below 65	Work is not of sufficient standard for Honours. This problem definition is inadequate regarding choice of literature and ability to develop and sustain arguments. Inappropriate use of analysis techniques and results lack depth or coherent presentation.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity	Learning outcomes

Attendance and class requirements

Lecture recordings: All lectures and seminars are recorded and will be available within Canvas for student use. Please note the business school does not own the system and cannot guarantee that the system will operate or that every class will be recorded. Students should ensure they attend and participate in all classes.

Attendance: This unit comprises the research and writing of a supervised thesis on an approved topic in business. This is a self-directed learning process in association with an appropriate and approved academic supervisor. The supervisor will work one-on-one with the student to support the research and writing process. You will be required to meet regularly with your supervisor at mutually agreed times during the calendar year in order to receive oral and/or written feedback regarding your thesis to ensure that your work is progressing at the required rate. Therefore there is an expectation that students will commit themselves to the Honours Program in a full-time capacity across the calendar year and formative assessments for the thesis will be completed in BUSS4001. Given the self-directed nature of the thesis, supervisors may implement completion plans where students are not progressing towards a satisfactory completion of the thesis to ensure satisfactory completion is achieved and may escalate concerns to the Honours Coordinator of their discipline and the Program Director (Honours) if concerns about progression persist.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 24 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 480-600 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. conduct an independent original study, which addresses a research question in a disciplinary field of research
LO2. conduct a thorough literature review using correct referencing to demonstrate the research imperative, theoretical contribution and methodological practice
LO3. apply appropriate research methods, use disciplinary based theory, obtain and use data, develop findings and draw conclusions about research issues and questions in an ethical manner
LO4. communicate your scholarly thesis, including literature review, empirical description, analysis and research implications through advanced writing skills
LO5. communicate your research arguments, findings and conclusions through an oral presentation to scholarly and practitioner communities.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Word count is added to assessment task.

Additional information

Certificate of Originality: Students are required to include a signed copy of a Certificate of Originality at the front of their thesis. A template will be provided on Canvas.
Research Data Management Plan: All students will need to complete a Research Data Management Plan. Please note there are additional requirements if you are collecting data in a language other than English.

Thesis – Result Calculation

Two discipline specialists will grade and each prepare an examiner's report on the submitted thesis. The final thesis grade is the equally-weighted average of these two marks. In the event that the two examiner’s marks differ by more than 5 marks, a third examiner is called. When the third examiner's mark is within a range -5 marks below (inclusive) the lower of the original examiners' grades and +5 above (inclusive) the higher of the original examiners' grades, then the average of all three marks is taken as the mark for BUSS4104.

Where the third examiner's mark is outside the range as described above, the process to determine the BUSS4104 mark is at the discretion of the Associate Dean (UG) and Honours Program Director, in consultation with the relevant Discipline's Honours Coordinator. For example, if the original two grades are 70 and 82, and the third grade is between 65 and 87 exclusive (ie. within (70 -5) and (82 +5)), the average of all three is taken. If the third grade is outside this range, the process is determined on a case by case basis.

Thesis appeal process

In the event that a student wishes to appeal their thesis mark (that is the content of the report and the result), they should submit a file note addressing the thesis marking criteria. An appeal is a request for extra scrutiny on the marking process, therefore emotional responses are not sufficient reason to overturn a result. Often, waiting and digesting feedback is advisable as an appeal based on hurt feelings is unlikely to make a strong argument, and as such is unlikely to warrant a positive outcome.

Students must be aware that the submission of a file note is for the entire assessment and will require all original markers to review their academic decision; i.e. the appeal can only be lodged for the total thesis mark, not an individual examiner’s mark. Students must be aware that remarking conducted as a result of an appeal can result in the mark going down, as well as up, and any revised mark will be applied.

More information can be found on Canvas.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

BUSS4104: Business Honours Thesis

Semester 2, 2021 [Supervision] - Remote

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links