COURSE INFORMATION Course Title: THESIS

Code	Course Type	Regular Semester	Theory	Practice	Lab	Credits	ECTS
BAF 550	E	4	3	0	0	3	18

Academic staff member responsible for the design of the course syllabus (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature)	NA
Main Course Lecturer (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature) and Office Hours:	Dr. Martins Priede mpriede@epoka.edu.al , Tuesday 12:00-14:00
Second Course Lecturer(s) (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature) and Office Hours:	NA
Language:	English
Compulsory/Elective:	Compulsory
Study program: (the study for which this course is offered)	Master of Science in Banking and Finance
Classroom and Meeting Time:	Wedneday 18:00
Teaching Assistant(s) and Office Hours:	NA
Code of Ethics:	Code of Ethics of EPOKA University Regulation of EPOKA University "On Student Discipline"
Attendance Requirement:	By appoinment
Course Description:	This course is aimed at giving the student the opportunity to independently and under a professor’s supervision to conduct and finalize the research required for graduating in the master’s program. During this course students will develop major components of the thesis, write the thesis following the universities rules and regulations (mainly APA writing standards), collect data (from primary or secondary sources), analyze the data, and formulate conclusions and/or policy implications. Student will discuss with the assigned supervisor all the steps necessary for successfully completing the thesis and presenting it during the course and the final defense.
Course Objectives:	At the end of the semester, students will be able to read and analyze published research studies in business, prepare written proposals for their research topics, and devise and conduct research studies for their theses and projects.

BASIC CONCEPTS OF THE COURSE

1	Research Topic: is a subject or issue that a researcher is interested in when conducting research. A well-defined research topic is the starting point of every successful research project. Choosing a topic is an ongoing process by which researchers explore, define, and refine their ideas.
2	Research Question: Pinpoints exactly what you want to find out in your work. A good research question is essential to guide your research paper, dissertation, or thesis. All research questions should be: 1- Focused on a single problem or issue. 2- Researchable using primary and/or secondary sources. 2 - Feasible to answer within the timeframe and practical constraints. 3 - Specific enough to answer thoroughly. 4 - Complex enough to develop the answer over the space of a paper or thesis. 5 - Relevant to your field of study and/or society more broadly.
3	Hypothesis: An idea or explanation for something that is based on known facts but has not yet been proved.
4	Research Hypothesis: (Also called as scientific hypothesis) is a statement about the expected outcome of a study (for example, a dissertation or thesis). To constitute a quality hypothesis, the statement needs to have three attributes: 1– specificity, 2- clarity and 3- testability.
5	Literature Review: A literature review is a piece of academic writing demonstrating knowledge and understanding of the academic literature on a specific topic placed in context. A literature review also includes a critical evaluation of the material; this is why it is called a literature review rather than a literature report. It is a process of reviewing the literature, as well as a form of writing.
6	Primary Data: Is data that is collected by a researcher from first-hand sources, using methods like: Surveys and censuses or interviews.
7	Secondary Data: Is the data that has already been collected through primary sources and made readily available for researchers to use for their own research.
8	Methodology: Research methodology is defined as the systematic method to resolve a research problem through data gathering using various techniques, providing an interpretation of data gathered and drawing conclusions about the research data.
9	Methodology vs. Methods: Methods are “practical procedures used to generate and analyze data (Birks and Mills, 2011, p. 4) while Methodology “is the underlying theory and analysis of how a research is done or should proceed” (Kirsch & Sullivan, 1992, p. 2).
10	Empirical Analysis: is a type of research dedicated to the discovery of concrete, verifiable evidence. Guided by the scientific method, empirical analysis allows researchers to remove personal bias and instead use concrete, accurate and repeatable real-world evidence to draw conclusions. The empirical evidence is a central part of the scientific method, leading to the proving or disproving of a hypothesis.

