OWT.250
OWT.250
Research Methods in Management
Assessment Guide
Lent Term 2023-2024
Module Convenors:
Pete Thomas and Kay Greasley
Department of Organisation, Work & Technology
Module Assessment
OWT.250 is worth 15 credits and is assessed 100% by a research proposal (max: 2500 words).
Submission by 11:00am on Thursday 25th April 2024.
Assessment Overview
You are asked to submit a 2,500 words research proposal which outlines how you would conduct research project. You should demonstrate your understanding of the research process by articulating a clear and answerable research question/aim that is feasible, connected to the relevant academic literature and answerable with the research methods you have chosen. This research proposal will provide an outline of how you would go through the research process to find the answer(s) to the proposed research question/aim. You can formulate a proposal on any topic related to Management, Business and Economics (if you intend to use this as a basis for your final year dissertation, you should check with your Programme Director that the theme/approach is suitable).
The module is designed so that you can start building your proposal as you learn new elements of research methods, and the workshop tasks are directly relevant to the assessment start as early as possible to be successful!
The proposal should be structured as follows (you should use these titles as section headings):
Working Title
This should be no more than 12 words and give the reader an overview of what your research will be exploring.
Research Topic and Interest
This should be a brief paragraph introducing what the focus of your research is and should be an identifiable theme in your discipline area. This may be rooted in an issue that has arisen in a particular module you have enjoyed or be something you would like to study/research in more depth, and which is connected to an appropriate academic knowledge base.
Research Question/Aim
This should be brief. You should formulate a clear research question or aim and the component sub-questions or sub-objectives that will allow you to accomplish the aim or answer the question. At the UG level you do not need to identify a research gap, but you need to articulate your research questions in connection with the literature review. Pay attention to the criteria of a good research question (clarity, specificity, complexity) and think about how you formulate them with regard to the implications for your research approach.
If youre proposing quantitative research, you can choose to present your questions as hypotheses.
Critical literature review
This is a substantial section in your proposal. You should identify the particular literature to which you will relate your empirical work. Pay attention to the structure of your arguments. The review should start with general issues and definitions and narrow to more specific material (the funnel approach). Think about the type of source (10 -15 on average) that you include (peer reviewed article vs news articles, etc.) and how you use them.
Philosophy, strategy and design
Research philosophy: Will your work be underpinned by a positivist/quantitative or interpretivist/qualitative philosophical position? Why does this approach fit with your research questions, and how does it impact your research proposal?
Strategy: Will this work be based on a quantitative or qualitative strategy? Please provide a short rationale for your choice.
Design: What research design are you planning (e.g. Cross-sectional, case study, longitudinal etc.)? Is your choice appropriate to answer your research question and is it feasible in the context of a UG dissertation project?
Method
This is a substantial section in your research proposal, and you will consider the following subsections or paragraphs:
Data collection: Provide details and justification on the kind of data collection you would do (e.g. questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, observation?). Explain how they are suitable for your research question(s) and for your particular research site.
Sampling strategy or selection of respondents: Here you will need to identify details of your respondent selection - what/who will be part of the study and why? For example, you may consider what will be a sufficient sample size if doing quantitative work and how you will select a sample, or what criteria you will use to select people to interview in qualitative work.
Access to research site: A very short statement of the planned site(s) of your research. This will inevitably be provisional, but you should here engage with questions of feasibility: how do you anticipate negotiating access?
Data analysis: Before you collect your data it is important to have a plan of how you are going to analyse it. For example, how will you manage your interview data, transcribing, coding, thematising etc.? If doing a quantitative proposal, what sort of tests do you anticipate running and how will these allow you to test your hypotheses/answer your research questions? How will your methodological choices impact analysis of your data?
Ethical Considerations
Outline ethical issues relevant to your plans (e.g. consent, confidentiality, potential harm, during and after the research process. Do you anticipate any conflicts of interest? Take this section seriously and avoid simply stating ethical considerations will be taken to guarantee respect of confidentiality and try to think of issues directly related to your proposal. For example, if you are interviewing co-workers during your placement year, how do you guarantee the confidentiality of what they tell you? If you are discussing issues of mental health with fellow students, how will you safeguard your respondents?
