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Research Methodology
BUSN 7661
“The unit for all-round research knowledge”
Semester 1
Business School
www.business.uwa.edu.au
BUSN7661 Business Research Methodology
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work from which the excerpt in this course material was taken, and not to the
course material itself.
UNIT DESCRIPTION 1
Introduction 1
Learning outcomes 1
CONTACT DETAILS - Unit coordinators 1
CLASS VENUE 2
TEACHING AND LEARNING RESPONSIBILITIES 2
Teaching and learning strategies 2
Charter of student rights 2
Student Guild contact details 2
Academic Conduct Essentials (ACE) 2
Use of student feedback 3
ASSESSMENT MECHANISM 3
Assessment details 3
TEXTBOOK(S) & RESOURCES 6
Required text(s) 6
Additional/Suggested/Alternate text(s) (Closed Reserve) 6
LECTURE SCHEDULE 8
ANALYTIC ARTICLES TO CRITIQUE 8
Checklist for critiquing a research article 9
APPENDIX A 11
Standard of Assessment 11
Ethical Scholarship, Academic Literacy and Academic Misconduct 12
Appeals against academic assessment 12
BUSN7661 Business Research Methodology
UNIT DESCRIPTION
Introduction
This unit is designed to introduce you to research methods that are of a suitable
academic standard for honours as well as have potential for input into community and
management contexts. The emphasis in the course will be placed on theoretical and
practical aspects that will be appropriate for this. The course will commence with an
overview of the scientific method, and will then focus on each stage of the research
process, including the problem definition, the theoretical framework, generation of
hypotheses etc. The unit is designed to offer you a broad view of research
methodology, rather than specific knowledge in one area only. At your stage of
research, a broad view is critical in terms of academic and basic research
development. Thus, many aspects of research are covered and both qualitative and
quantitative methods will be addressed.
On completion of this unit, you should be able (as a researcher) to critically assess
research projects, including academic journal articles, as well as develop the
conceptual design of their own research study.
The unit will be co-taught, by Dr Donella Caspersz and Professor Jill Sweeney, who
both have extensive expertise in qualitative and quantitative methods in the fields of
management and marketing.
Learning outcomes
On completion of this unit, you should have:
1. A sound understanding of the research process in a wider context
2. Strong conceptual skills (particularly identifying the research problem or thesis, and
designing conceptual schema)
3. A high level of knowledge of the applications of research in academic (basic)
domains as well as in community and commercial (applied) cases
4. the ability to effectively evaluate basic research, especially journal papers.
5. the ability to recognise the advantages and limitations of commonly used research
techniques.
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CLASS VENUE
Tuesday 9:00am – 12:45pm
LAW Lecture Room 3 (G05)
Article critique: This assignment will assist you in critically assessing the many
research articles that you will read in relation to your thesis.
The role of the lecturers is to facilitate your learning, your active attention and
participation in class is critical to your outcome.
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BUSN7661 Business Research Methodology
required pass mark students may attempt the quiz as many times as they wish.
Completion of the unit will be recorded as an Ungraded Pass (UP) on the student's
academic record. Non-completion (NC) within the required timeframe will also be
documented on formal academic records (ie, in either case the grade will appear on
transcripts). More information on ACE is available at http://ace.uwa.edu.au
ASSESSMENT MECHANISM
Item Weight Due date
Class Participation. 10% ongoing
Evaluation of article: 15% Varies across student group.
presentation Chosen in class in week 1
Evaluation of article: 25%
write up
Mini-assignments 5@10% See lecture schedule
TOTAL 100%
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ASSESSMENT DETAILS
Please note that final grades of the whole class may be subject to adjustment or
scaling.
Consider the checklist at the end of this course outline to prepare your
presentation. You should:
a) Prepare a brief ‘point form’ summary of the author(s) objective(s),
major finding(s) and conclusion(s); (this should be 1 page max)
b) Answer 6 of the aspects of the checklist (choose #1, #5, #13, and
3 others. You should state which of these you are addressing
during the presentation. Note: you will not be expected to comment
on issues that have not yet been covered in lectures.
c) Prepare 2-3 questions for students at the end of your presentation
to develop interaction/interest among the students. Be creative
(bribes, role playing and ‘hook in’ questions to the audience are all
useful).
You will need to hand in a 3-6-page summary of what you presented for
marking (include a, b and c above).
