Faculty of Business: Management
Credit points: 6 cp

Subject level: Undergraduate

Result Type: Grade and marks

Handbook description

This subject provides the critical skills, methodological judgment, and theoretical sophistication for students to be able to design a competent research project.

Subject objectives/outcomes

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

1. Identify the criteria for doing exemplary research.
2. Apply and defend exemplary criteria to their own choice of excellent research.
3. Develop critical interrogative skills vis-à-vis doing, interpreting and evaluating research.
4. Use exemplars as templates for the research they will follow in their own research.
5. Write elegant and pleasing prose.

Contribution to graduate profile

Researching Organisations and Management is designed to develop research students' ability to define the parameters, requirements and appropriateness of a topic that interest them as their research area. The subject aims to prevent a number of common mistakes that research students typically make at the beginning of their career. By doing this subject students will improve the quality and better the progress of research projects to enable them to better complete their research and thesis writing.

Teaching and learning strategies

This subject is delivered through a variety of face-to-face teaching strategies. Lectures involve face-to-face content delivery, employing highly interactive approaches to enhance the theoretical delivery of the subject tailored to specific student needs and interest. The subject is delivered though a seminar program which utilises intensive modes of teaching, based on case studies of exemplary research that link the theory and practice of doing research. Throughout the subject students are required to present papers and be involved in peer learning activities.

Content

• Learning the science, art and craft of research – by mastering exemplary research
• Managing organisations research – understanding quantitative and qualitative approaches to knowledge
• Introducing diverse research approaches – developing ability to accomplish excellent writing, conceptualisation and communications skills.

Assessment

Semester Assessment (Individual)	35%
The semester assessment consists of a series of small take-home exercises given to reinforce material presented in class, which include an appreciative 500 word essay setting out their understanding of the essentials of good writing; critiques of journal articles, and evaluation of an academic presentation.
First Assignment (Individual)	25%
Students are required to write an appreciation and critique of a piece of official exemplary research from the book Doing Exemplary Research, Frost, P and Stablein, R, (1992), London, Sage. This addresses objective 3.
Second Assignment (Individual)	40%
Students are required to write an appreciation and critique of a research exemplar that they have chosen to fit their own research agenda and interest. This addresses objective 4.

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

Small group teaching and an emphasis on examinations assessment assures the security of assessment processes

Recommended text(s)

Frost, Peter and Stablein, Ralph (1992) Doing Exemplary Research. London: Sage Publications.

Indicative references

Faculty of Business (1999) Guide to Writing Assignments, Faculty of Business, University of Technology, Sydney.

Redman, Peter (2001) Good Essay Writing: A Social Sciences Guide

Second Edition, London: Sage.

Stablein, Ralph (1996) 'Data in Organization Studies', pp. 507-525 in S. R. Clegg et al (eds) Handbook of Organization Studies, London: Sage.

Watson, Don (2003) Death Sentence, Knopf: Milsons Point, Sydney.