Teaching Staff: Dr Scott Gordon

Short Bio:
Scott is the PhD program director and lecturer in entrepreneurship at the Entrepreneurship Commercialisation & Innovation Centre (ECIC). Originally trained in Electrical Engineering he spent more than a decade as a practicing professional engineer with the Commonwealth Scientificand Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).

Since 2005 Scott has been actively engaged as an entrepreneurship scholar and academic. He holds a MBA with First Class Honours, and a PhD in Management, for which he received an Outstanding Doctoral Thesis citation. He joined ECIC in January 2015 from the Australian Centre for Entrepreneurship Research (ACE) at Queensland University of Technology (QUT).

Scott's teaching interests lie at the intersection of entrepreneurship, innovation and strategy. His research explores dimensions of entrepreneurial action and organisational emergence, and has appeared in leading outlets including Entrepreneurship: Theory & Practice; Small Business Economics; and Advances in Entrepreneurship, Firm Emergence & Growth.

Email: scott.gordon@adelaide.edu.au

Phone: +61 8 8313 7493

Opening intensive:
Thursday 12 & Friday 13 February 2015
9am-5pm
Seminar 5.01

Closing intensive:
Monday 23 & Tuesday 24 February 2015
9am-5pm
Seminar 5.01

1	A framework to guide the development of an independent research project in an area of your interest within the field of entrepreneurship, by:
1a	selecting relevant research topics, encompassing the question to be addressed, appropriate theories and potential approaches;
1b	designing a literature search strategy based upon key concepts;
1c	developing skills to review, analyse and critique research literature;
1d	demonstrating citation and referencing skills to an academic and publishable standard.
2	A familiarity with the field of entrepreneurship research and to engage in the entrepreneurship literature, including:
2a	the history and development of the field;
2b	the main knowledge areas and sub-topics;
2c	and the current debates at the research frontier.

Text book:

Bui, Y. N. (2014). How to write a Master’s Thesis (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, California, USE: Sage Publications Inc.

Also available through Google Books eVersion


Journal Articles:

A selection of readings will be assigned on the history of entrepreneurship research, entrepreneurship sub-topics, and current
debates. Completion of all assigned readings is compulsory. See MyUni for details.

Additional Online Resources that may assist

Murray, R. (2011). How to write a Thesis, Open University Press, McGraw Hill Education, England.

OR http://nashaucheba.ru/docs/56/55465/conv_1/file1.pdf

Whisker, G. (2008), The Postgraduate Research Handbook: Succeed with Your MA, MPhil, EdD and PhD, Palgrave MacMillan, New York, USA.

Evans, D., Gruba, P. & Zobel, J. (2011), How To Write A Better Thesis, Melbourne University Publishing, Australia.

Additional Print Resources
The following authors and texts I have found useful in developing research approaches. While the dates may be a little old in some cases, more up to date editions by these authors are available.

• Creswell, J. W. (1998). Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design, Sage Publications, Inc., Thousand Oaks, California.
• Denzin, N. K. & Lincoln, Y. S. (2003). The Landscape of Qualitative Research (2^nd ed.). Sage Publications, California, USA.
• Johnson, R. B. & Onwuegbuzie, A. J. (2004). Mixed Methods Research: A Research Paradigm Whose Time Has Come. Educational Researcher, 33(7), 14-26.
• Neuman, W. L. (1994). Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches (2^nd ed.). Massachusetts, USA: Allyn and Bacon.
• Sharp, J. A. & Howard, K. (1996). The Management of a Student Research Project, England: Gower Publishing Ltd.
• Yin, R. K. (1994). Case Study Research: Design and Methods. Thousand Oaks, CA.: Sage Publications, Inc.
• Veal, A. J. (2005). Business Research Methods: A Managerial Approach, Australia: Pearson Education Australia.

Online Resources
Online resources will be discussed during the course

Library Resources
The University of Adelaide’s Barr Smith Library provides a range of learning resources including texts, journals, periodicals, magazines, and access to online databases and information services. It also offers a virtual library which is accessible via the University’s website. The University Library web page is: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/library/ 
From this link, you are able to access the Library's electronic resources.

