Faculty of Business: Management
Credit points: 6 cp

Subject level: Undergraduate

Result Type: Grade and marks

Handbook description

This subject provides some of the analytical and practical research skills required for successful completion of the major research component of the Honours program, the thesis in Management. Topics include: surveys; experiments and quasi-experiments; content analysis; and qualitative techniques such as case studies, interviewing and action research.

Subject objectives/outcomes

On successful completion of this subject students should be able to:

1. Understand the main research methodologies, both qualitative and quantitative, used in organisational and management research.
2. Understand the ethical issues relevant to the carrying out of organisational and management research.
3. Design and write a proposal for a research project in the management or organisational areas.
4. Design and carry out research projects in the management area, and report the results of the studies, both orally and in writing.

Contribution to graduate profile

This subject will provide some of the analytical and practical research skills required for the successful completion of research students' projects and the writing of their theses.

Teaching and learning strategies

The subject is delivered through a series of workshops in which the various research methods and skills and taught and their application demonstrated and practiced through experiential class activities and set assignments.

Content

• Overview of the different types of management research, both qualitative and quantitative, and the circumstances in which these might be used.
• Ethical issues for research, such as privacy, conflict of interest and the use of deception.
• Survey methodology, including questionnaire construction, sampling, and the analysis and presentation of survey data.
• Experiments and quasi experiments, evaluation research.
• Qualitative methods, including case studies, participant observation, interviews, and action research.
• Designing a research project and writing a research proposal.
• Report writing and reporting of research by oral presentation.

Assessment

Research Proposal (Individual)	15%
This project consists of the design and writing of a research proposal for a small questionnaire based survey. This addresses objectives 2 and 3.
First Research Project (Individual)	50%
This project consists of the execution and the reporting of the results, both orally and by a written report, of a small questionnaire based survey. This addresses objectives 1, 2 and 4.
Second Research Project (Individual)	35%
Students are required to design, carry out, and write reports on and two small studies. Students can choose from a variety of methodologies, but not including the one used for the first research project. This addresses objectives 1, 2 and 4.

Topics and methodologies for the various above assessments are developed in class, or are related to the students' own honours thesis research, and thus vary from semester to semester.

Recommended text(s)

Ticehurst, G.W. and Veal, A.J. (1999). Business Research Methods: A Managerial Approach. Sydney: Addison Wesley Longman.

Indicative references

Cavana, R.Y., Delahaye, B,L., and Sekaran, U. (2001) Applied Business Research: Qualitative and Quantitative Methods. New York: Wiley.

Collis, J., and Hussey, R. (2003). Business Research, A practical guide for undergraduate and postgraduate students (2nd edn). New York: Plagrave Macmillan.

Ghauri, P. and Gronhaug, K. (2002) Research Methods in Business Studies: A Practical Guide. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.

Lee, T.W. (1999). Using qualitative methods in organisational research. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

Zickmund, W. (2003) Business Research Methods. (7th ed.) Mason, Ohio: Thomson, South Western.