32930 Management Research Methods
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Credit points: 6 cp
Subject level:
Postgraduate
Result type: Grade and marksRequisite(s): 48 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C04161 Master of Business and Technology
There are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Description
This subject prepares students for research in organisations. The advantages and limitations of different research paradigms are examined as well as their applicability in different organisational contexts. Experience is provided in the design of research studies, in the analysis and interpretation of data, and in report presentation. Participants acquire skills that are useful in the conduct of research agendas in their own organisations and in the critical evaluation of others' research work.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
Upon successful completion of this subject students should be able to:
| 1. | Explain the role of research in organisations; |
|---|---|
| 2. | Evaluate existing research critically; |
| 3. | Explain the advantages and limitations of a range of different research paradigms, and their associated methodologies, in organisational contexts; |
| 4. | Conceptualise, design, plan and implement research in the student's field of study and practice; |
| 5. | Use a variety of research methods; |
| 6. | Write a research proposal. |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
This subject also contributes specifically to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs):
- Design Oriented: FEIT graduates apply problem solving, design thinking and decision-making methodologies in new contexts or to novel problems, to explore, test, analyse and synthesise complex ideas, theories or concepts. (C.1)
- Technically Proficient: FEIT graduates apply theoretical, conceptual, software and physical tools and advanced discipline knowledge to research, evaluate and predict future performance of systems characterised by complexity. (D.1)
Content (topics)
- Introduction: Research and Knowledge
Exploring the nature of research in organizations and the relationship between research and knowledge. Establishing the state of knowledge in a particular field. Accessing ideas from the relevant research literature and comparing the findings of published research studies. Introduction to the conceptualization of research questions.
- Positivist Research
Principles of positivist research. Types of positivist research:
1. Survey-Based Research: role and limitations of survey methods; construction of surveys; characteristics of survey types and their appropriate use; questionnaire design and coding; survey data analysis and interpretation.
2. Experiment-Based Research:principles of experimental design; cause and effect; independent and dependent variables; controlling variables; reliability and validity.
- Overview of Research Paradigms and Methodologies
Overview of research paradigms and the range of research methodologies that they espouse. Introduction to qualitative and quantitative research methods.
- Critical Research
The principles of critical research. Action research as the exemplar form of critical research in organizations. Types of action research in organizations. Data collection and analysis in action research.
- Interpretive Research
Principles of interpretive research. Types of interpretive research (ethnographic, phenomenological, grounded theory, case study). Qualitative research methods. Accessing qualitative data through interviews, focus groups, participant observation, text analysis, and ethnography. Analysis of qualitative data.
- Writing up Research
Structure, format and style of research proposals. Writing up specific sections of the proposal such as the literature review and methodology. Structure, format and style of a research report. Writing up specific sections of a research report, such as results and the discussion of the results.
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Case study
| Intent: | Practice in the application of statistical methods |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 2 and 4 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs): C.1 |
| Type: | Case study |
| Groupwork: | Group, individually assessed |
| Weight: | 20% |
| Length: | 2 pages |
| Criteria: | Ability to apply the key principles of positivist research |
Assessment task 2: Methodology Exercise
| Intent: | 3 and 5 |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 3 and 5 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs): D.1 |
| Type: | Exercises |
| Groupwork: | Group, individually assessed |
| Weight: | 60% |
| Length: | 2000 words |
| Criteria: | Succinctness and accuracy of the outline of the chosen methodology |
Assessment task 3: Research Proposal for Project B
| Intent: | 4, 5 and 6 |
|---|---|
| Type: | Exercises |
| Groupwork: | Group, individually assessed |
| Weight: | 20% |
| Length: | 4000 words |
| Criteria: | Persuasiveness of the proposal |
Required texts
None.
Readings will be posted onto the UTSOnline site for this subject.
Recommended texts
Selected readings will be posted onto the UTSOnline site for this subject.
References
Burrell, G. & Morgan, G. (1979) Sociological Paradigms and Organisational Analysis. London: Heinemann.
Coghlan, D. (2003) ‘Practitioner Research for Organizational Knowledge: Mechanistic- and Organistic-oriented Approaches to Action Research’. Management Learning. 34 (4): 451-463.
Creswell, J.W. (2007) Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design. Thousand Oaks (CA): Sage.
Crotty, M. (1998) The Foundations of Social Research: Meaning and Perspective in the Research Process. St Leonards (NSW): Allen & Unwin.
Myers, M. (2009) Qualitative Research in Business and Management. London: Sage.
Orlikowski, W. and Baroudi, J. (1991) 'Studying Information Technology in Organizations: Research Approaches and Assumptions'. Informations Systems Research. 2(1): 1-28.
Stake, R., Straub, D., Gefen, D., and Boudreau, M. 'The IS World Quantitative, Positivist Research Methods Website", 2004. Available: http://dstraub.cis.gsu.edu:88/quant/
Other resources
UTSOnline site for this subject. Information regarding support is available at: wiki.it.uts.edu.au/start/Student Support