Handbook : Unit informationEdith Cowan University

School: Business and Law

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

• Unit Title

  Applied Research Methods in Business

• Unit Code

  FBL5111

• Year

  2018

• Enrolment Period

  1

• Version

  1

• Credit Points

  15

• Full Year Unit

  N

• Mode of Delivery

  On Campus
  Online

• Unit Coordinator

  Dr Uma Devi JOGULU

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Description

This unit develops students skills in quantitative and qualitative research techniques commonly used in business research. The theoretical component of the course introduces the philosophy behind qualitative and quantitative research, and gives a broad understanding of the major research methods. The practical component develops skills for reading and writing research, critical thinking, problem definition, data collection, analysis and presentation.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

1. Understand the nature of quantitative and qualitative research approaches.
2. Developed skills in the use of research methods commonly employed in business research.
3. Critically evaluate research studies and undertake an integrated literature review.
4. Basic data analysis techniques.
5. Understand research proposals and reports.

Unit Content

1. Research in business & law, unit requirements.
2. Quantitative data entry and descriptive statistics.
3. Inferential statistics and hypothesis testing.
4. Inferential statistics.
5. Writing research reports.
6. Scientific inquiry, qualitative vs quantitative approaches and methods.
7. Finding and evaluating research, the literature review.
8. Developing research questions and a theoretical framework.
9. Research design and methods.
10. Qualitative data collection, conducting interviews.
11. Qualitative data analysis and presentation.
12. Quantitative measurement, reliability and validity.
13. Questionnaire design, sampling.

Learning Experience

Students will attend on campus classes as well as engage in learning activities through ECU Blackboard.

For more information see the Semester Timetable

Additional Learning Experience Information

This unit will be available in the on-campus and off-campus mode. Research is an activity that requires personal effort and initiative. Preparation for this will be assisted by seeing this unit as an opportunity for self-directed learning. This means taking seriously the need for wide reading, critical discussion of ideas and participation in exercises. The lecturer will function more to guide learning rather than to deliver materials. On-campus students attend a 3-hour interactive seminar each week. The first two hours will be a lecture session on the unit content. The third hour will be a problem solving workshop on business research problems and analysis, or on the analysis and interpretation of data using statistical software. Off-campus students are supplied with unit materials accessed via Blackboard. These materials include lecture notes, electronic versions of the workshops, and the solutions to the weekly workshop exercises and research problems.

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant Board of Examiners.

Core Reading(s)

• Bryman, A., & Bell, E. (2015). Business Research Methods. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.

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