IBSc-handbook

PROGRAMME
HANDBOOK
INTERCALATED BSc 2013/14
CONTENTS
Programme Aims and Objectives
2-3
Programme Structure
4-6
Programme Assessment
7-12
Induction Timetable
13-14
Teaching and Administrative Staff
15-16
The Modules
BS0601 - Accounting
18-20
BS0603 – Business Strategy
21-23
BS0509 – Health Informatics
24-25
BS0612 – Organisational Behaviour & Human Resource Management
26-28
BS0618 – Sustainable Business Development
29-31
BS0611 – Marketing
32-33
BS0500 – Group Project
34-35
BS5010 – Managing Healthcare Organisations
36-38
BS0606 - Entrepreneurship
39-41
BS507 – Social Research Methods
42-46
1
PROGRAMME AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
2
AIMS & OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME
The Programme aims to prepare clinicians for a modern career in medicine
Students who complete the Programme successfully will be able to:
•
•
•
Demonstrate an understanding of the management issues facing the health system;
Demonstrate the capability to apply this knowledge;
Continue to develop their personal skill set
3
PROGRAMME STRUCTURE
4
Programme Structure
Modules on the Intercalated BSc Programme are run in 5 week blocks. There will be 4
hours tuition in each subject each week.
Autumn Term – (Monday 30 September 2013 – Friday 13 December 2013)
(Week 1 – Induction Week)
Weeks
2
Sustainable Business
Accounting
6
7
11
Business Strategy
Organisational Behaviour &
Human Resource Management
Health Informatics
Group Project – identification and development of project proposal at the beginning of the
Autumn Term.
Examinations for these modules take place at the beginning of the Spring Term except for
Social Research Methods which is 100% coursework.
Spring Term – (Monday 06 January 2014 – Friday 21 March 2014)
(Week 15 - Exam Week)
Weeks
16
Health Economics
Social Research Methods
Managing Health Care Organisations
20
21
Entrepreneurship
25
Marketing
Group Project work will start towards the end of the Spring Term.
Examinations for these modules (with the exception of the group project which is assessed
formally by a presentation and written report at the end of the Summer Term) will take
place at the beginning of the summer term.
Summer Term – Saturday 28 April 2014 - Friday 27 June 2014
(Week 31 – Exam Week)
Examinations
Group Project
5
Weightings
There are ten courses, each worth 0.3 of a course unit and the Group Project is worth 1
course unit. In order to gain a pass in Management year, students are required to achieve
a satisfactory performance in all course units.
1
Accounting
2
Business Strategy
3
Entrepreneurship
4
Health Economics
5
Social Research Methods
6
Health Informatics
7
Managing Health Care Organisations
8
Marketing
9
Organisational Behaviour & HRM
10
Sustainable Business
11
Group Project
6
PROGRAMME ASSESSMENT
7
Programme Assessment
Each subject is assessed on the basis of a final examination and coursework (excluding
the Group Project which will be assessed by a presentation and report).
You will be given access to 3 years worth of past exam papers for each subject. Examples
of multiple choice questions will be given separately by the lecturer of the course.
Formal Examinations – These dates may be subject to change
Autumn Term Examinations dates week commencing Monday 06 January 2014
•
•
•
•
•
Accounting
Business Strategy
Health Informatics
Organisational Behaviour & Human Resource Management
Sustainable Business
Spring Term Examinations dates week commencing Monday 28 April 2014
•
•
•
•
•
Entrepreneurship
Health Economics
Managing Health Care Organisations
Marketing
Social Research Methods
8
Rules and degree classification
Attendance at examinations is compulsory. Any student who fails to present him/herself for
examination will be deemed to have failed the entire year and will be required to re-present
themselves for all elements of the programme in the following session. Deferral of
examinations can only be agreed on medical grounds and applications must be made to
the Examinations & Timetabling Officer prior to the date of your first examination.
Summary of grades, marks and their interpretations for undergraduate degree
classification:
Undergraduate Criteria for Classes of Assessment
The undergraduate work submitted by students who were admitted in October 2008 and
onwards is marked to the following Scheme (change to the pass mark – now 40%).
First
70 – 100%
A
Outstanding work, wide knowledge of the material, accurate, arguments concisely and
clearly presented, clear evidence of critical thought and enquiry, evidence of originality,
insight and superior critical and reflective abilities.
Upper Second
60 – 69%
B
Work well organized, good knowledge of the material, logical, sufficiently detailed and
clearly presented, evidence of an enhanced capacity to develop and apply their own
grounded and informed perspectives to their work, evidence of problem solving
competence, ability to explore alternative solutions, to demonstrate critical evaluation and
integrate theory and practice.
Lower Second
50 – 59%
C
Work displays a satisfactory knowledge of the material, substantial recall of relevant facts
but little evidence of enquiry beyond lecture notes or prescribed texts, manipulations and/or
calculations competently performed to a reasonable but not necessarily entirely correct
solution.
Third
40 – 49%
D
Work displays a limited knowledge of the material, essential elements of solution correct,
sufficient factual recall, ability to perform routine calculations, arguments developed but
incompletely.
Fail (with significant shortcomings)
35 – 39%
E
Work with serious inadequacies, very limited knowledge of material, poor presentation,
minimal ability to formulate arguments and results presented in incomplete form and/or with
errors.
9
Fail (with major shortcomings)
0 – 35%
F
Solution basically incorrect, defective recall of basic facts, little or no understanding of
relevant principles, failure to develop from starting point to result, obvious failures and/or
mistakes in manipulation, or work not submitted.
Viva
Students who are classed as borderline at the end of the management year may be asked
to complete a viva. Please see guidelines which are displayed in the appendix of this
booklet.
External Examiners
The external examiners for this programme are:
Dr Alex Kostakis
Manchester Business School
Professor Michael Beverland
University of Bath
Professor Andrew Lockett
University of Warwick
Professor Robert Procter(TBC)
University of Manchester
Professor Michael Politt
University of Cambridge
Dr Julia Mundy
University of Greenwich
The details provided above are for information only. Please note that it is not appropriate
for students to contact the externals directly regarding their studies. Any issues that you
have in relation to your assessment should be raised internally with your Programme Team
in the first instance or with the College Registry if necessary.
Assignments
Assignments should be submitted via the HUB. Submissions by hand or by email will not
be accepted.
It is important that all work is legible and should be produced using Arial font size 11.
Adequate margins should be left on each side of the paper. A single colour of ink should be
used.
Assignments are not always marked electronically by staff and if printed, will be printed in
black ink, and so any references to coloured text might be overlooked.
It is also important that you produce your work in a printable format. Use the ‘print preview’
function to ensure that the work will print exactly as you would expect. Assignments will be
printed in batches and time will not be spent by School staff re-formatting work.
