Course syllabus

Research Design & Methods (TEK 191)

7.5 hp credits Study period 4, 2024

Course is offered by the department of Technology Management and Economics

Can be subject to amendments and changes  (announced specifically on Canvas).

Examiner: Árni Halldórsson, arni.halldorsson@chalmers.se

Lecturers: Árni Halldórsson (Professor), Dan Andersson (Associate Professor), dan.andersson@chalmers.se,   Guest speakers.

Administrative support (Ladok): Catarina Stuchly

Background and aim

This course introduces and trains students in how to plan, perform and present empirical investigations of management problems. Students will learn how to formulate research questions, select appropriate empirical methods, collect and analyze qualitative and quantitative data, present and report data and findings, reflect upon and motivate methodological choices and understand ethical ramifications of choices and actions.

This course prepares students to work with problem structuring, investigation, and analysis in their master thesis as well as preparing them for working as professionals with strong skills in research methods in roles such as investigators, specialists, project managers, decision makers, and consultants. The world around us is not static; new technology creates new opportunities, and new structures, strategies, relationships, services, etc. are needed as transformative means for business and organisations when responding to grand challenges such as sustainable development and digitalization, to name a few. 

May we be generalists or specialists, research methods and their underlying concepts, principles and theories serve as means to investigate and solve complex problems and generate new knowledge and solutions. In doing so, the course introduces students to an understanding of methodological challenges in management and business research and to using research methods to investigate and analyse business and technology management-related problems. Students will learn how to formulate research questions, select appropriate empirical methods, collect and analyze qualitative and quantitative data, present and report data and findings, reflect upon and motivate methodological choices and understand ethical ramifications of choices and actions.  With this as background, the course seeks to achieve two key aims.

1. Prepare students in designing and executing effectively research studies such as a master thesis work.
2. Connect principles and practice of research methods and design to the role of managers and management consultants by emphasis on developing analytical skills needed to make good decisions based on sound principles of research methods.

Schedule

TimeEdit

Course schedule for lectures and seminars  – Spring 2024 – subject to adjustments, announced on Canvas

Course literature

• The ‘Core reading’ subject to examination:
  • Reading material referred to in the syllabus. The primary material is core textbook is Bell et al. 2022, but occasionally, we also make use of journal articles in some of the sessions.
  • Handouts (slides) from each lecture/seminar.
  • Other material mentioned in the course syllabus, e.g. some pieces from practice- oriented material (short examples we might hand out together with the slides).
• ‘Suggested further reading’ that we may refer to occasionally is not part of the examination.

Core textbook: Business Research Methods by Emma Bell, Alan Bryman, and Bill Harley, 6^th Edition, 2022.

Journal articles: 

• Havemo, E. (2018). A visual perspective on value creation: Exploring patterns in business model diagrams, European Management Journal, 36, pp. 441-452.
• Gelman, A. & Unwin, A. (2013). Infovis and Statistical Graphics: Different Goals, Different Looks (with discussions). Journal of Computational and Graphical Statistics, 22:1, 2-28.
• Eden, C., & Huxham, C. (1996). Action research for management research. British Journal of management, 7(1), 75-86.
• TBC: One-two additional articles may be added to the course reading. This will be announced on the course website.

Chapters referred to as ‘self-study’ during the course:

• Chapters 14, 22, and 27.

Course design

The course introduces the topic of research methods and discusses its scope and relevance and introduces an overview of the array of available methods and an in-depth discussion of the most relevant methods. Moreover, the course provides in depth knowledge about specific methods and techniques relevant to the subject area, and discusses the importance of critical thinking.

The course is structured around five distinct roles that aims to develop skills and knowledge in using research methods to solve business and technology management-related problems:

1. The Creator – appreciating opportunities, challenges and symptoms, and structuring these into focused problem statements (purpose and research questions). Here we address the perspective of a management consultant as well as the researcher.
2. The Thinker – understand fundamental assumptions through research paradigms, alternative resarch design, and capturing current body of konwledge through literature reviews.
3. The investigator – Qualitative – types of problems, principles and practices for collecting and analysing evidence.
4. The investigator – Quantitative - types of problems, principles and practices for collecting and analysing evidence.
5. The interventionist – display results and present these to key stakeholders, and moving on towards a true intervention and impact through actions (action research) and actionable knowledge. Also here we consider the perspective of the management consultant as well as the researcher.

Teaching and learning activities

Lectures, guest lectures, group work, hand-in assignments, seminars, written-exam (individual, closed-book)and a learning log.

The course will be delivered as a series of presentations and discussion sessions of theoretical concepts, their implications for managers and application in various contexts. Students are expected to read material and make themselves familiar with key concepts prior to the particular lecture and prepare for discussions of theoretical concepts and their applicability in a particular situation.

Changes made since the last occasion

• In 2024 a written individual exam replaces a quiz and a and a multiple choice assignment as well as a group-based take home assignment.
• In 2023: New textbook (2022 edition). Adjustment in the weight of the take-home assignment, individual multiple-choice at the end of the course.
• In 2022: Learning objectives revised to reflect in clearer terms both content and examination.
• In 2021: New examiner and teaching team; examination; structure round five distinct roles; greater emphasis on combining theoretical understanding with use of skills and knowledge research methods (structure problems, investigation, analysis) to solve business and technology management-related problems; engagement of external speakers to illustrate the use of skills and kownledge in research methods in practical situations (for example management consultancy).

Learning objectives

After completion of the course, the student should be able to:
a. Formulate practically or academically relevant questions

d. Estimate or delineate data needs in relation to research question, relevant models and frameworks

Examination and compulsory activities 

• Course examinations in total corresponds to 100 points.
• Written examination (individual, closed-book) during the regular exam period (60 points)
• Written and oral examination (seminars, hand-ins, presentations), individual and group, during the course (40 points).
• Grading: Not Passed, 3, 4 5. Pass grade is 50%.
• Each compulsory course elements must be passed and attended to in order to pass the course overall.
• Absence from compulsory activities for other reasons than illness: You may be provided a complementary task, which will be marked as passed (i.e. 50% of the potential points) or fail.

Table 1: Examination and compulsory activities:

As regards size of groups:

• For items 1, 2 and 4: A group of five students.
• For item 3: A group of two students.
• For item 6: Individual.

Groups are ‘self-selected’, i.e. you sign up into a group through Canvas.

Guidelines for assignments will be uploaded on the course website and introduced during lectures in due course to allow for questions and answers.