Manchester Business School
Postgraduate Research Programmes
Research Training Programme
Handbook
2009-2010
Contents
Section A: Research Training for MBS Postgraduate Research Students
1. Programme Structure and Management ……………………………………………… 3
2. Assessment ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 5
2.1 Assessment Principles
2.2 Submission Dates
2.3 Submission of Coursework/Assignments
Section B: General PhD Research Training Pathway
3. Pathway Structure and Requirements ……………………………………………… 8
3.1 Choosing Research Training Courses and Research Methods Workshops
3.2 Course Selection Form
4. Core Research Training Courses ……………………………………………………………… 12
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Course Outlines
5. Research Methods Workshops ………………………………………………………………… 30
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Course Outlines
Section C: Accounting and Finance PhD Research Training Pathway
6. Pathway Structure and Requirements …………………………………………… 81
7. Compulsory Courses (Accounting) ………………………………………………………… 83
Introduction
Course Outlines
8. Compulsory Courses (Finance) ……………………………………………………………… 87
Introduction
Course Outlines
9. Electives ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 102
Introduction
Section C: Optional Non-Credit Bearing Courses ……………………………………… 103
Course Outlines
Section A:
Research Training for MBS Postgraduate Research Students
1. PhD Programme Structures and Management
The MBS Doctoral Research Training Programme is led by Prof. Rudolf Sinkovics, the MRes and Research Training Programme Director.
Director of MRes Management Programme and Research Training Programme / Prof. Rudolf Sinkovics / / Room 3.05 MBS West / 68908He is supported by the PGR Administrative Team.
Research Training / Graham Cockerill / / Room 9.23MBS Harold Hankins / 56550
Research Training / Geraldine Garrabet
(Oct 2009-June 2010) / / Room 9.23
MBS Harold Hankins / 56580
MRes / Anusarin Lowe / / Room 9.24
MBS Harold Hankins / 50784
A PhD at Manchester Business School is a three year full-time programme (or a 6 year part-time programme) which requires students to complete advanced supervised research and structured training in research methods and skills. Your PhD programme therefore is an individual combination of these three major elements:
· Supervised Research
· Research Training Programme
· Skills Development Programme
During your first year, there will be a particular focus on research training, with around 60% of your devoted to this element. In your first year, your PhD will comprise the following elements:
Research Training ProgrammeCore Courses / + / Research Methods Workshops or Electives (Specialist Masters Courses) / + / Skills Development Programme / + / Induction / + / MBS Doctoral Conference
+
Supervised Research
This Handbook provides details of the Research Training available to students registered in Manchester Business School.
There are two major pathways for Research Training
a) General (for students in all research areas excepting Accounting and Finance)
b) Accounting and Finance
In addition to the required elements for each pathway, students may, with the approval of their supervisor request to attend:
· Non-credit bearing courses
· Specialist Masters course units in MBS
· Master’s course units in other Schools
Optional non-credit bearing courses
You need to enrol for these courses but as they are not a Research Methods Elective Course and are not formally assessed.
Specialist Master’s Course Units
You should contact the PGT Administration Office (5th Floor Harold Hankins Building) if you wish to attend one of these courses.
2. Assessment
2.1 Assessment Principles
Students are expected to successfully pass the assessed components of the research training programme. The marks from these assessments will be considered by your First Year Review panel, along with other aspects of your PhD study as part of the formal review of your progress in your first year of study. First year PhD students are expected to have successfully completed the Research Training Programme before progression to Year 2. Students should achieve marks of 60% or more in RTP core courses and research methods workshops or electives.
If you do not achieve a mark of 50% you will fail the assessment. You will be advised of your mark, you will receive feedback on your performance and will have one further opportunity to take this assessment. This work will be marked and both the original mark and the re-assessment mark will be forwarded to the End of Year Review Panel for consideration as a re-assessment. The course leader will give you details of this opportunity which may be either:
· Re-submission of the same assignment
· Submission of an alternative assignment
If you achieve marks of 50-60% on a core course, the End of Year Review Panel may recommend further work, such as:
· Submit another assessment related to this course
· Submit further work as specified
· Make corrections to your review report.
