Research Methodology for Supply Chain and Operations Management

Introduction

Students participating in this course will be guided towards the completion of a research proposal. The main aim of the course is to provide students with the knowledge and skills about research designs and methodology to successfully complete a master thesis. Doing research is about making choices, and in this course, students learn how to choose between research designs and methods, when different research designs apply and the consequences of choices. The course stimulates each participant to make, and take responsibility for, individual choices. The focus also includes what it means to be a researcher and the opportunities that come with good research.

The course covers the philosophical underpinnings of research and the fundamentals of research design in business with focus on supply chain and operations management and covers both qualitative and quantitative research methods.

Course content

• Introduction to the Research Process - philosophy of science, research proposals, research process, research ethics, doing and valuing peer reviews
• How to formulate research questions with good quality, how to use literature to develop the research question and frameworks.
• Types of Research Design - surveys and experimental designs, case designs, cross sectional, and comparative designs  
• Secondary Research and Analysis - literature searching, literature reviews, review articles, database management
• Qualitative & Quantitative Research - assumptions, ideas, methodologies, and methods
• Modelling designs - database development, management, and use