Foundation of Management Research

Course 1: Foundations of Management Research (1.5 credits) Details of the course This course is aimed to learn the process of research in management and business of a doctoral study and prepares the students for independent research work. It focuses on the common challenges of designing a research project at doctoral level. As a solid foundation for conducting research, doctoral students will learn a structured approach to the research process, which includes defining the research topic and the research questions in the context of the existing research literature and/or business practice as well as building of a conceptual model and hypotheses development. The course helps students to conduct a systematic literature review and develop critical and constructive reviews of exemplary published research and the ethical dimensions of research. Learning Outcomes On completion of this course, students will be able to: 1. Recognize the related literature and how to thoroughly review it in a structured way; 2. Identify the gap and limitation in the existing literature in relation to the student’s topic; 3. Recognize the ethical dimension of conducting research; 4. Formulate the conceptual model, research questions, objectives and hypotheses; 5. Formulate hypotheses statements and construct effective and meaningful argumentation 6. Have the ability to articulate the range of problems, concepts and theories relevant to their thesis and field of study. Course outline: Literature review; literature assessment, analysis, selection and synthesis; ethics of conducting research; conceptualizing the research, research model and hypotheses and argumentation development. Pre-requisite: None Course Overview: I. Conducting Literature Review 1. Overview and assess systematically the literature 2. Manage the literature review process 3. Fields of study and keyword development 4. Literature searching and list compilation 5. Literature assessment, analysis, selection and synthesis II. Ethics of Conducting Research 1. Ethical aspects of collecting data 2. Ethical dimensions towards data analysis

3. Ethics around communicating results 4. Plagiarism & intellectual property III. Foundation of Management Research 1. Defining the research problem 2. Clarifying the research question & objectives 3. Research perspectives – theory & philosophy 4. Planning & project management IV. Conceptualizing the Research 1. Research proposals and hypotheses 2. Conceptual frameworks and models 3. Developing a research strategy Laboratory Session(s): None Learning Resources: Textbooks: H. Maylor, K. Blackmon, and M. Huemann: Researching business and management. Macmillan International Higher Education. 2016. Reference Books: 1. F. Gravetter, L.-A. Forzano: Research Methods for the Behavioral Sciences, 4th Ed., Thomson. 2012. 2. Earl Babbie: The Practice of Social Research, 12th Ed., Belmont, CA: Thomson- Wadsworth. 2010. Journals: Academy of Management Review, published by AOM Association • Academy of Management Journal, published by AOM Association • Strategic Management Journal, published by Wiley • Management Science, published by Informs • Others: Selected reading materials will be provided by the instructor for each session. Teaching and Learning Methods: To help doctoral students achieve the above objectives, and to help hone their strategic ability, we will use a combination of pedagogical approaches: (1) class lectures on key theoretical research

concepts and research management approaches; (2) class discussion of aforementioned topics through presenting and analyzing the reading materials; (3) class assignments; written analyses and discussion of the reading materials, and (4) students’ own conceptual research and literature review presentation and report. Time Distribution and Study Load: 22.5 hours Lecture and classroom discussion 22.5 hours Assignments submission 45 hours Student self-study Evaluation Scheme: Class assignments: 10% Individual presentations: 10% Individual final reports: 20 % Final Examination: 40 % An “A” would be awarded if a student can demonstrate the knowledge learned in class by presenting his/her own analysis on given topics. A “B” would be awarded if a student shows an overall understanding of all given topics; a “C” would be given if a student performs below average expectation on both knowledge acquired and analysis. A “D” would be given if a student does not meet basic expectations in understanding and analyzing the topics and issues presented in the course. Instructor(s): Dr. Yuosre Badir