Review Panels have some discretion on making their recommendations and will take into consideration marks on other core courses. For example if you achieved a mark in the mid-50s on one core course but considerably higher than 60% in the others you may not be required to submit another assessment for the course. Failure to reach 60% pass on a workshop unit may also be considered in the same way. However, a panel may request you to submit another assessment if the workshop is particularly crucial to your research.
2.2 Assessment Submission Dates
Assignments to be assessed should be submitted by 12pm (noon) on the published assessment deadline. Extensions for assessed work must be formally approved by Professor Rudolf Sinkovics ().
One hard copy must be submitted to the PGR Office (Room 9.24 MBS Harold Hankins) and one copy must be submitted electronically to Blackboard. The electronic copy will be submitted to Turn It In which will check for plagiarism and collusion.
Assessments will normally be marked and marks and feedback returned to you within four weeks of assessment.
Submission deadlines for 2009-10 are:
Research Process 1 (Literature Review) / 6th February 2010
Research Process 1 – 2nd semester course for finance, mid-year and part timers / TBC
Research Process 2 (Research Design) / 22nd April 2010
Research Process 2 Business Systems / 22nd April 2010
Research Process 2 Innovation Management and Policy / TBC
Action Research / 4th December 2009
Actor Network Theory / 8th March 2010
Advanced Accounting Research Seminar I / 11th December 2009
Advanced Accounting Research Seminar II / 23rd April 2010
Advanced Accounting Theory / 12th January 2010
Advanced Corporate Finance / 1st April 2010
Advanced Finance Research Seminar I / 11th December 2009
Advanced Finance Research Seminar II / 23rd April 2010
Advanced Finance Theory / 18th December 2009
Bibliometrics / 23rd April 2010
Business Analysis / 31st March 2010
Case Study Research: Method and Methodology / 26th February 2010
Comparative Case Study Analysis / 19th April 2010
Constructing and Analysing Large Data Sets / 12th March 2010
Critical Thinking and Argumentation for Scientific Research and Scholarly Writing / 18th December 2009
Foundation Statistics for Business Research / 17th December 2009
Elite Interviewing with Senior Managers / 1st March 2010
Mixed Methods / 19th April 2010
Multivariate Statistics / 18th January 2010
Problem Structuring Methods / TBC
Qualitative Data Analysis in Business and Management Research / 14th December 2009 & 18th December 2009
Qualitative Dissemination / 8th March 2010 & 15th March 2010
Qualitative Methods / 9th &10th December 2009
Research Evaluation methods and techniques / 19th April 2010
Scenario Methods in Research / 17th May 2010
Social Network Analysis / 21st May 2010
Social Shaping of Technology / 18th January 2010
Structural Equation Modelling / 10th March 2010
Survey Design / 7th December 2009
Amendments to the RTP teaching schedule or submission dates will be e-mailed to students and posted on the 1st Year Notice Board (located near Room 9.23 MBS Harold Hankins and also in Room 2.31, MBS Crawford), the PGR intranet and Blackboard Programme/Course Information.
2.3 Submission of Coursework
All MBS Postgraduate Research students in 2009-10 must submit all assessed coursework electronically and in hard copy.
Electronic Submission of Assessed Coursework
To submit an item of coursework electronically, a student must first be registered with the University and have a central user name and password.
Only students enrolled on course units will have their work assessed.
Submitting an assignment
Electronic submission of coursework is via the Blackboard student portal. Assignments should be submitted in MSWord or PDF format only. Assignments can be submitted over the Internet from any location. We require that electronic submissions are made by 12pm on the day of the submission deadline. If an electronic version is not submitted by this time, then the deadline will be deemed not to have been met.
Detailed information and guides about how to submit an individual assignment is available at:
http://www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/blackboard/
Once you have submitted your assignment, the coursework will be submitted to the JISC-supported online service TurnItInUK. This service logs in each electronic submission, and evaluates each assignment for evidence of academic malpractice using a range of methods. The report generated by TurnItInUK will be sent along with the assignment to the course leader/s for marking.
