Research. 1500 words

Course Introduction

Research Methods develops research skills which are essential for your dissertation and for a career in accounting, finance or research. It is designed to help you to prepare for the dissertation by allowing you the opportunity to learn about approaches to research and how to use them.

 

To research is to methodically search for new knowledge and/or practical solutions in the form of answers to specific questions. Developing skills in providing robust, convincing answers to different questions is critical to success in many professional, as well as, academic settings. This course will provide you the opportunity to understand how to gather relevant data/evidence, how to analyse and interpret evidence, how to make sense of complex situations, how to draw conclusions or make recommendations and how to communicate your finding.

A series of lectures will provide you with a sound grounding in social science research methods and guide you through the assigned readings. This will be complemented with tutorials/workshops to develop a range of practical research skills. The assessments provide you with an opportunity to apply the knowledge and provide a sound foundation for the honours year, in particular the dissertation.

Aims and Objectives

· To provide the knowledge and skills required to conduct a sizeable piece of independent research

· To generate an understanding of the social science research process

· To develop an appreciation of the nature of accountancy and finance research

· To enable students to practice their skills and test their understanding of aspects of the research process

Learning Outcomes

· Understand differences between qualitative and quantitative research

· Select and develop a research topic in accountancy or finance

· Identify, access and evaluate literature relevant to the research topic

· Select an appropriate research methodology

· Obtain relevant data

Personal Abilities

· Work independently

· Analyse and interpret research results

· Communicate and present ideas effectively by written and verbal means

 

Teaching Overview

This course comprises of lectures and tutorials, detailed in the table below. The lectures will last for up to 2 hours and the tutorials are an hour long.

Week	Topic	Tutorial
1	Purpose of Research & An introduction to the dissertation
2	What to Research and how to select YOUR research Question
3	How to research – a tour around the main research methods	Finding a research question
4	Quantitative / Qualitative? & Sources of Evidence	Setting your dissertation aims & objectives
5	Literature Review - using other peoples’ research – reviewing literature, plagiarism and referencing.	Planning your sources of evidence
6	Reading Week Coursework Preparation	None
7	Quantitative Methods – Sample selection and Statistical Testing	Literature review
8	Event studies and Market based Research	Selecting research approach / methods
9	Content Analysis / Questionnaires	Revisiting assessment one
10	Interviews / Case Studies	Reviewing dissertations
11	The next steps to successfully complete your dissertation.	Writing your research proposal workshop

Assessments

The assessment is 100% coursework. Together the two assignments combine form your complete research proposal and serve as your map to your dissertation, they should both be around 1,500 words, and no more 2,000 maximum. Please refer to the assessment page on VISION for more details

Submission Date	Coursework	% of total mark
Monday 11am Week 7	Research Proposal Part 1	50%
Friday 11am Week 12	Research Proposal Part 2	50%

All coursework should be submitted via Vision (NO hard copies required!) by 11am on the submission date. No extensions will be granted. 30% will be deducted from the mark of the coursework who submits up to 2 weeks late. Submissions later than 2 weeks late will not normally be marked. Students who have mitigating circumstances should contact their mentors who will advise them of how to apply, with appropriate supporting evidence, to the Mitigating Circumstances Board for the potential removal of any late penalty.

ALP students:

You are strongly advised to undertake and complete coursework, even though the marks will not contribute to the final assessment, which is based 100% on the end of semester exam.

Please note that plagiarism is an offence. All coursework where plagiarism is detected will be referred to the disciplinary committee for consideration. Please refer to your student handbook for information regarding the rules on this matter. It is the student’s responsibility to make themselves aware of and to adhere to the rules.

 

Assignment 1 is the first part of your research proposal, it frames your study, and should contain the follow sections:

· Title. What is the working title of your proposed research?

· What is the dissertation about and why is it important?

· Research Question, Aim and Objectives?

· What are the potential impacts of the dissertation?

· What is the theoretical context for the dissertation?

 

Assignment 2 is the Method and Structure sections of your research proposal and should contain the follow sections:

· Research Strategy.

· Data Collection Methods.

· Data Analysis Techniques.

· Ethical Issues.

· Structure of final work.

 

Referencing in Assignments

Both assignments should be referenced, drawing on general methodology textbooks, books that focus on particular data collection methods and analysis techniques and ethics, and loads of journal articles. Now, of course you will be wondering how many references are required. The answer is as many as necessary… however, around 10 to 20 per assignment would be a rough guide.

Learning and Teaching Arrangements

The teaching is delivered with a combination of weekly lectures and tutorials (the tutorials commence in week 3). Attendance at both lecture and tutorials is compulsory with a registers taken in tutorials. The course assessments build on the topics covered in the assigned readings, lecture and tutorials. It is therefore very important to attend all the lectures and tutorials.

Further information on the coursework will be provided during the lecture series as appropriate and you will be given the opportunity to discuss any queries you may have on the assessment, in tutorials and staff office hours.

For each tutorial you are required to submit (on vision) your answer to the set tutorial question by 9am each Tuesday. This material will not be formally assessed but will be monitored to ensure students are keeping up with the class. These set questions are designed to assist in the preparation of the formally assessed coursework elements. The non-submission of any piece of work or consistently poor quality work will be reported to your mentor. Submission forms for each weekly tutorial are available on vision.

Week	Tutorial Overview
3	Finding a research question
4	Setting your dissertation aims & objectives
5	Planning your sources of evidence
6	None
7	Literature review
8	Selecting research approach / methods
9	Revisiting assessment one
10	Reviewing dissertations
11	Writing your research proposal workshop

.

Course Materials

Everything is on VISION, PowerPoints of lectures and tutorials, required readings, factsheets, coursework briefings, coursework assessment criteria etc. All the basics for this course will be posted there.

