Agenda

1. Agenda Purpose and goal of the course Chapter 1 in Saunders et al What is research? The research process Learning goals Exam & Exam report (Chapter 14)

2. Purpose & Goal PurposeThe purpose of the course is to give the student experience in development of a proposal for a research project in the field of business economics or business administration. The purpose with this is that the students get a good foothold for working with their bachelor�s project and other projects involving creation of research based knowledge. Content - Key areas Problem statement How to write about important methodological choices and, as a part of this, choice of research methodology. How to use theory in concrete problem solving Measurement issues, problems in creating evidence for causal relationships and various strategies for analysis of quantitative data Various approaches for creating qualitative data and stategies for analysis and creation of results Strong and weak sides of research designs in the context of different types of problem statements 

3. What is research? Taken on to create scientific knowledge � to find things out Data are collected and interpreted in a systematic way according to �rules� for good research Important words Documentation Based on theory or empirical findings (secondary or primary data) Precision Of what is investigated and how Objectivity Independent of the attitudes of the researcher

4. Management Research Aims at establishing knowledge on which decisions can be made Draws on many disciplines Accepts several paradigms of research No single truth � the result and implications are context dependent Results of research may influnce the researched

5. Key debates � modes of knowledge production Mode 1: Academic interests governs the research Mode 2: Context and the relevance for practice is important Mode 3: A focus on the appreciation of human conditions � ethics, work conditions etc. The �relevance gap� � table 1.1. p. 7

6. Key debatesbasic versus applied research