Course syllabus

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Welcome to TEK190 Research design and methods lp4 VT20 (7.5 hp).

This course is offered by the department of Technology Management and Economics

 

Course leader: Sara Fallahi , sara.fallahi@chalmers.se  

Examiner: Sofia Börjesson

 

Purpose

This course introduces students to methodological challenges in management and business research. Students will learn how to formulate research problems, research questions, select appropriate research design and subsequent empirical methods. In doing so, students will develop skills in critical thinking and being able to understand the basis for management and business as well as ethical ramifications of choices and actions.

 

Learning outcomes

After completion of the course, the student should be able to:

  • Describe and discuss the relationship between research problems, research design, research methods, and data analysis to answer research questions
  • Formulate practically or academically relevant research questions
  • Estimate data needs in relation to research question, relevant models and frameworks
  • Understand ethical ramifications of choices and actions

 

Organization

The course consists of lectures (some with group discussions), individual work, a compulsory exercise, hand-in, and – as an important course element – a home exam. The course contains two overarching modules; a) quantitative methods, consisting of two lectures and a compulsory in-class exercise; and b) qualitative module, consisting of lectures on qualitative research methods and techniques as well as analyzing qualitative data.

 

Course literature

Please check the file "Readings and lectures- an overview" for more detailed information. 

 

Main course book:

Easterby-Smith, M., Thorpe, R., and Jackson, P. (2018) Management and Business Research, SAGE, Thousand Oaks, California, 6th edition. The book is available at Cremona.

 

Articles

Alvesson, M. (2003). Beyond neopositivists, romantics, and localists: A reflexive approach to interviews in organizational research. Academy of Management Review, 28(1), 13-33

Edmonson, A. and McManus, S.E. (2007) Methodological fit in management research, Academy of Management Review, 2007, 32 (4): 1155–1179.

Eisenhardt, K.M., (1989) Building theories from case study research. Academy of Management Review, 14(4): 532–550.

Gibbert, M., Ruigrok, W., & Wicki, B. (2008). What passes as a rigorous case study?. Strategic Management Journal, 29(13), 1465-1474.

Gioia, D.A., Corley, K.G. and Hamilton, A.L. (2012). Seeking Qualitative Rigor in Inductive Research: Notes on the Gioia Methodology, Organizational Research Methods, 16(1), 15-31.

Hansson, S O. (2017). Science denial as a form of pseudoscience. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science, 83: 39-47.

Maxwell J.A. (2005), Qualitative research design. 2nd edition, Sage Publications. (Relevant pages will be handed out as pdf).

 

Articles related to the quantitative module

Céline Michaud and Daniel Llerena (2011). Green Consumer Behaviour: an Experimental Analysis of Willingness to Pay for Remanufactured Products, Bus. Strat. Env. 20: 408–420

Eriksson (2012). The nonsense math effect, Judgment and Decision making vol. 7, no. 6, November: 746-746, retrievable from http://journal.sjdm.org/12/12810/jdm12810.html

Podcast: Planet Money episode 669 (16 min), NPR, retrievable from http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2015/12/11/459412925/episode-669-a-or-b

 

Other suggested readings

Dubois, A., and L.-E. Gadde. (2002). Systematic combining: an abductive approach to case research. Journal of Business Research 55 (7): 553–560.

Siggelkow, N. (2007) Persuasion with case studies. Academy of Management Journal, 50(1):20–24

  

Note: Easterby-Smith et al (2018) and the texts listed above are all essential to the course and the learning objectives. Please also see “Readings and lectures – An overview”.

 

Examination

The examination consists of (a) compulsory attendance on the Quantitative research module exercise (April 21st) (b) a hand-in report (in pairs) in connection to the workshop exercise; and (c) a written exam in the form of a home exam. The home examination is simultaneously a course element, thus an element for learning and deepening the knowledge. It consists of writing a reflective text on one or several topics relating to methodological problems. The home examination may be written individually or – if you prefer - in pairs. Home exam duration: May 19 to June 2nd (max 70 points)

 

Grades

To pass the course you must achieve all of the following:

  • at least 35 out of 70 points on the home exam
  • attendance on the quant. module exercise on April 21st (13.15-17.00)
  • grade ‘Pass’ on the report hand-in in connection to the in-class exercise*
  • Home exam points:
    • 5:   56-70
    • 4:   45-55
    • 3:   35-44
    • Fail: 0-34 points

* In case of missing to take part or ‘failing’ on the report hand-in in connection to the in-class exercise on April 21st, no final grade will be reported until the compulsory exercise is passed.

 

Teaching team

Sofia Börjesson, Examiner

Professor, Chalmers

Sara Fallahi, Course leader, Lecturer

PhD, Senior Researcher, RISE

Marcus Linder, Lecturer  

PhD, Research Manager, RISE

Niklas Egels-Zandén, Lecturer

Professor, School of Business, Economics and
Law, University of Gothenburg

Peter Altmann, Lecturer  

PhD, Senior Researcher, RISE

Course summary:

Date Details Due