Methods of Research

Semester 2 2011/2012MSc in International Business & Emerging Markets

MSc in Management

Tutorials / Group Discussion Notes

Tutor: Elric Honore – v.e.honore@sms.ed.ac.uk

Week 2: The Research Question

• Introduction / Housekeeping ~5 mins• Q&A, Resource Requests ~5 mins• Week 2 / Case Study 2 25 mins• Group Feedback / Discussion 15 mins• Total 55 mins

End of session 1-2-1QA: ~5 mins

Q&A

•Group / Learning relevant: – from previous week (the research process) case studies, reading, lectures, reading

• Practical / Logistics:– assessment, attendance, auditing, timetabling, WebCT links & materials

Week 1Resources Requests

• Academic writing:– eWriting (generic)http://www.ewriting.org.uk/ – Writing Development Centre (see section on Theses & Dissertation):http://www.ncl.ac.uk/students/wdc/learning/

• (Research) Project/Self-Management: http://www.vitae.ac.uk/researchers/1220/Managing-your-research-project.html

• In a nutshell:– Topic/ Discipline / Literature Review– Identify Scope– Brainstorm (or blue-sky-thinking)– Identify emerging themes– Formulate the question– Evaluate feasibility

• get to it!

Week 2: The Research Question

Case Study 2:

Complexity theory and

Emergent change

1. Why do a critical literature review? How would you do ‘critical analysis’?

2. What does ‘balanced’ mean in this situation?How would you deal with your own ‘researcher bias’?

3. How to be both critical and balanced?*i.e How to prepare your research question?

Group Feedback / Discussion (because collective intelligence matters)

• Q: Why do a critical literature review? How would you do ‘critical analysis’?

A: ‘sides’ of the argument, verification, contrast, developing focus, increasing credibility, engage with different viewpoints, not just descriptive,

• Q: What does ‘balanced’ mean in this situation? How would you deal with your own ‘researcher bias’?

A: polemic / criticality, over-identification, evaluation, synthesis, map the different positions, the reason vs emotion,

• Q: How to be both critical and balanced?*i.e How to prepare your research question?

A: ‘balanced in a critical way’, pro/cons -> evaluation, verification, peer review, avoiding vagueness / know your position,

Further useful resources:(for in-depth learning only)

• Understanding the meta-structure of a literature reviews:– Randolph, J.J. (2009) ‘A Guide to Writing the

Dissertation Literature Review’ Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, Vol 14, No 13 Page 2.

– Cooper, H.M. (1988) ‘Organizing Knowledge Synthesis: A Taxonomy of Literature Reviews’. Knowledge in Society, 1, p. 109. Springer Science & Business Media.

• Next week:– Read Case Study 3 ahead– Do contribute and question during tutorials– WebCT hopefully will be updated, meanwhile:

> http://www.slideshare.net/elrichonore

• Thank you