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2023/2024  BA-BIBAO2023U  Research Methods II: Quantitative Methods for Social Science and Business Application

English Title
Research Methods II: Quantitative Methods for Social Science and Business Application

Course information
Language English
Course ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Mandatory
Level Bachelor
Duration One Semester
Start time of the course Spring
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Study board
Study Board for BSc in Business, Asian Language and Culture
Course coordinator
  • Toshimitsu Ueta - Department of International Economics, Goverment and Business (EGB)
This course is co-taught by Toshimitsu Ueta and Zhen Im.
Main academic disciplines
  • Methodology and philosophy of science
  • Statistics and quantitative methods
Teaching methods
  • Blended learning
Last updated on 23-06-2023

Relevant links
Learning objectives
At the end of the course the students should be able to:
  • Understand and apply basic statistical concepts.
  • Identify and select appropriate quantitative approaches to analyze different research problems.
  • Explain the fundamental problem of causal inference, and how various quantitative approaches introduced in the course address it.
  • Summarize and illustrate the differences between experimental and observational studies as related to drawing causal inferences.
  • Identify and evaluate the causal assumptions behind the techniques introduced in the course.
  • Apply quantitative approaches to empirical data and interpret the specific results (e.g., coefficients, standard errors, p-values.in regression analysis).
  • Conduct data preparation and statistical analyses using statistical software.
Prerequisites for registering for the exam (activities during the teaching period)
Number of compulsory activities which must be approved (see section 13 of the Programme Regulations): 1
Compulsory home assignments
Students are required to take and recommended to pass an individual written home assignment in the middle of the course.
If a student does not hand in or hands in a blank, the student cannot participate in the ordinary exam – not even if the student can document illness. Students who can document illness at the time of the hand-in will be offered a new deadline prior to the retake. If handed in, the student will be able to attend the retake exam.
Examination
Research Methods II: Quantitative Methods for Social Science and Business Application:
Exam ECTS 7,5
Examination form Home assignment - written product
Individual or group exam Individual exam
Size of written product Max. 10 pages
Assignment type Written assignment
Release of assignment The Assignment is released in Digital Exam (DE) at exam start
Duration 7 days to prepare
Grading scale 7-point grading scale
Examiner(s) One internal examiner
Exam period Summer
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
A new exam assignment must be answered. This applies to all students (failed, ill, or otherwise).
Course content, structure and pedagogical approach

In both business and public policy, the demand for "evidence" is stronger than ever. Managers and policymakers place an increasing premium on knowing "what works", when they decide in which direction to take the company or the country. Additionally, recent decades have seen an explosion of data availability. Combined with advances in causal inference, this puts social scientists in a better position to answer the demand for evidence than they have ever been.

 

This course provides an applied introduction to statistics and econometrics that allow us not only to examine whether a strategy or policy "works", but also to quantify how much  they work. This is done through theoretical and applied knowledge about statistics, causal inference, and econometrics in business and social science at an introductory and intermediate level.

 

Upon completion of the course, the student should be able to understand the methods introduced in the course and apply them to a specific research problem. Building on basic statistical concepts, the course introduces students to quantitative approaches for drawing causal inferences, including the experimental design and various quasi-experimental methods. Multiple regression analysis will be the workhorse model. The course consists of a mix of lectures and exercises. Throughout the course we will follow an applied, hands-on approach.
Description of the teaching methods
Lectures and exercise classes are conducted in a mix of online and on campus teaching.
Feedback during the teaching period
Research Methods II is a workshop-based course, and students will receive feedback continuously during workshop classes. Throughout the sessions, personal feedback is provided in-class by means of the exercise sessions.

Lectures are followed by exercise sessions. Here, students will be provided with feedback on the assignments they have prepared before the class meets. Workshop instructors will walk through the exercise with the students. Thereby all students will have the chance to receive feedback on their work by presenting it, and hearing the thoughts of the instructor and other students.

Besides this, students are welcome to make use of the instructors’ weekly office hours, where all aspects of the course can be discussed, and further individual feedback can be provided to students.
Student workload
Lectures 24 hours
Exercises 12 hours
Preparation for class (reading, exercises etc.) 110 hours
Exam 60 hours
Expected literature

Angrist, Joshua D., and Jörn-Steffen Pischke (2014). Mastering'metrics: The path from cause to effect . Princeton University Press.

Cunningham, Scott. (2021). Causal inference: The mixtape . Yale University Press.

 

Please note: these reading materials are only tentative and changes may occur. Final literature lists will be uploaded on Canvas before the beginning of the course.

Last updated on 23-06-2023