Gathering and interpreting information is critical to business decision-making. Having a firm grasp of business research methods can enable managers and business leaders to make better decisions and to solve problems more effectively. Students taking this course will develop a firm grasp of research methods and the research process in the business context. In so doing, students will further develop their analytical awareness and an ability to communicate, as well as the ability to discriminate between good research and bad research.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. define, explain and illustrate, from theoretical and practical perspectives, decision making concepts and processes in business settings
2. describe and evaluate research concepts and methods in a business setting
3. evaluate business research designs, including measurement and sampling methods
4. prepare research proposals and write research reports.

Research-Led Teaching

This course places a strong emphasis on statistical principles and integrates research from diverse academic domains, including statistics, quantitative sociology, management, and economics. This approach enhances students’ understanding of quantitative research methods and equips them to apply these methods effectively in real-world business contexts.

Field Trips

There are no field trips in this course.

Additional Course Costs

There are no additional class costs expected in this course.

Examination Material or equipment

There is a final examination for this course held during the end-of-semester examination period. All examination information will be communicated directly to students by the ANU Examinations Office. Specific details of the exam date will be available closer to the commencement of the examination period at https://exams.anu.edu.au/timetable/. Further advice will be provided by the end of Week 12. The examination will be administered in person and is a closed-book exam (with material restrictions).

Required Resources

Textbooks:

1. The Cartoon Guide to Statistics (2015)

Authors: Larry Gonick & Woollcott Smith

2. Statistics for Managers Using Microsoft Excel, 9th Edition, Global Edition (2021)

Authors: David M. Levine, David F. Stephan, Kathryn A. Szabat

As part of this course, students are expected to read book chapters that are assigned on a weekly basis. Book chapters can be accessed from the ANU library for free, or can be purchased in either hardcopy or e-book format from the publisher.

Recommended Resources

In-session resources:

• Students are expected to utilize Excel. Excel, in particular, will be crucial for the more computationally challenging methods covered in the latter part of the course. Excel is readily available at no cost from the IT service desk and is pre-installed on University PCs. Some in-class examples will illustrate the use of Excel. Also, students should be adept at interpreting Excel results for the weekly quizzes and the final exam.
• Excel is part of Microsoft Office. ANU staff and students can download a copy of Microsoft Office for free, for use on personal devices by visiting the Microsoft Office 365 Online Portal. Please refer to HERE for details.

Staff Feedback

Feedback: Rubrics are provided for all assessment items so that students can plan their work and can identify areas for improvement. Students may receive feedback in any of the following ways:

1. Written or rubric-based feedback;
2. Synchronous live feedback to individual learners or consolidated for the whole class;
3. Feedback in numeric, tabular, and graphical formats, and/or comments provided by video or audio recording or in writing;
4. Individual feedback can be provided to students in consultation with the teaching team by email or by appointment.

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). Feedback can also be provided to Course Conveners and teachers via the Student Experience of Learning & Teaching (SELT) feedback program. SELT surveys are confidential and also provide the Colleges and ANU Executive with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement.

Other Information

Important: Updates and announcements for this course will be circulated via emails and/or Canvas site. Students should ensure that their official ANU email address is effective and that they have access to Canvas. Students should check their ANU email address daily during teaching periods.

Student consultation:  

• Consultation requests to students will be circulated by Course Announcements or by email.
• Every effort will be made to respond to student queries as soon as possible, and within 2 business days unless there are special circumstances. The preferred initial method of contact is email, with other forms of communications (such as in-person consultation, online consultation, chat, or phone) used by agreement.

Course Guidance: Detailed guidance on assessment requirements, marking criteria, assessment submission standards, navigating the teaching facilities, and how to study online as well as detailed course notes are all available on the Canvas page.

• Refer to the QUICK GUIDE near the top of the page for an overview of online learning through this course,
• Then read, watch, or listen to the other resources it identifies for more details.

Submission size: A maximum submission size is specified for assessment items. The specified sizes are adequate to cover the requirements to a high standard and they encourage focused and business-like writing and presentation. Note that words, slides, pages, or time in excess of the specified maximum submission size will not be marked.

Assessment submission standards: Advice on assessment submission standards, including detailed guidance on what is counted towards submission size, is provided on the Canvas page.

Procedure for extensions: The procedure for obtaining an extension of time for an assessment item is advised in the section on LATE SUBMISSION.

Scaling: Your final mark for the course will be based on the raw marks allocated for each of your assessment items. However, your final mark might not be the same number as produced by that formula, as marks may be scaled. Any scaling applied will preserve the rank order of raw marks (ithat is, if your raw mark exceeds that of another student, then your scaled mark will exceed the scaled mark of that student), and may be either up or down.

