Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

1. review, analyse and critique discipline-based knowledge in businesses and organisations to identify and interrogate complex problems and develop a broad perspective of discipline-related research undertakings, both in general and more specifically research within one or more sub-disciplines;

2. critically review basic research construction and evaluation and demonstrate discipline-appropriate application of research terminology;

3. justify the use of research methodologies as relevant to particular examples of social and business research investigations;

4. conceptually map the research process, identifying researchable problems and developing a defensible conceptual framework for research;

5. conduct critical reviews of research output;

6. discriminate or develop theories relevant to the applicability and limitations of experimental, survey and case study research;

Learning and teaching strategies

This Unit will be delivered as a 3 hour workshop per week and blended learning sessions focusing on specialised discipline specific research techniques and/or methods. Students are expected to read extensively the academic literature and to synthesise and critique models and research methods to assist them in the preparation of assessment tasks.

Assessment Details

Assessment 1 - Articles

Undertake a literature review on a theoretical concept/construct of your choosing that has real world management implications (e.g., customer satisfaction, organisational commitment, etc.). Research the field to find the seminal article (the first article to propose the theory) relating to the concept and three other more recent articles (2010 onwards), one of which must apply a quantitative research design, another a qualitative design and the third, a mixed method (qualitative and quantitative) design. Please note that all articles must be full papers (e.g., not research notes, book reviews) sourced from refereed academic journals. Please submit hard copies of your selected papers in class lecturer to review and approve.

Once you have sourced the articles in question, review them and write an 800-1,000 word structured abstract, which draws upon all the articles you have reviewed, using the following headings:

• Brief summary of the theory and progression in the field (i.e., how has the theory developed since first proposed?)

• Common themes/findings across the four articles.

• Different themes/findings across the four articles.

• Study limitations and how these differ across the various study designs (quantitative, qualitative).

• Future research directions proposed in the articles.

Assessment 2 - Part A

In pairs, design a questionnaire to address the following management problem.

An advertising agency wants to win the pitch for the ALDI's advertising account in Australia. The discount shopping chain, which opened its first Australian store in January 2001, now has over 300 stores operating across New South Wales, ACT, Queensland and Victoria (ALDI, 2015). In many cases, it sells brands not familiar to Australians and takes a no frills approach to the shopping experience (e.g., customers bring their own bags or pay a surcharge for a plastic bag in store). The Regional Head of Strategic Planning of the advertising agency has decided to commission research to get a better understanding of customers shopping behaviours, motivations and perceptions of the ALDI shopping experience compared to its rival competitors Coles and Woolworths.

Devise a questionnaire with a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 20 questions to gather data to address the management problem. Use a mix of open and closed question formats. One of your questionnaire items must employ a replicable scale - a scale that has previously been tested in the academic literature relating to shopping behaviours and found to be reliable and valid. Ensure your questionnaire has a brief introduction to inform respondents as to the purpose of the research.

Write a brief 500-800 word report explaining the structure of the questionnaire and the steps your group took in designing it to address the management problem.

Assessment 2 - Part B

In pairs, pilot test your questionnaire in class with another group. Based on the feedback from the pilot test, you will revise your questionnaire as a pair to address the feedback. Once the questionnaire is finalised as a pair administer it to four people by way of a convenience sampling technique. These people may be family, friends or work colleagues; however, they must all be over 18 years old and have shopped at ALDI within the last six months. You can administer the questionnaire face-to-face, by telephone or online. All respondents will be asked to sign that their completion of the questionnaire is authentic to verify the fieldwork component of the assignment has been properly completed.

Once the fieldwork has been completed, in your pair write a 1,500 word reflective report detailing:

• Your reasons for selecting the particular method of survey administration used? What were the advantages and disadvantages of using this method?

• Was the administration procedure a success i.e., did respondents understand the questions (look confused or ask questions)? was there missing data (i.e., skipped questions)? on average, how long it take for respondents to complete the survey?

• What suggestions would you make for improving the administration procedure used?

• What, if any changes, would you make to the questionnaire before administering it to a larger group of respondents?

• On reflection, what were the key lessons you learnt from the survey administration process?