MGT7091BUSINESSRESEARCHMETHODS201213

AdministrativeandContactDetailsLECTURETIMES:Thursdays13pm TutorialTimes:Thursdays35pm,Fridays911pmand111pm MODULECOORDINATORANDLECTURER: ProfessorMarkPalmer Room 02.039 RiddelHall185StranmillisRoad Email:m.palmer@qub.ac.uk Tel:028909765612 READINGLIST CoreReadingText Saunders,M.,Lewis,PandThornhill,A.(2009),ResearchMethodsforBusinessStudents.5thed. UpperSaddleRiver,NJ:FTPrenticeHall. SupplementaryTexts ThereareanumberofusefulgeneraltextsonResearchMethods,including: Bryman,A.(2012)SocialResearchMethods.4thed.Oxford:OxfordUniversityPress. Bryman,A.andBell,E.(2007),BusinessResearchMethod.2nded.Oxford:OxfordUniversity Press. Cassell,C.andSymon,G.(2004)EssentialGuidetoQualitativeMethodsinOrganisational Research.ThousandOaks,C.A:SagePublicationsLtd. Collis,J.andHussey,R.(2009)BusinessResearch:APracticalGuideforUndergraduateand PostgraduateStudents.3rded.Basingstoke,UK:MacmillanPublishersLimited. deVaus,D.(2002)AnalyzingSocialScienceData:50KeyProblemsinDataAnalysis,London:Sage Publications.EasterbySmith,M.,Thorpe,R.andJackson,P.(2012)ManagementResearch(4th ed).ThousandOaks,C.A:SagePublicationsLtd. EasterbySmith,M.,Thorpe,R.,Jackson,P.andLowe,A.(2008)ManagementResearch:An Introduction.3rded.ThousandOaks,C.A:SagePublicationsLtd.

Fisher,C.(2004)ResearchingandWritingaDissertationforBusinessStudents.UpperSaddle River,NJ:FTPrenticeHallGill,J.andJohnson,P.(2002),ResearchMethodsforManagers.3rded. ThousandOaks,C.A:SagePublications. HairJnr.,J.F.,Money,A.H.,Samuel,P.andPage,M.(2007)ResearchMethodsforBusiness. Chichester,England:JohnWileyandSonsLtd. Matthews,B.andRoss,L.(2010)ResearchMethods:APracticalGuidefortheSocialSciences. Harlow,England:PearsonEducationLimited.Pallant,J.(2010)SPSSSurvivalManual:Astepby stepguidetodataanalysisusingSPSS.4thed.OpenUniversityPressSaunders,M.,Lewis,P.and Thornhill,A.(2012)ResearchMethodsforBusinessStudents.6thed.England,Pearson. Inaddition,thelibraryholdsagoodselectionofbooksonthevarioustopicscoveredinthis moduleandyouareadvisedtolookatthesealso.Althoughreadingsassociatedwitheach lecturesessionhavebeenprovidedadditionalreadingswillbeprovidedonaweekbyweek basisasnecessary. COURSEOUTLINEANDREADINGLIST Themoduleprovidesablendof6weeklylecturesand6tutorials.Thelecturesintendtocover thetheoryonresearchandthetutorialswillbepracticebasedondoingmanagementresearch. Thestructureisoutlinedbelow. Lectures Week1:Overviewofthecourse,academicresearchandthephilosophyofresearch Week2:Whatisadissertation? Week3:Selectionoftopicandproblem Week4:Conductingananalyticalliteraturereviewanddevelopingaconceptualization Week5Methodology(Part1) Week6Methodology(Part2) Tutorials Week1:Thinkingdeeply Week2:Ideageneration,problemsolvingandobjectivesetting