Limitations
What do you think might be the limitations of the methods selected. What potential, practical problems might you face when attempting to implement this proposal? What steps might you take to safeguard against potential issues (e.g. plan B).
Research Timetable
Demonstration of the feasibility of the project can be supported by supplying a timetable. Consider all the activities that you need to accomplish over this time. This can be presented either in diagram or table format. Please keep in mind some research activities overlap (e.g. further literature review is often conducted while conducting data collection). This exercise is particularly useful for those of you who will be doing a dissertation in your final year.
References
Provide a full list of the references you have used in your proposal.
Assessment Criteria
Your proposal will be assessed according to the general criteria (see Annex A). More specifically, for a research proposal, we will be assessing the following:
Research question/aim and critical literature review
The research question/aim should be clear, reasonably narrow and feasible
The structure of the literature review should follow a clear format, positioning the project clearly within existing debates, and show logical progression to the research question(s)
The literature review should demonstrate critical writing/thinking, via the ability to relate and compare various ideas, as well as evaluate them for the purpose of the argument
Strategy, design and method
This section should demonstrate a clear understanding of the overall principles of research methods by engaging with the following:
A detailed exploration of chosen methods
A clear articulation of the links between the nature of the research question(s) and the chosen strategy, design and method (fit), with justifications for the chosen data collection and analysis
An evaluation of the feasibility of the project, anticipating potential issues (such as access to site, timing, complexity, etc) and considering the ethical risks of the project.
General presentation
The overall proposal should be presented in a clear manner (headings are allowed), avoiding overgeneralisations and vague statements.
The arguments developed should be thoroughly supported with a range of appropriate references, which should be correctly formatted in the text in accordance with academic practice.
The reference list supplied at the end of your submitted document should be free of any error, correctly formatted, and include all (and only) references used in the text.
Preparation and Submission Details
Your research proposal should be prepared for submission as follows:
Student ID number to be included on each page in the footer or header section.
Each page to be numbered and the word count stated at the end of your proposal.
Font Style: Arial, Font Size: 11, using 1.5 line spacing.
References to follow Harvard style referencing.
This module will be marked electronically, and you will receive feedback online via Moodle.
Submit your completed Research Proposal electronically via the module Moodle site in the Assessment submission section you will see a link to the submission area where you need to upload your completed essay.
The file should be submitted as a Word file (other formats can cause issues within the Moodle marking page).
Remember to read the declaration that this is your own work and tick the box.
You can delete your submission if the wrong file is submitted, but ONLY until the deadline due time. After this point you will not be able to change it so TAKE CARE WHEN UPLOADING YOUR FILE.
The word count does not include: title, reference list/bibliography and appendices. It does not include tables and figures. However, we do warn against placing too much information into these.
The word count is a guide to help you judge the amount of material and analysis needed in a piece of coursework. You should not submit work more than 10% under or over the word limit otherwise you are likely to be penalised for having an underdeveloped analysis or analysis lacking precision and conciseness.
Penalties
All course work is to be submitted by 11:00am on the due date for submission.
The submissions will be checked after 11am and anything received after this time will be deemed as being submitted late and will incur a penalty in accordance with university regulations as follows:
Coursework submitted up to three days late (where no extension has been already agreed) will receive a penalty of one full grade lower than the grade awarded and zero (non-submission) thereafter.
Saturdays and Sundays are included as days in this regulation. However, when the third day falls on a Saturday or Sunday, students will have until 10:00 a.m. on Monday to hand in work without receiving further penalty.
Extensions
Where possible extensions must be sought from the OWT UG Coordinator in the first instance in advance of the set assessment deadline.
A completed Extension Request form should be submitted to the UG co-ordinator along with any supporting documentation. Please e-mail the UG co-ordinator with your request and the form will be emailed to you for you to fill out and return via e-mail.
Coursework extensions will only be given for serious illness or serious personal difficulties, and must be supported by appropriate evidence such as a doctor's sick note (self-certification is not acceptable), or a letter from Student Support confirming personal difficulties.
