Overview
The MBA Applied Project (APRJ-699) is an academic research paper completed in five months. The paper is a capstone undertaking completed with guidance from an academic supervisor. The Applied Project involves a review of the literature and the systematic application of frameworks, models, concepts, and theories from MBA courses to a specific organizational problem or situation, for which students develop practical recommendations.
Applied Project research typically involves an exploration of a managerial topic, issue, or problem. Here are just a few examples:
- A review of the relevant strategy literature and the application of internal and external environmental analyses to an organization’s strategic plan.
- A review of the relevant marketing frameworks and application of relevant frameworks to an organization’s plans for a new product or service.
- A review of the relevant project management literature on lessons learned and a critical assessment of a project in terms of shortcomings, best practices, and lessons learned.
- A review of the relevant human resources literature on competences and the application to an organization’s needs for succession planning.
Applied Project abstracts and a number of full papers can be accessed within the AU Library’s Digital Thesis & Project Room.
Outline
This course is divided into five lessons.
- Lesson 1: Preparing for the Proposal – Fundamentals of Applied Research
- Lesson 2: Writing the Proposal
- Lesson 3: Writing the Paper, Research Ethics, and Corporate Confidentiality
- Lesson 4: Writing the Paper, Research Designs, and Data Analysis
- Lesson 5: The Home Stretch – Finalizing the Paper
Learning outcomes
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
- have a good understanding of what conducting applied research implies
- define a feasible and challenging research project with a clear purpose and research questions
- introduce their research in terms of the relevant context and importance
- conduct a thorough academic literature review, identifying theories and frameworks that would suit their research and help address their research questions
- identify the adequate research methodology that would satisfy their research agenda
- analyze information and/or data required to answer research questions in a timely and thorough manner
- discuss results according to the findings of their research in the context of the proposed introduction and academic literature, including recommendations for the respective field
- use appropriate reference management software and write at an academic level.
Evaluation
The Applied Project paper is a master’s level academic paper, approximately 15,000 words in length. The paper is marked on a pass/fail basis and a grade of 70% is required to pass. The course is worth 9 credits and must be completed in five months.
| Activity | Weight |
| Applied Project (Draft Proposal, Final Proposal, Final Paper) | Pass/Fail |
Materials
Digital course materials
Links to the following course materials will be made available in the course:
Textbook (eText): Leedy, P. D., & Ormrod, J. E. (2023). Practical research: Planning and design (13th ed.). Pearson.
All other course materials will be accessed online.