| CODE | BEM2004 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Applied Research Design and Proposal Writing | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | Not Applicable | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 2 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Business and Enterprise Management | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The study-unit provides an opportunity for students to appreciate that organizational issues, both at the micro and macro level, can be addressed using systematic means that range form the way one asks the question to collecting the data to answer the question to being able to evaluate one鈥檚 results. Ultimately the scope is to improve the quality decisions one makes. Therefore, the study-unit provides a good overview of the basis of traditional research methods within a real organizational environment and introduces the scope and methods for analysing problems and challenges prior to providing evidence-based solutions. The study-unit also attempts to link these techniques with practical issues such as: Why does product A sell better than product B? What are the factors that determine turnover in Company A? Is risk more perceived in some insurance buyers? What is the role of technology in improving organizational compliance? When do people decide to alter their purchasing patterns? Why do people engage in undesired behaviours in organizations? The study-unit will be divided into two parts. In part 1, students will be presented with the 鈥榚cological validity鈥� underlying the principles of good data and high-quality decisions. In part 2, they will be introduced to a number of important elements of 鈥榬esearch methods鈥� ranging from what is the use of research in real organizational life to a number of research strategies in use (including some innovative means) to ethical principles and report writing. A detailed breakdown of the 鈥榯opics鈥� are included here: Part 1 - Data and decisions - Perspectives about organizations - Functions of organizations and the importance of evidence - Reports and Decisions Part 2 - What is 鈥楻esearch鈥� in organizational life? - The difference between 鈥楺uestions鈥� and 鈥楻esearch Questions鈥� - Basic philosophical principles underlying research investigation - Research designs and applications to business - A look at research strategies - Basic understanding of quantitative and qualitative analysis - Time and sampling in research investigations - Ethical principles - Putting it all together: the Dos and Don鈥檛s of research reports Study-Unit Aims: - Aim 1: To introduce students to the capabilities of systematic research in real organizational scenarios; - Aim 2: To make them aware of the issues related to systematic research from quality data to ethical aspects; - Aim 3: To equip students with the broader skills of evaluating good versus poor designs in academic, commissioned and organization reports and their implications. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Define research design-related terms and keywords; - Recognise the various aspects of the 鈥榬esearch process鈥�; - Recall the format of a typical 鈥榬esearch report鈥� and its important contents; - Explain the pros and cons in evaluating typical reports; - Establish the level of quality decision that can be made based on various research designs. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Apply specific criteria to evaluate research driven conclusions; - Perform basic skills like choosing the appropriate design, changing questions to research questions, highlight ethical issues in research, etc.; - Write a short research plan that integrates the various components of 鈥榬esearch鈥�. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Saunders, M., Lewis, P., Thornhill, A. (2015). Research methods for business students. Pearson. Supplementary Readings: - Monippally, M.M. and Pawar, B.S., 2008. Academic writing: A guide for management students and researchers. SAGE Publications India. - Alvesson, M., & Sandberg, J. (2013). Constructing research questions: Doing interesting research. Sage. |
||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
|
||||||||
| LECTURER/S | Godwin Caruana Stephanie Fabri |
||||||||
|
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
|||||||||