Understand the scientific process, its application in economics and business, and its utilisation in the problem-solving approach to business and management challenges.

Module code: Research methodologies

Level of study: 5

Number of credits: choose from 20 credit

Course/s the module belongs to: BA (Hons) Business Studies with Foundation

Faculty: Business Studies

Semester/Trimester of delivery: Semester 3

Start date of the module: January 22^nd, 2024

Location of study: London School of Commerce

Study hours for the module: usually 200 overall for a 20-credit module

• Number of contact hours and pattern of delivery: 2 hour lecture and two-hour fortnight each week for 12 weeks.
• Number of hours when students are expected to study independently or amongst peers, with no direct academic contact: 108 hours

Professional accreditation status and requirements: if applicable, if not, remove this section

Module leader name:

Module leader contact details:

Room 24.2 Chaucer House (2^nd Floor)                                      

How to access tutorials and other module support All materials are available on the Student Portal

Who is the module for? This module is a core module for second year students on the BA (Hons) Business Studies programme

Module aims:

1. To introduce and develop the skills needed to conceptualise a problem, make use of available literature, design a research strategy, evaluate, organise, and integrate relevant data (both existing and new), derive useful solutions based on knowledge, and communicate those solutions to clients and colleagues.

2. To develop the understanding on the basic processes of research methodology as practiced in business and social sciences

3. To evaluate different research approach and methods in business research and select appropriate research method for the chosen project with justifications.

Brief module description/summary: This module introduces students to the various research methodologies used in business research. They will be introduced to different types of data collection (quantitative and qualitative) and different data sources (primary and secondary). They will develop practical skills in analytics software (e.g. SPSS), and quantitative and qualitative analysis to make effective business decisions and recommendations. With sessions that combine ‘real’ business dilemmas, with academic best practice and practical skills, this module equips the participants to collect invaluable business insight.

1. Understand the scientific process, its application in economics and business, and its utilisation in the problem-solving approach to business and management challenges.

2. Understand, critically comprehend different research strategies and be able to apply with insight appropriate research methodologies to differing types of research problems, hypotheses, or fields of investigation.

3. Conceptualise and formulate a research project, including the formation of a hypothesis; the identification of field and evidence; the identification of research methodological approaches; the carrying out of a sustained piece of research, and the forming of conclusions while evaluating and applying the outcomes of research to a context/problem or issue

4. Demonstrate and apply the researching skills and project management skills which are required and which are necessary to carrying out a successful and sustained piece of individual work which may be applicable to academic and/or business contexts.

Module learning outcomes:

Overview of learning and teaching activities on the module: A variety of teaching approaches is used, including lectures, seminars, case analysis, teamwork and extensive use of electronic resources for guided research.

Assessments: This module is assessed via a 100% research proposal for students to demonstrate a critical understanding on the key processes of carrying out research and various research design and how to apply the theories of research methodologies in a chosen project.

Summative assessment Type	% weighting	Deadline for submission of work and where assignment should be submitted	Date for return of mark/grade and feedback and where they will be returned	Minimum pass mark for assessment task(s)
Research proposal	100 %	Turnitin – 2nd June 2025	Three weeks - Turnitin	40%

Further information about the assessment can be found at the end of this handbook, in the “assessment brief” section.

It`s important that you meet your assessment deadline to help manage your workload and ensure your timely progression to your next level of study. However, we understand that in exceptional cases you may be unable to submit your work on time or do well in your exams due to unexpected events which are short-term in nature and beyond your control. Find out more about what to do in situations such as these here.

A coursework extension or a chance to re-take your exam is not an automatic right; and to ensure fairness and transparency, exceptional circumstances requests will only be approved if they meet the criteria, are submitted on time and - where relevant - include appropriate professional evidence. 

