The Centre for Applied Management Research (CAMaR) provides the facilities to pursue a research agenda which explores the behaviour and attitudes of individuals in their various roles as employer, employee and consumer; and aids the development of effective procedures for managing innovation and change in the workplace and consumer environment.

The purpose built facilities are equipped to enable researchers to observe and record the behaviour of individuals and groups in controlled settings; to monitor and record physiological data of participants; and to conduct simulations of workplace, consumer and domestic scenarios.

We encourage the development of multidisciplinary research with a range of collaborators both within Manchester University and with researchers from within the UK and overseas, as well as from the public and private sectors. Visiting researchers will be encouraged and workspace provided. The research agenda is project driven: that is, initiatives are welcomed for research that will take advantage of the ethos of CAMaR and use the facilities.

Objectives

  • to develop CAMaR as the leading centre for the empirical study of human behaviour, specialising in organisational and social contexts relating to individuals as employees, employers and consumers
  • to develop an infrastructure and skills base capable of handling diverse and major projects, resulting in the development of research bids that will attract national and international funding
  • to devise and implement research training programmes for social scientists working in management
  • to collaborate with international scholars, practitioners and policy makers who seek to improve their understanding of human behaviour

Facilities

The facility is located in the newly-refurbished Harold Hankins building and is extensive with substantial space for conducting research all managed from one central control room, although observations can be controlled from any place in the facility through additional display equipment.

In total there are 14 research rooms which will progressively be fitted with microphones and high resolution cameras.

The initial installation completed in March 2003 has equipped four research rooms of varying sizes and provided a number of mobile kit for use inside and outside the facility. At any one time the output from four cameras can be monitored on screen and the cameras can be operated remotely to observe from many different angles. All material will be recorded on high quality digital recorders.

There will eventually be two laboratories which, amongst other things, can be used to measure physiological responses to stimuli, a substantial area which can be configured to suit different experimental requirements, and a large observation area. There will be rooms for recording focus groups, interview rooms and rooms that can be furnished to simulate work meeting rooms, office environments and living environments.

Also, there is considerable opportunity (offices, hot desk space etc) to accommodate researchers, including visitors.

Contact us

Centre for Applied Management Research
Manchester Business School
MBS Harold Hankins
The University of Manchester
Booth Street West
Manchester
M13 9PL, UK