MSB203 Applied Methods and Research Design

Contents and structure

The course provides knowledge about research design and methods to prepare students for conducting an independent research project—the master's thesis. It covers fundamental knowledge of the philosophy of science, research design, qualitative methods, and quantitative methods (with a primary focus on qualitative methods). The course offers insight into key issues in the philosophy of science and link these to research design and methodological choices. It also aims to provide an understanding of how these connections are expressed in research within the fields of economics and business administration. Students are introduced to research ethics, data protection, and academic writing, and they gain knowledge on how to plan and carry out a research project and communicate research findings in the form of a thesis or a scientific research article. Students will use the knowledge and skills acquired during the course to develop a research design.

Main objectives

• To give students a basic introduction to the most central ontological and epistemological positions within the philosophy of science.
• To give students a good understanding of the ‘methodology’ term, and how methodology is expressed in different designs.
• To give students an introduction to the genre of academic writing, as well as rules regarding research ethics.
• To give students a good understanding of qualitative methods.
• To give students a good foundation for understanding the difference between qualitative and quantitative methods.
• To give students a good understanding of how different research designs and scientific methods are expressed within the fields of economics and business administration.

Learning Outcome

Learning outcomes

After having completed this course, the students should:

• Have knowledge of central ontological and epistemological positions.
• Have knowledge about the most important principles behind a good research design.
• Have good knowledge about methodologies associated with different social science research methods.
• Have knowledge about the ethical framework and judicial regulations regarding the gathering and storage of data.
• Have knowledge about problems in the theory of science and how these relate to choices between qualitative and quantitative research methods.
• Have good knowledge about central methods and techniques in qualitative research.

Skills

After having completed this course, the students should be able to:

• Argue for a particular epistemological and ontological approach in a research design for a given context.
• Discuss the benefits and limitations of their choice of methodology.
• Interpret and analyse academic literature and choose relevant publications for their own literature reviews.
• Defend research designs that will be employed in research projects.
• Apply central methods and techniques in qualitative research.

General competencies:

After having completed this course, the students should be able to:

• Analyse and weigh the benefits and limitations of different methodologies in their research.
• Critically evaluate the appropriateness of different quantitative and qualitative research methods for concrete research projects.
• Develop and implement an independent research project that is based on a deep understanding of the theory of science and different methodologies.

Entry requirements

None

Recommended previous knowledge

None

Teaching methods

The teaching occurs through a combination of lectures, discussions, and workshops.

Compulsory learning activities

None

Assessment

Group assignment (2-3 students on each group). Accounts for 60% of the grade.

School exam 3 hours. Accounts for 40% of the grade.

Grading scale A-F.

Examination support material

All aids allowed for the group assignment.

No aids allowed for the school exam.

More about examination support material