7HURM023W HRM Research Project Module Handbook 2024-25 | UoW

Reading and Key Learning Resources

The Core Texts for this module are:

• Saunders, M.N.K., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. (2019). Research Methods for Business Students, Eighth edition. Harlow, England: Pearson.
• Uma Sekaran, Roger Bougie (2020) Research Methods for Business: A Skill Building Approach, 8th Edition, John Wiley Publication

Main and further reading sources are available on the online Reading List on the Blackboard module site.

Contents

Dates for Your Diary
Summary

Table of Contents

Reading and key learning resources   
Introduction & Welcome to the module
Module Aims, Learning Outcomes and Indicative Contents  

• Assessment
• Assessment rationale, methods and weightings   
• Assessment details   
• Assessment criteria   
• HRM Research Project: marking and feedback   
• Anonymous marking.   
• Generative AI in your Studies   
• University of Westminster Quality & Standards Statement   
• Refer/Defer Arrangements if the student does not pass the module. 
• Assessment General Threshold Criteria   
• Formative feedback   
• Summative feedback    

Academic Support
Module Calender
Lecture Capture  
Using your Study Time Effectively
Employability
WBS Professional Principles

Guidance Note 1: FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT: Research Project Proposal    

Guidance Note 2: CONTENT HRM RESEARCH PROJECT REPORT    

1.    NEED FOR MASTER’S LEVEL AIMS    
2.    NEED FOR LOGICAL STRUCTURE AND COHERENT ARGUMENT    
3.    CIPD REQUIREMENTS FOR ACCREDITATION    
4.    DIFFERENCE ‘METHODS’ AND ‘METHODOLOGY’    
5.    JUSTIFICATION OF APPROPRIATE METHODOLOGY AND METHODS    
6.    DIFFERENCE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY DATA    
7.    PROJECT RESEARCH – NEED TO SUPPLY EVIDENCE OF ‘OWN WORK’    
8.    PRIMARY DATA COLLECTION: USING QUESTIONNAIRES / INTERVIEW TOPIC LISTS – APPROVAL AND PERMISSION ISSUES    

Guidance Note 3: PROJECT REPORT REQUIREMENTS    

1.    WORD COUNT    
2.    PRESENTATION CONVENTIONS    
3.    WRITING STYLE: IN THE THIRD PERSON    
4.    REFERENCING CONVENTIONS    
5.    PROJECT REPORT STRUCTURE / CHAPTERS    
6.    EVIDENCE TO BE INCLUDED: ethics consideration/approval form    
7.    RETAIN RAW DATA AND ANALYSES FOR POSSIBLE AUDIT    
8.    CONFIDENTIALITY    
9.    GUIDELINES FOR COSTED IMPLEMENTATION PLAN    
10.    GUIDELINES PERSONAL REFLECTIVE STATEMENT    

Guidance Note 4: SUBMISSION OF YOUR PROJECT: REQUIREMENTS    

GENERAL GUIDELINES SUBMISSION    
Electronic Project Submission - Instructions    

Guidance Note 5: SUPERVISION INFORMATION    
1.    ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF SUPERVISOR    
2.    AVAILABILITY OF SUPERVISION    
3.    PROJECT SUPERVISION, WHAT TO EXPECT    
4.    PROJECT SUPERVISION, WHAT NOT TO EXPECT    
5.    RESPONSIBILITIES OF STUDENT: DO    
6.    RESPONSIBILITIES OF STUDENT: DO NOT    
7.    PRACTICALITIES SUPERVISION – SUPERVISORY MEETING LOG    
8.    SUPERVISION MEETING LOG: TEMPLATE    

Guidance Note 6: RESULTS: WHAT TO DO IN THE CASE OF FAILURE     

Guidance Note 7: RESEARCH ETHICS CONSIDERATION PROCESS    

• Please note that this module handbook serves as guidance for students taking this module.
• Some minor changes may appear during the module and will be communicated by the module leader 
• Key information such as the module learning outcomes, the methods of assessment and assessment deadlines will not change.

