APPLIES TO ACADEMIC YEAR 2014/2015

BTH 9503 Bachelor Thesis - Advanced Managerial Accounting and Real Investment Theory

Responsible for the course
Espen Skaldehaug

Department
Department of Accounting - Auditing and Law

Term
According to study plan

ECTS Credits
15

Language of instruction
Norwegian

Introduction
The participants shall analyse a real problem from a real firm, and give their advice as to the decision to be taken. The Bachelor’s Thesis in Business Economics can be considered as a report, produced by the use of well-known economic models. The challenge will, in all essentials, consist of how to:

• Use the economic models correctly
• Collect information and to analyse, to be able to use as correct data as possible
• Discuss the models’ answers, and how to take in consideration the models’ weaknesses and other decision -relevant factors, typically qualitative factors, not taken account of in the models
• Present a proposal for decision, discussion of the proposal and, what next?

• Cost efficiency
• Profit considerations
• Outsourcing

• Expansion or reduction decisions
• Outsourcing decisions
• Efficiency decisions

• Sale
• Quotation
• Generation change

• gained knowledge of the assignment problem area, supported by relevant textbooks and scientific articles,
  acquired basic knowledge of science,
• accumulated knowledge about how to define a research problem, conducting literature studies, developing research questions / hypotheses, weighing research design, qualitative and quantitative methods,
• gained in-depth knowledge of selected methods and techniques for collecting qualitative and / or quantitative data,
  accumulated knowledge about the relationships between purpose, approach, data quality, methodology, analysis and recommendation for resolution.
• Students should realize that the end-all recommendation is a consequence of a number of assumptions and choices made during the assessment work, and that "everything depends".

• skills to implement all elements of a research process, including defining the research problem, selecting research designs, balancing method options and implementing the selected options
• skills in searching, collecting, evaluating and critically interpreting the relevant information about a problem (presenting and discussing results)
• skills in writing to explain and discuss information, problems and solutions in dialogue with different groups (writing a report that is aimed at both specialists and non-specialists)
• skills in working with a project, both individually and as a member of a group, as well as demonstrating proficiency in project management
• skills in applying techniques of data analysis that are relevant to the task

• gained the ability to make judgments with respect to relevant social, scientific and ethical aspects of the work
• developed ability to learn by identifying a need for further knowledge and to develop their expertise in an area of specialization
• gained an understanding that doing the best in the interest of one party will often mean a poorer solution for another party. Using business management models will neither ensure either justice or maximize of the involved persons as a group. The students shall understand the importance of being able to compare the advantages and disadvantages of different alternatives, analyse them and make conclusions. In additional the students shall realise that despite the problem regarding measurement of the firms output (quality and productivity) in one sense, it is important to try to figure out some objective goals.

• Submission of the problem definition by 1 February
• Attendance at thematic sessions
• Participation in the group of sessions, at least two individual guidance and group sessions
  Logging of input in connection with the thesis throughout the process until submission. Documentation of the progress of the work submitted to the supervisor (itslearning.bi.no) twice during the spring semester, in week 11 and week 18