This class exists in these courses :
• IÉSEG > IESEG Degree - Programme Grande École > Semester 1 > 2,00 ECTS

Prerequisites

Students are required to have an understanding of the foundations of statistics. Also students are required to have a good knowledge of the fundamentals of the subjects they have chosen as their subject/track domain.

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student should be able to :
Understand what research is and the fundamental philosophical assumptions that can underlie it.
- Comprehend how to design relevant research projects.
- Relevantly choose between qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods studies.
- Mobilize and master appropriate methodological tools to develop serious, valid and reliable research efforts.

The central objective of the course is to provide students of the with an adequate theoretical understanding of the research designs and methods necessary to engage in graduate-level research activities (during studies and professional job activities).

Course description

In the first part of the course (first session) we will introduce the topic of research methods and discuss how to choose among alternative methods, and how to plan for research questions. We will also discuss how to plan for an adequate literature review.

In the second part of the course (three sessions), students will have the opportunity to get acquainted with the most common methods to sample and to perform an analysis with quantitative methods.

In the third part (last two sessions) we will discuss qualitative methods and notions to evaluate the quality and the reliability of qualitative analysis.

Summarizing overview:

- Session 1: Introduction to business research
- Session 2: Quantitative methods 1/3 (Quantitative research designs + Collecting quantitative data)
- Session 3: Quantitative methods 2/3 (Measuring concepts and constructs + Developing measures)
- Session 4: Quantitative methods 3/3 (Quantitative data treatment, analysis and interpretation)
- Session 5: Qualitative methods 1/2 (Qualitative research designs + Collecting qualitative data)
- Session 6: Qualitative methods 2/2 (Qualitative data treatment, analysis and interpretation)

Class type

Class structure

Teaching methods

• Interactive class
• Project work
• Research

Assessment

Recommended reading

• Easterby-Smith, M., Thorpe, R. and Jackson, P. (2015). Management & Business Research, 5th Edition, London, UK: Sage Publications. -

Internet resources

• IESEG Online