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C o d e : {{module code}}

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6.00pm to 9.00pm
R o o m : {{room}}

Code: MOMN035H6
Term: Summer Term
Day: Thursdays (Stratford) / Fridays (Bloomsbury)
Time: 6pm to 9pm
Room: Stratford US1.19 and Bloomsbury either MAL B34 or Clore B01


Research Methods in
Management
Module Outline
2013/14
Department of Management
Dr Marion Frenz
m.frenz@bbk.ac.uk
0207 631 6829
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Table of Contents
Module Overview ..................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Aims and Objectives ................................................................................................................................ 2
Learning Outcomes .................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
Key Readings ............................................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
Required Reading ................................................................................................................................ 2
Recommended Reading ...................................................................................................................... 2
Journal Articles .................................................................................................................................... 2
Module Structure ..................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Week 1 ................................................................................................................................................ 3
Week 2 ................................................................................................................................................ 3
Week 3 ................................................................................................................................................ 3
Week 4 ................................................................................................................................................ 4
Week 5 ................................................................................................................................................ 4
Week 6 ................................................................................................................................................ 4
Week 7 ................................................................................................................................................ 5
Week 8 ................................................................................................................................................ 5
Week 9 ................................................................................................................................................ 5
Module Assessment ................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
Coursework guidelines ............................................................................................................................ 6
Useful Information .................................................................................................................................. 7


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Module Overview
Research Methods in Management provides students with the necessary skills to: (a) appraise the
quality of published work in the area of management; (b) to design their own management research
proposal and project. As part of the module we explain the role of a critical literature review and
how to generate a research question in the area of management. The module introduces two main
approaches to theory development: theory testing and theory expanding. We discuss how these
approaches impact on the selection of empirical strategies, including decisions about the type of
information and data that is collected to answer a research question and to inform theory
development. The most common research strategies in management studies are survey and case
study strategies, and the module looks at these two strategies in greater detail. The module also
looks at different primary and secondary data collection techniques, such as interviews and
questionnaires, and we discuss how data from interviews and questionnaires can be analysed.
Finally, the module stresses the importance of ethical consideration in collecting information from
participants.
Aims and Objectives
The aims of this module are to provide students with:
the required skills to design and write their own research project;
the foundations of social science research, including different research philosophies and
research designs;
understanding of a range of research strategies, include case study strategy; and
familiarity of a different data collection and analysis techniques.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this module students should have acquired:
an understanding of the problems involved in formulating a research question;
the ability to formulate a research proposal, critically review the literature and undertake
data collection and analysis; and
an understanding of issues around research ethics.
Key Readings
The following references include a number of the key readings for the course.
Required Reading
Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill A. Research Methods for Business Students, Pearson
Education, latest edition. [You can also use the e-Book, 4
th
edition, available through the
Birkbeck Library.]
De Vaus, D. (2001) Research Design in Social Research, Sage Publications. Various chapters.
Myers, M. Qualitative Research in Business & Management, Sage Publications. Various
chapters, latest edition.
Recommended Reading
Saunders, M. and Lewis, P. (2012) Doing Research in Business & Management. An Essential
Guide to Planning Your Project, Pearson Education.
Journal Articles
Students should also consult the main academic journals in management, specifically the Academy
of Management Journal, Journal of Management Studies and the Strategic Management Journal. For
journals in specific fields, such as Marketing or Finance, look at the Journal Quality Guide published
by the Association of Business Schools and available at: http://www.bizschooljournals.com/node/4
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Module Structure
Week 1
Stratford: Thursday, 01 May 2014 Room: US1.19
Bloomsbury: Friday, 02 May 2014 Room: MAL B34
Lecture: The nature of business and management research
This session provides a general introduction to research methods. We look at different types of
research: descriptive and explanatory research; applied and basic research. We discuss ways to
identify research topics and the formulation of research questions. The session also introduces the
key elements that form a research proposal.
Reading: Saunders et al Chapters 1 and 2
Further reading: de Vaus Chapters 1 to 3