The request will be reviewed by the Programme Director and a decision confirmed back to you by the UG co-ordinator.
Please note that the module tutor cannot not approve extensions.
The University suggests extensions should be granted for the following circumstances:
Serious or prolonged illness or injury of the student, which is serious enough to require a doctor's certificate for sick leave. In some cases when there is the involvement of relevant counselling or other professional services evidence may be provided by these services;Bereavement or serious illness or injury to an immediate family member or significant other of the student;Other significant life events of a similar degree of severity (supported by relevant evidence) which are beyond the students control and are judged by the department to impact on their ability to submit work by the current deadline;Unforeseen events that are deemed by the University to significantly impact on study.
There are some circumstances which DO NOT count as mitigation. e.g.:
Bad time management (too many deadlines/not starting early enough/competing pressures between work and study) i.e. predictable time pressures/workloads;Minor illness (cold/hangover) close to the deadline;IT problems you should back up work regularly. Should you suffer an IT problem, contact the Learning Zone/ISS Help Desk as soon as possible for help with the recovery of lost data.
Please see the Moodle site for each module for further information about what is classified as extenuating circumstances [Exceptional circumstances | ASK - Lancaster University].
Marking and Feedback
The University marking turnaround time is 4 weeks (excluding university closure days and public holidays) following submission and the target date for return to you will be shown on the module Moodle page. The UG Coordinator will send a message to you via Moodle/email to confirm when marked essays are ready to view on Moodle.
The tutor will provide overall feedback on your marked work on Moodle and will also add comments throughout your essay, both of which will be given back to you.
This feedback is intended to guide you and to be constructive in helping you to improve your coursework so please ensure you read the comments.
Annex A LUMS Grade Descriptors
Result Broad
Descriptor Grade Aggregation
Score Primary level descriptors for attainment of Intended Learning Outcomes Honours
Class
Pass Excellent A+
A
A 24
21
18 Exemplary range and depth of attainment of intended learning outcomes, secured by discriminating command of a comprehensive range of relevant materials and analyses, and by deployment of considered judgement relating to key issues, concepts and procedures First
Pass Good B+
B
B 17
16
15 Conclusive attainment of virtually all intended learning outcomes, clearly grounded on a close familiarity with a wide range of supporting evidence, constructively utilised to reveal appreciable depth of understanding 2:1
Pass Satisfactory C+
C
C 14
13
12 Clear attainment of most of the intended learning outcomes, some more securely grasped than others, resting on a circumscribed range of evidence and displaying a variable depth of understanding 2:2
Pass Weak D+
D
D 11
10
9 Acceptable attainment of intended learning outcomes, displaying a qualified familiarity with a minimally sufficient range of relevant materials, and a grasp of the analytical issues and concepts which is generally reasonable, albeit insecure Third
Fail Marginal fail F1 7 Attainment deficient in respect of specific intended learning outcomes, with mixed evidence as to the depth of knowledge and weak deployment of arguments or deficient manipulations Fail
Fail Fail F2 4 Attainment of intended learning outcomes appreciably deficient in critical respects, lacking secure basis in relevant factual and analytical dimensions Fail Poor fail F3 2 Attainment of intended learning outcomes appreciably deficient in respect of nearly all intended learning outcomes, with irrelevant use of materials and incomplete and flawed explanation Fail Very poor fail F4 0 No convincing evidence of attainment of any intended learning outcomes, such treatment of the subject as is in evidence being directionless and fragmentary
How do consultant and client behaviours influence the project analysis outcomes?
Total word count: 2497
Research topic and interest:
This study delves into the dynamics defining the relationships and behaviours between management consultants and their clients, and how this differs from conventional employee-client interactions. The investigation will assess the essential characteristic that consultants must embody when interacting with clients and their importance, such as effective communication, flexibility, and an understanding of the clients needs. The research will also evaluate what are the most important traits of a consultant for the client to trust them, and how this affects future projects for the consultant and the company they work for. These attributes influence the quality of the consultant-client relationship, shaping project outcomes and client contentment. It will also influence the reputation of the consultant, which will determine the likelihood of clients collaborating in the future.