Applicable timezone: The Australian National University is situated in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory and all references to times and dates refer to time in the Australian Capital Territory. Be aware that the Australian Capital Territory observes Australian Eastern Daylight Saving Time in summer months; the effect of this is to shift the time by one hour from Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) to Australian Eastern Daylight-saving Time (AEDT). This shift is taken into account in setting times for submission of assessment items or other activities so the set time will be as specified, but AEST or AEDT will apply depending on the time of year.

Publication of Final Results

The release of final grades may change prior to end of semester. The last return of assessment date (4th Dec 2025) provided in the Assessment Summary table is the latest expected. If results are released earlier, then that assessment item(s) will be returned earlier as well.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	WK 1. Why do we need quantitative research? What is business analytics?	*Readings:1. Gonick & Smith (2015): Ch1 "What is Statistics?" pp.1-6 2. Levine et al (2021): Ch17.1 “Business Analytics Overview” p.631 & “EXCEL GUIDE” pp.41-42
2	WK 2. Placement test and student research plan	*This test aims to assess students' proficiency in basic statistics and mathematics. Lecture and tutorial materials from week 3 will be tailored based on the placement test scores.*Tutorials: form groups (5-6 students per group)
3	WK 3. Quantitative research design	*Reading:Levine et al (2021): Ch17.1 “Business Analytics Overview”
4	WK 4. Data collection	*Readings:1. Gonick & Smith (2015): Ch6 "Sampling" pp. 89-1102. Levine et al (2021): Ch1 “Defining and Collecting Data” pp.31-45*Tutorials: Writing group proposals for Assessment task 2*Assessment Task #1: Weekly Quiz 1 due
5	WK 5. Probability	*Readings:1. Gonick & Smith (2015): Ch3 "Probability" pp.27-52 Ch4 "Random Variables" pp.53-72 Ch5 "A Tale of Two Distributions" pp. 73-88  2. Levine et al (2021): Ch4.1 “Basic probability” pp.182-185 & “Chapter 4 EXCEL GUIDE- EG4.1” p.205 Ch6.2 “The Normal Distribution” pp.228-240 & “Chapter 6 EXCEL GUIDE” p.252 Ch7.1 “Sampling Distribution” pp.254-269 & “Chapter 7 EXCEL GUIDE” pp.273 *Assessment Task #1: Weekly Quiz 2 due
6	WK 6. Data description	*Readings:1. Gonick & Smith (2015): Ch2 "Data Description" pp.7-26 2. Levine et al (2021) Ch2 “Organizing and Visualizing Variables” pp.68-100 & “Chapter 2 EXCEL GUIDE” pp.118-129 Ch3 “Numerical Descriptive Measures” pp.138-142, 144-163 & “Chapter 3 EXCEL GUIDE” pp.178-180 *Assessment Task #1: Weekly Quiz 3 due
7	WK 7. Statistical inference and hypothesis testing I-Comparing two groups: t-test and ANOVA (Analysis of Variance)	*Readings:1. Gonick & Smith (2015): Ch7 "Confidence Intervals" pp.111-136 Ch8 "Hypothesis Testing" pp.137-156 Ch9 "Comparing Two Populations" pp.157-180  2. Levine et al (2021): Ch11 “Analysis of Variance” pp.341-391& “Chapter 11 EXCEL GUIDE-EG11.2” pp.415-417 *Assessment Task #1: Weekly Quiz 4 due
8	Hypothesis testing II-Correlation & simple linear regression-Dummy variables and interactions	*Readings:1. Gonick & Smith (2015): Ch11 "Regression" pp.187-2102. Levine et al (2021): Ch13 “Simple Linear Regression” pp.460-490 & “Chapter 13 EXCEL GUIDE” p. 506*Assessment Task #1: Weekly Quiz 5 due
9	Hypothesis testing III -Multiple linear regression	*Readings:1. Gonick & Smith (2015): Ch11 "Regression" pp.187-2102. Levine et al (2021): Ch14 “Introduction to Multiple Regression” pp.509-529 & “Chapter 14 EXCEL GUIDE-EG14.1” pp.552*Assessment Task #1: Weekly Quiz 6 due
10	Getting ready to analyse data for your research project-How to write a report and present your analysis results	*Readings:1. Gonick & Smith (2015): Ch12 "Conclusion" pp.212-2132. Levine et al (2021): Ch18 “Getting Ready to Analyze Data in the Future” p.648-653*Assessment Task #1: Weekly Quiz 7 due
11	Review of the course *Summary of what you have learned from Week 1 to 10.	*Assessment Task #2: Student presentation due
12	Mock exam *The final lecture will cover how to prepare for the final exam (using mock questions).	*Assessment Task #2: Student presentation due
13	Final Examination Period	*Assessment Task #3: Final exam