It is recommended that you put your name in a header or footer so that it appears on every
page.
Policy on Penalties for Late Submission of Assessed Work for Full-time Students
Electronic submission for an assignment will close at the cut-off deadline. Late submissions
(for full-time students) will receive a mark of zero. This is the default penalty for late
submissions of assessed work for full-time students and will be deviated from only in
exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the Programme Director.
10
The following is a list of circumstances in which the default penalty may be amended. This
list is not intended to be exhaustive:
i)
Legitimate mitigating circumstances which are declared by the candidate in
writing. Mitigating circumstances must be independently corroborated and of
sufficient severity to have affected the candidate’s ability to meet the deadline, for
example illness or family bereavement;
ii)
If, in the judgement of the Programme Director, the default penalty is considered
unreasonably harsh in the circumstances, for example, where it will impact
adversely on the progression or graduation of a candidate, or if one member of a
group has submitted work late which impacts on the rest of the group through no
fault of their own. The Programme Director may also take into account whether this
is a first offence by a candidate.
If a student requires an extension for an assignment, they should complete the extension
approval request form, which is available on the Hub, and submit it to the Programme Team
in advance of the submission date (a minimum of 24 hours prior to the submission deadline).
The form will be returned to the student by the Programme Coordinator. It is then the
students’ responsibility to upload the approved extension form to the Hub by the submission
deadline; otherwise the School’s penalties for late submission will apply.
It is at the discretion of the Programme Director as to whether to extend the deadline, to
apply a reduced penalty, or to excuse the candidate from the assessment.
Students experiencing technical trouble when they are due to submit their coursework should
take a screenshot of the error message, which must include the date and time, and attach this
to an email with their submission and send it to the Programme Coordinator. The authenticity
of the message or technical problem will be verified by the School’s Learning Technologists.
Students who fail to submit their final project/essay on time (without an approved extension)
risk failing the degree programme. The College does not provide an opportunity to re-sit in
cases of non-submission.
The above procedures are implemented to ensure that all students are treated uniformly,
across the Programme, the School and the College.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the presentation of another person’s words, ideas, judgement or data as
though they were your own. For example not referencing the source of your ideas or
arguments where they have derived from your reading, directly taking verbatim the words
of someone else’s work and putting it into your project without putting it in quotation marks
and referencing it, taking whole chunks out of books, articles, lecture notes or other reports
or other students work, and putting them in your report uncited. This is the same for all
coursework which is assessed formally on the programme.
When submitting your assessed coursework you will be required to submit a form
confirming that you have read the above definition of plagiarism and are fully aware of what
it means. The submitting of this form will certify that the report is entirely your own work,
except where indicated.
All Group Projects will be scanned electronically to check for plagiarism.
11
Plagiarism is a serious offence. The exam board is entitled to penalise you for plagiarism,
and serious cases will result in an automatic failure of the coursework/project. The exam
board reserves the right to take further action as it deems appropriate to protect the good
name of the School and the College, and this may involve expulsion of a student from the
course or withdrawal of a degree award.
There are further guidelines relating to plagiarism displayed in the appendix of this booklet
Please take the time to read it.
Use of Surveys or Questionnaires in Student Projects
If you use surveys or questionnaires whilst undertaking your project, you must retain the
completed versions for inspection by your project supervisor or external examiner. You do
not need to submit these with your final project or include them in the appendices but you
need to have them available in case they are requested. Any attempt to generate or to
make changes to primary data to influence the results of your project is considered
to be a serious academic offence and will be severely penalised.
12
INDUCTION TIMETABLE
13
Induction Week Timetable 2013 – 2014
DATE
Monday
30 Sep 2013
Tuesday
1 Oct 2013
Wednesday
2 Oct 2013
Thursday
3 Oct 2013
TIME
VENUE
LEADER
LGS
Jolanta Leonaite
Programme Directors Welcome &
Overview / H&S briefing
CAGB 542
Colin Love
Jolanta Leonaite
15.00 – 15.15
Principal’s Welcome
CAGB 542
Prof. G. “Anand”
Anandalingam
15.15 – 15.30
Break
15.30 – 16.00
Team Work/ Plagiarism & Group
Dynamics/ Syndicate Group allocation
CAGB 542
Colin Love
16.00 – 16.30
Library Introduction/Refresher
CAGB 542
Heather Lincoln
16.30 – 17.00
Exams Office
CAGB 542
Joanne Chaffin
12.00 – 13.30
Looking at using Case Studies
CAGB 542
Dr. Tim
Heymann
13:30 – 17.00
Lunch Break/ Student Union Fair /
Syndicate Group Presentation
Preparation (All Students)
HUB Induction
IC Campus
Registration (All Students)
14.10 – 15.00
09.30 – 11.00
11.00 – 13.00
Fundamentals of Business and Key
Definitions
13.00 – 17.00
Lunch Break / Sports Afternoon
9.30 – 11.30
BP Trading Exercise
15.00-17.00
Friday
4 Oct 2013
ACTIVITY
13.00 – 14.00
10.00-13.00
13.00-14.00
14.00-17.00
17.30-19.00
Capco Recruitment presentation
CAGB 542
ETU/Colin Love
Campus
CAGB 542
LGS
Syndicate Group Presentations JH
Students ONLYNomura Group financial services, financial
management consultancy group
Break
CAGB 542
Colin Love
Syndicate Group Presentations IBSc
Students ONLY
Drinks Reception (dress code – smart)
CAGB 542
Colin Love
Business
School
Foyer
All students and
Faculty
14
TEACHING AND ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
ADMINISTRATION
Programme Director
Mr Colin Love
Ext: 47439,
E-mail: c.love@imperial.ac.uk
Programme Manager
Edina Hamzic-Maguire
Ext: 49152,
E-mail: e.hamzic-Maguire@imperial.ac.uk
Programme Coordinator
Jolanta Leonaite
Ext: 49135,
E-mail: j.leonaite@imperial.ac.uk
15
TEACHING STAFF
Course
Teaching Staff
Room
Accounting
Mr Jeremy Fernando
178
Business Strategy
Mr Colin Love: MBA, DIC, BSc Econ
193
Entrepreneurship
TBA
Health Economics
Prof Marisa Miraldo
281
Social Research Methods
Dr Katharina Hauck
162
Health Informatics
Dr Benita Cox: BA, PhD, DIC
277
Managing Health Care
Organisations
Marketing
Dr Timothy Heymann: MA, MB BChir, MBA, FRCP
284
Organisational Behaviour &
Human Resource Management
Sustainable Business
Dr Mark Kennedy
282
Mr Colin Love: MBA, DIC, BSc Econ
193
Dr Andreas Eisingerich
16
THE COURSES
17
BS0601 – ACCOUNTING
COURSE TUTOR:
Name: Jeremy Fernando
Room: 178, Level 1
e-mail: j.fernando@imperial.ac.uk
COURSE AIMS
The aim of this course is to develop certain accounting related skills, by explaining the
techniques of financial accounting and management accounting, and examining their
relevance to the broader issues of financial decision-making and management control in
organisations. The course gives students a basic insight into the way that business
performance is measured, and how business decisions can be structured and analysed.
