Order 1308446: Read Instructions

MODULE

HANDBOOK Level 6

RESEARCH METHODS 15 CREDITS

Module Code: RMET 6053

SEMESTER: AUTUMN 2018 Disclaimer: Whilst every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, the information contained within this publication may change in the light of altered regulations or policy, or due to financial or other constraints.

Note: This document concerns the structure and content of the module. If you would like any other advice,

please consult the Student Hub via [email protected]

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Contents Page

Introduction to the Module………………………………………………………..3 General Information………………………………………………………………..4 Aims…………………………………………………………………………………..4

Learning Outcomes………………………………………………………………..4

What will I study on this module?.................................................................5

What are the learning activities on this module?........................................6 What should I read on this module?.............................................................7 What are the assessments on this module?................................................8 Academic Misconduct ……………………………………………………………8 Scheme of Work……………………………………………………………………10

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Introduction to the Module Welcome to research methods! My name is Bruno Roque Cignacco and I will be the module leader for the course. This module is the preparation for your largest piece of research that you will create in your undergraduate degree. Given that you will research a unique and specific question, this course will provide you with as much individual learning as possible, with the goal of making you an independent researcher with the ability to overcome all challenges. Towards the end of the course, you should have a strong foundation to do individual research, be able to collect data while respecting ethical principles, have the ability to create your own research design, do scientific research and be capable of creating a larger piece of work.

Within this document, you will find information on the organisation and content of the module, the learning outcomes and information relating to the assessment in this module. Please read this document before the start of the delivery and during your time undertaking this module. It will provide you with the information you need to know to help you with the learning processes. Use this handbook as a guide during the semester. Familiarise yourself with the module area on the GSM Learn. Important information will be posted on the GSM Learn, including announcements, course material and module updates. There is an area for each module that you are studying which your Module Leader updates. Click on ‘RMET6053’ in the modules section of your GSM Learn page to view materials, handouts, assessment, videos, module information, module handbooks, and other relevant information. This Module Handbook provides you with comprehensive information and guidance on how to tackle the challenges presented to you through this module. Good utilisation of the handbook will assist in your understanding of what the aims and objectives are of the module. Once this understanding has been consolidated, you will find it easier to succeed within the module. Ultimately, I hope that you will enjoy this course and find it useful for your dissertation. Should you have any question, I am always happy to help out so please don’t hesitate to contact me. My email address is: [email protected] . Warmest regards, Dr Bruno Roque Cignacco

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General Information

Department Centre for Research and Executive Education

Programme(s) BSc (Hons) Business Management BSc (Hons) Business Management with Creative Industries BSc (Hons) Business Management with E-commerce BSc (Hons) Business BSc (Hons) Professional Management BSc (Hons) Enterprise and Small Business Development BSc (Hons) Travel and Tourism BSc (Hons) Human Resources with Management BSc (Hons) Events and Entertainment Management

Module Teaching Team

Module Leader Dr Bruno Roque Cignacco

Tutor (s) Multiple

Wider Support Team

Head of Department Naushaba Singh

Student Advisory [email protected]

External Examiner

Executive Dean and Deputy President

Christy Traore

Aims

This module aims to develop students’ understanding of research methodologies and techniques relevant to their chosen field (Business, Management, Law, Oil and Gas etc). It allows students to plan and engage in a substantial piece of supervised research in an area of interest to them. This module also requires students to evaluate the content of the published literature as relevant to the issue(s) investigated.

Learning Outcomes At the end of this module you will be able to:

1. Identify a research topic appropriate to the level and field of study 


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2. Demonstrate a detailed understanding of the main frameworks and principles

on 
research design. 


3. Assess and contribute to the process of research 
 4. Evaluate how quantitative and qualitative methods can be applied in

academic 
research 
 What is a Learning Outcome? A Learning Outcome is a statement that describes what you will be able to do as a result of learning and allows you to demonstrate an understanding of what is required. Stated learning outcomes will help you to know what is expected of you and will help the teaching staff to focus on precisely what they want you to achieve. Achievement of a Learning Outcome is a specific minimum acceptable standard for you to be able to pass a module. Module Learning Outcomes will contribute to the successful completion of your modules, which in turn, contributes to the successful achievement of your programme. All Learning Outcomes must align with the assessment given to you. Why are Learning Outcomes important? Learning Outcomes are important because they communicate to you what you are expected to do and achieve in your modules. They support your learning and assessment, and help you to understand the requirements to pass. Without Learning Outcomes it is difficult for you to know what you are supposed to be learning. They make it easier for you to write fair, comprehensive assessments, and help you to identify the level of learning that is specified within the module.

