Manchester Business School
Postgraduate Research Programmes
Research Training Programme
Handbook
2009-2010
1
Contents
Section A: Research Training for MBS Postgraduate Research Students
1.
Programme Structure and Management ………………………………………………
3
2.
2.1
2.2
2.3
Assessment ………………………………………………………………………………………………
Assessment Principles
Submission Dates
Submission of Coursework/Assignments
5
Section B: General PhD Research Training Pathway
3.
Pathway Structure and Requirements ………………………………………………
3.1 Choosing Research Training Courses and Research Methods Workshops
3.2 Course Selection Form
4. Core Research Training Courses
4.1
Introduction
4.2
Course Outlines
5. Research Methods Workshops
5.1
Introduction
5.2
Course Outlines
8
………………………………………………………………
12
…………………………………………………………………
30
Section C: Accounting and Finance PhD Research Training Pathway
6.
Pathway Structure and Requirements
……………………………………………
81
7. Compulsory Courses (Accounting) …………………………………………………………
Introduction
Course Outlines
83
8. Compulsory Courses (Finance)
Introduction
Course Outlines
………………………………………………………………
87
9. Electives …………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Introduction
102
Section C: Optional Non-Credit Bearing Courses ………………………………………
Course Outlines
103
2
Section A:
Research Training for MBS Postgraduate Research
Students
1. PhD Programme Structures and Management
The MBS Doctoral Research Training Programme is led by Prof. Rudolf Sinkovics, the MRes and
Research Training Programme Director.
Director of
MRes
Management
Programme
and Research
Training
Programme
Prof. Rudolf
Sinkovics
[email protected]
Room 3.05
MBS West
68908
He is supported by the PGR Administrative Team.
Research
Training
Graham Cockerill
[email protected]
Research
Training
Geraldine Garrabet
(Oct 2009-June 2010)
[email protected]
MRes
Anusarin Lowe
[email protected]
Room 9.23
MBS Harold
Hankins
Room 9.23
MBS Harold
Hankins
Room 9.24
MBS Harold
Hankins
56550
56580
50784
A PhD at Manchester Business School is a three year full-time programme (or a 6 year parttime programme) which requires students to complete advanced supervised research and
structured training in research methods and skills. Your PhD programme therefore is an
individual combination of these three major elements:



Supervised Research
Research Training Programme
Skills Development Programme
During your first year, there will be a particular focus on research training, with around 60% of
your devoted to this element. In your first year, your PhD will comprise the following elements:
3
Research Training Programme
Research Methods
Core
+
Workshops or
Courses
Electives (Specialist
Masters Courses)
+
Skills
Development
Programme
+
Induction
+
MBS
Doctoral
Conference
+
Supervised Research
This Handbook provides details of the Research Training available to students registered in
Manchester Business School.
There are two major pathways for Research Training
a) General (for students in all research areas excepting Accounting and Finance)
b) Accounting and Finance
In addition to the required elements for each pathway, students may, with the approval of their
supervisor request to attend:



Non-credit bearing courses
Specialist Masters course units in MBS
Master’s course units in other Schools
Optional non-credit bearing courses
You need to enrol for these courses but as they are not a Research Methods Elective Course
and are not formally assessed.
Specialist Master’s Course Units
You should contact the PGT Administration Office (5 th Floor Harold Hankins Building) if you wish
to attend one of these courses.
4
2. Assessment
2.1
Assessment Principles
Students are expected to successfully pass the assessed components of the research training
programme. The marks from these assessments will be considered by your First Year Review
panel, along with other aspects of your PhD study as part of the formal review of your progress
in your first year of study.
First year PhD students are expected to have successfully
completed the Research Training Programme before progression to Year 2. Students should
achieve marks of 60% or more in RTP core courses and research methods workshops or
electives.
If you do not achieve a mark of 50% you will fail the assessment. You will be advised of your
mark, you will receive feedback on your performance and will have one further opportunity to
take this assessment. This work will be marked and both the original mark and the reassessment mark will be forwarded to the End of Year Review Panel for consideration as a reassessment. The course leader will give you details of this opportunity which may be either:


Re-submission of the same assignment
Submission of an alternative assignment
If you achieve marks of 50-60% on a core course, the End of Year Review Panel may
recommend further work, such as:



Submit another assessment related to this course
Submit further work as specified
Make corrections to your review report.
Review Panels have some discretion on making their recommendations and will take into
consideration marks on other core courses. For example if you achieved a mark in the mid-50s
on one core course but considerably higher than 60% in the others you may not be required to
submit another assessment for the course. Failure to reach 60% pass on a workshop unit may
also be considered in the same way. However, a panel may request you to submit another
assessment if the workshop is particularly crucial to your research.
2.2
Assessment Submission Dates
Assignments to be assessed should be submitted by 12pm (noon) on the published assessment
deadline. Extensions for assessed work must be formally approved by Professor Rudolf
Sinkovics ([email protected]).
One hard copy must be submitted to the PGR Office (Room 9.24 MBS Harold Hankins) and one
copy must be submitted electronically to Blackboard. The electronic copy will be submitted to
Turn It In which will check for plagiarism and collusion.
Assessments will normally be marked and marks and feedback returned to you within four
weeks of assessment.
5
Submission deadlines for 2009-10 are:
Knowledge Production and Justification in Business and
Management Studies (Epistemology )
Research Process 1 (Literature Review)
Research Process 1 – 2nd semester course for finance,
mid-year and part timers
Research Process 2 (Research Design)
Research Process 2 Business Systems
Research Process 2 Innovation Management and Policy
Action Research
Actor Network Theory
Advanced Accounting Research Seminar I
Advanced Accounting Research Seminar II
Advanced Accounting Theory
Advanced Corporate Finance
Advanced Finance Research Seminar I
Advanced Finance Research Seminar II
Advanced Finance Theory
Bibliometrics
Business Analysis
Case Study Research: Method and Methodology
Comparative Case Study Analysis
Constructing and Analysing Large Data Sets
Critical Thinking and Argumentation for Scientific
Research and Scholarly Writing
Foundation Statistics for Business Research
Elite Interviewing with Senior Managers
Mixed Methods
Multivariate Statistics
Problem Structuring Methods
Qualitative Data Analysis in Business and Management
Research
Qualitative Dissemination
Qualitative Methods
Research Evaluation methods and techniques
Scenario Methods in Research
Social Network Analysis
Social Shaping of Technology
Structural Equation Modelling
Survey Design
29th January 2010
6th February 2010
TBC
22nd April 2010
22nd April 2010
TBC
4th December 2009
8th March 2010
11th December 2009
23rd April 2010
12th January 2010
1st April 2010
11th December 2009
23rd April 2010
18th December 2009
23rd April 2010
31st March 2010
26th February 2010
19th April 2010
12th March 2010
18th December 2009
17th December 2009
1st March 2010
19th April 2010
18th January 2010
TBC
14th December 2009 & 18th
December 2009
8th March 2010 & 15th
March 2010
9th &10th December 2009
19th April 2010
17th May 2010
21st May 2010
18th January 2010
10th March 2010
7th December 2009
Amendments to the RTP teaching schedule or submission dates will be e-mailed to students and
posted on the 1st Year Notice Board (located near Room 9.23 MBS Harold Hankins and also in
Room 2.31, MBS Crawford), the PGR intranet and Blackboard Programme/Course Information.
6
2.3
Submission of Coursework
All MBS Postgraduate Research students in 2009-10 must submit all assessed coursework
electronically and in hard copy.
Electronic Submission of Assessed Coursework
To submit an item of coursework electronically, a student must first be registered with the
University and have a central user name and password.
Only students enrolled on course units will have their work assessed.
Submitting an assignment
Electronic submission of coursework is via the Blackboard student portal. Assignments should
be submitted in MSWord or PDF format only. Assignments can be submitted over the Internet
from any location. We require that electronic submissions are made by 12pm on the day of the
submission deadline. If an electronic version is not submitted by this time, then the deadline
will be deemed not to have been met.
Detailed information and guides about how to submit an individual assignment is available at:
http://www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/blackboard/
Once you have submitted your assignment, the coursework will be submitted to the JISCsupported online service TurnItInUK. This service logs in each electronic submission, and
evaluates each assignment for evidence of academic malpractice using a range of methods.
The report generated by TurnItInUK will be sent along with the assignment to the course
leader/s for marking.
Hard copy submission of Coursework
Assignments should be brought to the PGR office (Room 9.23, MBS Harold Hankins) by the
submission deadline. You will be asked to complete a cover sheet (for marking purposes) and
an academic malpractice declaration.
If you are unable to bring your assignment in person by the submission date, you must ensure
that you contact Graham Cockerill ([email protected]) in the PGR Office prior to the
deadline.
NB: Both hard copy and electronic submissions are required before an assignment can
be assessed.
7
Section B:
General Research Training Programme Pathway
3.
General Research Training Programme Pathway
Structure and Requirements
The General Pathway for research training is recommended for all students who are
not researching in the areas of accounting and finance.
All students will study:



3 Core Research Training Courses
3 Research Methods Workshops (assessed)
5 Research Methods Workshops (non-assessed).
There are three variants of the Research Process 2 course. You should discuss which of these is
the most suitable and your selection of Research Methods Workshops with your supervisor. The
courses you need to take for Research Training are:
Research Training Core
Courses
Research Methods Workshops
Knowledge Production and
Justification in Business and
Management
3 Workshops (assessed)
Research Process 1:
Literature Review
5 Workshops (not assessed)
Research Process
2:Research Design
Or
Research Process 2: Problem
Solving, Design and
Evaluation
Or
Research Process 2: Methods
and Concepts in Science,
Technology and Innovation
Studies
8
3.1
1.
Choosing Research Training Core Courses and Research Methods Workshops
You should complete the Course Unit Selection form and return it to the
Postgraduate Research Office (PGRO) by 4pm Friday 2nd October 2009.
Please complete your Course Selection Form as soon as possible. Some Research Methods
Workshops have limited numbers and places will be allocated on a “first come, first
served” basis.
2.
Please take time to read the Research Training Programme handbook and to talk with
your supervisor before choosing your electives. The Research Training Handbook gives
summary information about each Elective course, the form of assessment and deadlines
for assessment.
It is your responsibility to make a sensible choice of electives to be
assessed in. You should consider:
o
o
o
o
o
relevance to your PhD topic
the opportunity to explore new research methods
timing and format of teaching
learning and teaching methods
assessment deadlines
Some electives take place on one day; some are spread over more than one day. To gain
the credit for the course, you are required to attend all of the required sessions for the
electives. You are also required to participate fully in the teaching and learning sessions
for the electives that you choose. In some cases you will be asked to read some material
in advance or, where the elective is split into two sessions held a week or two apart, to
prepare a non-assessed presentation for the second session.
Please read the course outlines carefully to understand what is involved and remember
that if you elect to take these units, you need to undertake all the required work for
participating in the sessions, regardless of whether you have chosen to be assessed in
that unit.
3.
It is not possible to opt out of (or to opt in to) assessment for elective Research Methods
Workshop after attending that course.
4.
You cannot attend a Research Methods Workshop unless you have registered for it, by
completing the Course Unit Selection form. (This is essential to avoid over-crowding in
teaching rooms.) If you attend without having registered you will be asked to leave.
If you wish to attend on a voluntary basis, workshops you have not registered for please
consult the PGR office in advance who will confirm whether places are available.
5.
When you have registered for a workshop you will have access to relevant course
materials and resources through Blackboard.
6.
Once you have submitted work for assessment, it is not possible to subsequently withdraw
that work. Likewise it is not permitted to submit work for assessment on more than the
three courses that you have chosen to be assessed in.
7.
If you are ill and unable to attend a class on one of the Core Courses or Research Methods
Workshops, you should notify the PGR office as soon as possible. If you miss an elective
9
through illness you will need to choose to attend another elective (either the same course
which is being repeated on a later date, or a different course).
8.
The Core Course of Research Process 2 (RP2) has three versions. Most students will take
the generic MBS version, but students in Business Systems and Innovation, Management
and Policy Divisions may choose to take the alternative RP2 courses provided by those
divisions. You should discuss with your supervisor which of the RP2 variants is most
suitable for you and advise PGR Office by 2nd October.
10
PhD Research Training Course Selection Form
STUDENT NAME:
ID (on student card):
DIVISION:
Please Select your Core Courses (refer to RTP section of Induction Pack for advice).
CORE COURSES:
Catalogue Number
(i.e. BMAN 80031)
1. Knowledge, Production and Justification in Business and
Management Studies (Epistemology)
BMAN 80031
2.
3.
BS, IMP, MIBS and PMO Students:
Please select 8 methodology elective workshops. The first three will be assessed. A list of
workshops (with Catalogue Number) is available on the back of this sheet for your reference.
A&F students:
Please refer to the A&F research training programme handbook for guidance on electives.
METHODOLOGY ELECTIVE
WORKSHOPS:
Assessed or
not?
1.
Assessed
2.
Assessed
3.
Assessed
Catalogue Number
(i.e. BMAN 80031)
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Please return the completed form by 4pm on Thursday 1 October 2008 to:
Graham Cockerill
Postgraduate Research Office
Room 9.23 Harold Hankins Building.
[email protected]
(0161) 275 6550
11
4. Core Research Training Courses
4.1
Introduction
The following courses are compulsory for all PhD students on the General Pathway and you
must take a formal assessment to pass each course:
o
Knowledge Production and Justification in Business and
(Epistemology)
(equivalent of 15 credits, weekly taught session Semester 1)
o
Research Process 1: Literature Review (RP1)
(equivalent of 15 credits, weekly taught session Semester 1)
o
Research Process 2: Research Design (RP2)
(equivalent of 15 credits, weekly taught session Semester 2)
Management
Studies
NB Accounting and Finance students have subject specific compulsory courses which
replace the courses listed above. Students should refer to the separate information
provided on Accounting and Finance Research Training Courses in Sections 5 and 6.
The Timetable for Compulsory Research Methods Courses follows can be found below. All dates
and room assignments are subject to change.
Course Title
Knowledge Production
and Justification in
Business and
Management Studies
(Epistemology)
Date/Time
Every Tuesday
(except Thursday 29
October 2009)
2pm - 4pm
Tutor
Group A
Dr Maria Nedeva
Group B
Prof Richard Whitley
October 6, 13, 20, 29
November 3, 10, 17,
24
December 1, 8, 15
12
Research Process 1:
Literature Review
Every Tuesday
10am - 12pm
Group A
Ms Kate Barker
Group B
Prof Julie Froud
October 6, 13, 20, 27
November 3, 10, 17,
24
Research Process 1:
Literature Review
(Part-time, mid-year,
Finance and
Accounting students)
Research Process 2:
Research Design
December 1, 8, 15
TBC
Ms Kate Barker
Every Thursday
11am - 1pm
Group A
Dr Laszlo Czaban
January 21, 28
Group B
Dr Richard Phillips
February 4, 11, 18, 25
Business Systems
Research Process 2:
Research Design
March 4, 11, 18, 25
Every Thursday
2pm - 4pm
Prof Simon French
January 21, 28
February 4, 11, 18, 25
Innovation
Management and Policy
Research Process 2:
Research Design
March 4, 11, 18 , 25
Every Thursday
9.30am - 12pm
Prof Philippe Laredo
and Ms Kate Barker
January 21
February 11
March 11
April 22
Once you have registered for courses you will be able to log on to Blackboard for latest
information on the rooms where courses will be held.
13
Title:
Knowledge Production and Justification in
Business and Management Studies
(Epistemology) (BMAN 80031)
Credit Rating:
Level: (UG 1/2/3 or PG)
Delivery: (semester 1, 2 or both
etc)
Tutor(s):
15
PG
Semester 1
Dr Maria Nedeva and Prof Richard Whitley
Aims:
This course of 1 lecture and 10 seminars is intended to familiarise doctoral students with the
major philosophical and methodological issues involved in the production of valid knowledge in
business and management studies. It focuses on the particular nature of business and
management research in the context of general theories of scientific knowledge, such as logical
positivism, critical rationalism and realism, and considers how the social and management
sciences differ from the physical and biological sciences.
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this unit successful students will be able to:
By highlighting the methodological and theoretical assumptions of different approaches to
business and management studies, the course aims to equip students with the understanding
necessary to make informed and well reasoned choices in undertaking substantial research in
these fields. In particular, the connections between different kinds of research strategies and
philosophical approaches will be considered throughout the course.
Content:
After the initial lecture, the course consists of seminars organised around presentations by
groups of students dealing with the topics listed under each heading on the basis of the
prescribed reading. These presentations should summarise and criticise the main arguments of
the authors in dealing with these topics. Each student will be involved in two presentations.
Assessment will be based on two group presentations (10% each) and an essay to be
completed after the end of the course (80%).
A key text for the course is:
Andrew Sayer, Method in Social Science, 2nd Edition, Routledge, 1992.
Students might also find the following useful:
Chalmers, A., What is this thing called Science?
Fay, B., Contemporary Philosophy of Social Science.
Hollis, M., The Philosophy of the Social Sciences.
Maki, U., Fact and Fiction in Economics: Models, Realism and Social Construction, (Cambridge U
P 2002).
Additional material is available in the MBS Eddie Davies library.
14
Session 1. Introductory Lecture:
Knowledge Production and Justification in Business and Management Studies
Topics to be covered:
Varieties of scientific knowledge and their purposes; the nature of business and management
studies as a set of different scientific fields and as bodies of knowledge, their relations to other
social sciences and to managerial practices, differences between the natural and social
sciences, positivism and critical rationalism, the failure of the empiricist research programme,
the realist approach, the nature of social phenomena and social science, knowledge and
practice in the social sciences.
Session 2. Knowledge and Practice in Business and Management Studies
Presentation title: The Production and Practical Uses of Knowledge in Business and Management
studies.
Topics to be covered:
Technocratic conceptions of the social sciences and their problems; the social sciences as policy
sciences producing theories for coping; the modern sciences as reputational organisations and
their varied audiences; business and management studies as particular kinds of reputational
organisations; varieties of knowledge in business and management studies and the conditions
of their practical uses; factors affecting the demand and supply of types of knowledge in
business and management studies.
Prescribed Reading:
Fay, B., Social Theory and Political Practice, chapter 2.
Rule, James (1997) Theory and Progress in Social Science, Cambridge University press, chapter
8.
Van der Ven, Andrew (2007) Engaged Scholarship: A guide for organizational and social
research, Oxford University Press, chapter 1.
Whitley, Richard (1984) ""The Fragmented State of Management Studies: Reasons and
Consequences", Journal of Management Studies, 21. 331-348.
Whitley, Richard (2000) The Intellectual and Social Organization of the Sciences (second
edition), Oxford U P. Introduction and chapter 1.
Whitley, Richard (2008) "Varieties of Knowledge and their Use in Business and Management
Studies," Organization Studies, 29 (4)
Dominant Approaches in the Anglo-American Philosophy of the Natural Sciences
Session 3. Logical Positivism as a Philosophical Research Programme
Presentation title: The Nature and Purpose of the Logical Positivist Research Programme and its
Problems.
Topics to be covered:
The goals of the Logical Positivist programme; the nature of its basic assumptions about reality,
perception and knowledge in contrast to other philosophical approaches; the separation of the
context of discovery from the context of justification; the verification principle of meaning and
the rejection of metaphysics; logical positivist models of explanation and prediction; problems
of the empirical base and the theory laden nature of facts and experience.
