Research Methodology

Subject	Research Methodology
Semester	1st semester (autum)
Type	Required
ECTS	6 ECTS
Study programme:	Business studies (Master)
Primary language:	Slovene

Introduction
The course follows a standard book Research Methods for Business Students. The course involves knowledge from the field of research methods in solving complex business-related activities. The course is suitable for professionals from different fields, who want to refresh their knowledge of analytical tools, as well as for students before graduation.
 
Preconditions
There are no specific preconditions for this course.
 
Goals
The focus and the main goal of the course is to test the readiness of graduates (magistrands) to do basic research. During the course, students will not learn research, but they will learn that research is often unavoidable. The course appeals with a prime focus into the use of research methods, especially with regard to integrating essential elements of research and encouraging the build-up of research as a skill with competitive edge.
 
Competencies

• independent determination of research questions, design of the research process and related competences, activities and ethical codes;
• a description of the use of some basic research methods that are useful in business science;
• understanding the connection between theory and research;
• independent preparation of the dissertation of the master's degree;
• independent preparation of a research analysis proposal with an explanation of theoretical and methodological starting points;
• independent preparation of an in-depth questionnaire for analyzing the set of analytical starting points;
• a critical assessment of research work that uses some of the methods we will meet;
• understanding the importance of ethics in research.

Syllabus

• The process of research
• Approaches to research
• Preparing a research question
• Literature review
• Collecting and analyzing data
• Principles of research
• Presentation of research findings

Teaching and learning activities
Teacher explanations
Conversation / debate
Individual research
 
Evaluation systems and criteria
A) Exam: questions from Research Methods for Business Students. Students can use free on-line workshops found on the official pages of the publisher (see below). The exam will be scheduled for regular exam periods.
B) Article review: students must prepare a critical assessment of the methodology used in a chosen article, which must be found by the use of the Google Scholar. Article review should contain up to 3 pages of text on A4 format with a single spacing and a font size of 12pt; a print screen of the results of the search results page with the chosen article should also be submitted. Review must include:
1.           Full citation of the article that is being the subject of review. The citation must be made in accordance with the citation rules of the Faculty of Law and Business Studies.
2.           Provide a short description of the theories that the article touches upon.
3.           Brief presentation of research methods that the article contains.
4.           A brief summary of main results that the article produces.
5.           The description of the main contribution from the summary of the main findings.
6.           What do you see are the main advantages and disadvantages of the article and what are in your opinion main contributions of the article to the theory (the field of study)?
C) Questionnaire: each student must prepare a questionnaire, which shall contain as many types of questions as possible. It must be structured in such a way that it enables aproper use of primary data for a successful completion of the research. The research question must be stated in a clean way on top of the questionnaire; the research question is chosen prior to the questionnaire by students themselves.
D) Research Proposal: The document should contain 4-6 pages. The proposal that you would like to submit should relate to the research question to which the questionnaire relates to. The deadline for submission is the end of the semester and the proposal should include all the basic elements of the master’s thesis disposition as demanded by the FPPV Exam Rules for Master Studies. Students are welcomed to request to make presentations of research proposals infront of their peers.
Important note: the proposal serves as a methodological preparation for the submission of a "real" disposition of the master's thesis, and the submitted document is for the training purposes only.
Grading structure:

• Exam 30pts,
• Article Review 20pts,
• Questionnaire 20pts,
• Research proposal 30pts.

Teaching and learning material

• Saunders, M. et al., Research Methods for Business Students.
• Additional materials and other study materials (e.g., expert or scientific articles, sample questionnaires, sample project proposals, pre-exam questions, etc.)

Office hours
•             before and after the lectures
•             by agreement