ME-613 Qualitative Research Methods

The course is connected to the following study programs

• School of Business and Law, PhD programme

Teaching language

English

Prerequisites

PhD candidates. Applicants with relevant scientific background can be considered if the resources are availabl. It is assumed that the student is grounded in theory development and research design.

Recommended prerequisites

It is assumed that the student is grounded in theory development and research design.

Course contents

The purpose of this course is to introduce the diversity of ways of conducting case study research to doctoral students from around the world and to improve their own research practice. It aims to provide an overview of recent trends and debates on the case study in management and organization research. This course will focus on issues that are often left out of methodology courses and training, notably: What are the different views on the theoretical contribution that a case study can make, and what lies behind these differences? As researchers, how can we theorize from case studies? How do ontological and epistemological assumptions affect views about case study quality and design? What is the `disciplinary convention¿ regarding the case study in your own field of research, and why does it matter? What are your options when writing up your case study for publication? What are the current trends in case research in top management journals? What can management researchers learn from case study trends in other fields, such as political science? As a case researcher, how can you best defend your methodological choices? Detailed lecture notes and handouts will be provided and examples from top journals will be collectively analyzed by course participants.
The course has a strong focus on the process and practice of conducting case studies which necessitates interaction with fellow students and faculty. It is intended for doctoral students who conduct or at least are considering whether to conduct case study research and who have already passed an introductory research methods course. After this course, students will be able to evaluate case research with increased confidence, enhance their own case study design and justify their methodological choices.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of the course the student should be able to:

• evaluate what qualifies as a case study

• interpret the case study methodology in relation to other qualitative methods and approaches

• appraise differences between a positivist and an alternative case study

• evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different data sources

• appraise different options for mixing qualitative and quantitative data and analysis

• justify the use of coding and other analytical strategies (including computer-aided qualitative data analysis)

• evaluate theorizing purposes for the case study beyond that of theory building

• review methodology sections in article manuscripts with greater confidence

Examination requirements

1. Pre-assignment: please find and bring to the first seminar a case study-based article you admire from an academic journal in your field.

2. Active participation in class

3. Article presentation (in pairs) in class: Article analysis

Teaching methods

Lectures, seminars and class discussion

Student workload (135 hours):
Lectures/seminars (5 full and intensive days): 30 hours
Pre-assignment: 15 hours
Preparing for lectures and general reading: 30 hours
Writing up course paper: 60 hours

Assessment methods and criteria

Course paper. Pass/Fail - where Pass must be equivalent to the letter grade B or better.