Research Methods (MHR101)

This course provides a platform for students’ learning in the master’s program, as well as for lifelong learning in roles as managers, consultants, and researchers. The course offers opportunities to develop skills needed to identify, collect, evaluate, synthesize, and present credible information relevant to management and leadership. The course also introduces students to contemporary research methods and discusses the role of Artificial Intelligence technology at various stages of the research cycle. Methods are selected from major management-relevant social science disciplines such as psychology, sociology, and organization studies.

Qualitative data analysis constitutes a core component of this course and receives substantial attention throughout. Students develop competence in interpreting, coding, systematically analyzing, and visualizing qualitative empirical material in ways that support rigorous, ethical and transparent research.

The course begins with an introduction to, and critical evaluation of, the foundations of social science research, including research design, sampling, data collection, and analysis. It then examines key methods of data collection, such as experiments, interviews, focus groups, observations, surveys and more. Students work extensively with cases and assignments based on individual studies, literature reviews, and meta-analyses. The course takes contemporary management-relevant research as its point of departure, drawing on social science disciplines such as psychology, sociology, and organizational theory.

The course provides a broad methodological foundation while preparing students for subsequent work that concentrates exclusively on qualitative data analysis. This progression supports students in developing the analytical competence required to work systematically with qualitative data in their master’s thesis and related research-based projects.

A candidate who has completed this class should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills, and general competence.

Knowledge

After completing this course the student has

• advanced knowledge in fundamental quality principles of research in the social sciences.
• knowledge of how research-based knowledge from across sosial science disiplines can be evaluated and synthesized.
• knowledge of how research design and methodological choices relate to qualitative data collection, analysis, and interpretation.

Skills

After completing this course the student can

• identify, evaluate, and apply research-based knowledge from across social science disciplines.
• critically assess the quality, relevacne, and limitations of contemporary research.
• formulate researchable problem statements, develop coherent research plans, and justify methodological choices.
• conduct systematic qualitative data analysis and communicate analytical procedures, findings, and implications clearly.

General competence

After completing this course, the student can:

• analyze and formulate methodological problem statements relevant to academic, business/professional, and research-informed ethical issues.
• communicate, present, and argue for the results of independent research work.
• apply acquired methodological competence in social science research, including qualitative data analysis.

The course requirements are as follows:

- 1 group-based case/assignment

- 3 out of 5 quizzes must be passed (as specified by the instructor)

These elements must be passed in order for students to be eligible to take the written exam.

Student-centered learning is based on cases, lectures, seminars, discussions, and group work. Students are expected to acquire the required knowledge through self-study of materials indicated by the lecturer, including videos, textbook chapters, and lecture slides. In many cases, these materials should be studied before classroom meetings.

Important, at the beginning of the semester, this course will be run together with the MSB103 class for approximately three lectures in order to cover common concepts related to social science research methods. After this introductory phase, the two courses will run in parallel. MHR101 will focus on qualitative data analysis, while MBS103 will focus on quantitative data analysis.

Class attendance is not mandatory, but is highly recommended, since the interactive class environment offers an efficient learning arena as well as an opportunity to acquire important academic and professional skills.

This is a 10-credit course, and the total expected workload is approximately 280 hours, distributed as follows:

• Lectures, guest lectures, presentations, seminars, student presentations: 50 hours
• Group work/collaborative learning: 130 hours
• Self-study: 100 hours

Distributed over 14 weeks, this corresponds to approximately 20 hours per week.

The same admission requirements as for Master in Service Leadership in International Business