Course detail

Business Research Methods

FP-IBbrmPAcad. year: 2021/2022

a) Research in business - scientific thinking, research process, proposing research.
b) Scheduling research, pitfalls and critical spots of research.
c) State of scientific knowledge, state of the outer environment and situation of the company.
d) Sources and collection of data in secondary research.
e) Methods of data collection in primary research.
f) Research presentation - presenting and defending the assignment on the selected topic.
g) Learning a company's specific task and meeting company staff.
h) Actual analytical activity within the company (obtaining information and gaining knowledge in the selected area).
i) Bringing up specific scenarios proposing approach to the assigned project, consulting the lecturer, selection of the most suitable approach scenarios.
j) Producing the so-called Final Report, which will be presented to company management.
k) Public presentation of the research results and subsequent discussion with the company management.

Language of instruction

English

Number of ECTS credits

5

Mode of study

Not applicable.

Guarantor

prof. Ing. Vojtěch Koráb, Dr., MBA

Department

Institute of Management (ÚM)

Learning outcomes of the course unit

a) Describe the research process and propose a scheme of their research.
b) Schedule and plan research and set pitfalls and critical spots of their research.
c) Define the state of scientific knowledge, describe the state of the outer environment and situation of the company.
d) Define sources of data and data collection method for secondary research.
e) Select a data selection method for primary research.
f) Present and defend results of their research.

Prerequisites

The following knowledge, skills and competences are required for the course:
Knowledge: at least bachelor's degree statistics. MS office in Excell, Word and PoverPoint amounts.
Skills: Ability to communicate with respondents, collect data and process them.
The ability to defend the research results not only in front of the lecturer in the university, but also in front of the company management.
Competence: working in a particular company. Communicate with business owners about a research problem.

Co-requisites

Not applicable.

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

This module contains a small part of the preliminary consultation with lecturer and the knowledge of the research theory. It will be a practical teaching process aimed at developing a real research project for a particular client. After completing this module, students gain experience in company research.

The seminars will use specific cases from research in business practice and case studies from recommended literature.

Assesment methods and criteria linked to learning outcomes

The course participants will need to defend their research (max 60 points) on selected topic presenting stage of their research at their meeting. The project and presentation (60 points), will be rated: project 40 points, presentation 15 points, discussion 5 points. The evaluation criteria for the student's project are:
• standard of final report (design, contain),
• presentation of project results (ability to defence the student’s opinions),
• quality of answers in the discussion part after presentation.
To obtain a course-unit credit, you need min 45 points. Evaluation ot research work is given by the committee (lecturer, asistant).
The final exam (may 100 points) will be closed book and consists of a written part containing 4 open questions. Each question is rated max. 25 points. To successfully finish the subject, the student must receive a minimum of 50 points: the resulting record is then determined according to the scale:
A 90-100 points
B 80-89 points
C 70-79 points
D 60-69 points
E 50-59 points
F less than 50 points

Course curriculum

Lectures:
1. Research in business, scientific thinking, research process, research design, research timing, errors and critical points in research.
2. Stating of scientific knowledge.
3. Sources and data collection in secondary research. Methods of data collection in primary research.
4. Quantitative approach, qualitative approach, discussion of research results.
5. Elaboration of the so-called Research Report. Principles of writing scientific articles.
6. Presentation of research-presentation and defense of research results.
7. Presentation of research-presentation and defense of research results.

Work placements

Not applicable.

Aims

The objective of the module is working out and presents a research project by using of research methods presented in the module. In this module students may/should apply knowledge gathered during lectures and seminars. Students may/should solve a practical problem of a chosen company within the field of management, marketing, strategic management, etc.

Specification of controlled education, way of implementation and compensation for absences

Attendance at lectures is required as well as studying of basic literature. Control is in teacher’s competence.

Recommended optional programme components

Not applicable.

Prerequisites and corequisites

Not applicable.

Basic literature

SAUNDERS, M., LEWIS, P., THORNHILL, A. Research methods for business students. 3rd edition. London: Prentice Hall, 2003. 504 p. ISBN 0-273-65804-2.

Recommended reading

BLOCK, M., BLOCK, T. Business-to-business market research. 2nd ed. Mason: Texere, 2005. 277 p. ISBN 0-324-22230-0.
COOPER, D., EMORY, W. Business research methods. 5th ed. Chicago: Irwin, 1995. 681 p. ISBN 0-256-13777-3.
EASTERBY-SMITH, M., THORPE, R., LOWE, A.. Management research. 2nd ed. London: SAGE Publications, 2002. 194 p. ISBN 0-7619-7285-4.
HAMERSVELD, M., DE BONT, C. Market research handbook. 5th ed. Chichester: John Wiley, 2007. 627 p. ISBN 978-0-470-51768-0.

Classification of course in study plans

  • Programme MGR-IBM Master's 2 year of study, winter semester, compulsory

Type of course unit

 

Lecture

13 hod., optionally

Teacher / Lecturer

prof. Ing. Vojtěch Koráb, Dr., MBA

Syllabus

Lectures:
1. Research in business, scientific thinking, research process, research design, research timing, errors and critical points in research.
2. Stating of scientific knowledge.
3. Sources and data collection in secondary research. Methods of data collection in primary research.
4. Quantitative approach, qualitative approach, discussion of research results.
5. Elaboration of the so-called Research Report. Principles of writing scientific articles.
6. Presentation of research-presentation and defense of research results.
7. Presentation of research-presentation and defense of research results.

Exercise

13 hod., compulsory

Teacher / Lecturer

prof. Ing. Vojtěch Koráb, Dr., MBA

Syllabus

Seminars:
1. Introduction of seminars - organizational aspects, generating research ideas (brainstorming, delphi). Case study: Catherine Chang and women in management. Definition and purpose of the research, time management of the research, bottlenecks of the research process. Case study: National cultures and management styles.
2. Qualities of a good researcher - case study: Mystery customer research in restaurant chains. Deciding on the research approach and choosing a research strategy. Case study: Marketing music products alongside emerging digital music channels.
3. Collecting the research data – doing the research, the secondary research. Case study: Small firm internationalisation. Collecting the research data, primary research: observation, interviews, questionnaires. Case study: Auditor independence and integrity in accounting firm.
4. Analyzing and interpreting research results – qualitative approach. Case study: Internet abuse in universities. Analyzing and interpreting research results – quantitative approach. Case study: The impact of family ownership on financial performance.
5. Consultation to research topics, consultation to students.
6. Presentation of research project.
7. Presentation of research project.