KNOWLEDGE OBJECTIVES
This is an introductory course. Students are expected to develop a basic, but not detailed
knowledge of:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Balance sheets and profit & loss accounts
The valuation of assets and liabilities
Financial ratios and how these can be used to analyse performance of the
company as a whole
Cash flow statements
Cost concepts and costing systems
Analytical techniques available for economic decisions in business enterprises
and other informational requirements
Budgeting and performance measurement at the operational level
SKILL OBJECTIVES
The course will facilitate the student development of:
•
•
Interpretative skills in relation to accounting information including a critical attitude to its
value and limitations
Computational and analytical skills in relation to the use of accounting data to facilitate
decisions concerning the operation of, and investment in, production systems, and the
design and production of products or services
LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of the course student will be able to:
•
•
Identify the major issues raised by financial and costing accounting data
Take an effective involvement in business operations
18
TEACHING METHODS
Teaching is by lectures and tutorials, and will encourage student participation.
ASSESSMENT
•
•
One multiple-choice test (probably on Part A) (30%)
An examination of 2 hours duration (70%)
CORE TEXTS
A custom textbook will be available, taking the relevant chapters from the following two
textbooks:
• Seal W., Garrison, R., and Noreen, E. (2012) Management Accounting 4th edition,
McGraw-Hill.
• Thomas A. and Ward, A. (2012) Introduction to Financial Accounting 7th edition,
McGraw-Hill.
SUPPLEMENTARY TEXTS
You may need to broaden your reading by referring to other publications held in the Learning
Resources Centre. The following texts are recommended:
• Peter Atrill & Eddie McLaney Accounting: An Introduction (6th edition), Financial
Times Prentice Hall
• Dyson, J R Accounting for Non-accounting Students (8th edition), Financial Times
Prentice Hall
COURSE OUTLINE
The course is structured in two parts:
Part A - Management Accounting
Part B - Financial Accounting
Accounting, costing, and financial issues are addressed with varying degrees of emphasis
throughout the course.
Part A - Management Accounting
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The nature and roles of management accounting
Basic cost concepts
Cost accounting systems
Short-run decision making
Investment decisions
Budgetary control
Performance evaluation
Part B - Financial Accounting
•
The nature and roles of financial accounting
19
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The balance sheet
Equity and trading
Profit determination
Stock valuation
Provisions and valuation of fixed assets
The cash flow statement
Types of ratios
Ratio analysis and further analysis of accounts
20
BS0603 - BUSINESS STRATEGY COURSE TUTOR
Name: Colin Love
Room: 193 Imperial College Business School
Ext 47439
E-mail: c.love@imperial.ac.uk
COURSE AIMS
Strategy is the art of creating value. The ultimate objective is to attain or maintain a
competitive advantage in a market or markets. Success stories abound. AirAsia, Cirque du
Soleil, HSBC, Nestlé and Apple have each been acclaimed in recent years as triumphant
products of the strategic imagination. Yet for every example of strategic success, it is
possible to trade an equally spectacular example of strategic failure. We only have to think of
Enron, ABB, WorldCom, Marconi, Cable & Wireless, Vivendi Universal and any number of
banks to witness the potentially destructive power of poor strategies. The fact is that
strategy is a double-edged sword: it can be the source of power and wealth but equally the
cause of disaster. It is therefore essential that any existing or aspiring strategic leader
understand the nature and purpose of strategic management.
Strategy is about a sense of organizational purpose and direction, together with a means for
achieving this purposeful direction. The aim of the Business Strategy course is to place the
student in an arena of strategic choices and decisions experienced by the senior
management team of a company. Enduring market success hinges upon having a viable
and flexible strategic management process. This course aims to construct a strategic
management agenda that considers alternative approaches to strategy formulation in complex
and uncertain environments, examines the context within which strategy is made and
implemented and assesses options and challenges that regularly confront the business
enterprise. The course will explore the impact of ‘business’ with respect to corporate social
responsibility and its relationship with corporate and environmental sustainability.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of the course you should be able to:
•
Understand and describe the key strategic issues facing senior management teams and
the key analytical concepts applicable to each.
•
Evaluate an organisation’s current strategic position, its business environment and its
future strategic options, using analytical concepts appropriate to the organisation’s
situation.
•
Make and defend recommendations as to the choice of a given organisation’s future
strategy and its implementation.
•
Develop an understanding of how an organisation may dramatically transform its
business model for accelerated growth
21
TEACHING METHODS
The course will be delivered through two, two-hour integrated lecture/workshop sessions.
The workshop will involve the discussion and analysis of case studies related to the lecture
theme. Students are expected to have read the relevant case in advance of each
session. The related academic readings are supplementary and although I strongly suggest
you read these as we proceed; they are mainly included for exam preparation purposes.
Students are also expected to be active participants in classroom discussions. Questions
alone are not considered participation, nor is merely coming to class and listening to the
discussion. You are expected to know the facts as stated in cases and readings and offer
meaningful analysis and convincing arguments for positions taken. Students are generally
divided into teams for case work and will be expected to give pre-planned presentations on a
regular basis.
A key element of the course will be a business strategy simulation exercise where teams will
compete in an industry to develop a company for the future. The simulation will consist of in
class briefings and presentation, together with non-class preparation of strategy
development.
ASSESSMENT
The course assessment will consist of
1. a team-based simulation exercise (30%) to be completed at the end of the Autumn
term
2. a written examination (70%) in the Spring term
SIMULATION EXERCISE OVERVIEW
BOSS – Blue Ocean Simulation Strategy
A leading edge simulation exercise based on the key foundations of Red Ocean / Blue
Ocean thinking will run across the last two weeks of the term.
Full details will be presented in the first half of the course. Completion of the simulation will
require the use of strategic models covered in the course.
Submission elements will consist of templates from the simulation model accompanied by
management board minutes for each ‘simulation round’.
TEXTBOOKS AND OTHER REFERENCES
Students are encouraged to supplement the course readings with other literature sources
(please refer to suggested sources below for more information).