Week 2
Stratford: Thursday, 08 May 2014 Room: US1.19
Bloomsbury: Friday, 09 May 2014 Room: MAL B34
Lecture: Critically reviewing the literature and accessing secondary data
In this session we explore the aims of a critical literature review: to help you refine your research
idea and to demonstrate your understanding of the state of current knowledge in your field. We
look at different literature sources and search strategies. During the session we also discuss how to
evaluate the literature. The session provides tips on how you can better reveal your knowledge and
understanding of the literature. We also look at software designed to help you organise your
literature.
Seminar: Guest talk by Aidan Smith, Subject Librarian for Business, Economics & Informatics,
Birkbeck Library
Aidan is talking about the practicalities involved in carrying out a literature search using our e-library
and databases such as the Social Science Citation Index.
Reading: Saunders et al Chapters 3 and 8

Week 3
Stratford: Thursday, 15 May 2014 Room: US1.19
Bloomsbury: Friday, 16 May 2014 Room: Clore B01
Lecture: Research design and research strategy
This session highlights the important role of theory in research. Two main approaches to research
are introduced: testing theory and theory building / expanding. We then compare different research
strategies: survey strategy, case study strategy, ethnography and action research. The important
concepts of validity and reliability are explained.
Seminar: Guest talk by Richard Carabine, Learning Coordinator in the School of Business, Economics
and Informatics
Richard will talk about practical steps in how you plan and write a research proposal. In his talk he
introduces mindmapping as a useful technique to finding a research topic.
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Reading: Saunders et al Chapters 4 and 5
Further reading: Myers Chapters 6 to 9

Week 4
Stratford: Thursday, 22 May 2014 Room: US1.19
Bloomsbury: Friday, 23 May 2014 Room: Clore B01
Lecture: Case study designs
In this session we explore different types of case study designs: descriptive and explanatory case
studies, single- and multiple-case designs, and holistic and embedded units of analysis. You learn
how to select a case that allows for conclusive arguments.
Seminar: Guest talk by Dr Richard Tacon
Geoff presents extracts from his own empirical research in which he employs a case study strategy.
He discusses issues around case selection, data collection and analysis.
Reading: de Vaus Chapters 13 to 15; Myers Chapter 7

Week 5
Stratford: Thursday, 29 May 2014 Room: US1.19
Bloomsbury: Friday, 30 May 2014 Room: MAL B34
Lecture: Collecting qualitative data: participant observations and interviews
The session starts with an introduction to research ethics and links this to different data collection
methods. We then explore issues in collecting qualitative data through participant observations and
different types of interviews. We discuss data quality issues linked with the different techniques.
Seminar: Students presentations
Reading: Sanders et al Chapters 6, 9 and 10

Week 6
Stratford: Thursday, 05 June 2014 Room: US1.19
Bloomsbury: Friday, 06 June 2014 Room: MAL B34
Lecture: Collecting quantitative data: questionnaire design
Often research involves the collection of data using a questionnaire. This session looks at issues
involved in questionnaire design and different ways of how to administer a questionnaire (e.g. via
pen and paper or online questionnaires). We also look at how to find a suitable sample. At the end
of the session we explore some of the breadth of secondary survey data that you can access analyse
via the Birkbeck Library and the UK Data Service.
Seminar: Students presentations
Reading: Sanders et al Chapters 7 and 11

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Week 7
Stratford: Thursday, 12 June 2014 Room: US1.19
Bloomsbury: Friday, 13 June 2014 Room: MAL B34
Lecture: Analysing qualitative data
Guest lecture by Dr Chahrazad Abdallah
This session explains how you prepare qualitative data for analysis, including computer aided
analysis. You look at different analytical approaches and procedures for the analysis of qualitative
data.
Seminar: Students presentations
Reading: Saunders et al Chapter 13
Further reading: Myers Chapter 13

Week 8
Stratford: Thursday, 19 June 2014 Room: US1.19
Bloomsbury: Friday, 20 June 2014 Room: Clore B01
Lecture: Analysing quantitative data
This session discusses how to analyse quantitative data. We start by looking at how you prepare data
for analysis, recognise different types of data, and how to create a coded data matrix for computer
analysis. We explore how to summarise and present data using tables, diagrams and relevant
statistics.
Seminar: Students presentations
Reading: Sanders et al Chapter 12
Further reading: De Vaus Chapter 12

Week 9
Stratford: Thursday, 26 June 2014 Room: US1.19
Bloomsbury: Friday, 27 June 2014 Room: MAL B34
Lecture: Writing and presenting a research proposal and project
This session covers the appropriate format, structure and style of your research proposal and your
research project. We contrast this with the style and format of consultancy and policy reports. This
session also looks at the role played by your supervisor.
Seminar: Students presentations
Reading: Saunders et al Chapter 14
Further reading: Saunders and Lewis (2012)

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Module Assessment
The submission of a research proposal in the field of management, the mark of which constitutes
80% of marks awarded for the module, and the completion of online multiple-choice tests, the
marks of which constitute 20% of marks awarded for the module. Students are further expected to
present their research proposal in class. The word limit of your research proposal is 2,500 words. The
word limit excludes references and appendices. Everything else is included in the word limit.

