Postgraduate Course: Methods of Research (CMSE11091)
Course Outline
| School | Business School |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 15 |
ECTS Credits | 7.5 |
| Summary | This course is designed to provide students with an overview of the scholarly conventions on research in social sciences in general, and management studies in particular, and the role of qualitative and quantitative research in such research. It also aims to provide students with the practical skills in designing their research projects for their dissertations. |
| Course description |
This course is divided into three parts: 'undertaking postgraduate research', 'qualitative analysis' and 'quantitative analysis'. It
has three objectives. It helps the student understand the research process in the field of management. It facilitates them in planning, carrying out and communicating the research project that will be the basis of their Masters dissertation. It assists them in understanding how to read and evaluate research in the management task.
Syllabus
-Research Design
-Identifying your research question.
-Qualitative Research
-Quantitative Research
Student Learning Experience
The three parts of the course will be delivered by means of ecture and seminar based teaching sessions, together with discussion of examples and brainstorming. A key feature of the course is group discussions. The lecturer will group students together according to their stage in the research process (e.g., putting those with advanced ideas or ideas that are more embryonic together). All students will be encouraged to develop concrete plans for dissertations as quickly as possible, through making informal presentations of initial ideas for feedback etc., in the first few weeks of the course.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | For Business School PG students only, or by special permission of the School. Please contact the course secretary. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2015/16, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
150
(
Lecture Hours 15,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 3,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
132 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Assessment is by way of a 3,000 word research proposal. This should
* Identify clearly their research question,
* Critically evaluate the key literature that underpins this question,
* Review the efficacy of qualitative and quantitative research approaches to addressing this question, and
* Present their chosen approach and the rationale for it. |
| Feedback |
All students will be given at least one formative feedback or feedforward event for every course they undertake, provided during the semester in which the course is taken and in time to be useful in the completion of summative work on the course. Such feedback may be at course or programme level, but must include input of relevance to each course in the latter case.
Feedback deadlines
Feedback on formative assessed work will be provided within 15 working days of submission, or in time to be of use in subsequent assessments within the course, whichever is sooner. Summative marks will be returned on a published timetable, which has been made clear to students at the start of the academic year.
Students will gain feedback on their understanding of the material when they discuss their answers to the tutorial questions in the tutorials. Students may also ask questions in Lectures to assess their knowledge.
Individual essay/assignment feedback will be provided on a feedback form in the appropriate format.
Feedback Format:
Questions in lectures.
Discussion in lectures.
Individual meetings with course lecturers, as appropriate
Discussion in tutorials.
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| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Explain and discuss critically the principles of research in social sciences and management studies.
- Define research questions in relation to the student¿s chosen topic area and choose an appropriate research design for a management research question.
- Identify and critically evaluate literature in a given management field.
- Evaluate, select, justify and apply appropriate qualitative or quantitative data collection, presentation and analysis methods to the chosen area of research, in order to ensure that the evidence generated, its analysis and the conclusions drawn from it are valid and reliable.
- Construct an original piece of research, and develop further independent research skills as well as the skills for presenting the findings of the research in a professional manner
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Reading List
| A Bryman & E Bell (2007) Business Research Methods (Oxford University Press) |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Cognitive and Subject Specific Skills:
After completing this course, students should be able to:
-Develop research questions and objectives in a chosen research area;
-Critically evaluate both relevant literature and different research design and data collection/analysis methods
-Produce a sound research proposal
-Recognize qualitative and quantitative techniques appropriate to the analysis of some particular circumstances, understand their strengths and limitations, and choose between them.
-Design and implement a research project to form the basis of their Masters dissertation.
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| Keywords | MGMT-MOR |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Anthony Kinder
Tel: (0131 6)51 3858
Email: tony.kinder@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr Peter Newcombe
Tel: (0131 6)51 3013
Email: Peter.Newcombe@ed.ac.uk |
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