Entry requirements

Completed 30 credits from basic courses (A-level) in business studies, and attended 30 credits intermediate courses (B-level) in business studies of which at least 15 credits must be completed.

Learning outcomes

The key objective of this course is to present a comprehensive overview of business challenges connected to the various fields of business studies. Furthermore the course presents relevant research methods that aim to enable the student to complete a Bachelor thesis. Upon completing the course, the student will be able to:

• present and discuss central issues in business studies,
• understand, communicate and discuss concepts and perspectives connected to various areas within the field of business studies,
• understand the foundations and origins of business studies concepts related to either areas of marketing and organisation or accounting and finance,
• use interdisciplinary insights and perspectives from different areas of business studies such as marketing and organisation or accounting and finance, and critically reflect upon these,
• understand and discuss ethical business dilemmas,
• discuss how different research methods can be applied in business studies research,
• analyse practical problems in relation to business studies using scientific methods and techniques, and to communicate, orally and in writing, the results and conclusions,
• independently perform a business study research project that is presented in a Bachelor thesis and at a public seminar.

Content

The course covers the final semester of the Bachelor program in Business Studies and includes a Bachelor thesis that the students complete during the semester. Based on this, the course is divided into two modules, in-depth studies and Bachelor thesis. The in-depth studies part, in turn, contains two subparts, one dealing with scientific method and one with in-depth business studies. In total, the course therefore consists of three parts: 1) scientific method, 2) business studies in-depth studies and 3) Bachelor thesis.

The first part, scientific method, gives a broad overview of quantitative and qualitative research methods in business studies. The aim is to make it easier for the students to gain insight into some central parts of business studies research. This part also aims at facilitating the students' choice of essay topic and their ability to formulate relevant and interesting research questions for their essays.

The second part deal with in-deeth studies within different parts of business studies. At the beginning of the course, the current in-depth studies to be studied in the course are presented. The students then choose the in-depth area to study, either within 'finance and accounting' or 'organisation and marketing'. In each specialisation track, the chosen sub-area is studied, but also commonly used research methods within the respective sub-area.

The first two parts of the course make a platform for the third part, the Bachelor thesis. Based on studies of research methods and specific aspects of business studies, the student independently perform a business study research project that is presented in a Bachelor thesis.

Instruction

The first part of the course is based on a series of lectures and seminars. The students are given tasks related to general research methods and specifically their forthcoming Bachelor thesis.

The second part of the course contains studies of central aspects of business studies, either within 'finance and accounting' or 'organisation and markering'. In the beginning of the course the different aspects that are studied are presented. Based on this presentation the students choose what aspect to do in-depth studies of. Furthermore in this part a combination of lectures/guest lectures, seminars/web seminars with student-based activities as well as problem-based assignments and written reports is used to further develop the students' understanding of the topics raised.

The third part is based on a series of seminars. Here ideas for research projects are discussed and elaborated and gradually transformed into a Bachelor thesis. When working with the research project the students are organised in pairs.

The language of instruction is Swedish, although the course literature is English and some lectures, e.g., guest lectures, are given in English.

Assessment

The examination consists of two modules:

1. Business Studies, Theory and Methods 15 credits (U, G)
2. Bachelor Thesis in Business Studies,15 credits (U, G, VG)

and one grade is given for the whole course, 30 credits.

In Module 1, examination takes place continuously in the form of seminars, writings, assignments, group work and computerised tests. Module 2 is examined based on the final version of the Bachelor thesis as well as the oral and written presentations of it. In addition, a mandatory quiz on cheating and plagiarism is carried out. The grading scale used in Module 1 is G (pass) and U (fail). The grading scale used in Module 2 and throughout the course is VG (pass with distinction), G (passed) and U (failed). The grade for the entire course is based on the two modules. The grade G (pass) on the course requires G (pass) on both modules. For the grade VG (pass with distinction) on the course, G (passed) is required on Module 1 and VG (passed with distinction) is required on Module 2. More detailed information on how the weighing is done can be found in the study guide.

If Module 1 is failed, the student can get supplementary tasks. Any remaining tasks must be submitted no later than the time specified in the study guide. If this does not happen, the grade of Fail is obtained on the examination in question. The entire course (with all associated examination elements) must then be redone, which can only be done via re-registration at future course sections.

If the Bachelor thesis is failed, the student can complete it and submit the thesis for a re-assessment at later submission opportunities withiout re-registration. The student has no right to supervision after regular submission at the end of the course.

If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the university's disability coordinator.

Uppsala University does not accept cheating or plagiarism. Suspected incidents of cheating or plagiarism are reported to the Vice-Chancellor, which may issue a formal warning to the student or suspend the student from studies for a certain period.

NOTE: Only completed courses can count toward a degree.

Other directives

The course substitutes/overlaps Bachelor's Thesis 2FE407.