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International Business Administration

Experimental Methods in Business Research (R-Module)

Exam number: 6826

Semester: from 1st semester

Duration of the module: One semester

Form of the module (i.e. obligatory, elective etc.): Elective

Frequency of module offer: Each winter semester

Prerequisites: Students should have some basic statistics knowledge. The seminar is open for a maximum of 25 students.

Applicability of module for other study programmes:
Obligatory or elective in other study programmes. For further information check regulations of the study programme.

Person responsible for module: Prof. Dr. Matthias Sohn

Name of the professor: Prof. Dr. Matthias Sohn

Language of teaching: English

ECTS-Credits (based on the workload): 6

Workload and its composition (self-study, contact time):
Contact time (Lecture, tutorial etc.): 60 h; self-study: 120 h

Contact hours (per week in semester): 4

Methods and duration of examination:
Students will write a paper-style essay which will make up their mark.

Emphasis of the grade for the final grade: Please check regulations of the study programme

Aim of the module (expected learning outcomes and competencies to be acquired):
Fachliche Kompetenzen:
Students will learn to plan, conduct, analyze, and interpret experimental research. To do so, students will replicate previously published experiments in the lab or online. They will not only collect data, but also analyze the data and write a paper on that research topic. They will also present their results and critically discuss their findings with others in the seminar.
Außerfachliche und überfachliche Kompetenzen:
Students are expected to work in groups to accomplish the replication of experimental papers. Thus, they will need to self-organize their research project.

Contents of the module:
Experimental research in business administration and economics has gained popularity over the last decades. New disciplines like behavioral finance, behavioral accounting, or behavioral buisiness ethics, emerged and have gained more and more attention in the academic discourse. Experimental research is an important method in these emerging disciplines. Accordingly, in this seminar, we aim to address the following guiding questions:
What are the basic principles of a scientific experiment in psychology and economics?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of experimental research as compared to other methods, like survey or archival research?
What are the key elements of an experiment?
How does one conduct an experiment properly?
This seminar addresses these question both theoretically and through practical experience. Seminar participants are expected to conduct their own experimental research in small research teams, analyse the data and write a scientific paper based on their work. In so doing, the students will aim to replicate previosuly publishes experimental papers from behavioral accounting, consumer behavior, finance, business ethics or other business disciplines.

Teaching and learning methods:
Vorlesung, Seminaristischer Unterricht, Fallstudienseminar, Workshop, (Klein-)Gruppenarbeit, Projektarbeit, Präsentationen, Diskussionen

Literature (compulsory reading, recommended literature):
Box, G. E., Hunter, J. S., & Hunter, W. G. (2005). Statistics for experimenters. In Wiley Series in Probability and Statistics. Wiley Hoboken, NJ, USA.

Further information:
Registration in Moodle Viadrina required.