Research question/aim:
Through determining behaviour based upon client factors which influence project client outcome, the aim for this study is to determine the crucial characteristics of consultants and how it affects project outcomes. Using one-to-one interviews with existing consultants and clients will help to establish the important behavioural traits needed for a positive client-consultant relationship and how this affects the project outcome. The literature below shows the necessary traits a client-consultant relationship should have, such as trust and effective communication. This study aims to use these theories to identify what a consultant is required to do to gain a clients trust which will therefore increase the consultants reputation due to the positive outcome of the relationship and the project.
Critical literature review:
Introduction:
The relationship between management consultants and their customers is critical to the success of consulting initiatives. This review aims to explore the different theories and ideas implemented in analysing the importance of characteristics and behaviours to maintain and sustain a professional and successful relationship.We can firstly analyse how the consultant-client relationship and see how the nature of the consultants work and behaviour affects the outcome of the project. Consulting is primarily an intangible and difficult to describe service, and clients choose consultants based on their reputation CITATION Pel02 l 2057 (Pellegrinelli, 2002), and this means that consultants are essentially required to have successful past projects to appeal a client. The high reputation and experience will make the client expect that the consultant has good technical skills which are developing from the constant success in project management, but also ensures that the consultant demonstrates expertise in effective communication and professionalism, something a client requires the most. This also emphasizes the clients belief that, along with consultants, they should commit to the process which will result in a feeling of commitment which supports the success of the project CITATION Ben11 l 2057 (Ben-Gal & Tzafrir, 2011). The ability to actively engage allows consultants to deliver personalised solutions that align closely with the clients needs and objectives. This can create a sense of trust between the client and consultant, making it more likely for the two to collaborate in the future and leaving the client satisfied with the outcome.
Trust:
The idea of trust is essential in the consultant-client relationship, as it is said that trust is the foundation of the most successful consultant-client relationships. CITATION Cze07 l 2057 (Czerniawska, 2007) Trust develops through the mutual sharing of cultural values as represented in the interpersonal qualities of honesty and compassion, creating a stronger bond between the two and therefore leads to increase in productivity. CITATION Ava10 l 2057 (Avakian, et al., 2010). The increase in productivity is due to the clients trust in providing the consultant with access to private resources and information. In addition to this, trust leads to confidence in communicating with the client, enabling them to work together more effectively towards achieving common goals. This is achieved if the client is willing to learn, accepts comments non-defensively and is willing to take risks during the process of the project CITATION App05 l 2057 (Appelbaum & Steed, 2005).
Effective communication:
Trust is only achieved by making sure the relationship is working through effectively communicating with one another. Appelbaum & Steed (2005) emphasises how clear and well communication expectations and outcomes lead to more favourable project outcomes, and this explains further how consulting is a method of providing advice and help CITATION Kub021 l 2057 (Kubr, 2002), as clear communication ensures that expectations are properly aligned and that both the consultant and client are working towards the same goal. This will mean that clients who are content with the work the consultant has done for them are more likely to believe everything the consultants suggest, especially those who have been open and honest with them. CITATION Cze07 l 2057 (Czerniawska, 2007). It is argued that everything you say to a person is filtered through their frames of reference, biases, and preconceived ideas CITATION Eri19 l 2057 (Erickson, 2019), so the consultant is required to make the client believe what they are suggesting by creating a professional and good image about themselves.
Social exchange theory:
When discussing the client-consultant behaviour, we must take into consideration the way consultants and clients behave with each other. Do they want to have a formal, or informal relationship? A theory we can analyse during this research is the social exchange theory. This theory argues that there are two communication dimensions, and these are task and socio-emotional CITATION Ple071 l 2057 (Plenge, et al., 2007) CITATION Arg691 l 2057 (Argyle, 1969). It is said that it can be summarized using a simple equation: Profit = Reward Cost, and this is due to the actor (in this case the consultant) maximising its profit by determining the value of the project and the outcome. CITATION Sol12 l 2057 (Solomonson, 2012). The consultant is to determine whether they will allow themselves to include feelings and thoughts into the project and having a more emotional purpose rather than a monetary purpose. During the interview process, consultants must almost act like therapists and set aside emotions to make the participants comfortable. Overshowing emotions to the client could become unprofessional, making the communication process limited.