Prescribed reading:
Caldwell, B., Beyond Positivism, chapters 2, 3
15
Chalmers, A., What is this thing called Science? Chapters 2.3.
Hands, D Wade (2001) Reflections without Rules: Economic Methodology and Contemporary
Science Theory (Cambridge University Press), pages 70-88.
Hollis, M., Philosophy of Social Science, chapters 2. 3.
Stockman, N., Antipositivist Theories of The Sciences, chapter 1
Van der Ven, Andrew (2007) Engaged Scholarship, chapter 2.
Session 4. Science as a System of Rational Criticism
Presentation title: The Purpose, Assumptions and Problems of the Critical Rationalist Research
Programme in the Philosophy of Science.
Topics to be covered:
The problem of induction and Popper’s solution; the role of metaphysics in science and the
demarcation principle; the logic of falsification and its problems; fallacies of affirming the
consequent and denying the antecedent; the conventionalism of basic statements; the
inadequacy of purely logical accounts of explanation; the nature and difficulties of ceteris
paribus clauses; building theoretical arguments and the use of Toulmin’s model of argument.
Prescribed reading:
Chalmers, A., What is this thing called Science? Chapter 4.
Hands, D. W. Reflections without Rules, pages 88-100, 275-286.
Hollis, M., Philosophy of Social Science, ch. 4.
Popper, K., Logic of Scientific Discovery, chs. 1, 4 & 5.
Sayer, A., Method in Social Science, chs. 5, 7 and 8
Stockman, N., Antipositivist Theories of the Sciences, Ch. 2
Van der Ven, A., Engaged Scholarship, chapter 3.
Session 5. Theories of Scientific Progress and the Epistemological Reconstruction of
the History of Science
Presentation title: Empiricist Theories of Scientific Progress, the Rationality of Scientists’
Choices and the Problems of Lakatos’ Methodology of Scientific Research Programmes.
Topics to be covered:
Grounds for claiming progress in science; rules for assessing competing theories; the degrees
of verisimilitude and empirical content of scientific theories; problems of crucial experiments
and demonstrating progress; criteria for assessing the rationality of scientific change and the
selection of research programmes; the use of the history of science to support theories of
knowledge.
Prescribed reading:
Chalmers, A., What is this thing called Science?, chapters 5,6 &7.
Hands, D. W. Reflections without Rules, pages 286-303.
Lakatos, I., "Falsification and the Methodology of Scientific Research Programmes", in Lakatos
and Musgrave (eds), Criticism and the Growth of Knowledge.
Popper, K., Conjectures and Reputations, Chs. 1, 10
16
Session 6. The Nature of Scientific Change and its Consequences
Presentation title: Kuhn’s theory of scientific change, its major
implications for the relations between the History and Philosophy of Science.
problems
and
Topics to be covered:
The Kuhnian model of scientific development, its assumptions and contradictions; the
consequences of a revolutionary history of scientific change for theories of scientific progress;
the role of philosophical theories in developing histories of the sciences; the failures of the
empiricist programme in the philosophy of science and their implications for the production and
justification of knowledge claims.
Prescribed reading:
Chalmers, A., What is this thing called Science? Ch 8.
Hands, D. W. Reflections without Rules, pages 101-114.
Kuhn, T.S., The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Chs. 2-10.
Kuhn, T. S., The Essential Tension (University of Chicago Press, 1977), chapters 9, 11 and 12.
Session 7. The Realist Alternative
Presentation title: The Purpose and Nature of the Realist Research Programme in the Philosophy
of Science.
Topics to be covered:
The purpose and assumptions of the Realist research programme in the philosophy of science;
the interdependence of epistemology, ontology and sociology; the failure of Humean Atomism;
levels of explanation and ontology; causal mechanisms and structures; types of explanation in
Realism; open and closed systems; theories and evidence; laws and regularities.
Prescribed Reading:
Archer, M et al (eds) Critical Realism: Essential readings, (Routledge, 1998). Chs 2. 3. 4.
Hands, D. W. Reflections without Rules, pages 114-123.
Maki, U. (2001) “Realisms and their Opponents: Philosophical Aspects,” International
Encyclopaedia of the Social and Behavioural Sciences, volume 19. Pp. 12815-12821.
Sayer, A., Method in Social Science, chs. 1and 2
Stockman, N., Antipositivist Theories of the Sciences, Ch. 4
Different Kinds of Knowledge, their Justification and their Uses in the Human Sciences
Session 8. Social Science as the Study of Meaningful Phenomena
Presentation title: The Relevance of Philosophical Theories of Natural Scientific Knowledge for
the Human Sciences and the Implications of the Concept Dependent Nature of Social
Phenomena for Social Scientific Knowledge.
Topics to be covered:
The role of theories of natural scientific knowledge in evaluating social scientific knowledge
claims; the concept governed nature of social phenomena; constitutive and regulative rules in
describing and explaining social phenomena; Winch’s arguments about the impossibility of a
(naturalistic) social science; language and the understanding of other cultures, the internal
relatedness of social phenomena and its implications, the nature of a social science of
meanings, meaning change and social realities.
Prescribed reading:
Fay, B., Contemporary Philosophy of Social Science, chs. 4, 5.
Hollis, M., Philosophy of Social Science, ch. 7.
17
Thomas, David Naturalism and Social Science, Chapter 3.
Wilson, B. (ed) Rationality, Chs. 1, 5.
Winch, P., The Idea of a Social Science, ch. 3.
Session 9. Actors’ Accounts, Rationality and Social Science
Presentation title: The Implications of the Ontological Priority of Actors' Accounts for the
Epistemological Status of the Social Sciences and the Role of Rational Choice in Social Scientific
Explanations.
Topics to be covered:
The ontological priority of actors' accounts in the human sciences and its epistemological
implications; fallibilism in common-sense and scientific reasoning; the role of actors’
rationalities in constituting and explaining actions; the limitations of rational choice theories in
the social sciences; varieties of rationality and rational actions in social scientific explanations.
Prescribed Reading:
Boudon, R., "Beyond Rational Choice Theory," Annual Review of Sociology, 29. 2003. 1-21.
Fay, B., Contemporary Philosophy of Social Science, chs. 6, 7.
Harré, R. and P. F. Secord, The Explanation of Social Behaviour, Chs. 6, 7
Hollis, M., Philosophy of Social Science, chs. 6. 9. 11.
Rule, James, Theory and Progress in Social Science, chapter 3.
Session 10. The Role of Values in Social Science
Presentation title: The Value-laden and Critical Nature
Epistemological status of Business and Management Studies.
of
Social
Research
and
the
Topics to be covered:
The constitutive role of personal and collective values in social science; adequate descriptions
and problem definitions; differences in the role of values in constituting "objective" knowledge
in the natural and social sciences; relations between facts, values and social action; the idea(s)
of a critical social science; the role of values in management and policy research; rationalist
ideals and clinical practices.
Prescribed reading:
Fay, B., Critical Social Science, chapters 2. 3 & 4.
Fay, B., Contemporary Philosophy of Social Science, ch. 10.
Hollis, M., Philosophy of Social Science, ch. 10.
Stockman, N., Antipositivist Theories of the Sciences, ch.6
Toulmin, S., Return to Reason (Harvard University Press, 2001), chapters 7 and 8.
Whitley, R.D., "The Scientific Status of Management Research, Journal of Management Studies,
21, 1984, pp. 369-390.
Session 11. The Realist Approach to Social Science
Presentation Title: The Realist Research Programme in the Social Sciences, its Implications for
Research Strategies and Forms of Practical Engagement.
Topics to be covered:
The nature of the realist research programme in the social sciences, its assumptions and
difficulties, the duality of social structure and its dependence upon social actions, stratification
of the social world and causal explanation in social science, powers of social objects and their
realisation in open systems, limitations of naturalism and the nature of a realist social science;
realism and realisticness in economics; intensive and extensive research strategies; variance
18
and process approaches in business and management studies and their implications for
engaging with the world of practice.
Prescribed reading:
Ackroyd, S and S Fleetwood (eds) Realist Perspectives on Management and Organisations,
(Routledge, 2000) chs 1, 2.
Archer, M et al (eds) Critical Realism: Essential readings, chs 10, 11, 14.
Hands, D. W. Reflections without Rules, pages 320-341.
Maki, U (1996) “Scientific Realism and Some Peculiarities of Economics,” pp 427-447 in R S
Cohen et al (eds) Realism and Anti-Realism in the Philosophy of Science, Dordrecht: Kluwer.
Sayer, A., Method in Social Science, Chs. 3, 4, 9
Stockman, N., Antipositivist Theories of the Sciences, ch. 8.
Van der Ven, A., Engaged Scholarship, chapters 5 and 9.
Teaching and learning methods:
After the initial lecture, the course consists of seminars organised around presentations by
groups of students dealing with the topics listed under each heading on the basis of the
prescribed reading. These presentations should summarise and criticise the main arguments of
the authors in dealing with these topics. Each student will be involved in two presentations.
Preliminary reading:
Chalmers, A. F., (1999), What is this thing called Science?, Oxford UP
Fay, B., (1996), Contemporary Philosophy of Social Science: A Multicultural Approach, Blackwell
Hollis, M., (1994), The Philosophy of Social Science, Cambridge UP
Maki, U., (2002), Fact and Fiction in Economics: Models, Realism and Social Construction,
Cambridge U P
Sayer, A., (1992), Method in Social Science, 2nd Edition, Routledge.
Learning hours:
Activity
Staff/student contact
Tutorials
Private study
Directed reading
Total hours
Other activities
e.g. Practical/laboratory work
Hours allocated
22
100
28
150
Assessment:
Assessment activity
Group presentations
Essay
Length
required
Weighting within
unit
20%
80%
19
Title:
Credit Rating:
Level: (UG 1/2/3 or PG)
Delivery: (semester 1, 2 or both
etc)
Tutor(s):
Research Process 1: Literature Review (BMAN
80041)
15
PG
Semester 1
Kate Barker & Prof Julie Froud
Aims:
RP1 aims:
(1)
To provide an introduction to the research process and the research community and to
enable students to situate their own research within each of these. It is assumed that
students will be taking other courses which provide in-depth training in the area of
specific research techniques, and skills workshops to develop particular competences
according to the results of the skills audit.
(2)
To help students define and develop their own research project which meets the criteria
for a successful PhD
(3)
To stimulate students to identify their core literature base, and to work analytically and
critically with the literature.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this course unit, you will have put together a work plan integrating work on the
PhD into a broader research training framework, and completed a preliminary literature review
which includes analysis and critical perspectives. You will also have presented and justified a
literature review to a group of PhD students from a wide range of management disciplines.
On completion of this unit successful students will be able to:
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Understand the processes necessary for successful PhD research
Understand the principles of selecting and formulating research topics;
Appreciate the interdependencies between formulating research topics, research
questions, research hypotheses and selecting research methodologies;
Name your core literature and know what it says;
Start to critique academic work;
Understand the principles of writing academic texts (more specifically PhD theses);
Present their emerging thesis to a general academic audience.
Content:
The course provides an introduction to the PhD process, as well as focusing on developing a
literature review. Classes cover both practical and intellectual aspects of defining, analysing and
reviewing the literature relevant for your PhD thesis or MRes dissertation.
The provisional schedule of classes and topics for 2009 is given below:
20
Session
1
Date
6th Oct
2
13th Oct
3
20th Oct
Topic
Introduction to course
What is a PhD?
Research topics and research
questions 1
Academic writing
4
27th Oct
Reading with a focus
5
6
3rd Nov
10th
Nov
17th
Nov
24th
Nov
1st or
8th Dec
The concept of core literature
Systematic review principles and
practice
Writing techniques
7
8
9
Synthesis and critical analysis
Weekly Discussion
Motivations and
expectations
Your topic and
possible questions
Sources, referencing
and pitfalls
Boundaries of your
review and list of
keywords and how
derived
What is your core?
Systematic review
design
Personal strategies
What does it mean
to be ‘critical’?
Presentations in small groups
Classes take place on Tuesdays, between 10.00am and 12.00pm.
Please note that the final schedule of classes will be confirmed at the beginning of the course.
Teaching and learning methods:
The course is taught by means of a weekly two-hour class. The format of the sessions varies,
but in most weeks:
(1)
(2)
the first hour offers a series of presentations by the course tutor on aspects of the
research process
the second hour offers a workshop oriented towards the production of a literature
review, which builds up week by week.
The success of the course depends on students participating in the weekly discussions and
exercises. For some weeks you will be asked to prepare something to bring along to the class
and it is essential that you do this to allow you to participate fully.
Attendance is compulsory. Please contact [email protected] if you cannot attend due
to illness or other reason.
You are required to make a short non-assessed presentation on your literature review towards
the end of the course. Not only will this help you to develop your analysis but it provides an
opportunity for you to obtain feedback in advance of submitting the assignment.
Preliminary reading:
For advance reading, the following two books are recommended
Bolker J.,(1998), Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day, An Owl Book: New York
Phillips E. M., and D. S. Pugh, (2000), How to Get a PhD, Open University Press
21
During the course and your first year in general, you may also find it useful to consult some of
the following sources:
Glatthorn, A. A., (1998), Writing the Winning Dissertation, Corwin Press Inc.: California;
Dunleavy, Patrick (2003) Authoring a PhD: How to Plan, Draft, Write and Finish a Doctoral
Thesis or Dissertation Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan
Tranfield, David, Denyer, David and Smart, Palminder (2003) “Towards a Methodology for
Developing Evidence-Informed Management Knowledge by Means of Systematic Review”
British Journal of Management 14: 207-222
Hart C., (1998), Doing a Literature Review, SAGE Publications
Hart C., (2001), Doing a Literature Search, SAGE Publications
Murray R., (2002), How to Write a Thesis, Open University Press
Rudestam K. E., and R. R. Newton, (2001), Surviving Your Dissertation, SAGE Publications Inc.
Sternberg D., (1981), How to Complete and Survive a Doctoral Dissertation, St Martin’s Griffin:
New York
Wisker G., (2001), The Postgraduate Research Handbook, Palgrave.
Please bear in mind that these books take different approaches to the research process and
that you may need to consult several before you find one that suits you.
Learning hours:
Activity
Staff/student contact
Private study
Total hours
Other activities
e.g. Practical/laboratory work
Hours allocated
18 (2 hours per week for 9 weeks)
132 hours, including preparation for classes, exploring,
analysing and reviewing the literature for the assessment,
preparation of a non-assessed presentation.
150
Assessment:
Assessment activity
Literature analysis and review
Due 6th February 2010
Details to be provided at the first class
Length
required
10 pages max.
Weighting within
unit
100%
22
Title:
Research Process 2: Research Design
Credit Rating:
Level:
Delivery:
Tutor(s):
15
PG
Semester 2
Dr Laszlo Czaban and Dr Richard Phillips
Aims:
This course intends to give an overview of the research process in social science and introduce
students to the most frequently used research strategies and techniques. Due to the length of
the course, the course is selective and it is not intended to give a comprehensive guide to
research methodology. The course will also highlight the most common pitfalls in social
research and demonstrate the linkages among the research topic, theory and method.
Understanding and evaluating ethical issues in social research is an integral part of the course.
The course introduces various research techniques through student presentations.
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of the course, students will:
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Understand the most important criteria of a successful research process
Acquire a critical approach to the choice of research method
Have a general view of alternative research methods
Be able to assess the ethical aspects of their own and others’ research
Acquire an insight to the links among research subject, theory and method
Be assisted by the acquired knowledge in designing a strong research proposal
Be able to assess the research design of others.
Content:
From research strategy to implementation of research, The problem of sampling. Identifying
typical and statistically representative. Structured and random samples, Problems of
extrapolation. Making claims on the basis of a limited sample. The construction of categories
and conclusions, Construction of hypotheses Analysing results. The problems of validity
Research ethics. Social function of research. Objectivity.
Teaching and learning methods:
Lectures, workshops, student presentations
Preliminary reading:
The literature on research method and research strategy is vast and diverse. Students may use
Catherine Hakim’s Research Design: Successful Designs for Social and Economic Research
(ISBN 0-415-233-13-X) as a starting point. In addition, the students are required to read the
two handouts. In addition, there are recommended readings for each session.
23
Learning hours:
Activity
Hours allocated
Staff/student contact
Tutorials
Private study
Directed reading
Total hours
Other activities
e.g. Practical/laboratory work
20
110
20
150
Assessment:
Assessment activity
Length
required
Weighting within
unit
Resources
i. Teaching Provision
20 hours teaching and marking
ii. Technical Provision
Visual aids.
iii. Library provision, equipment, computer, etc
Nothing additional beyond normal social science usage of library and information
resources
24
Title:
Credit Rating:
Level: (UG 1/2/3 or PG)
Delivery: (semester 1, 2 or both
etc)
Tutor(s):
Research Process 2: Problem Solving, Design and
Evaluation
15
PG
Semester 2
Prof Trevor Wood Harper and Prof Simon French
Aims:
Note: This course is offered as an alternative to the Research Process 2: Research Design
module. It is suited to students, particularly in the Business Systems Division, whose project is
more about problem solving, design and subsequent evaluation of solutions than more
observational studies.
Some doctoral research projects are focused on solving a problem of some kind in a real
organisation or a type of problem that faces many organisations: e.g.
 definition, design and implementation of an information system to allow an organisation to
improve the running of a process or adopt different processes;
 use of ICT by individuals and groups to undertake tasks in novel ways;
 development of algorithms and mathematical modelling techniques to improve performance
of individuals, groups or organisations.
The course will introduce the methods of problem definition, solving, solution and system
design and evaluation needed within such projects.
A key message of the course is that the researcher becomes an actor within the context of
study rather than an observer of it.
Nonetheless, methods and approaches of more
observational studies will be surveyed and outlined briefly.
More specifically, the course aims:
• to introduce research approaches and processes used within, e.g., information systems
research, decision sciences and operational research
• to understand the difference between qualitative investigative research and the
processes of problem solving, design and evaluation
• To foster skills in understanding context, issue and problem formulation, including
identifying client needs
• To understand how to identify research questions and issue
• To understand more formal approaches to system, algorithm or process design and
testing
• To understand how research methods could be combined in a doctoral study
• To develop skills and understanding of various methods of evaluation
• To develop skills in the use of particular software packages such as SPSS, Nudist,
Simul8, Matlab and Nvivo.
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of the course the student will:
 Understand problem defining, solving, design and evaluation processes.
 Take a critical approach in choosing a research and problem solving approach.
 Have a general view of other research contexts and the methods used therein.
 Assess the ethical and professional issues relating to their own and others research;
25



Able to formulate problem, research and evaluation questions relevant to their research.
Able compare the problem solving, design and evaluation of other research methods in
context.
Discuss issues with stakeholders, clients and problem owners from the outset to
completion of a research project.
Content:










Identification of research questions and recognition of different approaches to
investigation, including their relative strengths and weaknesses and ethical concerns.
The role of statistical inference in research: exploratory vs. confirmatory including broad
introduction to a range of appropriate techniques.
Controlled trials and ‘laboratory-based’ research.
o Qualitative design and conduct
o Quantitative research design and quantitative analysis
Field trials, surveys and evaluative studies.
Interviewing in Practice.
