Explain how the Pearson correlation describes the relationship between two variables and predicts the general appearance of the scatter plot for the data.
> Identify possible sources and use them to identify a topic area for research.
> Explain the basic distinction between probability sampling methods and nonprobability sampling methods and recognize examples of these two sampling techniques when they appear in research reports.
> Describe the relationship between a sample and the population (both target and accessible) in a research study and explain the importance of obtaining representative, as opposed to biased, samples.
> Define plagiarism and explain the techniques that can be used to help avoid unintentional plagiarism.
> Define fraud and explain the safeguards that exist to prevent it.
> Describe the purpose and responsibilities of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).
> Describe the major elements of the APA ethical guidelines for nonhuman subjects in research.
> Describe the purpose and responsibilities of the Institutional Review Board (IRB).
> Describe the major elements of the APA ethical guidelines concerning human participants in research, including no harm, informed consent, deception, and confidentiality.
> Describe and apply the three ethical principles of the Belmont Report (i.e., respect, beneficence, and justice) to a research situation.
> Describe the major historical events that helped shape the current guidelines for the ethical treatment of human participants in research, including the Nuremberg Code, Milgram’s obedience study, the National Research Act, and the Belmont Report.
> Identify and describe the steps in the research process.
> Define an artifact and explain how examples of artifacts (experimenter bias, demand characteristics, and reactivity) can threaten both the validity and reliability of measurement and how they can influence the results of a research study.
> Define a ceiling effect and a floor effect and explain how they can interfere with measurement.
> Identify the three modalities of measurement and explain the strengths and weaknesses of each.
> Compare and contrast the four scales of measurement (nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio) and identify examples of each.
> Distinguish between science and pseudoscience.
> Define the reliability of measurement and explain why and how it is measured.
> Explain what it means to say that the scientific method is empirical, public, and objective.
> Distinguish between a hypothesis and a prediction.
> Define induction and deduction and explain the role of each in the scientific method.
> Identify and describe the steps of the scientific method.
> Compare and contrast the nonscientific methods for knowing or acquiring knowledge (tenacity, intuition, authority, the rational method, and the empirical method). Identify an example and explain the limitations of each method.
> A researcher studying cyberbullying among middle-school students interviews a group of students from a local middle school about their cyberbullying experiences. For this study, identify the target population, the accessible population, and the sample.
> Suppose you are planning a research study in which you intend to manipulate the participants’ moods; that is, you plan to create a group of happy people and a group of sad people. For example, one group will spend the first 10 minutes of the experiment l
> Using PsycINFO (or a similar database), find research articles on how background music influences mood. Print out the Detailed Record (including the abstract) for one research article on this topic.
> Using PsycINFO (or a similar database), find five articles on the topic of preschool daycare and social anxiety. Print out a copy of the Record List page.
> Hypothetical concepts, such as honesty, are variables that cannot be observed or measured directly and, therefore, require operational definitions. a. Describe one procedure that might be used to measure honesty. b. Use the procedure you described in (
> Define the validity of measurement and explain why and how it is measured.
> Make a list of five ideas for a general research topic that interests you. For each, identify the source of the idea.
> Describe how some behaviors can be explained by clichés, such as “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” or “You can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs.”
> Describe how the reliability of a personality test could be established using the results from a correlational study.
> Suppose that there is a negative relationship between grade point average and the number of hours spent playing video games for high school boys. What grades would you predict for boys who spend more than the average amount of time playing video games?
> Describe how the concept of participant reactivity might explain why a person’s behavior in a group of strangers is different from a person’s behavior with friends.
> A researcher has a sample of 30 rats that are all cloned from the same source. The 30 rats are genetically identical and have been raised in exactly the same environment since birth. The researcher conducts an experiment, randomly assigning 10 of the clo
> Describe how replication protects against fraud being committed in research.
