DBA 755 Advanced Research Methods
The philosophy that guided the development of this course is twofold. First, academic research involves a process of activities rather than the application of isolated, unrelated concepts and ideas. Candidates in this course learn about how-to conduct a review of current literature and scholarly work in topics they are interested in pursuing. Working closely with faculty, students learn strategies to get to problems worth researching (scope). The central premise of the course is training scholars to ask the right questions. Business research usually includes hypothesis or question, hypothesis testing, data collection or field work, analysis, and recommendations or conclusions. Participants learn the sequence and flow of research activities and its central role in scholarly inquiry. Second, the business scholar today requires a large toolbox or applications to gather evidence and analyze information. No longer can we, as business scholars, rely solely on surveys or secondary data to make recommendations. Business researchers, whether conducting research or reading research to self- inform, need to identify the key quantitative and qualitative drivers to business in order to decide what analysis is appropriate. Scoping the problem is the first step to making evidence-based decisions. A fundamental review of the most widely utilized research models and customer relationship management tools will enable business decision makers with a deeper understanding of how the results of data inquiries impact business results today.