Recommended Texts
If you want a general textbook on strategic management, I would recommend one of the
following:
22
•
Johnson, Gerry, Scholes, Kevan and Richard Whittington (2007) Exploring Corporate
Strategy, 8th edition, London: FT Prentice Hall (previous editions are fine too). This
edition has the benefit of web based learning material
•
Kim,W, Mauborgne, Renee (2005) Blue Ocean Strategy. Harvard Business Review
•
Thompson, Strickland, Gamble 2008 Crafting and Executing Strategy McGraw Hill
•
McGee,Thomas,Wilson 2008 Strategy Analysis and Practice McGraw Hill
•
Barney, Hesterly 2008 Strategic management and Competitive Advantage
•
Lynch, Richard (2006) Corporate Strategy, London: FT Prentice Hall.
•
White, Colin (2004) Strategic Management, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
•
Sydney Finkelstein, Charles Harvey and Thomas Lawton (2007) Breakout Strategy:
meeting the challenge of double-digit growth, New York: McGraw-Hill.
* Any of the above is acceptable. Please note that none are compulsory purchase.
* Read on a regular basis – The Times, FT, Economist
23
BS0509
HEALTH INFORMATICS
COURSE TUTOR
Name: Dr Benita Cox
Room: 277, Imperial Business School
Ext: 49164
E-mail: b.cox@imperial.ac.uk
COURSE AIMS
The aim of the course is to consider the role and importance of information and information
systems in providing effective healthcare; the application of stable management principles to
attain maximum benefit from information and information systems and pertinent computer,
communication and imaging systems of relevance to healthcare provision
SKILL OBJECTIVES
On completion of this course students will be able to:
o develop an information systems strategy
o manage information systems implementations
o assess the value of information systems to an individual and/or their
organisation
TEACHING METHODS
This is a 20 hour course. The delivery of the course will be through the use of lectures, case
studies, guest speakers, videos and web-interaction. The course is highly interactive and
students are expected to make a positive contribution to classroom discussion.
ASSESSMENT
The course will be assessed through a written examination and coursework consisting of a
group presentation. Apportionment of marks is as follows:
EXAMINATION 70%
COURSEWORK 30%
LECTURER
Benita Cox ‘s contact number is ext. 49164 and her e-mail address is b.cox@imperial.ac.uk
her office is Room 277 in the Tanaka Building.
24
BIBLIOGRAPHY
There is no one recommended course textbook because, in my view, there is nothing that
covers the area completely and satisfactorily. The course syllabus is defined by the
handouts and the lecture notes. However, the list below pinpoints some directly relevant
reference material. If you would like some further reading I would be delighted to offer some
more suggestions.
Coiera, E. Guide to Health Informatics, Arnold, 2003
De Dombal, F.T. Medical Informatics, the Essentials, Reed Educational & Professional
Publishers, 1996.
Degoulet, P. and Fieschi, M. Introduction to Clinical Informatics, 1997, Springer-Verlag, New
York.
Haux, R. Strategic information management in hospitals: an introduction to hospital
information systems, Springer, 2004
Laudon,K.C. & Laudon, J.P. Management Information Systems: Managing the Digital Firm,
Twelfth Edition. Pearson, 2011
Merida L. Johns. 2002, Information Management for Health Professions. 2nd Edition.
Delmar, Thomson Learning.
Taylor, P. From Patient Data to Medical Knowledge, The Principles and Practice of Health
Informatics, Blackwell Publishing, 2006
Turban, E., D. Leidner, E. McLean and J. Wetherbe, Information Technology for
Management: Transforming Organizations in the Digital Economy (Hoboken, NJ:Wiley,
c.2012) eighth edition [ISBN 9780471729].
Van Bemmel, J.H. & Musen M.A. Handbook of Medical Informatics, Springer, 1997.
JOURNALS
International Journal of Health Informatics
British Journal of Healthcare Computing and Information Management
Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association
Health Informatics Journal
Informatics in Primary Care
BMJ
e-Health Insider
25
BS0612 - ORGANISATIONORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR & HUMAN RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT
COURSE TUTOR
Name: Dr. Mark Kennedy
Room: 282, Level 2
Ext: 42879
E-mail: mark.kennedy@imperial.ac.uk
COURSE AIMS
What is organisational behaviour? Do organisations really “behave”, so to speak?
Do they sometimes also misbehave? What’s the difference?
If you sort people into a division of labour and create a structure for integrating their work,
you have the recipe for the behavioural tendencies we call organisational behaviour.
Note that this definition is descriptive rather than prescriptive. Whilst some behavioural
tendencies contribute to organisational effectiveness, other general tendencies have the
opposite effect. We want to understand both sides of organisations, of course.
But organisational behaviour is more than just what goes on inside an organisation itself. It
also reflects what’s going on in a constantly changing environment, and demands from
multiple external stakeholders, and the dynamics of competition with other organisations.
So put the outside-in together with the inside-out view of organisations, and you have the set
of problems—and solutions—that we call organisational behaviour. We’ll call it OB for short.
This course covers major factors that shape organisational behaviour and effectiveness with
the aim of developing your ability to address these factors, not only as members of
organisations, but also as leaders.
Specifically, we cover material that spans the three major levels at which organisational
behaviour is studied:
(1) the micro or individual level of analysis,
(2) the meso or organisational level of analysis, and
(3) macro levels of analysis such as industries and markets or cultures and nations.
We’ll be examining how activities at all three levels either come together or not to enable
organisational performance and effectiveness.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Knowledge. Students will be able to use concepts introduced in the OBHRM course not only
to understand and explain sources of organizational performance, whether exemplary or
disappointing, but also to suggest and carry out changes that would improve organisational
performance as needed to be competitive in a rapidly changing environment. More
specifically, students will acquire tools useful for the following tasks:
•
Designing and structuring organisations and teams to function effectively in
an increasingly volatile and unpredictable external environment.
26
•
Appreciating the link between organisational performance and culture,
decision making, inter-group and intra-group conflict, power and politics, and
wider social changes.
Skill objectives. If you apply yourself in this course, you will develop skills in these areas
•
•
•
Analysis and diagnosis
Problem solving
Leadership
organisational threats and opportunities
select appropriate changes or other responses
communication and collaboration for the above
LEARNING OUTCOMES
When you successfully complete this course, you will be (more) ready for the job of …
•
•
•
•
identifying the most pressing problems and opportunities in your organisation
recommending a course of action that will really work
defending your thinking against stiff challenge and/or changing course gracefully
making the most of your position and personal strengths and weakness to lead
TEACHING METHODS
The goal of this course is to impart knowledge—even wisdom—that will help you work in and
lead organisations more effectively, but that’s hard to do in a university classroom setting.
This is because becoming an effective organisational contributor or leader takes more than
simply knowing of some new ideas. Instead, it takes some know how.
