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Freie Universität Bozen

Akademisches Schreiben und Forschungsmethodologie

Semester 2 · 25449 · Master in Accounting und Finanzwirtschaft · 6KP · EN


This course guides students through the research process in Accounting and Finance, from shaping a strong research question to structuring their Master thesis. It builds key skills in academic writing, literature review, and data analysis to develop a solid thesis proposal that will lead to the preparation of the final Master thesis manuscript.

Lehrende: Paolo Maria Perego

Vorlesungsstunden: 36
Laboratoriumsstunden: -
Anwesenheitpflicht: Although course attendance is not compulsory, active participation is highly recommended

Themen der Lehrveranstaltung
The course covers the following topics: • Scientific method and research methodology • Selection of a research topic and research question • Structure, content, and objective of a literature review • Data collection and sampling strategies • Data analysis techniques and tools • Interpretation and critical reflection of findings • Academic writing of a scientific text aimed at the preparation of the MSc thesis proposal • Presentation and defense of research ideas

Unterrichtsform
The course combines lectures focused on research methodology with individual and group practical assignments. The teaching format of the course comprise lecturers’ presentations, interactive discussions, and readings (academic articles and textbook chapters). Students are expected to engage in the course activities, which will give them the opportunity to effectively apply academic writing and research skills during their Master thesis trajectory.

Bildungsziele
Knowledge and understanding: "Master's degree graduates should be able to acquire an advanced level of preparation that allows for a thorough and integrated view of accounting and budgeting and planning and management control issues. These learning outcomes are achieved through an advanced knowledge and understanding - of economic-financial communication to stakeholders in national and international contexts; - of economic-business models and performance measurement for planning and management control of internal and external audit models and methods. Accounting courses will also enable graduates to acquire skills in specialised subjects that characterise the profession of chartered accountants and auditors." "Master's graduates should be able to acquire an advanced level of preparation that allows an articulated and integrated view of the finance issues of companies, financial intermediaries, financial institutions and markets. These learning outcomes are achieved through an advanced knowledge and understanding - of the economic-financial planning and evaluation of new investments; - of the characteristics associated with extraordinary moments in corporate management, such as capital transactions, recourse to financial markets, mergers and acquisitions, corporate crisis and reorganisation; - the problems and techniques of the organisation and financial management of companies and financial intermediaries; - the fundamentals of corporate finance for the correct application of, for example, decision-making models and financial data and risk management to treasury management; - the management and economic models of the different types of intermediaries, market microstructure, the operational efficiency of financial markets and the impact of financial markets on the economic conditions of intermediaries; - a wide range of investment, financing and risk management instruments, starting with the fundamentals of portfolio diversification and classical asset pricing and risk measurement models; - of the specific finance issues that characterise the profession of Financial Analyst, Portfolio Manager, Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Chief Administrative Officer, Controller, Internal Auditor and business consultant." "Master's graduates should be able to acquire an advanced level of preparation that allows for an articulated and integrated view of business management issues and of economic-quantitative, financial and legal disciplines. These learning outcomes are achieved through an advanced knowledge and understanding - of the economic-business models and tools for the management of companies, whether family or small or of international dimension; - of the design and management of institutional and organisational structures inherent to corporate governance systems; - of business tools and processes developed to recognise, understand and guide change and manage the impact of a transition on the organisation; - of efficient communication strategies within the organisation and towards the various stakeholders. - of Management issues that characterise the profession of financial analyst, portfolio manager, risk manager and consultant." "Master's graduates should be able to acquire a knowledge of the legal instruments that enable them to deal with the management issues of companies, financial intermediaries, as well as to understand the mechanisms of the functioning of financial markets. These learning outcomes are achieved through an advanced knowledge and understanding - of the principles of contract law and commercial law to be considered in the management strategies of companies and financial intermediaries; - of tax law principles for the definition of the company's tax policy, also in an international perspective; - the principles of bankruptcy law for the management of company crises, restructuring and risks; - of banking and financial law principles affecting the management of financial institutions and financial investments; - the impact of taxation on business decision-making models." "Master's graduates should be able to acquire a knowledge of economic-quantitative models that enable them to address management issues of companies, financial intermediaries, financial institutions and markets. These learning outcomes are achieved through an advanced knowledge and understanding - of the theories and tools for the economic analysis of the company and the market; - of the basic forecasting models for carrying out integrated economic and financial analyses, also making use of econometric time series and multivariate analysis methodologies - of Big Data analysis techniques in order to support and integrate business decision-making processes." Ability to apply knowledge and understanding: Ability to apply knowledge in the area of Accounting for the analysis and solution of complex problems in national and international interdisciplinary contexts Ability to apply knowledge in the area of Accounting to develop and integrate the results of economic-financial communication in business decision-making models Ability to apply knowledge in the area of Accounting for the design and management of corporate restructuring and other extraordinary operations Ability to apply knowledge in the area of Accounting in order to be able to dialogue and interact in a competent manner with the managers of the various company functional areas, with financial markets and with corporate and tax law professionals Ability to apply knowledge in the area of Finance to be able to carry out analysis of complex problems in a national and international interdisciplinary context Ability to apply knowledge in the area of Finance for the planning and realisation of corporate restructuring and other extraordinary operations Ability to apply knowledge in the area of Finance for the identification, evaluation and management of investments in financial markets Ability to apply knowledge in the area of Finance for the design of coherent financial management strategies in companies or financial intermediaries, competently applying acquired knowledge in risk management techniques, asset valuation, handling of derivatives Ability to apply knowledge in the area of Management for the critical analysis and formulation of solutions to complex problems in national and international interdisciplinary contexts in small or large organisations Ability to apply knowledge in the area of management to integrate the results of economic and financial communication and quantitative data analysis into business decision-making models Ability to apply knowledge in the area of Management to frame and evaluate organisational situations and problems in a multidisciplinary perspective, integrating business, economic, legal, financial and statistical-mathematical disciplines Ability to apply knowledge in the area of Management in order to be able to dialogue and interact with the managers of the various corporate functional areas, with financial markets and with corporate and tax law professionals Ability to apply knowledge in the area of Law to assess and decide the legal form of the organisation, also in relation to interactions with its stakeholders Ability to apply knowledge in the area of Law to analyse and integrate legal and fiscal effects in the design and implementation of corporate restructuring operations and other extraordinary operations, also in an international context Ability to apply knowledge in the area of law to be able to dialogue and interact critically and competently with corporate and tax law professionals Ability to apply knowledge in the area of Economic Analysis to understand the evolution of financial markets and changes in the international macroeconomic environment Ability to apply knowledge in the area of Economic Analysis for the analysis of economic, managerial and financial variables supporting the decisions of companies and financial intermediaries Ability to apply knowledge in the area of Economic Analysis to be able to frame and evaluate situations and problems in a critical manner and based on scientific methods in a multidisciplinary perspective, thanks to a training that integrates business, economic, legal, financial and statistical-mathematical disciplines Autonomy of judgement: Ability to apply the knowledge acquired to make managerial and operational decisions and to solve problems of administration and finance of companies, intermediaries and financial markets, jointly taking into account multiple perspectives of analysis, from economic to legal, financial, strategic, management. Ability to select data and use appropriate information to describe a problem concerning the management of companies, intermediaries and financial markets. Ability to relate models and empirical evidence in the study of companies, intermediaries and financial markets. Communication skills:

