Management Research

Abstract

This course teaches students about the basic principles of scientific work in the field of management research. The main learning objective of the course is to get familiar with the foundations of rigorous and relevant empirical management research and be prepared to write a master thesis in management.It is recommended to take this course in the last semester before the start of the thesis.

Objective

This course is for students who write their master thesis at the Department of Management, Technology and Economics. The successful completion of the course will help you to improve the quality of your thesis and specifically, you will be able to: 1. Turn ideas into interesting and relevant research questions and objectives 2. Prepare and plan your research project 3. Draft a research proposal 4. Receive inspiration and insights for conducting your thesis 5. Search, review and accurately reference the academic literature 6. Understand the importance of the research design

Content

Course structure: This course combines lectures, group discussions and individual assignments. Day 1: Course introduction, group analysis exercises and discussions, lectures on main topics. Between the two course days: Individual work on assignment. Day 2: Assignment review and discussion, lectures on main topics, conclusion session. Target audience: The course is designed with two groups of students in mind: first, students who write their master thesis at the SMI chair and second, students who write their master thesis in the field of management at other MTEC chairs. For both groups, the focal issues of this course will arise frequently during the journey of writing their thesis. We will provide some specific content (grading guidelines, thesis format) which might not be applicable for students tutored at other MTEC chairs; however, the main part should be relevant for all students. Course topics: 1. Thesis topic and thesis proposal: - Choice of thesis topic, identification of research gap, formulation of research questions, writing of thesis proposal 2. Literature review: - Search and evaluation of academic literature, use of reference tools, writing of theoretical background chapter of thesis 3. Empirical research design: - Types of empirical research designs, choice of methodology, overview of data collection and analysis methods 4. Research output and report: - Writing of introduction, results and conclusion, thesis format and structure 5. Thesis assessment: - SMI grading criteria, MTEC guidelines References: Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitiative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Sage. Easterby-Smith, M., Thorpe, R., & Jackson, P. (2012). Management research (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Van Aken, J., & Berends, H. (2018). Problem-solving in organizations: A methodological handbook for business students (3rd ed.). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.

Resources