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Welcome to MBA 610 - Term 2, 2008 Seminar in Research Methods |
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Welcome to MBA 610 - Term 2, 2008 Seminar in Research Methods |
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Syllabus |
Syllabus – Term 2
MBA 610 – Seminar in Research Methods (3)
INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Donald D. Conant Class Time and Location: M-W 7:50 to 10:30, Fort Lewis Phone: work: (360) 754-4877, home: (360) 556-7359
OFFICE HOURS: By appointment REQUIRED TEXTS:
PRE-ASSIGNMENTS: (to be completed prior to arriving to
class on the first night)
1. Think about a research topic that would interest you. Bring at least one topic idea (preferably 2 or 3) to class. 2. Insure that you have a student email account. To get a student email account if you do not already have one, you must go to http://www.stmartin.edu/its/Account_Creation.htm. Enter your student ID number and the campus you are attending. Read and accept the Acceptable Use Policy then click “Submit” when you are finished. Account creation is usually completed within one business day. COURSE DESCRIPTION:
As stated in the Saint Martin’s University catalog, this course
provides an introduction to the “selection of research projects,
design of experimental procedures, observation methods, analysis
of data and reporting of findings. Seminar will culminate in the
design of a research proposal. Approval of the proposal leads to
initiation of a research project or thesis that will be completed in
MBA 611 or MBA 612.”
The research project or thesis represents the culmination of the
master’s degree. This course is intended to provide the student
with the structure necessary to facilitate the completion of this
final step in earning his or her MBA. It is also intended to develop
an awareness of the process and purpose of research. Research
provides business leaders with the opportunity to gain new
knowledge. This knowledge can change the way we understand
products, markets, and customers. It can also change how we
understand ourselves, our companies, and the complex
relationships that make up the business environment.
OBJECTIVES: At course completion, students should have the ability to:
construct a quantitative and qualitative research proposal,
design a quantitative and qualitative questionnaire,
analyze data using descriptive and inferential statistics, and
read and understand scholarly research articles.
COURSE PREREQUISITES: MBA 605
TEACHING STRATEGY: The class sessions will consist of lecture, discussion, small group activities, and individual writing. Course content will come from the assigned textbooks and selected research articles. Additional content will be incorporated where appropriate. Students are responsible for reviewing the class schedule and completing assigned readings, homework, and other assignments. BRIEF COURSE OUTLINE:
Week 1:
Week 2:
Week 3:
Week 4:
Week 5:
Week 6:
Weeks 7:
Week 8:
Week 9 GRADING: Grade category and points:
Grade Scale:
REQUIREMENTS: Attendance/Participation: (10 Points) Much of what is learned in this course will be learned through class interaction. Research articles will be assigned during the term. These articles will be discussed in class. Attendance and participation are critical. I recognize that unavoidable professional and personal conflicts will arise. In such cases you should contact me immediately (email or during class) and let me know of your expected absence. Otherwise, I expect that each student will make every effort to arrive promptly for each class session fully prepared to participate in activities and discussion related to the assigned chapters and articles. Near the end of the course, each student will give a 15 minute oral presentation of their research proposal. This presentation will constitute a portion of the points for attendance/participation. Intro paper: (10 points) This paper provides a brief introduction (400 – 700 words) to the topic. As an example, assume that the topic for this study is ethical decision making as it applies to the healthcare system. The introduction could begin by stating that the focus of the study is on ethical decision making as it applies to the healthcare system. Following this comes 400 – 700 words informing the reader of the importance of ethical decision making, what it means, and why it is important to apply it to the healthcare system. These points must be supported with references whenever appropriate. This section concludes with a transition to the next section by presenting the main topics to be covered. Background paper: (20 points) This paper presents a more in-depth (1000 – 2000 words) background to the problem. The background to the problem provides the reader with summary of the theoretical framework of the study. The framework includes the theories that will guide the study. For the ethical decision-making topic example, theories about ethics and ethical decision making need to be summarized. There should also be a description of the healthcare system to be studied. Both of these areas will get a more thorough treatment in Chapter 2. This section should conclude with a summary of the need for further research on this topic. This includes a brief description of research that has been done on this topic, areas that still need attention, and how this study will add to understanding the healthcare system. Proposal draft: To complete this course students are required to submit a draft research proposal consisting of drafts of the following three chapters. Chapter 1 draft: (20 points) In addition to the introduction and background papers, students are required to write a minimum of three additional pages of chapter 1 of their proposal using the American Psychological Association (APA) fifth edition style template provided for the course. This will add the purpose of the study (what will the study accomplish and the research question[s]), a summary of the