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Research Skills for Human Resource Management - MAN00074M

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  • Department: The York Management School
  • Credit value: 10 credits
  • Credit level: M
  • Academic year of delivery: 2023-24
    • See module specification for other years: 2022-23

Module summary

This module enables students to explore and understand how to design, conduct and evaluate business research, from both an academic and practical perspective.

Module will run

None

Module aims

This module enables students to explore and understand how to design, conduct and evaluate business research, from both an academic and practical perspective.

Activities within the module will serve to enhance both written and verbal skills required for conducting high quality, meaningful business research.

Module learning outcomes

Subject content

To be selected from the following:-

Lecture topics:

  • Introduction to research process and organisational project initiative: criteria
  • Research Design and ethics
  • Literature searching and reviewing
  • Formulating research questions and clarifying your research topic
  • Qualitative vs quantitative methods/mixed methods
  • Quantitative data collection and analysis (Incl. SPSS)
  • Qualitative data collection and analysis (incl. Nvivo)

Seminar topics:

  • Time management
  • A business perspective of research
  • Dissertation writing skills
  • Crit principles: laying the foundation
  • Research scope and design – group exercise
  • Metrics in HRM
  • A case study perspective
  • Metrics for the whole business

Academic and graduate skills

By the end of this module students should be able to:-

Understand the key skills required to design, conduct and evaluate business related research

Understand, and assess, the implications for organisations of the business problems they experience and offer tailored solutions where appropriate through development of diagnosis and problem solving skills.

Recognise and consider the importance of ethics both from an academic and organisational perspective

Indicative assessment

Task % of module mark
Essay/coursework 100

Special assessment rules

None

Indicative reassessment

Task % of module mark
Essay/coursework 100

Module feedback

Students receive individual written feedback on each item of coursework within five weeks of submission. A comprehensive module assessment report is released to students after the summer term exam board.

Indicative reading

  • Saunders et al (2015) Research Methods for Business Students
  • Bryman and Bell (2015) Business Research Methods


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University constantly explores ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary. In some instances it may be appropriate for the University to notify and consult with affected students about module changes in accordance with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.