Hard copy submission of Coursework
Assignments should be brought to the PGR office (Room 9.23, MBS Harold Hankins) by the submission deadline. You will be asked to complete a cover sheet (for marking purposes) and an academic malpractice declaration.
If you are unable to bring your assignment in person by the submission date, you must ensure that you contact Graham Cockerill () in the PGR Office prior to the deadline.
NB: Both hard copy and electronic submissions are required before an assignment can be assessed.
Section B:
General Research Training Programme Pathway
3. General Research Training Programme Pathway Structure and Requirements
The General Pathway for research training is recommended for all students who are not researching in the areas of accounting and finance.
All students will study:
· 3 Core Research Training Courses
· 3 Research Methods Workshops (assessed)
· 5 Research Methods Workshops (non-assessed).
There are three variants of the Research Process 2 course. You should discuss which of these is the most suitable and your selection of Research Methods Workshops with your supervisor. The courses you need to take for Research Training are:
Research Training Core Courses / Research Methods WorkshopsKnowledge Production and Justification in Business and Management / 3 Workshops (assessed)
Research Process 1: Literature Review / 5 Workshops (not assessed)
Research Process 2:Research Design
Or
Research Process 2: Problem Solving, Design and Evaluation
Or
Research Process 2: Methods and Concepts in Science, Technology and Innovation Studies
3.1 Choosing Research Training Core Courses and Research Methods Workshops
1. You should complete the Course Unit Selection form and return it to the Postgraduate Research Office (PGRO) by 4pm Friday 2nd October 2009.
Please complete your Course Selection Form as soon as possible. Some Research Methods Workshops have limited numbers and places will be allocated on a “first come, first served” basis.
2. Please take time to read the Research Training Programme handbook and to talk with your supervisor before choosing your electives. The Research Training Handbook gives summary information about each Elective course, the form of assessment and deadlines for assessment. It is your responsibility to make a sensible choice of electives to be assessed in. You should consider:
o relevance to your PhD topic
o the opportunity to explore new research methods
o timing and format of teaching
o learning and teaching methods
o assessment deadlines
Some electives take place on one day; some are spread over more than one day. To gain the credit for the course, you are required to attend all of the required sessions for the electives. You are also required to participate fully in the teaching and learning sessions for the electives that you choose. In some cases you will be asked to read some material in advance or, where the elective is split into two sessions held a week or two apart, to prepare a non-assessed presentation for the second session.
Please read the course outlines carefully to understand what is involved and remember that if you elect to take these units, you need to undertake all the required work for participating in the sessions, regardless of whether you have chosen to be assessed in that unit.
3. It is not possible to opt out of (or to opt in to) assessment for elective Research Methods Workshop after attending that course.
4. You cannot attend a Research Methods Workshop unless you have registered for it, by completing the Course Unit Selection form. (This is essential to avoid over-crowding in teaching rooms.) If you attend without having registered you will be asked to leave.
If you wish to attend on a voluntary basis, workshops you have not registered for please consult the PGR office in advance who will confirm whether places are available.
5. When you have registered for a workshop you will have access to relevant course materials and resources through Blackboard.
6. Once you have submitted work for assessment, it is not possible to subsequently withdraw that work. Likewise it is not permitted to submit work for assessment on more than the three courses that you have chosen to be assessed in.
7. If you are ill and unable to attend a class on one of the Core Courses or Research Methods Workshops, you should notify the PGR office as soon as possible. If you miss an elective through illness you will need to choose to attend another elective (either the same course which is being repeated on a later date, or a different course).
8. The Core Course of Research Process 2 (RP2) has three versions. Most students will take the generic MBS version, but students in Business Systems and Innovation, Management and Policy Divisions may choose to take the alternative RP2 courses provided by those divisions. You should discuss with your supervisor which of the RP2 variants is most suitable for you and advise PGR Office by 2nd October.
4. Core Research Training Courses
4.1 Introduction
The following courses are compulsory for all PhD students on the General Pathway and you must take a formal assessment to pass each course:
o Knowledge Production and Justification in Business and Management Studies (Epistemology)
(equivalent of 15 credits, weekly taught session Semester 1)
o Research Process 1: Literature Review (RP1)
(equivalent of 15 credits, weekly taught session Semester 1)