Grounded Theory studies
System, algorithm and process design and testing
o Issues of software/system/process design
Mathematical, simulation and numerical explorations
o Role of sensitivity analysis in model building and evaluation
o Analysis of results
Statistical/quantitative analysis exercises
Reflections on course and application to their research topic/proposal
Teaching and learning methods:
Lectures, workshops, student presentations, self study of particular methods
Preliminary reading:
David R. Anderson, Dennis J. Sweeney, Thomas A. Williams, Jim Freeman, Eddie Shoesmith
(2006) Statistics for Business and Economics. Thomson Learning.
P Congdon (2006) Bayesian Statistical Modelling, 2nd edition. Wiley.
Chris Dewberry (2004) Statistical Methods for Organisational. Routledge.
Michael Myers and David Avison (2002) Qualitative Research in Information Systems: A Reader.
Sage.
Learning hours:
Activity
Staff/student contact
Hours allocated
20 hours
Tutorials
26
Activity
Hours allocated
Private study
80 hours
Directed reading; self study of
particular methodologies
50 hours
Total hours
Other activities
e.g. Practical/laboratory work
150 hours
Assessment:
Assessment activity
Reports on two exercises
Length
required
2,000 to 5,000
words depending
on nature of the
analysis used
Weighting within
unit
50% each
27
Title:
Credit Rating:
Level: (UG 1/2/3 or PG)
Delivery: (semester 1, 2 or both
etc)
Tutor(s):
Research Process 2 (IMP students): Methods and
Concepts in Science, Technology and Innovation
Studies (BMAN 80191)
15
PG
Semester 2
Prof Philippe Laredo, Ms Kate Barker and guest
speakers
Aims:
This course aims to consolidate the research training done in RP1 and Philosophy/Epistemology
by focusing upon the underlying concepts and methods used in the field of science, technology
and innovation studies.
The course aims to
(a) ensure that doctoral students acquire the adequate critical and analytical capabilities for
developing high quality PhD theses
(b) ensure a balanced introduction both to research methods and to theories and concepts
critical for PhD theses in our field by examining methods in use.
Learning Outcomes:
PhD students who are successful in this course unit will achieve the following:
o A deepened critical awareness of the main theoretical stances in the field
o A deepened critical perspective on their own research topic
o Skills in presenting (to a non-specialist audience) the main elements of theory and
methods of key theoretical perspective
o Understanding of the notion of “core texts” and core concepts
Content:
It will address “dominant” theories, concepts and frameworks, sometimes complementary,
often alternative that make up the intellectual background to any PhD thesis in our field. The
course is there to share knowledge on these theories so as to enlarge the students’ background
when defining and positioning their subject. The content will be focussed upon “rationales for
public intervention in science, technology and innovation”.
Teaching and learning methods:
This will take the following form:
(i)
Presentations by senior people on a few major theories and their relations with ST&I
management. Students will be provided with 1 or 2 texts from the presenter and
prepare them. Active participation in questions and discussion is expected.
(ii)
Group work for a presentation and a written report. The assignment is to aim at
writing the equivalent of a chapter in a manual or text book style. Topics will be
allocated at the start of the course by the two course supervisors, considering the
subjects of the PhD theses.
(iii)
Group tutorials (2) in preparation of the presentation and written report: interim
meetings to discuss progress (relevant literature, organisation of chapter, key
examples).
28
Preliminary reading:
Arrow, K.J., 1974. General Economic Equilibrium - Purpose, Analytic Techniques, Collective
Choice, American Economic Review, 64, 253-72.
Dasgupta, P. and David, P., 1994. Toward a new economics of science, Research Policy, 23,
487-521.
Metcalfe, J.S., 1995. The economic foundations of technology policy:equilibrium and
evolutionary perspectives, in: Handbook of the economics of innovation and
technological change, Stoneman, P., Ed., Blackwell Oxford, UK, pp. 409-512.
Arrow, K.J., 1959. The Simple Economics of Basic Scientific-Research, Journal of Political
Economy, 67, 297-306.
Nelson, R.R., 1987. Roles Of Government In A Mixed Economy, Journal Of Policy Analysis
And Management, 6, 541-57.
Learning hours:
Activity
Hours allocated
Staff/student contact
Tutorials
Private study
Directed reading
Total hours
Other activities
e.g. Practical/laboratory work
20
6
90
30
150
none
Assessment:
Assessment activity
Written report (group)
Presentation (group)
Length
required
5,000
30 minutes
Weighting within
unit
50%
50%
29
5. Research Methods Workshops
5.1
Introduction
You must select to attend eight Research Methods Electives from the courses outlined below (a
total of 40 credits). You should elect three courses to be formally assessed in out of your eight
chosen electives. Workshops in which you will be assessed must be taken during the first year
of your programme (or within two years for part-time students).
Where you attend an elective but are not being assessed, this may be referred to as “auditing”.
Your choice of elective workshops should lead to methodological awareness across a range of
quantitative and qualitative approaches. You should discuss your selection of workshops with
your supervisor at your initial meeting.
(see specific guidance in Section A)
30
Research Methods Workshops: Semester 1
Course Title
Problem Structuring
Methods
Research
Method
Quantitative
Tutor
Prof Trevor Wood-Harper
and Professor Simon
French
Maximum Class
Size
40
Qualitative Methods
Qualitative
Prof Catherine Cassell
40
Survey Design
Quantitative
Dr Charles Cui
40 each Session
Data Analysis
(Beginners)
Quantitative
Miss Shu-Li Cheng
40 each Session
Qualitative Data
Analysis in Business
and Management
Research
Social Shaping of
Technology
Qualitative
Prof Catherine Cassell
40 each Session
Dr Christine Mclean
40
Multivariate Statistics Quantitative
Dr James Freeman
50
Constructing and
Analysing Large Data
Sets
Case study research:
method and
methodology
Quantitative
Dr Jonathan Aylen
40
Qualitative
Prof Bob Scapens
30
31
Research Methods Workshops: Semester 2
Tutor
Maximum Class
Size
Elite Interviewing with Senior Qualitative
Managers
Mr Andrew
James
30
Actor Network Theory
Dr Chris
McClean
50
Course Title
Research
Method
Business Analysis
Quantitative
Prof Jean
Shaoul
36
Action Research
Qualitative
Prof Trevor
Wood-Harper
40
Research Evaluation
Methods and Techniques
Ms Kate Barker
Mixed Methods
Prof Sven
Modell
40
Professor
Catherine
Cassell
Dr Laszlo
Czaban
40 each session
Qualitative Dissemination
Qualitative
Comparative Case Study
Analysis
Qualitative
Bibliometrics
Quantitative
Dr John Rigby
45
Social Network Analysis
Quantitative
Dr Ronnie
Ramlogan
45
Mr Ozcan
Saritas and Mr
Rafael Popper
Dr James
Freeman
50
Scenario Methods in Research Qualitative
Structural Equation Modelling Quantitative
40
50
32
Title:
Credit Rating:
Level: (UG 1/2/3 or PG)
Delivery:
Tutor(s):
Action Research (BMAN 80202)
5 credits
PG
Semester 2
Prof Trevor Wood-Harper
Aims:
The course introduces and evaluates action research for Doctoral Students. Action research has
become more popular, with scholars using the method for rapid change situations including
technological driven. This method provides access to organisations that otherwise would have
declined participation in the research. However, compared to other methods, Action Research
has relative strengths and weaknesses including relevance and rigour of the research process
and the relationship between the researcher & the client.
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of the course, students will:
o
o
o
o
Understand action research and how it compares to other research methods
When to employ the method for doctoral research studies
Understand the roles in the research process
Understand the theoretical, practical and methodical implications from a doctoral
study.
Content:
Action Research, Case Studies and Positivism. The method’s use, concerns dealing with issues
and the broader criteria how to choose the method Action Research’s role relationships in the
study. Findings and how they relate to theory, practice and methodology. Also recent and
current work at Britvic will be brought in from the action researchers’ perspective.
Teaching and learning methods:
Lectures
Workshops and Discussions
Throughout doctoral Action Research studies will be used to illustrate the major points.
Preliminary reading:
Warmington (1980): ‘Action Research: its methods and its implications’ Journal of Applied
Systems Analysis, Vol. 7.
Baskerville and Wood-Harper (1996): ‘A critical perspective on Action Research as a method for
information systems research’, Journal of Information Technology, vol. 11.
Eden and Huxham (1996): ‘Action Research for management research’, Journal of Management
Studies, Vol. 7.
Baskerville R. & Wood-Harper (1998): ‘Diversity in information systems: Action Research
methods’, European Journal of Information Systems, Vol. 7.
33
Learning hours:
Activity
Hours allocated
Staff/student contact
Tutorials
5
The 5 hours include lectures, workshops,
tutorials
30
15
50
Private study
Directed reading
Total hours
Other activities
Assessment:
Assessment activity
A critique of an Action Research paper or report
Length
required
2,500-word
assignment
Weighting within
unit
100%
34
Title:
Credit Rating:
Level: (UG 1/2/3 or PG)
Delivery: (semester 1, 2 or both
etc)
Tutor(s):
Actor Network Theory (BMAN 80370)
5
PG
Semester 2
Dr Chris McLean
Aims:
The main aim of this course is to examine technological change and innovation by exploring a
range of issues underlying the Actor Network Approach (ANT or the sociology of translation).
The design, development and application of technology within organisations and society will be
examined with specific reference to the ANT approach, and the students will gain an insight into
how such an approach can provide an alternative understanding of such issues. This course
requires in-depth knowledge and understanding of technological determinism, social shaping
and the social construction of technology approach.
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this unit successful students will be able to:
o
o
o
o
o
Review different methodological issues relating to the design, development and
application of technology within organisations and society with specific reference to
ANT
Explore a range of issues relating to our understanding of agency and technological
change
Select and analyse research material from a wide range of sources
Examine and critically reflect upon a range of theories, issues and perspectives
Work in a group situation to review different ideas and approaches in relation to the
issues explored within the course.
Content:
o
o
Section One:
Section Two:
An introduction to Actor Network Theory
Exploring issues of methodology and ANT.
Teaching and learning methods:
Lectures, readings, interactive discussion and group presentations, private study, and essay
writing.
Preliminary reading:
Callon, M., (1986), Some elements of a sociology of translation: Domestication of the scallops and
the fishermen of St. Brieuc Bay, in Law, J. Ed., Power, Action, and Belief: A New Sociology of
Knowledge?, London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, pp. 196-233.
Latour, B., (1999), Pandora’s Hope: Essays on the Reality of Science Studies, Harvard
University Press.
Latour, B., (2005), Re-assembling the Social: an introduction to ANT, Oxford University Press.
35
Law, (1987), Technology and Heterogeneous Engineering: the Case of the Portuguese Expansion,
in Bijker, W. E., T. Hughes and T. Pinch, The Social Construction of Technological Systems: New
Directions in the sociology and History of Technology, pp. 111- 134.
Learning hours:
Activity
Staff/student contact
Tutorials
Private study
Directed reading
Total hours
Other activities
e.g. Practical/laboratory work
Hours allocated
5
30
15
50
Assessment:
Assessment activity
Essay
Length
required
Weighting within
unit
3,000 words
100%
36
Title:
Credit Rating:
Level: (UG 1/2/3 or PG)
Delivery: (semester 1, 2 or both
etc)
Tutor(s):
Qualitative Data Analysis in Business and
Management Research (BMAN 80141)
5
PG
Semester 1
Prof Catherine Cassell
Aims:
o
o
o
To introduce students to the variety of methods available for the analysis of qualitative
data within business and management research
To locate these methods within the appropriate epistemological context
To develop within students the skills of critical analysis in relation to evaluating
research studies using qualitative techniques.
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this unit successful students will be able to:
o
o
o
o
Demonstrate an awareness and an understanding of the different techniques of
qualitative data analysis available to management researchers
Assess the extent to which a particular analytic technique is appropriate for a
particular research issue
Apply a range of techniques of qualitative data analysis collection
Understand the various factors that impact upon the choice of a particular qualitative
analytic technique, for example the epistemological context.
Content:
This unit provides an overview of the variety of different techniques available for conducting the
analysis of qualitative data. Topics include:
o different types of methods of analysis, for example templates and matrices, grounded
theory, and discourse analysis, and
o a consideration of the various factors that impact on the analytic strategy chosen, for
example practical and epistemological issues.
Teaching and learning methods:
The course follows a workshop format where students are firstly introduced to a range of
approaches, and then encouraged to apply them in the context of their own research. This
therefore helps students to develop a critical awareness of the conceptual basis of the various
methods of data analysis, and their advantages and limitations in use.
Preliminary reading:
Cassell, C.M. and Symon, G., (2004), Essential guide to qualitative methods in organizational
research, London: Sage Publications.
37
Dey, I., (1993), Qualitative data analysis: a user friendly guide for social scientists, London:
Routledge.
Miles, M. B. and Huberman, A. M., (1984), Qualitative Data Analysis: A Sourcebook of New
Methods, Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
Learning hours:
Activity
Staff/student contact
Tutorials
Private study
Directed reading
Total hours
Other activities
e.g. Practical/laboratory work
Hours allocated
6
44
50
Assessment:
Assessment activity
Exercise based report
Length
required
2,000 words
Weighting within
unit
100%
38
Title:
Credit Rating:
Level: (UG 1/2/3 or PG)
Delivery: (semester 1, 2 or both
etc)
Tutor(s):
Bibliometrics ( BMAN 80242)
5
PG
Semester 2
Dr John Rigby
Aims:
To introduce research students to bibliometric methods and techniques, equipping them with
the skills to undertake bibliometric analyses.
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this unit successful students will be able to:
o
o
o
Understand the key assumptions, strengths and weaknesses of bibliometrics;
Be able to implement a bibliometric study and work with bibliometric data;
Be aware of advances and new developments in bibliometrics
Content:
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
The rise in bibliometrics and examples of its use in academic and commercial research;
The nature of the data and the operation of key databases (Web of Science, SCOPUS);
Construction of specific datasets;
Applications and purposes;
Relation with other forms of codified knowledge, e.g. patents;
Bibliometrics as an element of a research design;
Analysis and techniques.
Teaching and learning methods:
The course will consist of lectures to give the background, frameworks and statistical
techniques and also practical sessions in a computer suite to work with the tutor on the
databases and on managing the data. The students must prepare by engaging with the set
reading.
In order to outline and demonstrate the fundamental principles involved in bibliometric
research, students will be shown the Institute of Scientific Information Database (Web of
Science) and guided through a research evaluation which has used bibliometric data from the
ISI. They will then be asked to plan a bibliometric exercise in outline to review the scientific
output of a research group and to make assessment of its scientific impact. They will be asked
to identify the bibliometric measures that they believe would be most appropriate to the task
and also to identify and comment on the use of further methods.
39
Preliminary reading:
Introductory:
Diodato, V., (1994) Dictionary of Bibliometrics, New York: The Haworth Press.
“Scientific output and impact: Europe’s leading role in world science” chapter in (2003) Third
European Report on Science and Technology Indicators, Brussels: European Commission EUR
20025 EN.
Van Raan, A.F.J. (Ed.), (1988) Handbook of Quantitative Studies of Science and Technology,
Amsterdam: North-Holland.
Advanced:
Borgman, Christine L. Ed., (1990) Scholarly Communication and Bibliometrics, Newbury Park,
CA: Sage Publications Inc.
Boyack, K.W., Klavans, R., & Börner, K., (2005) Mapping the backbone of science,
Scientometrics, 64, 3, pp. 351- 374.
Van Raan, A.F.J., (2003) The use of bibliometric analysis in research performance assessment
and monitoring of interdisciplinary scientific developments, Technikfolgenabschätzung-Theorie
und Praxis/Technology Assessment-Theory and Practice, 1, 12, March 2003, pp. 20-29. Also at
http://www.cwts.nl/TvR/documents/AvR-TFA2003.pdf.
Learning hours:
Activity
Hours allocated
Staff/student contact
Tutorials
Private study
Directed reading
Total hours
Other activities
e.g. Practical/laboratory work
6 (2 sessions of 3 hours each)
n/a
44
50
Assessment:
Assessment activity
Mini-project and report
Length
required
5,000 words
Weighting within
unit
100%
40
Title:
Credit Rating:
Level: (UG 1/2/3 or PG)
Delivery: (semester 1, 2 or both
etc)
Tutor(s):
Business Analysis: Numbers and Narrative
(BMAN 80361)
5
PG
Semester 1
Prof Karel Williams, Prof Jean Shaoul
Aims:
To give students from a variety of backgrounds (including non-accountants) a practical
framework and useful quantitative and qualitative techniques for thinking about firm and
industry performance, organised around four key thematics:
o
o
o
o
Composition of costs , cost recovery and shareholder value
Stakeholder perspectives and distributive conflict
Narratives of corporate purpose and achievement
Management and the performative
These methods will be relevant to students whose thesis includes:
o case study of firms and industries, including
those studying private sector
restructuring including down-sizing and outsourcing, plus
o those studying public sector reform via privatisation and deregulation, and
o those interested in ownership and property rights.
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this unit successful students will be able to:
o
o
o
o
o
o
Analyse a set of PLC accounts using some basic accounting concepts
Make and justify an empirical judgement about firm performance and trajectory
Identify major stakeholder groups and analyse the extent of their conflict
Explain how the demand for shareholder value stimulates narrative and performance
Analyse media stories by applying a basic concept of narrative
Explain the performative and some of the problems about its application.
Content:
The basic concepts and techniques are introduced in four key lectures:
o Lecture 1: PLC accounts and accounting concepts (profit and cash, return on sales and
return on capital employed)
o Lecture 2 : Composition of costs, value added and distribution to stakeholder groups
o Lecture 3: Narratives of corporate purpose and achievement
o Lecture 4: Performative management
Teaching and learning methods:
The course will be given over one day:
41
Morning session:
Two 45 minute lectures on (1) PLC accounts (2) composition of costs and
stakeholder conflict, followed by a 45 minute exercise and discussion on
Glaxo numbers
Afternoon session: Two 45 minutes lectures on (1) corporate narrative and (2) performative
management, followed by a 45 minute exercise and discussion on Glaxo’s
narrative (and numbers)
The morning session will be supported by a photocopied handout on analysing company
accounts, and the relation between composition of costs and distributive conflict between
stakeholders. The afternoon session will leave students to consolidate their knowledge after the
sessions, by directed reading from the course text. Both sessions use the Glaxo and pharma
case for illustrative purposes. Students then apply their skills in the assignment.
Preliminary reading:
The course text is:
Froud, J., S. Johal, A. Leaver and K. Williams, (2006), Financialization and Strategy,
(Routledge: London)
Before the course, intending students should read part 1, chapter 3, sections 1 + 2 on
‘shareholder value’ and’ value based management’ pp 37-49; and part 1, chapter 5, section 3
on ‘narrative and numbers’ pp. 122-36.
After the course, for consolidation, students should read one of the book’s cases from part 2
(either Glaxo pp. 149-223 or GE pp 299-388)
Learning hours:
Activity
Hours allocated
Staff/student contact
Tutorials
5 hours over one day
Including 2 X 45 minute exercise and discussion
sessions.