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BUSN7661 Business Research Methodology
Questions are in the reader with the case, unless otherwise stated
Block 1 (ALL STUDENTS MUST COMPLETE #1)
1 Science and research (compulsory)
2 Developing a proposal argument
3 Understanding qualitative research
5 Developing a questionnaire
(USTA, see case and video) (compulsory)
Note that the management question as follows:
Choose one target market only for this exercise, either former players;
new players; a specific minority group - ie a subset of new players
6 Sampling exercises
Questions on 2 pages in reader
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TEXTBOOK(S) & RESOURCES
Required text(s)
Cavana, R. Y., Delahaye B. L. and Sekaran U. (2001), Applied Business Research:
Qualitative and Quantitative Methods. Wiley & Sons, Milton, Qld. 650.072 2001
NB These articles are to be read for material covered in both 7661 and 7403
Berenson, Mark L. (1999), Basic business statistics: concepts and applications, Upper
Saddle River, N.J. Prentice-Hall. 519.5 1999 BAS
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BUSN7661 Business Research Methodology
Blaxter, Loraine, Christina Hughes and Malcolm Tight (2006), How to Research,
Buckingham: Open University Press
Cooksey Ray (2007) Illustrating Statistical Procedures for Business, Behavioural and
Social Science Research. Tilde University Press.
Davis, Duane (2000), Business Research for Decision Making, 5th ed. Belmont, CAL.
Duxbury Press, 2000. 658.403072 2000 BUS
Malhotra, N. K., Hall, J., Shaw, M. and Oppenheim, P. (2006), Marketing Research an
Applied Orientation (Australian Edition – 3e) Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice
Hall, 2006.
Zikmund, William G., (2003), Exploring Marketing Research, 8e, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Thomson/South-Western Q 658.83 2003 EXP
Yin, R.K (1989) Case Study Research, Design and Methods, Newbury Park: Sage.
Articles:
Fontana, Andrea and James H. Frey (2000), ‘The Interview: From Structured
Questions to Negotiated Text’ in N. K Denzin and Y. S. Lincoln (eds) Handbook of
Qualitative Research, London: Sage, 645-672.
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LECTURE SCHEDULE
Week Topic Reference: Action Need to do, remember
1 (DC) Introduction Neumann (2000); Bouma (2000
Science and Research Ch 1 & 2 Cavana (2001)
2 (DC) Developing your own research question Punch (2005) Maxwell (1996) Article 1
Ch 3 & 4 Cavana (2001) presentation
3 (DC) Research Design and Research Strategy Plowman (1999); Blaikie (2000); Article 2 Hand in assignment 1
Considering Ethics Ch 5 Cavana (2001) presentation
4 (JS) Writing style and model building Blaxter ch 8 Article 3
Ch 4 and 5 Cavana (2001) presentation
6 (JS) Measurement – variables, definitions, scales Ch 8 and 9 Cavana (2001) Article 6 Hand in assignment 4
Measurement – reliability and validity presentation
STUDY BREAK
8 (DC) Qualitative Research Design Ch 1 Richards (2005) Article 4 Hand in assignment 2
Plus access and ethics Saunders et al (2007) presentation
9 (DC) Qualitative data production Chs 2 and 3 Richards
Case studies, ethnog, grnded theory, action res
10 (DC) Qualitative data analysis Ch 7 Richards Hand in assignment 3
11 (JS) Quantitative research design data collection – Ch 10 Cavana (2001) Article 7
interviews, questionnaires presentation
12 (JS) Sampling (qual and quant) Ch 11 Cavana (2001) Article 8 Hand in assignment 5
presentation
13( DC Overview and discussion Hand in assignment 6
and JS)
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CHOOSE ONE ANALYTIC ARTICLE TO CRITIQUE
AND PRESENT FROM THE FOLLOWING:
Schutt, R. K., (2004) ‘Appendix C: How to read a research article.’, Investigating the
Social World. Sage: London.
1) Steinpreis, R . E., Anders, K. A., Ritzke. D. (1999) ‘The Impact of Gender on the
Review of Curricula Vitae of Job Applicants and Tenure Candidates: a national
empirical study’, Sex Roles. New York. Oct 41, 7/8. pp. 509-528
7) Fortin, David R. and Dholakia, Ruby Roy (2005) “Interactivity and Vividness Effects
on Social Presence and Involvement with a Web-based Advertisement” Journal of
Business Research, 58, 387-396.
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BUSN7661 Business Research Methodology
Introduction
1 Read the statement of purpose in the introduction. What was the
objective of the study? What is the basic research question, or
problem?
2 Consider the title. Does it precisely state the subject of the paper?
3 Read the statement of purpose in the abstract. Does it match that in the
introduction? Is the purpose explanatory, evaluative, exploratory
or descriptive? Does it draw on a positivist, interpretive or critical
tradition of research?
Literature and
Theory
4 What prior literature was reviewed? Was it relevant to the research
problem? To the theoretical framework? Are you aware of (or can
you locate) any important studies that have been omitted?
5 Was a theoretical framework presented? What was it? Did it seem
appropriate for the research question studied?
Methods
6 Review all methods/procedures in relation to the stated objective/s of the
study. Are the methods and the approach valid for studying this
problem?
