Dissertation & Research Methods

1. Session 1 – 1rd October 2007 Amos Haniff School of Management & Languages Dissertation & Research Methods

2. Introduction • Preparation for completion of dissertation • Research, Literature reviews, Methodology, Analysis, Presentation • Pre-requisite for the dissertation in management degrees • Assignment Dissertation • Amalgamates all learning to date • Life-long personal, work & employment benefits • Most interesting and involving (academic) experience to date • Requires commitment, motivation & focus

3. Module Objectives • To generate an understanding of the social science research process. • To develop an appreciation of the nature of business & management research. • To provide the knowledge & skills required to conduct a sizeable piece of independent research. • To enable students to practise their skills & test their understanding of aspects of the research process. • To complete a successful dissertation

4. Assessment • 100% coursework • 10% Research methods assignment • 80% Dissertation • 10% Oral presentation • Assignment • 10th November • 2000-2500 Research Proposal (pp2-3) • Introduction • Literature review • Research questions and objectives • Methodology • Timescale • References

5. Timetable • Week 1 Introduction to research • Week 2 Conducting a literature review • Week 3 Research Design • Week 4 Data Collection Methods • Week 5 Collecting Quantitative Data • Week 6 Analysing Quantitative Data • Week 7 Collecting & Analysing Qualitative Data • Week 8 Presenting Dissertation

6. Key dates • Assignment –week 6 • Marked & Feedback week 8 • Self-assessment progress report • Friday week 3 (spring term) • Dissertation • Week 2 (summer term) • Oral Presentations • Week 5 (summer term)

7. Set Text Companion website http://wps.pearsoned.co.uk/ema_uk_he_saunders_resmethbus_4

8. Proposals & Supervisors • Written under the guidance of a Supervisor • Member of Academic Staff • George Dickie (Accounting/Finance) • David Kilgour (Finance/IT) • Graham Pogson (Strategy/Business Policy) • Zoë Morrison (HRM) • Stuart Graham (Economics) • Cath Fenton (Marketing) • Andrew Grieve (Marketing/International Bus) • Amos Haniff (Strategy)

9. Session 1 • Dissertation requirements • Introduction to research • Generating Ideas • Formulating the Topic

10. What is a dissertation ? • a requirement for an advanced academic degree • a treatise (thesis) advancing a new point of view resulting from research • A thesis (literally: 'position') is an intellectual proposition. • “It is a long piece of academic writing, divided into headed sections or chapters, which detail researches, in detail, a particular management subject”

11. Features of Dissertation • Is an independent piece of work. • Show detailed knowledge and understanding • Needs organisation and good planning • Project management • Shows critical & analytical thinking • Illustrates the context of existing knowledge • Has a high standard of communication & presentation • Written & Oral • Has an Scholarly approach -

12. Value of the Dissertation • Academic • Work independently • Personal & Career • Develop expertise, skills & competencies • Organising • Criticising • Information gathering • Identifying & problem solving • Logical thinking • Time management • Data interpretation • Communication • Writing

13. Skills required • Library & Information retrieval skills • Writing & note-taking skills • Research Skills • Project Management Skills • Interpersonal Skills

14. Generic Dissertation Format • Introduction • Research Objectives • Literature review • Problem Definition • Research Method • Research Design • Data Gathering • Data analysis • Preparing the results • Conclusion • Interpretation • About 12000-15000 words

15. Doing the dissertation • Time-consuming • Subjective • Often boring, but fun • Can take over your life • Gets into your dreams • More interesting than the results • Allows you to be nosey • Multiple methods • Uses everyday skills • Can lead to unexpected directions

16. An Introduction to research

17. An Introduction to research

18. An Introduction to research • In-depth inquiry into a phenomena • In-depth understanding of a behaviour • Proving a theory • Systematic investigation into establishing facts • Attempt to find out something in a systematically and scientific manner • A search for knowledge

