Methodology of professional and research work

Subject	Methodology of professional and research work
Semester	3rd semester (autumn)
Type	Compulsory (UNI) or elective (MA)
ECTS	6 ECTS
Study programme:	Business Studies (MA)
Primary language:	Slovene

Introduction
The course is delivered in Slovenian and is a compulsory course in accordance with the curriculum of the undergraduate study programme in Business Studies. The course has two parts. In the first part we follow the standard book in the field of research methods for business people, Research Methods for Business Students, while in the second part we focus on concrete examples of research methods. The course is suitable both for professionals from various fields and for students preparing research work.
 
Prerequisites
Students must have a sufficient command of English to be able to use the materials independently, as well as sufficient knowledge of mathematics and the fundamentals of statistics to master the basic methods of statistical analysis.

Content (Syllabus outline)

1. the fundamental principles of research and ethics in research;
2. approaches to research (experiment, interview, survey, observation)
3. preparation of a research plan;
4. the fundamentals of sampling;
5. methods of statistical analysis;
6. presentation of research results

Objectives and competences
The objective of the course is to equip future graduates in business studies with the basic approaches to research. In the course, students learn some basic research techniques and, above all, we seek to convince them that research is sometimes indispensable. The course should open students' eyes so that, when applying research methods, they pay attention above all to the essential building blocks of the research question and to a goal-oriented approach to research. The more specific objectives of the course are: to become acquainted with the fundamental principles of writing research work; to become acquainted with the research process; to become acquainted with the preparation of a research plan; to become acquainted with the types of research (experiment, interview, survey, observation) to learn the basics of sampling; to become acquainted with the use of the fundamental methods of statistical analysis; to be able to present research results

Intended learning outcomes
By the end of the course, all those who achieve a satisfactory result should have acquired the following fundamental competences: the independent formulation of research questions, the design of the research process and the competences related to it; a description of the use of some fundamental research methods applicable in the field of business studies; an understanding of the relationship between theory and research; the independent preparation of a research work proposal; the independent preparation of an in-depth questionnaire for the purposes of analysing the hypotheses set; the use of certain research methods (regression analysis, time series analysis, factor analysis, principal component analysis); an understanding of the importance of ethics in research. the use of R Studio

Learning and teaching methods

Forms of work

Frontal teaching

Independent and individual student work

Methods of work

• Explanation
• Conversation/debate
• Case studies

Assessment

• Attendance in the course is not compulsory but is recommended. The grade consists of several elements, which students will learn to produce during the year. The grade consists of the research proposal, the presentation of the proposal, the use of R Studio for data analysis and a critical analysis of a scientific article.
• Research proposal and presentation 60%
• Use of R Studio 20%
• Critical analysis of a scientific article 20%

Readings

• Saunders, Mark et al. 2015. Research Methods for Business Students. Pearson.
• Prosojnice s predavanj in modulov s povzetki temeljnih vsebin.
• Dodatna gradiva in drugi študijski materiali.

Office hours

• before and after lectures
• by arrangement