School of Management

MN2103 Research Methods 2013-14

MODULE INFORMATIONAcademic Year: 2013/14 Lectures: 20 hours

Programme: Second Year UG Time: Mon. 17:00 – 19:00

Semester: 2 Venue: ATT LT1

Credits: 20 Tutorials: 4 hours

MODULE CONVENORLecturers: Room: Email:Dr Richard Courtney KEB 209 rac16@le.ac.uk

Office Hours: by appointment

Dr Daniela Rudloff KEB 216 Daniela.Rudloff@le.ac.uk

Office Hours: by appointment.

SEMINAR TUTORAmee Yostrakul wy37@le.ac.uk

Thomas Swann trs6@le.ac.uk

MODULE AIMS AND OBJECTIVESAimsThe course explores a range of research methods used in business and management research and their origins in social science research practice. These include generic approaches to qualitative and quantitative methodologies. The course will describe the process of conducting research, from developing problem oriented literature reviews, formalising research questions to designing studies and analysing data. A key aim of the module is to prepare you for dissertation work in the third year, to understand the basis upon which social scientific knowledge is synthesised and to enable you to critique ‘popular’ knowledge.Module Objectives

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At the end of this module students will have been introduced to the following issues pertinent to research:

1) Commonly used research practices within business and management research

2) The social science practice that underscores business and management research

3) How to make philosophically and ethically informed methodological choices4) The necessary preparation for a research proposal suitable for a third year

dissertation

Intended Learning OutcomesAt the end of this module, students will be able to:

1) Describe and discuss commonly used research process in business and management research

2) Recognise the basis of business and management research within the broader field of social science research

3) Distinguish different forms of data and demonstrate their usages to different research problems

4) Demonstrate an awareness of ethical issues and ethical frameworks in research and produce academically informed strategies to address them

5) Synthesise academic issues through the construction of problem orientated literature reviews

6) Compose research questions that are operationalisable in an undergraduate research context

7) Evaluate academic research evidence and methodology8) Construct academically rigorous arguments based on empirical data and

methodological insight

Key Transferable SkillsAt the end of this module students will have developed the following skills:

1) Proposal writing – be able to write an outline for a potential piece of research2) Learning resources – access a range of learning resources (books, journals,

e-journals, and internet resources)3) Management of Information – collect appropriate data from a range of

sources and undertake simple research tasks with external guidance4) Autonomy – take responsibility for your own learning within the framework of

support offered by academic staff.5) Communication – communicate clearly and effectively in written and oral

formats.

LEARNING & TEACHING METHODSStudents are required to attend eight seminar/tutorials. Lectures will provide the starting point for your own reading and learning. Attending lectures will need to be supplemented by a range of reading and self-managed learning.

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Seminar/Tutorials will start on the week commencing 10 February. Please see your seminar schedule for full details of times and room locations. Tutorials aim to expand upon issues raised during lectures. They are an opportunity to seek clarification and allow the opportunity for in-depth discussion. Tutorials will be “student-led” and should help you widen your knowledge and understanding of the module content. You are expected to contribute to class discussions.

You are expected to spend at least 5 hours each week preparing for MN2103 lectures and tutorials. Try to read all sources listed for lectures, and come to tutorials prepared to discuss and learn.

ASSESSMENT100% of module mark = coursework

The coursework will consist of one written assignment of 3000 words in the form of a research proposal, which must include the following headers:

1) Research Title 2) Introduction to Research Topic & Main Research Question 3) Literature Review and Research Questions 4) Methodology 5) Analysis of Data 6) Ethical Considerations

Assignment to be submitted electronically by 12 th May 2014 See Assignment Details and Guidelines for further information. Also more details on, and preparation for both tasks will be provided during the tutorial sessions.

READING

The required text for this module is:

Bryman, A. & Bell, E. (2011) Business research methods. 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Also recommended:

Easterby-Smith, M., Thorpe, R., Jackson, P. (2008) Management Research. 3rd Ed. London: Sage.

Layder, D., (2013), Doing Excellent Small-Scale Research, London: Sage.

Lee, N. & Lings, I. (2008) Doing business research. London: Sage.

Eriksson, P. & Kovalainen, A. (2008) Qualitative methods in business research. London: Sage.