Week3:AssessmentWritingyourdissertationproposal Week4:Searchingforsecondarydataandbuildingaliteraturereview Week5:Hypothesesdevelopment,protocols,discussionandconclusions Week6:Managingyoursupervisorroleplayscenarios Week1:IntroductionAnoverviewofthecourse,academicresearchandthephilosophyof research.Thisfirstlecturewillsetthewholemoduleincontextandwillprovideabasisforthe issues,themesandcontentthatwillbepresentedanddiscussedthroughoutthesemester.This sessionwillconsiderquestionsaroundthenatureofacademicresearch,rigourversusrelevance, thestakeholdersaswellasthekeydebatessurroundingtheroleofmanagementresearch.This willserveasthecontextofthephilosophyofresearchdesign.Boththeontological(whatis beingstudied?)andepistemological(howcanweaccesswarrantedknowledgeaboutwhatis beingstudied?)positionsunderpinningresearchwillbediscussed. RecommendedReading Saunders,M.,Lewis,PandThornhill,A.(2009)ResearchMethodsforBusinessStudents.5thed. UpperSaddleRiver,NJ:FTPrenticeHallChapter1and4 Bryman,A.(2012)SocialResearchMethods.4thed.Oxford:OxfordUniversityPressChapter1. EasterbySmith,M.,Thorpe,R.andJackson,P.(2012)ManagementResearch.4thed.Thousand Oaks,C.A:SagePublicationsLtdChapter2. Huff,A.S.andHuff,J.O.(2001)RefocusingtheBusinessSchoolAgenda.BritishJournalof Management,Vol.12,pp.4954. Starkey,K.andMadan,P.(2001)BridgingtheRelevanceGap:AligningStakeholdersinthe FutureofManagementResearch.BritishJournalofManagement,Vol.12,pp.326. Tranfield,D.andStarkey,K(1998)TheNature,SocialOrganisationandPromotionof ManagementResearch.BritishJournalofManagement,Vol.9,pp.341353. Weick,K.(2001)GappingtheRelevanceBridge:FashionsmeetfundamentalsinManagement Research,BritishJournalofManagement12pp7176. Davis,M.1971.Thatsinteresting!PhilosophyoftheSocialSciences,1:309344.
Lewis,M.&Grimes,A.1999.Metatriangulation:Buildingtheoryfrommultipleparadigms.Academy ofManagementReview,24:672690.

Miller,D.2005.Paradigmprison,orinpraiseofatheoreticresearch.StrategicOrganization,5:177 184. Pfeffer,J.1993.Barrierstotheadvancementoforganizationalscience:Paradigmdevelopmentasa dependentvariable.AcademyofManagementReview,18:599620. Cannella,A.&Paetzold,R.1994.Pfeffersbarrierstotheadvancementoforganizationalscience:A rejoinder.AcademyofManagementReview,19:331341

Week2:Whatisadissertation?Thisweekconsiderspreliminarymattersthatareessentialto makingastartinanyresearchstudy.Inparticularitaimstoprovidestudentswithan appreciationofthegeneralexplanationoftheresearchjourneyofadissertation.Inparticular, thislecturewilldemonstratehowthedissertationdevelopmentmodulecanactasaroadmap bywhichtonavigatethedissertationprocess.Furthermore,itwillsetthesceneandoverall contextofhowthedissertationfitswithinthecontextofthedegreeprogrammeandhow theoryandtheoreticalcontributionsunderpinacademicresearchactivity. RecommendedReading: Saunders,M.,Lewis,PandThornhill,A.(2009)ResearchMethodsforBusinessStudents.5thed. UpperSaddleRiver,NJ:FTPrenticeHallChapter2 Quinton,SandSmallbone,T(2006)PostgraduateResearchinBusiness,ACriticalGuide, London,Sage Sekaran,V.(2000)ResearchMethodsforBusiness:aSkillsBuildingApproach,Aldershot:Gower Zigmund,W.G(1997)BusinessResearchMethods,ForthWorth:DreydenPress Bartunek,J.M.,Rynes,S.L.,&Ireland,R.D.2006.Whatmakesmanagementresearch interestingandwhydoesitmatter?AcademyofManagementJournal,49(1):915. Bergh,D.2003.FromtheEditors:Thinkingstrategicallyaboutcontribution.Academyof ManagementJournal,46(2):135136 Corley,K.&Gioia,D.Buildingtheoryabouttheorybuilding:Whatconstitutesatheoretical contribution?AcademyofManagementReview,36(1):1232 Huff,A.S.1999.WritingforScholarlyPublication.ThousandOaks,CA:Sage. Rindova,V.P.2008.Publishingtheorywhenyouarenewtothegame.Academyof ManagementReview,33(2):300303. Suddaby,R.2010.EditorsComments:Constructclarityintheoriesofmanagementand organization.AcademyofManagementReview,35(3)346358.

