HOW NOT TO RAP by Shane Johnson 06 Jun 2005 Over 2,500 ACCA students have been awarded the

BSc in Applied Accounting from Oxford Brooks University. Shane Johnson, the external examiner for the Research and Analysis Project, provides guidance on how to pass first time. Oxford Brookes University offers a unique BSc (Hons) degree in Applied Accounting through a partnership with ACCA. To obtain the degree you must successfully complete Parts 1 and 2 of the Professional Scheme and demonstrate your ability to research, analyse and use key skills by completing a business-related Research and Analysis Project and a Key Skills Statement. Under the current BSc scheme, projects are either awarded a pass or are classified as a fail. Visitwww.accaglobal.com/students/professionalscheme/degreepartnershipfor full details of the objectives, structure, and requirements of the BSc degree scheme. Make sure you visit this area of the website before you start your project as it includes lots of useful information. There is a high pass rate for the Oxford Brookes Research and Analysis Project. To help ensure you pass first time, this article looks at the most common reasons why students fail. An unstructured project lacking in clear objectives In order to ensure your project has the appropriate structure and that you have clear objectives you should ask yourself the following questions:

What is my research question/title of my project? What is the current literature on the subject and the underlying theory? What methods will be used to gather information about the topic? How will the analysis be carried out? What conclusions can be drawn from the analysis? What are the key elements that I should present to my mentor? What have I learned from the process? Each of these questions must be answered and set out clearly in the project (the last two questions relate to the Key Skills Statement). A number of projects are often lacking in structure and do not set out a literature review, a method, the information gathered, an analysis of that information, and a conclusion. It is vital that the project has a logical sequence and it is essential that your findings and discussion match that of your chosen project title. Placing undue reliance on the use of secondary data A project report which mainly comprises quotations from articles or the work of other authors is unacceptable - the data used to answer the research question must principally be primary data. You must demonstrate an understanding of the theory which relates to the question/topic that you are discussing. For example, if the topic is researching the effect of an International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) on the financial statements of an organisation, then the principles of the IFRS must be discussed - perhaps also research into the effect on the share price of a company when there is a change in an accounting standard.

Not making sufficient use of the data collected The use of a questionnaire or a real-life case study to gather your project data can be extremely helpful. If a questionnaire/case study is used then it should be the focal point of your analysis. Many candidates use a questionnaire and analyse it, but then do not make sufficient use of the data collected in the discussion of their findings. You should include a copy of your questionnaire in your project report. Inconsistency between the analysis and the data provided For example, the ratios and the financial statements exhibited in the project must be consistent. Each part should be cohesive and underpin other parts of the project. If you are looking at the effect of an IFRS on a company, research in this area generally says that any impact on the share price is likely to have occurred prior to the publication of the first results under the new IFRS. In this scenario, you must check whether this is the case with the company used in your project. Therefore, the literature review and theory underpinning your research/project must be discussed in the light of your results and analysis. Your results might be different from the literature/theory and where this is the case then this is perfectly acceptable. Lack of analysis It is vital that you provide sufficient analysis of the data contained within your project. For example, the computation of accounting ratios is insufficient to satisfy the requirements of the project. It is essential that the computation of accounting ratios is accompanied by appropriate interpretation and analysis of the organisation that is the subject of the project. You need to explain why a change has occurred, not just report the change itself. Not meeting the aims of the key skills statement The aim of the Key Skills Statement is to demonstrate the nature of your personal learning arising from discussions with your mentor and your presentations. It should be a personal account of your learning. Many candidates appear to reproduce statements which are very similar as they are based on the recommended text. While the text is of value as it provides guidance on the production of a Key Skills Statement, candidates should bear in mind that a fundamental requirement of the project is that Key Skills Statements do in fact reflect their own experiences. It is obvious to markers where a candidate has fictionalised their Key Skills Statement and where no presentation or interaction with their mentor has taken place. A useful tool is to keep a diary which details your thoughts on the process and development of your project. Fictional statements constitute a failure in this part of the assessment. Reflecting on your work is a difficult task. Writing a diary is helpful, as if you do have a thought, you can record it before you forget it! A common reason for failure is that candidates do not include an outline of the presentation they made to their mentor or peer group. This would usually include copies of overhead slides or PowerPoint slides that were used during the presentation. The guidelines specify the framework to be used for the Key Skills Statement - so make sure you achieve these as a pass must be obtained in each element. If you combine two or more elements, it is unlikely that you will pass those elements as they will be difficult for the marker to identify.

