COMM 438.3 (01) 2013-14
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING PROJECT
INSTRUCTIONS TO STUDENTS
Purpose of the project
The main purpose of this project is to provide exposure to students of seeing a management control
system in practice. On the one hand you will learn how a system is put in place and how it works
– the experience of the management and employees, who are part of the system, can provide
valuable education to you. On the other hand you can examine and evaluate the system as a thirdparty observer.
You can then provide recommendations by drawing upon your
theoretical/conceptual knowledge; thereby applying your knowledge.
What skills will you develop?
I believe there are many skills that you can potentially develop from undertaking such an exercise;
they include:
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Professionalism, etiquette and verbal communication
Understanding of workplace structures and processes
Research, analysis and critical thinking
Written communication
Research ethics
All course projects undertaken by students of the Edwards School of Business must be approved
by the Edwards Research Ethics Committee. Students must strictly adhere to the guidelines of the
Research Ethics Committee. Faculty are also required to follow the exact same procedure when
they conduct research projects.
Please note the following:
1. As soon as possible get in touch with the main contact person in the organization that you
are assigned to. It would be a good idea to meet this individual as soon as possible to get
a better idea about the project.
2. Once you have a list of potential participants, invite each person individually to participate
in the project (see Appendix A at the end of this document for a sample letter of invitation).
3. Explain to each participant the purpose of the study and that you will maintain anonymity
and confidentiality.
4. You must have each participant, including the main contact person, sign the consent form
(see Appendix B at the end of this document). Please give one copy of the consent form
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to the participant and keep one copy with you.
5. When all the interviews have been completed you must give me all the signed copies of the
consent form for storage in my office for a period of five years.
6. Remind the participant that they can choose to NOT answer a particular question posed by
you. Remind them also that they can withdraw from the study at any time. In the event
that someone decides to withdraw you must destroy all the information that they have
provided to you.
7. At the beginning of each interview ask the participant if you can tape-record the interview.
Please explain to the participant that the purpose of tape-recording is to ensure that no
information which they have provided is misrepresented.
8. At the end of the interview ask the participant if she/he wishes to review the transcript of
the interview. If the participant says yes, please send her/him a copy of the transcribed
notes when completed, and ask the participant to review and approve the notes. Please use
Appendix C to obtain release of the transcript.
9. If the participant does not wish to see the transcribed notes please have that person checkoff the appropriate box and sign the transcript release form as soon as you complete the
interview (Appendix C).
10. Once the research is completed please give me all your interview tapes and notes for
storage in my office for a period of five years.
11. ONE FINAL WORD: Maintaining anonymity and confidentiality is absolutely critical.
The participant must not, at any time, perceive a threat of any kind.
Progress and Deadlines
1. The deadline for the final report is midnight, Monday, 2nd December. You will submit
one copy of the report on Course Tools.
2. One objective of this project is that it exposes you to how at least parts of a management
control system operate in practice; another is to develop your research skills.
3. As part of the research skill development you will be required to determine the type of data
that you must collect; this means that you must think about the questions that you will ask
the participants in the study.
4. It would be in your best interest to complete your data collection (including the
transcription of tapes) by Friday, 8th November. This will give you three weeks to do your
analysis and complete the report.
5. It is in your best interest to start early so that you are not left behind in the process. You
will be dealing with busy executives; try to avoid putting last minute pressure on them for
appointments, interviews, other data and approvals.
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6. I wish to meet each group three times during the semester to discuss progress; the schedule
of these meetings is as follows:
(1) week of 23rd September
(2) week of 21st October
(3) week of 18th November
Report
1. I am very eagerly looking forward to seeing a 15 to 20-page (double-spaced) report from
each group. You can include as many appendices/exhibits/tables/figures as you think are
necessary (these are not included in the page count).
2. You must provide at least five scholarly references (excluding the textbook). The list of
references must be prepared using the APA format. See the following website for
additional information and guidance with the use of the APA format:
http://library.concordia.ca/help/howto/apa.php
3. Please follow the format listed below:
 One page executive summary
 Problem statement (what is being examined/studied/reviewed?)
 Research methodology (includes details about sources of data, number of
participants, interview questions, other data in the form of company
documents, …)
 Your interview questions must be included as an appendix
 Analysis (this is where you will do a critical analysis and also incorporate relevant
theory and concepts)
 Recommendations and Conclusions
4. It is extremely important that you do not identify any participant by name in your report;
mention only their title.
PLEASE REMEMBER THAT I AM ALWAYS AVAILABLE TO ANSWER ANY
QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE OVER THE COURSE OF THE PROJECT!
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APPENDIX A
Sample Letter of Invitation to Participate
Dear (potential participant):
We are writing to invite your participation in a research project that we, the undersigned, intend to
undertake as part of the requirements of a course on Management Planning and Control Systems
(COMM 438) that we are currently registered in.
The main purpose of this project is to get exposure to see a management control system in practice.
On the one hand we (as students) will learn how a system is put in place and how it works – the
experience of the management and employees, who are part of the system, can provide valuable
education. On the other hand we can examine and evaluate the system as a third-party observer,
and provide recommendations by drawing upon our theoretical/ conceptual knowledge (this is the
knowledge application part of the project).
The proposed research project in this course, to be conducted under the supervision of the course
instructor and the principal investigator Dr. Suresh Kalagnanam, will involve groups of students
studying one or more elements (components) of an organization’s management control system,
identifying its strengths and weaknesses, and making recommendations. Data collection will focus
on collecting information to enable student groups to understand the management control system
(or the element being studied) in terms of how it is designed, who is involved in its design, how it
is used within the organization (including by whom in the organization it is used).