Reputation:
Often, the reputation of a consultant is determined by the firm they are established in, as larger more reputable firms are more likely to have handled crucial projects and have access to data necessary for the certain project. Management consulting has qualities that make quality difficult to measure, even when compared to other professional services, hence reputation is very crucial. CITATION Har17 l 2057 (Harvey, et al., 2017). Clients rely on the experience of consultants to be able to make appropriate decisions throughout projects. Reputation serves as an indicator for quality and reliability, reflecting on the identity of the consultant. A consultants reputation is often a reflection of their identity and a strong identity built on knowledge and experience can contribute to a positive reputation in the industry. CITATION Mos20 l 2057 (Mosonyi, et al., 2020)Philosophy, strategy, and design:
Given the characteristics of this project, the study will follow an interpretivist style as this aims to know what meaning respondents give to their experiences and actions. In this case, we require clients to use their experiences with consultants to evaluate the best characteristics for an ideal consultant, and how this affected their project outcome. Interpretivists seek the meanings and motivations underlying peoples activities, such as their conduct and relationships with others CITATION Cho14 l 2057 (Chowdhury, 2014). The answers gathered from the qualitative research carried out will establish the meanings of consultants behaviour and their contribution to how the project is carried out. Interpretivist relies on notions of credibility and accuracy of description to establish validity rather than assessing how frequently the variables are repeated CITATION Lin98 l 2057 (Lin, 1998), which suits best with the qualitative methodology.
As said before, the research with be a qualitative style. This is due to the need to understand the reasoning behind why clients require consultants to interact a certain way, and qualitative research allows details to be shared about how someone chooses to interact with a client/consultant. The study aims to better understand the meaning respondents place on their experiences and actions, further analysing the impact on projects. Having a cross-sectional method will allow interviews to include informants explanations and interpretations of events that can be helpful in proposing possible techniques in the analysis CITATION Spe19 l 2057 (Spector, 2019).
Method:
Data collection:
After careful consideration, I have decided the best way to collect as much data as possible for this topic is to conduct one to one interview and focus groups. This is because this topic will require qualitative answers, making it more suitable and appropriate to execute interviews and focus groups. Carrying this out during placement year, with the permission of the company, will be useful in getting as many experienced clients and consultants as possible to gather the opinions. The interviews will be structured, meaning that the questions asked will be exactly as written and in the same tone of voice, and this will be done to avoid bias between clients and consultants CITATION Bel22 l 2057 (Bell, et al., 2022). Due to promoting standardisation, it will minimise error because of the variation in the questions asked. CITATION Ras14 l 2057 (Rashidi, et al., 2014). Signing consent forms to enforce confidentiality is also ideal.
Sampling strategy or selection of respondents:
The participants for this study will include existing clients who are currently working with consultants and existing consultants from the company I will be working for my placement year. Having an equal number of candidates on both sides will be required to avoid bias during the data analysis process. Clients and consultants of all genders and ethnicities will be interviewed to avoid discrimination aspects and every candidate will be asked if they feel comfortable being interviewed before the process.
Focus groups will be conducted into two different groups, consultants, and clients. Every group will have an equal number of participants and they will all be welcome despite their amount of experience in the sector.
Possible questions asked in the interviews for clients:
How important is effective communication to you during the project?
How do you believe the consultants reputation influences your decision to engage their services?
How do you feel about a consultant showing emotions such as sympathy during the project? Do you consider this to be unprofessional?
What strategies do you appreciate consultants employing to build and maintain trust throughout the project?
Do you believe that all these traits are leading to a positive project outcome? If so, why?
Possible questions asked in the interviews for consultants:
What key characteristics do you value most in your clients when working as a management consultant?
How do you prefer clients to manage and address challenges that arise during the consulting process?
How do you manage conflicts of interest between your goals or objectives and those of the client?
What steps do you take to ensure that the clients expectations are met throughout the consulting project?
How do you behave with the client to ensure that both your expectations are met?