Oakshott, L. (2009) Essential Quantitative Methods for Business, Management and Finance. 4th ed. Palgrave Macmillan

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MODULE CONTENTSLecture Programme

Lecture 1: 27 Jan Doing Research, Philosophy of Research

Lecture 2: 3 Feb Conducting a Literature Review and Generating Research Questions

Lecture 3: 10 Feb Approaches to Qualitative Research

Lecture 4: 17 Feb Collecting and Analysing Qualitative Data

Lecture 5: 24 Feb Ethics and Reflexivity in Research Practice

Lecture 6: 3 Mar Approaches to Quantitative Research

Lecture 7: 10 Mar Methods of Quantitative Data Collection

Lecture 8: 17 Mar Data Entry and Basic Data Analysis

Lecture 9: 24 Mar Advanced Quantitative Data Analysis

Lecture 10: 7 Apr Visualising Data and Writing Quantitative Research Reports

SEMINAR/ TUTORIALS

Please note that attendance and preparation for the tutorials is an expected and mandatory requirement for the module. The research topic and question; the literature review and methodological approach will serve as the basis for your third year dissertation.

SEMINAR CONTENT & PREPARATION

Attendance and Quality of SeminarsThe success of a seminar is measured by the quality of interaction between its members. Attendance to seminars is mandatory and it is essential for the successful

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completion of your assignment. You will have an opportunity to discuss both parts of the assignment with your tutors who are there to help you prepare a good research proposal.

The seminars will comprise discussions to work through the practical aspects of your module assignment.

The quality of the discussion will be increased with how much students read and think about the issues beforehand. Students are expected to prepare before the seminar, as a requisite for attendance.

Preparing & ReadingReading with the purpose of preparing for a seminar or essay is a particular skill. It involves not only taking in a description of what the writer is saying, but a more active questioning of what is going on in the text. As you read you will need to jot down key concepts and identify the central argument(s). As you do this you should also be thinking about how convincing the arguments are: what are the strengths and weaknesses of the research the text is based upon? How do the arguments compare with other ones in the area? Do different authors agree or disagree? Is the argument consistent or does it have gaps in the logical threads? Does the theoretical side of the argument make sense in the light of the empirical research or is there a leap in the assumptions made?

Seminar Schedule

Tutorial 1Revision of first lecture (Philosophy of Research) and further details on the assignment.Preparation: Read the assignment guidelines carefully and be ready to discuss the requirements

Tutorial 2

Choosing a Research TopicPreparation: Think through the different classes you have attended in your degree so far in order to identify the general area you may want to research for your 3rd year dissertation. Consider areas in which you have a genuine personal interest and curiosity.** write an outline of the research topic to investigate (min. one paragraph) and think of whether this can be developed as a research proposal.

Tutorial 3

Identifying Relevant ResearchPreparation: Begin conducting your literature review by searching for and identifying key books and journal articles relevant to your research topic. Consider the bodies of knowledge and literature within which your research will be located within.** write down the details of the 10 pieces of academic research that you believe are most relevant to your research topic.

Tutorial 4Writing Your Literature ReviewPreparation: Based on the major pieces of academic research that

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you have identified (as well as others), synthesise these into a written summary of your specific research topic. This will form the basis of the first part of your assignment.** write a one page summary of key research related to your topic, indicating the major debates and key references.

Tutorial 5

Defining a Research Questions/ProblemsPreparation: Review your literature review in order to identify the key questions or problems that your research will investigate and how this will build on or contribute to that literature.** based on your literature review so far, write down 2-3 key questions/problems that your proposed research will address.

Tutorial 6

Deciding on A Research MethodologyPreparation:Consider the nature of your research questions and what might be the best way to investigate them. Reflect on this in terms of the general approach your research will take as well as the specific data gathering methods that you will use.** write a short outline of your proposed research methods (min. one paragraph)

Tutorial 7

Exemplary ResearchPreparationAt this stage you will have a good idea of the research that you are proposing. To help refine this, identify an ‘exemplar’ of the research that you intend to do – a piece of research in the same topic area that uses a similar methodology to the one you are proposing to use. ** Select and be prepared to discuss a journal article that you see as exemplifying good research in your chosen topic area.

Tutorial 8

Putting it All Together: Writing the Research ProposalThis final session will review the overall process of writing a research proposal and provide students with the opportunity to ask any final questions regarding proposal writing and the requirements of the assignment.** Review your progress on writing the final part of the assignment and identify key issues or questions you would like discussed in the session.

Dr Richard Courtney and Dr. Daniela RudloffJanuary 2014

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