Overview
This course covers the process and practice of research with an emphasis on quantitative research orientations and issues related to design in the management research context. The course spans such topics as: types of research, quantitative research orientations, research ethics, measurement, sampling, and quantitative designs. Students will gain experience in research design to help them develop research questions and elements of their proposal.
Outline
This course is divided into 10 lessons.
- Lesson 1: Introduction to Business Research and Developing a Research Topic
- Lesson 2: Conducting a Literature Review, Addressing Ethical Issues, and Establishing a Research Design
- Lesson 3: Primary and Secondary Data, and Sampling
- Lesson 4: Analyzing Quantitative and Qualitative Data, and Presenting Your Research
- Lesson 5: Introduction to Multivariate Data Analysis and Regression
- Lesson 6: Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modelling
- Lesson 7: The Difference Methods: Discriminant Analysis and (M)ANOVA
- Lesson 8: Cluster Analysis and Advanced SEM Topics
- Lesson 9: Study Week
- Lesson 10: Final Exam
Learning outcomes
By the end of this course, students should develop
- an understanding of the nature of a variety of quantitative research methodologies
- a working knowledge of how these can be applied in business research
- the ability to critique quantitative research methodologies as they are applied in business research
- the ability to create a research proposal that uses survey methodology
- an understanding of the purposes of multivariate statistical methods.
Evaluation
Your grade will be based on the successful completion of five individual assignments and one final examination and on your participation in moderated group discussions.
| Activity | Weight |
| Participation in Discussions | 15% |
| Assignment 1 (Scale Development Critique) | 10% |
| Assignment 2 (Basic Statistical Analysis) | 10% |
| Assignment 3 (Factor Analysis Example) | 10% |
| Assignment 4 (Statistical Method Summary) | 10% |
| Assignment 5 (Research Design Paper) | 25% |
| Final Examination | 20% |
| Total | 100% |
To receive a passing grade in this course, you must meet these minimum standards:
- receive a minimum of 70% on the participation component; and
- receive an average grade of 70% over all course components.
Materials
Digital course materials
Links to the following course materials will be made available in the course:
Wilson, J. (2014). Essentials of business research: A guide to doing your research project (2nd ed.). Sage Publications.
Hair, J. F., Jr., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2018). Multivariate data analysis (8th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Other Resources
Students will also be given access to SPSS Statistics Basic software.