ULMS Electronic Module Catalogue

The information contained in this module specification was correct at the time of publication but may be subject to change, either during the session because of unforeseen circumstances, or following review of the module at the end of the session. Queries about the module should be directed to the member of staff with responsibility for the module.
Title APPLIED RESEARCH METHODS
Code ULMS515
Coordinator Dr D Jayawarna
Strategy, IB and Entrepreneurship
D.Jayawarna@liverpool.ac.uk
Year CATS Level Semester CATS Value
Session 2019-20 Level 7 FHEQ First Semester 15

Pre-requisites before taking this module (other modules and/or general educational/academic requirements):

 

Modules for which this module is a pre-requisite:

 

Programme(s) (including Year of Study) to which this module is available on a required basis:

 

Programme(s) (including Year of Study) to which this module is available on an optional basis:

 

Teaching Schedule

  Lectures Seminars Tutorials Lab Practicals Fieldwork Placement Other TOTAL
Study Hours 14

12

        26
Timetable (if known)              
Private Study 124
TOTAL HOURS 150

Assessment

EXAM Duration Timing
(Semester)
% of
final
mark
Resit/resubmission
opportunity
Penalty for late
submission
Notes
             
CONTINUOUS Duration Timing
(Semester)
% of
final
mark
Resit/resubmission
opportunity
Penalty for late
submission
Notes
Individual Research Report There is a resit opportunity. Standard UoL penalty applies for late submission. This is an anonymous assessment. Assessment Schedule (When) :1  2000 words    60       

Aims

The effective utilisation of information in order to inform decision-making is a key managerial skill, and this module aims to develop skills in the acquisition, analysis and management of both qualitative and quantitative information for both academic and professional purposes. The module will initially orientate students around the sources of extant information that can be used to inform academic and managerial decisions.  It will consider the nature of research both in an applied managerial and more overtly academic context, before moving on to consider more specifically the nature and methodologies of both qualitative and quantitative data deriving from both secondary and primary sources, with a view to students completing a small research project of their own, based on secondary sources, or completing a research proposal as to how they would conduct a piece of research to achieve pre-determined research objectives.


Learning Outcomes

(LO1) Expose the nature of research and the research process in both academic and more practical, applied management contexts;

(LO2) Be aware of the variety of available information sources, and assess their utility in informing both academic and applied management research;

(LO3) Distinguish between primary and secondary information and develop a critical awareness of research methods and techniques relating to the collection and analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data;

(LO4) Be able to determine the appropriateness of a range of methods for data collection and data analysis to meet research objectives, thereby becoming an informed user of management information;

(LO5) Evaluate, select, and justify appropriate research methods in a chosen area of study, in order to ensure that the evidence generated, its analysis and conclusions drawn are valid, reliable and ethical.

(S1) Adaptability

(S2) Problem solving skills

(S3) Numeracy

(S4) Commercial awareness

(S5) Teamwork

(S6) Organisational skills

(S7) Communication skills

(S8) IT skills

(S9) Lifelong learning skills

(S10) Ethical awareness


Teaching and Learning Strategies

Teaching Method 1 - Lecture
Description: Lectures will provide students with theories and concepts relating to the nature of research and the various methods and techniques that can be used in the collection and analysis of different types of research.
Attendance Recorded: Not yet decided

Teaching Method 2 - Seminar
Description: Seminars will be more practically oriented, allowing students to develop and practice some of the data collection, analysis and interpretive skills in the specific context of the specialist subject-area of their individual MSc programme in a workshop-style format.
Attendance Recorded: Not yet decided

Self-Directed Learning Description: Outside of the classroom, a student's time should be spent preparing questions in advance of seminars, reading materials, researching independently and preparing for assessments.


Syllabus

 

Week 1:

Lecture
Introduction to the module and the module assignment. Module learning objectives. What is research and why research is important.

Seminar/workshop
Research process: getting to know the terminology; available information sources at the University of Liverpool.

Week 2:

Lecture
The nature of academic and applied research; the research process; finding a suitable research area; framing a question.

Seminar/workshop
Conducting a literature review and database search.

Week 3:

Lecture
Types of data and data collection strategies – qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods: the difference and the choice.

Seminar/workshop
Critiquing methodological approaches in academic articles.

Week 4:

Lecture
Quantitative research: population and sampling; sampling and sampling related errors; questionnaire surveys: types of questions; unit of measurements ; introduction to data analysis; quantitative data analysis techniques; data presentation.

Seminar/workshop
Questionnaire design and data coding workshop.

Week 5:

Lecture
Qualitative Research: designing qualitative research, generating qualitative data.

Seminar/workshop
Planning a qualitative study, qualitative data collection and analysis.

Week 6:

Lecture
Quantitative Research: data analysis and interpretation: graphical presentation; descriptive statistics; chi-squares; correlation; simple regression.

Use of secondary data: advantages and disadvantages, data sources and accessing secondary data.

Seminar/workshop
Quantitative data analysis workshop - use of SPSS in data analysis.

Week 7:

Lecture
Writing up and presenting quantitative/qualitative data. Mixed methods in research.

Summing up: developing a research proposal, ethical issues in research.

Seminar/workshop
Assessment briefing & #x2013; how to write a research proposal; how a research proposal differs from a research article.


Recommended Texts

Reading lists are managed at readinglists.liverpool.ac.uk. Click here to access the reading lists for this module.