MyUni is the University of Adelaide's online learning environment. It is used to support traditional face-to-face lectures, tutorials and workshops at the University. MyUni provides access to various features including announcements, course materials, discussion boards and assessments for each online course of study (see: https://myuni.adelaide.edu.au)

This course is offered in blended learning mode with the face-to-face component offered as intensives.

As a guide, a 3 unit course comprises a total of 156 hours work (this includes face-to-face contact, any online components, and self directed study).

This is a draft schedule and session dates are a guide only. The timetable may be changed during the course delivery if necessary.

Class session	Content	Activities
1A	Introduction and the Research Problem	Text Bui (2014) Chapters 1 & 2 Draft a research topic and question
1B	The Literature Review and Ethical Research	Text Bui (2014) Chapters 3 & 4 Conduct a literature search on key terms related to your research topic
2A	How to write Chapter One: The Introduction	Text Bui (2014) Chapter 5 Develop the key issues that shape your research topic
2B	How to write Chapter Two: The Literature Review	Text Bui (2014) Chapter 6 Prepare a research synthesis on a key article related to your research topic
3A	How to write Chapter Three: The Research Method	Text Bui (2014) Chapter 7 Draft an annotated outline of your research method
3B	How to write Chapter Four	Text Bui (2014) Chapter 8 Practice simple theme analysis
4A	How to Write Chapter Five	Text Bui (2014) Chapter 9 Develop the storyline and trace the thread of your Master Research Project
4B	Ethics revisited, Setting up Styles, Formatting and Referencing	Text Bui (2014) Chapter 10 Prepare a draft research proposal and correctly cite and reference the original works in APA style.

An overview of the course assessment appears in the following Table. Details appear in the following section:

#	Assessment	Length	Weighting	Due Date	Learning Outcomes
1	Participation	N/A	10%	See MyUni	1, 2, 5
2	Annotated Table of Contents	Min 1000 words but expect 3 to 5 pages	20%	See MyUni	1, 5
3	Research Project Literature Review	Max 3,000 words	70%	See MyUni	2-4
	Total		100%

Candidates will be assessed by participation and submission of two assignments. All assignments must be completed to be eligible to pass the course. Coverage of the lecture materials and participation in the presentation sessions are compulsory. Lectures must be attended.

It is expected that assignments will be typed in English, using word processing software such as Microsoft Word. The preference is for you to submit an electronic word or pdf file.

Don’t cram too many words onto a page: use a line spacing of 1.5 lines.

Students must complete all course assessment requirements and must regularly consult with the lecturer to be eligible to pass the course.

Students should attend all classes in order to pass the course. There is considerable experiential learning in workshops during the intensive classes that build your knowledge and thus enable you to be successful in this course.

Course results are subject to moderation by the ECIC Board of Examiners

Assessment 1: Participation
Weighting: 10%
Submission Details: Not applicable

Task:
You are expected to contribute, initiate and comment upon issues throughout the course.

Scope:
It is requisite that each individual participant fully contributes to the group learning environment.

Length and Presentation:
Not applicable

Criteria by which your assignment will be marked:

• Punctual arrival
• Respect for the opinions of others
• Contribution and commitment to the learning process and class activities
• Courteous and responsible behaviour including timely and succinct communication.

Assessment 2: Annotated Table of Contents
Weighting: 20%
Submission Details: Online via MyUni

Task:
Prepare a Table of Contents (TOC) to at least the second level annotating the expected contribution of each section. The annotated TOC will detail the topic area that the student proposes for a Master’s Research Project and will demonstrate an awareness of the theoretical aspects that may inform and shape the project. The TOC will provide a framework to guide the development of the Master’s Project. This is essentially a planning document, prepared at the outset of your research project to assist in the process of achieving greater focus and clarity regarding aims, objectives, tasks and desired outcomes

Scope:
This assessment item is designed to cover a five chapter model of a Master’s Research Project as set out in the text. An actual research project may need as little as five but up to nine chapters (sometimes more). For the purposes of this exercise please limit yourself to a five chapter design.