Tutorial Registration

ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage. Tutorials will be held throughout the semester, starting in the 2nd week of class. Tutorials will primarily take place on Either Mondays or Tuesdays. Each tutorial consists of two parts: (1) a brief review of weekly quizzes and (2) group activities. The quizzes are intended to review topics covered in lectures. Through group activities, students have opportunities to collect, analyse, and interpret real-world data. By the end of week 2, students need to choose tutorial sections that best suit their schedules.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Weekly quizzes (Individual assessment) (35%)	35 %	*	*	1,2,3
Group report presentation (Group work and group assessment) (30%)	30 %	13/10/2025	04/12/2025	1,2,3,4
Final exam (Individual assessment) (35%)	35 %	*	04/12/2025	1,2,3,4

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines , which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Integrity Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Extenuating Circumstances Application
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure
• Code of practice for teaching and learning

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the Academic Skills website. In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Canvas’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

Teaching will be through lectures and tutorials to reinforce learning and guide the development of assessable tasks. To gain the best and most effective results from these teaching sessions, students are expected to study the weekly prescribed chapter/content and readings prior to sessions, and work on the related assessment tasks over the following weeks as well as through tutorial participation. See the Canvas page for details of the scheduled days and times for these teaching sessions. Resources, including core content, academic research articles, and other audio, visual, or textual resources that will be made available online through Canvas.

Examination(s)

There is a final examination for this course held during the end-of-semester examination period. All examination information will be communicated directly to students by the ANU Examinations Office. Specific details of the exam date will be available closer to the commencement of the examination period at https://exams.anu.edu.au/timetable/. Further advice will be provided by the end of Week 12. The examination will be administered in person and is a closed-book exam (with material restrictions).

Assessment Task 1

Weekly quizzes (Individual assessment) (35%)

Weekly quizzes: 35% (7 weeks x 5% for each quiz = 35%)

 

You will have seven weekly quizzes to complete throughout the course, from week 4 to week 10, excluding weeks 1, 2, 3, 11 and 12. These quizzes will encompass a mix of multiple-choice questions and calculation problems. Towards the end of the course, some quizzes will require the use of Excel.

 

You can access these quizzes through the course Canvas site. Each quiz allows only one attempt, but you do not need to complete the entire quiz in one session. You can revisit and work on them as many times as you like until the submission deadline. The quizzes will be automatically submitted at the deadline, even if they are not completed.

 

All quizzes will open on Tuesdays at 09:00am and close at 11:59 pm on Saturdays. Feedback will be provided during the first 10 minutes of the following week’s tutorial. Your tutors will discuss the most challenging question(s) during the first 10-min feedback session.

 

You MUST work alone on these quizzes and you must not share their answers or work together with your classmates to complete them. Please note that late submissions will NOT be accepted under any circumstances, including technical issues, illness, being out of town/country, vacation, family commitments, etc.  Plan your time accordingly. 

In this course, you may choose to use or not use AI tools. In any case where AI tools are used, you must do so in a way consistent with the ANU Academic Integrity principles for use of GenAI and the ANU provides further broad guidance in the ANU Gen AI LibGuide.

 

Due Date: Every Tuesday from 09:00am to Every Saturday 11:59 pm, no quizzes during weeks 1, 2, 3, 11 and 12, through the course Canvas site.

 

Feedback Date: The following week's tutorials.

Assessment Task 2

Group report presentation (Group work and group assessment) (30%)

The second assessment task is a group assignment that involves data analysis based on your chosen topic. In this assignment, imagine that you run a company. Your task is to define your company (e.g., Dickson IGA), identify the business problem your company currently faces (e.g., a significant decrease in sausage sales), and formulate at least one hypothesis to test, such as, “Which consumer group should Dickson IGA target to increase sausage sales?” Based on your hypothesis, you will need to design data collection tools (such as survey questionnaires), gather real-world data, describe the data, and analyze it using the most appropriate hypothesis testing method learned in the course (in other words, do not use a regression and t-test at the same time!). You will have the opportunity to receive feedback on your plan for this assignment (aka. assignment proposal) during tutorials in Week 4. Your tutor will guide you to ensure you are on the right track. After receiving feedback, you will proceed with data collection, analysis, and interpretation as a group. You will need to submit presentation slides by Monday in Week 11, and choose either Week 11 or Week 12 to present your analysis results.

 

Presentations will be video recorded, which will enable later validation and verification of assessment if required (in accordance with point 7 in the ANU Student Assessment (Coursework) policy).

Marking Criteria for Assessment Task 2:

The assessment task 2 is evaluated based on the following criteria in your group presentation:

a) Identification of a business-related question (i.e., what is the business problem your company currently faces?).

b) Design of data collection tool (e.g., a survey questionnaire distributed/collected in person).

c) Collection of real-world data (e.g., in-person survey of 100 customers who visit Dickson IGA).

d) Data description and visualisation using Excel.

e) Analysis of collected data using the most appropriate hypothesis testing method from the course using Excel (e.g., a simple linear regression)

f) Recommendations for your company based on the analysis.

