NCI Courses

Identify a suitable topic for the 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 organisation.

Knowledge of literature and contemporary HR practice; information search and retrieval;analysing sources of data; writing a critical literature review; academic referencing, identifying key questions for researching

Research methods: understanding primary and secondary research, different methods of 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 in research and data collection

Data analysis: the use and value of different analytical tools for interpreting data; systematic data analysis; identification and explanation of emerging patterns and how to deal with conflicting evidence; effective interpretation and presentation of data

Drawing reasoned conclusions from data collected, analysed and presented; production of realistic, timely and effectively justified business recommendations and costed implementation plans;

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.

Developing the skills of critical reflection with consideration of key learnings for future research projects