VandeVen,A.H.1989.Nothingisquitesopracticalasagoodtheory.AcademyofManagement Review,14(4):486489. Whetten,D.A.1989.Whatconstitutesatheoreticalcontribution?AcademyofManagement Review,14:490495. Weick,Karl.1995.WhattheoryisNot,Theorizingis,AdministrativeScienceQuarterly,40:385 390 Week3:Selectionoftopicandproblem.Thislecturesessionwillprovidestudentswithan appreciationofthebroadcontextfortheresearch,whereitislocatedandthefieldboundaries. This,inturn,willformthebasisfortherationaleintheselectionandjustificationofthetopic, planningtheprojectandreviewingtheliteraturewillbediscussed.Thinkingthroughthe what?,how?,who?,where?andwhen?questionsshouldhelpinundertaking researchandassistinavoidingembarkingonoverambitiousorproblematicprojects. RecommendedReading: Saunders,M.,Lewis,PandThornhill,A.(2009)ResearchMethodsforBusinessStudents.5thed. UpperSaddleRiver,NJ:FTPrenticeHallChapter4. Buschman,J.,Warner,D.A.2005.ResearchingandShapingInformationLiteracyInitiativesin RelationtotheWeb:SomeFrameworkProblemsandNeeds',TheJournalofAcademic LibrarianshipVolume31,Issue1,Pages1218. BrymanAandBellE(2003)BusinessResearchMethodsNewYork:OxfordUnivPress EasterbySmithMetal(2002)ManagementResearch:AnIntroductionLondon:Sage Publications GrayDE(2009)DoingResearchintheRealWorldLondon:SagePublications SekaranV(2000)ResearchMethodsforBusiness:Askillsbuildingapproach(3rdEdn)New York:Wiley WallimanNSR(2009)YourUndergraduateDissertation.TheEssentialGuideforSuccess(2009) London:SagePublications Summers,J.D.(2001)GuidelinesforConductingResearchandPublishinginMarketing:From Conceptualizationthroughthereviewprocess,JournalofAcademyofMarketingScience,29,4, 405415. Carpenter,M.A.,Sanders,W.G.Geletkanycz,M.A.(2004)Theupperechelonsrevisited:The antecedents,elementsandconsequencesofTMTcomposition.JournalofManagement,30(6): 749778.