Length and Presentation:
Point form annotation is required for all five chapters of the Masters Research Project. Annotation is needed at least to a second heading level. As a guide, a minimum of 1,000 words is expected.

Criteria by which your assignment will be marked:

• The clarity and preparation of your research topic (50%)
• A demonstrated knowledge of the structure and contribution of each Chapter to your Master’s Project (50%)

Assessment 3: Research Project Literature Review
Weighting: 70%
Submission Details: Online via MyUni

Task:
Prepare a research topic literature review in two parts. The first part develops the rationale for your research project and research question framing its relevance and importance to particular stakeholders. The second part details the basis of academic literature that grounds for your research question in academic theory. All reference material must be correctly cited and referenced in APA style.
The Research Project Literature Review will include the project’s aims and rationale and provide a literature review.

Scope:
This assessment item is designed to be a major contribution to your Master’s Research Project and as such should be scoped to provide an appropriate platform to anchor discussions with your supervisors. It is also likely that as the Research develops there will be later modifications to the work presented at this time.

Length and Presentation:
Presentation will be in the format of a literature review in the style of an academic paper. The typical length will be between 2,000-3,000 words.

Criteria by which your assignment will be marked:
This assignment will be assessed on the basis of completeness, presentation and clarity of your Project rationale and research literature review. The document should reflect professional academic quality. The aims should be clear; the rationale well defined; the theoretical research area should be clearly justified with preliminary investigations detailed. The relationship between your chosen topic and literature should be explicit, reasoned and argued.

The Research Project Literature Review Outline will need to demonstrate appropriate use of references. (Use the APA referencing system).

Specifically the criteria by which you will be assessed by are:

• The relevance of your literature search and articulation of key concepts (40%)
• The strength of your arguments in linking the rationale to an academic theoretical base (40%)
• Accurate citations and referencing in APA style (10%)
• Overall presentation including correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation (10%)

All text based assignments must be submitted via MyUni.
Please refer to step by step instructions: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/myuni/tutorials/files/AssignmentStudentSubmission.pdf

There are a few points to note about the submission of assignments:

• Assignment Submission:  Assignments should not be emailed to the instructor; they must be lodged via the MyUni Course site (unless specified to do both). Note that assignments may be processed via TURNITIN, which is an online plagiarism prevention tool.
• Cover Sheet:  Please submit, separate to your assignment, the completed University of Adelaide Assessment Cover Sheet providing details of yourself and your team members (if applicable), your assignment, the course, date submitted, etc. as well as the declaration signed by you that this is your (your team’s) work.  Note that the declaration on any electronically submitted assignment will be deemed to have the same authority as a signed declaration.
• Backup Copy of Assignments:  You are advised to keep a copy of your assignments in case the submitted copy goes missing.  Please ensure that all assignment pages are numbered. If your assignment contains confidential information, you should discuss any concerns with the Course Lecturer prior to submission.
• Extensions of Time:  Any request for an extension of time for the submission of an assignment should be made well before the due date of the assignment to the Course Lecturer.  Normally, extensions will only be granted for a maximum of two weeks from the original assignment submission date.  Extensions will only be granted in cases of genuine extenuating circumstances and proof, such as a doctor’s certificate, may be required.
• Failure to submit: Failure to submit an assignment on time or by the agreed extension deadline may result in penalties and may incur a fail grade.  Note that a late penalty of 5% of the total available marks for that assessment item will be incurred each day an assignment is handed in late (Unless otherwise stated in 'Assessment Related Requirements' or 'Assessment Detail' above).  Assignments handed in after 14 days from the due submission date will fail even if a 100% mark is granted for the work.

Resubmission & Remarking
Resubmission of an assignment for remarking after reworking it to obtain a better mark will not normally be accepted.  Approval for resubmission will only be granted on medical or compassionate grounds.