7 Check the methods for essential information. Could the study
methodology be replicated from the information given? **Does the
validity of this study depend upon it being able to be duplicated?
**Does the researcher reflect sufficiently on their role as data-
makers?
8 Review the methods for possible fatal flaws. Is the sample selection
adequate? Is the experimental design appropriate? Is the
approach suited to the context and to the research question? Was
the design modified in response to research constraints or
opportunities?
9 Check the sequence of statements in the methods. Does all information
belong in the methods? Can the methods be subdivided for
greater clarity?
Results
9 Scrutinise the data. *As presented in tables and illustrations, does the title
or legend accurately describe content? *Are column headings and
labels accurate? *Are the statistical data organised for ready
comparison and interpretation? **As presented in quotes, words
and content analysis, does the data provide evidence for the
argument? **Is the handling of the qualitative data transparent,
consistent and thorough?
10 Review the results as presented in the text. *While referring to data in the
tables and illustrations, does the text complement, and not simply
repeat, data? *Are there discrepancies in results between text and
tables? **Do the results elaborate a situation that earlier appeared
unproblematic or self-evident?
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11 *Check all calculations and presentation of statistical data. **Check
whether descriptive data is used clearly and transparently to
convey an understanding of how people create and maintain their
social world.
12 Review the results in the light of the stated objective/s. Does the study
reveal what the researcher intended? To what extent does the
researcher believe they are engaged in value-free science?
Discussion
13 Check the interpretation against the results. Does the discussion merely
repeat the results? Does the interpretation arise logically from
the data, or is it too far-fetched? Have shortcomings of the
research been addressed? Were the conclusions well-grounded
in the findings?
14 Compare the interpretation to related studies cited in the article. Is the
interpretation at odds or in line with other researchers' thinking?
To what extent does the researcher set out to challenge older or
established wisdom or ideas?
15 Reflect on directions for future research. Has the author suggested
further work? Did the study seem consistent with current ethical
standards?
Overview
16 Consider the journal. Why is the topic appropriate to that journal?
Discuss in depth – find journal guidelines etc.
17 Reread the abstract. Does it accurately summarise the article?
18 Check the structure of the article (first headings and then paragraphing).
Is all material organised under appropriate headings? Are
sections subdivided logically into subsections or paragraphs?
19 Reflect on the author's thinking and writing style. Does the author
present this research logically and clearly?
* relates to quantitative research; ** relates to qualitative research
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BUSN7661 Business Research Methodology
APPENDIX A
Standard of Assessment
The Business School must ensure that the processes of assessment are fair and are
designed to maintain the standards of the School and its students. The School follows
the University of Western Australia’s grading system:
The School awards marks leading to these grades by using the following general
criteria which are presented here as a clear indication of the School’s expectations.
These general criteria may be supplemented by specific standards with regard to a
particular assignment.
HD The student has a clear understanding of theory, concepts and issues relating
to the subject and is able to adopt a critical perspective. The student is able to
clearly identify the most critical aspects of the task and is able to offer a logically
consistent and well articulated analysis within the analytic framework presented
in the unit. The student is able to draw widely from the academic literature and
elsewhere but maintains relevance.
D The student has a clear understanding of theory, concepts and issues relating
to the subject. The student is able to develop an analysis of an issue using the
analytic framework presented in the unit and is able to identify and evaluate the
critical issues. The student is able to draw upon relevant academic and other
material.
P The student generally takes a descriptive rather than analytic approach to the
subject. The student is able to demonstrate some understanding of the issues
involved but does not demonstrate the ability to apply the analytic framework
which had been developed in the unit. Draws primarily upon unit materials for
referencing.
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N The student is unable to demonstrate any understanding of the subject matter.
Material presented for assessment is unrelated to unit framework and shows
not effort to identify or address critical aspects of the topic.
• Collusion
• Inappropriate collaboration
• Plagiarism
• Misrepresenting or fabricating data or results or other assessable work
• Inappropriate electronic data sourcing/collection
• Breaching rules specified for the conduct of examinations in a way that may
compromise or defeat the purposes of assessment.
Penalties for academic misconduct vary according to seriousness of the case, and may
include the requirement to do further work or repeat work; deduction of marks; the
award of zero marks for the assessment; failure of one or more units; suspension from
a course of study; exclusion from the University, non-conferral of a degree, diploma or
other award to which the student would otherwise have been entitled.
Refer to the Ethical Scholarship, Academic Literacy and Academic Misconduct located
on the University’s website at
http://www.teachingandlearning.uwa.edu.au/tl4/for_uwa_staff/policies/student_related_
policies/academic_conduct
and the Faculty policy located at
(http://www.biz.uwa.edu.au/home/current_students/school_of_economics_and_comme
rce/plagiarism_policy).
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