Ensure that you check the module Blackboard site and your University email regularly for announcements and updates.

Introduction & Welcome to The Module

The HRM Research Project module develops students’ knowledge and skills of evidence-based critical academic and practitioner HRM research. The 40-credit module focuses on the elements and stages of the research process, with a focus on research question formulation, reviewing literature, research design, research ethics, data collection and analysis and presentation of evidence as part of research report writing. Students apply this knowledge through the planning and development of an individual HRM research project on a specific human resources area of knowledge or, within that area, a specific human resources problem, practice, policy or opportunity, through evidence-based systematic enquiry, integration of theory and reflection of the impact of their research findings for HRM at an organisational level.

Remember that all MA HRM Research Projects need to be in line with the requirements of the Master’s and CIPD so must abide by certain criteria: the Project needs to be within the scope of the human resources management knowledge area, ‘evidence-based’ which means based on primary or secondary data analysis or systematic literature review, includes a personal refection on the individuation development through the module, and an implementation plan – where the academic findings and conclusions are looked at from an human resource management perspective in an organisational setting. If you are in any doubt about the eligibility of your proposed research aims and plan, please discuss this with the module teaching team or your project supervisor.

We advise you to read this Guide several times to familiarize yourself with its contents. Most of the answers to your questions will be in here. Keep it safe, as you will need to refer to it from time to time during the year. This should help you to avoid making errors of procedure and interpretation, which may later prove inconvenient or costly.

Next to this module guide, the textbooks in the module reading list, and practitioner or academic literature in the field of people management will guide you in the development of your Project. Consult these extensively, and evidence this in your project.

Module Aims, Learning Outcomes and Indicative Content

The HRM Research Project Module Aims

The HRM Research Project module aims to:

• Develop students’ knowledge and skills of effective evidence-based critical academic and practitioner HRM research, providing understanding and guidance of strategies of critical research problem definition, purpose and design of narrative and systematic literature reviews, research design and ethical research considerations.
• Ensure students gain knowledge and understanding of how the range of social science qualitative and quantitative research approaches are most appropriately applied in the human resource management research contexts; and to develop students’ ability to identify/collect, analyse and present relevant data and literature sources and reference them appropriately.
• Enable students to demonstrate their ability to apply this knowledge, through the successful planning and development of an individual evidence-based HRM research project on a specific human resources area of knowledge or, within that area, a specific human resources problem, practice, policy or opportunity, through evidence-based critical and systematic enquiry, integration of theory and reflection of the impact of their research findings for HRM at an organisational level.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of the HRM Research Project module, you should be able to

• Identify and justify a research aim suitable for evidence-based critical enquiry at Master’s level within a specific human resources area of knowledge or, within that area, a specific human resources problem, practice, policy or opportunity, and formulate within this aim specific research questions or objectives in line with the course and CIPD criteria.
• Select and critically review appropriate academic and practitioner HRM literature, bearing upon the research topic.
• Evaluate the range of research methodologies and methods used in the HRM field in general, assessing what research design is relevant for their research aims, with appropriate explanations, and with evidence of ethical consideration.
• Negotiate access to evidence needed, in the form of academic and practitioner literature, relevant primary and/or secondary data, and correct use of systematic literature review or qualitative/quantitative data collection and analysis techniques where necessary.
• Interpret, critically analyse and discuss the evidence gathered to answer the research aim, including its trustworthiness, and derive conclusions from the research and formulate recommendations for evidence-based HRM practice. Where appropriate, showing the implementations needed within a realistic timeframe and with awareness of potential organisational costs.
• Professionally present the research findings in an extended academic research report: clear, coherent, well-structured, and accurately referenced.
• research independently, receiving feedback from their project supervisor on draft sections. Reflect on the learning process.