30
15
50
Private study
Directed reading
Total hours
Other activities
eg Practical/laboratory work
Assessment:
Assessment activity
A report on the relation between narrative and
numbers in a private firm or public sector
organisation (preferably) relevant to the
student’s dissertation. Students with a
qualitative back ground will be encouraged to
cover the quantitative in depth, and vice versa.
Length
required
2,500 words
Weighting within
unit
100%
42
Title:
Credit Rating:
Level: (UG 1/2/3 or PG)
Delivery: (semester 1, 2 or both
etc)
Tutor(s):
Case Study Research: Method and Methodology
(BMAN 80020)
5
PG
2
Prof Robert Scapens
NOTE: all students registered for this course will be required to attend both sessions
and to take part in the group work (described in the Teaching and Learning Methods
section below). This group work is not assessed and separate piece of assessed
worked will be required from students who elect to be assessed on this course – see
Assessment section below.
Aims:
Case studies are increasingly being used in many areas of business and management research,
and it is widely recognised that case research can be powerful in developing, modifying and
extending theory in both exploratory and explanatory research designs. However, there can be
misunderstanding of the methodological underpinnings of research using case studies.
Different methodological perspectives can use case studies in quite different ways. For
example, the role of case studies in positive research is quite different to their use by
interpretive researchers.
This course focuses on the methodological underpinnings of case study research and the roles
of case studies in different methodological traditions within the diverse fields of business and
management. Examples will be provided of both positive and interpretive case studies.
Categorisations of different methodological bases of case studies will be discussed, and the use
of theory in case study research will be explored. In addition, the course will cover the
characteristics of good case research design and ways of constructing ‘convincing’ case studies.
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this unit successful students will be able to:
o
o
o
o
Understand how case study research methods are used within different methodologies.
Understand the different uses of case studies in different areas of business and
management research.
Design and analyze case studies.
Critique existing case study research papers.
Content:
o
o
o
o
o
o
The diverse uses of case studies in different research methodologies
What is meant by ‘case study’ and ‘case study research’ and when it is an appropriate
choice of research design – what are the implications of choosing a case study design?
Examining different uses of case studies in business and management research, and
critiquing case study research designs.
Issues of validity, reliability and generalization.
Practical issues of case study research for doctoral projects.
Weaknesses in case study design.
43
o
Critiquing existing case research papers.
Teaching and learning methods:
The course will comprise two separate half days. The first meeting will be primarily lectures on
methodological issues and the methods of case research. At the end of this meeting the group
work will be outlined and the groups allocated.
Between the two meetings each group will be required to prepare a presentation critiquing an
existing case study research paper. These critiques will be presented at the second meeting,
and there will be a general discussion about what has been learned from these critiques.
Assessment:
Participants will select a case study research paper from their own areas and critically evaluate
the way in which the case study is used. They will be expected to outline the methodological
perspective adopted in the paper, summarise the research questions, explain how the case
study is used to address those questions, discuss how theory is used in the case, and assess
issues of validity, reliability and generalization.
The length of the critique should not exceed 1500 words; so clarity of analysis and conciseness
of presentation are essential.
Preliminary reading:
The following two papers, which will be discussed during the lectures, must be read before the
course:
Merchant, K.A., and Riccaboni, A., Performance-based Management Incentives in the Fiat
Group: A Field, Management Accounting Research, Vol.1 No.4, December 1990, pp.281-303.
Scapens, R.W. and Roberts, J. Accounting and Control: A Case Study of Resistance to
Accounting and Change, Management Accounting Research, Vol.4 No.1, March 1993, pp.1-32.
The following readings provide additional background – other readings will be provided during
the course:
Scapens, R. W., (2004), "Doing Case Study Research", in Humphrey, C. & B Lee (Eds), The
Real Life Guide to Accounting Research, Elsevier, pp. 257-279. See also other chapters in this
book.
Scapens, R. W., (2004), "The Many Skills of the Case Researcher", in Marschan-Piekkari, R. &
C. Welsh (Eds.), Handbook of Qualitative Research Methods for International Business, Edward
Elgar, pp. 107-108. Other chapters in this book are also relevant
Yin, R.K., (1994) Case Study Research: Design and Methods, Second Edition, London: Sage
44
Learning hours:
Activity
Hours allocated
Staff/student contact
Tutorials
Private study
Directed reading
Total hours
Other activities
e.g. Practical/laboratory work
12
n/a
23
15
50
Assessment:
Assessment activity
Critique of case study research paper
Length
required
1,500 words
maximum
Weighting within
unit
100%
45
Title:
Credit Rating:
Level: (UG 1/2/3 or PG)
Delivery: (semester 1, 2 or both
etc)
Tutor(s):
Constructing and Analysing Large Data Sets
(BMAN 80010)
5
PG
Semester 2
Mr Jonathan Aylen
Aims:
To introduce and develop skills of handling and analysing large data sets with a view to
applying Statistical Methods and Econometric Techniques.
The broad aim of this course unit is to show how large data sets can be handled and analysed,
and illustrate the application of statistics and econometrics to research questions in business,
innovation studies and sustainability. The approach is to lead research students through
computer software often used for handling data sets. A variety of software is used, illustrating
the advantages and size limits of Excel spreadsheets; the role of SPSS and more advanced
packages with fewer size constraints such as Stata.
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this unit successful students will be able to:
o
o
o
o
Handle large data sets with a view to the application of statistics and econometrics as
tools of analysis in research
Carry out elementary manipulation of data sets
Use a range of statistical techniques to describe the data
Find further training, software and information in these fields.
Content:
o
Introduction to types of data: time series, cross-section and pooled data sets.
o
Illustrative large data sets: high frequency financial data, weather and climate data,
census results, EPOS data from supermarket tills, macroeconomic time-series and
microeconomic surveys such as the Family Expenditure Survey and the Labour Force
Survey.
o
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
Techniques:
Handling and graphing;
Data description and characterisation using statistics;
Aggregation and disaggregation;
Sampling, bootstrapping;
Trends, cycles and seasons
Forecasting;
Analysis of long-run trends.
46
o
Software: Survey of statistical and econometric software packages; focus on Excel,
SPSS and Stata.
Teaching and learning methods:
Introductory overviews of each area accompanied by a set of key tasks at each stage.
A one day workshop.
Participants will be given initial exercises to complete using Excel spreadsheets. There will be a
practical introduction to SPSS and Stata, and an overview of the main statistics and
econometrics packages.
Preliminary reading:
Wonnacott, T.H. and R. J. Wonnacott, (1990), Introductory Statistics, New York: Wiley, fifth
edition. This book is clear and easy to follow. However, it does not cover any issues in time
series statistics.
There are many excellent econometrics books, ranging from “cookbooks” to comprehensive
texts. One which specifically focuses on data handling is:
Koop, G., (2000), Analysis of Economic Data, Chichester: John Wiley.
Learning hours:
Activity
Staff/student contact
Tutorials
Private study
Directed reading
Total hours
Other activities
e.g. Practical/laboratory work
Hours allocated
5
30
15
50
Assessment:
Assessment activity
Analysis of a large dataset relevant to research
area and report
Length
required
1,500 words
Weighting within
unit
100 %
47
Title:
Credit Rating:
Level: (UG 1/2/3 or PG)
Delivery: (semester 1, 2 or both
etc)
Tutor(s):
Comparative Case Study Analysis
5 credits
PG
Semester 2
Dr Laszlo Czaban
Aims:
Introduction to the concept and use of comparative case study analysis. Using case study
method is gaining popularity in many disciplines, though it is still regarded with some suspicion
because of validity and extrapolation reasons. One of the ways of improving both validity and
generalisation is to use case studies in an integrated, comparative manner. The course
introduces students to the concepts of comparative case study analysis and the ways it can be
used. In addition, epistemological issues will also be addressed.
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of the course, students will:
o
o
o
o
Understand the concept of comparative case study analysis
Use the method in different ways
Understand the limitations of the method
Understand the epistemological implications and the ways in which the researcher
needs to deal with them.
Content:
Comparative case study analysis. Principles, types, examples. Problems and dealing with them.
Teaching and learning methods:
Lectures, workshops
Preliminary reading:
Depending on the composition of the student group, the course will draw on the works of Max
Weber, Barrington Moore, Theda Skcopol, Charles Ragin, Guillen, Djelic
Learning hours:
Activity
Hours allocated
Staff/student contact
Tutorials
5 hours
The 5 hours include lectures, workshops,
tutorials
30
15
Private study
Directed reading
48
Total hours
Other activities
e.g. Practical/laboratory work
50
Assessment:
Assessment activity
A report on business analysis/narrative and
research/paradigm/stakeholder perspective
related to PhD topic
Length
required
3,500-word
assignment
Weighting within
unit
100%
49
Title:
Critical Thinking and Argumentation for Scientific
Research and Scholarly Writing (BMAN 80411)
Credit Rating:
5
Level: (UG 1/2/3 or PG)
PG
Delivery: (semester 1, 2 or both
etc)
Semester 1
Tutor(s):
Dr Charles Cui
Aims:
This course aims to 1) introduce fundamental principles and techniques of critical thinking and
logical reasoning for executing social science research, and 2) enable students to achieve
command of applied techniques of argumentation and English rhetoric for writing high quality
thesis and scholarly research papers for publication in world-leading international journals.
Learning outcomes:
On completion of this unit successful students will be able to:
 use logical analysis and rhetoric techniques to identify key elements and rhetoric structure
of an academic discourse;
 identify and differentiate sound and false arguments in a research discourse (e.g. a
research article) in order to critique complicated arguments, theories and research
findings;
 apply logical and rhetoric techniques to structure and present research ideas, critiques,
propositions, case analysis, models, discussions, etc. in valid forms with scientific rigor
and eloquence in writing style.
Content:
Scientific research rigor is what distinguishes academic research from consulting and what
characterises the nature of a successful PhD thesis and high quality academic conference and
journal papers. Scientific rigor is construed as soundness in theoretical and conceptual
development based on critical thinking and argumentation, methodological design and execution,
interpretation of findings, and use of findings in extending theory or developing new theory with
relevance to real life phenomena. One of major challenges for success in PhD is to be able to
develop competence and skills in conducting research and presenting research discourses with
scientific (scholarly) rigor. In this course, Dr. Cui will introduce fundamental principles and
applied techniques drawn from the fields of logic, argumentation, critical thinking, English
composition and rhetoric. Fundamental principles and techniques will be taught through
systematic, action-based exercises to equip students with competence and command of
techniques. This course is designed as a methodology course that focuses on hands-on applied
techniques and skills of logic, argumentation and English rhetoric. Therefore, this course is
complementary but fundamentally different from the courses that introduce epistemology,
literature review and research design.
Teaching and learning methods:
Two half days of workshops comprising lectures and group work.
50
Preliminary reading:
Main course text:
Moore, Brooke Noel and Parker, Richard (2008), Critical Thinking, McGraw-Hill Education, ISBN:
9780071280419.
Highly recommended:
Ennis, Robert H (1962), “A Concept of Critical Thinking”, Harvard Educational Review, v32 n1
p81-111.
Meltzoff, Julian (1997), Critical Thinking about Research: Psychology and Related Fields
(Paperback), APA 9781557984555, American Psychological Association.
Tindale, Christopher W. (2004), Rhetorical Argumentation: Principles of Theory and Practice,
Sage Publications, In, ISBN-9781412904001.
Vaughn, Lewis (2007), The Power of Critical Thinking: Effective Reasoning About Ordinary and
Extraordinary Claims, Second Edition, Oxford University Press, ISBN: 9780195320411.
Weston, Anthony (2009), Rulebook for Arguments, 4th Edition (Paperback), Hackett Publishing
Co, Inc, ISBN-10: 0872209547.
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6 th edition, 2010, American
Psychological Association, Washington, DC, USA, ISBN:1433805618.
Learning hours:
Activity
Hours allocated
Staff/student contact
Tutorials
Private study
Directed reading
Total hours
Other activities
e.g. Practical/laboratory work
8
n/a
42
50
Web-based online exercise
Assessment:
Assessment activity
Length
required
An individual assignment (in essay style, 2000 words with 2,000 words
plus/minus 100 words tolerance) that presents a critical
analysis of main-stream theories pertinent to the
candidate’s PhD topic.
Weighting
within unit
100%
51
Title:
Credit Rating:
Level: (UG 1/2/3 or PG)
Delivery: (semester 1, 2 or
both etc)
Tutor(s):
Foundation Statistics for Business Research (BMAN
80161)
5
PG
Semester 1
Dr Charles Cui
Aims:
This course serves as an introduction to fundamental statistical methods that can be applied to
basic quantitative data analysis (using the software SPSS) in business research. The course
aims to open the field of real pleasure of searching for scientific truth through the powerful
tools of statistics. The course is designed to be an interesting, inspiring and psychologically
rewarding journey into a good understanding of the fundamentals of applied statistics skills. As
an elective course with limited class-room hours, this course does not aim to produce
statisticians but to produce informed users of basic statistical techniques for doctoral studies.
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this unit students are expected to be able to:
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
understand different types of variables and their measurement;
understand the concepts and techniques of descriptive statistics;
understand the concepts and use basic techniques of probability;
conduct hypothesis testing with one and two samples;
analyse association between two categorical variables;
conduct correlation and regression analysis;
Understand most frequently used nonparametric tests.
Content:
The course will cover the following topics:
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
The importance of statistics in business research and decision making;
Descriptive statistics;
Probability and the normal curve;
Samples and populations;
Confidence intervals;
Hypothesis testing with one and two samples;
Nonparametric tests of significance;
Correlation and regression.
Teaching and learning methods:
The course will include lectures and students’ practical work with SPSS in a computer cluster.
The teaching and lecturer-guided student work will emphasize statistical literacy and develop
statistical thinking, stress conceptual understanding rather than mere knowledge of procedures,
foster active learning in the classroom, and use technology for developing conceptual
understanding and analyzing data.
Preliminary reading:
The course tutor has carefully selected the following most student-friendly texts that
emphasizes the uses of statistics. Field’s (2009) book is currently the most popular book in
Europe with detailed instructions and examples based on SPSS. Levin et al.’s (2010) book is
characterized by its concise but clear descriptions of concepts and techniques of fundamental
52
statistics. It is based on SPSS and also gives answers to exercise problems. This text may be
suitable for those readers who like text descriptions and more “serious” conceptual
understanding. Larson and Elizabeth’s (2009) book is the most student-friendly book with
extreme clarity, user perspective and ample examples, review exercises and answers to
exercises. This book uses a balance of texts and visual aide (e.g. pictures, tables, graphs) but
relatively speaking slightly less detailed conceptual descriptions than Levin et al. (2010).
Field, Andy (2009), Discovering Statistics Using SPSS (3rd edition), SAGE Publications Ltd.
Larson, Ron and Farber, Elizabeth (2009), Elementary Statistics: Picturing the World
(International Edition, 4th edition), Pearson Higher Education.
Levin, Jack A.; Fox, James Alan; and Forde, David R. (2010), Elementary Statistics in Social
Research (International Edition, 11th edition), Pearson Higher Education.
Learning hours:
Activity
Staff/student contact
Tutorials
Private study
Directed reading
Total hours
Other activities
e.g. Practical/laboratory work
Hours allocated
7
43
50
Assessment:
Assessment activity
Written assignment of individual work
Length
required
2,000 words
Weighting within
unit
100%
53
Title:
Credit Rating:
Level: (UG 1/2/3 or PG)
Delivery: (semester 1, 2 or both
etc)
Tutor(s):
Elite interviewing with Senior Managers (BMAN
80222)
5
PG
Semester 2
Mr Andrew James
Aims:
To introduce research students to elite interviewing in a business and organizational context,
equipping them with skills to undertake elite interviews with senior managers and to appreciate
the strengths, weaknesses and challenges of the approach.
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this unit successful students will be able to:
Provide a critique of elite interviewing as a research method
Undertake an elite interview
Be aware of the practical, methodological and ethical issues associated with elite interviewing
Content:
Elite interviewing and examples of its use in research
The strengths and weaknesses of elite interviewing
Accessing elite interview subjects and the role of gatekeepers
Conducting elite interviews
Validity and reliability issues in elite interviewing
Ethical issues in elite interviewing
Teaching and learning methods:
The course will comprise two principle elements:
1. A series of lectures introducing the key issues related to elite interviewing;
2. A practical exercise in which each student will be expected to undertake an elite interview –
identifying and accessing the elite interviewee; conducting the elite interview; and writing up
their findings and reflections on the process.
Preliminary reading:
Books:
G. Moyser & M. Wagstaffe, editors, Research methods for elite studies. London: Allen & Unwin
Hertz, Rosanna & Jonathan B. Imber. 1995. Studying elites using qualitative methods. Beverly
Hills: Sage Publications.
54
Journal articles:
Aberdach, JD and Rockman, BA (2002) “Conducting and coding elite interviews” PS Online,
December: 673-676..
Berry, JM (2002) “Validity and reliability issues in elite interviewing”, PS Online, December:
679-682.
Goldstein, K (2002) “Getting in the door: sampling and completing elite interviews” PS Online,
December: 669-672.
Hertz, R and Imber, JB (1993) “Fieldwork in elite settings: introduction”, Journal of
Contemporary Ethnography, 22 (1): 3-6.
Ostrander, SA (1993) “’Surely you’re not in this just to be helpful’: access, rapport and
interviews in three studies of elites”, Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 22 (1): 7-27.
Thomas, RJ (1993) “Interviewing important people in big companies”, Journal of Contemporary
Ethnography, 22 (1): 80-96.
Learning hours:
Activity
Hours allocated
Staff/student contact
Tutorials
Private study
Directed reading
Total hours
Other activities
eg Practical/laboratory work
5
n/a
45
50
Assessment:
Assessment activity
Mini-project and report
Length
required
3,000 words
Weighting within
unit
100%
55
Title:
Credit Rating:
Level: (UG 1/2/3 or PG)
Delivery: (semester 1, 2 or both
etc)
Tutor(s):
Mixed Methods Approaches in Management and
Organization Studies (BMAN 80352)
5
PG
Semester 1
Prof Sven Modell
Aims:
The aim of the course is to provide an overview and understanding of mixed methods research
approaches in management and organization studies, especially research combining qualitative
and quantitative modes of data collection and analysis.
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this unit successful students will be able to:
o
o
o
Assess the relative merits and limitations of various mixed methods approaches.
Understand which mixed methods approaches are relevant for exploring different types
of research questions.
Apply mixed methods approaches in empirical research projects.
Content:
The contents of the course focus on field-based mixed methods approaches involving
various combinations of qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis techniques
(mixed methods approaches involving experimental or laboratory-based methods will not be
covered). A variety of such approaches have gained in popularity over the past decade.
Among the more important of these are:
1.
Triangulation between survey- and case study-based methods, involving multiple
theoretical perspectives.
2. Cross-sectional field studies combining structured qualitative analysis with quantitative
methods across medium-sized samples.
3. Case survey methodology relying on coding and statistical analysis of patterns across
existing cases studies of specific themes.
4. Meta-triangulation, or inter-paradigmatic approaches based on theories and methods
rooted in distinctly different philosophical assumptions.
Each of these approaches will be covered in sufficient depth for the students to familiarize
themselves with their main strengths and weaknesses. Particular attention will then be paid
to (1), which constitutes the dominant mode of mixed methods research in management
and organization studies.
