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Research Skills for Human Resource Management - MAN00132M

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  • Department: The York Management School
  • Credit value: 20 credits
  • Credit level: M
  • Academic year of delivery: 2023-24
    • See module specification for other years: 2024-25

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

Occurrence Teaching period
A Semester 2 2023-24

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

Academic and graduate skills
By the end of this module students should be able to:-

  • Understand, demonstrate and reflect upon the key skills, competencies and capabilities of an effective HR professional required to design, conduct and evaluate business related research
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the principles of effective decision making, problem solving and metrics HR can use, in order to assess and offer tailored HR solutions on the implications which enhance organisational performance and the working environment
  • Recognise and consider the importance of ethics both from an academic and organisational perspective

Module content

Subject content
To be selected from the following:-


Lecture topics:

  • Introduction to the module
  • Introduction to philosophy
  • Philosophy in society
  • Designing a research project and the ethical considerations
  • Finding and reviewing data
  • Formulating research questions, research objectives and clarifying research topics
  • Gathering textual data
  • Analysing textual data (including Nvivo)
  • Gathering numerical data
  • Analysing numerical data (including SPSS)
  • Skills for Business Leadership and HRM Research


Please note: This content list is indicative, only, and some topics may be amalgamated in certain weeks / subject to change.

Indicative assessment

Task % of module mark
Essay/coursework 60
Essay/coursework 40

Special assessment rules

None

Indicative reassessment

Task % of module mark
Essay/coursework 60
Essay/coursework 40

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 exam board.

Indicative reading

  • Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill (2018) Research Methods for Business Students
  • Bryman and Bell (2015) Business Research Methods
  • Watson, G and Reissner, S (2023) Developing Skills for Business Leadership: Building Personal Effectiveness and Business Acumen. Kogan Page.


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.