Mental Wealth 4: Mental Wealth and Applied Research

Summary of module for applicants:

This module provides the opportunity for you to demonstrate the ability to diagnose and investigate a live, complex business issue from a variety of perspectives, to locate the work within the body of contemporary knowledge, to collect and analyse data, to derive supportable conclusions and to make practical and actionable recommendations for change, improvement or enhancement of current practice.

Main topics of study:

• Identify a suitable topic for applied research project. Potential sources might include critical incidents, significant external or internal influence, change management initiatives, risk assessment, internal or external diagnostic, and a chronic or acute problem.
• Plan and design a project that has strategic relevance and the potential to add value to the organization.
• Knowledge of literature and contemporary professional practice; information search and retrieval; analysing sources of data; writing a critical literature review; academic referencing.
• Research methods: understanding different methods of primary and secondary data collection (for example interviews, questionnaires, focus groups, participant observation), the strengths and weaknesses of each and the circumstances in which they might be used; ethical considerations.
• Data analysis amp; Digital Proficiency: the use and value of different analytical tools and online platforms for interpreting data and information; systematic data analysis; identification and explanation of emerging patterns and how to deal with conflicting evidence; effective interpretation and presentation of data/information.
• Developing and presenting a report: the importance of clear aims, objectives and appropriate terms of reference; awareness of time management and project development; potential barriers and how they might be overcome; the structure and content of a management report; principal techniques of communication and persuasion appropriate to a business report; presentation skills.
• Develop the skills of critical and professional reflection that considers individual emotional and social intelligence for career development, employability, and effective and adaptive leadership.
• Enhance cultural intelligence to develop more effective decision-making, intercultural negotiation, global and cross-cultural leadership.
• On successful completion of this module you will have demonstrated your ability to locate your research within a body of contemporary professional knowledge, and propose how you will collect and analyse data, to derive supportable conclusions and to make practical recommendations for change or improvements to current practice.

Learning Outcomes for the module
The following codes identify where a learning outcome meets one of the UEL core competencies:

• Digital Proficiency - Code = (DP)
• Industry Connections - Code = (IC)
• Emotional Intelligence Development - Code = (EID)
• Social Intelligence Development - Code = (SID)
• Physical Intelligence Development - Code = (PID)
• Cultural Intelligence Development - Code = (CID)
• Community Connections - Code = (CC)
• UEL Give-Back - Code = (UGB)
• Cognitive Intelligence – Code = (COI)

At the end of this module, students will be able to:

Knowledge
1 Identify and justify a business issue that is of strategic relevance to the organization and to pose and solve organizational problems (IC) (CC)
2 Effectively understand connected digital social and economic space relevant to your professional discipline (IC) (DP) (SID) (CC)

Thinking skills
3 Compare and contrast the relative merits of different research methods and their relevance to different situations. (IC)
4 To complete Expertise route to Digital Skills Planner (DP) (SID)
5 Develop the ability to identify, assess, and regulate one’s own emotions and moods; to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and actions and where one has to make consequential decisions for oneself. (EID) (SID)

Subject-based practical skills
6 Critically analyse and discuss existing literature, contemporary professional policy and practice relevant to your subject discipline (IC)
7 The ability to use ICT effectively; to understand the implications of the proliferation of technology and access to information; and to develop competencies to realize opportunities in the connected digital, social and economic space within your subject discipline (DP)

Skills for life and work (general skills)
8 Develop the interpersonal ability to identify & understand the underlying emotions of individuals and groups, enhancing communication efficacy, empathy, resilience and influence. (EID) (SID)
9 Develop the ability to perceive and optimize physiological activity and responses to influence emotion and solve problems that could otherwise affect behaviour. (EID) (SID)
10 Develop capacity for self-discipline, managing stress and physical resilience (EID) (SID) (UGB)