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Module Description

The Research Methods and Dissertation module provides students with the opportunity to explore an area of interest within strategic management in greater depth. Transferable skills in research, information and project management will be developed, equipping students for the continuously changing business environment of the 21st century. The aim of the module is to enable students to undertake a self managed process of systematic academic enquiry within the domain of management.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the module students should be able to:

• Recognise and critically evaluate different business and management research designs and the assumptions upon which they are based.
• Develop a structured programme of research in pursuit of their Masters Dissertation based upon informed choices about the research designs, techniques and procedures to be followed.
• Conduct research in a systematic rigorous critically reflective manner.
• Synthesise data from a wide variety of sources having due regard to issues of generalisability, validity and reliability within an acceptable dissertation format.
• Demonstrate both a capacity and a competence in critical self evaluation in respect of personal development.

Indicative Content

The Nature of Management Research and Consultancy

Epistemologies and practices within management research

• The importance of theory and the links between theory and practice.
• Different research philosophies, inductive and deductive research approaches.
• The implications of different strategies for research (for example: experiment, survey, case study, action research, grounded theory and ethnography).

Developing the MBA Dissertation Proposal

• Techniques for generating and refining dissertation ideas.
• Developing dissertation proposals to meet organisational and academic needs.
• Negotiating organisational access.
• Ethical considerations and ethical codes.

Literature Search Skills

• Planning and undertaking a literature search.
• Use of on-line abstracting tools and databases including data archives, CD-ROM databases.
• Issues of validity, reliability and generalisability.
• Uses of academic and practitioner literature.
• Critical reading and referencing skills.
• Writing-up the results of the search in the form of a literature review.

Methods for Data Collection

• Techniques for collecting primary data including: observation focus groups, interviews (structured, semi-structured and in-depth) and questionnaires.
• Populations and samples.
• The use and implications of probability and non-probability sampling techniques.
• Issues of sample size and generalisability.
• Sources of secondary data.
• The uses and abuses of secondary data.

Methods for Data Analysis

• Preparing data for analysis, including using a range of analysis software (e.g. SPSS, spreadsheets, databases, word processors).
• Quantitative analysis techniques to explore present and understand data, including graphical techniques, statistical techniques (e.g. measures of central tendency and dispersion, parametric and non-parametric tests, time series analysis).
• Qualitative analysis techniques to explore and understand data including pattern-matching and explanation-building.

Presentation of Research Findings

• The differing requirements of organisational and academic audiences
• The need for critical evaluation.
• Critical writing, and skills and techniques for extended writing for dissertations.

Personal development and critical self reflection

• Learning from the research process.
• Implications for personal and career development.
• Action planning for future development.

OR

Individual Consultancy Project incorporating Research Methods

Module Description

The Consultancy Project and research methods module provides students with the opportunity to explore an area of interest within strategic management in greater depth. You will have the opportunity to work on a specific project for an organisation. This organisation is seen very much as a client. Normally the student is expected to find the client themselves and it is usually an employer or another organisation with which they are familiar. Transferable skills in research, information and project management will be developed, equipping students for the continuously changing business environment of the 21st century. The aim of the module is to enable students to undertake a self managed process of systematic practitioner enquiry within the domain of management.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Engage with a client organisation with the aim of investigating a current business or management problem.
• Diagnose and analyse client problems and issues using a structured programme of research which incorporates a variety of consultancy tools and critically evaluates different business and management research designs.
• Synthesise data from a wide variety of sources in order to evaluate client problems and issues.
• Prepare and present the consultancy findings, conclusions and recommendations in formats acceptable to the client.
• Demonstrate both a capacity and a competence in critical self evaluation in respect of personal development.

Indicative Content

The Nature of Consultancy and Management Research

• Exploration of the purposes of management research and its uniqueness.
• Differences and similarities between consultancy and research.
• The knowledge type of skills and understanding required to undertake .consultancy and research.
• Overviews of the research process and its iterative nature.

Setting consultancy work in context

• Planning and undertaking a literature search.
• Use of on-line abstracting tools and databases including data archives, CD-ROM databases.
• Issues of validity, reliability and generalisability.
• Uses of academic and practitioner literature.
• Critical reading and referencing skills.

Preparing a Consultancy Proposal

• Negotiating access and establishing terms of reference.
• Developing a proposal to the client organisation.
• Project management skills.
• Ethical considerations and ethical codes.

Problem Diagnosis

• The need to sample.
• The use and implications of probability and non-probability sampling techniques.
• Issues of sample size and generalisability.
• Techniques for collecting primary data including: observation focus groups, interviews (structured, semi-structured and in-depth) and questionnaires.
• Sources of secondary data.
• The uses and abuses of secondary data.
• Methods for Data Analysis.
• Preparing data for analysis, including using a range of analysis software (e.g. SPSS, spreadsheets, databases, word processors).
• Quantitative analysis techniques to explore present and understand data, including graphical techniques, statistical techniques.
• Qualitative analysis techniques to explore and understand data including pattern-matching and explanation-building.

Action Planning

• Creative problem solving and developing solutions.
• Evaluation of alternatives.
• Presentation of Research Findings
• Preparing a consultancy report and presenting the consultancy findings and recommendations.
• Personal development and critical self reflection
• Learning from the research process.
• Evaluating the academic context of the consultancy project.
• Implications for personal and career development.
• Action planning for future development.

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