For this reason, the teaching methods of this course include more interaction and more
application than is normal for many university courses. This includes the use of a number of
business cases—descriptions of business problems and situations that give us a chance to
think about OB concepts as seen applied in a particular context. These cases give you a
chance to think about how you would act or lead in a particular situation, but getting the most
out of that chance requires a bit of extra work. If you only read the case but not the reading
that goes with it, you’re very likely coming to that situation without the knowledge you need
to sort your way through it. This is a bit like trying to eat a pineapple without a tool to get you
to the juicy bits—not very nice. So please come fully prepared to dig into pineapple!
ASSESSMENT
There are two parts to the assessment for this course:
•
•
MCQ and Social network exercise (15% each)
Examination (70%)
CORE TEXT
All readings are posted to the HUb; there is no key text (i.e., no required textbook to buy).
27
The readings for each session will typically consist of a case and readings that offer ideas
useful for thinking about the case.

The cases present specific business situations that ask us to sort out what matters
most and determine how best to address it. Cases are deliberately written to contain
some red herrings, so just as in the real world (only there it’s much harder), your task
is to sort out what you think matters most, and what you would to do address the
situation at hand.

The readings offer theories, perspectives and frameworks applicable to the cases.
While all the readings are applicable, not every aspect of each reading is equally
useful in the case at hand. Part our job together—yours in preparation and mine in
lecture—is to identify what matters most in the readings and make good use of that in
the cases. The more you have your own idea of that for each session, the better.
28
BS0618 – SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS
COURSE LEADER:
Name: Colin Love
Room: 193 Imperial College Business School
Ext: 47439
E-mail: c.love@imperial.ac.uk
COURSE OVERVIEW
Sustainable Business will focus on management contexts, challenges and opportunities
that are either unique to global business or arise in businesses that span national borders
with respect to business practice which delivers a triple bottom line – PEOPLE, PLANET and
PROFIT
The key objective is to sensitise students to the interaction between global business,
government and society. This course will therefore critically examine the impact that
contemporary global business has upon the society and the environment, whilst delivering
profitable sustainable businesses.
The two core subjects are:
Corporate Social Responsibility - an essential element of modern corporate strategy and
a concept that managers must be familiar with. Understanding that the profit motive is a
necessary, but not sufficient, condition for current and future business operations. This
course provides the background and elucidates the key concepts that all modern managers
need to know, and will allow complex normative and ethical dilemmas / alternatives to be
successfully negotiated.
Sustainability – an introduction to concept of business sustainability on two dimensions the company and the environment / planet. The course will explore strategic options to
develop an understanding of credible sustainable business practice which satisfy the
demands of both dimensions
COURSE AIMS
This course is designed to introduce students to the concepts of Corporate Social
Responsibility and Sustainability. The course will develop new insights to the development of
corporate strategies within the context of responsible international business behaviour, and
will explore potential conflicts between business and social stakeholders. The responsibility
of business will be framed within corporate governance. The course will also explore the
implications and challenges posed by the global financial crisis and its impact upon
sustainable business.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
Knowledge Objectives:
During the course students will develop an understanding of:
• corporate social responsibility in a global context
• the origins and development of corporate social responsibility
29
•
•
•
•
•
•
the development and importance of sustainable business practice
the complexity of managing diverse stakeholder interests
business ethics
corporate governance
changing global business and environmental priorities
the influence of culture and politics on global business
Skill Objectives:
The course will equip the students with the ability to:
• understand how companies can operate globally and formulate sustainable global
business strategies
• understand and manage conflicting stakeholder requirements
• incorporate sustainable and corporately responsible goals and objectives in a
company’s strategic plan
• evaluate the impact of corporate social responsibility strategies on the firm, society and
the global environment
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Upon completion of the course students should have developed a rounded and balanced
view of sustainable global business in the contemporary managerial world.
TEACHING METHODS:
The course will consist 20 hours of face to face lectures delivered over 5 weeks.
Lectures will consist of:
• academic - lecture content drawn from contemporary literature and research
• discussion - of recommended readings and case studies
Lectures will be delivered by academics drawn from Imperial College Business School with
guest lecturers from the Centre for Environmental Policy and industry
ASSESSMENTS:
The course will be assessed by:
•
•
Group assignment (30%)
Individual Examination (70%)
COURSE OVERVIEW
During the course we will take the opportunity to discuss current ‘sustainable business’
issues and events, therefore we will use class/workshop time in a flexible manner depending
on the scale and importance of current issues – i.e. sustainable business recovery from
world recession
30
It is important that students should read the Times / Ft / Economist on a daily / weekly basis
to develop an informed view to participate in such discussions. Students should note that it
is important to be able to refer to current issues and events in answering examination
questions.
TEXTBOOKS AND OTHER REFERENCES
Students are encouraged to supplement the course material with other literature sources
(please refer to suggested sources below for more information).
Required reading
•
•
•
•
Willard, Bob (2012) The New Sustainability Advantage, 10th Edition NSP
Kane, G. (2010) The Three Secrets of Green Business. Earthscan
Blowfield & Murry (2008) Corporate Responsibility. OUP
The Economist Pocket World in Figures
Additional Reading
•
•
•
•
•
Gore,A (2009) Our Choice – a plan to solve the climate crisis. Bloomsbury
Daniels, Radebaugh, Sullivan (2008) International Business –environment and Operations
Baron, David P. (2002) Business and its Environment (London: Prentice Hall)
Smith, David (2007) The Dragon and the Elephant (Profile Books)
Dicken, Peter (2007) Global Shift (Sage Publications)
31
BS0611 - MARKETING
COURSE TUTOR
Name: Dr Andreas Eisingerich
Associate Professor of Marketing
Ext: 49763
e-mail: a.eisingerich@imperial.ac.uk
COURSE AIMS
More than 90% of all new ideas fail in the marketplace (that is, they are not taken up by
others). Often organisations spend resources developing and marketing new
products/services only to discover that consumer response is far less ecstatic than expected.
The reality is that in most cases consumers are simply indifferent about businesses
offerings. To succeed business must make a more compelling case than it is today - in terms
of consumer experience, deeper purpose, social value, and greater inspiration for
consumers as well as employees. Effective marketing management requires a clear
understanding of consumers and the market in general. The aims of this course are to help
participants understand how marketing contributes to a business’ competitiveness and
survival and to provide participants with critical marketing insights, tools, and techniques.
