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2014/2015  KAN-CIBSO1061U  Applied Business Research

English Title
Applied Business Research

Course information
Language English
Course ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Mandatory
Level Full Degree Master
Duration One Semester
Course period Autumn
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Study board
Study Board for MSc in Economics and Business Administration
Course coordinator
  • Bersant Hobdari - Department of International Economics and Management (INT)
  • Administration
    Zahra Karoline Lindberg Olsen - Department of International Economics and Management (INT)
Main academic disciplines
  • Economics, macro economics and managerial economics
Last updated on 04-07-2014
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.
Prerequisites for registering for the exam
Number of mandatory activities: 1
Examination
Applied Business Research:
Exam ECTS 7,5
Examination form Written sit-in exam
Individual or group exam Individual
Assignment type Written assignment
Duration 4 hours
Grading scale 7-step scale
Examiner(s) Internal examiner and second internal examiner
Exam period Autumn Term and December/January
Aids allowed to bring to the exam Closed Book: no aids
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
If the number of registered candidates for the make-up examination/re-take examination warrants that it may most appropriately be held as an oral examination, the programme office will inform the students that the make-up examination/re-take examination will be held as an oral examination instead.
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.
 
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.
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
Last updated on 04-07-2014