> Select one construct from the following list: happiness hunger exhaustion motivation creativity fear Briefly describe how it might be measured using: a. an operational definition based on self-report (e.g., a questionnaire). b. an operational def
> Determine whether each of the following hypotheses is testable and refutable. If not, explain why. a. Young children can see good or evil auras surrounding the people they meet. b. A list of three-syllable words is more difficult to memorize than a lis
> Is the following hypothesis testable, refutable, and positive? Explain your answer. Hypothesis: People who pray regularly are less likely to be injured in an accident.
> Define a positive relationship and a negative relationship and explain how the consistency of positive and negative relationships can be used to establish validity and reliability.
> A researcher conducting a political poll for a statewide election would like to know the attitudes of college students concerning the candidates. A sample of 200 upperclassmen from the state university is selected to participate in the survey. For this s
> If a researcher selects a sample from each of the following populations, then which is likely to be a probability sample and which is likely to be a nonprobability sample? a. The population consists of the children enrolled in a prekindergarten program
> Explain the purpose of a research proposal and how it differs from a research report.
> Write a research report using APA style.
> Identify and describe the content of each section of an APA-style research report.
> Describe the basic elements of APA-style writing including the use of verb tense and guidelines for citations and apply these elements in your own writing when APA-style is required.
> Explain how sample size and sample variance influence the outcome of a hypothesis test and why a measure of effect size is needed to supplement the test.
> Define a Type I and a Type II error, explain why they occur, and describe the consequences of each.
> Identify the general purpose of a hypothesis test and explain how the test accomplishes the researcher’s goal.
> Define an operational definition and explain the purpose and the limitations of operational definitions.
> Explain how the mean and the standard deviation describe a distribution of scores.
> Define and compute the three measures of central tendency.
> Construct a frequency distribution table or graph to organize and display an entire distribution of scores.
> Define a statistic and a parameter and explain the role that each plays in inferential statistics.
> Describe the basic concern with measuring inter-rater reliability and explain how Cohen’s kappa addresses this concern.
> Describe the two basic concerns with the calculation of split-half reliability and explain how these concerns are addressed by the Spearman–Brown formula, the K–R 20, and Cronbach’s alpha.
> Identify the characteristics that differentiate different sets of data and identify the hypothesis test(s) appropriate for each data structure.
> Define the two general categories of statistics, descriptive and inferential, and explain the purpose for each.
> Identify and describe the component-analysis design and describe the circumstances in which it is used.
> Describe the structure of a multiple-baseline design and explain how the results from this design can demonstrate a cause-and-effect relationship.
> Define a construct and explain the role that constructs play in theories.
> Explain the circumstances in which an ABAB reversal design should be modified to create a more complex phase-change design and identify some options for the modification.
> Identify the strengths and weaknesses of an ABAB reversal design and describe the circumstances in which it should or should not be used.
> Describe the structure of an ABAB reversal design and explain how the results from this design can demonstrate a cause-and-effect relationship.
> Explain how researchers identify a “significant” difference between two phases in a single-case study.
> Describe the purpose of a phase in a single-case design and explain how patterns within a phase are defined, including the importance of stability of data.
> Identify the basic elements of a single-case experimental research design that make it a true experiment: manipulation and control (including baseline observations, multiple and stable observations, and replication of treatment effects).
> Identify the general advantages and disadvantages of single-case designs compared to traditional group designs.
> Identify the strengths and weaknesses of a multiple-baseline design and describe the circumstances in which it should or should not be used.
> Describe the goal of single-case research and explain how single-case designs are related to other experimental designs, the descriptive case study, and the quasiexperimental time-series design.
> Describe the general characteristics of the case study design, identify the different situations for which this type of research is well suited, and explain its strengths and weaknesses.
> Describe the characteristics of a good hypothesis and identify examples of good and bad hypotheses.
> Distinguish between qualitative and quantitative research and recognize examples of each.