The primary data collection method is in the form of interviews with key individuals like yourself.
We ask for between one and two hours of your time commitment for the interview. Should we
require additional information we will contact you separately to schedule another interview. Please
note that at each interview you will be given the option of your interview being tape-recorded; the
main reason for the request is so that we can capture all the information accurately and do not
misrepresent the contents of the interview.
We hope that you agree with us regarding the importance of this research project and its potential
benefits, and trust that you will consider participating in this study. Please note that this is an
academic research project and the data that we collect will be used for research purposes only.
Nonetheless, do not hesitate to contact the principal investigator, Dr. Suresh Kalagnanam (phone:
966-8404; e-mail: kalagnanam@edwards.usask.ca) and/or either one of us if you require any
further information.
We look forward to hearing soon from you.
Sincerely,
Name and contact information of each student in the group
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APPENDIX B
Individual Participation Consent Form
Consent Form
You are invited to participate in a research project as part of the requirement for a course on
Management Planning and Control Systems (COMM 438). Please read this form carefully, and
feel free to ask any questions you might have.
Researchers
Principal investigator:
Suresh Kalagnanam, PhD, CMA. CGA
Associate Professor of Accounting
Edwards School of Business
25 Campus Drive
Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5A7
Phone: (306) 966-8404
E-mail: kalagnanam@edwards.usask.ca
Student researchers:
Student name
Contact information (phone number and e-mail
address)
Purpose and Procedure:
The main purpose of this project is to get exposure to see a management control system in practice.
On the one hand we (as students) will learn how a system is put in place and how it works – the
experience of the management and employees, who are part of the system, can provide valuable
education. On the other hand we can examine and evaluate the system as a third-party observer,
and provide recommendations by drawing upon our theoretical/conceptual knowledge (this is the
knowledge application part of the project).
The proposed research project in this course, to be conducted under the supervision of the course
instructor and principal investigator Dr. Suresh Kalagnanam, will involve groups of students
studying one or more elements (components) of an organization’s management control system,
identifying its strengths and weaknesses, and making recommendations. Data collection will focus
on collecting information to enable student groups to understand the management control system
(or the element being studied) in terms of how it is designed, who is involved in its design, how it
is used within the organization (including by whom in the organization it is used).
Your participation in our study is entirely voluntary and will be kept confidential. Senior
administration will not be made aware of who is or is not participating. Once you have consented
to participate, we would ask for approximately one to two hours of your time (this will take place
at your place of employment during regular working hours) to ask questions pertaining to the
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research subject explained above. We may request further participation if necessary at a later date
to collect more information. If further participation is desired, we would again invite your
participation and ask for consent; participation in subsequent meetings is also voluntary. There is
no penalty for refusing to participate, and/or refusing to answer a specific question. Please also
note that you are free to answer only those questions that you feel comfortable to answer.
We also request your consent to tape-record the interview; the main reason for the request is so that
we can capture all the information accurately and do not misrepresent the contents of the interview.
Once the interview is transcribed, you will be contacted via e-mail if you wish to review the
transcript.
The information collected will be used for academic research purposes, the results of which may
be used for publication in an academic journal and/or presentations at academic conferences.
Confidentiality: The information collected will be kept in strict confidence; the data will be
available only to the members of this student group. Any recordings will be destroyed once
transcriptions are approved. All data (consent forms separate from transcriptions) will be stored
securely in the office of the principal investigator for a period of five years.
No participant(s) will be identified by name in any of the documents prepared by the researcher.
At each stage of the review process, you may request a copy of your interview, and/or reports for
verification, which you will be asked to sign and return signifying your consent. You will be given
the opportunity to review your comments prior to publication to which you can add, alter or delete
as you see fit. Please note that your organization will receive a copy of the aggregated report; they
will also be provided with the opportunity to suggest changes before being submitted as a finished
work.
Right to Withdraw: You may withdraw from the study for any reason, at any time, without
penalty of any sort. If you withdraw from the study at any time, any data that you have contributed
will be destroyed. Withdrawal from the study will not affect your employment status. Your choice
to participate, or not to participate, will not be reported back to senior management, or anyone else
in your organization.
Questions: If you have any questions concerning the study or would like a copy of the completed
study, please feel free to ask at any point; you are also free to contact any of the researchers at the
numbers provided above. This study has been approved on ethical grounds by the Edwards School
of Business Research Ethics Committee on (insert date). Any questions regarding your rights as a
participant may be addressed to that committee through the committee’s Chair (306-966-2385).
Out of town participants may call collect.
Consent to Participate: I have read and understood the description provided above; I have been
provided with an opportunity to ask questions and my questions have been answered satisfactorily.
I consent to participate in the study described above, with the understanding that I may withdraw
this consent at any time. I also give my consent / do not give my consent to tape-record the
interview (please circle as appropriate). A copy of this consent form has been given to me for my
records.
(Signature of Participant)
(Date)
(Signature of Researcher)
(Date)
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APPENDIX C
Individual Transcript Release Form
Title of the Study: Research Project to fulfill the requirements for a course on Management
Planning and Control Systems (COMM 438).
Transcript Release Form
___ By checking here, I choose to allow the researchers to use my transcript without contacting
me to review and make changes to it.
I, __________________________________, have reviewed the complete transcript of my personal
interview in this study, and have been provided with the opportunity to add, alter, and delete
information from the transcript as appropriate. I acknowledge that the transcript accurately reflects
what I said in my personal interview with the researchers. I hereby authorize the release of this
transcript to the researchers to be used in the manner described in the consent form. I have received
a copy of this Data/Transcript Release Form for my own records.
_________________________ _________________________
Participant
Date
_________________________ _________________________
Researcher
Date
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