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Management Research Report

Module description

If you decide not to enrol on our full MSC HRM programme, instead choosing the PgDip route towards achieving chartered membership of the CIPD, you will need to write a Management Research Report following your investigation of a business issue from an HR perspective.  Your Management Research Report will be approximately 7,000 words long.  Aside from setting out your research findings, your management research report will also include a short reflective account setting out what you have learned from carrying out your investigation and how you intend to take this learning forward in the future.

Module aims - intentions of the module

The module aims to help you to develop research skills, while also providing you with an opportunity to further your expertise in a chosen area of study.  We also aim to improve your competence in the writing and production of formal reports, developing your ability to arrive at clear and well justified conclusions.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Meet the core standards contained in the CIPD's Profession Map for Business Research in People Practice
• 2. Identify a relevant area of research within the HRM field, demonstrating the ability to justify your selection both academically and managerially
• 3. Devise and undertake an original piece of research, writing it up and justifying your conclusions.

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 4. Extend your knowledge and understanding of a significant contemporary topic in the HRM field.

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 5. Produce a written report for a management audience;
• 6. Differentiate between methodological techniques, selecting appropriate methods to investigate your chosen issue.

Syllabus plan

You will embark on your Management Research Report towards the end of your programme, working with a supervisor as you undertake your research, analyse it, write it up and justify your conclusions.

During the briefing sessions attached to this module we will explain what is involved in the Management Research Report, providing examples of successfully completed past projects to assist you in developing your research plan. After that you will work independently under the guidance of your supervisor as you develop your research questions, undertake a literature review, decide on your chosen methodology, carry out your research, and write it up.

Please be aware that any form of primary data collection requires ethical approval from the University. Students are not permitted to collect primary data without ethical approval in place.

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Basic Reading:

• Anderson, V. (2019). Research Methods in Human Resource Management: Investigating a Business Issue. Fourth Edition. CIPD/Kogan Page.
• Bell, J. & Waters (2018). Doing Your Research Project: A Guide For First-Time Researchers. Seventh Edition. Open University Press.
• Bryman, A., Bell, E. & Harley, B. (2022). Business Research Methods. Sixth Edition. Oxford University Press.
• Easterby-Smith, M., Jaspersen, L. J., Thorpe, R. & Valizade, D. (2021). Management and Business Research. Seventh Edition. Sage.
• Horn, R. (2012). Researching and Writing Dissertations: A Complete Guide for Business and Management Students. Second Edition. CIPD/Kogan Page.
• Saunders, M., Lewis, P. & Thornhill, A. (2019). Research Methods for Business Students. Eighth Edition. Pearson.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

You will have access to an online searchable and resources database, with links to several eBooks, and our bespoke “Dissertation Support Materials” available through the Exeter Learning Environment (ELE).  Within this environment, you will also be supported through online discussion forums and activities.

Indicative learning resources - Other resources

As an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development you will also have access to the entirety of the Institute's website, including all published research reports, archived articles from 'People Management', fact sheets, discussion papers and briefings.

Key words search

Human Resource Management, Management Report