Indicative schedule of delivery:

Session (Weekly)	Indicative Content	Independent Study Activities
1	Introduction to Business Research – Define What is Research, Business Research., Give examples of Research, Understand the significance of Research in Business and Informed Decision making, Explain the stages of the  Research process.	View examples of research activities in real life Understand the use of Active verbs in Research. To identify suitable research topics To be able to formulate Research aims using active verbs. To be able to write research objectives relevant to  the research aim
2	Literature review- Define what is literature, understand the differences between Primary, Secondary and Tertiary sources, Explain the term critique, identify the themes associated with the Research objectives and how to avoid plagiarism while writing a Literature review.	To review Harvard referencing To understand the term “critique” To do an example of critical reading To be able to differentiate between a bad literature review and a good/ well-structured one. To be able to identify academic themes relevant to the research to write a review.
3	Research Design I – Understand the terms Research methods and methodology, the layers of the Research onion, Introduce the basic terms like Ontology and Epistemology, explain the outer layers of the research onion like the Research Philosophy and Research approach.	Reflective theoretical exercises to understand the terminologies like Philosophy, Approach Reflective application exercises to comprehend a given research scenario  and select the options such as positivism/ interpretivism, inductive/ deductive  as the case may be with appropriate justification.
4.	Research Design II – Continue with the layers of the Research Onion, from Research strategy onwards like the Research design choices till Time horizon	Reflective theoretical exercises to understand the remaining layers of the Research onion   leading to the various research designs. Reflective application exercises to comprehend a given research scenario and select the options such as Qualitative / Quantitative / Mixed method Design.
5.	Assignment Discussion – to focus on the requirements of the assignment  and the structure
6.	Research methods I – Focus on the advantages and Disadvantages of Primary data versus Secondary data, Primary data collection methods, Important criteria – time, resources and Ethical risks associated with Primary data collection methods, Sources of Secondary data, Use of the C-R-A- P  criteria for data  sources, Sampling – Probability and Non- probability  types and methods of sampling and their usage in Research.	Reflective exercise to identify the primary and secondary data to be collected in each research scenario. To comprehend the use and sources of secondary data in Research. Simple exercises in sampling
7.	Research methods II – Focus on Dat analysis methods for Quantitative data and Qualitative data   and the tools such as Thematic analysis, Use of Descriptive and Inferential statistical analysis , Correlation , Regression .	Viewing simple YouTube videos  on Descriptive and Inferential Statistics, How to do thematic analysis. Simple exercises in thematic analysis and identifying the key themes in a paragraph. Reflective exercises on how to choose the tools for the analysis.
8.	Research Ethics, Reliability and Validity – Introduce these terms and explain their significance in Research. Time planning – how to do the time planning for a Research project – how to create a simple Gantt chart .	Viewing simple YouTube videos  to explain the use of Research reliability and Validity. An exercise on identifying the ethical risks that may arise in research scenario. An exercise on how to create a Gantt chart using MS word or Excel.
9.	How to a Research abstract, Some tips in writing a Research report	View examples of abstract, understand their purpose and word length. Self-reading on academic English tips to enhance the research report quality.

Referencing system: Harvard system of referencing.

Learning Materials/Resources: a variety of resource are available on the Student Portal..

Essential Resources: Research Methods for Business Students by Saunders, Mark,Lewis, Philip,Thornhill (ninth edition)

Other: All the Weekly materials- lecture slides, reflective exercises, extra reading will be uploaded on the LSC student portal.

Reassessment information: Some students may be required to take reassessment for the module, following a decision from a Board of Examiners. Do check the Your Guide to Assessment and Award Processes and seek advice from your Personal Academic Tutor if this is the case for you. Support from the module team will be available in preparation for the reassessments.

Should you be required to take reassessment, the nature of the reassessment will be:

Original assessment This should be identical to the assessment table column 1	Reassessment type Usually, the same type of assessment and brief, but exam questions may vary	Deadline for submission of reassessment, and where it should be submitted If no exact date is known, provide a week e.g. w/c 12 July 2022
Research proposal	Research proposal	TBC

This handbook should be read in conjunction with other sources:

• Student Course Handbook: for course academic information applying to all modules
• Current Student Webpages: for generic student experience information

Assessment brief/s:

Select a research topic of your choice based on a business issue and design a research proposal for this topic. The topic should be agreed with your Lecturer at least 4 weeks before submission date. This proposal should not exceed 4000 words. (+/- 10%)

Based on the selected topic, you are required to:

• Develop a research question and an appropriate set of research objectives
• Justify the choice of research topic including the background and context of the research
• Develop a critical literature review of the research topic
• Design a research methodology based on the topic selected. This would require you to develop a research design and justify your choice as appropriate. Your research design should include the following:

                  Research Philosophy (e.g., positivism, interpretivism, realism and/or pragmatism)

                  Research Approach (inductive or deductive)

                  Research strategy

• Discuss and justify the data collection methods – type of data, sampling method and target group
• Discuss the data analysis procedure to be adopted
• Discuss the possible ethical issues that need to be considered in this research
• Discuss the methods by which you would ensure that the research was both valid and reliable
• Discuss any possible limitations to this research
• Provide a research plan (timescale)
• Support with relevant references (Harvard format)

In your data collection and data analysis section, if appropriate, discuss how you would collect primary data through the use of one or a combination of methods of data collection methods e.g. questionnaire, interview, focus groups, observation, etc., and how you would analyse this data.

