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Research Methods

People

Bettinazzi E.

Course director

Description

Objectives and Contents

In this course, we will learn how to conduct a research project. In doing so, we will work together to address the following questions

  • What is business research about?
  • What are the epistemological roots of research?
  • What are the differences between a deductive and an inductive study?
  • How can we identify a good research question?
  • How can we conduct a literature review?
  • What do we mean by qualitative and quantitative research? How can we identify what is more suitable for our RQ?
  • What are the basics of data collection (secondary or primary data)?
  • How can we design an experiment?
  • How can we conduct a qualitative study?
  • How can we accurately formalize research?

 

Developing research capabilities such as the ability to:

  • Collect data and information from the field
  • Analyze data with state of the art tools and rigorous methodologies
  • Generate insights from the results
  • Formalize and communicate effectively the conclusions that are drawn from the research process

 

Structure of the course and requirements

The course uses a mix of frontal teaching and participative learning. We will use lectures, interactive discussion on cases, group projects, presentations, and simulations.

Specifically, the lectures will present the main topics of the course. The suggested material covers only partially the discussion that will be developed in class, so the importance of slides, notes and class participation is paramount. Attendance to class and active participation is required for all sessions.

During in class exercises, each group will be asked to prepare and present research proposals on the assigned research question. This will help students learn how to carry out academic research.

Each group will be asked to generate a proposal for a research project and present it in class. The presentation shall not exceed 10-12 minutes and shall include:

  • A compelling research question
  • A concise literature review
  • The identification of the phenomenon or the definition of hypotheses to test
  • An explanation of the research design and methodology
  • The expectations in terms of outcomes.

The deadline for the delivery of the presentation contents (in .ppt or .pdf format) will be midnight of the day before the last class (April 8th, 2020).

 

Evaluation

15% Class participation

35% Group assignments

50% Final Exam

Education