> List five stakeholders of accounting information. Describe the information requirements for each one; for example, lenders would need information regarding the business's ability to repay debt and service a loan.
> One of the new opportunities for accounting graduates is forensic accounting. What does forensic accounting entail? Provide an example of a position as a forensic accountant.
> Provide an example each of a company that would produce a GPFS and a company that would produce a special purpose financial statement. Who are the likely stakeholders of both types of entities?
> Go to the Tableau website (www.tableau.com). Select ‘Products’ and ‘Tableau Desktop’. Summarise the main features of ‘Tableau Desktop’ and how it can assist accountants in their daily tasks.
> In Amcor’s 2017 GRI Report, CEO Ron Delia stated that ‘with our global scale, strong relationships and collaborative approach, Amcor is making improvements and breakthroughs that are raising the environmental profile of our entire industry’. Listed among
> Refer to the latest financial statements for JB Hi-Fi Ltd. (The notes to the 2018 consolidated financial statements of JB Hi-Fi Ltd appear in the appendix to this text and the statements are available online at http://investors.jbhifi.com.au.) For each o
> Go to the CSR Ltd website (www.csr.com.au) and locate the segment report in the company’s latest financial statements. (a) What do you think is the purpose of the segment report? (b) What operating segments does CSR have? (c) How do you think this inform
> After successfully running her SME recruitment agency for a number of years, Angelica feels it is now time to expand. Her friends in business have told her to ‘get big or get out’. One of the options she is investigating is whether or not to list on the
> Download the report Triple bottom line reporting in Australia at www.environment.gov.au/archive/settlements/industry/finance/publications/indicators/pubs/indicators.pdf. This guide puts forward a methodology to help entities report on their environmental
> BHP Group Ltd includes a sustainability report in its annual report. What key performance indicators (KPIs) are included in this report? Explain the different stakeholders that would be interested in this information.
> Sustainability accounting is a very important and huge growth area of accounting. Discuss the different stakeholders (and their information needs) that would be interested in sustainability reports.
> Go to the IFRS Foundation website, www.ifrs.org. Select ‘Around the world’ then ‘Use of IFRS standards by jurisdiction’. Comment on the jurisdictions that have adopted IFRS. Which countries are yet to adopt IFRS? Can you think of reasons why certain coun
> Describe how accounting information helps shareholders and lenders to make decisions concerning the operations and performance of an entity.
> It is argued that the convergence of our accounting standards with international standards and their subsequent adoption have brought great benefits to the Australian economy. What are the benefits in relation to international trade?
> ‘Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status. We are all equally entitled to our human rights without discrimination.
> Critique the role that regulation plays in encouraging business sustainability. In other words, assess whether you feel the government should regulate to protect the environment’s and society’s needs or whether companies would ‘do the right thing’ anyway
> You are a CFO in an organisation that is considering reporting on CSR using the GRI Standards. The CEO has asked you to prepare a report for the board supporting such a proposal. In this report you should outline: (a) The benefits of CSR reporting (b) Th
> Read the article on environmental auditing at www.epa.vic.gov.au/our-work/environmental-auditing. What is environmental auditing? What is a 53V audit? What is the role of the auditor in the 53V process?
> Compare the principles underlying the GRI sustainability reporting Standards with the principles underlying the preparation of GPFS.
> List the qualities needed in providing external audit and assurance services to organisations in relation to CSR reports.
> Suggest what the most important driver of sustainability would be and explain your rationale for its selection.
> What are some of the advantages of business planning?
> Outline some ways that accountants could contribute to the sustainability efforts of organisations.
> Outline the nine principles of business sustainability performance as put forward by Epstein and Roy (2003).
> Growth areas for accountants in the future include sustainability reporting and, more specifically, carbon accounting. What are the costs and the benefits for entities in reporting their carbon greenhouse gas emissions?
> What are the three pillars of sustainability?
> Suggest ways in which suppliers and customers could work together to reduce their overall impact on the environment.