19. An Introduction to research

20. An Introduction to research

21. What is research? • Newspapers • Collection and dissemination information • Personal interoperation of the facts • Little requirement of evidence • “Women on paternity leave” • “Is the web….” • Polls/Surveys • Collection and dissemination information • Recording of facts without interpretation • http://www.mori.com/polls/ • Web research • Unverified, Unlicensed • Aliens on Earth

22. Research Types • Exploratory Research • Investigating a new problem/issue/topic • Testing-out research • Finding limits of existing previously proposed generalisations • Problem-solving research • Start from a particular problem “in the real world”

23. Business Research • What makes business research distinctive? • Draw on knowledge developed by other disciplines • Considering future implications • Seeks commercial advantage • Practical consequences

24. MODE 1 (Gibbons et al., 1994) • Traditional mode of organization in universities • Main objective is the production of new knowledge • “Pure” disciplines as the locus of knowledge production and scientific recognition • Staging processes of knowledge utilization: from fundamental to applied research • Peer review system as the predominant form of assessment (research, career) • Main target for diffusion of knowledge: Peer-reviewed journals

25. MODE 2 (Gibbons et al., 1994) • Problem-solving is the main objective • Heterogeneous team + unstable social structure of production (ex.: task-oriented network) • Transdisciplinarity • Contextualization of research and the localization of research in new social spaces • End of academic monopoly on assessment of research • Diversification and de-institutionalization of knowledge diffusion activities

26. Research types

27. Research Process • Problem definition • Research Objectives • Research Design • Data Gathering • Data Analysis & Interpretation • Presenting the results • Dissemination of results • Application of recommendations

28. The research process

29. The research process

30. Selecting topic - Originality • Not a restatement of arguments in existing literature • Draw comparisons between existing models • Develop new models / propositions • Extend/contribute to existing theories • Test existing hypothesis / propositions • Develop new theories

31. Choosing Research Topics • Choose a study that you are capable of doing • Time • Resources • Location • Access • Choose a topic that interests you • Choose a topic that excites your imagination • Choose a topic that is linked to theory • Choose a topic that matches your career goals • Can you state your research objectives clearly

32. Amos’ Advise • Follow your hunches • Choose a topic that is do-able • Choose a study that has clearly defined objectives • Look at/extend past research projects/papers • Basic researchnot Applied • Independentnot original • Testing outnot exploratory or Problem-solving • CompletionnotNobel Prize • KEEP IT SIMPLE

33. Choosing a research Project • What are my interests? • Hobbies, Personal, Business, Grievances • What are my expertise? • What kind of questions grab my attention? • What is the actual problem? • What is the best way of solving this problem • What has been done in the past? • Literature search

34. Supervisor Keep a note-book Explore personal preferences in past projects Dissertation web pages Identify projects of interest What appeals to you What is good/bad Literature Journals, reports, books Relevance/decision trees Brainstorming Discussion groups Delphi techniques Generating research ideas

35. Research groups • Researcher briefs members of the group about research idea • Group seeks clarification • Group proposes independent/group ideas • Discussed by researcher • Documented by researcher returned to group for further discussion • Formulate Research Question & Objectives

36. Research Questions • Main research question • Focus of the study • Forms the literature review • Forms the hypothesise or proposition • Supports conclusion • Secondary research questions • Identifies research objectives • Sets out methodology

37. Research Focusing Questions & Objectives • What topic or broad area is your research concerned with? What is the context? • What is the nature of the phenomena, entities or “social” reality I wish to investigate? • What might represent knowledge or evidence of the phenomena, which I wish to investigate? • What is the purpose of the research? What am I doing it for?

38. Research Question • It must not be too broad or general • although you will focus it even more later on in the process. • It shouldn't have already been answered by previous research • although replication with variation is certainly acceptable. • It ought to be a question that needs to be answered • i.e., the answer will be useful to people. • It must be a question that can be answered through empirical means • Conducting a research study

39. Research Questions • Avoid closed questions? • What? • Why? • When? • Who? • Use questions with variables • “Why do students prefer to study in cities rather than rural universities?” • “What is the relationship between a students' ages and their level of degree award?” • “When in the dissertation process do students understand the nature of research?”

40. Next week • Conducting a literature review • Research questions & objectives