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Strategic Workplace Thesis Proposal

Unit Code: HBH629




Duration

Contact Hours

Campus

Prerequisite

Corequisite

1 Semester

36 Hours

Hawthorn

Nil

HBH630 Strategic Workplace Thesis

Credit Points: 12.5 Credit Points


Aims & Objectives:

At the conclusion of this unit students will be able to:
  • Appraise a variety of research frameworks (analysis skills)
  • Apply their knowledge of research methods to management practices and inform management and human resources management in general (problem solving skills)
  • Evaluate methods of research related to their workplace and judgement of organizational processes (ability to tackle unfamiliar issues)
  • Communicate appropriate solutions to management and human resources problems (work independently)
  • Persuade others to adopt ethical, responsible and sustainable practices (communication skills)

Teaching Methods:

This teaching unit aims to provide students with practical skills and theoretical expertise in research methodologies including methods for qualitative data collection. Class work covers methods used in qualitative research projects, the main theoretical traditions in which they are embedded, and the issues that arise in applied research methodologies to a workplace related topic. Tutorial sessions held in the Small Groups Lab will help to deepen the theoretical framework set in the lectures and help to develop the practical skills required to collect data through observation and interviewing, and some techniques of qualitative data analysis. There will be a choice of using primary data which will require ethics approval or secondary data which will not require ethics approval. Guidance and resources are designed to support the process for the formulation and development of the project. Students will be expected to work independently to explore resources and possibilities, to gather materials and develop the skills needed to fulfill the requirements of the project brief.
 
Lecture/seminars, Tutorials, Creation of scenarios, Practical use of qualitative research methods.

Assessment:

Thesis proposal of the length of 3,000 words (Fail or Pass).

Generic Skills Outcomes:

The graduate attributes which relate to this subject help to produce graduates who:
  • Capable in their chosen profession
  • Capable of researching and analysing issues related to HRM
  • Able to understand change and adapt to it
  • Innovative in thinking and practice

Content:

The subject focuses on five domains of knowledge related to research methodologies and their theoretical contexts and elaborates on them separately and from an interconnected perspective. The first domain represents the theoretical thrust of the subject. The second highlights the importance of specific research methodologies and standards in human resources management. The third domain focuses on the methods of data collection in individual and organizational settings embedded in a management framework. The fourth domain stresses the links between theory and its application to specific issues. The fifth domain explores sustainable research and ethical responsibility of the researcher.
  • Theories and Frameworks
  • Research Methodologies
  • Research Methods
  • Analysis and theoretical contexts applied to workplace issues
  • Sustainable Research (Ethics in Research)

Reading Materials:

To be advised based on available texts and readings at the time. If a suitable text book incorporating these topics is not available, a set of readings will be compiled