Research Methods

• • Week 1 - Project Management
  • Week 2 - Defining Research Problems
  • Week 3 - Managing the Research Process
  • Week 4 - Sources of Data and Information
  • Week 5 - Ethics in Research
  • Week 6 - Designing Research
  • Week 7 - Research Participants
  • Week 8 - Collecting Data
  • Week 9 - Analysing and Interpreting Data
  • Week 10 - Communicating Research Results
  • Week 11 - Quality Management

In order to enrol in this subject, you must be accepted into one of the following degrees:

Elective

• TAS-BAM-MAS-2023
• TAS-BAM-MAS-2023
• TAS-GSM-MAS-2023
• TAS-GSM-MAS-2023

Additional requirements

No additional requirements

Research Methods is designed to serve both theoretical and practical purposes. The subject begins by introducing you to the philosophy, logic and nature of research. The subject asks you to reflect on how we come to know certain things through research, how knowledge reflects particular views of the world and how it may be studied, what we are likely to obtain at the end of a particular study, and on the credibility of the knowledge produced. On this basis, the subject is also designed to provide grounding for informed criticism on reported research activities.

The subject is far from targeting the creation of top researchers for its one-semester duration. The realistic and pragmatic target here is to provide you with an introduction to widely used methods of inquiry in the areas of social science, management and engineering that relate particularly to both organisational research and scientific enquiry. There is also the objective to build confidence in developing and refining research ideas by having a chance to develop a research proposal. 

Research deals with the genuine strive for knowledge and its grounds are open to all who share the passion of knowledge. You are able to learn here how a research approach may help you in your analyses and projects, can show you a clear picture of reality, an analytical view to processes, and better usage of data recourses. 

This subject is divided into twelve modules, each of which has its own readings and exercises. The subject is designed so that you are able to ‘bite off digestible chunks’ of the content in a systematic and disciplined way. If you study each module in the time specified (which is usually one week), you should be able to cover the whole subject quite effectively in the semester.

For students at the National Centre for Ports and Shipping (NCPS) who will undertake their dissertations, or conduct research for the subject JNB728 Industry Research Project, they will be encouraged to work out their research proposals (formulate their research questions and complete the research design) throughout the learning of this subject.

• Engagement Quiz (0%)
• Online Quiz (10%)
• Research Proposal - Part 1 (25%)
• Research Proposal - Part 2 (25%)
• Final Research Proposal (40%)

For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).