The course will also address some of the philosophical critiques and debates surrounding
mixed methods research in the social sciences and provide an insight into the philosophical
56
approaches available for dealing with such challenges (e.g., pragmatist philosophy, critical
realism) and how these may be applied as a basis for such research.
Teaching and learning methods:
Seminars, group exercises and student presentations/discussions.
Preliminary reading:
Blaikie, N.W.H. (1991) A critique of the use of triangulation in social research, Quality and
Quantity, 25, 115-136.
Brewer, J. and Hunter, A. (1989/2005) Multimethod Research: A Synthesis of Styles, Thousand
Oaks: Sage.
Larsson, R. (1993) Case survey methodology: quantitative analysis of patterns across case
studies, Academy of Management Journal, 36, 1515-1346.
Lewis, M.W. and Grimes, A.J. (1999) Metatriangulation: building theories from multiple
paradigms, Academy of Management Review, 24, 672-690.
Lillis, A.M. and Mundy, J. (2005) Cross-sectional field studies in management accounting
research – closing the gap between surveys and case studies, Journal of Management
Accounting Research, 17, 119-141.
Modell, S. (2005) Triangulation between case study and survey methods in management
accounting research: an assessment of validity implications, Management Accounting Research,
16, 231-254.
Wolfram Cox, J. and Hassard, J. (2005) Triangulation in organizational research: a representation, Organization, 12, 109-133.
Learning hours:
Activity
Staff/student contact
Tutorials
Private study
Directed reading
Total hours
Other activities
e.g. Practical/laboratory work
Hours allocated
50
Assessment:
Assessment activity
Presentation of group exercises.
Individual essay.
Length
required
Weighting within
unit
25%
75%
57
Title:
Credit Rating:
Level: (UG 1/2/3 or PG)
Delivery: (semester 1, 2 or both
etc)
Tutor(s):
Multivariate Statistics (BMAN 80151)
5
PG
Semester 1
Dr Jim Freeman
Aims:
The course extends the statistical model-building concepts and range of univariate models
introduced in Introductory Statistics, focusing on Applied Multivariate Statistical Techniques. At
the heart of many real management problems are increasingly large data sets that need to be
analysed efficiently. These datasets often include many variables and more advanced
multivariate techniques are required for statistical inference.
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this unit successful students will be able to:
Use more advanced forms of statistical models and see how they may be applied in practice.
The use of statistical software (SPSS) will be extended.
Content:
o
o
o
o
Review of Principles of Statistical Inference
Multiple Linear Regression
Factor Analysis
Logistic Regression.
Teaching and learning methods:
A variety of teaching and learning methods will be used including lectures, small group
discussion, laboratory practical and project work (assessment). Lecture notes/ PowerPoint
presentations will be available in electronic format.
Preliminary reading:
Johnson, R.A. & Wichern, D.W. (2007) Applied Multivariate Data Analysis (6th ed). Prentice Hall.
Sharma, S., (1996), Applied Multivariate Techniques., New York: Wiley.
Learning hours:
Activity
Hours allocated
Staff/student contact
Tutorials
Private study
Directed reading
5 (40% practical)
45
-
58
Total hours
Other activities
e.g. Practical/laboratory work
50
Practical (Statistics Software = 40% of contact
time)
Distance Supervision via a web board/email of
each individual project progress.
Assessment:
Assessment activity
Assignment (Report and Statistics Software
Output).
Length
required
2,500 Words
Weighting within
unit
100%
Resources
i. Teaching Provision
Computer Lab with facilities for lecturing too (Whiteboard)
ii. Technical Provision
LCD Projector
iii. Library provision, equipment, computer, etc
Setup x number of computers with SPSS.
59
Title:
Credit Rating:
Level: (UG 1/2/3 or PG)
Delivery: (semester 1, 2 or both
etc)
Tutor(s):
Problem Structuring Methods (BMAN 80371)
5 credits
PG
Semester 1
Prof Trevor Wood-Harper and Prof Simon French
Aims:
The aim is to introduce doctoral Students to the variety of Problem Structuring approaches that
they encounter with colleagues in the Business Systems Division.
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of the course, students will:
o
o
o
o
Understand the variety problem structuring methods and how they compare to each
other.
When and how to employ the appropriate method or methods in problem formulation.
Choose the relevant method in their individual research project.
Understand how these structuring methods are similar or different to research
methods.
Content:
This workshop will be split over two half-day sessions.
Outline for first half-day session
o Introduction and welcome
o
Participants outline their background and intended projects
o
Session on problem solving approaches
o
Discussion of working in multi-disciplinary teams
o
Outline of problem structuring methods and issue formulation
o
Session on what is in the doctoral programme and how it fits with the research that
they will be doing.
In preparation for the second session each student will be given a paper to critique. There are
two recent special issues of the Journal of the Operational Research Society on the topic, and
several other important papers in a variety of journals.
Outline for second half-day session.
o Introduction to the session
o
Each student gives a 20 min presentation on his/her assigned paper
o
General discussion on problem structuring and its use as a first stage in research,
problem solving, design and implementation.
60
o
Reflections on the different approaches to problem structuring as indications of
pragmatic, positivist or subjective stances; and relationship with the Philosophical and
Methodological Issues in Management Research course.
After the second session, the students will be asked to amend their presentation slides and
associated notes in the light of all the discussion to trace their argument and criticism for their
position and conclusions.
Teaching and learning methods:
Lectures, Presentations, Discussions
Preliminary reading:
J. Rosenhead and J. Mingers, eds. (2001). Rational Analysis for a Problematic World Revisited.
Chichester, John Wiley and Sons.
J. Mingers and J. Rosenhead (2004). "Problem Structuring Methods in Action." European Journal
of Operational Research 152: 530-554.
Plus reading topical and important problem structuring literature which will be specified during
the first half day, perhaps from:
A. Franco, D. Shaw and M. Westcombe, Eds (2006). Problem Structuring Methods I. Special
Issue of Journal of the Operational Research Society. 57 (7): 757-878.
A. Franco, D. Shaw and M. Westcombe, Eds (2006). Problem Structuring Methods II. Special
Issue of Journal of the Operational Research Society. 58 (5): 545-682.
Learning hours:
Activity
Hours allocated
Staff/student contact
Tutorials
5 hours
The 5 hours include lectures, discussions and
presentations
30
15
50
Private study
Directed reading
Total hours
Other activities
Assessment:
Assessment activity
A revised presentation based on class
discussion
Length
required
10 -15 slides
Weighting within
unit
100%
61
Title:
Credit Rating:
Level: (UG 1/2/3 or PG)
Delivery: (semester 1, 2 or both
etc)
Tutor(s):
Qualitative dissemination (BMAN 80072)
5
PG
Semester 2
Prof Catherine Cassell
Aims:
o
o
o
o
To introduce students to the key issues that emerge when writing up qualitative
research in the business and management field
To provide practical advice about how those issues can be addressed
To provide students with the skills to enable them to effectively disseminate their own
qualitative research
To develop within students the skills of critical analysis in relation to evaluating their
own qualitative research, and published qualitative research more generally.
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this unit successful students will be able to:
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Understand the particular demands involved in writing up and disseminating
qualitative research within the business and management field
Be familiar with the various formats in which qualitative research is disseminated
Understand how to create and position a literature review in relation to qualitative
research
Understand how a coherent argument is crafted within the qualitative research process
Understand the various types of validity criteria used to assess the quality of
qualitative research
Evaluate their own writing in relation to these validity criteria
Evaluate and critique published qualitative research within the business and
management field.
Content:
This unit provides an overview of the various ways in which qualitative research is disseminated
within the business and management field. It concentrates on how to enhance skills in the key
areas that lead to effective dissemination, for example crafting a coherent argument, and
engaging the reader. The reviewing process and the various criteria for assessing the quality of
qualitative research are also examined.
Teaching and learning methods:
The course follows a workshop format where students are introduced to the key issues involved
in writing up and disseminating qualitative research, and are then encouraged to critique their
own writing and that of others within the field.
62
Preliminary reading:
Golden-Biddle, K. & Locke, K., (1997), Composing Qualitative Research, California: Sage
Publications
Richardson, L., (2000), Writing a Method of Inquiry, in Denzin, N. and Lincoln, Y., Handbook of
Qualitative Research, California: Sage
Woods, P., (1999), Successful Writing for Qualitative Researchers, London: Routledge.
Learning hours:
Activity
Hours allocated
Staff/student contact
Tutorials
Private study
Directed reading
Total hours
Other activities
e.g. Practical/laboratory work
6
44
50
Assessment:
Assessment activity
Exercise based report
Length
required
2,000 words
Weighting within
unit
100%
63
Title:
Credit Rating:
Level: (UG 1/2/3 or PG)
Delivery: (semester 1, 2 or both
etc)
Tutor(s):
Qualitative Methods in Business and Management
Research ( BMAN 80111)
5
PG
Semester 1
Prof Catherine Cassell
Aims:
o
o
o
To introduce students to the variety of qualitative methods currently used within
business and management research
To introduce the range of factors that impact upon the choice of a particular method,
for example practical issues or the epistemological context
To provide students with the tools available to enable the appropriate choice of data
collection technique for a given research issue.
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this unit successful students will be able to:
o Understand the different purposes of qualitative research in the management context
o Demonstrate an awareness and an understanding of the different qualitative methods
available to management researchers
o Apply a range of techniques of qualitative data collection
o Be aware of the key questions to ask when selecting a qualitative method for their
research
o Understand the epistemological context within which the use of such methods is
appropriate
o Select the most appropriate method for a specific research question
o Justify their own choice of qualitative research method in relation to their own
research.
Content:
This unit provides an overview of the uses of qualitative methods in management research.
Topics include:
o different types of method, for example interview techniques, focus groups, participant
observation, repertory grid methodology, and diary methods; and
o a consideration of the different epistemological positions that inform qualitative
research, for example social constructivism, and the impact that has on
methodological choice.
Teaching and learning methods:
The course combines lectures, group exercises and independent work to help students to
develop a critical awareness of the conceptual basis of the various methods, their advantages
and limitations, and their potential relevance to their own research.
64
Preliminary reading:
Cassell, C.M. and Symon, G., (2004), Essential guide to qualitative methods in organizational
research, London: Sage Publications.
Denzin, N. and Lincoln, Y., (2000), Handbook of Qualitative Research, Thousand Oaks: Sage,
Second Edition.
Humphrey, C. and Lee, B., (2004), The real life guide to accounting research: a behind the
scenes view of using qualitative research methods, London: Elsevier. Lee, T.W., (1999), Using
qualitative methods in organizational research, Thousand Oaks, Cal: Sage Publications.
Learning hours:
Activity
Hours allocated
Staff/student contact
Private study
6
44
50
Total hours
Assessment:
Assessment activity
Report on (possible) applications of methods
for PhD research
Length
required
2,000 words
Weighting
within unit
100%
65
Title:
Credit Rating:
Level: (UG 1/2/3 or PG)
Delivery: (semester 1, 2 or both
etc)
Tutor(s):
Research Evaluation Methods and Techniques
(BMAN 80191)
5
PG
Semester 2
Ms Kate Barker
Aims:



To introduce and familiarize research students with evaluation methods and techniques,
looking at contexts and paradigms of evaluation and examining and practicing some
specific methods. In particular, the emphasis will be on research design in evaluation,
combining methods and techniques and understanding the types of knowledge which
evaluation research can generate.
While there will be an emphasis on evaluation of science and technology policies and
institutions, where quality and impacts have to be judged, the aim will be for students to
gain insight into how to design high quality evaluations in a generic way.
We also emphasize the nature of evaluation as a social process which must be carefully
thought out, rather than the indiscriminate application of techniques.
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this unit, successful students will be able to:







Provide a critique of evaluation research and research designs
Be familiar with the main motivations for undertaking evaluation, and the distinctive
features of evaluation of research in comparison with other areas of evaluation
Understand the strengths and weaknesses of different evaluation techniques and
approaches
Use logical analysis tools
Be familiar with and work through evaluation techniques, including economic and social
impact studies, and programme analysis
Understand the context and use of evaluation research
Be aware of advances and new developments in evaluation research.
Content:








Evaluation research – overview, contexts, development of the field
Programme evaluation and logical analysis
Evaluation of science and technology policies – specific issues
Economic and social impact measurement
Additionality – concepts and measurement
Critique of evaluation research
Uses of evaluation
Evaluation research design and mixed methods approaches.
Teaching and learning methods:
The course will consist of lectures to give the background and frameworks and also practical
group-work sessions to work with the tutors. The students must prepare by engaging with the
66
set reading, and they will be asked to present some key methods and texts and to critique
them. A practical assignment will be set for students. This will be the development of an
evaluation study design, combining methods and techniques and identifying an evaluation
research question to be answered. Students will be encouraged to develop an assignment in
their own area of interest, in consultation with the lecturer.
Preliminary reading:
Bozeman, B. and Melkers, J. (Eds), (1993), Evaluating R&D Impacts: Methods and Practice,
Kluwer Academic Publishers
Callon, M., Laredo, P. and Mustar, P. (Eds), (1997), The Strategic Management of Research and
Technology – Evaluation of Programmes, Economica International
EPUB RTD Evaluation Toolbox – http://epub.jrc.es/
Georghiou L. and Roessner D., (2000), “Evaluating Technology Programs: Tools and Methods”,
Research Policy, April (available as an e-journal in the John Rylands library)
Georghiou L., Rigby A. J. and Cameron H. (eds), Assessing the Socio-economic Impact of the
Framework Programme, a long report with many references on socio-economic aspects of
evaluation. Downloadable from the PREST website www.mbs.ac.uk/prest
Georghiou L, (1998 ),“Issues in the Evaluation of Innovation and Technology Policy”,
Evaluation, 4: 1, January
Hong, H-D. and Boden, M, (2003), R&D Programme Evaluation – Theory and Practice, Ashgate
Parsons, W., (1997), Public Policy: An introduction to the theory and practice of policy analysis,
Edward Elgar: Cheltenham, Chapter 4.5 (pp. 542–568)
Pawson, R. and Tilley, N., (1997), Realistic Evaluation, London: Sage
Rossi, P.H. and H. Freeman, (1993), Evaluation: A Systematic Approach, Sage: Newbury Park,
Cont.; 2nd edn.
Ruegg, R. and Feller, I. (2003), A Toolkit for Evaluating Public R&D Investment, National
Institute of Standards and Technology, US Department of Commerce
Shapira, P. and Kuhlmann, S. (Eds), (2003), Learning from Science and Technology Policy
Evaluation, Edward Elgar
UK Cabinet Office, Guidance Notes on Policy Evaluation, The Magenta Book,
http://www.policyhub.gov.uk/magenta_book/
Learning hours:
Activity
Hours allocated
Staff/student contact
Tutorials
10
n/a
67
Private study
Directed reading
Total hours
Other activities
e.g. Practical/laboratory work
40
50
Assessment:
Assessment activity
Group work and presentation within the
session, essay
Length
required
2,000-3,000
words
Weighting within
unit
100%
68
Title:
Credit Rating:
Level: (UG 1/2/3 or PG)
Delivery: (semester 1, 2 or both
etc)
Tutor(s):
Scenario Methods for Research (BMAN 80322)
5
PG
Semester 2
Mr Ozcan Saritas
Mr Rafael Popper
Dr Michael Keenan (tbc)
Contents subject to change
Aims:

To introduce research students to using scenario methods for research purposes,
equipping them with skills to use scenarios in their own research and to appreciate the
strengths, weaknesses and challenges of the approach.
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this unit successful students will be able to:
o
o
o
Understand the practical and methodological issues associated with using scenario
methods
Begin to use scenario methods in their own research, if and when appropriate
Provide a critique of scenarios as a research method
Content:
o
o
o
o
Introduction to scenario methods and their wide applications in business strategy and
policy making
Examples of the use of scenario methods for research
The strengths and weaknesses of using scenario methods in research
Practical issues in using scenario methods
Teaching and learning methods:
The course will be run as a one-day workshop and will comprise two principal elements:
1. A small number of presentations introducing the key issues related to scenario methods and
their uses in research
2. A group practical exercise in which course participants will develop their own scenarios
Preliminary reading:
Journals:
There are several journals that contain papers on scenarios, including:
o Futures
o Foresight
o Journal of Forecasting
o International Journal of Foresight and Innovation Policy
o Technology Forecasting and Social Change
69
o
Technology Analysis and Strategic Management
Web resources:
Again, there are several web resources that feature scenario work, including:
o UK Foresight Programme: http://www.foresight.gov.uk
o GBN International: http://www.gbn.com
o OECD International Futures Programme: www.oecd.org/sge/au/
o EC (Brussels): http://www.cordis.lu/foresight
o EC (JRC-IPTS, Seville): http://www.jrc.es
o APEC Technology Foresight Centre (Bangkok): http://apecforesight.org
o African Futures Institute: http://www.africanfutures.net/
o UNIDO Technology Foresight: http://www.unido.org/doc/5216
o UNU Millennium Project: http://www.acunu.org/
o Finland Futures Research Centre: http://www.tukkk.fi/tutu/default_eng.asp
Reading list (required pre-reading in bold):
On Scenarios:
Aligica, P (2005) "Scenarios and the growth of knowledge: Notes on the epistemic element in
scenario building," Technological Forecasting & Social Change, vol. 72, pp. 815–824
Chermack, T (2005) "Studying scenario planning: Theory, research suggestions, and
hypotheses," Technological Forecasting & Social Change, vol. 72, pp. 59–73
Coates, J. F. (2000) “Scenario Planning”, Technological Forecasting and Social Change vol. 65,
115-123
European Commission (1995) “Scenario Building: Convergences and Differences”, Profutures
Workshop
Proceedings,
Seville:
JRC-IPTS,
available
at:
http://www.jrc.es/home/pages/detail.cfm?prs=38
Mietzner, D and G. Reger (2005) “Advantages and disadvantages of scenario
approaches for strategic foresight”, International Journal for Technology Intelligence
and Planning, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 220-230
Miles, I (2003) “Scenario Planning”, paper presented at UNIDO TF Training Course, Prague,
October 2003, available at:
http://www.unido.org/file-storage/download/?file%5fid=16957
Ogilvy, J & Schwartz, P (1998) “Plotting your scenarios”, in Fahey, L & Randall, R
(eds.),
Learning
from
the
Future,
John
Wiley
&
Sons,
available
at:
http://www.gbn.com/GBNDocumentDisplayServlet.srv?aid=34550&url=%2FUpload
DocumentDisplayServlet.srv%3Fid%3D35520
Postma, T and F. Liebl, (2005) "How to improve scenario analysis as a strategic management
tool?", Technological Forecasting & Social Change, vol. 72, pp. 161–173
Roubelat, F (2000) “Scenario Planning as a Networking Process”, Technological Forecasting and
Social
Change
vol.
65,
No.
