This module introduces you to a range of philosophical and meta-theoretical debates that inform the collection, analysis and articulation of research findings in the social sciences in general, and management and accounting research in particular. The module commences with an exploration of the relationship between the approaches of the natural and social sciences, and the question of what might actually constitute a 'science'. You are then led through a selection of traditions within the philosophy and theory of the social sciences with the aim of allowing you to refine, and convincingly present, that which most closely underpins your own research.
Module Aims
The aim of this module is to introduce graduate students in management and accounting to the ways in which the social scientific understanding or knowledge of anything is shaped by (often unrecognised) assumptions regarding:
i) the nature of reality (ontology)
ii) how we might claim knowledge of that reality (epistemology)
iii) the moral & political implications that might arise from such claims (ethics)
As such, it explores what has traditionally been known as the philosophy of (scientific) knowledge.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
* Offer a coherent account of competing philosophical approaches to accounting and management as both practice and as objects of research.
* Explain and evaluate how ontological and epistemological positions underpin different interpretations of social phenomena.
* Understand some of the implications of these philosophical positions for the formulation and investigation of research problems, questions, or hypotheses.
* Understand the philosophical rationale for selecting quantitative or qualitative research methods as part of a coherent research design.
Skills for Your Professional Life (Transferable Skills)
On successful completion of the module, students should have developed the following transferable skills:
* Critical thinking
* Analytical reasoning
* Rhetoric
Module Aims
The aim of this module is to introduce graduate students in management and accounting to the ways in which the social scientific understanding or knowledge of anything is shaped by (often unrecognised) assumptions regarding:
i) the nature of reality (ontology)
ii) how we might claim knowledge of that reality (epistemology)
iii) the moral & political implications that might arise from such claims (ethics)
As such, it explores what has traditionally been known as the philosophy of (scientific) knowledge.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
* Offer a coherent account of competing philosophical approaches to accounting and management as both practice and as objects of research.
* Explain and evaluate how ontological and epistemological positions underpin different interpretations of social phenomena.
* Understand some of the implications of these philosophical positions for the formulation and investigation of research problems, questions, or hypotheses.
* Understand the philosophical rationale for selecting quantitative or qualitative research methods as part of a coherent research design.
Skills for Your Professional Life (Transferable Skills)
On successful completion of the module, students should have developed the following transferable skills:
* Critical thinking
* Analytical reasoning
* Rhetoric
- Module Supervisor: Philip Hancock
Category: Methodology and Study Skills