GRA 6721 Research Methodology for Logistics, Operations, and Supply Chain Management
GRA 6721 Research Methodology for Logistics, Operations, and Supply Chain Management
Students participating in this course will be guided towards the completion of a research proposal. The main aim of the course is to provide students with the knowledge and skills in order to successfully complete a masters thesis.
The course covers the philosophical underpinnings of research in business with focus on logistics, operations and SCM. This includes the fundamentals of research design. The main section of the course covers both qualitative and quantitative research methods.
(i) To understand how to write a research proposal.
(ii) To gain knowledge of concepts and tools to collect and analyse data for research in logistics, operations and SCM.
(iii) To understand and appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of different methodologies and data sources.
(iv) To gain an understanding of information search strategies.
(i) To be able to compare and contrast different research designs.
(ii) To be able to compare and critique different research designs, methodologies and data collection methods.
(iii) To be able to design samples, research questions and research proposals appropriately.
(iv) To be able to use and evaluate methods for information harvesting and search techniques, and critically evaluate information sources.
(v) To understand what a critical literature review is and how it can be designed and executed.
(i) To understand how research design influences and is influenced by the theme of interest.
(ii) To appreciate how to conduct original research at the MSc level and evaluate the research process.
- Introduction to the Research Process - philosphy of science, research proposals, research process, research ethics
- Research Design - problems, questions, collection and design
- Secondary Research and Analysis - literature searching, literature reviews, review articles, database management
- Qualitative Research - assumptions, ideas, methodologies and methods
- Quantitative Methods: surveys and modelling - assumptions, ideas, methodologies and methods
- Database Development, Management and Use
- Experimental Design
The course provides guidance on writing the thesis registration form and start of developing a thesis proposal.
Students are expected to participate actively and to be well prepared before attending class.
Please note that while attendance is not compulsory in all courses, it is the student’s own responsibility to obtain any information provided in class that is not included on It's learning or in the text book.
This is a course with continuous assessment (several exam components) and one final exam code. Each exam component is graded by using points on a scale from 0-100. The components will be weighted together according to the information in the course description in order to calculate the final letter grade for the examination code (course). Students who fail to participate in one/some/all exam elements will get a lower grade or may fail the course. You will find detailed information about the point system and the cut off points with reference to the letter grades when the course start.
At resit, all exam components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course.
All courses in the Masters programme will assume that students have fulfilled the admission requirements for the programme. In addition, courses in second, third and/or fourth semester can have specific prerequisites and will assume that students have followed normal study progression. For double degree and exchange students, please note that equivalent courses are accepted.
| Assessments |
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Exam category: Activity Form of assessment: Class participation Weight: 20 Grouping: Individual Exam code: GRA67213 Grading scale: Point scale leading to ECTS letter grade Resit: All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course |
Exam category: Submission Form of assessment: Written submission Weight: 10 Grouping: Group/Individual (1 - 3) Duration: 1 Week(s) Comment: Library assignment Exam code: GRA67213 Grading scale: Point scale leading to ECTS letter grade Resit: All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course |
Exam category: Submission Form of assessment: Written submission Weight: 70 Grouping: Group/Individual (1 - 3) Duration: 2 Month(s) Comment: Term paper Exam code: GRA67213 Grading scale: Point scale leading to ECTS letter grade Resit: All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course |
A course of 1 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 26-30 hours. Therefore a course of 6 ECTS credits corresponds to a workload of at least 160 hours.