Deadline: Friday, 04 July 2014

Coursework guidelines
Writing a research proposal
Research proposal means that you are proposing to carry out a specific piece of (empirical)
research.
Consult pages 42 to 45 in Saunders et al on the content of a research proposal.
The proposal should contain a clear statement of your research question, a preliminary
literature review of your chosen topic. The preliminary literature review demonstrates how your
proposed work fits in with what we already know. The review builds up to your research
question.
Your methodology section is the largest and main section of your research proposal. Here, you
explain what you are going to do to address your research question. This section is based on the
teaching of Research Methods in Management. You should write about your approach to theory,
theory testing or expanding, the type of research strategy that you plan to employ to answer
your research question, the data that you intend to collect together with a proposed data
analysis strategy. If you propose to collect information from human participants you need to
include a section on ethical consideration. Make sure that you provide a rationale for your
research strategy and data collection methods and that you discuss in depth threats to the
reliability and validity of the proposed project.
The last two sections of your research proposal provide a proposed timeline of actions and a
discussion of the resources required for your project (time, costs, data access, software
requirements such as SPSS).
The proposal should not include any data collection (secondary or primary) and data analysis.
Both data collection and analysis are part of your research project in management.

Practical issues
Submit your research proposal on time. Failing to submit on time without mitigating
circumstances results in a cap at the pass mark (40%) provided the essay is of pass quality in the
first place.
Stay within the word limit. The list of references and appendices are excluded from the word
limit, but everything else (e.g. footnotes, tables) is included. Exceeding the word limit (even by
just one word) is penalized by a deduction of at least 5 marks.
Pay attention to your citations and submit a complete list of references. All essays are
automatically scanned by special software that identifies possible plagiarism. Each time you
hand in an essay, you attach a signed copy of the Departments Plagiarism Declaration. If you
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feel unsure about referencing, book an appointment with our Learning Coordinator, Mr Richard
Carabine (r.carabine@bbk.ac.uk).
Please read the information on how to write essays contained in Sections 8 and 9 of the students
Handbook. Guidelines on coursework submission can be found in Section 5 of the Undergraduate
Handbook.
Writing tips
Before you start writing, plan your essay. Your plan helps you to organise your arguments in a
logical and cumulative order and to allocate appropriate space to each argument. Based on your
plan use headings that divide your essay into appropriate sections.
The first and the last paragraphs are very important. The first paragraph(s) should tell the reader
what the essay is going to do, why it does what it does, and how it is structured. This function is
sometimes referred to as signposting. Make sure to use signposts when you write, so that the
reader cannot get lost in your essay. Paragraphs should be linked. The final section or
paragraph(s) of your essay should be a concluding part that draws out the key points. Can you
highlight implications for businesses?
Reveal knowledge. You do this by citing the key authors. A good way to reveal knowledge is by
designing your own tables or figures. Make sure that these have titles that are indicative of their
content. Tables and figures must be discussed in the text. But, both the text and the table/figure
should work stand-alone; i.e. the reader should be able to understand the text without seeing
your table and should be able to make sense of your table without reading the text.

Useful Information
Our departmental web site [http://www.bbk.ac.uk/management/] contains lots of useful
information. Below are some links which you should read.
Finding your way around
[http://www.bbk.ac.uk/management/current-students/getting-started/rooms]
Attendance
[http://www.bbk.ac.uk/management/current-students/policy/attendance]
Plagiarism
[http://www.bbk.ac.uk/management/current-students/support/plagiarism]
Marking Guidelines
[http://www.bbk.ac.uk/management/current-students/policy/coursework/marking-
guidelines]
Learning Co-ordinator
[http://www.bbk.ac.uk/management/our-staff/administrators/carabine]

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