Bildungsziele und erwartete Lernergebnisse (zus. Informationen)
At the end of this course a student is expected to attain the following learning outcomes: Knowledge and understanding: • knowledge of theoretical foundations of scientific research • knowledge of methodological approaches to address a problem conduct an analysis of relevant data for the successful completion of a research project • a clear understanding of the structure and objectives of a scientific text at academic level. Applying knowledge and understanding: • identify and formulate a clear, relevant, researchable research question in line with scientific standards • develop a research framework and translate the research question into a coherent methodological approach with logically ordered and concrete research steps that minimize common pitfalls • collect, select, and synthesise information applying appropriate and state-of-the-art data collection and data analysis strategies • interpret this information vis-a-vis a research question and the inherent academic debate developed in the literature. Making judgments: • conduct independent assessment of specialized academic literature and synthesize knowledge about research topics • demonstrate the ability to critically reflect on the information¿collected and the research findings, based on theoretically sound argumentation and personal judgment. Communication skills: • develop specialised skills to report in writing and communicate orally about scientific research and its findings • demonstrate advanced competence in summarising, paraphrasing, synthesis, critical analysis, comparing and contrasting, citing, and referencing in an academic written text.

Art der Prüfung
The course grade is based on a combination of: • a written exam with a mix of multiple-choice and open questions • a research proposal in the form of an essay

Bewertungskriterien
Detailed information on the course program and assessment criteria are provided at the beginning of the course.

Pflichtliteratur

To be announced at the beginning of the course.



Weiterführende Literatur

To be announced at the beginning of the course.



Weitere Informationen
The OLE course page is announced at the beginning of the course.


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Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung
Diese Lehrtätigkeit trägt zur Erreichung der folgenden Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung bei.

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