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Addressing The Challenge of Building Research Capabilities in
 Business Management Undergraduate Students

The research process is complex, involving many conceptually
 different steps that require a variety of skills. For instance,
 early on in the research process the task of identifying and
 articulating a suitable research problem often involves, amongst
 other skills, a high level of creativity and critical thinking,
 whereas later on in the process, application of a suitable research
 method would require deep knowledge of the state of art in that
 methodology. As the techniques used by researchers to iterate
 between current discipline theory, subject knowledge and research
 methodology gets increasingly specialized, it is also becoming more
 opaque to people outside the research community. Management students
 with little or no exposure to research find this puzzling because
 they are being encouraged to do something creative and original, and
 at the same time they are expected to build on existing knowledge
 using a set of conventions associated with the chosen methodology.
 Business students in their 1st year face many new situations. Most
 of them have little experience of what research is about or the
 various elements that are necessary for a successful project. The
 teaching at school level mostly focuses on imparting subject
 knowledge and instilling basic numeracy and literary skills. It does
 not prepare them so well for setting their own goals and working
 independently ‑ the core of research. Traditional teaching methods
 can help them acquire the relevant subject knowledge and basic
 research methods. But putting these together in a piece of practical
 research requires in depth understanding and creative thinking.
 Problem‑based learning (PBL) is a way to help UG students at the
 beginning of their research attempts to develop the mindset and
 skills needed. This paper makes the case for introducing Critical
 Thinking skills to Business Management students in their 1st year,
 using a problem‑based Learning (PBL) approach. It assesses what was
 involved in developing and delivering such a course. Both staff and
 students found the experience challenging, but the overall response
 was positive establishing that the approach taken was fundamentally
 effective.