Throughout the course students will gain an understanding of the contingent conditions
under which various marketing techniques work most effectively. The course will also
introduce new marketing concepts associated with brand management, marketing channels,
and services marketing. Short case studies during lectures underscore the critical value of
marketing strategies in creating successful and profitable customer relationships. Findings
from current research will be part of and examined throughout the lectures.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Knowledge Objectives: The main knowledge objectives of the course are to help
participants understand:
•
•
•
The role of marketing in creating value for consumers and organisations
How marketing contributes to the competitiveness and survival of (for profit as well as
not-for profit) organisations
How marketing strategies can be implemented and augmented over time
Skill Objectives: The main skill objectives of the course are to enable participants to
develop:
•
•
•
Diagnostic and analytical skills to critically analyse current business practices
Skills in defining problems and examining market opportunities in the context of
different consumer markets
Technical skills to assess strategies that provide customer value and that result in
sustainable competitive advantage for organisations
32
LEARNING OUTCOMES
The course will help participants to:
• Understand contingent conditions under which various marketing techniques work
• Evaluate the success of product and service strategies based on their understanding
of consumer behaviour, pricing, and distribution
• Critically examine the development of new business opportunities including brand
extension strategies
• Manage the optimal mix of relationship marketing strategies needed to create
superior value for consumers and business organisations
TEACHING METHODS
Lectures, case studies, group assignments
ASSESSMENT
Coursework (30% weighting)
Exam (70% weighting)
33
BS0500 - GROUP PROJECT
GROUP SUPERVISOR
Name: Colin Love
Room: 193 Imperial College Business School
e-mail: c.love@imperial.ac.uk
All students will contribute to a group project. Typically the groups will consist of 6 students.
Each group will be supervised by a School faculty member - not necessarily one who is
involved in the formal teaching of the programme. The project occupies part of the spring
term and the whole of the summer term, culminating in a group presentation and submission
of report in May 2014.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the different projects may vary, but are likely to include:
•
•
•
•
•
an application of management techniques, principles or concepts to
the analysis of a specific problem arising in some health care
organisation or
analysis of a particular health related industry or aspect of the economy or
further development of a generalised technique or model or
a deeper understanding and explanation of the literature relating to a
pertinent area of health care management,
experience of working in a team
TEACHING METHOD
1.
Students will self-select groups and will be asked to start considering what
they would like to do for their project in the spring term. The project will either
be one proposed by a member of staff, or one devised by the student group.
2.
All student groups must submit a one-page description of their
proposed project, intended methodology etc. This is to be submitted
electronically via the HUB at the beginning of the spring term for approval.
Groups will then be assigned a member of staff to supervise them.
3.
If necessary, groups will prepare an application for ethical approval during this
term (note that this can be a protracted process)
4.
Students start to work full-time on their projects after the exams in the
summer term. Over a period of four or five weeks, they work intensively –
conducting a literature review, collecting and analysing data, and preparing a
presentation and written report.
5.
Presentations will take place in May on Thursday 29th 2014. Students must
attend all presentations as part of the assessment. The presentation will
34
6.
be assessed.
The final report (25,000 max words in length) will be submitted immediately
after the presentation for assessment. The groups should provide a
statement of their effectiveness as a group. Care should be taken to achieve
consistency in presentation.
ASSESSMENT
The assessment of the group project is by group presentation and group report. The final
report will be assessed by the supervisor and another member of staff, and a mark agreed.
It is essential that each member of the group contributes equally. During the previous years
of the programme, the importance of working together as a team has been constantly
emphasised. This final test should demonstrate this!
35
BS0510
MANAGING HEALTH CARE ORGANISATIONS (TBC)
COURSE TUTOR
Name: Dr Tim Heymann
Room: 284 Imperial College Business School
Ext: 49131
e-mail: t.heymann@imperial.ac.uk
COURSE AIMS
To equip participants with the skills and the functional tools to work effectively in health care
organisations and to highlight examples of best practice.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Knowledge Objectives
Key concepts and future trends in
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
services operations
demand management
quality structures
inventory control
value chain application
decision making techniques
negotiation approaches
with some perspective on developments within the National Health Service
Skills Objectives
•
•
•
Communications skills: aural, oral and written
Analytical and debating skills
The application of theoretical constructs to real life
Learning Objectives
Students who complete the course successfully will be able to
•
•
•
•
•
•
explain issues of demand management in healthcare
describe and evaluate quality initiatives in the delivery of health care
identify good practice in service delivery and inventory management in a healthcare
setting
approach negotiations with greater confidence
manage basic media interactions
understand how the NHS has and is adapting to its external environment
STRUCTURE
The course will be taught over 8 two and a half hour sessions using the case method.
Students are expected to have read the relevant case before each session.
36
Session 1
•
21st January 2014
Introduction to module and services operations
Class case:
Shouldice Hospital Limited
Session 2
24th January 2014
•
Demand management
Class cases: University Hospital Renal Dialysis Unit Patient Scheduling
Vancouver General Hospital – improving porter efficiency
Session 3
•
28th January 2014
Defining and improving quality in healthcare and hospitals
Class cases: Cleveland Clinic: Improving the patient experience
Institute for Healthcare Improvement: the Campaign to save 100,000 lives
Session 4
•
31st January 2014
The place for business process reengineering and ‘lean’ management techniques in
healthcare
Class cases: Leading organisational change: improving hospital performance
Virginia Mason Medical Centre
Session 5
•
04th February 2014
Negotiation management and decision analysis
Class cases: Salty Dog (for distribution in class)
Sloane vs. Dependable
Session 6
•
07th February 2014
Inventory management and ‘contracting out’
Class cases: Amazon.com’s inventory management
Dental Associates of Northern Virginia
Session 7
•
11th February 2014
The NHS, then, now and in the future
Class cases: Health and Social Care Bill 2011 (for the latest information, please look on
line)
Medical Leadership Competency Framework (on line)
37
Session 8
•
25th February 2014
Group activity – Delivering modern healthcare
[Please note that the cases are subject to change.]
TEACHING METHODS
The module is designed to be practical in its intent and will draw on examples from
healthcare and other industries to demonstrate the practical implementation of concepts that
will be covered through lectures, case studies, class discussion and practical exercises.
ASSESSMENT
•
•
Closed book examination (70%)
Course work (30%)
The exam paper will be in two parts. You will be asked to answer 1 question in Part A from
a choice of 2 and 1 question in part B, from a choice of 3. Part A and Part B carry equal
marks. Higher marks will be awarded if answers are focused on the specific question
asked, argue the case well, and draw on material discussed in class and from the
suggested readings to support those arguments. Students will be heavily penalised if
their answers do not specifically address the question asked or are difficult to read.
Course work
For course work students will work in syndicate groups to put together and make a
presentation on topics be selected on a ‘first come first served basis’ following class on 24th
January 2014 and presented on 11th February 2014. The presentation will attract a
maximum of 15% of the total module mark, a subsequent written submission of no more
than three pages a maximum of the remaining 15%. The written submission should be
submitted via the HUB by 1600 Friday 14th February 2014 and will be assessed and returned
to students before the end of term.