In addition to your presentation slides, you need to upload evidence of data collection (e.g., copies of survey questionnaires and answers from your surveyees). 

 

Your presentation should be 15 minutes long at max, excluding a 5-minute Q&A session. Each member of your group should contribute to the presentation. The presentation will take place during tutorial time in either week 11 or 12. You as a group need to upload your presentation slides to the course Canvas site by 9am on Monday, Week 11.

In this course, you may choose to use or not use AI tools. In any case where AI tools are used, you must do so in a way consistent with the ANU Academic Integrity principles for use of GenAI and the ANU provides further broad guidance in the ANU Gen AI LibGuide.

If you use GenAI, you must include the following information on the last page of your group report:

a)     Specify the tools used (e.g., ChatGPT 3.5).

b)    State the purpose(s) for which you used them in the task (e.g., to improve writing style).

c)     Identify the specific aspects or features of the tools used (e.g., proofreading and editing functions of ChatGPT).

d)    Provide evidence of how the information generated by GenAI modified your assessment task (e.g., submission of a separate file with tracked changes that shows the progression of your work and the contribution of AI to completing the task).

Please note: You must not use AI-generated data for Assessment 2, as you are required to gather real-world data.

Due Date: In-class presentations will occur in either Week 11 or 12. Submission of presentation slides via Canvas by 9am on Monday in Week 11.

Feedback Date: After the final grade release.

Assessment Task 3

Final exam (Individual assessment) (35%)

Final exam: 35%

 

The final exam is scheduled for the Exam Week (the exam date and time will be confirmed by Week 11). This is a Proctorio exam completed on a computer. You must not use any unpermitted resources, such as notes, textbooks, or Internet resources, for the duration of the exam. Some questions will require the use of Excel to test the skills and knowledge you have gained from this course.

 

The exam will consist of 25 questions, each worth 1.4 points. It will include multiple-choice questions, as well as Excel application problems. The final exam contributes 35 percent of your total grade.

 

A practice exam will be provided in WK12. Please ensure you have a good internet connection for the exam and set up Proctorio in advance. If you experience any issues with Proctorio or the internet, please contact the convener at your earliest convenience, and the teaching team will make appropriate arrangements. A makeup (deferred) examination will only be permitted in cases of genuine extenuating circumstances supported by appropriate evidence. If this applies, please contact the convener/lecturer-in-charge before (or soon after) a deferred examination application request is submitted.

 

Exam Details:

Format: Proctorio exam (link on Canvas)

Duration: 1 hour

Due Date: During the end of the semester final examination period

Feedback Date: After the final grade release

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. The University’s students are an integral part of that community. The academic integrity principle commits all students to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support, academic integrity, and to uphold this commitment by behaving honestly, responsibly and ethically, and with respect and fairness, in scholarly practice.

The University expects all staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle, the Academic Integrity Rule 2021, the Policy: Student Academic Integrity and Procedure: Student Academic Integrity, and to uphold high standards of academic integrity to ensure the quality and value of our qualifications.

The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 is a legal document that the University uses to promote academic integrity, and manage breaches of the academic integrity principle. The Policy and Procedure support the Rule by outlining overarching principles, responsibilities and processes. The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 commences on 1 December 2021 and applies to courses commencing on or after that date, as well as to research conduct occurring on or after that date. Prior to this, the Academic Misconduct Rule 2015 applies.

 

The University commits to assisting all students to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. All coursework students must complete the online Academic Integrity Module (Epigeum), and Higher Degree Research (HDR) students are required to complete research integrity training. The Academic Integrity website provides information about services available to assist students with their assignments, examinations and other learning activities, as well as understanding and upholding academic integrity.

Online Submission

The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (handwritten assignments, artworks, laboratory notes, etc.), hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of the completed tasks for your records.

Late Submission

Weekly assessment tasks: Late submissions are not accepted.

Other assessment tasks: Late submission of an assessment task without an extension is penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the Class Summary for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations or for items where this is specified in the description of the assessment task.

Requests for Assessment Adjustment (Assessment Extension and Extenuating Circumstances Application) should be submitted via ANUHub.

Referencing Requirements

The Academic Skills website has information to assist you with your writing and assessments. The website includes information about Academic Integrity including referencing requirements for different disciplines. There is also information on Plagiarism and different ways to use source material. Any use of artificial intelligence must be properly referenced. Failure to properly cite use of Generative AI will be considered a breach of academic integrity.

Returning Assignments

All assignments will be marked and/or returned according to the timeline specified under ASSESSMENT SUMMARY.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Resubmission of Assignments

• Before the due date/time for submission students may re-upload their submission.
• After the due date/time students may only upload a submission if they have not already done so, and a late penalty will then apply.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Accessibility for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents all ANU students