Prerequisite Statistical Software Tools

Prior to the first class, please obtain, install, and get familiar (using the online tutorials) with the basic operation of the required statistical software application: STATA

Required:  STATA [Downloadable from http://my.cbs.dk]

Aims

This course covers essential quantitative methods for the social sciences, with a focus on Information Systems research. It introduces a range of quantitative research designs, including experiments (e.g., controlled randomized trials, field experiments, and natural experiments), empirical research designs, and multimethod and mixed-method approaches that draw on numerical, behavioral, and psychometric measures. The course concludes with a critical examination of how quantitative research is reviewed and evaluated, emphasizing the rigor, validity, and quality of quantitative studies.

Learning Objectives

At the end of the course, students should be able to:

• Explain the theories and methods that were presented in class and covered by the readings
• Design theoretically sound and methodologically rigorous quantitative studies
• Identify and assess appropriate data sources and data collection methods for quantitative studies
• Apply quantitative data analysis techniques and interpret results
• Critically evaluate and review quantitative research studies
• Communicate quantitative research design, analysis, and findings in writing

Structure and Format

The course is designed as a sequence of seminars spanning roughly two weeks, each covering a key topic on quantitative research methods in social sciences. The meetings take the form of participatory seminars that include class presentations, guided discussions, and practical workshops. In addition to an appreciative and/or critical review of extant literature on quantitative research methods, the seminars encourage constructive dialogue aimed at helping students tackle research questions quantitatively, building on and extending contemporary knowledge.

Given the aforementioned learning objectives, the course involves a substantial reading load. Completing the assigned readings in advance and actively participating in class discussions and activities are essential for developing a solid understanding of the course content. For each seminar, students are expected to read the assigned articles beforehand and come prepared to answer questions, engage in discussion, and address other issues related to the assigned readings.

Homework Assignments

Two mandatory individual written homework assignments, each limited to a maximum of two pages, are designed to reinforce key analytical techniques and provide opportunities for deeper learning and reflection. The assignments address research motivation, research design, sampling strategy, causal inference, and selected concepts in quantitative methods.

Assignment 1: Review the article by Sandberg and Alvesson (2011). Discuss when gap spotting is an appropriate way to motivate research and when it is not. Support your discussion with explicit examples or references to relevant articles published in MISQ, ISR, or Management Science. Due: Friday, Week 10

Assignment 2: Review a provided manuscript. Critically evaluate both the theoretical reasoning and the empirical analysis. Due: Friday, Week 12

Submit the homework assignments via the Assignments section in Canvas by the due date.

Research Proposal Presentation [Week 13]

For the last session of the course, each student will be expected to prepare a presentation that outlines the design of a quantitative empirical study for investigating their domain of interest or any other contemporary or emerging topic in social sciences. The purpose of the presentation is to familiarize students with the practical steps involved in conducting quantitative empirical studies. The presentation should incorporate the following elements:

• Selected topic to be investigated via quantitative research models
• Significance of the selected topic
• Prior research on the selected topic
• Research question(s) to be answered based on the selected topic
• Theoretical model and hypotheses for answering the research question(s)
• Quantitative research strategy being adopted to validate the theoretical model and hypotheses
  • Instruments for data collection
  •  Possible data source(s)
  • Proposed data analytical technique(s) to be utilized
• Potential contributions to theory and practice

Submit the presentation via the Assignments section in Canvas. Due: Monday, Week 13.

Written Exam

The exam will take the form of an individual, take-home written exam, with a maximum length of 10 pages.

What can you work on?

• Identify a research topic that you would like to work on. There is no predetermined or stipulated topic. Choose a topic that genuinely interests you.
• Provide clear and compelling motivation for the research. 

What must you do?

• Conduct a thorough literature review of the topic, with an explicit focus on papers published within the last ten years.
• Propose a quantitative research method. Multimethod and mixed-methods approaches are also acceptable, provided that they include a quantitative component.
• Explain in detail how you would conduct the empirical investigation. The discussion of the research design and method should be comprehensive and specific.
• Briefly explain how you would analyze the data collected. No actual data collection or analysis is required.
• Discuss the study’s potential contributions to both theory and practice.

What level of quality is expected?

• The written product is expected to meet the quality standards of a top-tier academic conference, such as ICIS or AOM. You may think of the paper as being comparable in scope to a short paper or research-in-progress paper.
• The research design should be developed in detail, including the quantitative method, operationalization of key constructs, validity considerations, and other relevant methodological choices.

The exam submission is due on Friday, Week 16, and should be submitted through the Assignments section in Canvas. If necessary, a re-take exam will be administered about one month later.