READING LIST
A list of reading suggestions will be distributed at the start of term
38
BS0606
ENTREPRENEURSHIP (TBC)
COURSE TUTOR
Name: TBA
Room: Imperial College Business
School
Ext: TBA
INTRODUCTION
Entrepreneurship is a pattern of behaviour that enables us to recognise and evaluate
opportunities for entrepreneurial action1, and to mobilise the resources necessary to pursue
them. These tasks are complex and challenging. Opportunities are fleeting and often difficult
to evaluate before action. Resources are scarce and often controlled by others. There is
always threat of competition – especially if the opportunity turns out to be attractive. Demand
and technological uncertainty can be considerable. The new entrant needs to overcome
credibility deficit to access and mobilise resources. Entrepreneurs need considerable skill
and strategic ability to overcome these hurdles while avoiding multiple pitfalls. 1 I.e.,
opportunities for the production and sale of goods and services at a price higher than the
cost of their production (Shane, 2000).
The above said, entrepreneurship is not limited to the creation of new ventures only. In
today’s dynamic economic landscape, virtually all organisations face the challenge of
recognising and effectively addressing opportunities. Established companies need to
constantly re-invent themselves, as otherwise they will be left behind. Public-sector
organisations need to learn how to behave proactively and in an opportunity-seeking
fashion. Even the academia faces the challenge of finding and addressing relevant problems
and translating their findings into potentially useful application. Therefore, the skills of
opportunity recognition, evaluation and pursuit are in high demand regardless of
occupational choice.
The objective of this course is to guide students through the ‘exciting nightmare’ of taking an
idea or a technology to market, establishing and growing a new venture and securing a
successful exit. Although grounded in rigorous state-of-the-art theory, the focus of the course
is highly applied, and class participation is actively encouraged. We seek to identify and
understand essential entrepreneurial skills and how to put these into productive use.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
The course provides students with a stimulating introduction to the theory and practice of
entrepreneurship and new venture creation. The central aim of the module is to de-mystify
entrepreneurship and to demonstrate that many of the skills and competences required to
launch and grow a successful business can be learned and practiced.
Our starting point is that entrepreneurs are made, not born and that people have a choice
about the behaviour they display. The course, therefore, focuses on the development of
entrepreneurial behaviours in a variety of settings. It assumes no prior knowledge of the
subject area and will equip students with much of the knowledge required to launch and
manage a high potential new venture.
39
LEARNING OUTCOMES
On completion of the course, the student will be able to:
• Recognise and evaluate opportunities for entrepreneurial action
• Evaluate the viability of a business idea
• Produce and present a business plan for a new venture
• Understand how to recruit, select and incentivise an entrepreneurial team
• Analyse a new or growing venture from the perspective of an investor
• Understand how to finance a new venture
• Plan an appropriate exit route
COURSE STRUCTURE
The course comprises nine two-hour classes and a final session of assessed pitches:
1. The entrepreneur and entrepreneurial behaviour
2. Finding and creating entrepreneurial opportunities
3. Opportunity evaluation and entrepreneurial strategy
4. Building an entrepreneurial team
5. Raising financial capital – valuation of the company and cash flow planning
6. Communicating the business model – business plans and pitching
7. Growth and harvest
8. Assessed pitch presentations – ‘Dragon’s Den’
Key Texts (for reference only)
•
•
•
Bart Clarysse and Sabrina Keifer, ‘The Smart Entrepreneur’ (2011), Elliot and
Thompson
Jeffrey A. Timmons and Stephen Spinelli, New Venture Creation 8th edition (2009),
Irwin McGraw Hill
Sara Williams, The FT guide to Business Start Up (2012) FT Prentice Hall
ASSESSMENT
Assessment will be based on group coursework (40%) and an exam (60%), which will be
taken at the end of the course.
•
Group Coursework (40%)
Each group will be assessed on a 5 minute presentation (max 10 slides) plus a 1500 word
executive summary on the business plan. All group members should attend the presentation.
•
Exam (60%)
The exam will be closed book and may involve calculations. There will be six questions out
of which you should answer three. You will be expected to demonstrate a detailed
understanding of the course materials, including the selected readings. Any cases used in
the course will not be examined.
40
READINGS
Lecture 1: Entrepreneurial behaviour
- Case Dragon Lady (in class)
- Venturing: An Experiment on Uncertainty
- The Entrepreneurial Method: How Expert Entrepreneurs Create New Markets (Darden
Business Publishing UVA-ENT-0073)
Lecture 2: Finding and Creating Opportunities
- Kinect technology case
- Drucker, Peter F. The Discipline of Innovation. Harvard Business Review, Nov-Dec 1998
Lecture 3: Opportunity evaluation and new venture strategy
- Case JamCam
Lecture 4: Team building
- Materials handed out in class
Lecture 5: Finance
- Firemaster case
Lecture 6: Business planning
- Ellpey Business Plan
- Pitching guide
- Business plan teaching note
- Stick Safe Business Plan
Lecture 7: New venture growth
- Skype case note will be distributed in class
41
BS0507 SOCIAL RESEARCH METHODS (TBA)
COURSE TUTORS
Name: TBA
Room: Imperial College Business School
COURSE OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
3.
4.
An introduction to the aims and principles of Research Methods;
An appreciation of a number of different methodologies;
Coverage of key quantitative and qualitative methods;
The ability to apply these methods to a real life problem through a project.
Knowledge
This is an introductory course, which aims to cover the methodological issues involved in
conducting research into health care management and policy. Students are expected to
develop a basic knowledge of various approaches to research and to be able to apply this
knowledge to real life problems. The course covers a wide spread of research techniques,
including those less familiar to science students. More specifically, students should develop
a basic understanding of the following areas:
-
Research Methods as applied to health management and health management issues;
Methods for reviewing the existing literature;
Basic principles of study design and sampling techniques;
Quantitative methods; questionnaires, survey design and experiments;
Qualitative analysis; interviews, focus groups and document review;
How to do quantitative analysis (theory and practice);
How to do qualitative analysis (theory and practice);
How to interpret evidence and report findings.
Skills
-
Communication skills: oral skills will be developed in class discussion; written skills
through a coursework assignment;
Critical reasoning skills will be developed in class discussion and through a written
assignment;
Problem solving and decision making skills will be developed through class exercises;
Negotiation and team-working skills will be developed through the participation in a
group project, group discussions and group work in class;
Research skills will be practised through the development of the group project proposal
which should apply some of the methodological guidance covered in the course and
literature in a practical fieldwork setting.
STRUCTURE, FORMAT AND TEACHING
20 hour course (10 x 2 hour sessions) over five weeks of the spring term (2 sessions per
week).
42
For each session, there will be a lecture supported by group discussion around particular
studies and methods to ensure an element of interaction and participation. Students will also
work in a self-directed manner individually or in small groups to prepare project proposals.
