Research methods for MBA students

The research element of a Masters level programme is rewarding, challenging, and
sometimes frustrating. It unfolds over several months, and requires both concentration
and stamina. It includes various stages, and demands good project management. It
builds on what has gone before, and demands intellectual commitment. It is an
individual activity, and requires you to stretch your personal competence.
This text has several purposes:
● Process: to outline the project or dissertation process, and to guide you through
its major stages.
● Research choices and options: to identify the main research choices and options
that are open to you as you develop your research programme.
● Research techniques: to provide an introduction to some of the many techniques
of data collection and analysis that may be used in research.
● Examples: to indicate the range of possible research projects which you might
choose to undertake.
The text is not intended to be exhaustive - it will not tell you exactly how to do
everything. But it will offer you directions for your further reading, references to follow
up, and guidelines for how to go about many things.
The text is also designed to accompany:
● research methods workshops and lectures offered on your programme
● your study group deliberations, where you may explore your individual projects
together
● your discussions with your research supervisor.
These various resources are best used together and interactively. They are not
substitutes for one another.
We wish you good luck with your project.