What will I study on this module? During this module you will study:

 Develop independent learning skills

 Develop self-management and self-development skills

 Enhance future career and professional development

 Develop management and decision-making skills

 Develop research skills

 Study a particular topic in-depth

 Learn how to manage a larger piece of research

In some instances information regarding content of module is indicative - actual module content will be determined according to considerations (for example, opportunities for work with specific external partners or new developments in the field) which are taken into account at the time of module delivery.

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What are the learning activities on this module? This module is 15 credits, therefore most students will need to undertake 150 hours of independent study pass this module. In this module, we suggest you divide your time as follows through-out the semester:

Scheduled Activities Hours Additional Information

Lectures 30 There is going to be a weekly lecture that will run for 3 hours. During that time concepts relevant to research will be explained and feedback will be given.

Tutorials 0

Guided Independent Study 120 Directed Activities, Independent Reading and Tasks, Formative Assessments, etc.

Total 150

You must attend all taught sessions for the module, or you may be not able to submit

your assessment for the module.

Lectures: There are weekly lectures (normally held in lecture theatres) throughout the teaching period during the semester. The first lecture is designed to introduce you to the module topics that will be taught during the semester. Tutorials/Workshops: To support the lectures and to provide you with an opportunity to deepen your understanding of the content of the topics, there are weekly, interactive tutorials. You will be given the opportunity to ask questions or make comments, and to undertake short periods of group work. Tutorials normally comprise smaller numbers of students than lectures. Guided independent study: Guided independent study is as appropriate to the agreed learning outcomes. This might include preparation for scheduled sessions, follow-up work, wider reading or practice, and completion of project tasks. You are expected to be responsible for your own learning, with appropriate support provided by the teaching staff, your supervisor, the institution, and where appropriate, your employer.

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What should I read on this module? We recommend that you buy the Core Text listed below and in addition consider obtaining other books from the list. You may wish to form a study group with other students to facilitate the sharing of non-core texts.

Core Texts Saunders, P. Lewis & A. Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, Prentice Hall (2016) Bryman, Alan; Bell, Emma (2015) Business Research Methods. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Additional resources Cameron S & Price D, (2009), Business Research Methods, a Practical Approach, CIPD Wolcott H F, (2009), Writing Up Qualitative Research, Sage Greetham B, (2104), How to Write your Undergraduate Dissertation, Palgrave Macmillan Jansen P, van der Velde M & Anderson N, (2004), Guide to Management Research Methods, Blackwell Publishing Ridley D, (2012), The Literature Review – A Step by Step Guide for Students, Sage Taylor S(Ed.), (2002), Ethnographic Research: A Reader, Sage Publications Ltd

Writing your proposal and project Cottrell S, (2011), Critical Thinking Skills - Developing Effective Analysis and Argument, Palgrave Macmillan Van Den Bring-Budgen, R (2010), Critical thinking for Students: Learn the skills for analysing, evaluating and producing arguments, How to Books. Flew A, (1998) How to Think Straight : An Introduction to Critical Reasoning, Prometheus Books De Bono E, (1990), Lateral Thinking for Management, Penguin Buzan T, (1993) The Mind Map Book, BBC Books Thouless R. H, (1970), Straight and Crooked Thinking, Pan – now out of print. If you can find it, read it – a gem! Pirie M, (2006), How To Win Every Argument – The Use And Abuse Of Logic, Continuum Truss L, (2003), Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation, Profile Books

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What are the assessments on this module? Summative Elements This module is assessed through the completion of one (1) independent task, which is a 2,500-word part of your dissertation. You can find more information, including deadlines, on GSM Learn. Formative Elements In addition to the summative elements, the module contains one (1) task to assist you in evaluating your progress in the module. This element does not count towards your final module grade. Throughout the course you will be developing a poster that reflects your progress on your research question during the module. In week 9, you will present this poster to a group of visitors and will have a chance to meet potential supervisors.

How are the marks awarded for the assessments? Each summative assessment is marked on a percentage basis and combined as a final module grade, according to the specification detailed in your Module Outline. For the classification of your degree (First, Upper Second, Lower Second, or Third Class Honours) the final module grades will be combined as a programme weighted percentage according to the Programme Regulations, available on GSM Learn. Academic Misconduct You are responsible for ensuring you understand the policy and regulations about academic misconduct. You must:

 Complete your assessment work alone except where required or allowed by the assignment briefing paper and ensure it has not been written or composed by or with the assistance of any other person.

 Make sure all sentences or passages quoted from other people’s work in this assignment are in quotation marks, and are specifically acknowledged by reference to the author, work and page.

