Learning Outcomes
The primary aim of this course is to introduce students to qualitative research methods used most frequently by business scholars, particularly within the domains of innovation and entrepreneurship studies. Knowledge of these methodological approaches is critical to the comprehension of academic publications, the evaluation of empirical studies and the design and implementation of own research projects.
The specific learning objectives of this course are as follows. At the end of the semester, students who have successfully participated in this course should be able to:
1. Explain fundamental research philosophies and approaches pursued by business scholars
2. Identify methodological approaches suitable to investigate different types of qualitative research questions
3. Describe the main features and procedures of different qualitative methods
4. Critically evaluate the quality of the methodological approaches presented in published studies
Content
- Fundamental research approaches and philosophies
- Approaches to literature searches and literature reviews
- The use of theory, hypotheses and variables in business research
- Research designs, sampling approaches and ethical issues
- Evaluation criteria in quantitative and qualitative research
- Qualitative methods (e.g., interview approaches, case study methods, grounded theory analysis)
- Realisation of an own small scale research project (incl. development of a research question, theoretical model, research design, qualitative methods)
Description of Teaching and Learning Methods
The learning and assessment strategy pursued in this course is designed to facilitate and ascertain the students’ attainment of the previously listed course objectives. The course is an integrated module, i.e. lectures and seminars are merged and must be attended together in the same semester. The course consists of lectures and a variety of interactive approaches, including discussions of the assigned readings, brainstorming, practical exercises and small group exercises. In the sessions, journal article excerpts, tables, statistics, coding results etc. will be used to provide illustrative examples of different methods and approaches.
