Our courses
Graduate Diploma in Management Research
Course 1: Management Research – Theory & Methodology (4.5 units)
Management Research aims to develop an understanding of the key issues in the philosophy of social science and management research while providing an overview of the main research methods and their appropriateness for management research. The focus is on understanding the nature of research and the philosophy of science that informs research.
Course 2: Analysis and Critique of Research-based Literature (4.5 units)
Analysis and Critique focuses attention on how to critically analyse and assess the research-based literature by requiring students to review examples, develop defendable appraisals of research question formation, methodological development, and the presentation of research findings. This course is concerned with providing a sound foundation to literature analysis as the basis of research and it will focus on the area of cross-cultural management. Analysis of style, content and structure is examined. Students will be required to review a number of research-based literatures and submit substantial critique papers.
Course 3: Annotated Literature Review (9 units)
Annotated Literature Review extends students' skills in conducting the literature review as a discourse by engaging them in an analysis of related research-based and conceptual papers (journals, books etc.). The identified related literature will be annotated and those considered directly relevant to the student's proposed research topic will be subjected to critical assessment leading to a summary overview. The student is required, entirely from their own initiative, to source literature from their areas of research interest and to compile an annotated bibliography of referenced works. The final written assignment, the student's critical review of research-based literature, will be used as the basis for the appointment of a research proposal advisor for the course Research Project Development Proposal.
Course 4: Management Research: Design, Methodologies and Practice (9 units)
The purpose of Management Research is to develop students' skills in designing a research proposal in accordance with sound research principles and good practice. It extends the knowledge and skills required to research business and management issues. As background context, the general nature of evidence-based and ethical research is examined before focusing attention on the two major paradigms of investigative knowledge: the positivist-empiricist and the interpretative-naturalistic approaches, or more simply, quantitative and qualitative research. Specific attention is paid to individual methods, such as the population survey, focused interviews, case study and action research. As these various approaches are frequently used in management research, an understanding of their strengths and limitations is also examined.
Course 5: Research Project Development Proposal (9 units)
Research Project Development Proposal aims to prepare students for developing and presenting a research-based proposal that they intend to use as the basis of their doctoral research. The focus of the course is the development of the students' ability in writing a research proposal that is well conceived, logically organised and planned, and manageable within the time frame of the program. The outcome will be a PhD or DBA research proposal that covers thematic concerns, relevant body of literature, methodology and research design and plan, together with an ethics protocol that will be submitted and reviewed in tandem. The student will nominate and present their research proposal for consideration as either a PhD or DBA proposal and it will be assessed accordingly against established criteria. This process will involve an oral presentation to an appropriate academic panel of the University of South Australia. Research proposal advisors are appointed at the commencement of each course.
PhD
The research project leads to a thesis which is expected to be 80,000 words in length, excluding appendices. The PhD thesis is required to embody the experience and results of the candidate's approved research project and must be adjudged to be a contribution to the existing body of knowledge in the chosen topic area.
The thesis will be examined by two independent examiners of advanced academic standing in the field in which the candidate's research has been conducted. Examiners appointed to the University will be external to the University of South Australia and cannot include the candidate's research proposal advisor or PhD supervisor.