COURSE OUTLINE

Week	Topics
1	Introduction to the Course
2	Chapter 1: Business and management research, reflective diaries and the purpose of this book. This book is designed to help you to undertake a research project whether you are an undergraduate or postgraduate students. It is designed as an introductory textbook and to support you through the entire research process. Pg(2-25)
3	Chapter 2: Formulating and clarifying tnhe research topic. Characteristics of a good research topic include appropriateness, capability and fulfilment. However, the most important is that it will meet the requirements of the examining body. Generating and refining research ideas makes use of a variety of techniques. It is important that you use a variety of techniques, including those involving rational thinking and those involving creative thinking. Pg(26-71)
4	Chapter 3: Critically reviewing the literature. Critically reviewing the literature is necessary to help you to develop a thorough understanding of, and insight into, previous work that relates to your research question(s) and objectives.Pg(72-127)
5	Chapter 4: Understanding research philosophies and approaches to theory development. The term ‘research philosophies’ refers to systems of beliefs and assumptions about the development of knowledge. This means that your research philosophy contains important assumptions about the way in which you view the world. These assumptions shape all aspects of your research projects. Pg(128-161)
6	Chapter 5: Formulating the research design. Research design is the way a research question and objectives are operationalised into a research project. The research design process involves a series of decisions that need to combine into a coherent research project. Pg(161-220)
7	Chapter 6: Negotiating access and research ethics. Access and ethics are critical aspects for the conduct of research.Different types of access exist: traditional access, Internet-mediated access, intranet-mediated access and hybrid access. Pg(232-290)
8	Midterm Exam
9	Chapter 7: Selecting samples; Chapter 8: Using secondary data. Your choice of sampling techniques is dependent on the feasibility and sensibility of collecting data to answer your research question(s) and to address your objectives from the target population. When using probability sampling it is usually more sensible to collect data from the entire population where the target population is 50 or fewer.Pg(292-377)
10	Chapter 9: Collecting primary data through observation; Chapter 10: Collecting primary data using semi-structured, in-depth and group interviews. The use of semi-structured and in-depth interviews allows you to collect rich and detailed data, although you will need to develop a sufficient level of competence to conduct these and to be able to gain access to the type of data associated with their use. Pg(378-501)
11	Chapter 11: Collecting primary data using questionnaires; Chapter 12: Analyzing quantitative data. Questionnaires collect data by asking people to respond to exactly the same set of questions. They are often used as part of a survey strategy to collect descriptive and explanatory data about facts/demographics, attitudes/opinions and behaviours/events. Data collected are normally analysed quantitatively.Pg(502-563)
12	Chapter 12: Analyzing quantitatively data. For data to be analysed quantitatively it must either already be quantified or able to be transformed into quantitative data.Pg(564-635)
13	Project presentation
14	Projec presentation

Prerequisite(s):	NA
Textbook(s):	Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill (2024). Research Methods for Business Students. 9th Ed. Prentice Hall, New York, USA.
Additional Literature:
Laboratory Work:	NA
Computer Usage:	NA
Others:	No

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES

1	Students will identify a significant research question
2	Students will contextualize the question and hypothesis in the literature of the field
3	Students will develop a hypothesis
4	Students will develop methods to answer the research question and test the hypothesis
5	Students will carry out planned methods
6	Students will present results in light of academic norms
7	Students will contextualize results and discuss the limitations and significance of the study in light of literature
8	Students will follow ethical standards and academic norms in documenting sources
9	Students will demonstrate an ability to conduct research, think critically, and organize ideas in effective ways
10	Students will defend their research

COURSE CONTRIBUTION TO... PROGRAM COMPETENCIES (Blank : no contribution, 1: least contribution ... 5: highest contribution)

No	Program Competencies	Cont.
Master of Science in Banking and Finance Program
1	The students gain the ability to look at the problems of daily life from a broader perspective with an increased awareness of the importance of moral/ethical considerations and professional integrity in the workplace.	5
2	They develop a broader understanding of banking and finance including concepts, theories, and analytical tools that serve both in national and international markets.	5
3	They are able to apply advanced valuation models to estimate the price of different financial assets as well as evaluate multinational business firms.	5
4	They are able to apply different investment techniques and form portfolios that would generate higher returns by decreasing the unsystematic risk level.	5
5	They have advanced knowledge of the regulatory framework and functioning of the banking system, international banking, central banking and the conduct of monetary policy.	5
6	They are able to conduct advanced financial analysis and use the results in the decision-making process of business firms.	5
7	They are able to understand and use advanced economic theories and tools to solve economic problems in banking and financial services industry.	5
8	They have the ability to utilize accounting, financial and economic data as well as other information to solve complex and unstructured business problems by using advanced econometric and statistical models.	5
9	They develop their ability to think critically, do advanced and independent research, analyze, interpret results, draw conclusions, and communicate effectively, both individually and as part of a team.	5
10	They are provided with opportunities to acquire the necessary skills and competencies to move on to further study within the discipline.	5

COURSE EVALUATION METHOD

Method	Quantity	Percentage
Presentation	1	30
Term Paper	1	70
	Total Percent:	100%

ECTS (ALLOCATED BASED ON STUDENT WORKLOAD)

Activities	Quantity	Duration(Hours)	Total Workload(Hours)
Course Duration (Including the exam week: 16x Total course hours)	16	2.5	40
Hours for off-the-classroom study (Pre-study, practice)	16	24	384
Mid-terms			0
Assignments	1	16	16
Final examination	1	10	10
Other			0
Total Work Load:			450
Total Work Load/25(h):			18
ECTS Credit of the Course:			18

CONCLUDING REMARKS BY THE COURSE LECTURER

The course was delivered in accordance with the curriculum and ethical standards. Student engagement was strong, though limited access to certain resources posed minor challenges. For future sessions, improved resource availability and scheduling adjustments are recommended. Academic integrity and fairness were maintained throughout.