1,
available
at:
http://www.prospectiveforesight.com/IMG/pdf/fabriceroublatenglish.pdf
Schwartz, P (1996) The Art of the Long-View, Currency Books
Shell International Limited (2005) The Shell Global Scenarios to 2025, available at:
http://www.cpi.cam.ac.uk/bep/downloads/Shell%20Scenarios%202025_%20Exec%20Summar
y.pdf
70
UK Office of Science and Technology (OST) (2002) Foresight Futures 2020: Revised scenarios
and
guidance,
London:
OST,
available
at
http://www.foresight.gov.uk/Publications/Current%20round%20General%20Publications/Foresi
ght%20Futures%20-%202020%20Revised%20scenarios%20and%20guidance/DTI_FF_web.pdf
van der Heijden, K (1997) “Scenarios, Strategy, and the Strategy Process”, available at:
http://www.gbn.com/GBNDocumentDisplayServlet.srv?aid=550&url=%2FUploadDocumentDispl
ayServlet.srv%3Fid%3D12549
van der Heijden, K (1998) Scenarios: the Art of Strategic Conversation, John Wiley
Wilson, I. (2000) “From Scenario Thinking to Strategic Action”, Technological Forecasting and
Social Change vol. 65, 23-29
van’t Klooster, S and van Anselt, M (2006) “Practising the scenario-axes technique”, Futures,
vol. 38, pp. 15-30
On Foresight:
Becker P. (2002) “Corporate foresight in Europe: A first overview”, EC working paper available
at ftp://ftp.cordis.lu/pub/foresight/docs/st_corporate_foresight_040109.pdf
Brown et al (2001) “Foresight as a Tool for the Management of Knowledge Flows and
Innovation”, Final report of the FORMAKIN project, available at:
http://www.york.ac.uk/org/satsu/OnLinePapers/FORMAKIN(VOL1).PDF
Daheim, C & Uerz, G (2006) “Corporate Foresight in Europe: ready for the next step?”, Second
International Seville Seminar on Future-Oriented Technology Analysis: Impact of FTA
Approaches on Policy and Decision-Making, Seville, September 2006, available at:
http://forera.jrc.es/documents/papers/Seville-GU-CD-Draft-8-2006-e.pdf
Reger, G. (2001) “Technology Foresight in Companies: From an Indicator to a Network and
Process Perspective”, Technology Analysis & Strategic Management vol. 13 (4), 533-553
Tsoukas, H & Shepherd, J (2004) Managing the Future: Foresight in the Knowledge Economy,
Blackwell
Learning hours:
Activity
Hours allocated
Staff/student contact
Tutorials
Private study
Directed reading
Total hours
Other activities
e.g. Practical/laboratory work
8
n/a
35
7
50
71
Assessment:
Assessment activity
Group presentation on scenario practical
exercise
Individual mini-report on the potential for
application of scenario methods in student’s
own research topic
Length
required
15 minutes ppt
presentation
1,000 words
Weighting within
unit
40%
60%
72
Title:
Credit Rating:
Level: (UG 1/2/3 or PG)
Delivery: (semester 1, 2 or both
etc)
Tutor(s):
Social Network Analysis (BMAN 80102)
5
PG
Semester 2
Dr Ronnie Ramlogan
Aims:
The main aim of this course is to present students with a taster of how social network methods
and techniques can be applied to a variety of interesting issues in business/ management
research. The course will introduce some fundamental concepts related to this mode of
analysis, raise awareness of various management and innovation literatures where such
methods have been successfully applied. Students will also benefit from empirical examples
based on research conducted within the Manchester Institute of Innovation to demonstrate how
SNA can be useful in teasing out the dynamics of innovation.
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this unit students will have:
o
o
o
a broad understanding of fundamental concepts the underline SNA
basic knowledge of kinds of data that can be useful employed in network analysis
some practical experience of using Pajek, a software that has been developed for use
with large scale datasets
Content:
o
o
Part One: Interactive lecture
Section Two: Practical training
Teaching and learning methods:
Lecture, interactive discussion, practical workshop and essay writing.
Learning hours:
Activity
Staff/student contact
Tutorials
Private study
Directed reading
Total hours
Other activities
e.g. Practical/laboratory work
Hours allocated
5
73
Assessment:
Assessment activity
Essay
Length
required
3,000 words
Weighting within
unit
100%
74
Title:
Credit Rating:
Level: (UG 1/2/3 or PG)
Delivery: (semester 1, 2 or both
etc)
Tutor(s):
Social Shaping of Technology (BMAN 80380)
5
PG
Semester 1
Dr Chris McLean
Aims:
The main aim of this course is to examine how the different ways technological change and
innovation are examined from a range of perspectives. This will include focusing on issues
relating to the design, development and application of technology within organisations and
society, and reviewing the range of methodological approaches and perspectives relating to this
process. Furthermore, the students will develop team working skills and the ability to apply
these ideas to a specific technology of their choice, within a group situation.
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this unit successful students will be able to:
o
o
o
o
o
Review different methodological approaches and perspectives relating to the design,
development and application of technology within organisations and society
Explore a range of issues relating to our understanding of agency and technological
change
Select and analyse research material from a wide range of sources
Examine and critically reflect upon a range of theories, issues and perspectives
Work in a group situation to review different ideas and approaches in relation to the
issues explored within the course.
Content:
o
o
Section One:
Section Two:
Introduction and Technological Determinism
Social Shaping and the Social Construction of Technology.
Teaching and learning methods:
Lectures, readings, interactive discussion and group presentations, private study and essay
writing.
Preliminary reading:
Bijker, W.E., T. Hughes, and T. Pinch, (1987), The Social Construction of Technological Systems,
Cambridge: MIT Press.
Callon, M., (1986), Some elements of a sociology of translation: Domestication of the scallops and
the fishermen of St. Brieuc Bay, in Law, J. Ed., Power, Action, and Belief: A New Sociology of
Knowledge?, London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, pp. 196-233.
Latour, B., (1999), Pandora’s Hope: Essays on the Reality of Science Studies, Harvard
University Press.
75
Law, (1987), Technology and Heterogeneous Engineering: the Case of the Portuguese Expansion,
in Bijker, W. E., T. Hughes, and T. Pinch, The Social Construction of Technological Systems: New
Directions in the sociology and History of Technology, pp. 111- 134.
Mackenzie, D. and J. Wajcman, (1985/1999), Social Shaping of Technology, Open University
Press: Milton Keynes.
Learning hours:
Activity
Hours allocated
Staff/student contact
Tutorials
Private study
Directed reading
Total hours
Other activities
e.g. Practical/laboratory work
4
3
30
13
50
Assessment:
Assessment activity
Essay
Length
required
3,000 words
Weighting within
unit
100%
76
Title:
Credit Rating:
Level:
Delivery:
Tutor(s):
Survey Design (BMAN80181)
5
PG
Semester 1
Dr Charles Cui
Aims:
This course aims to introduce:
 The process and issues in designing survey research.
 Principles and techniques for developing measurement scales.
 Important issues and techniques for questionnaire design.
 Issues in Web-based survey.
 Fundamental issues and techniques in sampling.
 Important issues in data collection.
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this unit students are expected to be able to:






design a survey plan;
formulate operational definitions of research constructs;
conduct desk/primary research for measurement scale development;
design a questionnaire (paper-and-pencil and Web-based forms);
select appropriate survey and sampling methods; and
code responses from the survey into a database for analysis.
Content:
Survey design, conceptualisation of research constructs, measurement scale development,
questionnaire design, Web-survey design, pilot test, sampling, administration and data entry.
Teaching and learning methods:
A one day workshop comprising lectures and group work.
Reading List:
DeVellis, Robert F. (2003), Scale Development: Theory and Applications, 2nd Edition, Sage
Publications, Inc, Paperback ISBN: 9780761926054.
Ennis, Robert H. (1964), “Operational definitions”, American Educational Research Journal, Vol.
1, No. 3., pp. 183-201.
Fowler, Floyd J, Jr. (2008), Survey Research Methods, 4th Edition, Sage Publications, Inc.
Paperback ISBN: 9781412958417.
(http://www.uk.sagepub.com/authorDetails.nav?contribId=223745)
Groves, Robert M.; Fowler, Floyd J., Jr.; Couper, Mick P., Lepkowski, James M.; Singer,
Eleanor; Tourangeau, Roger (2004), Survey Methodology, Wiley, Paperback ISBN: 978-0471-48348-9,.
77
Rindfleisch, Aric; Malter, Alan J.; Ganesan, Shankar; and Moorman, Christine (2008), “Crosssectional versus longitudinal survey research: Concepts, findings, and guidelines”, Journal of
Marketing Research, Vol. XLV, 261–279.
Learning hours:
Activity
Staff/student contact
Tutorials
Private study
Directed reading
Total hours
Other activities
e.g. Practical/laboratory work
Hours allocated
7
43
50
Assessment:
Assessment activity
An assignment of individual work in
designing a survey plan and a
questionnaire (based on a hypothetical
research project)
Length required
2,000 words
Weighting
within unit
100%
78
Title:
Credit Rating:
Level: (UG 1/2/3 or PG)
Delivery: (semester 1, 2 or both
etc)
Tutor(s):
Structural Equation Modelling (BMAN 80082)
5
PG
Semester 1
Dr J Freeman
Aims:
The purpose of this course is to provide a theoretical introduction to the analysis of covariance
structures, or Structural Equation Modelling, and to gain practical experience using appropriate
software. Structural Equation Modelling is a statistical modelling technique for establishing
relationships among variables; observed variables are understood to represent a small number
of “latent variables” that cannot be directly measured, but only inferred from the measured
variables.
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this unit successful students will be able to:
Apply Structural Equation Modelling techniques to real data sets and be able to interpret output
from these analyses in a reflective manner. The use of statistical software (SPSS, Amos) will be
extended.
Content:
o
o
o
o
o
Introduction to Latent Variables
Principal Components Analysis
Measurement Models
Structural Equation Models
Constraints, Dependent Factors, Correlated Errors.
Teaching and learning methods:
A variety of teaching and learning methods will be used including lectures, small group
discussion, laboratory practical and project work (assessment). Lecture notes/ PowerPoint
presentations will be available in electronic format.
Preliminary reading:
Johnson, R.A. & Wichern, D.W. (2007) Applied Multivariate Data Analysis (6th ed). Prentice Hall.
Newbold, P., (1995), Statistics for Business and Economics, 4th Edition, Prentice Hall
International Editions.
Sharma, S., (1996), Applied Multivariate Techniques., New York: Wiley.
Tabachnik, B.G. & Fidell, L.S., (2001), Using Multivariate Statistics, (4th ed), New York: Harper
Collins (chapter on Structural Equation Modelling).
79
Learning hours:
Activity
Hours allocated
Staff/student contact
Tutorials
Private study
Directed reading
Total hours
Other activities
e.g. Practical/laboratory work
5 (40% practical)
45
50
Practical (Statistics Software = 40% of contact
time)
Distance Supervision via a web board/email of
each individual project progress.
Assessment:
Assessment activity
Assignment (Report and Statistics Software
Output).
Length
required
2,500 Words
Weighting within
unit
100%
Resources
i. Teaching Provision
Computer Lab with facilities for lecturing too (Whiteboard)
ii. Technical Provision
LCD Projector
iii. Library provision, equipment, computer, etc
Setup x number of computers with SPSS and Amos.
80
Section C:
Accounting and/or Finance Research Training
Programme Pathway
6.
Pathway Structure and Requirements
All PhD students in Manchester Business School researching in the accounting and/or finance
areas must accumulate 180 credits in year 1 to complete the Research Training Programme.
The 180 credits are structured as follows. Students registered for PhD Accounting and Finance
may choose a mixture of core and optional units from Accounting and Finance programmes
below following the advice from their supervisors and the programme director(s).
Semester I
(45 credit)
Advanced Accounting/Finance Theory* (15 credit)
Advanced Accounting/Finance Seminar I* (15 credit)
Elective (15 credit)
Semester II
(30-45
credit)
Advanced Accounting/Finance Seminar II* (15 credit)
At least one and up to two Electives (including Advanced Corporate Finance
below) (15-30 credits)
Advanced Corporate Finance (15 credit, compulsory only for single Finance
major)
May/June
MBS Doctoral Conference
Whole year
(30 credit)
Literature Review (20-30 pages) & Research proposal (5-6 pages)
Whole year
(60-75
credit)
Pilot project/paper (60–80 pages) and Presentation
Notes:
1. Students must pass all units with at least 60%.
2. Students working under the title "PhD Accounting and Finance" should select
approximately 50% from each of the Accounting and the Finance Theory and Seminar
modules after discussing the combinations with their supervisors.
3. Students who specialises in quantitative and/or mathematical finance may replace
"Advanced Corporate Finance" with an elective.
4. The presentation will normally take place around mid-July depending on the availability
of the respective PhD review panel members. The supervisor(s) is responsible for
81
organising the meeting if the particular PhD committee cannot fit into the divisional
schedule.
5. The pilot project/paper 1 for Accounting (Finance) students may be less than 90 (75)
credits if the student is required to undertake additional subject specific/ research
technique courses.
6. In addition to this formal workload, as a PhD student you will be expected to undertake
other work/study as directed by your supervisor(s).
Students may choose to study some of the electives in addition to the 180 credits or in the
subsequent years of studies on an “audit only” basis without gaining further credits. Some
convenors/instructors may insist that the students must follow the assessment procedures for
the modules even if the students are not formally registered for those modules.
Research Proposal and Pilot Project:
The research proposal and pilot project incorporates a pilot study/research paper, a
presentation of this work to the faculty and other PhD students, and a revised proposal. The
presentation will take place no later than the end of July and the pilot study/paper will be
submitted in the first Friday of September. Again the pilot study/paper must be passed, i.e.
awarded a grade of at least 60% AND the student must successfully present the work to the
Faculty.
For the latest version of course outlines, class and review schedules as well as a list of
recommended optional units, please refer to:
http://fp7.portals.mbs.ac.uk/NetworkmemberPhDprogrammes/Manchester/tabid/1124/Default.
aspx
82
7. Core Courses for Accounting Students
7.1 Introduction
All PhD Accounting students must attend all courses below. Additional optional PGT
modules are to be selected in consultation with the supervisor(s) and module leaders. A full
timetable will be available during induction and online. If you have any questions about the
time or location of courses, please contact Graham Cockerill at 0161 275 6550 or
[email protected].
Course Title
Advanced Accounting Research
Seminar 1
Date/Time
Every Wednesday
4pm – 6pm
Tutor
Prof Sven Modell
October 7, 14, 21, 28
November 4, 11, 18, 25
December 2, 9, 16
Advanced Accounting Research
Seminar 2
Every Wednesday
4pm – 6pm
Prof Sven Modell
January 20, 27
February 3, 10, 17, 24
March 3, 10, 17, 24
April 21, 28
Advanced Accounting Theory
Every Tuesday
9am - 1.30pm
Dr Mahbub Zaman
October 6, 13, 20, 27
November 3, 10, 17, 24
Dec 1
83
Title:
Credit Rating:
Level: (UG 1/2/3 or PG)
Delivery: (semester 1, 2 or both
etc)
Tutor(s):
Advanced Accounting Research Seminar Series 1
and 2 (BMAN 80261)
30 (15+15) Credits
PG
Semesters 1 & 2
Prof Sven Modell
Aims:
The purpose of this course is to provide PhD students with a broadly based overview of current
research frontiers, recent developments and various methodological approaches in Accounting
Research. The course covers both qualitative and quantitative research across the main areas
of Accounting Research, namely capital markets-based/financial accounting, auditing and
management accounting. The course also covers the interface between Accounting and Finance
Research. Although students will normally specialise in only one of these areas and apply either
qualitative or quantitative research it is important for the student to be aware of the strengths
and weaknesses of alternative research approaches.
The course is formally divided into two seminar series (one during the first and the other during
the second term). However, the seminar series will be assessed jointly through the preparation
of a student paper towards the end of the second seminar series. Students are expected to
work on this throughout the two seminar series. Feedback will be provided throughout the
seminar series and in conjunction with student presentations at the end of each seminar series.
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this unit, successful students will be able to:
Content:
Tutorial Topics and Dates.
The first seminar series includes 10 tutorials starting on Wednesdays normally from 4pm until
6pm (unless otherwise stated below). The dates and topics for the first seminar series are given
below. The dates and topics for the second seminar series will be decided at a later stage, but
will have a strong emphasis on management accounting.
7th October: Calculation and characteristics of returns and portfolio returns. Prof Norman
Strong
14th October: Calculating Abnormal Returns and Event Study Methods. Prof Norman Strong
21st October: An Overview of Market Based Accounting Research. Prof Martin Walker (Note!
this seminar will start at 5pm)
28th October: Modelling Earnings Timeliness and Accounting Conservatism. Prof Martin
Walker
4th November: Earnings Management and Discretionary Accruals. Prof Norman Strong
11th November: Reading week
18th November: A Disclosure Choice Study. Prof Martin Walker
25th November: Overview of contemporary auditing research. Prof Chris Humphrey
2nd December: Corporate Governance. Dr Elisabeth Dedman
9th December: Research in ethics, auditing and professional practice. Prof Stuart Turley
84
16th December: Student presentation and discussion of synopsis of term papers. Prof Sven
Modell
Teaching and learning methods:
Preliminary reading:
Learning hours:
Activity
Staff/student contact
Tutorials
Private study
Directed reading
Total hours
Other activities
e.g. Practical/laboratory work
Hours allocated each part 1 &2
22
100
28
150
Assessment:
Assessment activity
Term Paper
Length
required
See attached
Weighting within
unit
100%
NB: The MAG Coursework presentation criteria are described in detail in individual course
outlines on the Accounting and Finance divisional website at:
http://fp7.portals.mbs.ac.uk/Portals/59/docs/BMAN27403AdvancedAccountingResearchSeminar
1.pdf).
85
Title:
Credit Rating:
Level: (UG 1/2/3 or PG)
Delivery: (semester 1, 2 or both
etc)
Tutor(s):
Advanced Accounting Theory (BMAN 80272)
15
PG
Semester 1
Dr Mahbub Zaman
Target Audience:
This course is intended for all PhD students in Accounting.
Aims:
The purpose of this course is to help students understand how theories and theoretical models
are created and evaluated i.e. how the contribution of a theoretical model is assessed. The
course will enable well qualified students to equip themselves to follow theoretical debates. In
addition it will provide a useful bridge to the theoretical literature for students seeking to
strengthen the theoretical foundations of an empirical research project. As Accounting draws on
a wide range of theoretical influences and ideas this course includes a number of different areas
of study. Each of these areas of study will be covered in blocks of about 5 sessions each.
Assessment
Assessment will be via a term paper, 20 pages maximum, which:
a) Provides a reflective summary of the FIVE areas of theory covered in the course
(recommended length 5 pages) and
b) Reviews an area of theory from one of the areas studied on the course
Students should discuss with their supervisor and agree specific theory(/ies) and papers which
will be the focus of their term paper. Suggested topics and reading will be set by the lecturers
of the course.
The coursework must be submitted by 12 January 2010, 12 noon (subject to change) in
hardcopy to the Postgraduate Research Office, and a Word copy also emailed to both
[email protected] and [email protected].
86
8.
Core Courses for Finance Students
8.1
Introduction
All PhD Finance students must attend all courses. Additional optional PGT modules are to
be selected in consultation with the supervisor(s) and module leaders
If you have any questions about the time or location of courses, please contact Graham
Cockerill at 0161 275 6550 or [email protected].