research methods (a brief overview of the form of research to be used and how the data will be collected – see chapter 3), and definitions of key terms (primarily for quantitative research), and an overview of the proposal (one paragraph that summarizes all three chapters) to the introduction and background papers. These sections will be appropriately referenced. Additional information will be provided in class. Chapter 2 references and abstracts: (20 points) Students are required to prepare a list consisting of a minimum of 20 articles that are relevant to their study. The entry for each article will include the proper APA reference and the article abstract. Chapter 3 draft (20 points) Students are required to write a minimum of four pages of chapter 3 of their proposal using the American Psychological Association (APA) fifth edition style template provided for the course. For a quantitative study this chapter will consist of an introduction (purpose of the study and an overview of the chapter), a discussion of the research method selected (its strengths and weaknesses), population and sampling (discuss how the sample will be selected and its size), instrumentation (discuss the instrument, how it was developed, and its quality – validity and reliability – if appropriate), detail how the data is to be collected, data analysis (what statistical methods will be used to analyze the data), limitations of the study (describe the limitations inherent to your research design), and ethical considerations. These sections will be appropriately referenced. Additional information will be provided in class. For a qualitative study this chapter will consist of an introduction (purpose of the study and an overview of the chapter), research methods (discuss the strengths and weaknesses of qualitative research and detail the style of qualitative research selected including references where appropriate), the research participants (who was selected and how they were selected), data collection (how will the interviews be set up – when, where, and why, what interview guide will you use, how will the data be recorded), data analysis (how will the data be transcribed, how will it be analyzed), limitations of the study (describe the limitations inherent to your research design), and ethical considerations. These sections will be appropriately referenced. Additional information will be provided in class Class Reading Assignment Each student is required to download the research articles below to serve as samples of the different research designs and their application to business research. When selecting articles for use in the thesis or research project it is important that the articles be peer reviewed whenever possible. The peer review process normally signifies the presence of a level of scholarship that lends itself to academic research. Content Analysis (for the session on content analysis) Use the St. Martin's library research databases to find the following articles on content analysis. These articles should serve as resources and examples for a content analysis research project. Insch, G. S., Moore, J. E., & Murphy, L. D. (1997). Content analysis in leadership research: Examples, procedures, and suggestions for future use. Leadership Quarterly, 8, 1-25. Barley, S. R., Meyer, G. W., & Gash, D. C. (1988). Cultures of culture: Academicians, practitioners, and the pragmatics of normative control. Administrative Science Quarterly, 33(1), 24-60. Bettman, J. R., & Weitz, B. A. (1983). Attributions in the board room: Causal reasoning in corporate annual reports. Administrative Science Quarterly, 33(2), 165-182. Meindl, J. R., Ehrlich, S. B., & Dukerich, J. M. (1985). The romance of leadership. Administrative Science Quarterly, 30(1), 78-102. Qualitative – Interview (for the session on phenomenology) Use the St. Martin's library research databases to find the following articles on the interview and phenomenological methods. These articles should serve as resources and examples for a thesis using these methods. Alvesson, M. (1996). Leadership studies: From procedure and abstraction to reflexivity and situation. Leadership Quarterly, 7, 455-485. Meyerson, D. E. (1994). Interpretations of stress in institutions: The cultural production of ambiguity and burnout. Administrative Science Quarterly, 39(4), 628-653. Thompson, C. J., Locander, W. B., & Pollio, H. R. (1989). Putting consumer experience back into consumer research: The philosophy and method of existential-phenomenology. Journal of Consumer Research, 16(2), 133-146.
Thompson, C. J., Locander,
W. B., & Pollio, H. R. (1990). The lived meaning of free choice: An
existential-phenomenological description of everyday consumer experiences of
contemporary married women. Journal of Consumer Research, 17(3),
346-361. Quantitative – Survey (for the session on survey research) Use the St. Martin's library research databases to find the following article on the survey method. This article should serve as a resource and an example for a thesis using this methods. Singhapakdi, A. & Marta, J. K. M. (2005). Comparing marketing students with practitioners on some key variables of ethical decisions. Marketing Education Review, 15(3), 13-25. SPECIAL ASSISTANCE: The Learning Center offers individual learning consultations, study group assistance, handouts and books on study skills, and free peer tutoring in the following subject areas: math, chemistry, physics, economics, accounting, Spanish, French, and Japanese. The tutoring schedules are posted outside the door in Old Main, room 212. To learn more about resources available through the Learning Center you are encouraged to drop by room 208 or visit their website: www.stmartin.edu/academic/learning_center/index.htm. SPecial needs: If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, if you have medical and/or safety concerns to share with me, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible. |
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