 Week4:Conductingananalyticalliteraturereviewanddevelopingaconceptualization. Lecture4aimstoprovidestudentswithanappreciationofthepracticeofapproachingthe literatureinrelationtospecificresearchareasandtheabstractionofconceptualization.Inorder toanswerparticularresearchquestionsresearcherscaneitheremployprimary(new)or secondary(alreadycollected)data.Inaddition,acriticalreviewofliteratureisanimportant elementinprojectsasitprovidesthefoundationuponwhicharesearchstudyisbuilt.The purposeofthissessionistoexplainwhatacriticalreviewofliteratureisandtoensurethatthe concepts,theoriesandargumentsthatyoutakefromtheliteraturetohelpinformyourresearch arerobust.Further,itprovidesanoverviewofthevariouswaysinwhichconceptualizationsare developedintheliterature. RecommendedReading: Saunders,M.,Lewis,PandThornhill,A.(2009)ResearchMethodsforBusinessStudents.5thed. UpperSaddleRiver,NJ:FTPrenticeHallChapter3and7. Bryman,A.(2012)SocialResearchMethods.4thed.Oxford:OxfordUniversityPressChapter4 and5. Collis,J.andHussey,R.(2009)BusinessResearch:APracticalGuideforUndergraduateand PostgraduateStudents.3rded.Basingstoke,UK:MacmillanPublishersLimitedChapter6. Fisher,C.(2004)ResearchingandWritingaDissertationforBusinessStudents.UpperSaddle River,NJ:FTPrenticeHallChapter2. Weeks5and6:ResearchMethodologies.Thefinaltwolecturesaimtoprovidestudentswith anoutlineoftheprocessofdatagatheringfromthepreparationandorganizationstagetothe actualcarryingoutoftheresearchfieldwork.Week5focusesonquantitativetechniquesand willprovidethebasisforDataAnalysisandInterpretationmoduleandinparticulartheSPSS package.Thislecturewillaimtoequipstudentswithanunderstandingofthevarious quantitativetechniques.Topicscoveredwillincludeanintroductiontorelevantstatistical terminology,theconceptofdatalevel,approachestosamplingforquantitativeresearch(both probabilityandnonprobability),issuesofreliabilityandvalidity,formattingquestions(including basicscaleconstruction)andpilotingofquestionnaires.

Week6focusesonqualitativetechniquesandwillprovidethebasisforDataAnalysisand InterpretationmoduleandinparticulartheNVivopackage.Inthesesessionsissuesrelatingto qualitativedatacollectionwillbeconsideredincludingsampling,unitofanalysis,establishing trust,rigorandqualityaswellasthedevelopmentofinterviewschedules/protocolsfordata collection. RecommendedReading Saunders,M.,Lewis,PandThornhill,A.(2009)ResearchMethodsforBusinessStudents.5thed. UpperSaddleRiver,NJ:FTPrenticeHallChapter9and10. Bryman,A.(2012)SocialResearchMethods.4thed.Oxford:OxfordUniversityPressChapter 10. Field,A.(2009)DiscoveringStatisticsusingSPSS.3rded.London:Sage. Bryman,A.(2012)SocialResearchMethods.4thed.Oxford:OxfordUniversityPressChapter6, 17,18,19,20,21and22. Bryman,A.andBell,E.(2007)BusinessResearchMethods.Oxford:OxfordUniversityPress Chapters16and18 Press.deVaus,D.(2002)Surveysinsocialresearch.5thed.London:Routledge. deVaus,D.(2002)SocialSurveys.London:SagePublications. Fink,A.(2009)Howtoconductsurveys:Astepbystepguide.London:Sage.Fink,A.(2003)How toasksurveyquestions.London:Sage. Fisher,C.(2010)ResearchingandwritingadissertationAnessentialguideforbusiness students.UpperSaddleRiver,NJ:FT,PrenticeHall. Basit,TehminaN(2003)ManualorElectronic?TheRoleofCodinginQualitativeDataAnalysis. EducationalResearch,Vol.45,No.2,pp.143154. Cassell,C.andSymon,G.(2004)EssentialGuidetoQualitativeMethodsinOrganisational Research.SagePublicationsLtdChapters17,19and21. Collis,J.andHussey,R.(2009)BusinessResearch:APracticalGuideforUndergraduateand PostgraduateStudents.3rded.Basingstoke,UK:MacmillanPublishersLimitedChapter9. Urquhart,C.(1999)Usingvignettestodiagnoseinformationseekingstrategies:opportunities andpossibleproblemsforinformationusestudiesofhealthprofessionals,Exporingthe ContextsofInformation,pp.277289. Perry,C.(1998)Processesofacasestudymethodologyforpostgraduateresearchinmarketing, EuropeanJournalofMarketing,32,9/10,p.785802