APPLIES TO ACADEMIC YEAR 2013/2014

GRA 6345 Research Methods for International Business

Responsible for the course
Jon Erland Lervik

Department
Department of Leadership and Organizational Behaviour

Term
According to study plan

ECTS Credits
6

Language of instruction
English

Introduction
The main aim of the course is to provide students with the knowledge and skills in order to successfully complete a master’s thesis. The course will inquire into the philosophy and methods of how to generate valid and reliable knowledge by use of scientific methods and analytical tools. Students are also trained in critical evaluation of research conducted by others as well as their own research.

Learning outcome
Acquired knowledge
(i) To gain knowledge of concepts and tools to collect and analyse data for research in international business.
(ii) To understand and appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of different methodologies and data sources.
(iii) Knowledge of central research questions and appropriate research designs in various subfields of international business research

Acquired skills
(i) To be able to use and evaluate advanced methods for information ‘harvesting’ and search techniques, and critically evaluate information sources.
(ii) To understand what a critical literature review is and how it can be designed and executed.
(iii) To be able to compare and critique different research designs, methodologies and data collection methods.
(iv) To be able to design and develop research designs and methods uniquely appropriate to specific research questions

Reflection
(i) Awareness of ethical issues and dilemmas related to thesis writing in the field of international business
(ii) To appreciate how to conduct original research at the MSc level and evaluate the research process.

Prerequisites
A Bachelor's degree qualifying for admission to the Master programme. Students should have basic knowledge in statistics and in the use of library sources and search techniques. Students should be majoring in International Business.

Compulsory reading
Books:
Bryman, Alan, Emma Bell. 2011. Business research methods. 3rd ed. Oxford University Press
Saunders, Mark N.K., Philip Lewis, Adrian Thornhill. 2012. Research methods for business students. 6th ed. Pearson. Chapter 3: Critically reviewing the literature, pp 70-124. Available electronically

Other:
During the course there may be hand-outs and other material on additional topics relevant for the course and the examination.


Recommended reading
Books:
Piekkari, Rebecca, Catherine Welch, eds.. 2011. Rethinking the case study in international business and management research. Edward Elgar
Thietart, Raymond Alain ... [et al.]. 2001. Doing management research : a comprehensive guide. Sage. available electronically

Course outline
The course will cover the following themes:
- Introduction to the Research Process - philosphy of science, research proposals, research process, research ethics
- Research Design - problems, questions, and designs to answer them
- Search and evaluation of information sources
- Doing a literature review
- Secondary data analysis: sources, database development and management
- Qualitative Research: assumptions, ideas, and methods
- Quantitative Methods: surveys and modelling, assumptions, ideas and methods
- Writing up your proposal and thesis

Computer-based tools
Itslearning. Various computer-based tools may be used in the course.

Learning process and workload
A course of 6 ECTS credits corresponds to a workload of 160-180 hours.
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 the course homepage/It's learning or text book.

Research Methodology is a very important course in the MSc Programme as the course is central to the thesis work. Please make sure you read the information about the thesis work in the student portal @bi


Examination
Your course grade will be based on the following activities and weights:
- Completion of a thesis registration form (pass/fail)
- A completed and approved work assignment given by the library (counts for 10% of the final grade)
- Group work (counts for 40% of the final grade)
- 3 hour written individual final exam (counts for 50 % of the final grade)

Examination code(s)
GRA 63451 for the thesis registration form (pass/fail)
GRA 63452 (continuous assessment) for the final letter grade in the course counting 100%

Examination support materials
A bilingual dictionary.
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.