MBA 651: Research Methods

Credits 1.0

The goal of this course is to provide an understanding of graduate research within the business arena. This course is aimed at the business strategist, who is responsible for determining the scope and direction of research activities and who will use the research to inform key business decisions. This could be a manager at a large firm making decisions about a new or established product or an entrepreneur who needs to understand the market for their new venture. The career learning opportunities in the course are:

  • To practice skills of systematic problem analysis and to translate management problems into the appropriate research methods.
  • To gain a working "hands-on" experience with the process of research from the formulation of the research problem, through the research design, data collection, questionnaire design, sampling plan, data analysis, and expected findings. 
  • To learn communication strategies to use the research results to drive strategy within a company. 

This course will focus on how both qualitative and quantitative aspects of research can help managers to address substantive problems. Analysis of cases, practice-based projects, and other assignments will form the basis for exploring how research concepts are applied in real-world situations.