MAJOR CATEGORIES OF ASSESSMENT

Individual Work (participation 20%)

Team work (Case studies) :40 % members of any Team are allocated the same Team mark

Final Assignment : 40%

BIBLIOGRAPHY (INDICATIVE)

Recommended Reading

· Slides

· PMBOK® Guide, 2012. Project Management Institute (PMI), USA

· Management of Risk (APMG)

• IPMA ICB version 3 (provided on PDF)

· Handbook of Project Management, J Rodney Turner, McGraw Hill,

· PRINCE2™ (2009, APMG)

· MSP™ (2010, APMG)

Recommended www

Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering International www.aacei.org

Books from the Project Management Institute, URL: www.pmibookstore.org/ Project Management Institute, to download a copy of the PMBOK®: www.pmi.org/ Association for Project Management, United Kingdom Body of Knowledge: www.apm.org.uk International Project Management Association (IPMA) Competence Baseline: www.ipma.ch http://www.projectmagazine.com/ http://www.gantthead.com/

http://www.projectconnections.com

http://www.allpm.com/ http://www.primavera.com/

http://www.welcom.com/

http://maxwideman.

Research Methodology for Project

MODULE SUMMARY (INDICATIVE)

This module is a core module in this Masters’ programme. The module consists of taught sessions on business research methods and a set of blended learning activities to support Masters’ program candidates in the development of a successful dissertation. The teaching programme overall targets the identification of a suitable research topic, the critical evaluation of existing work within the relevant academic literature, the design of an effective methodology, the selection of appropriate and consistent methods for data collection and analysis, the operational aspects of writing a project proposal and a project report.

AIMS

• to equip students with the skills and knowledge necessary for the successful completion of a research project.
• to enable students to develop the skills and knowledge required for the successful completion of a research project via application of such skills and knowledge to a specific business problem or issue, via a substantial piece of independent work.
• to allow students to demonstrate proficiency in the design of a research project, application of appropriate research methods, collection and analysis of data, and presentation of results.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: on successful completion of the module, students will be able to:

· demonstrate clarity of problem definition and scope; critical evaluation of a focused review of relevant literature; a carefully argued case for the research methods employed; proficiency in the analysis and interpretation of qualitative and/or quantitative data, where appropriate; and sensitivity to the organisational context for which recommendations are made, where appropriate.

· design a programme of research, data collection, and analysis integrating research aims, data requirements, and methods of collection and analysis, choose appropriate means of measuring research variables, use methods of data collection and analysis appropriate to research needs, and data characteristics, take account of ethical and other constraints.

· identify and justify policy decisions and interventions based on the results of the research, where appropriate.

· present the results of research in an academically acceptable format, paying particular attention to integration of the literature review, critical evaluation of data, and clear presentation of research results.

CURRICULUM CONTENT (INDICATIVE)

The module consists of two elements: Research Methods training and the completion of a research project.

Generic research skills:

· bibliographic and computing skills; identification of library and other secondary sources; use of abstracts, theses, journals, conference proceedings, and the internet;

· procedures for evaluation of research;

· ethical and legal issues, including the Data Protection Act, and issues of informed consent; referencing and plagiarism; intellectual property rights;

· research management skills including time management, planning and organising the research project and process.

Basic principles of research methods:

· techniques for identifying researchable problems, and refining initial ideas to researchable topics;

· research design: developing a coherent proposal linking aims, data requirements, and methods of collection and analysis; understanding issues of validity; generic types of research objective; general types of research design (experimental, quasi-experimental, non-experimental); scope of design in business and organisational contexts;

· introduction to different research paradigms;

· thinking about and modelling causal relationships, schematic models of variable relationship, sampling and sampling techniques;

· introduction to issues of measurement; problems of measuring abstract concepts and the construction of measures; validity issues in measurement; measurement errors and their management;

· methods of data collection - self-completion questionnaires / workplace surveys; interviews (one to one and focus groups), observation principles, case studies – uses, design and development, administration, theoretical and practical concerns, implications for validity and reliability;

· techniques and principles of data reorganisation and reduction and data analysis common to both numerical and text forms of data;

· analysing text - special characteristics and problems of text, introduction to techniques for management and analysis of textual data;

· analysing numbers - special characteristics and problems of analysing numerical data, introduction to basic statistical techniques common in behavioural research including exploratory data analysis, and elementary non-parametric and parametric techniques;

· writing up and completing the project, communicating the results, producing an argued piece of writing, considering alternative interpretations.

Research Project and Dissertation

The dissertation provides an opportunity to research a specific area in depth, and involves the identification of an issue or problem which merits investigation using standard procedures developed during the Research Methods training that is an integral part of this module. Students will be expected to be familiar with the theory and empirical research in their chosen area of study, and to demonstrate their ability to review and apply the concepts and techniques critically. They will also be expected to demonstrate proficiency in the selection and application of the appropriate primary and/or secondary research methods as appropriate. Investigation would normally begin with a literature search and subsequent review, and may be presented as a case study; a comparative study relative to sector norms; or as a questionnaire or interview-based study.

No particular constraints will be placed upon the choice of subject matter for the dissertation, unless specified by the requirements of an accrediting body, as long as it falls within the scope of the student’s degree programme. The research may take one of several forms, for example:

· an empirical investigation of a management or organisational practice, strongly supported by reference to the relevant theory and concepts;

· the use of relevant theories and concepts that will enable the solution of a practical managerial or organisational problem, where the practical recommendations arise out of the mix of theory and data collection;

· a project for a host/client organisation;

· a work-based issue within the student’s own place of employment;

· a critical review of an academic literature, which includes a critique of extent theory and empirical evidence, together with an application of the critical review to issues and problems to commercial, industrial or market organisations.

It is understood that a dissertation may be confidential and might require non-disclosure agreements to be made.

Date: 2015-01-12; view: 604