The above requirements are indicated as the required areas of focus for you to articulate your individual responses. The submission of your work for assessment should be organised and clearly structured in the order outlined below.

Please note the following when completing your written assignment:

• Writing: Written in English in an appropriate business/academic style
• Focus: Focus only on the tasks set in the assignment.
• Document format: Report
• Ensure a clear title, course, and name or ID number is on a cover sheet and the referencing conforms to the Harvard system.
• Research: Research should use reliable and relevant sources of information e.g. academic books and journals that have been peer reviewed. The research should be extensive.

The use of a range of information sources is expected – academic books, peer reviewed journal articles, professional articles, press releases and newspaper articles, reliable statistics, company annual reports and other company information. All referencing should be in Harvard style.

The instructions below will provide you with some more, hopefully helpful, advice

Research Proposal Title: The title is to create interest and reflect seriousness and relevance. Avoid vague and sweeping phrases covering broad areas of subjects. Endeavour to be clear, specific and precise. Remember that a title, brief as it may be, needs to be faithful to the contents of the research.

Abstract: This is a brief statement of what you are intending to research. It should be no more than 1-2 paragraphs. This needs to describe the proposal content. Think of this as an executive summary.

Introduction: You need to define the problem. Evidence of analytical thinking, argument analysis, theory application, and data management analysis is required as part of research. Remember to emphasis:

• Relevance of the Proposed Research to Business Research
• Place the proposed study in context
• Justification of the chosen topic
• Value of this research

Research question and objectives: This is to form the heart of the research proposal, creating interest and raising queries while serving to discipline and monitor thinking. Good research questions should be clear, specific, and answerable. The research objectives will comprise a general statement on the purpose, intention, or desire outcome of your research project. Please remember:

• There must be 1 research question (exceptionally up to 3) and an appropriate set of objectives
• The research questions and objectives are linked to your Literature review.

Literature review: This is designed to situate your research project in a scholarly tradition, acknowledging the contributions made by other scholars and/or practitioners while highlighting the innovative approach of your project, which is expected to shed a new light on the subject or fill a gap in the available literature on it. A critical survey (or critique) of the literature in the research area will also help you define or single out a major work, theory or school of thought you could use or build. (A conceptual or theoretical framework)

Research method(s) used: This is to inform the reader how you intend to proceed regarding data (based on what you need, where the data are located, how to get them, what to do with them). The two main methodologies in this connection are Qualitative and Quantitative.

Your method consists of two parts:

1. Research design – relates to the “research onion” (philosophies, approaches, strategies, choices, time horizon). You are expected to make strong justifications in support of your chosen research design. The “Onion” framework, designed by Saunders at al (2015) will be introduced during the course lectures.

2. Data collection and analysis – relates to the last phase of the research (techniques and procedures). Identify how specifically the data will be collected (i.e. questionnaire, focus group, etc...). You are expected to provide the advantages and disadvantages of the various data collection methods and select the most appropriate data collection method(s). For data analysis, you need to discuss whether or not you will use descriptive or inferential statistics….or both. Also you need to consider which software might be used for the analysis.

 Note that aspects of ethics, validity and reliability must be addressed, either in the course of your writing or in a separate headed section. Also your research proposal must include a time plan for the actual research to be undertaken.

 It is also likely that your work will have its limitations. It is necessary for you to identify and briefly discuss this aspect.

More general advice on approaching the assignment:

• Identify the key terms and requirements for a Research Proposal
• Use the Marking Criteria to understand the expectations of the reader.
• Create an outline of your assignment.
• Use your Research and Referencing to support and justify all your points
• Use Evidence to support your proposed research design and methodology

Your assignment should include in-text citations and be supported with a full List of References. You are expected to use the Harvard Referencing Style.

Please remember that when you submit your assignment, you need to include your name, student ID (also as a footer) and the title of your assignment.