BS2S82 - Research Methods for Business 01 Sep 2019 - 31 Aug 2026 | Version 2
Associated Module Information
| Module Code: | BS2S82 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Module Title: | Research Methods for Business | ||
| Faculty: | Faculty of Business and Creative Industries | ||
| Faculty Group: | Leadership and Public Services | ||
| Faculty Sub Group: | Leadership and Public Services | ||
| Module Leader: | Sarah Campbell | ||
| Module Team: | Laurence Blake, David Phillips | ||
| First Intended Intake: | SEP 2015 | Final Year of Intake: | |
| Date Closed: | |||
| Credit Value: | 20 | Credit Level: | 5 |
| Language: | English | ||
| Percentage of Module Taught in Welsh: | 0 | ||
| Equivalent Module: | |||
| HECOS codes: | 100078 - business and management | ||
| HECOS Code Weighting: | 100 | ||
Document Version Information
| Version | 2 |
|---|---|
| Valid From | 01 Sep 2019 |
| Valid To | 31 Aug 2026 |
Module Aims
- To enable students to distinguish and evaluate the differences between business and academic research.
- To develop students' ability to identify and review academic and grey literature in the field of business.
- To introduce students to appropriate philosophies & methodologies for undertaking research in the business context.
- To provide students with the knowledge to evaluate differing forms of data identification, collection, analysis and interpretation.
- To prepare the student in the practical aspects of planning, conducting and writing up a research project/dissertation in the business field.
- To consider and apply the issues of ethics in research.
- To prepare students for projects and reports in work placements and employment.
Content Summary
This module develops the academic research skills introduced to students during the first year of their degree programmes.The module complements the content of the other level 5 modules so enabling students to look at situations presented in other modules as a basis for research.
Key issues explored include:
- The research process and theoretical/philosophical positions
- The critical literature search and review
- Quantitative approaches to research (regression and correlation; software for data display and basic statistical analysis; inferential statistics; sampling; significance tests and hypothesis testing - one and two tailed tests, t-distribution, Chi squared; introduction to non parametric tests – cross tabulations, chi squared, Spearman’s rank
correlation, Wilcoxon etc.,)
- Qualitative approaches to research (interviews – unstructured, semi-structured, participant observation, focus groups, longitudinal studies, case studies, action research)
- Analysing quantitative data
- Evaluating qualitative data
- Questionnaire design and application
- Evaluating and using secondary data
- Evaluation and analysis of research data, with an emphasis on the appropriate uses in particular situations and contexts.
- Research ethics
- Proposals and reports - Managing a research project
- Referencing
Learning and Teaching Methods
| Activity Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Lecture | 24 |
| Tutorial | 24 |
| Independent Study | 60 |
| Directed Study | 92 |
| Total Hours Selected | 200 |
Learning Outcomes
| # | Learning Outcome |
|---|---|
| LO1 | Students will be able to:1. Demonstrate the ability to critically analyse the philosophical and methodological approaches in the research process. |
| LO2 | Students will be able to:2. Demonstrate the ability to critically evaluate the approaches to data collection and data analysis in a theoretical and practical research setting. |
Module Requisites
N/A
Assessment Criteria
| Assessment Category | Assessment Type | Description | Duration | Word Count | Weight (%) | Best of? | Pass Mark |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written Assignment (CW) | Research Plan/Proposal/Project/Log (CW) 1 | Research Proposal | 0 | 2000 | 40 | No | 40 |
| Written Assignment (CW) | Essay (CW) 1 | Quantitative & Qualitative Approaches | 0 | 3000 | 60 | No | 40 |
Assessment Matrix
| Assessment Type | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| LO1 | LO2 | ||
| Research Plan/Proposal/Project/Log (CW) 1 | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Essay (CW) 1 | ✔ | ✔ | |