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Research School of Management · ANU College of Business and Economics
This course provides MBA (Master of Business Administration) candidates with the opportunity to consolidate, integrate, and apply their knowledge, tools and frameworks, and particularly critical thinking and evidence-based decision-making capabilities, acquired in the MBA program. This course helps MBA candidates develop solutions to real world problems, opportunities, and innovation challenges. This course, as such, provides our MBA candidates with an integrated learning experience that will help them demonstrate the value-add of their MBA education not only within their organisations, but to further advance career, professional, and personal development. This course helps to further develop and strengthen all functional skills and core evidence-informed decision-making capabilities (in particular the Assess & Apply skills), and also how to translate knowledge into an organisational setting. In this course after two weeks of classes on evidence-based decision-making and practice tools and frameworks, MBA candidates will work individually on a 10-week self-directed applied project to develop, design, and implement (if warranted and feasible), an evidence-based innovative management decision to address a complex real world problem, opportunity, or innovation challenge (preferably within their organisation). In the evidence-based practice in Management course at the start of the program, MBA candidates are tasked with a CAT (Critically Appraised Topic) where they examine the science behind a complex problem in their organisations. In this course, MBA candidates may choose to develop a solution to the problem that they carefully identified and analysed using an evidence-based approach, of which they may have an evolved understanding and appreciation of, in the evidence-based practice in Management course at the start of the MBA program. There are several different options for the applied project : - A piloting and implementation proposal that relies on designing an evidence-based intervention or innovation in collaboration with their own organisation or an organisation of their choice. The outcome of this option is the proposal of methodological instruments and a well-laid out plan for implementation of the project. - A consultancy report that requires the MBA candidate to act as a consultant to work on a real-life management or business problem of an organisation, a business, or a department that requires their evidence-based decision-making and practice skills and knowledge to propose solutions through a properly structured and presented consultancy project (practicum). - A thesis related to an empirical problem within the candidate’s organisation or a department, business of their choice using an evidence-based management framework displaying all the related capabilities to ultimately propose appropriate evidence-based decision-making and practice solutions and show academic contributions to the field of evidence-based decision-making and practice. - An Evidence-Based Intervention or Innovation Proposal - For this option, MBA candidates have to write a report which will be presented to their organisation. In the report they are required to design and plan an evidence-based intervention or innovation, in collaboration with their organisation, with the purpose of piloting and implementation, to address a complex problem, opportunity, or innovation challenge.
Peer-review of project progressFurther details will be made available via the Class Summary.
Learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7
Evidence-based Decision-making and Practice Project Report based on the following options: - Option 1: Evidence-based pilot and implementation proposal - Option 2: Evidence-based consulting project (practicum) - The report will include: - i) a Critically Appraised Topic (stepping stone in the evidence-based practice in Management course), - ii) implementation, and - iii) assessment plan - Option 3: A thesis - Which would follow the format of an academic thesis with clear sections that include: - an introduction, - a theoretical/literature/critical review, - methodology, analysis and findings, - discussion, and - conclusion with implications for theory and practice. - Option 4: Evidence-based intervention or Innovation proposal - The report will include: - a detailed implementation plan with due consideration given to ethical and stakeholder concerns and perspectives, and - a detailed plan to evaluate and assess progress and success Further details will be made available via the Class Summary.
Learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Oral defence of individual achievement of Integrated Learning in the MBA program.Further details will be made available via the Class Summary.
Learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Reflection on individual achievement of Integrated Learning in the MBA program.Further details will be made available via the Class Summary.
Learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Students taking this course in First or Second Semester are expected to commit at least 10 hours per week to completing the work. This will include 3 hours per week in class (or equivalent) and at least 7 hours a week on average on course reading, research, writing and assessment work. Where this course is offered in intensive delivery mode as a continuous block over a shorter period of time, the expected total time commitment for this course will be 130 hours. Work Integrated Learning Projects Students will be engaged in projects designed with and for organisational partners. Other Information Weekly workshops (or other regular scheduled class activities) will be held. Attendance at, and participation in, these classes are a key part of successful completion of the course. The workshops will deal with the following contents: - Refresher on evidence-based decision making and practice - Acquiring evidence workshop 1: secondary sources - Acquiring evidence workshop 2: primary sources - Report writing - CAT workshop - Integrating Research methods - an overview - Applying evidence: Research translation and implementation.
Information about the prescribed textbook (if any) will be made available via the Class Summary. In addition to that, there is a social science research methods book to accompany students in this journey: Bhattacherjee, Anol, "Social Science Research: Principles, Methods, and Practices" (2012). Textbooks Collection. 3. An Open Access (free) e-book is available through Scholar Commons at https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/oa_textbooks/3/