Case studies will be used to illustrate research issues, and exercises will be used to develop
students’ capacity for the application of their knowledge into practice. The preparation of a
protocol (project outline) for a primary research project is used to stimulate ‘learning by
doing’. Because this is an interactive group-supported course, students are expected to
attend every session and do preparatory reading as required.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of the course, the students will be able to:
- Understand the basic features of Social Science Research as a multi disciplinary field;
- Appreciate a range of qualitative and quantitative methods and research designs
- Appraise critically the quality of studies against appropriate methodological criteria and
- Apply these principles within a research project
ASSESSMENT
Assessment will be through two pieces of coursework.
(a) Group work: The research protocol will contribute 50 per cent of your overall course
mark. It needs to be submitted for the Group Project that you will be undertaking in
the summer term. The content of the protocol will consist of the following major
headings:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Introduction and Background
Aims and Objectives
Methods
Plans for dissemination and feedback
Timetable
List of report chapters and subheadings
References
(b) Group work: a systematic literature review will form the other 50 per cent of the
course assessment. This assessment will have a group essay format and will allow
you to identify a large number of relevant studies to review your research topic. It
should not exceed 4,000 words (excluding references and appendices) and is an
opportunity to demonstrate your understanding as a group of the concepts and
principles of Social Research Methods.
You need to develop a systematic literature review title and question around one of the
following topic areas:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
User involvement in health care
Knowledge transfer and/or knowledge brokering in organisations
The adoption of technological or service delivery innovations
Evidence based management practice
Health care and consumerism
Managing collaboration across organisational boundaries
Whole system change in policy and practice
43
COURSE STRUCTURE
Session I: Introduction the Principles of Social Research
The aim of this introductory session is to illustrate the importance of learning social research
methods and to discuss your role, goals and objectives in the course process. For example,
as a health professional or manager you may be asked to a) conduct your own research, b)
commission research projects and evaluate the quality of commissioned research c) make
informed decisions concerning the provision of health services and work practices. We will
introduce to you key research principles (i.e. choice of appropriate design, research question
formulation, data collection and analytical methods) that enable you to achieve these tasks.
The session also introduces the different sessions and assignments, and the group research
project.
Session II: Epistemology, Theory and Practice of Social Research
The focus of this session is to provide an overview of the philosophy of social science and to
debate the origins and character of scientific knowledge and enquiry. The session will
enhance your understanding of how the different epistemological approaches inform current
research practices. The last part of the session focuses on how different disciplines that
study health, illness and organisational management, define, study and evaluate these
topics.
Session III: Basic Principles of Research Study Design
This session covers:
• The selection of research questions;
• The development of research designs;
• The selection of suitable cases to address research questions;
• The choice of specific approaches to the analysis and interpretation of study data;
• The role of ethical consideration in research design.
Session IV: Doing a Social Science Literature Review
This session focuses on:
• How to develop and conduct a literature review
• The value of critical appraisal and synthesis
• Methods for accessing, selecting and reviewing the literature
• The importance of review topic selection and study design
Session V: Developing Research Tools Part 1
This session will discuss sampling procedures and data collection techniques, including
surveys and questionnaires with illustrative examples introduced. Developing good research
tools is essential for both good quantitative and qualitative data collection. This session
firstly focuses on the most widely used data collection tool, the questionnaire. It outlines
important principles and procedures (e.g. planning, instrument design development, piloting)
involved in the construction of a reliable and valid questionnaire.
Session VI: Exploring Quantitative Research Methods
In line with the topics covered in the previous session, this session describes in more detail a
range of research methods such as questionnaire based studies, surveys (e.g. crosssectional, longitudinal), experimental and randomised control trial designs - popularly used in
health care evaluations. Sampling and data requirements as well as the appropriateness of
44
each method in addressing different set of hypotheses and validity assumptions are
discussed, in the context of their relative strengths and weaknesses. The session also offers
insights into the ways quantitative collected data can be treated to answer formulated
research hypotheses. The rationale for choosing the right test based on the type of data and
research hypothesis is discussed.
Sessions VII: Different Methods to Analyse Quantitative Data (practical)
This session will be a practical session using SPSS to analyse data collected using the
methods described in the previous session. Data coding techniques and analysis are
demonstrated. Assumptions of data normality and homogeneity of variance are tested. A set
of useful statistical tests (chi-square, t-tests, ANOVA, correlation and regression analysis)
are also presented. We will provide you with a dataset in order to familiarise yourself with
running analysis, interpreting the SPSS outputs and reporting the results.
Session VIII: Developing the Research Tools Part 2
This session will discuss qualitative data research tools in more detail, including individual
interviews, focus groups, ethnography and observation data collection techniques, with
illustrative examples introduced. We discuss what constitutes a good interview focusing on
developing rapport, interview techniques, and the criteria for constructing a good interview
schedule. Finally, the principles of three widely used techniques are discussed, grounded
theory, thematic and content analysis. We provide guidelines in how to use these analytical
techniques in order to identify emerging themes in the data.
Session IX: How to Analyse Qualitative Data (practical)
This session will be a practical session using transcripts to analyse data collected using the
methods used in the previous session. By the end of this session it is important that you feel
more familiar with the depth and breadth of qualitative data analysis.
Session X: Interpreting the evidence & reporting the findings
In this last session we discuss how to translate research evidence and communicate
complex information for different audiences, how to structure and write good research
reports and how to publish your work. We also have an overview of the course and a
question and answer session regarding the group project.
Revision Session I (Doing & Reporting Quantitative Analysis)
Date and Time to be announced (2 hour session)
Revision Session II (Doing & Reporting Qualitative Analysis)
Date and Time to be announced (2 hour session)
Q & A Session III (Discussing research issues and questions)
Date and Time to be announced (15 min per group)
45
REFERENCES
Core Texts
Bowling, A. (2002) Research Methods in Health. 3rd edition, Buckingham: Open University
Press.
Fulop, N. et al (2001) Studying the Organisation and Delivery of Health Services, London:
Routledge.
Saunders, M. Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. (2003) Research Methods for Business Students.
5th Edition, Essex: FT/Prentice Hall, Pearson.
Additional Reading
Aveyard, H. (2010). Doing a literature review in health and social care. A practical guide. 2nd
edition, McGraw-Hill: Open University Press.
Corbin, J. & Strauss, A. (2008). Basics of Qualitative Research. 3rd edition. London: Sage.
Green J. & Browne, J. eds. (2008). Principles of Social Research. McGraw-Hill: Open
University Press.
Bell, J. Doing your research project. (2010) 5th edition, McGraw-Hill: Open University Press.
Lyons, E. & Coyle, A. eds. (2007). Analysing Qualitative Data in Psychology. London: Sage.
Field. A. (2009). Discovering statistics using SPSS. 3rd edition. London. Sage.
46