Module BUSI41S15: RESEARCH METHODS IN BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

Department: Economics, Finance and Business (Business)

BUSI41S15: RESEARCH METHODS IN BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

Tied To

• N1K307: Entrepreneurship (full time)
• N1K507: Human Resource Management (full time)
• N1K607: Management (full time)
• N1K807: Marketing (full time)
• N1KL07: Financial Management

Pre-requisites

Corequisites

Excluded Combinations

Aims

• To give students an in-depth understanding of key principles of research design and methodology in business and management, and to develop their skills in conducting and disseminating research at an advanced level.

Content

• Introduction: Approach to social research.
• Research design.
• The nature of qualitative research.
• The nature of quantitative research.
• Data gathering methods: case studies; interviews; survey design; focus groups; experiments.
• Methods of analysis: SPSS; regression; document analysis.
• Formulating a research question.
• Accessing organisations.
• Ethics of research.

Learning Outcomes

• By the end of the module, students should have developed:
• A critical appreciation of the range of philosophical approaches to research from across the social sciences;
• An advanced knowledge of the nature, scope and relationships between quantitative and qualitative research methods in Business and Management and their appropriate use and rationale for selection;
• An in-depth understanding of the possible relations between data collection, sampling and theory-generation;
• A critical understanding of a range of data-gathering methods for conducting qualitative and/or quantitative research, including questionnaires, interviews, and focus groups;
• A critical understanding of a range of methods of data analysis including the use of qualitative and quantitative data sets, descriptive statistics and the use, modelling and interpretation of multivariate statistics.

• By the end of the module, students should have developed:
• The ability to formulate research questions at an advanced level, and where appropriate devise and test hypotheses; identify and where appropriate correct for bias and error; and interpret and evaluate research results;
• High-level skills in devising, structuring and managing a research project and presenting research findings.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• A combination of lectures, seminars and guided reading addressing key topics in research will equip students with the relevant knowledge and understanding.
• The assessment of the module, by an individual research proposal, is designed to test students’ knowledge and critical understanding of different research methodologies, the process of designing a research project at an advanced level, the formulation of appropriate research questions, and the key skills.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment

Group presentation.