PGBM30
APPLIED RESEARCH METHODS
ASSIGNMENT

WORD LIMIT: 3000 words

Issue Date: Friday 9th September 2011

Hand in date: Thursday 3rd November 2011

Suppose you were asked to investigate how to raise employee engagement in an organisation as an instrument for facilitating high level business objectives. Prepare a report outlining how you would carry out this research and justifying the approach you would take.

Your report should include:-

*your research aims and objectives-these should be written in M level language using bullet points. The research aims should be written using phrases such as ‘to critically review’, ‘to analyse’, ‘to investigate’, etc.
*a brief critical review of the key academic sources you would use, outlining the main issues raised by these sources and how they support your aims and objectives. Do not just describe the literature!
*an explanation of, and justification for, the research methodology you would use. In particular, what primary data would you want to collect and how would you collect this data?
*an explanation of the methods of data analysis you would use.
*an outline of any ethical issues involved.
*an outline of the limitations to your research.

There is NO requirement to collect primary data for this assignment. Do not collect or analyse primary data. DO outline what primary data you would need and how you would collect this data.

Harter, J.K., Schmidt, F.L. and Hayes, T.L. (2002) ‘Business-unit level relationship between employee satisfaction, employee engagement, and business outcomes: a meta- analysis’, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol 87, pp268-79
Fredrickson (1998, p.300)

Kahn, W.A. (1990) ‘Psychological conditions of personal engagement and disengagement at work’, Academy of Management Journal, Vol 33, pp692-724
Skinner et al (1990
L.M.Keyes and Jonathan Haidt (2003
Schmidt & Rader (1999),