APPLIES TO ACADEMIC YEAR 2013/2014

GRA 3160 Research Methodology in Innovation and Entrepreneurship - RE-SIT EXAMINATION

Responsible for the course
Tore Bakken, Håkan Håkansson

Department
Department of Innovation and Economic Organisation

Term
According to study plan

ECTS Credits
6

Language of instruction
English

Introduction
The course has an integrative approach to research methodology. The course provides an introduction to the various scientific principles underlying studies of innovation and entrepreneurship. The students will be introduced to both interpretative and causal approaches to research methodology, and they will learn how to generate valid and reliable knowledge by use of scientific methods and analytical tools. These skills provide the foundation for the students’ work with their Master-thesis.

The course is made of five parts:
Introduction to the theory of science and research methodology
Design of research projects and collection of data
Analyzing data
Present and communicate findings and results
Research ethics

Learning outcome
Knowledge outcomes
The students will gain knowledge of basic concepts and methodological procedures within different scientific traditions, for example, the positivist, the hermeneutic and the critical traditions. How to apply different procedures to practical problem solving within the field of innovation and entrepreneurship will be emphasized.

Skill outcomes
The students shall be able to:
formulate a specific research topic
formulate a current problem and hypothesis
do literature and information search
do documentation and historical criticism
collect data
analyze data
test hypotheses
present results of a study
acquaintance with advanced methods for information "harvesting", search technique, evaluation of sources
understand what a cited reference search is, how to do it and be acquiainted with how one can make use of it,
know what a critical literature review is and how this type of articles may be searched for and used.

Attitude outcome
Students will be trained to be reflective to different methodological procedures. Creativity and critical assessment of ideas and procedures related to innovation and entrepreneurship will be emphasized.
Broader understanding of advanced information strategies.

Prerequisites
A bachelor degree qualifying for entrance to the master programme in innovation and entrepreneurship. Students should have basic knowledge in the use of library sources and search techniques.

Compulsory reading
Books:
Abbott, Andrew. 2004. Methods of discovery : heuristics for the social sciences. W.W. Norton & Co. p 3-79,
Gill, John, Phil Johnson. 2010. Research methods for managers. 4th ed. Sage Publications

Other:
During the course there may be hand-outs and other material on additional topics relevant for the course and the examination.
Saunders, Mark N.K., Philip Lewis, Adrian Thornhill. 2012. Research methods for business students. 6th ed. Pearson Education. chapter 3: Critically reviewing the literature, p. 70-124. Available electronically


Recommended reading

Course outline
General methodology
Theory of science
Collection of data
Practical exercises in a pc lab
How to present results of a study

During the semester there will be thesis seminars to guide the students towards writing a thesis registration form. This is conducted outside the course.

Computer-based tools
It's learning and online library resources: ISI web of science and Business Source Complete, and Google Scholar.

Learning process and workload
A course of 6 ECTS credits corresponds to a workload of 160-180 hours.
The course includes regular lectures and workshops including paper presentations.

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 the course homepage/It's learning or text book.


Examination
Your course grade will be based on the following:
Thesis registration form pass/fail
A final term paper ( individual) accounts for 90% of the grade and a completed and approved work assignment given by the library accounts for 10 % of the grade.


Specific information regarding student evaluation beyond the information given in the course description will be provided in class. This information may be relevant for requirements for term papers or other hand-ins, and/or where class participation can be one of several elements of the overall evaluation.

This is a course with continuous assessment (several exam elements) and one final exam code. Each exam element will be graded using points on a scale (e.g. 0-100 or letter-grades). The elements will be weighted together according to the information in the course description in order to calculate the final letter grade for the course. You will find detailed information about the point system and the cut off points with reference to the letter grades on the course site in It’s learning.

Examination code(s)
GRA 31603 for the thesis registration form
GRA 31604 accounts for 100% of the final letter grade in the course.

Examination support materials
None. Exam aids at written examiniations are explained under exam information in the student portal @bi. Please note use of calculator and dictionary in the section on examaids

Re-sit examination
It is only possible to retake an examination when the course is next taught.
The assessment in some courses is based on more than one exam code.
Where this is the case, you may retake only the assessed components of one of these exam codes.
Where this is not the case, all of the assessed components of the course must be retaken.
All retaken examinations will incur an additional fee.

Additional information
Honor Code
Academic honesty and trust are important to all of us as individuals, and represent values that are encouraged and promoted by the honor code system. This is a most significant university tradition. Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the ideals of the honor code system, to which the faculty are also deeply committed.

Any violation of the honor code will be dealt with in accordance with BI’s procedures for cheating. These issues are a serious matter to everyone associated with the programs at BI and are at the heart of the honor code and academic integrity. If you have any questions about your responsibilities under the honor code, please ask.