Indicative Syllabus Content

• HRM evidence-based research – learning from good practice
• Narrative and systemic literature review
• Identifying and formulating suitable research topics; research problem definition
• Research design in HRM research
• Primary and secondary data collection in HRM research
• Quantitative and qualitative data presentation and analysis in HRM research
• Research ethics in HRM research
• Proposal and Project Report Writing
• Project management: planning research, problem solving, time management, managing supervisor relationship

Expectations - What is a MAHRM Research Project about?

In simple terms, the Project module is an opportunity for you to demonstrate that you are capable of applying what you have learned in your chosen Master’s programme to either:

• the study of a real organisational people management situation or
• The further study of issues in the people management field about which you feel that some meaningful critical analysis is of value to the HRM field and HRM manager.

HRM Research Projects are about examining things, critically discussing them, connecting them, investigating the nature of the possible relationships between them, and conducting a systematic evaluation of the whole process.

In academic language, the Project is designed to provide an opportunity to translate both conceptual and practitioner knowledge acquired during the course to the analysis of a specific HRM situation or of a contemporary, established and focused area of academic/practitioner enquiry in the field of HRM.

Topic choice: In either case, the topic and area of study will be of your choosing and development. It is part of the ‘learning’ of the Research Project module that you can choose, decide on a justifiable and feasible research topic in a relevant HRM area.

Bear in mind that your Project is worth 40 credits, which is double the credit value of most other modules. The sessions to improve your research methods skills are the taught element of the module, but a significant part of the module is solely based on your independent research. This means, among other things, that the module will be challenging, that you cannot expect to conduct a small survey and simply write up the results market-research style - you will need to read extensively and to think critically, to understand and apply the relevant knowledge in the field rather than simply reproduce it with minor variations.

Projects are hard work and will require your commitment throughout the year.

Please read Guidance note 2: Content of an HRM Research Project – issues to be aware of when starting. This includes CIPD project criteria for accreditation.

Assessment

The University has arrangements for marking, internal moderation, and external scrutiny. Further information can be found in Section 12 of the Handbook of Academic Regulations, westminster.ac.uk/study/current-students/resources/academic-regulations  

• The assessment for this module is based on one summative coursework, 100% weighted, which is an individual research project report.
• Formative (developmental) assessments are provided to help you prepare for the summative coursework. These formative assessments do not impact your module mark.
• For submission deadline, see page 2 ‘Dates for your diary’. You are expected to submit one electronic file via Blackboard by this deadline.
• The pass mark for the 7HURM023W HRM Research Project module is 50%. If your mark is below 50%, you will be eligible to resubmit or retake; your mark for this will be capped at 50%.
• Please note that the Project module has different referral / retake regulations than taught modules: only one re-assessment of the Project module is allowed: retake or referral (not both). A referral in the Project module normally means you will be asked to submit your referred project at the next assessment period deadline. A retake in the Project module normally means you are asked to resubmit a Project a year later.
• Unless explicitly indicated otherwise, all coursework must be submitted electronically via Blackboard. In addition to the details given below, further information may be posted on the Blackboard site for the module.
• Each assessment will be issued with a clear, separate briefing, marking scheme/guidance and indication of required performance on Blackboard.

For your understanding of the HRM Research Project module and its assessment, it is important to read all the Guidance notes (1-7) at the back of this document. In the main text, I have indicated where you need to refer to a Guidance note. 

Please read Guidance note 2: Content of an HRM Research Project – issues to be aware of when starting. This includes CIPD project criteria for accreditation. 

