2013/2014 KAN-IBS_IB45 Applied Business Research
English Title | |
Applied Business Research |
Course information |
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Language | English |
Exam ECTS | 7.5 ECTS |
Type | Mandatory |
Level | Full Degree Master |
Duration | One Semester |
Course period | Autumn |
Time Table | Please see course schedule at e-Campus |
Study board |
Study Board for MSc in Economics and Business
Administration
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Course coordinator | |
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Main academic disciplines | |
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Last updated on 02-07-2013 |
Learning objectives | |||||||||||||||||||||
Learning objectives: At the end of
the course you should be able to:
• Calculate and interpret summary and comparative measures of the data. • Distinguish among different types of quantitative data (categorical, continuous, etc.) and recognize the types of information they provide and their limitations. • Recognize the main types of distributions, how they relate to the nature of data at hand, and how to use them in statistical analysis. • Draw inferences about population characteristics from samples. • Recognize the key features of statistical testing (significance, power, confidence intervals) and conduct statistical tests on data. • Understand the concepts of correlation, partial correlation, single- and multivariate regression, and conduct tests related to such regressions, including residual analysis. • Generate and interpret the output from pre-developed software packages. • Discuss and recommend solutions to problems encountered in the analysis of a specific phenomenon. • Perform hypotheses testing of both simple and more composite hypotheses. • Report and interpret the results of the analysis clearly and effectively to a reader who does not have a technical background in statistics and econometrics. • Use simple time series models and smoothing to construct forecasts and confidence intervals of future variables. • Make recommendations based upon the results of the analysis. |
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Examination | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Course content and structure | |||||||||||||||||||||
This course will introduce students to key methods of
quantitative analysis that are widely applied in business and
economic research. Topics covered include, among others,
representing quantitative data, characterizing the data using
numerical and graphic representations, performing tests and drawing
inference from them, recognizing potential weaknesses and/or
pitfalls of quantitative analysis, and using data for business
decision making such as forecasting. The purpose of the course is
to make students educated users of quantitative analysis by
introducing the main theoretical concepts and issues rather than
giving you an extensive training in the underlying mathematical and
statistical theory. The course emphasizes how to apply various
statistical techniques in the support of decisions in the various
functional areas of business and economics.
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Teaching methods | |||||||||||||||||||||
Teaching methods: The course consists
of 10 lectures and 5 tutorials. A detailed plan of topics to be
covered in each lecture, as well as respective readings for each
topic, is presented in the study plan timetable below. Lectures
focus on presenting theory and insights, although numerical
examples will be presented to help better understanding of
theoretical concepts. On the other hand, tutorials focus
exclusively on applying the concepts to concrete examples using
real world data. The tutorials also provide the hands-on experience
to problem solving.
Prior to coming to the written examination students will receive a 72-hour take home assignment in which they will be asked to apply analytical skills learned during the course, especially tutorial sessions. The data and problems for the assignment will be delivered by the instructor through CBS Learn. The solution of assignment problems will then be brought to the written exam. Detailed instructions on what exactly to bring along will be given when the assignment is distributed by the end of the course. |
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Expected literature | |||||||||||||||||||||
IB45 Course Reader: Applied Business
Research: Statistical Analysis of Business and Economic Data, 3rd
Custom Edition, available from the bookstore.
Instructor PP slides and supplementary notes, if necessary |