Syllabus of Friday, 10 April 2009 Final version
BUSI 518R Action Research
2*0.75 credits = 1.5 credits
Winter semester 2008
Module III - IV January 7th- April 13th 2008
Bucharest
Instructor: Nora Ilona Grasselli (See last page for bio sketch)
Class meets (day and time):
Winter semester only!
Session 1: 12th January 4-6pm
Session 2: 9th February 4-6pm
Session 3: 23rd February 4-6pm
Session 4: 8th March 4-6pm
Classroom:
Instructor's Office: 209
Office hours: by appointment
Office tel: +36 1 887 5004
Fax: +36 1 887 5005
E-mail: Grassellin@ceubusiness.org
Academic Assistant: Nora Toth (tothn@ceubusiness.org)
Faculty Coordinator: Judit Nuszpl (nuszplj@ceubusiness.org)
PREREQUISITIES
None
REQUIRED TEXT AND
A Reading Pack (RP) for this course has been compiled by the instructor and will be made available free of charge to students registered in the course. A copy can be picked up in the Academic Office during its office hours by students who have officially registered for the course. The RP contains the following articles/book sections:
Alderfer, C. P. 1980. The methodology of organizational diagnosis. Professional Psychology
Gilmore, T. N., Krantz, J., & Ramirez, R. 1986. Action based modes of inquiry and the host-researcher relationship. Consultation
Rapoport, R. N. 1970. Three dilemmas in action research. Human Relations, 23: 448-513.
McNiff, J. & Whitehead, J. 2000. Part II: How is organisational knowledge acquired? Chapter 8: Action research., Action Research in Organisations: 197-218: Routledge.
Additional reading may be suggested once projects are set up.
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES
The AR course is designed to give students a first-hand experience of taking part in an action research project. They will be introduced to the AR-cycle:
With the support of
the
MAIN TOPICS
Organizational diagnosis
Business problem solving
Application of theoretical material to practical issues
Developing the capability for learning through abstraction from a practical issue
Developing presentation skills
Understanding client-relationship in a quasi-consultancy situation
Understanding intra-group dynamics in an AR project team
INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
|
Core Learning Area |
Learning Outcome |
|
Interpersonal Communication Skills and Presentation Skills |
Students will work in projects teams that require close cooperation. The teams will present their findings and recommendations to an assessment committee. |
|
IT Skills in support of Arguments |
Students need to use power-point for their presentation and are encouraged to use adapted software for their research (statistical software packages, qualitative analysis software etc.). |
|
Cultural Sensitivity and Diversity of Perceptions |
Students will have increased understanding and acceptance of diversities of viewpoints within the team, across teams, between the client system and the action research system (that is the AR project team). |
|
Quantitative and Qualitative Reasoning |
Students will be required to reason their arguments in quantitative and/or qualitative terms according to the needs of the AR project. The strength of the arguments will be tested through the final presentation where faculty members and professionals need to be convinced. |
|
Self-scrutiny and Critical Thinking |
Students will be encouraged to question the applicability of conventional prescriptions, as well as the impact of non-quantitative information. Students will be challenged to re-assess their initial diagnosis of the researched organization, their relating to the client, and maybe even their world-views. |
|
Ethics and Responsibility |
Students will be motivated to consider the ethical dimensions of doing research in organizations. They will be empowered and fully responsible for their actions within the client system. |
|
Management Knowledge and Skills |
Students will acquire project-management skills and team skills in a self-managed context. They will face various business problems thus the management knowledge to be extracted form the project is difficult to pre-define. |
MY POLICY ON THE AVAILABILITY OF LECTURE NOTES
The power-point slides will be made available to the students.
The instructor will leave nothing undone that might help participants to access notes and readings related to the discussed topics.
POLICIES ON CLASS ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION
Regular and punctual
attendance at every class session is a requirement of all degree programs at
GRADING
Please note that the class will only be graded at the end of module VI.
Final presentation 600 points
Class participation 200 points
Added value to the class 200 points
Maximum total 1000 points
In graduate courses
Grade Quality rating Grade points
Awarded
A Outstanding 4.00
A- Excellent 3.67
B+ Very good 3.33
B Good 3.00
B- Satisfactory 2.67
C+ Minimum pass 2.33
F Fail 0.00
9. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
All students must adhere to the principles of academic integrity in all work done for this class and for other classes. Attempted cheating in any form, including plagiarism, is extremely serious and can result in dismissal from the School and University.
INTERNET LIBRARY RESOURCES
See your Student Manual for details.
11. OVERVIEW OF THE COURSE STRUCTURE
The Action Research course is designed around a student action research project with local firms. The course design includes the following eight steps (+1):
0. Registering company AR projects
1. Theoretical input on AR
2. Setting up the AR projects
3. Start working on the AR projects, interactions with the researched organization
4. Class discussion on the AR projects
[end of winter semester
5. Groups continue working on the projects
6. Class discussion on the AR projects
7. Final presentation
8. Grading based on the presentation
[end of course]
COURSE OUTLINE AND SESSION ASSIGNMENTS
This 1.5 credit course will spread out over two semesters and will be built up by 8 1.5 hrs sessions.
|
Session |
Title |
Content |
|
12th January 4-6pm |
Theoretical input on AR |
Action research vs. traditional research Action research vs. consulting Designing AR projects The role of the action researcher The client Research methods in AR Diagnosing an organizational situation Developing recommendations |
|
9th February 4-6pm |
Theoretical input on AR - allocation of AR projects |
|
|
Between sessions 2 and 6 |
AR work in the researched organizations |
Start working on the AR projects, interactions with the researched organization |
|
23rd February 4-6pm |
Project discussion |
The class discusses the projects set up by the each group. The group presents the project, classmates and the instructor challenge and help developing the project. |
|
8th March 4-6pm |
Project discussion |
|
|
TBD |
Project discussion |
|
|
TBD |
Project discussion |
|
|
TBD |
Final presentations |
Each group presents the diagnosis and the intervention design to an evaluation committee set up by faculty members, company representatives, and external consultants. |
|
TBD |
Final presentations |
|
|
Final presentations |
13. BRIEF BIO OF THE INSTRUCTOR
Nora Ilona Grasselli is a Hungarian national
who has been teaching in various executive and MBA programs. Her expertise is
in group relations, group psychodynamics, diversity, and leadership. She has
been on the staff for a student consulting project for the Louvre,
studied the impact of nomad technologies on contemporary management for Toshiba,
and worked for CFAR a Philadelphia-based management consulting firm.
She spent a semester as a visiting scholar at the
She holds an MSc in business administration, an
MA in management research, a certificate in international management, in human
resources management. Nora is completing her Ph.D. on group work in management
education at HEC School of Management, in
|