Data analysis:
From the data gathered, I will be able to compare answers and see what patterns there are in each answer. By examining the correlation between clients and consultants perspectives, it will be easy to determine how each characteristic affects project outcome and connecting to the critical literature reviewed. Through this comprehensive analysis a robust conclusion about the impact of characteristics on the success of projects will be drawn.
Ethical considerations:
Confidentiality:
Due to the nature of this project, the most important ethical factor is ensuring confidentiality during a consultant project. Management consultants should not share any confidential information about clients or use this knowledge to acquire personal benefits or advantages for their firms or other clients CITATION Kub021 l 2057 (Kubr, 2002). This will ensure trust and will enhance the consultants reputation for honesty and ethical dealing CITATION Ian941 l 2057 (Iandiorio, 1994). By maintaining anonymity, consultants will build their connections with clients. Clients are more willing to hire consultants who have a strong commitment to protecting their interests and confidentiality, which also leads to a reduction in the danger of legal and reputational implications for both consultant and client. Furthermore, by conducting focus groups, this will limit confidentiality and disclosure which could turn problematic due to the difference in opinions CITATION Bul16 l 2057 (Bullock, 2016).
Behavioural considerations and consent:
Making the participant comfortable during the process of the interviews/focus groups is essential, to gain truthful and accurate data. Being able to ensure comfortability and reduce the role of the interviewer as an administrator of questions CITATION Bar01 l 2057 (Barclay, 2001) will give the participant the confidence in telling their truthful opinion and not provide desirable answers to please the interviewer.
Enforcing consent before and during an interview is fundamental in this research analysis. Some questions might be of a sensitive topic, so the participants should be ensured that they have the ability and the right to make decisions independently CITATION Mer11 l 2057 (Mero-Jaffe, 2011). This is essential especially when the members of the interview are commonly characterized as vulnerable, or the topic of conversation is vulnerable, to make sure the interviewee is at ease. CITATION Cro06 l 2057 (Crow, et al., 2006).
Limitations:
Conducting structured interviews could lead to a lack in detail and limits the availability of in-depth data CITATION Als14 l 2057 (Alsaawi, 2014) which could mean that the data collected could be repetitive. The structured nature of these interviews limits respondents to a predetermined set of questions, allowing little room for exploration of responses. This results in a lack of depth in the data which other interviews such as semi-structured interviews forms provide instead.
Furthermore, some interviewees are affected by an interviewers characteristics such as ethnicity or gender, and therefore their answers will not be as detailed, or the interviewee will be uncomfortable in answering certain questions. In this situation, it is important to ensure that every candidate is comfortable with their interviewee, especially when some of the questions could be about sensitive topics.
Acquiescence is something that can also affect the outcome of the interview data. This is when some respondents tend to consistently agree or disagree with all the questions, while the social desirability effect is when respondents answers are influenced by what they believe is socially desirable, rather than answering with their true opinion. CITATION Bel22 l 2057 (Bell, et al., 2022) This could lead to invalid data, affecting the results and evaluation of this research.
The limitations of focus groups include such as the tendency for certain forms of socially acceptable opinions arise, and certain types of participants dominate the research process CITATION Smi00 l 2057 (Janet, 2000), which can also be affected by culture norms and beliefs CITATION Moo15 l 2057 (Moore, et al., 2015). This is also affected by the size of the group as well as the composition CITATION Moo15 l 2057 (Moore, et al., 2015), which could lead to a lack of participation from some of the respondents.
Research timetable:
A comprehensive proposal is submitted to the relevant ethics committee in the beginning of July 2024
Data collection will start between July 2024 and February 2025, allowing time for as many focus groups and interviews as possible with different clients and consultants.
Data analysis for the project proposal will be conducted and analysed February 2025
Post-study feedback to the company will be provided if the company finds necessary in March 2025
Study will be therefore written and submitted by April 2026 with a conclusion.
Bibliography
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Solomonson, W. L., 2012. Trust and the Client-Consultant Relationship. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 25(3), pp. 53-80.
Spector, P. E., 2019. Do Not Cross Me: Optimizing the Use of Cross-Sectional Designs. Journal of Business and Psychology, Volume 34, pp. 125-137.