 Failure to provide references may constitute plagiarism which is a serious academic offence.

 Should you submit work that is similar or identical in content to that of another classmate, you could be guilty of collusion. This is also a serious academic offence.

 Plagiarism, collusion, buying assessments and all other forms of cheating will not be tolerated. Serious academic misconduct can result in your withdrawal from the programme and being required to leave the college.

Also note that proven academic misconduct is usually required to be reported to relevant professional bodies and in some cases prospective employers which may prevent even a successful student from being admitted into their desired profession. If you are unsure about how to complete your assessment, you should seek advice from your Module tutor and/or Module Leader.

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For support and/or clarification regarding referencing and using sources in your work, ask your tutors for guidance and/or the Library team. Guidance on GSM Learn: https://learn.gsm.org.uk/course/view.php?id=293#section-4 Further help: [email protected]

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Scheme of Work

Week

Content

Learning and Teaching Strategy

1

Overview and expectations Module details This week will discuss the basics of the dissertation process. Hence, the basic idea of the dissertation will be introduced, what structure a dissertation has, how the RMET course connects to it, what the general process and assessment is going to look like etc. In addition, the session will cover how to start to think about a good question.

Key Reading Business Research Methods: Chapter 1, 2, 3

Activity Students form groups and discuss their dissertation ideas. There should also be ample room for questions so that students are aware of the dissertation requirements

2

Finding a good question Week 2 is primarily concerned about finding a good question. Hence, this session will cover several ideas on to achieve that. This will include the main parts that need to be included to have ‘a good question’, the focus of the question, and also includes feasibility.

Key Reading Saunders, P. Lewis & A. Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, Prentice Hall (2016)

Chapter 1, 2

Activity This week will engage fully in the question finding process. Hence, there will be lots of activities around self- reflection and considering what an ideal research question should be for the individual student.

3

Refining the question The session will cover finishing touches on the process of finding a question. It will introduce the idea of research objectives, research questions, hypothesis, rationales etc.

Key Reading Saunders, P. Lewis & A. Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, Prentice Hall (2016)

Chapter 1, 2

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Activity By this point, students should have a vague idea what question to ask. This lecture will add activities to help students deepen their question.

4

The introduction

This session will formalise the previous weeks by introducing the introduction, the first major part of the dissertation. In this, there will be talks how the different parts (the overarching question, the objectives, the research questions etc) all come together to start their dissertation.

Saunders, P. Lewis & A. Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, Prentice Hall (2016)

Chapter 2

5

The literature review

Week 5 will cover the literature review. This is the second major part of the dissertation (and thus the research methods assessment) Hence, the session will discuss what a literature review is, what its purpose is, how it should relate to the rest of the work and what a literature gap is. In addition, there will be a brief introduction on how to use Google Scholar.

Key Reading Saunders, P. Lewis & A. Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, Prentice Hall (2016)

Chapter 3

ABS Journal Ranking Guide

Activity

Students are to search Google scholar together and look up papers that might be of interest to them.

This should then lead to a further discussion of their research topic.

6

Methodology I The methodology is the third major part of the dissertation; and the final part for the assessment of the research methods module.

Key Reading Saunders, P. Lewis & A. Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, Prentice Hall (2016)

Chapter 8

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Hence, just like for the literature review, students are introduced to the nature of it, its purpose, and what different options for it are.

7

Methodology II The second part on the methodology will talk about how to properly gather and analyse data, ethics, and different approaches.

Key Reading Saunders, P. Lewis & A. Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, Prentice Hall (2016)

Chapter 6, 10 - 13

8

Time management and review The lecture on this week will be split into 3 equal parts:

1. A basic idea of time management for a dissertation. I.e. what to do when one section does not work out; how to plan their time; what to expect in terms of time.

2. The session will discuss how the things should be fitting together.

3. The final third of the class will be a feedback session, where other lecturers, ideally from the relevant department, visit the class and give feedback to the students.

Key reading

Cottrell, S, The study skills Handbook, Palgrave Macmillan, 4

th edition (2013)

Chapter 5 and section D Tutorial activity Students talk in groups about the best strategy for managing their time during the dissertation writing. I.e. which tasks are most important, which will need what amount of time etc.

9

Doing the dissertation This session will be a look forward to the actual dissertation. This will discuss potential research problems, methods to gather data, open questions students might have etc.

Key Reading Saunders, P. Lewis & A. Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, Prentice Hall (2016)

Chapter 14

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10 Wrapping up and Posters The final session will be a combination of a feedback and a poster presentation session. During this class, students have the chance to present posters to academics visiting the session. However, if a student only wants feedback on a question without a poster, this would also be possible.