Choosing an inappropriate mentor To help you through the project it is vital to choose an appropriate mentor. When choosing a mentor, candidates should consider whether a potential mentor possesses the following attributes:

experience of research and knowledge of referencing the ability and willingness to set aside the time required without interruptions the willingness to hold additional meetings if necessary the enthusiasm and sufficient interest to want to participate fully in the discussions sufficient awareness in order to assess whether, for example, your timescale is too tight or the scope of your intended project is too broad. In order to gain a greater awareness of the role of a mentor, candidates are advised to read Pippa Riley's article 'Making the most of your mentor' which was published in the August 2003 issue of student accountant and can be accessed on the ACCA website. Choosing an inappropriate topic The Research and Analysis Project should ideally be based on a business-related topic from the list of 'Recommended topics for your report' which are detailed in Section 3.3 of the Project Guidelines issued by Oxford Brookes University. If your proposed project title isn't in the list you should request special permission from Oxford Brookes University. Unapproved titles will almost invariably be classified as a fail. Failing to reference the text properly The Project Guidelines set out in some detail how to reference your work and construct a bibliography. A common reason for a project being classified as a fail arises where students have constructed a bibliography but not proceeded to reference the project. Referencing is simple and compulsory. In theory, if you do not reference your work, then you are effectively plagiarising someone else's work. Thus it is essential that you place a bibliography at the end of your report (using the Harvard System) and insert appropriate references within the text. A bibliography alone will not meet the project requirements. Students are directed to carefully read Appendix 1 of the Project Guidelines, which shows how to reference work and construct a bibliography. It is extremely important to include both elements, and if you do not include them, you will fail. Failing to demonstrate appropriate IT skills This area requires careful consideration by candidates who should have a clear aim to demonstrate within the project where they have made good use of appropriate IT skills. It is not the candidate's fault that this area is sometimes difficult to assess. However, it remains vital for candidates to clearly show that the analysis has incorporated the use of his/her IT skills. This could be in the form of a spreadsheet or the use of other software. You must therefore ensure that the marker is in no doubt that you have used your IT skills in preparing your project. Moreover, you are advised to give an indication where you have made use of your IT skills and discuss the nature of the learning process you have been through in your Key Skills Statement. Falsification of data Make sure the data for the project is real rather than fictitious. It is obvious to the markers of the project when it is not genuine. The statistics you use are reviewed by experienced academic

staff who will immediately see through any attempt by candidates to create their own data. Plagiarism If you plagiarise someone else's work, be aware that your project grade will be deferred and that you may become subject to disciplinary action from both Oxford Brookes University and ACCA. Examples of plagiarism include copying large amounts of text from a book, journal, or material that has simply been downloaded from the Internet. You must avoid any temptation whatsoever to: 'taking or using another person's thoughts, writings or inventions and presenting them as if they were your own'. The consequences of being found guilty of plagiarism are very serious and could result in removal from the ACCA student register. So remember that originality is essential. Candidates are advised to pay close attention to Appendix 4 of the guidelines which outline the regulations relating to 'cheating'. Do not exceed the word limit! The report has a word limit of 5,000 words excluding appendices and the bibliography. The Key Skills Statement has a limit of 1,500 words. Conclusion Candidates should follow the Research and Analysis Project guidelines issued by Oxford Brookes University and pay particular attention to the observations made in this article. This will help ensure that you pass your project at the first attempt. Shane Johnson is external examiner for the Research and Analysis Project