Please read Guidance note 3: HRM Research Project report requirements (word count, structure, layout etc)

Please read Guidance note 4: HRM Research Project submission requirements 

Please read Guidance Note 7: Research Ethics Consideration Requirements 

Formative Assessments

To prepare you for the summative coursework,  formative assessments are to be submitted (for submission deadlines see page 2 ‘Dates of your Diary’). There are two formative assessment parts: 

1. Two online multiple-choice tests (MCT), each after 6 weeks of taught research methods sessions. The test questions relate to the research methods session, presentations & reading. The tests become available 2 weeks before the deadline. You can do the test in your own time, up to the deadline indicated. Each MCT will have 20-25 questions. You will receive an immediate score. As this is formative, this score is not part of the module mark but to be used as formative feedback. You need to include and discuss your MCT scores in your Personal Reflection section in the Research Project Report. 

2. Submitting a research project proposal of 2500-3000 words.  (for submission deadlines see page 2 ‘Dates of your Diary’). You will receive feedback from your supervisor online on Blackboard. As this is formative, it is not marked. In the Personal Reflection section of your HRM Research Project report, you will need to discuss how you used this feedback to improve your research project further.

Please read Guidance note 1: Formative assessment: Research Project Proposal (for structure and content of the Project proposal) 

Assessment rationale, methods and weightings

• Research Report. Weighting = 100%.
• Word count = 8,000-10,000 words (no application of 10% +-)
• This module focuses on the student's development and application of their HRM subject research knowledge and skills, and assesses the students’ understanding, evaluation and application of academic and practitioner evidence-based research skills & knowledge through the development and successful execution of an individual, independent, evidence-based research in a people management topic area.
• During this module, the student is assigned an individual project supervisor, who guides the development of the research project.
• All learning outcomes are assessed through this assessment 1.
• A submission of formative assessments, a research proposal and multiple-choice tests, is organised to provide students with feedback before the summative module assessment.

Assessment details

The assessment mark for the project will be based on a final project submission (100%). The submitted project should be 8,000 to a maximum of 10,000 (not +10%), plus appropriate appendices. (see guidance note 3 for more details)

The pass mark for the 7HURM023W HRM Research Project module is 50%. Please note that the Project module has different referral / retake regulations than taught modules: only one re-assessment of the Project module is allowed: retake or referral (not both). 

• Projects achieving a mark at first attempt within the range 40% - 50% fall within the ‘marginal fail’ category and are normally offered a ‘referral’.
• Projects achieving a mark at first attempt within the range 0% - 39% fall within the ‘fail’ category and are required to ‘retake’ the module.

Please read Guidance note 6: Results: what to do in case of failure - referral or retake

Submitting your coursework – checks

Please read Guidance Note 4: HRM Research Project Submission Requirements 

You must include your name, student ID and word count on the first page of your assignment. 

Unless indicated otherwise, coursework is submitted via Blackboard. On the Blackboard home page for the module, you will find a button on the menu called ‘Submit Coursework’. Clicking this will take you to the submission link. 

Referencing requirements for assignments

Statements, assertions and ideas made in coursework should be supported by citing relevant sources. Sources cited in the text should be listed at the end of the assignment in a reference list. Any material that you read but do not cite in the report should go into a separate bibliography. Unless explicitly stated otherwise by the module teaching team, all referencing should be in the format ‘Cite then Right’ Harvard standard as advertised by the library.

Assessment criteria

Students will be assessed on their ability to:

• Formulate a relevant and clear research aim, and research objectives or questions or hypotheses, with an underlying rational for the evidence-based research.
• Critically review significant and relevant academic and practitioner literature, and set the research aim within this context.
• Apply or test an area of existing HRM knowledge in a new situation.
• Explain, justify, and correctly apply appropriate research methodology and methods for the evidence-based research aim.
• Identify, systematically collect and include presented findings.
• Critically analyse and interpret findings in an integrated manner, in the context of the knowledge in the field (practitioner and academic literature).
• Draw appropriate conclusions for academic and practitioner use, and make realistic, timely and cost-effective recommendations for management action at organisational level.
• Satisfactory professional presentation of material and argument, with clear structure and accurate Harvard style referencing.
• Review personal learning.

Using these marking criteria, HRM Research Reports will be marked and feedback given based on the following table of weightings and elements: