Please Note: Lectures will be delivered in the format of extended notes supported
by a weekly 2 hours Q&A session.
Module Aims and Objectives
At the end of the module students should be able to:
1. Formulate and pursue a relevant research question
2. Identify and apply a range of research skills and methods necessary to produce a researchbased dissertation
3. Critique a range of approaches to researching management and organisational issues
through the design, execution and writing up of a research proposal
4. Describe and discuss common research processes in business and management research
5. Develop transferable skills: written communication, information handling, qualitative
analysis, numeracy and problem solving
Teaching Methods
The module consists of lectures and seminars and will incorporate a range of individual and
group activities, to allow students to familiarise with the most up-to-date processes in
business and management research and develop the necessary skills for doing research in a
business context. The sessions will put students at the centre of the teaching process through
the use of innovative techniques and technologies, encouraging an interactive and
intellectually stimulating environment.
Session Schedule
The lectures and seminars will take place across two weeks.
Week 1
Lecture 1: Overview of module and Introduction to Business Research
 Discuss what the module will cover
 Familiarise with the types of research projects you can do for your dissertation
 Explain the process of writing a Research proposal
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Lecture 2: Research strategies in Management
 Discuss what is theory
 Familiarise with research strategies
 Understand the process of planning a research project and formulating research
questions
Lecture 3: Surveying the literature and doing an Extended literature review
 Understand the process of reviewing Management literature
 Reflect on the importance of interdisciplinary research
 Discuss examples of ‘extended’ literature reviews
Lecture 4: Qualitative Research Methods for Managers
 Understanding the nature of qualitative research in a business context
 Sampling techniques in qualitative research
 Interviewing in qualitative research
 Doing Focus groups in a business context
Lecture 5: Thematic and Discourse Analysis
 Understanding the process of thematic analysis: strengths and limitations
 Understanding the process of discourse analysis: strengths and limitations
Seminar 1: Research Strategies (1 hour)
 You will have the opportunity to discuss the process of finding a dissertation topic.
 Discuss the process for developing research questions.
 You will have the opportunity to discuss and reflect on what could be a suitable
methodology for your project.
Week 2
Lecture 6: Analysing Visual Materials: Semiotic Analysis (Guest Lecturer: Dr Christiana
Tsaousi)
 Semiotics in business research
 Analysing Visual Materials
Lecture 7: Quantitative Research Methods for Managers
 Understanding the nature of quantitative research in a business context
 Sampling techniques in quantitative research
 Interviewing in quantitative research
 Self-completion questionnaires
Lecture 8: Quantitative Data: Main principles of collection and analysis (Guest Lecturer:
Angelos Karapappas)
 What qualifies as quantitative data? (Includes differences between financial and
quantitative data)
 Collecting and preparing a quantitative dataset for analysis
 Key steps in analysing and presenting your data
 Interpreting findings and common pitfalls
Lecture 9: Secondary Data Analysis
 Process of doing secondary analysis
 Advantages of secondary analysis
 Limitations of secondary analysis
Lecture 10: Ethics in Business research
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 Ethics in Primary Research
 Ethics in Desk-based dissertations
Seminar 2: Assignment and Dissertation Proposal Workshop (1 hour)
 This seminar activity is designed to help you with your Assignment and your
Dissertation proposal. It is expected that:
o You will ask your seminar Tutor any question you have about the assignment.
o You will write your Dissertation Proposal (based on the template provided in
Appendix B in the Dissertation Handbook) before the seminar and come
prepared to ask any questions you have as well as seek clarification and
advice from the Tutor.
Assessment
This module is assessed by an individual Research Proposal. All information about the
assignment is available on Blackboard.
Reading
The core textbook (available online in the Library) for this module is:
Bryman, A and Bell, E. (2015) Business Research Methods. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
For general background and further reading, the following journals are also
recommended:
 Journal of Mixed Methods Research
 Qualitative Sociology Review
 Qualitative Research
 Organizational Research Methods
 International Journal of Social Research Methodology
A reading list with all the articles covered in the lectures has been created and is
available on Blackboard to help you locate all sources with ease.
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