Management Research Methods

Shandong University of Finance and Economics

Course Code：MP70201

Total Number of Instruction Hours: 34

Number of Credits：2

About this Course

Management Research Methods is a comprehensive guide to the design and conduct of research in management-related disciplines such as information system user behavior, organizational behavior, human resource management, industrial relations, and the general field of management. The course provides an overview of the research process and explains the main types of design used in management research – experimental and quasi-experimental designs, correlational field studies (surveys), case studies, historical analysis, and action research. It also describes the methods of data collection – interviews, questionnaires, documentation, and observation –commonly employed by management researchers. In addition, the course explains the issues of reliability and validity, the construction of multi-item scales, and the methods of quantitative and qualitative analysis.

By the end of the course, you will be able to understand the principle of falsifiability and master the research design, the methods of data collection, the scale development, the methods of data analysis, including principal component analysis, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling, moderating effect analysis and mediating effect analysis, and finally can solve management problems with above approaches comprehensively.

Prerequisites and Preparation

basic algebra and calculus, probability and statistics.

Course Goals

After completing this course, students should have developed a range of skills enabling them to understand the principle and procedure of management research and use them to analyze specific management problems.

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

·         Familiar with the basic concepts of falsifiability and management theory.

·         Master the methods of data collection.

·         Master multivariate data analysis methods, including structural equation modeling, mediating effect analysis and moderating effect analysis.

·         Develop the skills of applying the management research methods to solve the real management issues.

Course Components and Requirements

·         Assigned readings

·         Lectures

·         Research paper writing

·         Final Exam

Assigned Readings

Tony Ahn, Seewon Ryu, Ingoo Han. The impact of Web quality and playfulness on user acceptance of online retailing. Information & Management, 2007(44):263–275.

Po-Tsang Chen, Hsin-Hui ‘Sunny’ Hu. The mediating role of relational benefit between service quality and customer loyalty in airline industry. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 2013,24(9-10), 1084-1095.

Wan-I Lee, Yen Ting Helena Chiu, Chia-Chi Liu, Chen-Yuan Chen. Assessing the Effects of Consumer Involvement and Service Quality in a Self-Service Setting. Human Factors and Ergonomics in Manufacturing & Service Industries, 2011, 21 (5): 504–515.

Deliverables and Grading

Method of evaluation and grading:

1) Each student is required to complete a management research paper. This task will be divided into 6 parts, including the proposal of management problem, the literature review, research model and hypotheses, methodologies, empirical results and conclusions. Each part will be individually graded and the total score will account for 20% of the final course grade.

2) Each student is required to give a lecture of his research paper, the score of which will account for 10% of the final course grade.

3) There will also be a 100-min final, which will be cumulative and cover all of the course materials. This will account for 70% of the final grade.