Course Title
Advanced Finance Research
Seminar 1
Date/Time
Every Wednesday
4pm – 6pm
Tutor
Dr Stuart Hyde
October 7, 14, 21, 28
November 4, 11 , 18, 25
December 2, 9 , 16
Advanced Finance Research
Seminar 2
Every Wednesday
4pm – 6pm
Dr Stuart Hyde
January 20, 27
February 3, 10, 17, 24
March 3, 10, 17, 24
April 21, 28
Advanced Finance Theory
Every Thursday
2pm – 5pm
Prof Ser-Huang Poon
&
Prof Richard Stapleton
October 8, 15, 22, 29
November 5, 12, 19, 26
Advanced Corporate Finance
December 3, 10, 17
Tuesday 2 February 2010
10am -12pm
Dr Maria Marchica
Thursday 11 February 2010,
2pm – 4pm
Thursday 18 February 2010
Time TBC
Friday 26 February 2010
2pm – 5pm
Thursday 4 March 2010
2pm – 5pm
Thursday 11 March 2010
2pm – 4pm
87
Title:
Credit Rating:
Level: (UG 1/2/3 or PG)
Delivery: (semester 1, 2 or both
etc)
Tutor(s):
Advanced Finance Research Seminar I (BMAN
80261)
15
PG
Semester 2
Dr Stuart Hyde
Target Audience:
This course targets first year postgraduate research (PGR) students in Finance, for whom it is a
compulsory unit.
Aims:
The purpose is to expose PGR students in Finance to recent and current developments in
Finance research. Students will read current and recent journal articles and working papers.
The aim is to provide students with sufficient background such that they are able to understand
the majority of research papers presented in the Staff seminars and could attempt to write a
basic referees report.
Course Requirements
The course unit comprises of a number of elements: research seminars given by internal and
external speakers, seminars taught/led by academic staff as well as student-led sessions.
Students must attend the staff research seminars in Finance that normally take place on
Wednesday afternoons (2pm). Occasionally, some of these seminars will take place on other
days; students should attend these seminars whenever they do not clash with their taught
programme. An up-to-date list of Finance seminars can be viewed at:
http://www.mbs.ac.uk/research/accountingfinance/seminars.aspx
In addition there will be a series of research seminars that will discuss recent research articles
with a view to increasing the ability of students to read and understand journal articles. These
will take place on Wednesday afternoons 3.30pm until 5.30pm in Room 5.1, Crawford House.
Assessment
Required non-assessed coursework
All students must read the material listed for each seminar in advance of the class. It is
expected that all students will be able to contribute fully the debate. Where sessions are
followed by practical elements it is expected that students will complete any practical work and
homework set.
Required assessed coursework
Students have to write a summary paper (maximum 5,000 words) based on the 10 core class
sessions and reading delivered (ie. 500 words on each). The summary paper should cover the
key elements of each session and directed reading.
88
NOTE: The paper should be based on the classes – not the staff seminars. Also note it should
be possible to write a very good paper in much less than 5,000 words – this is an absolute
maximum limit – you do not need to use it!
Deadline for submission
The deadline for submission is 4.00pm on 11 December 2009.
Please submit two copies of your paper to Graham Cockerill in the PGR Office, Room 9.23 MBS
Harold Hankins. Please also submit an electronic copy to [email protected].
Syllabus
Course syllabus [Please note this is Provisional – there may be some minor
alterations to content/order]
1. Calculation and characteristics of returns and portfolio returns (Norman Strong)
Campbell, J.Y., Lo, A.W. and MacKinlay, A.C., 1997, The Econometrics of Financial Markets, Ch
1.
Cont, R., 2001. Empirical properties of asset returns: stylized facts and statistical issues.
Quantitative Finance 1, 223–236. Available from http://www.cmap.polytechnique.fr/~rama/
(towards the bottom of the Working Papers page)
Fama, E.F., 1976. Foundations of Finance, Chs. 1 and 2. Available
http://gsbwww.uchicago.edu/fac/eugene.fama/research/Foundations%20of%20Finance/
from,
Liu, W. and N. Strong (2006), Biases in decomposing holding period portfolio returns, Review of
Financial Studies, Advance access.
2. Event studies (Norman Strong)
Fama, E.F. (1998) Market Efficiency, long-term returns, and behavioural finance, Journal of
Financial Economics, 49, 283-306.
Tucker, J.W., 2007. Is openness penalized? Stock returns around earnings warnings, The
Accounting Review 82, 1055–1087.
3. Risk Aversion (Andreas Milidonis)
*Gollier, Christian. The Economics of Risk and Time. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press,
2001.
Kimball, Miles S. "Precautionary Saving in the Small and in the Large." Econometrica 58, no. 1
(1990): 53-73.
———. "Standard Risk Aversion." Econometrica 61, no. 3 (1993): 589-611.
Pratt, John W. "Risk Aversion in the Small and in the Large." Econometrica 32, no. 1/2 (1964):
122-36.
Pratt, John W., and Richard J. Zeckhauser. "Proper Risk Aversion." Econometrica 55, no. 1
(1987): 143-54.
Rothschild, Michael, and Joseph E. Stiglitz. "Increasing Risk: I. A Definition." Journal of
Economic Theory 2, no. 3 (1970): 225-43.
*I have made photocopies of Chapter 1 and 2 that will be covered. An e-book version
is also available online.
89
4. Asset pricing (GMM, CCAPM) (Ian Garrett)
For GMM:
Campbell, J.Y., A. Lo and A.C. MacKinlay, 1997. The Econometrics of Financial Markets, chapter
8.
Hamilton, J.D., 1994. Time Series Analysis, Princeton, chapters 9 and 14.
Hansen, L.P. and K.J. Singleton, 1982. Generalized instrumental variable estimation of
nonlinear rational expectations models, Econometrica 50, 1269--1286.
Johnston, J. and DiNardo, 1997. Econometric Methods, 4
section 5.5 and chapter 10.
th
edition, MacGraw Hill, chapter 5,
th
Kennedy, P. 1998. A Guide to Econometrics, 4 edition,Blackwell, chapters 9 and 10.
For Asset Pricing:
Campbell, J.Y., A. Lo and A.C. MacKinlay, 1997. The Econometrics of Financial Markets, chapter
8.
Cochrane, J., 2001, Asset Pricing, Princeton, chapter 20.
Hansen, L.P. and K.J. Singleton, 1982. Generalized instrumental variable estimation of
nonlinear rational expectations models, Econometrica 50, 1269--1286.
Harvey, C.R., 1989, Time-varying conditional covariances in tests of asset pricing models,
Journal of Financial Economics 24, 289--318.
Harvey, C.R. 1991. The world price of covariance risk, Journal of Finance 46, 111--58.
5. Anomalies and Asset pricing : Size, Book to Market, Momentum (Edward Lee)
Fama, E.F. and K.R. French (1996) "Multifactor explanation of asset pricing anomalies", Journal
of Finance, 51: 55-84.
6. Asset Pricing: The equity premium and return predictability (Alex Taylor)
Cochrane, J., "New facts in finance" – available from John Cochrane’s website.
Fama, E.F. and K.R. French, 1989. "Business Conditions and Expected Returns on Stocks and
Bonds" Journal of Financial Economics, 25, 23-49
Campbell J.Y. and R. Shiller, 1988. "The Dividend-Price ratio and expectations of future
dividends and discount factors" Review of Financial Studies 1, 195-228
Goval, A. and I. Welch, 2004. "A Comprehensive Look at the Empirical Performance of Equity
Premium Prediction" NBER Working Papers 10483, National Bureau of Economic Research.
Campbell, J.Y. and S.B. Thompson, 2005. "Predicting the Equity Premium Out of Sample: Can
Anything Beat the Historical Average?" NBER Working Papers 11468, National Bureau of
Economic Research, Inc.
7. Asset Pricing: The mispricing premium (Michael Brennan)
Brennan, M.J. and A.W. Wang 2007a. The mispricing premium, mimeo.
Brennan, M.J. and A.W. Wang 2007b. Systematic mispricing, mimeo.
8. Volatility Dynamics (Ser-Huang Poon)
Bakshi G., N. Ju and H. Ou-Yang, 2006, Estimation of continuous-time models with an
application to equity volatility, Journal of Financial Economics, 82, 1, 227-249, October.
Broadie Mark, Mikhail Chernov and Michael Johannes, 2007, Model specification and risk
premia: Evidence from futures options, Journal of Finance, Jun, 62, 3, 1453-1490.
90
Christoffersen Peter, Kris Jacobs and K. Mimouni, 2006, Models for S&P500 dynamics: evidence
from realized volatility, daily returns and opion prices, Working Paper, McGill University.
Dotsis George, Dimitris Psychoyios and George Skiadopoulos, 2007, An empirical comparison of
continuous-time models of implied volatility indices, Journal of Banking and Finance,
forthcoming.
Navas Javier F., 2003, Calculation of volatility in a jump-diffusion model, Journal of Derivatives,
66-72, Winter.
9. Volatility Derivatives (Ser-Huang Poon)
Brenner M., E. Ou and J. Zhang, 2006, Hedging volatility risk, Journal of Banking and Finance,
30, 811-821.
Carr Peter and Roger Lee, 2007, Realised volatility and variance: options via swaps, RISK
Magazine, 76-83, May.
Demeterfi Kresimir, Emanuel Derman, Michael Kamal and Joseph Zou, 1999, More than you
ever wanted to know about volatility swaps, Working Paper, Goldman Sachs.
Detemple Jérôme B. and C. Osakwe, 2000, The valuation of volatility options, European Finance
Review, 4, 21-50.
Grunbichler Andrews and Francis A. Longstaff, 1996, Valuing futures and options on volatility,
Journal of Banking and Finance, 20, 985-1001.
Matytsin Andrew, CP, 1999, Modelling volatility and volatility derivatives, Working Paper, JP
Morgan.
Windcliff H., P.A. Forsyth and K.R. Vetzal, 2006, Pricing methods and hedging strategies for
volatility derivatives, Journal of Banking and Finance, 30, 2, February, 409-431.
10. Behavioural Finance (BSV, Hong-Stein, DHS) (Asad Kausar)
Barberis, N., A. Shleifer, and R.W. Vishny, 1998, A Model of Investor Sentiment, Journal of
Financial Economics, 49, 307-343.
Daniel, K., D. Hirshleifer, and A. Subrahmanyan, 1998, Investor Psychology and Security
Market Under- and Overreactions, Journal of Finance, 53, 1839-1885.
Hong, H., and J. C. Stein, 1999, A Unified Theory of Underreaction, Momentum Trading and
Overreaction in Asset Markets, Journal of Finance, 54, 2143-2184.
Fama, E., 1998, Market Efficiency, Long-Term Returns, and Behavioral Finance, Journal of
Financial Economics, 49, 283-306.
Hong, H., T. Lim, and J. C. Stein, 2000, Bad News Travels Slowly: Size, Analyst Coverage and
the Profitability of Momentum Strategies, Journal of Finance, 55, 265-295.
Chan, W.S., R. Frankel and S.P. Kothari, 2004, Testing Behavioral Finance Theories Using
Trends and Consistency in Financial Performance, Journal of Accounting and Economics, 38, 350.
11. A very brief guide to being a (not-so young) Finance academic (Stuart Hyde)
Chance,
D.
Tips
for
publishing
in
Finance
academic
journals
available
at
http://www.bus.lsu.edu/academics/finance/faculty/dchance/Research/Rsch.htm
Cochrane,
J.H.
Writing
tips
for
Ph.D.
students
available
at
http://faculty.chicagogsb.edu/john.cochrane/research/Papers/index.htm#for_phd
91
Title:
Credit Rating:
Level: (UG 1/2/3 or PG)
Delivery: (semester 1, 2 or both
etc)
Tutor(s):
Advanced Finance Research Seminar II (BMAN
80262)
15
PG
Semester 2
Dr Stuart Hyde
Aims:
The purpose is to expose PGR students in Finance to the core literature in Finance research
through review articles. Students will read the key review articles in the field of Finance and
give a presentation and lead a discussion based on these survey papers. The aim is to provide
students with sufficient background such that they are able to understand the majority of
research papers presented in the Staff seminars and are widely read in the core areas of
corporate finance, financial markets and asset pricing.
Content:
1. Introduction to Research and Epistemology - Michael Flanagan
Main Reading:
Popper, K. (1969), Conjectures and Refutations - The Growth of Scientific Knowledge 3rd
edition, Routledge and Kegan Paul, ISBN-7100-6508-6(p)
Johnson, P. and J. Duberley (2005), Understanding Management Research- An Introduction to
Epistemology, Sage Publications, ISBN 0 7619 6917 9
Additional:
Hausman, D. 1989. Economic Methodology in a Nutshell. Journal of Economic Perspectives 3,
115-127.
Hoover, K. 2005. The Methodology of Econometrics. www.ssrn.com
Reading:
The majority of the reading comes from the Handbook of the Economics of Finance.
Most of the chapters will be posted on Web CT. However Chapter 4 and Chapter 17
are only available in hard copy. A copy of the Handbook is available on Short-Loan in
the Precinct Library, 2 other copies (one Precinct, one Eddie Davies) are currently on
order.
Handbook of the Economics of Finance
Chapter 1 Corporate Governance and Control by M. Becht, P. Bolton and A. Röell
Chapter 2 Agency, Information and Corporate Investment by J. C. Stein
Chapter 4 [Hard-copy only]
Financing of Corporations by S.C. Myers
Chapter 7 Payout Policy by F. Allen and R. Michaely
Chapter 9 Market Microstructure by H. R. Stoll
92
Chapter 10 Arbitrage, State Prices and Portfolio Theory by P. H. Dybvig and S. A. Ross
Chapter 11 Intertemporal Asset Pricing Theory by D. Duffie
Chapter 12 Test of Multi-Factor Pricing Models, Volatility, and Portfolio Performance by W. E.
Ferson
Chapter 13 Consumption-Based Asset Pricing by J. Y. Campbell
Chapter 14 The Equity Premium in Retrospect by R. Mehra and E. C. Prescott
Chapter 15 Anomalies and Market Efficiency by G. W. Schwert
Chapter 16 Are Financial Assets Priced Locally or Globally? by G. A. Karolyi and R. M. Stulz
Chapter 17 [Hard copy only]
Microstructure and Asset Pricing by D. Easley and M. O’Hara
Chapter 18 A Survey of Behavioral Finance by N. C. Barberis and R. H. Thaler
Additional Reading:
Asset Pricing
1. Campbell, J.Y., (2000) Asset Pricing at the Millennium, Journal of Finance 55, 1515-1567.
Corporate Finance
1. Jensen, M.C. and Meckling, W.H., (1976) Theory of the Firm: Managerial Behavior,
Agency Costs and Ownership Structure, Journal of Financial Economics 3, 305-360.
2. Harris, M. and Raviv, A., (1991) The Theory of Capital Structure, Journal of Finance 46,
297-355.
3. Shleifer, A. and Vishny, R.W., (1997) A Survey of Corporate Governance, Journal of
Finance 52, 737-783.
4. Dittmar, A.K., (2000) Why Do Firms Repurchase Stock? Journal of Business 73, 331-355.
5. Graham, J.R. and Harvey, C.R., (2001) The Theory and Practice of Corporate Finance:
Evidence from the Field, Journal of Financial Economics 60, 187-243.
6. Ritter, J.R. and Welch, I., (2002) A Review of IPO Activity, Pricing and Allocations,
Journal of Finance 57, 1795-1828.
Market Microstructure
1. Madhavan, A., (2000) Market Microstructure: A Survey, Journal of Financial Markets 3,
205-258.
93
2. Biais, B., Glosten, L. and Spratt, C., (2005) Market Microstructure: A Survey of
Microfoundations, Empirical Results, and Policy Implications, Journal of Financial Markets
8, 217-264.
Econometrics (Chapters in the Handbook of Financial Econometrics)
Available at: http://home.uchicago.edu/~lhansen/handbook.htm
1. Engle, R.F. and Russell, J.R., Analysis of High Frequency Financial Data.
2. Garcia, R., Ghysels, E. and Renault, E. The Econometrics of Option Pricing.
3. Jagannathan, R., Skoulakis, G. and Wang, Z., The Analysis of the Cross-Section of
Security Returns.
Learning hours:
Activity
Hours allocated
Staff/student contact
Tutorials
Private study
Directed reading
Total hours
Other activities
e.g. Practical/laboratory work
24
102
24
150
Assessment:
Assessment activity
Length
required
Weighting within
unit
Students will be assessed on their presentations and discussions in all classes. Students also
have to write two summaries of the literature covered in two sessions not presented by them.
Required non-assessed coursework
All student must read the research/journal paper(s) for each seminar in advance of the class.
For the discussion sessions it is expected that all students will be able to contribute fully the
debate. In addition, each student will be selected to present and lead two discussions.
Students should select one presentation from their specialist field and one other.
Please sign up for each presentation during the first session.
Deadline for submission
The deadline for submission is 4.00pm on 23 April 2010.
Please submit two copies of your paper to Graham Cockerill in the PGR Office, Room 9.23 MBS
Harold Hankins. Please also submit an electronic copy to [email protected].
94
Title:
Credit Rating:
Level: (UG 1/2/3 or PG)
Delivery: (semester 1, 2 or both
etc)
Tutor(s):
Advanced Corporate Finance (BMAN 80312)
15
PG
Semester 2
Dr Arif Kurshed, Dr Ning Gao, Dr Marie Dutordoir, Dr
Maria Marchica, Dr Konstantinos Stathopoulos, Dr
Roberto Mura
Aims:
The course focuses on specific topics in Corporate Finance, namely, capital raising, capital
structure and debt maturing decisions, link between capital structure and short selling,
corporate governance and corporate control, and investment decisions.
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this unit successful students will be able to:
Understand the:
 Financing choices of firms (Capital raising, Capital Structure and Debt Maturity, links to
corporate finance and short-selling topics);
 Monitoring issues within companies (Corporate Governance and control topic);
 Investment choices of firms (Investment decisions topics)
Content:
The course is dedicated to the discussion of three specific areas in Corporate Finance. In
particular:
a. How firms raise finance resources
1.
Capital raising (Session Leader: Dr Arif Kurshed)
The aim of this session is to give an insight into how companies raise equity
finance
through an initial public offering (IPO). The two main
issues covered will be the pricing of
shares (valuation of the IPO company) and the anomalies associated with IPOs in the postmarket period.
2.
Capital Structure (Session leader: Dr Ning Gao)
This session reviews the theories developed to understand corporate capital structure
decisions. It also reviews the related empirical studies that have recently received substantial
academic attention. It provides an overview of the recent development of capital structure
literature and suggests directions of future research in this area.
3.
Debt Maturity (Session leader: Dr Maria Marchica)
The use of agency costs and asymmetric information perspectives as main explanations
of maturity choices will be analysed in this section.
This session will be devoted to discuss
both theoretical and empirical issues of this subject and introduce the recent developments in
this area.
4.
Impact of short selling on corporate finance decisions (Session leader: Dr
Dutordoir)
Marie
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This session intends to discuss the merging strand of the literature that examines the
impact of the actions of short sellers on corporate finance
decisions.
The session is
structured as follows. First, it provides a general overview of the literature on the influence of
the supply-side of the market on corporate finance decisions. It then reviews the few existing
studies on the interplay between short sellers and corporate finance decisions. It concludes with
a discussion of potential directions for future research in this area.
b. How firms are monitored in managing their resources:
5.