 

Essential Reading

Research Methods for Business Students, 6th Edition, Pearson, Mark N.K. Saunders ,  Philip Lewis ,  Adrian Thornhill .

This book is available as an eBook and in print in the library. The print version is also available from the Edinburgh Blackwells campus bookshop and other online retailers, and can be purchased as an eBook from the VitalSource online store and the Pearson online store set up especially for Heriot-Watt students in Dubai and Malaysia: http://www.pearson-books.com/heriotwatt

As well as the text this book has a range of extremely useful on-line student resources ordered by chapter to aid your understanding of this topic. These include

· Student resources  for each chapter, including:

· Multiple choice and true/false questions to help test your understanding

· Additional case studies  to those given in the book

· Figure 4.1: The research 'onion'

· Online glossary  to explain key terms and definitions

· Flashcards  to test your understanding of key terms

· Weblinks to sites of interest for selected chapters

· Tutorials and datasets  - NVivo tutorial and other exercises

To access these resources either click on the hyperlinks in this document or go to

http://www.pearsoned.co.uk/Bookshop/detail.asp?item=100000000391235

and click on Online Resources Companion Website.

Schedule of Reading –Chapters by Lecture .

Chapters. Lectures

1. Business and management research, reflective diaries and the purpose of this book .

Relevant for Week 1 Lecture.

2. Formulating and clarifying the research topic

Relevant for Week 2 Lecture

3. Critically reviewing the literature

Relevant for Week 5 Lecture

4. Understanding research philosophies and approaches

Relevant for Week 4 Lecture

5. Formulating the research design

Relevant for Week 3 lecture

6. Negotiating access and research ethics

Relevant to weeks 9 & 10 lectures

7. Selecting samples

Relevant to Weeks 7 & Week 9 lectures

8. Using secondary data

Relevant to Weeks 8 & 9 lectures

9. Collecting primary data through observation

Relevant to week 10 lecture

10. Collecting primary data using semi-structured, in-depth and group interviews

Relevant to week 10 lecture

11. Collecting primary data using questionnaires

Relevant to week 9 Lecture

12. Analysing quantitative data

Relevant to weeks 6, 7 & 9 lectures

13. Analysing qualitative data

Relevant to weeks 9 & 10 lectures

Assessment Details

Assessment 1.

Your first assignment in this course is to complete the first part of your research proposal.

Your assignment should be around 1,500 words, and 2,000 maximum. It should be submitted on line via the Turnitin assessment 1 submission option in Vision, by 11am Monday of Week 7. No hard copy submission is required. (ALP students please follow your tutor’s instructions.)

This assignment, in conjunction with the second assignment, forms your complete research proposal, and it will serve as your map to your dissertation and should contain the follow sections:

Framing the Study

1. Title. What is the working title of your proposed research? Does this make your dissertation instantly recognisable to the reader, does it capture the theory and the context of your study?

2. What is the dissertation about and why is it important. Short overview detailing why anyone would want to undertake this study and why anyone would care! [Refer to your notes from lecture 2 and tutorials 1 &2]

3. Research Question, Aim and Objectives. Clearly state and delimit these three separate elements. [Refer to your notes from Tutorials 1 &2]

4. What are the potential impacts of the dissertation? For example, What problems are you intending to resolve, which stakeholders may benefits from your work, Any potential new ideas, ways of understanding old problems, new techniques, revised techniques or criticisms of current practices.

5. What is the theoretical and institutional context for the dissertation? Specify which theoretical body of knowledge you are basing your study within, are you developing that theory (or theories), or are you testing that theory in a new context. [Refer to your notes from lectures 1, 2, 3 & 5 and tutorials 1,2 & 3]. Are you applying the theory to a particular business, industry, sector, country, etc. and why are you planning on doing that.

N.B. Please remember that parts 4 and 5 should be heavily referenced, drawing on journal articles and books. Now, of course you will be asking how many references are required. The answer is as many as necessary… however, between 15 and -20 would be normal.

Details of the assessment criteria are provided on the class Vision page.

Assessment 2.

Your second assignment in this course is to complete the Methodology and Structure sections of your research proposal.

Your assignment should be around 1,500 words, and 2,000 maximum. Your assignment should be around 1,500 words, and 2,000 maximum. It should be submitted on line via the Turnitin assessment 2 submission option in Vision, by 11am Friday of Week 12. No hard copy submission is required. (ALP students, please follow your tutor’s instructions.)

This assignment, in conjunction with the first assignment, forms your complete research proposal, and it will serve as your map to your dissertation and should contain the follow sections:

Methodology

1. Research Strategy. What research approach are you taking & which philosophical paradigm are you rooting your dissertation [Lecture 4 and associated readings, tutorials 7 & 8]

2. Data Collection Methods How are you getting your data and what data collection tools are you using [Lectures 3, 4,7,8 & 9 & tutorials 3, 5, & 6]

3. Data Analysis Techniques. How are you going analyse your data when you have collected it [Lectures 6,7, 8 & 9]

4. Ethical Issues [See required reading in core text book and University Ethics guidance]

5. Structure

6. Structure of final work. What will be the final structure of your dissertation look like, e.g. draft chapter headings, other main sections to your work, etc.? [Lectures 1 & 10, tutorials 7 & 8]

N.B. Please remember that the Methodology section should be extensively referenced, drawing on general methodology textbooks, books that focus on particular data collection methods and analysis techniques and ethics, and related journal articles. Now, of course you will be asking how many references are required. The answer is as many as necessary… however, again, between 15 to 25 is normal.

Details of the assessment criteria are provided on the class vision page

Course Title: Research Methods

Course Code: C39RE

Course Outline: Student