Corporate Governance (Session leader: Dr Konstantinos Stathopoulos)
This session provides fundamental knowledge on both theoretical and practical issues
related to Corporate Governance (CG). It offers an overview of the importance of agency costs
in CG and an in depth analysis of alternative, to agency, theoretical approaches. In addition, it
presents current CG systems and practices together with potential future research areas. There
will be a discussion of the papers primarily focusing on conceptual and methodological issues.
c. How firms invest their resources:
6.
Investment decisions (Session leader: Dr. Roberto Mura)
This session will explore how frictions in the markets are likely to affect corporate
investment. The session provides an overview of both the theoretical background underlining
investment decisions in incomplete capital markets and the empirical problems of the research
area.
Besides the above lectures, during the academic year there will be (possibly) two
“Lectio magistralis,” that is, two 2-hour-lectures given by distinguished professors
visiting MBS. One is scheduled to be in November and the other one in May. Full
details will be provided in due course.
This module (both the regular lectures and the “Lectio magistralis”) are compulsory for single
Finance major only with the exception of those students pursuing quantitative and
mathematical finance.
Teaching and learning methods:
1. Teaching Method
Each session will be delivered by a different tutor. The delivery consists of a mixture of lectures
and seminar-style discussions.
2. Learning Method
Students are expected to study the assigned readings before the class, and actively participate
in the discussion. It is recommended that they prepare questions to be discussed during the
sessions.
Preliminary reading:
Pre-requisites
FS7152 Corporate Finance or equivalent. Students are expected to be familiar with the
fundamental theories on capital structure: Modigliani-Miller Theorem, Static Trade-off theory
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and Pecking Order theory. Relevant readings are Modigliani and Miller (1958, AER), Myers
(1984, JF) and Myers and Majluf (1984, JFE).
Preliminary reading for each topic
1. Capital raising
Bartov, E., Mohanram, P.S., Seethamraju, C. (2002), ‘Valuation of internet
stocks- An IPO
perspective’, Journal of Accounting Research 40, 321346.
Berger, P. (2002), ‘Discussion of Valuation of internet stocks- An IPO perspective’, Journal of
Accounting Research 40, 347-358.
Jenkinson, T., Ljungqvist, A. (2001), ‘Going Public: The Theory and Evidence on How
Companies Raise Equity Finance’, Oxford University Press.
Kim, M., Ritter, J.R. (1999), ‘Valuing IPOs’, Journal of Financial Economics, 53, 409-437.
2. Capital Structure
Baker, Malcolm and Jeffery Wurgler, (2002), ‘Market timing and capital
structure’,
Journal of Finance LVII, 1-32.
Chang, X., S. Dasgupta and Gilles H. (2005), ‘Analyst coverage and financing decisions’,
Working Paper, forthcoming in Journal of Finance.
Chang, Xin and Sudipto Dasgupta 2008, Target Behavior and Financing: How Conclusive is the
Evidence?”, forthcoming, Journal of Finance.
Frank, M.Z. and V. Goyal, (2003), ‘Testing the pecking order theory of capital structure’,
Journal of Financial Economics 67, 217-248.
Heaton, J.B., (2002), ‘Managerial Optimism and Corporate Finance’, Financial Management 32,
33-45.
Leary, M.T., and M. R. Roberts, 2005. Do firms rebalance their capital structures?, Journal of
Finance 60, 217-248.
Lerner, J. (1993), ‘Venture capitalists and the decision to go public’, Journal of Financial
Economics 35, 293-316.
Myer S. C. and N. S. Majulf (1984), ‘Corporate Financing and Investment Decisions When Firms
Have Information That Investors Do Not Have’, Journal of Financial Economics, 187-221.
Shyam-Sunder L. and S. C. Myers, (1999), ‘Testing static trafeoff against pecking order models
of capital structure’, Journal of Financial Economics 51, 219-244.
Welch, I. (2004), ‘Capital structure and stock returns’, Journal of Political
Economy
112,
106-113.
3. Debt Maturity
a. Theoretical papers
Diamond, D. W., (1991), ‘Debt maturity structure and liquidity risk’, Quarterly Journal of
Economics 106, 709-737 (For liquidity risk perspective).
Flannery, M., (1986), ‘Asymmetric information and risky debt maturity choice’, Journal of
Finance 41, 19-37. (For asymmetric information perspective).
Myers, S.C., (1977), ‘Determinants of corporate borrowing’, Journal of Financial Economics 5,
147-175. (For agency costs of debt perspective).
b. Empirical papers
Barclay, M.J., Marx, L.M., Smith, C.W., (2003), ‘The joint determination of leverage and
maturity’, Journal of Corporate Finance 9, 149-167.
Datta, S., Iskandar-Datta, M., Raman, K., (2005), ‘Managerial stock ownership and the
maturity structure of corporate debt’, Journal of Finance LX, 2333-2350.
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Guedes, J., Opler, T., (1996) ‘The determinants of the maturity of corporate debt issues’,
Review of Financial Studies 16, 109-236.
Kim, W.S., Sorenson, E.H., (1986), “Evidence on the impact of the agency costs of debt on
corporate debt policy”, Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis 3, 131-144.
Stohs, M., Mauer, D., (1996), “The determinants of corporate debt maturity Structure”, Journal
of Business 69, 279-312.
4. Short selling and Capital Structure
Baker, M., (2009), “Market-driven corporate finance”, unpublished working paper. Harvard
Business School (available at papers.ssrn.com)
de Jong, A., Dutordoir, M., Verwijmeren, P., (2009), ‘Why do convertible
issuers
simultaneously repurchase stock? An arbitrage-based
explanation”,
unpublished
working
paper (available at papers.ssrn.com).
Faulkender, M., Petersen, M., (2006), ‘Does the source of capital affect capital structure?’,
Review of Financial Studies 19, 45-79.
Lamont, O., (2004), “Go down fighting: short sellers vs. firms”, unpublished working paper.
Yale School of Management, New Haven (available at papers.ssrn.com).
Mitchell, M., Pulvino, T., Stafford, E., (2004), “Price pressure around mergers”, Journal of
Finance 59, 31-63.
5. Corporate Governance
Bebchuk, L. A., J.M. Fried, and D. I. Walker, (2002), “Managerial power and rent extraction in
the design of executive compensation”, The University of Chicago Law Review 69, 751-846.
Demsetz, H. and K. Lehn, (1985), “The Structure of Corporate Ownership: Causes and
Consequences”, Journal of Political Economy 93, 1155- 1177.
Denis, Diane K., and McConnell, John J., “International Corporate Governance” (January 2003).
ECGI – Finance Working Paper No. 05/2003; and Tuck-JQFA Contemporary Corporate
Governance Issues II Conference. http://ssrn.com/abstract=320121
Jensen, M., and W.H. Meckling, (1976), “Theory of the firm: managerial behaviour, agency
costs and ownership structure”, Journal of Financial Economics 3, (4) 305-360.
Murphy, K. J., (2002), “Explaining executive compensation: Managerial power versus the
perceived cost of stock options”, The University of Chicago Law Review, 846-869.
Schleifer, A., R.W. Vishny, (1997), “A Survey of Corporate Governance”,
Journal
of
Finance 52, 737-783.
6. Investment decision
a. Theoretical and empirical background
Hubbard, R.G. (1998), “Capital-market imperfections and investment”, Journal of Economic
Literature XXXVI, 193-225.
Schiantarelli, F., (1996), “Financial constraints and investment: Methodological issues
evidence”, Oxford Review of Economic Policy 12, 70-89.
Stein, J. (2003) Agency, Information and Corporate Investment in Constantinides G., Harris M.
and Stulz R. (eds) “Handbook of the Economics of Finance”. Amsterdam: North Holland.
(Alternatively in NBER Working Paper, n.8342).
b. Empirical Papers
Devereux, M., Schiantarelli F., (1990), ‘Investment financial factors and cash flow : Evidence
from UK panel data’, in Hubbard, R.G. (ed) Asymmetric Information, Corporate Finance and
Investment. Chicago: Chicago University Press.
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Fazzari, S.M., Hubbard, R.G., Petersen, B.C., (1988), “Financing Constraints and Corporate
Investment”, Brookings Papers on Economic Activity,
141-195.
Hoshi, T., Kashyap, A., Scharfstein, D., (1991), ‘Corporate structure, liquidity and investment:
Evidence from Japanese industrial groups’, Quarterly Journal of Economics 20, 33-60.
Kaplan, S.N., Zingales, L., (1997), “Do investment-cash flow sensitivities
provide
useful
measures of financing constraints?” Quarterly Journal of Economics 112, 159-216.
c. New developments
Almeida, H., Campello, M., Weisbach, M., (2004), “The cash flow sensitivity of cash”, Journal of
Finance
Learning hours:
Activity
Hours allocated
Staff/student contact
Tutorials
Private study
Directed reading
Total hours
14
86
100
Other activities
e.g. Practical/laboratory work
Assessment:
Assessment will be via three term papers.
Suggested topics and reading will be set by the lecturers of the course, and assessed by them.
Assessment activity
3 papers
Length
required
1,500 words
each
Weighting within
unit
100% (overall)
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Title:
Credit Rating:
Level: (UG 1/2/3 or PG)
Delivery: (semester 1, 2 or both
etc)
Tutor(s):
Advanced Finance Theory (BMAN 80301)
15
PG
Semester 1
Prof Ser-Huang Poon and
Prof Richard Stapleton
Aims:
This module covers a number of key finance theories that are important building blocks for
theoretical and empirical studies in finance. The lectures have two main streams of focus. The
first part of the lectures covers principally Merton’s collection of continuous-time work and
studies how the continuous-time method can be applied in consumption-portfolio decisions,
two-fund separation theorem, option pricing and capital structure.
The second part of the lectures introduces students to the discrete time general equilibrium
framework. It analyses how preferences affect the properties of the pricing kernel and asset
pricing, as well as the concept of dominance in portfolio choice. Within this framework, it
examines the conditions under which the Black-Scholes (Black) model holds for the pricing of
options, and considers various extensions to Black-Scholes including how non-marketable
background risk affects the optimal demand for risky assets. The lectures end with a multiperiod extension and the various risk neutral measures that are equivalent in this multi-period
setting for the purpose of option pricing.
Learning Outcomes:
Upon completing this module, students are expect to
1. be familiar with key classical concepts and theory in finance such as portfolio selection,
capital market theory, Intertemporal portfolio choice, optimum consumption, meanvariance analyses, option pricing theory and capital structure, utility and risk aversion,
stochastic dominance, background risk and pricing kernel, extension to Black-Scholes
and multiperiod models, and risk neutrality and risk measures;
2. master the mathematical skills and economic foundations to understand theoretical
finance literature;
3. gain sufficient confidence to develop their own theories or extend the existing ones.
Content:
The module consists of 10 lectures/seminars covering the following topics:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Introduction to portfolio selection and capital market theory and continuous time method
Intertemporal portfolio selection
Optimum consumption and portfolio rules - continuous time analogue to TobinMarkowitz mean-variance analysis
Option pricing with discontinuity
Contingent claim analysis and the theory of capital structure
Utility theory, risk aversion and the pricing kernel
Stochastic Dominance
Background risk, Derived Risk Aversion and the Pricing Kernel
Option pricing: extensions to the Black-Scholes model
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10.
Multiperiod models and risk neutral measures
Teaching and learning methods:
The module is based largely on the instructors going through advanced level materials in fairly
detailed manner, discussing the problems and going through the proofs in a step-by-step
manner in class.
Students learn by following the examples in class and replicate the results or the procedures in
their homework. Students are expected to give further thoughts to the issues discussed in
class and the materials covered in structured readings. These learning outcomes will be fully
reflected in the assigned homework.
Preliminary reading:
Main text:
Merton, Robert C. (1990) Continuous-Time Finance, Book, Basil Blackwell. (M)
Poon S-H and R.C. Stapleton (2005) Asset Pricing in Discrete Time: A Complete Market
Approach, (eBook) Oxford University Press (PS)
Other reference texts:
Cochrane John H. (2005) Asset Pricing, (eBook) Princeton University Press. (C)
Duffie Darrell (2001) Dynamic Asset Pricing Theory, 3rd. Ed., Book, Princeton University Press.
(D)
Eeckhoudt Louis, Christian Gollier and Harris Schlesinger (2005) Economic and Financial
Decisions Under Risk, Princeton University Press. (EGS)
Huang Chi-fu and Robert H. Litzenberger (1988) Foundations for Financial Economics, North
Holland. (HL)
Ingersoll J.E. (1987) Theory of Financial Decision Making, Rowman & Littlefield. (I)
Shimko D. Finance in Continuous Time: A Primer (S)
Learning hours:
Activity
Hours allocated
Staff/student contact
30
Tutorials
Private study
50
Directed reading
20
100
Total hours
Assessment:
Assessment activity
Students are asked to complete a series of
homework as the course progresses.
Length
required
-
Weighting within unit
100% (50% for each of the
two instructors)
101
9.
Electives for Accounting and Finance Students
PhD students on the Accounting and Finance Pathways may take some PGT 15 credit modules
as part of their research training programme. You should discuss your choice of electives with
your supervisor.
The 15 credit modules which are recommended as part of your research training are:
Finance (BMAN)
Modules
BMAN70381
Foundations of
Finance Theory
BMAN71441
International
Macroeconomics &
Global Capital
Markets
BMAN63021
VBA/C++ with
Financial
Applications
BMAN71122
Financial
Econometrics
BMAN70162
Research Methods
and Methodology in
Finance
BMAN71182
International
Finance
BMAN70192 Real
Options in Corporate
Finance
BMAN70432
International
Mergers and
Acquisitions:
Economic & Financial
Aspects
BMAN63012 Interest
Rate Derivatives
BMAN71572 Credit
Risk Modelling
Accounting
(BMAN) Modules
BMAN71331
Financial Analysis
of Public Sector
Restructuring
BMAN70241
Financial
Reporting Theory
BMAN71292
Accounting in an
International
Context
BMAN71132
Financial Statement
Analysis
Mathematics (MT)
Modules
MATH61711
Stochastic Calculus
MATH60301
Martingales with
Applications to
Finance
MATH40361
Computationally
Intensive Statistics
MATH60072
Stochastic Modelling
in Finance
MATH60082
Computational
Finance
MATH60008
Mathematical
Modelling of Finance
Economics (ES)
Modules
ECON60101
Microeconomics
ECON60111
Macroeconomics
ECON60501
Advanced
Econometric Theory
ECON60521 Time
Series Analysis
ECON60611
Introduction to
Econometrics
ECON61022 Choice
Under Risk:
Experiments, Theory
& Applications
ECON60052 Cross
Section
Econometrics
ECON60192
Advanced
Microeconomic
Theory
ECON60552 Games
and Economic
Behaviour
ECON60532
Asymptotic
Inference in
Econometrics
ECON60542
Econometric
Computing (GAUSS)
ECON60622 Further
Econometrics
(New) SoSS
Financial
Econometrics
102
Section D: Optional Short or Non-Credit Course
There is also a range of short courses (less than 15 credits) available in MBS which you may
wish to consider as part of your RTP.
These following courses are open to all students, are not assessed formally and do not count
towards the notional credits of your research training programme.
Course Title
ATLAS
Qualitative ExpertInterviews & Analysis using
NVivo
Career Development
Workshop: Developing an
academic career in a
Business School
Date/Time
TBC
TBC
Room/s are
in MBS West
unless
otherwise
stated
TBC
TBC
TBC
TBC
Tutor
Dr Marie Norman
Dr Elfriede Penz
(Wirtschaftsuniversität
Wien, Austria)
Prof Catherine Cassell
and Dr Stuart Hyde
Qualitative Expert-Interviews & Analysis using NVivo
Instructor
Dr. Elfriede Penz
Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration (WU-Wien)
International Marketing and Management
Augasse 2-6, A-1090 Wien
Tel.: +43-1-31336-5102
Fax in mail: +43-1-31336-90-5102
http://www.wu-wien.ac.at/imm
E-Mail: [email protected]
Course Background and Objectives
Research issues are becoming increasingly complex and are getting harder to address, e.g. in
new topic areas. Consequently, qualitative research in general and qualitative computing in
particular has become widely accepted. However, there is still an ongoing debate on which
methods are more appropriate to answer research problems within the field of economics and
business management. While quantitative techniques seek to quantify structured data and thus
apply some form of statistical analysis (positivist/empiricist approach), qualitative techniques
are less structured, and require primarily exploratory design (constructivist/phenomenological
approach). In addition, quantitative research is supposed to suit better for theory testing while
qualitative research is better suited for theory creation.
103
Yet, both research methodologies offer valuable research design and techniques and there is a
gradual acceptance among scientists of the methodological orientations of others.
The purpose of this lecture is to familiarise with a particular software package (QSR NUD*IST NVivo) which integrates a wide range of tools and enables researches to link qualitative and
quantitative data.
Schedule
Day 1
Topics
Introduction and course overview
Handling qualitative data with NVivo
o Overview of qualitative methods
o An exemplary project on interviews with experts
o Parts of NVivo: Documents, Nodes, and Attributes
o Processes of NVivo: Linking, Coding, Sets, Modelling, and Searching
Students’ projects
o Data preparation – organizing
o Developing a coding scheme
Discussion
Time
schedule
20 mins
90 mins
90 mins
20 mins
Day 2
Topics
Students’ projects
o Advanced analysis
o Analytic procedures, queries
Discussion of results
Closing discussion
Time
schedule
90 mins
60 mins
40 mins
Readings
General
Cassell, Catherine and Gillian Symon (1994), Qualitative Methods in Organizational Research.
London: Sage Publications.
Carson, David, Gilmore, Audrey, Chad, Perry & Grønhaug, Kjell (2001). Qualitative Market
Research. London: Sage.
Creswell, John W. (1997), Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five
Traditions. London: Sage Publications.
Denzin, Norman K. and Yvonna S. Lincoln Eds. (1998), Strategies of Qualitative Inquiry.
Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
Gummesson, E. (1991), Qualitative Methods in Management Research. London: Sage.
Lee, Thomas W. (1999), Using Qualitative Methods in Organizational Research. Thousand Oaks:
Sage Publications.
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Marshan-Piekkari, Rebecca & Welch, Catherine (Eds.) (2004). Handbook of Qualitative
Research: Methods for International Business. Cheltenham: Elgar.
Potter, James W. (1996), An Analysis of Thinking and Research about Qualitative Methods.
Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Seale, Clive (1999), The Quality of Qualitative Research. London: Sage Publications.
Specific Research Techniques
Glaser, Barney and Anselm Strauss (1967), The Discovery of Grounded Theory: Strategies of
Qualitative Research. London: Wiedenfeld and Nicholson.
Hartley, Jean F. (1994), "Case Studies in Organizational Research," in Qualitative Methods in
Organizational Research, Catherine Cassell and Gillian Symon, Eds. London: Sage.
Neuendorf, Kimberly A. (2002), The Content Analysis Guidebook. Thousand Oaks: Sage
Publications.
Stake, Robert E. (1995), The Art of Case Study Research. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
Strauss, Anselm and Juliet Corbin (1998), Basics of Qualitative Research: Techniques and
Procedures for Developing Ground Theory (2nd Edition ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
Tashakkori, Abbas and Charles Teddlie Eds. (1998), Mixed Methodology: Combining Qualitative
and Quantitative Approaches. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
Software NVivo
Richards, Lyn (1999), Using NVivo in Qualitative Research. London: Sage Publications.
Bazeley, Pat (2007). Qualitative Data Analysis with NVivo. London: S
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